The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 24, 1986, Page 4, Image 4
Negligen
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too little, thr
Monday was a historical
first ? the nation honored
slain civil rights leader Martin
Luther King Jr. with a national
holiday, one of the
highest honors America can
offer.
But most students at USC
observed this historical first by
sitting in classes and collecting
syllabi because USC officials
obviously didn't deem the first
national holiday named for a
Diick man important enough
to c\*se the campus.
Yet it was here, in the
South, where Martin Luther
King Jr. tried to right the
racial injustices of the nation.
It was also in the South where
he was arrested time and time
again for what he believed in.
And, it was here in the South
where he was assassinated
because somebody didn't
agree with his dream.
All over the nation King's
birthday was honored with
speeches and parades. Many
states, Georgia, for example,
floCpH Hnvun Iinivprcifior
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other public schools. The
federal government even felt
the event was important
enough to close post offices
for the day.
USC, on the other hand,
Duncan's d
Quick, ome
In response to a flood of calls
and letters ? two, to be exact, if
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' number who thought this was
Andy's Deli ? here are some
more USCniglets, those words
that don't exist around our campus
but should.
These are inspired, as I said
before, by Rich Hall and the
good folks from HBO's "Not
Necessarily the News." If you
think of any we haven't included,
please send them in. They'll come
in handy on those increasingly
frequent zerolumnar days.
larsonate: to show a friend or
acquaintance a "Far Side" cartoon
you thought wildly funny,
only to have them blink and look
at von utranoplv
liquordate: to remove all traces
of alcoholic beverages from your
dorm room before your parents,
who were in Columbia for a
funeral and decided to drop in
for a visit, make it upstairs from
the lobby.
rnishole: to enroll in the wrong
class because you didn't fill in the
correct little ovals on the application
form.
Morlock whimsy: the odd
puffs of smoke that seep from
manhole covers in the Gibbes
Green area.
nonotice: a publicity flier that
stays on the wall for weeks or
months after the advertised event
has come and gone.
numble: to awaken at 7:50
a.m., decide that any chance of
making your 8 a.m. class is shot
anyway, and go back to sleep
confident that it's not your fault
and that you did the best you
could given the circumstances.
omegadrag: the last pull on
your cigarette in the hallway
before you crush it out and wearily
follow your professor into the
classroom.
opustilarian: one who picks up
The Gamecock only to read
"Bloom County" and then casts
it aside. (Adj.: opustilary)
The Gamecock needs your <
press your likes and dislikes by
ter to the editor.
Letters must betyped, double
a maximum length of 300 word
include the writer's name, addre
number and where the writer c?
for verification.
Letters should also include
writer is a student, staff or
member. Guest editorials must
t
King's birthday
ee days too late
brought guest speaker Yolanda
King, the daughter of the
slain civil rights leader, to the
Russell House ballroom last
night, but this gathering was
three days too late ? Thursday
was not King's birthday, it
was not the national holiday
noting his birthday, it was not
even the day he was
assassinated.
Since USC's purpose is supposedly
to better the Carolina
Community, isn't it ironic that
they cannot devote even one
day to recognize a man who
spent his entire life trying to
better the lives of others?
If the university can close
the campus for labor, a holiday
which isn't half as important
as King's birthday, they
should be able to do the same
for this new holiday - a holi
day that celebrates peace
and the dream of equality, not
only of the races but of the
sexes and religions as well.
But maybe closing down
campus and cancelling classes
was too much to ask of a
university located in the
capital of one of ten states that
looked the other way on this
notable occasion and neglected
to declare King's birthday a
state holiday.
lictionary:
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Andy
Duncan
oreganate: to bite down on a
clot of undissolved spices hidden
within a food item at the Russell
House Cafeteria, causing the
taste to remain in your mouth for
days.
permuscub: the indestructible
bit of computerized price tag that
remains on every book purchased
at the University Bookstore and
can't be removed without
rnuiuaung tne cover.
pizziot: a patron who stands in
line 20 minutes at the Gamecock
snack bar for a turkey melt, only
to have the cashier say, "Sorry,
this line is for Wild Pizza only."
puster: the poster you hate but
can't do anything about because
your roommate hung it up on his
side of the dorm room.
raptoon: the universally despised
classmate who hangs on every
word of the lecture, interjects his
own comments throughout class
and hangs around afterward to
shoot the breeze with the
professor.
zerolumnar: of or pertaining to
a Gamecock column written
when the author had absolutely
run out of original ideas.
r TV",? i '
opinions. Ex- 500 words and th
writing a let- ture. Photos cam
The Gamecock
-spaced, with letters a month 1
Is. They must will only be witl
:ss, telephone and pseudonyms
in be reached The Gamecock
letters and guest e
whether the returned. Send
community Gamecock, Draw
be limited to umbia, S.C. 2920
View
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Letters to
Bookstore rule:
'blatant sexism'
To the editor:
The USC campus bookstore
has recently implemented a new
policy that requires all patrons to
leave shoulderbags in the lockers
provided at the store entrances.
The definition of a "shoulderbag"
appears to depend,
however, on whether or not the
customer is male or female. This
is a blatant case of sexism.
In recent weeks I, a male USC
student, have entered this
establishment and been "requested"
to leave my
bag at the entrap,
numerous female customers have
walked by me with their
"purses" securely on their
shoulders.
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personal effects such as contact
lenses, eyeglasses, wallet and
comb and is functionally
equivalent to our society's definition
of a purse.
Why, then, should I be required
to leave my personal effects
at the entrance when any
female entering the store with a
"purse" larger or smaller than
my "shoulderbag" goes
unnoticed.
Are my personal belongings
any less important to me than a
woman's? Am I more likely to
smuggle merchandise out of the
bookstore because I am male? I
find these insinuations personally
insulting.
If this university wishes to
reflect its professed high standards
of racial and sexual equality
it had better start cleaning up
its own backyard. Until that happens,
I will be taking my business
elsewhere.
Gary Brewer
Anthropology, graduate
student
Hospital thanks
Student Senate
To the editor:
This letter is written to express
my deep gratitude toward the
Student Senate. This body, for
the third consecutive year, took
time out from their daily activities
and provided a Christmas
party for the patients at G.
Werber Bryan Psychiatric
le writer may submit a pic- s
lot be returned.
will print no more than two
>y the same writer. Names
hiheld by special exception
are not allowed.
- reserves the right to edit
ditorials. Letters will not be
letters to: Editor, The
cr A, Russell House, Col8.
point
MECOCKhhmhhb
the editor
Hospital. Through conversation
and dance, the senators filled a
void in the lives of people who
were confined to the hospital during
this most holy and joyous
season. Words cannot express
how grateful the staff and patients
were for their efforts. We
shall long remember their
generosity.
The student body of USC
should take pride in their selection
of this caring group of
senators, for they have ventured
beyond the realm of campus
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to serve needy persons. My
own pride in them is immeasurable.
1 would hope that
nr Uw<?Mtir?'lJSC fon^y'WoukUjoin
me in saluting th^b(4<gt $?nAiflu
for a job well done.
James Starnes
Director of
Volunteer Services
Abortion letter
seiisauunaiism
I would like to introduce to
Mr. Zilinsky the topic of rational
argument, because it is certainly
not evident in his Jan. 20 letter he
is acquainted with this novel
feature of the human mind.
It may be recalled by the
careful reader that Mr. Zilinsky
addressed the controversial subject
of abortion, a subiect on
which I hold no opinion. I
thought perhaps Mr. Zilinsky
could enlighten me on the subject
with some tremendous new insight,
but the only question he
raised in my mind was, "How is
he getting through law school
without rational thought?"
It may also be recalled by the
careful reader that Mr. Zilinsky
relied heavily on sensationalism.
He used such phrases as "rip the
child to shreds." The only sound
premise on which he bases his
argument is the fetus is "uncontestably
alive".
If Mr. Zilinsky is indeed
against killing beings that are uncontestably
alive, I must congratulate
him on his devotion to
vegetarianism, for cows arp aitn
uncontestably alive. I wonder if
Mr. Zilinsky wishes all persons to
be vegetarians in light of this
fact?
What I would like to know is
what philosophical argument Mr.
Zilinsky uses to justify his opinions.
I arn sure it must be a
beautiful argument for Mr. ZilinEditor
in Chief
Marisa J. Porto
Managing Editor
Gregg Lasky
I Copy I>esk Chief
Linda Taylor
Assistant Copy Desk Chief
Buddy Moore
News Editor
Juliet Nader
Assistant News Editors
Cart Dawson
Bob Kudelka
?KpJ^T Thfc Re(rigerf
is coming*
sky to believe all people should
believe as he does. To my
knowledge, both of the major
philosophical schools I have seen
used in arguments about abortion
support it. It is certainly
utilitarian to be able to dispose
of, excuse me, I mean slaughter,
unwanted fetuses; most Kantians
hold that a fetus is not a person
with full moral rights and
therefore has no right to life.
There are many complexities to
these arguments, and it is not my
purpose to discuss them here. I
can only say that among these
schools of thought the arguments
for abortion seem to win out over
. U ?
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Paul Cooley
Undergraduate, psychology
President Ronald Reagan
w*. m
sui too costly,
endangers lives
To the editor:
During most of last semester
the local College Republicans
were rallying on the pages of The
Gamecock to support President
Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative
(SDI). On Nov. 4, I
responded to Ms. Janice Kraft's
letter of Oct. 28, and I offered
sobering statistics that proved
SDI would not work as it has
been conceived by its designers
and proponents. I also pointed
out that climatological studies
have indicated that there is a high
probability of a global ecological
disaster that would accompany
the failure of such an antiballistic
missile defense system. Ms. Kraft
and all other SDI supporters have
Business Editor
Maria Fratus
Viewpoint Editor
Lynn Cusick
Spotlight Editor
Mary Jo Miller
Assistant Spotlight Editor
Ed Chambliss
Sports Editor
John Boyette
Assistant Sports Editor
Jeff Shrewsbury
*
Friday, January 24, 1986
itpr>
failed to respond to these points.
Frankly, I was not surprised
because the Reagan administration
has tried to ignore these
same facts and statistics that have
been drawn from their own
statements and reports.
Ms. Kraft argued in a Dec. 6 _ v
letter that SDI would protect us w
from thermonuclear terroristic
attacks by nations such as Libya.
Apparently she does not realize
that missiles are not necessary to
deliver nuclear warheads; terrorists
have done some of their
'best' work in trucks. In short,
SDI will not protect us from
nuclear terrorism either.
In another letter by Mr.
Donald Weaver on Dec. 9, SDI
was defended as "a hope that will
make nuclear war a distant
memory." A recent feature article
in Scientific American
magazine explained that it will be
impossible to develop an effective
computerized command and control
system for the SDI network
of defenses.
Unfortunately, the local College
Republicans, like the president
himself, remain intoxicated ^
by charismatic dreams of salvation
from the current nuclear
threat. Their continued support
for SDI requires them to don the
armor of invincible ignorance in
oraer 10 neglect the sobering
facts.
President Reagan's military
programs have doubled the national
debt during his tenure in
office. The projected costs of the
SDI system is at least a trillion
dollars. Therefore, if he is suecessful
in implementing SDI, he
will assure that his successor
triples the debt if he does not do
so himself. Such a program of irresponsible
military spending
coupled with the erosion of
domestic programs is leading the
uuiiuii mio an impending
economic crisis, and all for the
sake of a destabilizing illusion of
strategic security.
I believe that I have a solution
to the SDI question and another
problem of serious concern. Last ^
year's news media was full of
reports about espionage and national
security leaks. All
documents requiring secrecy and
all plans for SDI should be filed
with the Nixon White House
tapes; then we could feel secure
that they would never be seen or
heard of again.
1 VII) JdWIVdVJll
Geography Teaching and
Research assistant
Photography Editor I
Ray Gronberg
Assistant Photography Editor j
Sean Kee/er ;
Adviser
Bill Rogers
Director
Bill Clements
Production
Lewis Covington
Mark Armstrong ^
Advertising Manager ^
Margaret Michels 1