The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 16, 1984, Page Page 8, Image 8
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Page 8 ? November 16, 1984 Opinion THE GAMECOCK
Require
curricul
It is pre-registra
schedule for next s
with what USC's
Bulletin, has to off
reading to your co
The reading is "]
ing the Potential o
It is the final repoi
educators who ex
higher education,
deans and currici
make sure they'r
students.
The report, writi
panel and release
observations and i
aren't exactly car
educators. But like
points out bad hat
The report's rna
it worthwhile. It <
around, liberal, tri
passes on society's
the proliferation ol
cupational fields,
tional arts and sci(
or at least aren't
develop analytical ;
of life-long learnin
scores on the GRE
missions tests are
SAT scare?)
Like any worthv
some reasons for s
tive accreditation p
programs that don
many horizon-broa
jors. A look at the
ricula for some U5:
macy, for example
USC prides itsell
many fields. It no\
lead. The Pre
Undergraduate Mi:
Dean Harry Lights
the recomendations
and should make
Carolina.
One place to st;
Education recently
ing of its curricul
most of their ur
another university
specific education
complaints that tc
teach, but they
teaching. Now the)
to teach it. It requi
takes a little extra t
plan. Expansion <
something that ]
consider.
?Sen
Copy Desk Chief Ron
News Editor Jo
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Sports Editor Andi
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Photo Editor Jennift
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Newsroom
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The Gemmock welcomes let
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Letters should be no looser
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Address letters and column
Columbia, S.C. 29208.
't
I
d reading for
um planners
tion time again, time to make a
emester. But if you aren't happy
academic menu, the University
er, you should recommend some
liege's dean.
Involvement in Learning: Realizf
American Higher Education."
rt of a blue-ribbon committee of
amined the state nf American
It would be good reading for
ilum committees who want to
e meeting the needs of their
ten after a ye&r-long study by the
;d last month, contains some
recommendations that probably
npus-shaking or new to most
; a friend who is also a critic, it
)its and suggests remedies,
in thrust, if nothing else, makes
iddresses the erosion of an allily
universal education, one that
s~%/ti 11 < /J 1 r /aii rl /-*./-I />/-* T4- /ii
atquucu Miuwicugc. n uuitl^csi
? narrow speciality majors in ocwhile
leaving behind the tradijnces.
Students aren't required,
encouraged often enough, to
and expressive skills, nor a love
g, the report says. And average
and other graduate-school adbecoming
lower (remember the
vhile analysis, the report offers
;hortcomings. It blames restricirnorams
for manv nrnnnfltinnal
O
*t leave students room for very
Ldening courses outside their maalmost
entirely pre-planned cur>C
majors ? nursing and phar?
helps bear this out.
f on its expanding leadership in
v has one more opportunity to
sident's Commission on
ssions, headed by Law School
iey, would benefit greatly from
i in "Involvement in Learning/'
plans to implement them at
art is curricula. The College of
underwent a sweeping revampum.
Students there now spend
idergraduate time studying in
department, topping it off with
fnnrsps Thf? rhanopc ct#?m frnm
""V.WCVU ?ivtlt UVIII
>o many teachers knew how to
didn't know what they were
r can master a subject, then learn
res more total course hours, and
:ime to graduate, but it is a good
3f the idea to other majors is
Lightsey's commission should
mecocK
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To the Editor:
I am writing in response to your recent
editorial titled "Raising drinking
age doesn't stop DUI" which appeared
in the Oct. 31, 1984, issue of The
Gamecock.
First, I would like to commend your
support of and interest in the problem
of driving under the influence (DUI) as
evidenced by this editorial. However, I
would also like to take this opportunity
to dispel a few additional myths and
correct some of your statements
which, I feel, were in error.
As indicated in your editorial, the
problem of DUI is a complex one to
which there are no simple solutions.
The State legislature's recent action to
raise the legal age required for the purchase
of beer and wine to 19 effective
immediately and to raise it to 20 effective
Jan. 1, 1985, is indeed an important
component of the solution.
ACCORDING TO "Healthy People:
The Surgeon General's Report on
health Promotion and Disease Prevention,"
motor vehicle accidents are the
leading cause of death among persons
ages 15 to 24. Alcohol consumption is
clearly implicated in many of these
fatalities, with about one-half of the
fatally injured drivers having blood
alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or
above the legal level for presumed intoxication.
For this reason, it is imperative
that the legislature look at and
enact measures such as this one to
directly impact the youthful driving
population.
Your editorial implies that the effectiveness
of raising the legal age is a
myth. In recent years, however, many
states have looked closely at the impact
of raising and lowering the legal age.
Research has demonstrated that lowering
the legal age has a detrimental impact
on highway safety and, conversely,
raising the legal age results in
positive highway safety outcomes.
In Illinois, for example, the legal age
was raised to 21 and since this change
took effect, a 25 percent reduction in
the number of alcohol-related traffic
fatalities has been recorded. In New
Jersey, the legislature lowered the legal
age to 18 in 1973 and has reported that
the percentage of 18- to 20-year-old
drivers involved in alcohol-related
fatal accidents rose from 8.9 percent in
1972 to 16.3 percent in 1973 and to
29.2 in 19*75. These are only two in
r
CSW,SENHDRGARN,\DUR M1SSK
IS ID RETRIEVE SENflDR HELMS
AND BRING HIMBCKTO EARTH.
I
Letters
illing drunk-driv
stances in which the effect of raising
and lowering the legal age has been
proven. There are many others.
However, the example you cited in
your editorial regarding Minnesota's
experience with a higher legal age was
inaccurate.
JOHN WILLIAMS, of the Minnesota
House of Representatives
research department, has challenged
your claim that in Minnesota "traffic
fatalities increased four times after the
legal drinking age was raised to 19."
Williams said that he knows of no
study or publication that has made this
claim, and according to his research,
there has been a steady decrease in the
percentage of licensed drivers killed in
highway crashes since 1976 when the
age was raised. This decrease can be illustrated
by looking at the increased
number of licensed drivers and the increase
number of miles traveled per
licensed driver, and comparing this to
the number of licensed drivers who
were killed in crashes on the highways.
Because it has been demonstrated
that the positive impact on highway
safety becomes greater as the legal age
increases, the greatest effect can be expected
when the legal age in any given
state is 21.
Therefore, the South Carolina Commission
on Alcohol and Drug Abuse
has supported the recommendation of
the National Traffic Safety Board to
raise the legal age in all states to 21.
Studies of 14 states that have raiseo
- the legal age have indicated that approximately
380 fewer young drivers
have been involved in nighttime fatal
crashes each year. Even more lives
could be saved if all the remaining
states with legal ages lower than 21
nviv iv wuoiiiiviiujr iai3L tilt IU X> 1
throughout the nation.
THAT'S A fact, not a myth.
I agree with your statement that raising
the legal age is not the total answei
to the problem. We do need additional
tougher laws in South Carolina and in
ctc UIAII or O4V(A4?(>
V/VI1VI avubvi} I CU> TTVI1 atl ail Itl^l VIII Ui W
ment of them.
However, I disagree with youi
perceived "myth" that the state's
legislature feels that, because it has
rasied the legal age in South Carolina,
it "has done its part in reducing drunk
driving." The state legislature has in
no way indicated that this measure
ring myths
alone will solve the problem.
In fact, South Carolina's lawmakers
have been and continues to be committed
to reducing the public threat of >
DUI through a variety of actions. In
the past few years, for example, the
legislature has passed several laws
which directly impact the problem.
IN ADDITION to raising the legal
age, legislation has also been enacted
which makes it illegal to kill or injure
someone while driving under the influence;
prohibits the transfer of
alcoholic beverages to minors; prohibits
the possession of open containers
of beer and wine in moving
vehicles; and requires all persons convicted
of DUI to successfully complete
the state's Alcohol and Drug Safety
Action Program (ADSAP), prior td
being relicensed by the South Carolina
Department of Highways and Public
Transportation.
Also, there are several DUI-related
issues which will be considered during
the upcoming legislative session, including
a bill which would make driving
at a set BAC illegal in and of itself;
a Kill iuaiiIH oIIau; fr\r rr\orlcJHp
u i/iii TTiiivn nv/uiu auv/TT iv/i i v/auaiuv
breath fluid samples to be taken under
the current implied consent legislation;
a bill which would require the administrative
suspension of a drivers's
license at the time a person is charged
with DUI; a bill which would raise the
legal age required for the purchase of
all alcoholic beverages to 21; and a bill
which would prohibit the transfer of <
any alcoholic beverages to persons
under the age of 21.
In South Carolina, we should feel
privileged to have legislators who view
the problem of DUI as a serious one.
We should appreciate the fact that
many of them are willing to fight for
tougher laws which would benefit the
community and society as a whole,
even though thev mav lose the sunnnrt
of those individuals and special interest
groups who may oppose certain
legislation.
The South Carolina Commission on
Alcohol and Drug Abuse thanks our
legislators and your newspaper for
working toward our shared goal of
public health and safety.
William,J. McCord
Director
South Carolina Cflmtaiisioa en Ateokol and
Drug Abuso (