The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 03, 1982, Page Page 7, Image 7
Ch
TO THE EDITOK
I direct this letter to the jc
ambitious enough to run a pi
your ambition is latent.
You, who says, "let another
trained for it; you have an in
other shortcomings, throughoi
strengthened the behind-the-sc
quality is the guts of any pape:
use his institutional improvem
paper has much in its favor
responsibility. You can make
publication.
The paper waits for you. T1
you will have in level-he;
predecessor has failed, will be
your character. You must not
to forget the needs of your rea
to articulate the higher qual
handed manner. You must n
opportunism. You must not p<
your sense of Tightness.
Reac
TO THE EDITOR
For the past few months
I've been reading Mark
Platte's column. First I read
it out of curiosity, and then to
convince myself that it was
not as bad as I thought. I
figured that if I kept reading
it I would discover
something that I'd been
missing--but it hasn't happened.
Instead, I've been
subjected to a flow of petty,
personal, driftwood pulled
from Platte's dead sea of
thoughts and generously
scattered among us in the
guise of pearls of wisdom,
witty asides, or something
unknown to journalism. And
if his banality isn't bad
enough, Platte's ignorance
Contemp
TO THE EDITOR
concerning your recent rei
Sounds and their lack of nam<
ever tried to book a band whei
the Ballroom and for the Sprir
the semester? In essence we h
our schedule not the bands toui
slow touring traffic in the south
to choose from.
We are constantly inquiring
and we do provide bands ever>
rr
i .
NANCYS k
LITTLE \
Bmy
alienee Foi
uirnalism major capable and
iblication next year. Perhaps
do it" ; you, because you have
icredible opportunity. Despite
ut the year the editor-in-chief
enes quality of the paper. This
r. You have the opportunity to
ents to benefit the school. This
. It lacks only maturity and
it a positive and fair-minded
le students wait. The success
aded fairness, where your
limited only by the strength of
permit the power to allow you
ders. They need a person able
ities of students in an evenot
give in to expediency and
ermit your position to eclipse
ier Questic
of nearly every subject he
broaches is offensive enough
to make one nauseous.
In the Feb. 18 Gamecock
he showed his ignorance
once again by attempting to
dismiss the credibility of
Buckley's stance on increased
defense spending
and a tougher attitude
towards Russia with his
certified psychological
evaluation of Mr. Buckley's
emotional and mental state
of health. The only thing he
succeeded in doing was
further diminishing the
already miniscule
credibility of his printed
pleas for attention that I will
lavishly phrase "his
column." Platte is a fool if he
>orary Soui
ference about Contemporary
3 bands on campus, have you
i you have to reserve dates in
ig Concert at the beginning of
lave to find bands that will fit
ring schedule. Considering the
i, this leaves us with very little
about acts to play on campus
r week in the Golden Spur, but
r All Studer
Egotism smothers fine abil
your predecessor's tasteless
tegrity. Show both sides of stui
but articulate praiseworthy qu
positive role-model. Be true
respect. You will have side-ste]
you permitted it to pass around
You will have achieved a thing i
You are able. The opportu
abilities and character and for
maintain them. You can have
perceptions which shall, in tim
small part of it ? and shape
experience will make easier gr?
You have the tools and the tr
needed. Overcome the doubts
make a commitment.
For you are able.
You.
ms Credibil
isn't afraid of the potential
danger of a government that
butchered millions of its own
citizens to establish itself.
Russia devoured Eastern
Europe after World War II
and regurgitated repressive,
totalitarian regimes while
America twiddled its thumbs
instead of crushing the
Soviets like it should have. I,
for one, am not about to idly
watch the same thing
happen to Western Europe
and the rest of the world. If
the human race cannot
govern itself any better than
it does under
totalitarianism, then let's
have the third world war
now and rid mother earth of
her apocalyptic offspring.
rvrls Ha? I ir
considering our limitations in k
acts for the Ballroom and Spr
find a band to play here. Hoping
fees, have an open Ballroom d;
some other school in a more pre
You commented the other da;
anyone who criticized you shoi
you the same advice.
LX
Busii
its
ities, evidenced recently by
column. Maintain your indents,
of faculty, and of staff,
alities that readers may see a
about it and you will gain
pped egotism. Like fear itself,
you without succumbing to it.
few are able.
inity waits, calling for your
your sense of the sardonic to
a hand in shaping students'
e, shape our world ? if even a
what we shall pass on. This
eater things in the future,
aining. Test yourself. You are
on the way ? do not fear to
MICHAEL LITTLE
English Junior
ity
The only thing worse than
Platte's pettiness and
ignorance is his snivelling
attitude towards
Republicans and the Reagan
administration. His griping
is nearly as bad as the envious
criticisms I've heard
of Clemson and makes me
want to wipe his runny nose
with sandpaper.
Until your Editor-in-Chief
starts wiping his nose and
writing something worth
printing, he will be to me and
many others as the
"Lamecock" so aptly put it iinyfr>?
i?
lUdl IV Ol tfllC.
LAWERENCE PERRY
Business Administration
Junior
nitations
>oth time and budget, finding
ing Concert, we are lucky to
; of course we can afford their
ate, and we aren't out bid by
ferable location first.
y on how hard your job is and
iild try themselves. We offer
SA PROSS SUSAN COX
tiess major studio Art Major
DTWhlice l
twilling
LITTLE
,/BITTY
j^WAR
Bttf
MARKPLATTE j
flBk
T know this is sort of a last minute decision, but 1 have i
decided to run for Student Government president, succeeding j
my good friend John Boswell. However, 1 will not go to all the
trouble of printing posters of myself, distributing buttons or
giving interviews on why I'm the best qualified candidate.
Rather, I will make just one promise and wait for the votes to
pile in.
My promise is to abolish the Student Government. Plainly,
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ment operation is worth about a quarter of a million dollars.
Imagine where that money could go if the Student Government
were no more. It could go to offset student surcharges
and student activity fees. The money could hold down tuition
for a while. The stipends paid office-holding members of the
Student Government could even allow more clubs and
organizations to receive needed funding.
This is not a joke. At the University of Georgia, the same
thing was done. A student ran for SG president on the platform
that he'd abolish the whole Student Government. He
won with the largest voter turnout in SG history. I'm simply
doing the same thing.
There are students in the senate who believe that Student
Government can work for the students but how has it worked
so far? In the four years I've attended USC, the Student
Government has done nothing for me. Try and think what it's
done for you.
I am in no way downgrading the people who have devoted
long hours in trying to make Student Government work.
Consider the past four presidents: John Boswell, Larry
Kellner, Peter Haeseker and Seamus O'Boyle. All were fine
individuals out ail had absolutely no power or leverage over
; either the students or the USC administration to do anything.
Ask any of them! If they were honest with you, they'd readily
admit that they had extremely limited input.
| Take away the money that is spent so needlessly in the
Student Government and put it elsewhere. Take the vacant
SG offices on the first floor of Russell House and use them for
added meeting places. Take the equipment budget from the
Student Government and put that money into use for all
students.
When the senate meets on Wednesdays at 5:15 at the
Callcott Social Sciences Center, all they do Is meet and visit
with one another and laugh at each others' mistakes. Then
when their term is over, they put the fact that they were a
senator rei their resume, . - - -, ^ . $
What has gone on is a tremendous waste of time and money
putting useless bills, resolutions and projects into effect that
have little or no impact on the rest of us.
Don't get me wrong. I am not criticizing the Student
Government or student senate just for the sake of criticraiig.
The book exchange Was a good idea. The course evaluatM*!
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e??viv ?nryNM>VH?Uf6 * ??* ? wwwffW |??OWIiaHJ. OUl WW ?tti!
Is these are superficial tasks that could be accomplished
without having a Student $over*Knent. cW&iy ?ot have, for
example^i^ervice fraternity tafc&d>ter these duties?
Shouldn't the Garnet Spirit lwtidle ttie ticket distribution^
football games? ; W: ;ll? \ >'rvj;'-.-"M
^ Ws Cace lt: this unive&ity is starving financially. Vfhf
must we put tip with an org&nStation that drains students of
(precious dollars? Granted, there are other areas of USC
'which could provide students with more money to battle
financial woesV But what better way to start than scraping
the money from Student Government. That would be a sign tc
the USC administration Juki the legislature of the waji
students are ready to sacrlfii?W more money, >^ ; m
In the 1981 Student (tarernment jMHtaiary election, oxtfj
3,650 of our 26,000 student voted for president. Past elections
have netted the same low results. John Bosweli got into th|
run-off election with 1,217 votes. He won the presidency with
1,751 votes out of 2,912 cast. In order for me to help abolish tip
Student Government, Til need about 1,500 votes today.
If all the people who don't care about having a Student
Government write my name on the ballot, I'm sure I cotxlc
I flantor tha latvraai amAiiMt ?
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Government election. Then once elected, I would hekff
distribute the wealth of money that is due students. It cot#
be put into each club and organization on campus or it couk
serve as a rebate for each individual student. Any decisis
would have to be made in the form of a campus vote as to ha*
the money would b? distributed.
Foi iow years, I have heard the same ridiculous campaign
slogans and stared at the posters which are designed to win
elections. But this year can be a monumental change at the
university oz soutn uarouna. instead of just hearing {ft
same old jargon, students can vote to win back the moiie$
they've always had to put into something they don't want,
For the first time, every student on this campus will contro
his or her own destiny.
Vote for me in all four slots: president, vice president,
secretary and treasurer. If I win, the Student Government is
no more.
I'm devoting this entire column to this issue to present the
facts. 1 present this stand apart from any affiliation as editor
in-chief of the Gamecock, just as MARK PLATTE. r