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.opinion (JSC needs to act on Metro affiliation <v follr nf n nnnfnmnna offiliofmn again, iuc laiiv U1 a cuiiici aiiuiauviii for USC has surfaced. Before spring break, USC Athletic Director Bob Marcum said the "timing is right" for such an affiliation. USC President James Holderman said the university has "always" been interested * . ? . _ c i : j 1 :n i in juiiimg a euiuei tsiiut;, anu saiu lie win suppui i any decision that Marcum makes about the university joining a conference. This talk is nothing new. It has been going on almost since the day USC dropped out of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the early 1970s. The ACC and the Southeastern Conference are often mentioned as the most logical conferences for USC to join, but it's doubtful the Gamecocks would be accepted if they did apply. The Metro conference is often mentioned as a possibility for USC. Although Holderman has said ''historically, the university's interest has been minimal'' in joining the Metro, USC should take a serious look at what the Metro conference 1 j ~ cr i. i i i wuuiu oner trie scnooi. The Metro would benefit USC in many ways. USC could remain an independent in football, cinr?P thp Mptrn hoc nn pnmnpfitinn in that ennrt U1,1VV " """ upwi I-. While being a football independent is an advantage, being free from conference affiliation in basketball is a disadvantage. Twice in the past three years it has hurt USC's basketball program in post-season opportunities, not to mention regular season scheduling. The Metro is a strong basketball conference, headed by perennial power Louisville, and also offers a post-season tournament. Carolina's basketball team could benefit cfroaf 1 h\? ininincr fKio nnnfaranno nc nrtulH mnof V?AVAJ MJ UXV VVi&lVi ViiV>Vj UU V/VUiVA lllUOt of USC's spring sports teams. The talk about USC joining a conference has gone on too long. Now is the time for the school to seriously look at getting back into a conference, and abandon the annual lip service it has been givc;ii iaj in me pasi. Reagan makes stand for human rights Congratulations to President Ronald Rpapan for his small step in the right direction for human rights in granting political asylum to Chinese women's tennis standout Hu Na. The Reagan administration knew it risked a Ko nlrlocU ^V-xrv ^ - -? - 5 uav.i\iuou xi win liic ^milCSC IU1 1L?> ctUliUIlb ? cillU got it. The Chinese have suspended all official cultural and sports exchanges with the United States. ThP I InifpH will havp frk cuffor* 1 ncc r\f ? - V/ ...VX/W. ?^vv?vx^K/ f? * * A * V/ VVf UU11V1 KfJ lV/OO V/l exposure to high-quality ping-pong tournaments, and some other exchanges will suffer. The general consensus, though, is the country will be better off protecting Hu Na's personal freedom than bowing to the pressures of the Chinese. I Gamscoc k-??. Priitnr in f!hiof ! Richard Mevers Copy Desk Chief Ann Applegate Photo Editor Michael Becker News Editor Chris Handal Copy Editors David OeWitt. Mark Asst. News Editor Janet Edens Farmer. Leigh Jones and Ralph W Stice Asst. News Edit. Rachel Waterhouse Ent. Editor John Vaughan General Manager Ron fcrnler Asst. Ent. Editor . Jirn Van Arsdale Ad Manager Linda S Haines Sports Editor Johnny Boggs Business Manager Jean Hatched Asst. bports fcditor uennis bwiuer Production Mgr. Mark Mctwan Opinion Page Editor Leslie Kat? Graduate Asst. Wanda M Mite Wire Editor Leslie Potash Adviser Mark Ethridge Jr Newsroom 777 7181 Advernsing 777 4249 Business Office 777 3888 Production 777 2833 The Gamtcock welcomes letters and guest editorials. All letters and Quest editorials must be typewritten, triple spaced on a 65-space line. Letters should be no longer than 300 words and guest editorials should be limned to one newsworthy subject no longer than four typed pages Letters and guest editorials MUST be signed with the writer's name, telephone number, mailing ctamhnn nr famitu nncitinn and mamr. Pseudonvms arp unar. OUUl CdO| lilOOO J lUIIUIII^ \J I (uwvtsy pwwiowo ?? <. .. - ?J - - ( ? ????* ** ceplable, but the writer's name may be withheld upon request if the circumstances warrant. We reserve the right to edit guest editorials and letters. Address letters and columns to: Opinion Page Editor, Gtmacock, Drawer A, USC, Columbia, S C. 29208. 1 ~1B mroi ~ ! i | V III11 ill |fi| 11 ll MI I II null ?-?J -letters? Health care co By Joan Altekruse and Carlton Hornung A debate about planning for future health manpower is underway in . South Carolina that citizens of the r state should not only be aware of but i should participate in. Pending r decisions will influence many aspects s t 1 o i-U n i: : i ui iieaiui cart: iui ouuui unmans in 0 the coming decades ? the amount, c location, kind and source of / professional care and the increasingly n worrisome question of health-care r costs. r It has been almost universally fc assumed that a serious shortage of t physicians has existed in South 1 Carolina. In some cases, communities and whole counties have lacked the s services of a single medical doctor. r Often, patients in need of specialized a care have had to travel long distances c A _ A. _ A. ~ - L 1 - ! - A. - X ut uui-ui-suue 10 ouiain 11. n.ven in i larger communities, the effort to c secure primary care from a general s or family practitioner sometimes has < involved a long waiting period, while t people on Medicaid or Medicare often i have experienced frustration and i sometimes ultimate failure in finding < a aocior. c But these perceptions of a physician < shortage in South Carolina have s changed abruptly among some 5 members of the medical profession. Influenced by experiences in other i states and by the projection of a ( national surplus of doctors, some ( members of the medical community t are acting as if the perennial problem I of an undersupply of doctors in South I Carolina has been "cured" and that i 1J 1 11 wc snuuiu iespunu as 11 me newly ] projected national surplus applies here. Proponents of that view may not fully appreciate the weaknesses of the report of the Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Com mittee, which contained these 1 national projections, nor the | Senate member; Editor: On March 23 I had the pleasure of attern the Student Government Senate. I was repr< CCI Student Government in a budcet aDDeal SG Vice President Mike Sheely anno' representative would have three minute budget. During the course of my brief pres of the senators conversed and at times see at the mention of the word "inmate." Their attention and interest in our appeal and t this funding to the rehabilitative aspect mirrors the general public apathy. It is makes our job more difficult. The chairman of the Finance Commil r?f !imnn/4in? nlxno/ln uiiiivuK-j ui uu?/iiiiiiig on an taujf udiauct dments would require transfers from oth budgets. Despite the objections of two sen. were heard separately, rather than hearinj then considering amendments op the tot peals. This piecemeal approach Certainly nHnn S3 incerns all S. guest editorial nodifying disclaimers of its authors. C f Vt n ^ ? *-v 4- *-v /-] It n I1C dUUIUlS U1 tlicit JCJWU IIUICU UlClL lational projections of a surplus hould not be used to predict conlitions in a particular region, state or ommunity. Dr. James Salmon of the American Medical Association rightly loted that studies generalizing health nanpower predictions have been lotoriously inadequate. It would not >e wise to use them uncritically or to reat them as precise guides to future ocal or statewide decisions. Tf i C fr*HO fVlO f or* nn jlv 10 1.1 uv liiuv/aiiiui ma ao wen aa ome suburban areas adjacent to netropolitan areas of the northeast ire oversupplied with physicians in :ertain medical specialties. Yet, in hose same areas are large numbers >f graduates of foreign medical ichools who came to this country to complete their training and, contrary A InUiol i ^ yj uiv.il iiiuiai 111LCI1L ctUU IU UU1 CA" >ectations, have remained to practice n the United States. Legislative controls on the pattern of in-migration )f foreign physicians are now being ieveloped and can reduce a major inilTPP ftf thf? anfir?inatoH fntin-o rw. ???V UllVIVl^/Ui'VU 1UIUI V/ surplus of physicians. Closer to home, we hear of an innigration of physicians to South Carolina and the related expectation )f a physician oversupply. It is true hat many doctors choose to retire to his gentle climate. However, even nougn they hold licenses to practice nedicine here, they do not in fact provide commensurate quantities of patient care. (For example, more ;han 100 physicians licensed in South jaronna in 1981 indicated Beaufort Jounty as their place of residence, but :heir presence will be largely felt as Hilton Head retirees ? not as fullLime equivalent doctors tending to pauenis in mai area.) s exhibit lack o fnr am/ *> mn>-?A?v->*,, . vra ctlij MlilV/IlUilll'IlU) iing a meeting of I am not criticizii esenting the USC- mittee. 1 appreciate seemingly limited fu unced that each which the appeals w ;s to appeal his for the appeal areun .eniaiion, several the piecemeal appro mingly snickered some senators sealec apparent lack of heard. he importance of of our program The USC-CCI Proj this attitude that important factors in i take our budget app ttee stressed the indication of the la< id budget. Amen- process to the Stuc er organizations' consider abandoning ltors, the appeals g all appeals, and al amount of apmade it difficult froisih' a * a ? i MitSSW \ mm, . jjBQZO^ C. residents The important question of how to provide medical care in South Carolina cannot be ignored. Given the record of low health status for the residents of this state, serious attention to the health of the population is warranted. Our figures for deaths among infants are the worst in the u ~ L:-u ?i? e? i ? tumuli, wc ncivc mgii raies iur nean ^ disease and the average life span of South Carolinians is shorter than elsewhere in the United States. How can this comprehensive health problem be resolved? Clearly, the involvement of many perspectives and informed opinions is essential. A policy or plan that addresses only one i 4.1? i_i ? 1 * pan ui uie prouiem, or responds to only a single perspective or interest, will leave unanswered many aspects of this complex issue. CJ Finally, a case can be made that the issue of future supply of physicians in South Carolina is merely a surrogate for the more encompassing dilemma of out-of-control health care costs. Dptprminintf tho numhar /? f - - . > ^ VIIV UUillMV/l VI physicians practicing in the state is but a fragmentary response to that large and vexing concern. While organized medicine has played down the need for health planning in the ? past, it is a measure of the severity of ine proDiem tnai tne medical communtiy appears ready now to employ systematic methods to study health manpower in South Carolina. Lacking any sure mechanism or experts to supply easy answers, help from multiple sources ? lay and professional ? is required so our conclusions will conform to the timetested caveat of Hippocrates, "At 1 A A 1 n icctbi uu iiu iiarm. , i' Dr. Alterkruse is chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health in the USC School of Medicine. Dr. Hornung is an associate professor in the department. f attention to be enacted. ng the members of the Finance Com the difficulty of their job of allocating ^ nds. What I do object to is the manner in ere handled. The short amount of time lent (only five organizations appealed), ach and the wavering attention span of I the fate of any appeal before it could be gram and its Student Government are the rehabilitation of nnrtirinnnts. We K?al seriously. If my experience is any ;k of importance of the budget appeal lent Government Senate, they should 4 the option of appealing. Richard Walsh Director, USC Prison Programs