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Viewpoint 6 Friday, January 23, 1987 Enough! Student Government begins effon to stop potential tuition increase How much longer must USC students be scapegoats fc this school's financial woes? Tuition has been raised fc the past three years, and now wc are one of the most e> pensive state schools in the Southeast. The state Budget and Control Board has announced tha USC would recieve a cut in full-formula funding in addi a 1 r * ? ?1 1. . r ~ 1 1 lion 10 ii z..v) pcuciu Liu tuicctuy uikcii iiuiii uui uuugci The funding cuts will cost USC more than $16 million the will have to be made up by students. This is money we car not afford to lose. The state Department of Education, as a whole, expect to lose $24.5 million this year. This is deplorable. Certair ly, the state could find some way to spare the departmer such an incredible loss. In the recent gubernatorial rac< both candidates stressed the importance of education; was their main platform. If the Budget and Control Boar gets their budget cut, those campaign sentiments shall ha\ been in vain. USC President James Holderman has said the universit will probably not raise tuition again, despite th devastating cut in money. But can we believe an ac ministration that continually raises tuition? With the pr< sent situation a tuition increase seems the most like! possibility and we will be the victims. It is time to stand up to the state, and to the university and make sure a tuition increase does not occur. To d this, Student Government has written a letter to be sent t students, to be signed and sent to their legislator. Studei Government has invested an incredible amount of time an money in this effort to let those concerned know enough enough. Now is the perfect time for the students to become 01 solid, vociferous entity to oppose this possible increase. Education should be of the highest priority to this stat A strong system of higher education attracts industr creates much-needed employment, and brings a certa level of prestige. Blatantly cutting education revenues w only further cripple the state and keep it from achieving tl level of success it needs to prosper. The students will su fer, their parents will suffer and the state as a whole w suffer. The state will spend more money this year on prisoi than on higher education. This is ludicrous. Who's mo important? Students or prisoners? USC must recieve tl money it needs and it must be able to count on the state leaders. Also, if we allow tuition increases to be continual heaped upon us, we will soon be priced out of a collej education. USC is a state institution that is supposed l serve the state, but if students are forced to go to other cc leges out of state, or are forced out of an education, tl state will suffer consequences as severe as those imposed t any fiscal imbroglio. Student Government deserves our full cooperation this matter for the sake of the school and the state. If v fail to do so we will have only ourselves to blame if tuitic is increased in fiscal year 1987-88. The students are tl most important nan of this university. If no one el prevents another tuition increase, then it is the studen who must take a stand tor themselves and make it knov we will not be the ones who pay the next time around. USC's Student Government deserves our sincerest coi pliments on this worthwhile effort. They also need our he to make sure the state Legislature hears our grievance ai acts accordingly. It's not too late to help. Before the budget pass through the legislature it must pass a number of vario committees. Meanwhile, students and faculty alike, ha time to get together to persuade the legislature not to a prove this budget cut. fn the* cHifnr , ? ? ~ Drugs making Morris wealthy l o the editor: reads, "Mercury Morris is USC's community reputation hostage in the state's intellige as a center of perversion is well war on drug smugglers." deserved, and continues with the The above is soothing for 1 recent publications on Mercury many drug users at USC. N Morris, convicted drug cury Morris is not the first trafficker. criminal to get wealthy from T he large, encased bulletin lecture circuit. On analysis, m board on the second floor of the of these people do not exp Russell House, which is full of remorse for their crimes, c Morris literature, should have remorse that they were convic emphasized the evik of driUK Thf? Mrvrrk litprnl i ir#? cmnliac I but the reverse is true. One displeasure with the laws that headline reads, "The Railroading him behind bars. of Mercury Morris" (poor baby, a wheeler and dealer of a killer substance given or sold to Robert F. Harre children needs sympathy). I he community mem first paragiaph ol another article 1986 gradi IW r\*o~ iic I/>f f/> > It y a. i vv u Tell us what's on your mind. l etters must 1 here is a limit be typed, double-spaced and no more than the same writer. 250 words. Include name, address and We reserve the telephone number for verification. Names on outdated top will not be withheld. Guest editorials are topics. limited to 5(H) words. Indicate whether you Write to: are a student, USC staff member, or com- Ciamecock, l)ra\ munity member in letters and editorials. Columbia, S.C. 3 IN THE GULAG " BEFORE GORBACHEV ie y Fuprvhnrlv npprls a frier ill 1C I arrived at Thornwcll Dormitory (it was a f* dormitory back then, they've since turned it ill into a residence hall) that first day of school, loaded my stuff into the room and met my StenhPTl roommate, Dave. " jj _c It was my first day of college, and I was Ollilfovle worried the rest of the guys would be jerks, or vJUllluyiC le God forbid, might think I was a jerk. My 's worries were to cease though, when 1 met l Jimmy. ... .... }y Dave and 1 went down the hall after we ate ___ dinner, because we thought the music coming from the room at the end of the hall might freshmen?" mean a fellow resident. We were smart as Our nodding confiri '1~ whips. his civil and moral d le J knocked loudly on the door and when it "Grab a brew. >y opened we saw a guy. He wasn't fat, he "I don't drink," I s wasn't skinny. He looked neither tall nor If I saw today the lo? j short. He might have appeared totally nor- night, I would know to mal, except he had a beer "hugger" surgically three years. An idea w vc attached to his hand. "You will when I' >n Before we could say a word, he rushed us Heavily." ie into the room and told us to "take a load He started his temp sc off." He turned down the music and asked us and it continued. For our names, then said his name was Jimmy, with beer. He used a but to call him Butch. emotional and logical * n 1 asked if it were a childhood nickname. tation job even Satan He said no, that his friends called him It took him a while Tl- Butch because he reminded them of not a heavy drinkei >lp "masculine women." alcoholics who say the [lcj One of those friends was in the room, and The drinking was ji wc were told his name was Ken. but to call Thanks to limmv. him Fetus. hard, I've made sai cs Jimmy continued on, "You guys drivers look like Bapt US " Moral crisis raises stat : The United States is in the middle of an ?? ??????? agonizing struggle of a liability insurance crisis. The crisis has grown in the past few | years with devastating increases in premiums and declining coverage. VJJtJl0St The crisis touches almost everyone: I . . ^ motorists (private car owners and taxi cabs), C^QltOIMclI doctors, nurses, midwives, day care centers one and many others. Just a few weeks ago a large gy Mahmoud ? - - Un?- r a vi U /Iritmrr in v~\l i t m Uio n/nnt I ICC ll uiliuvi ui iaai tau uuvwia in vwiumiuiu wvih n ? on strike protesting the exaggerated increase oaiem the in their insurance premiums. Their liability in- L???????? 1er- surance increased from about $1,200 to at cx- least $3,000. The taxi drivers' protests that did damage to mt the resulted in getting an out-of-state insurance have to suffer by pa any company to cover the Columbia drivers for a premium because ther ress more reasonable amount of money. drivers? >nly One of the things that gave Gov. Carroll After Campbell settl ted. Campbell the edge over his Democratic oppo- ly hope he lives up to i/es nent Mike Daniel was Campbell's vow to help the insurance compani put decrease the insurance premiums for good might be a good idea i drivers. I have been driving in South Carolina follow the example of for almost five years without a single traffic on strike until they ar violation. The only time 1 filed a claim with While many blame t . _ I ? r _ _ i 1. I . ison my auio insurance company was a coupie ui ior neuig greeuy anu si her, years ago when parts of South Carolina, in- there is another side ia(e, eluding Columbia, were hit by a hail storm surance crisis is an ent 11 The Gamecc Hdilor in Chief Assistant News 1-xJltors i of two letters per month by Roni tteu Kayne Sherri Berry rvmnsiKin^ r.auor urtrnuu uiyifi right to stop printing letters Am? DelPo Viewpoint Editor . , r C opy Desk Chief Ha Millard lies o make room for new v\ :lf , . .. ..... Stephen Guilfoyle Money Editor Assistant Copy Candy Barr Viewpoint Editor, The Desk Chief Feature* Editor ver A, Russell House, USC, Mona Peloquin Tamara Willis 29208. News flditor Assistant Features Kdllor Paula Wethington Patrick Jean ... i > ii 11 ?i m mm ' ii i t in tbegwao aftergdrwichev' id like my buddy Butch , Thanks to Jimmy, and all the gals he put on his wall, and a meager portion of his vast r * 'p magazine collection, my naivete' about uwomen quickly vanished. I may still be naive 1 ^ w y with them, but I've seen it all, or most of it. i k * -'-j At 1r?nct thp onnH nartt r. ... . | Thanks to Jimmy and his love of sports, 1 1 no longer vomit when someone wants to talk sports, and I am finally starting to learn the j rules of football and basketball. ' Thanks to Jimmy, I learned the fine art of the insult, though I have yet to attain his mastery of it. ned in his mind it was He taught me these and many other things luty to get us drunk, like them, most of them seemingly negative. But I came to USC three years ago a aid. withdrawn, uptight kid, who barely had any ok Jimmy gave me that friends. And as strange as it may sound, it run and hide for about freed me to be able to cuss and to be cussed as forming in his head, at, to insult and be insulted, to joke and be m through with you. joked about. My parents are a bit upset their studious ^ tation that very night, son has come back from school not just a col- w a i;nor mp Innn ctiiHont Knt o cmorfocc r?/-vl lonn ctn^nnt U JTVC4I) I IV ivuipivu lilt JUIU^lll , UUI U 3111(41 UIOJ Jl UUV.IH . ,11 his guile and wiles, They've learned to live with it, though, appeals, doing a temp- because they know I know what I want, and would envy. this wisecracker I've become is just the kind , but 1 drink now. I'm of guy who'll get it. And Jimmy made me this -, but I know many way, by example (a shining example) and deed ; same. and temptation. ist the beginning. Everybody needs a friend like my buddy I cuss so much and so Jimmy. He's the most exasperating son of a ilors blush and truck bitch ever born, and he's the best friend a guy ist preachers. could have. r's insurance nrnmium everyone blaming someone else. Some people j blame lawyers who collect large fees when their clients win. Some blame the courts that make it too easy to win outrageously expenJF A sive awards. Some blame activist judges who ^ embrace broader theories of strict liability. Beyond these questions of fault lies a large issue. It is, above all, a moral crisis. People too often have no responsibility for their actions. For example, a driver after getting [ drunk at a night club runs a stop light, caus jno f()f> rlc:ilh nf it n#?rlf?ctri?n Ic fhr> nrvirl<*n? the fault of the bartender who served the A my cars. Why should I drinks, or the establishment where the driver ^ ying a high insurance drinks, or is society somehow responsible for e are so many reckless permitting and licensing drinking? Is it the fault of the drunk driver? I am personally in es in office, we certain- favor of the last suggestion. his election promise. If It is the breakdown of moral responsibility ies do not cooperate, it that is the root of the liability crisis. Explainf the South Carolinians ing why liability insurance premiums in the taxi drivers and go general have gone up, an insurance salesman e listened to. said: "There are those good honest people he insurance companies who make money the old- fashioned way ? eeking too much profit, by hAKNINU it, and then there are those to this issue. The in- who make money the new-fashioned way ? angled web with almost by SUING!! ?ck I ; Sports Editor llatebook Kdltor Director of Student Media ] Jeff Shrewsbury Katherine Gilbert Hill Clements Aiitiislanl ^tinrlk I'HItnr flrnnhlra Production Wayne Washington Robb Lane C. L. Norris . Photography Kdltor Comics Kdltor S. Ha Jennifer Hteib Tracy Mixson Advertising Manager > Assistant Photography Kdltor Adviser Margaret Michels J Thomas Humphrey Bill Rogers Assistant Advertising Manager i Jan Hodges J | i f