University of South Carolina Libraries
Viewpoint ? Z ^ Wednesday, November 12, 1986 GAMECOCK II i Shafted USC Housing gives Columbia Hall rp.sirlpnts a Slirnricp Pi/irtinn nntiro Wl B >v M Vf V?l f** ' W IU lli/( I IIUIII/Lf University Housing gave residents of the top five floors of Columbia Hall four days to find a new home because maintenance men might begin asbestos removal next semester. These students voiced concern about the sudden eviction notice to Linda Saad, director of Housing Services, and Jim McMahon, director of Resident Student Development Sunday night. Complaints ranged from not being warned at the time of room signup that they might have to leave because of the asbestos; nrnhlpms in rnnrpmt n\mr cofotM r- ^ v.w...v/} v V WI1VVI Iio V/ T VI JUI VI J C4.ll VI compensation. Students living on the lower level, who are not required to move, expressed concern about their health safety, because they feared the asbestos would be dislodged by the jack-hammering and would endanger those on the lower floors. One displaced student said he couldn't pay the difference if he wanted to stay in a more expensive dorm. Since he was on financial aid, his allocation of funds had been planned according to the price of Columbia Hall, he said. Saad said she would consider allowing students to pay Columbia Hall's price for a more expensive dorm, and would pet hack tn thf* CtilHpntc hpfr*rf? th#?v a finol decision. The move would have been easier if the university had closed down the hall in advance this fall (especially since the move isn't definite) or if USC had waited until summer, when no one is housed in Columbia Hall. That way they could just close Columbia Hall down and avoid the unecessary moving and health danger. Housing did not sufficiently forewarn students so they could relocate. Now the students must painstakingly search for a place to live, many without enough funds, and many Wltlinilt Vl <"? limp Ttlic nrnUlnrvi " ? ' miv/ui iiiv iiniv i iiij uuiv.ui call uiliy Ut tdltgUI I/.CU it) a prime bother. Evidently Housing did not have the welfare of the students in mind, but rather that of the university when a decision was made. Students have a legitimate gripe in the inconvenience moving will cause. As if they don't have enough to worry about with tests, papers and projects weighing heavily in their minds. It was back in 1985 that USC first requested funding for asbestos removal on its Columbia, Aiken and Spartanburg campuses. The university has waited this long to rid the dorm of asbestos, and could at least hold out one more semester to ensure the safety and happiness of the students living there. ^ COUfGl PWSS SlttVICf WE DESEDW /?v ENCOURAGEMENT AND UNDERSTANDING NOT COlli Gf PfttSS SIPVICf I I Write us a letter Tell us what's on your mind. Letters must There is a limit of I be typed, double-spaced and no more than the same writer. 250 words. Include name, address and We reserve the rig! telephone number for verification. Names on outdated topics I will not be withheld. Guest editorials are topics. , limited to 500 words. Indicate whether you Write to: Vic\ are a student, USC staff member, or com- Gamecock, Drawer > : munity member in letters and editorials. Columbia, S.C. 292( t A few words i / know most members of the Homecomir Commission weren't involved in creating ti new Homecoming Queen selection proves but some members are responsible, and th column is for those who were. I'm steamed. Last time I checked, Homecoming quct elections were popularity contests, in whic girls vote for the candidate whose hair sty they like the most, and guys vote for the cai didate with the nicest gams. But, suddenly, there's a new Homeeomir Queen election procedure. Now, the eommi sion arranges for interviews with the cai didates, which arc tallied together with pr selection interviews. These two sets of intc views count for 20 percent each, and then tl student election rounds out the remaining ( percent. Hut the Homecoming Commission didn ask the Student Senate for approval of th new process, and that's not right. The senai just happens to be the only group th: students have to make decisions for them. Who in the hell do thev think thev are. se ting themselves above Student Governmei codes? SG codes state any revision in a studci elective process must be brought before tl Student Senate. The funds used to pay for the pathetic bi traditional Homecoming events come froi Student Activities I:ees, and the decision c r_ - _ i setters to tn USC shouldn't ^ bring Graham S acadcii To the editor: frccdor I am astounded and fiankly appalled that Billy Graham is to be the speaker at my commence- Hescan ment in December. I feel, as do many of my professors, colleagues, and fellow students, that . a television evangelist is an inap- flOli propriate choice for our university community. Graham is strong- QJinf ly identified with the ultraconservative religious right, a group which by definition is firm- To the ly committed to religious and With philosophical uniformity in the Holder United States and is markedly Oct. 29 tolerant of religious and that M philosophical diversity, l or me univers personally, it would be a cruel tion wt irony that the honored speaker at reiinbu the ceremony in which I receive that tl my Ph. 13. in Geology be a Carolir representative of the movement file in to replace science in public- did a f C /"? K rV/A 1 /'I'lft r i %/ \ rv* f !!/?? U oviiv/vsi via.uiuuun vviiu illinium Ulliy CI] beliefs. In f? In fact, the recent trend of in- at only viting media figures to speak at fundinj commencements is deplorable ? tinue t are there no longer elder usage statesmen, women of extraor- hours \ dinary achievement, or inspira- bette tional black leaders, whose exam- distingi pie may benefit all the students? but bv Or has IJSC decided that the mentio publicity generated by the approp speakers is more important than reflect the message? pie: Jir i The Kdilor in ( hid :wo letters per month by I. in da Taylor .Managing Kdilor it to stop printing letters John Hoyetie to make room for ne\s < ?p> in-sk < hief Stephen (iitil/oyl Assistant Copt vpoint Editor, The Desk Chief Russell House, IJSC, Wendy Eden )8. News Kditor Buddy Moore I .THEREAPE \ j SjL J Wfig OTNIT1E9 yll'li HNAg HG FIELD of Wilffii fl )C^OT AMD to the Homecomi | Stephen Guilfoyle who best represents students, or who has the lg nicest gams, belongs to tlie students, and is s- mcirs iiKtni'. l- They arc picking up the lab. c- This new system lends itself to abuse, and r- makes abuse quite simple. It seems little, if ic not microscopic, thought was put into the >0 procedure. A racially-biased commission could easily 't make certain an Oriental or Black or Hispanic is Homecoming queen is never elected, by arte ranging for bigots to conduct an interview, at The commission will swear this could never happen, and it's very improbable. But it could t- happen. The crowning of one candidate as lit flliern meaiK thf? nfhf?r rnnHirtnf^c \ut*rr> flat. -1 - " V. v ..Ml out rejected. it The watered-down student election now ic counts for 60 percent, and it seem's enough to ensure the students' choice in the commisit sion's "How to make a queen" formula. 11 But it isn't so. >f The current queen may be the best female ie editor i>e that Billy Graham be university achieve nat d with a speaker whose tion . . ." Pain Pat ound more accurately helped this university the values of a diverse tional attention . . lie community and the Foster "has helped tin lis to which it is dedicated. achieve national alter And for future ap| Susan (iawareeki (Fill in name) "has rh associate, earth sciences university achieve and resources institute attention. ..." derman, use * mechanical ie speeches ? ^ Herman ij rcspect to President upset by s man's statement in the edition of The Gamecock To the editor: rs. Sadat "has helped this We, the Germai ity achieve national atten- assistants in the dep ?jr uv;\/uu uui VUJ/UVli; l\/ lUICI^II 1UI Cl I rsc her. There is no doubt told today that contra ic University of South promises we would 1a has a much higher pro- much needed pay re this country now than it year 86/87. Considei ew years ago ..." I can cent disclosure of !V incur. salary and benefits, v ict, since the university is tioning the discrepan approximately 90 percent her remuneration an I, Holderman can con- our salary, but that o be cost effective in his professors in our of time by not wasting receive. vriting new speeches (time It is not the fac r spent recruiting amount of money wa nished faculty and staff) the fact that this 11101 ' utilizing his previously well spent, which o ned statement and making Not only does it seei riate name changes to Sadat was grossly O' the situation lor exam- also doubt her actu? n Carlt'Il "has hHtvd tins tiniK an in?trur>lnr Gamecock Assistant News Kditors Sports Kditor Amy Delf'o Jeff Shrewsbury Marin / ruins Assistant Sports Kditor Viewpoint Kditor Wayne Washington Julie I Nader , Photograph) Kditor c Money Kditor Jennifer Steih W end)' I.den Assistant Photography Kditc Features Kditor Thomas Humphrey /'aula M ethington Special Assignments Assistant Features Kditor Kditor Kathryn Jeffries Hat Millard :D; PEOPLE TO FLIP ) i (JR6ER? FOR JAPANESE j g DBOT REPAIRMEN." ^ 1 P~ * - \ 1 iiff mii^ ftSSflJlK ng Commission ( representative of USC according to that forI mula, but she was not elected by the majority P of students. She may have the best resume, the highest K GPR, but she wasn't elected. She was ' selected, and therefore isn't the Homecoming queen. And now for the biggest problem with the j new method. . . . i Previous Homecoming queens have gone to bed on Homecoming night, with their little crowns probably still on their little heads, secure in the knowledge that the majority of students who voted thought she was the best ~ representative of USC. Unfortunately, the current 'selectee' can't claim that privilege. The new method really isn't even fair to the winner. And it's definitely not fair to the students. I don't take a liking to people who water down my whiskey, or my vote, and I know I'm not the only person who feels this way. And so, to the geniuses who thought this up, I have only two things to say: I hope you are never put in a position of authority again, because you can't be trusted. Bring back the popularity contest. Stephen Guilfoyle is copy desk chief o/The Gamecock and a regular columnist. The last time he was this steamed he'd just figured out what Watergate really meant. 1 ional atten- it that Mrs. Sadat did not even sons "has write her own lectures nor did she achieve na- grade the term papers written by Jimmy her students. Because Mrs. Sadat is university taught only one class per ition . . semester, which was limited in pointments: size to about 70 students, many helped this of whom were not regular national students, the benefit of her presence was restricted to a very insignificant percentage of the Steve Paul 22,685 students currently enrolliophoinore, ed at USC. engineering $314,586.44 could have sup- ggu ported a tenure track professorA q ship in the humanities, which has ** been generally neglected in the r distribution of monies, for more dldiy than 10 years. Such a professorship might not bring short-lived "national attention" to the i teaching university, but respect from >artmcnt of academic circles. The reDutation USC, were of a university is not only based ry to earlier on big names, but on the quality not get a of research and teaching. We are lise for the still willing to contribute to the ring the re- quality .of teaching despite being n*. Irs. Sadat's overworked and underve arc ques- paid. . .and seeing money icy between wasted. d not only which the Don Bonsteel, department Dale Eskew, Uta Friedlein, t that this Barbara Kuntze, s spent, but Susanne Mannineusel, uey was not Georg Schmidt, utrages us. Kathy Shervin, n that Mrs. Friederike Siebert, verpaid, we Armin Sinnwell, tl qualifica- Annpltp stploerwald Rumor has German teaching assistants ^ \ Stuff Artist Director of Student Media : Robb Lane Bill Clements \ Datebook ICditor Production Hobby Jones Mark Armstrong Kickoff hditor Lewis Covington John Boyette Advertising Msnjjfr >r Advisor Margaret Michels Bill Rogers Assistant Advertising Manager Graduate Assistant Jan Hodges Margaret Renkl 4