University of South Carolina Libraries
Viewpoint f 4 * Wednesday, January 2.2, 1986 Scapegoa State budgei USC student Maybe it's time our state politicians went back to school, because they obviously are ignorant about a basic educational fact: College costs money. A lot of money. Yet the State Budget and Control Board has decreed a 2 percent budget cut for USC as part of a statewide cost-cutting effort. This means USC has $2,245,604 less money than before. As usual, students eventually will pay the price for these cuts. U/VlJIo T TC/^ tr'.nr f ~ nr?nUi:M, TT iniv iiivo iu t/diauiidii credibility for South Carolina by sponsoring notable speakers and international conferences, the government is busy stabbing USC in the back by trimming the school's funds, showing that education is the least of its concerns. As a result, USC will be forced to look elsewhere for money ? namely, to the checkbooks of students. Once again, the students will be responsible for picking up the tabs of state officials who obviously cannot remember the importance of the very college education that helped them achieve prominence. Questions, c comments ai Because of enormous public mitrrv I havf? hppn nclfpH tr? r?r> cupy this space every Wednesday. I have no idea why. The first time I wrote a column for a newspaper was in high school. The column's name was "The Loose Bulb." (Need you ask why?) It covered everything from southern accents to how those little Styrofoam pieces tend to fly around the inside of a car when the windows are down. I received several compliments, as well as a few letters offering to pay for my 100m and board at Belvue, on these. However, after 1 wrote a column on the intelligence, or lack thereof, of one of our football players, 1 was promptly given the Joe Theisman treatment by the entire defensive line. "And sueakine of foothall folks ..." Will Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon wear a "l.ate Night with David Letterman" headband, having been paid $200 on national television to do so? We will try to answer this question, among others, this semester in the old-fashioned fashion when, as Douglas Adams said, "Men were real men, women were real women and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri." "And speaking of small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri playing football folks. . 1 got one of those "You can really win BIG!!!" sweepstakes letters in the mail the other day. This particular one did not feature a picture of Ed McMahon on the cover, much to my delight. Anyway, It was the Sports Illustrated Sports Fantasy sweepstakes. Now, I'm not one for entering all or any of these contests. Personally, I think the only way you even have an ice cube's chance in hell of winning is if you order their magazines. I The Gamecock needs your press your likes and dislikes bj ter to the editor. Letters must be typed, doubl a maximum length of 3()0 wor< include the writer's name, addr number and where the writer c for verification. l etters should also include writer it a ctaff r\ " Iivi a.J m .nuuviUf .uui x ) w member. Guest editorials must Its t board makes s pay for cuts Only last semester, the Carolina population forked over hundreds of additional dollars under the guise of library and computer fees, on top of a tuition increase. Granted, attending college is a privilege. But a big difference exists between asking students to pay for a quality education and punishing them by raising tuition costs skyhigh. Legislators claim raising the standards of education is a major goal for South Carolina, which has never been known for its outstanding SAT scores. But while the General Assembly has raised sales taxes for primary and secondary education, lawmakers have consistently failed to support higher education. If they want to end illiteracy in this state, legistors have found a funny way of doing so. Higher education has become a scapegoat for revenue shortfalls. Whatever happened to the importance of educating America's youth? Receiving a college education has become a privilege of the rich. And a pipe dream for the poor. riticisms, tid queries Ed Chambliss don't care what anybody "used to think." I read through the poster sized entry form, with every line personalized to me (i.e. "But that's just the first half of the prize, Edward Chambliss!" How many people do you know that talk to you like that?), and found out that if 1 did enter, and I did win, I, Edward Chambliss, would "be picked up by the special Sports Illustrated limousine at P.O. Box 80815." I don't know, but 1 think a Iknousine would look pretty damn silly driving through the first floor lobby past the USC Bookstore and the Grand Market Place on the way to pick me up at my P.O. Box. If you have the answer to any of these questions, or have any questions, criticisms, comments, or querries, send them to: "Hey, You!" c/o Ed Chambliss, The Ciamecock, USC, Drawer A, Russell House, Columbia, SC 29208. I'll print as many as I can every couple of weeks. Don't forget to include your name, major, class, address and phone number on the letters. If you don't, I can't print 'em. opinions. Ex- four typed pai i writing a let- should be inch The Gamecc e-spaced, with letters a mont ds. They must will only be \ ess, telephone and pseudonyi an be reached The Gai/tec letters and gue whether the returned. Sei r community Gamecock, D be limited to umbia, S.C. 2 "Come on,ge Driving can bi I hope some of those who arc reading this are idling at a dead standstill, on a 55-mph highway, for no apparent reason. That's an awful thing to wish on someone, isn't it? Actually, the subliminal message is less pointed at any one person than at a wish for change. Driving in this area is a job, a rather unplea sant adventure. Bein' as we is all down in the country, it's still a good toss of the 'ole ear of corn from home to work. By way of the Moto-Rized VeHickle, that route's known as the "highway." Contrary to popular belief, highway driving is the easiest chauffage there is: no traffic signals, except up north; long straight ways; most exits arc to the right on long tapered runways; interfering traffic is cleverly diverted by the ingenious "overpass" ? what could go wrong? Everything, I guess. We might as well be in a communal game of roller derby. Apparently there is some degree of mystique to the "highway," the race track of the common person. Nowhere else can you Ipoq IIv/ nn factpr Alth/Minh i c r* rn r% I g,v? lUJivi / IUIIV/V1511 -J llipil IO 1IUI I VOlly a great clip, referenced to the "highway," it's Warp. Those of us who lived through 70 mph speed limits know that 55 is quite safe. Today, 1 shudder to think of the average driver doing more than 55 mph. The reference to a common "person" earlier made me think of the old addage "Women Drivers!," certainly a negative quotation aimed at blaming all of the commuters' woes 011 the helpless attempt of women to master the longtime male art of "Localmotion." Hogwash! When I leave the house with my headgear and pads and check the welds on the new addition to my car, spelled R-O-L-L-B-A-R, I'm not thinking about any particular division of our species, I'm simply preparing for "Them," the average local drivers. Anyone who has commuted via 1-26 can at test to the serious problems we have on the highways around here, "when everyone's out." I've studied the scenario, and here are some observations. The greatest irony imaginable is present here. The people who leave early enough to "beat the bad traffic" are themselves responsible in large part for the mess. In their minds there is no reason to obey the necessary courtesies of the byway ? the problem drivers are all behind them. Not so! As the common hour traffic surges up behind them, the stage has already been set for the internal combustion asthma attack. Although the ear i-y Jim uaitiy wiiimic ill lilt {^cllc.s lllltouched, their driving styles leave the rest of us stacked up, bumper to bumper, starting a potentially wonderful day off on the wrong tire. What arc the ways, oh Swami, to avoid this, you ask. I think we should let our kids reteach us to drive instead of training them to get their permit ? we all seem to have forgotten that driving is a privilege, a point we all fatigue our 16-year-olds with. Unfortunately, aciea. ^ )ck wili print no more than two m h by the same writer. Names G vithheld by special exception ? ns are not allowed. A ock reserves the right to edit /y, :st editorials. Letters will not be Ni nd letters to: Editor, '/'he ^ rawer A Russell House, Col- (\ 9208. ll OR&E.PUT THE GUN DDWN LET S V b e hazardous to kids listen very little to this stuff and are much more likely to inherit the bad driving habits of their parents. Let's cover some key points we may have forgotten. Slow traffic keep to the right! If there's a commandment of the highway, that's it. We pay good money so that the many different faces of the "the man," sheriffs, i^SO's, police, black and whites, blue and whites, plain covers and the cream of the crop, the highway patrol, can enforce the speed limit. In other words, the average driver shouldn't worry about how fast the next guy is going, .... unless.the next guy is b3rjeUingmltiU3iU2iB?-^ and he's already in the far right lane. m Have you ever seen three cars, aft 'doing "$2 mph in a horizontal line, on a three-lane highway? If you answer no, I'll wager you're blind, don't drive, and someone else is reading you this article or you're always a sS v.r^n ill David Hall Engineering graduate student part of this peculiar formation somewhat reminiscent of a barricade. More importantly, there are situations that sometimes arise, commonly referred to as emergencies, that demand a higher priority than commuting. The left lane is for passing only. If you aren't passing someone, you should be in the far right-hand lane. Maybe we should define passing. In heavy morning traffic, the center lane takes the place of the far right-hand lane. the driving lane, and the far right-hand lane is reserved for people exiting the highway. The far left-hand lane is the passing lane. It's that simple. Have you ever seen an emergency vehicle trying to make it through the haphazard arrangement loosely referred to as traffic? Enough said. There is a certain percentage of people who aren't from this area and don't know exactly which exit they want. They can be excused from the following. If you're getting off the highway in the next mile or so, get in the far right-hand land. Don't use the turn lane to get ahead, then innocently feed into the drive lane. Personally, I think these people should be left in the turn lane, ad infinitum. They wouldn't try it again. Tailgating in any way, shape or form is ex rtltor in Chief Business Kditor farisa J. Porto Maria Fratus lan?KinK Kditor Viewpoint Kditor rean Lasky Lynn Cusick opy l>esk Chief Spotlight Kditor in da Taylor Mary Jo Miller ssistanl Copy Desk Chief Assistant Spotlight Kdii uddy Moore Ed Cham bliss ew* Kditor Sports Kditor diet Nader John Hoyette tsislanl News Kdltors Assistant Sports Kditor art Da wson Jeff Sh re wsbury 'jb Kudelka 9 AK.THIS OUT." " your health prcssly forbidden and unsafe. Any drivers' manual ever written will back me up with quantized concepts like car lengths ? suffice to say in back woods talk ? if you can tell A how the driver in front of you parts his or her hair, you're too close! Choose a speed and keep it. There's nothing more aggravating than the guy who wants to go 45 mph in a 55 mph zone unless he's being passed, at which point he's willing to go to 65 mph to claim his turf. Relax! Driving is not a tense thing at all ? at least it's not supposed to be. If you see someone clutching the wheel with both hands ? stay awavl I'll guarantee they're not a good drt^'lf y'ou have fingernail marks on your ^ piffllWRm yon ?<St't6 work, you probably fit into this category. The twin of the guy who uses the turn lane to get ahead is the guy who uses the pass lane to get ahead, then slams on the brakes because he's ready to turn off the highway. This guy causes pile-up after pile-up and deserves to have his steering wheel lock in the straight position after he gets on the highway. Bad weather, in reference to a motor vehicle, is always inclement. No matter what ~ model, make, year or price, you and your car won't perform as well in bad weather. Take some precautions. Rain, for example, lifts the oil off the road and suspends it. The road can be almost as slippery as ice. If you mash your brakes good and hard you will hit the guy in front of you. Now you're forcing others to use their best driving skills. Considering the average driver's ability behind the wheel, we're lucky that most of these wrecks only involve four to five cars. In closing, let's cover the ultra-basic: traffic signs. The stop sign is probably the most familiar of all the wayside prompts. It does not, in fact, indicate a need to become one with our surroundings. It is, instead, an elementary guide to looking both ways before crossing the street. What about the yield sign? This is not to be confused with the aforementioned stop sign, although it often is. Granted, the upside down triangle and the octogon are easily confused, but S-T-O-P looks nothing like Y-I-E-L-D, nor do they mean anything similar. Probably the most blatant misuse of the yield sign is while entering the highway. It's hard to get on a merry-go-round if you're standing still. a Runnins helns finite n Kit 9 M One of my favorites ? the traffic light ? is an automated police man, needed because most people can't handle a four-way stop. The stop light is many things, however, it isn't a signal to look for that stick of gum that's lost in your glove box, or for women to redress themselves before reaching their destination, although the chronicle of a martian observer might indicate such. Driving is a privilege and a dangerous daily endeavor at the same time. Don't let the fact that you've been driving for 10 or 20 vears keep you from driving courteously. Photography Kdltor Ray Gronber# Aeshtanl Photography Kdltor Sean Keefer Adviser Bill Rogers lor Director Bill Clements ' Production Lewis Covington Mark Armstrong Advertising Manager Margaret Miehels ^ ' !