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-opinion Justice missing n a1 iIa / ! a/\rni/\r\ in uuyie ucudium Yesterday's decision by the USC Supreme Court not to invalidate the March 8 Student Government elections is just the latest blunder in the SG election fiasco. The Court unanimously voted to deny SG presidential candidate Jim Doyle's request that the election be declared invalid. The Court heard hours of testimony documenting such irregularities as polling places and ballots left unattended. students heinp unahle to I vote, consolidation of polling places without notice and the improper listing of Doyle's name on the ballot. Despite overwhelming evidence showing the election was a comedy of errors, the Court decided to disregard regulations requiring elections to be 4'fair, equitable and just." 1 he Court admitted in its decision the election was problem-ridden and that the current process needs to undergo drastic reforms. This is certainly true. But this was not the point Doyle tried to make in his appeal. All he wanted was a fair shake in his run for the SG presidency, anjd he didn't get it. ] ine Elections commission, campus court and now the Supreme Court all overlooked this simple fact. The election regulations state a candidate does not have to show substantial harm for the elec a _ i._ i* j htm _ i _^ i_. lions 10 De mvana. me regulations oniy require that substantial irregularities exist to preclude a j fair election. Doyle proved beyond a reasonable i doubt that a number of substantial irregularities ] existed. , Yet the Supreme Court chose only to commend Doyle for providing Student Government a "meaningful service" for bringing these matters ' to the Court's attention It is the Supreme Court that should have performed a meaningful service ? by upholding the regulations that govern elections, and declaring the March 8 elections invalid. Although some of the problems experienced in the election were beyond the Elections Commission's control, they do not relieve the commission of the responsibility to provide fair elections. If, as the defense witnesses stressed, such problems are neither surprising nor alarming, something should have been done before now. Obviously, massive reform is the answer. The Supreme Court blew it. Though it admitted the election was plagued by mass confusion, it only counseled acceptance. After all, accor ding to SG Attorney General Mark Jones, "you can only expect so much" from a student election. Obviously this does not include justice. ? Gomecoc k???? Friitnr in Thinf ! Richard Mevers Copy Desk Chief .... Ann Applegate Photo Editor Michael Becker News Editor Chris Handal Copy Editors . . David DeWitt. 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 Emler Asst. Ent. Editor ... Jim VarvArsdale Ad Manager Linda S. Haines Sports Editor Johnny Boggs Business Manager . Jean Hatched Asst. Sports Editor. . Dennis SwiUer Production Mgr Mark McEwvan Opinion Page Editor .... Leslie Kat; Graduate Asst Wanda M Hite Wire Editor Leslie Potash Adyiser Mark Ethridge Jr a* m Tim AI.a..;.: ^ -t -? newsroom /// / 101 Huvenisiny ///??zqa Business Office 777 3888 Production 777 2833 The Ganwcock welcomes letters and guest editorials. All letters and gu3st editorials must be typewritten, triple spaced on a 65 space line. Letters should be no longer tnan juu woros ana guest eanoriais snoum ne nmnea 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 address, class standing or faculty position and major. Pseudonyms are unac ceptable, but the writer's name may be withheld upon request if the circumstances warrant. I We reserve the right to edit guest editorials and Setters. Address letters and colurnr.s to: Opinion Page Editor, Gamecock, Drawer A, USC, Colombia, S.C. 29208. | /isr A letters People shot Editor: One young man, a supporter of Bernard Epton in the recent Chicago mayoral election, was interviewed the day before the election, and in the course of that interview made the comirierc that he didn't expect the blacks in that city to support the interest of the "middle class " or the middle class to push for the interests of blacks. Apparently, in his mind, the two interests uuprp m 11111 a 11 if nnt r?r\r?r?c_ v? V I1IUIUU1JIJ VAVlUOl T V j 11 11V/1 V/ppV/O ing one another. In that situation this may be true, but is it true everywhere? Is it true here at the university that the interest of blacks and the middle class, r upper class in some cases, are different, in oppostion? Is it true blacks are only interested in programs that level the obstacles standing between them and up-scale employ ment or in securing handouts? n journalism Editor: I am responding to the person who wa by your front-page story this past Frida; Lynch of the Catholic Student Center. ( opinion of the writer, I was rather impre It was refreshing to see something in debated Student Government elections ar more oroerams at USC. To criticize Forr ting an enlightening human interest s typical of a large portion of suppose< individuals. As a freshman at Carolina, I am appa recognize the fact that a campus with a USC denartii work togeth Editor: Wednesday's ( Gamecock ) article c 45-year-old recordings of Negro Spiritu; Congress Folksong Archive was accurate was not the fault of the reporter, Tut Ur story's source, myself. I failed to stress the major role played department at USC. Members of that fa ed the recording equipment and encouraj documentation of contemporary spiriti Holiness church. Soon a media arts grad taking classes in anthropology got invob cameras and developed a documentary master's thesis. This is but one of several examples of < ween USC's very media-oriented anthi and the media arts department that numerous cultural documentaries. Inte abound under media arts' roof. This will media arts denartrnent's third annual h variety of topics addressed will be match of media through which they are prese begins at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the Lav M mmmmmmmmmammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmammmmm 1 mmw uw I TUKM wir r f \ ^ \) UIUII I JUU&C Is it true the middle class is only interested in programs that secure for them their status in society or in prohibiting the distribution of handouts? Meg Greenfield, editorial page editor for the Washington Post and columnist for Newsweek magazine, a r f Vin# ma AMI ^ yriuit ivwcuujr mat winic pcupic perceive blacks as different. According to Greenfield, white people deal with blacks in a condescending, patronizing manner ? at least those who are struck with a liberal consciousness. They handle blacks with kid gloves for fear of being accused of racism or intolerance. She recounts her experience at a dinner where a black participant proposed a preposterous plan and got rather abusive in pushing it. She said not one of the other participants at the dinner, who were white, even raised an objec more than c provide Knowledge 1 s "highly offended" repeatedly subjected 1 y on Father Stephen focus solely on "obj< }uite contrary to the To label a Francis< ssed with the article. - to cpruino o?/-i /-? vjiyu UI1U VJ print other than the Catholic Church" is i id the phasing-out of Lynch and the Catho est Brown for repor- businesses, associatic tory is shallow, yet To assume Father ily educated college Catholicism and to i ulterior motive ol ev< lied and disgusted to influence others to s great a capacity to monetary wealth. Is it really necessar numeiy good, honest 1 i religion? Is it possibl tegrity to respect om W enough integrity to 1 If it is not possibl possible to express cc . . r the hurt of an innoce ,n the donation of dieting religious beli als to the Library of individual particula, but incomplete This called for iderwood, but of the ? js sickening to k . , for its students as we by the anthropology slandered b those ClllfV initiflllv nrrwiri ? , qualities in everyone ?ement to do my own The f.(ct ,he wri(e[ tals sung at a black ,he fa|se im lication ua'c student who was tha( concerned hself bro"?ht!'' v,d1eo human being to'the . r>n tnic phnr^h oc ^ ? vuui vii ao ilia . . . , contrived by any stu< :lose cooperation bet- to persons s ropology department m<jraIistic, knowledf has made possible t4 . . !^refJ Brown rdisciplinary projects objective because be very evident at the stJai8ht-news i ledia Fest, where the P01"1 of view. In thi: ed only by the variety *m,sm because the nted. This free event Bro.w" s wr,tin8. al ? peripheral vision. kJVUUUi UV4UUU1 1U111. Park Dougherty edia Arts graduate student X WOTHIk HI WRfflffirsK ww ? vi \w?? m>\x\\\\v*v^ gmims. )"!? \ i i&r ' ^ w^fi others tion. For fear of being racist, perhaps? It is not my intention to propose that we abuse one another for the sake of liberalism, but that we make an effort to see people as people ? with similarities and differences. It seems that we, in an attempt to be just, have A I1M 'l ? n n ucwuic uujuai. i ma injustice im demonstrated by patronizing professors who are more lenient on me ^ because of some supposed disadvan- ^ tages in my background. If the young man who supported Bernard Epton is right, I'm afraid our future is indeed dismal. I would encourage us to look at one another as people, thus proving this gentleman wrong. This would be the only just thing to do. Ernie Wiggins Journalism graduate student ? objectivity n areas of which many are ignorant is to narrow-minded criticism by those who ectivity." :an priest who has devoted his entire life thers as "a political agent of the Roman not only a personal degradation to Father >lic Church, but to all religions, charities, >ns, clubs and people in general. Lynch is on a "mission" to convert all to make a hurk for th#? Pr?r*f? ic tr? cnv thp iry person who performs good deeds is to his way of thinking and to achieve y to attempt to defame those who are ge, selfless persons simply because of their e for the average person with average ine who is more than average and bearing 0) ive a life of chastity and poverty? e to respect such a person, is it also not mtrasting views with enough tact to spare nt individual? It is one thing to hold conefs, but to purposely, publicly insult any rly one of Holy Orders, is absolutely un;now USC offers enriching opportunities 11 as an pntirp ritv rvnln t/-\ Ko clor-.no/l v VIVJ, V/II1JT IV/ UV JiapfVU C4I1V* who cannot resist seeing evil, selfish or anything. 's name was "withheld by request" gives i that horrendous criticism of an article only with introducing a warm, intelligent ?) eaders of the Gamecock could have been lent of this campus. This is personally ofuch as myself who know a few existent jcauic auuns sucn as hather Lynch, and the Gamecock cannot be viewed as they believe there is more to journalism "eporting, then I applaud a subjective s case, I would also have to applaud optwo go hand in hand in the context of though it is only visible to those with Suzanne Deep Education freshman