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i in .?MI?^??MWMOU Viewpoint ^ Friday, February 7, 1986 iWMIiillMiM'LltMIJl.ailMhiLii iiHBII'WiM Ml^ IIHWIHIIIIHIM ?-THE GAMECOCKaBHMHBMMHBHBMnMHHHHHHMHHHMMHnMR ?.... * >**v' Andy Duncan Letters to I Letters advc To the editor: Assistant Provost Michael Welsh opines in Monday's front page article that foreigners teaching at USC ought not be required to demonstrate fluency in the English language. More specifically Mr. Welsh says, "What we are interested in concerning the faculty more than anything else, is that they have the expertise in their subject matter," and "Also if you require a test because of their national origin, you're going to be in trouble with discrimination." Aside from mangled grammar and garbled syntax, Mr. Welsh's cursory dismissal of student concerns insults the individual complaints as well as the university commmunity at large. The litmus test of an effective instructor is the ability to communicate with his or her students. Certainly "expertise in their subject matter" is a necessity for any teacher, and the university has an admittedly valid interest in exposing students to a range of experiences, but no level of expertise or exoticism outweighs the need for basic linguistic competence. While the definition of basic competence may vary from department to department ? foreign languages, for instance, or in the numerate sciences, where the lingua franca of mathematics may ameliorate certain deficiences in English ? the fact remains that an instuctor Send us a The Gamecock needs your c press your likes and dislikes by ter to the editor. ' Letters must be typed, double a maximum length of 300 word include the writer's name, addre number and where the writer ea for verification. Letters should also include writer is a student, staff or member. Guest editorials must I Does Kissinger do I When I heard Henry Kissinger was coming to USC, the first thing that came into my head was an old Eric Idle song: Henry Kissinger, How I'm missing ver! you re tne doctor oj My dreams. With your crinkly hair, And your glassy stare, And your MachiaVELLian schemes. I'm a child of the '70s, and whenever I sec Kissinger, I'm filled with nostalgia for the days when 1 rolled Tonka trucks around on the rug in front of the television and didn't care about whether the president would be impeached or not, so long as his successor could assure me of an uninterrupted the editor icate proficiency 1 who is unable to field questions We find there is from the class and respond com- an English profi petcntly is serving neither his semester, I (Deb students nor the university. foreign T.A. f Mr. Welsh's point concerning classes. There \ potential discrimination is a that the T.A. k smokescreen. As matters stand, matter well, but USC already requires "a satisfac- not have cm tory score on the Test of English knowledge ol as a Foreign Language" and a language, he wa< "diagnostic test in English after in learning the su uiL-y arrive ai me university.'' pie, when a quesi (19K4-85 Graduate Bulletin, p. him, he could 19) The putative civil rights issue what was being a raised by the assistant provost he was of little h evaporates in the face of a long- feel I could h standing and legitimate university higher grade if 1 policy. The only issue involved is who had sufficii the adequate enforcement of ex- the English lang isting academic regulations. We believe tli The problem presented in ciency test will [ Monday's article is not unique to stances such as t USC (thanks are owed to Mr. ing in the future Young for the piece) and deserves Granted, it is a more direct and more complete instructors to hi answer ? an answer that must the subject matt* recognize the university's role, necessary for not merely as a publisher of prehend the Linj research papers or as a host of in- order to suffic ternational symposia, but as a subject. Ipachmn i tic t i 111? ?r? r, - , VUVI | I | | gCy lll.llllUUWII III <111 I'd cl gl speaking nation. avoid possible Glen Lineberry wou,d bc for a" History, gradua.c student ?'akc Thank you fo To the editor: express our opin In regard to the article "Assistant provost: Test unnecessary," Feb. 3, Mr. Michael Welsh (as Busincs assistant provost) stated an English proficiency test is not needed for foreign instructors. Political S letter ipinions. Ex- 500 words and the writer may su writinu '* l#^t- furo Plinini- u.. 1 P ? >VI IUIV. 1 IIUIU.l CllllllUI UC I CI III UCU . The Gamecock will print no mo -spaced, with letters a month by the same wri s. They must will only be withheld by specia ss, telephone and pseudonyms are not allowed n be reached The Gamecock reserves the ri letters and guest editorials. Letters whether the returned. Send letters to: Ec community Gamecock, Drawer A, Russell II ^c limited to umbia, S.C. 29208. f On behalf of the entire. KiWanis Club of Armonk, N.Y., jHjk | Id like to thank Dr. Kissinger. Y know, it s hot often we (get 13g| someom of his stature, here at |H our pancake breakFast to talk IWff to us about the impact op post OPEC macroeconomics on the \ J cribba^e. of public policy or |V? whatever the hell it oar mitzvahs, too? stream of Tonka trucks, Spider-Man comics, link sausages, Nutty Buddys and "Man from UNCLE" reruns. I doubt, however, that USC is selecting guest speakers on the basis of the nostalgia they evoke. Here are some criteria the USC administration has been using in selecting visiting dignitaries: How much space in The New York Times will this get us? Docs the visitor have a foreign accent? Does the visitor have sticky fingers as far as silverware and crystal are concerned? Does the visitor make a lot of noise while eating soup? Docs the visitor drink not at all? Moderately? Somewhat heavily? Quite heavily? Docs he suck it up by the bucketful? Docs the visitor have any money he can throw us in his will if we smile him a lot and slick his name on a building? Is he handy with knives? ZZT The ItSSlS a great need tor I I If I la ciency test. Last bie Strom) had a Ub or one of my ^ vas no question I \A/Q J/ new the subject " ?"* * because he did A . < y\ ? u?hhecE^h cartoonists % ; unable to aid us " " , 7I ,bjcc. For exam- viewpoints c. Don was asked of not understand (vvj, iskcd. Therefore, " elp to the class. I ave achieved a had had a T.A. : cnt command of ' f Kat Cannon cience, junior l ???? Boit Newipspar m SC Press Association ; j __ Fa" 1985 bmit a pic- Editor in Chief Marisa J. Porto , Manaulnu Editor re than two Jen Row ter. Names 1 excrntion * op> * hle? , l.inda Taylor Assistant Copy Desk Chief ght to edit Buddy Moore will not be News Kdi,or iilor, The Juhei Nad,; . Assistant News Idilors lOlISC, Col- Curl Dawson Hob Kudelka m Atchoo! Student ih despite of Although the USC administrat ion denies there is a widespread flu problem on campus, the Thomson Student Health Center is looking mighty busy lately. Students have been piled up in the center's waiting room for days now like airplanes at a major airport. Spokesmen for the health center have been grouping the cold, flu and an assortment of other miscellaneous diseases under the vague title of "upper respiratory infection," which can contain everything from the common cold to emphysema. No matter what the title, the amount of students with these ailments is increasing. If confirmation of this is needed, an administration official should pop his head into any class on campus and listen to the students coughing, sniffling, wheezing and sneezing. %. M ivionaay, me ccnter was turning students away and asking them to return at a later day because the doctors were too busy to see any morfrpa ? <*um W<M A it?hi ?i??mm 'he Gamec< Business Kdltor Maria Fratus Viewpoint Kdltor l.ynn Cusick rumor Mary Jo Miller Astlsliint Spotlight Kdllor Ed Cham bli ss Sports Kditor John Boyetfe Assistant Sports Kdllor Jeff Shrewsbury Photography Kditor Hay Gronberg FO YOllNGfTht Gwrwcock bess a reality ficial opinion tients. Denying students help is i certainly not the best way to i keep the diseases from spreading. ; While nobody can cure the common cold, there arc some i measures that can be taken to limit the diseases to those who are already sick. A The health center should receive some help from outside sources if the situation cannot ' be handled by them alone. And the administration should stop denying that there is a problem. The typical "see ?..:i i ~ ?i:? no cvii) ucui iiu tvii puuey is not going to work this time. Students are sick and have a legitimate reason to be unhap- ? py in this case. Instead of * denial, perhaps the administration should admit what everyone already knows and try to help this serious situation. Or do students have to wait until some noteworthy administration official catches an upper respiratory disease before some action will be ^ taken? "" /(jSSWHSW ? >ck /?Miuniii rnoiography Kdltor Sean Keefer Adviser Bill Rogers Director Bill Clements Production Lewis Coving/on Mark Armstrong Advertising Manager Margaret Michels ' Student Advertinlng Manager Kelli Freas ZZZ. ?I