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Viewpoint I Friday, January 15, 1988 THE GAMECOCK 3 ji? Money 1988 legislative session could be higher education's turning noint U - u Among the hundreds of bills and proposals the South Carolina legislature must sift through this session will be a huge appropriations request of $558 million for state colleges and universities. That's an 18.7 percent increase over this past year and a larger percentage jump than in almost any other state. The 1988 session is expected to be particularly important for South Carolina colleges and universities, USC in particular. The ctofn orn ennnArtinn o cr\nr?i'il tov in^rnocn tn finon^P V*r* oiaiv, ui v/ 11115 a o}j^viai lua uivi v^aov u; liuauvv niv proposal. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, the universities are advocating an end to the $300 limit on the 5 percent state sales tax on vehicles, with the additional revenue from the change set aside for higher education. TVii? lamp inrrpacp in prlnratinnQl fiinHino lr?r\L-c nrnmicino in M IIW lUl^V IUV1VUOV 111 VV4MVMHV/11M1 1 UllVlIllg IV/V/HU piV/HUJIIIg, 111 deed for state colleges, except for one thing. A major debate is anticipated over the recommendations of a state panel that has been examining higher education. The panel has proposed that some method of assessing what college students learn be instituted. This raises the question of accountability and may interfere with the educational process the proposed funds are earmarked for. Such an undertaking threatens the freedom of any academic view, and we are concerned when any political group plays a key role in deciding what should be taught in the classroom. The 1988-89 higher education funds would greatly help state colleges, especially in light of the increasing costs involved in maintaining and uneradinc schools. But we must be warv of anv group trying to get something from its financing in addition to improving the quality of education. When outside politics interfere with the aims of the educational system, certain principles are violated. Integrity must be maintained in the educational system, and interference from an outside group that has nothing to do with the classroom performance of qualified college professors other than the authority to appropriate money is a violation of that integrity. At this stage, however, it is just a proposal. And like many bills in the leeislature. it mav be shot down. But it raises manv interesting and controversial questions that may distinguish this year from others. It opens the door for discussion about the role of institutional checks over schools in the country, especially in light of the recent Supreme Court decision involving administrative control over student publications. These issues involve rights and liberties guaranteed by our Constitution, and how they are resolved will be interesting to note if political processes circumvent the power of education by implementing their proposals. #(- : 1 "REMEMBER GOOP OLP I9&7 ?* ' I I .1 I. I _. nrii /^ # 1 he (jamecock - - - -- -- ? - - -- - - - - - - .?? ??? I Editor in Chief Photography Editor ! JEFF SHREWSBURY BRIAN SAULS Managing Editor Assistant Photography Editor STEPHEN GUILFOYLE KEITH JONES Copy Desk Chief Senior Reporter ANDY BECHTEL MARY PEARSON Assistant Copy Desk Chief Datebook Editor EILEEN ROSS JHNNY SHARPE News Editor Graphics Editor * TODD HINES TROY TAGUE Assistant News Editors Comics Editor TONY MORENO TRACY MIXSON ! TOROD NEPTUNE Adviser j viewpoini r.unor uill kuucks BRAD FARRAR Graduate Assistant Features Editor KAREN ADDY PATRICK JEAN Acting Director of Student Assistant Features Kditor Media/Advertising Manager KELLY MARSHALL MARGARET MICHEl.S i Sports Kditor Production WAVNIP WASHINf.TON CHlirK NORRI<; Assistant Sports Kdilor SON HA JIM STUCKEY Assistant Advertising Manager MELISSA HENDERSON I *Hf rs Policy: th4 ?UI lr> io prial klltn iwtbH. I tdtri U011M bf, at * aiail*a?, ISO le M wortfi >omg C**?? tdtlortilt ikoatd not ???ed MO oordt Wi rttrrtf lh? rtfkl Io edit kilrrt foe il>k or poulfek HM. Tht (*a>vtco<k ?M aal wltkkoM iiwi u*4*r u) rirtmxiKi. Miraculously, Hi, guys. I'm back. Now I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Yeah, he's back, just like Jason in the Friday the 13th movie series. You just can't get rid of the guy." His body lies on the floor as the heroine relaxes and catches her breath, but then his eyes pop open. He sits straight up, and the music begins again. He lives. Sorry. I get carried away sometimes. This time, you can't blame me. I came to USC Monday, fully expecting to pack my bags and head on back to Spartanburg where 1 have my cave. 1 ramp hprp PYnprtino to Ipavp hprancp I HiHn't Ivjvp VM,,,V i,VIV V?|/VV?...C, ?VM.V WVVMUOV ? V4.M.. t enough money and wasn't qualified for financial aid. I was about to become a casualty of the high tuition battle, a statistic to be quoted on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather. I didn't come to USC this past week because I saw no point in coming here early to pack up and leave. It would have been emotionally unpleasant, and unpleasant things are best when they are delayed. I really wanted to come at least by Thursday or Friday, but I guess we all know what happened Thursday. Well, in Columbia, there was lots of icy rain and sleet. And in Snartanburc. we had snow. Lots of snow. I'm talking more than a foot of snow. So 1 was stuck until Monday. Then 1 managed to King's accom Although today is the actual birthdate of Martin Luther King Jr., Monday marks the third official observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day when millions of people throughout the world will pay tribute to the slain civil rights leader. King emerged during the civil-rights era in /\menca, a period Known ior us lyncnings, oomoings, segregation and discrimination, and King has rightfully gone down in history as one of the most prominent religious leaders America has ever produced. A product of a religious tradition that had learned to depend on the triumph of God's moral intentions over the false-heartedness and selfishness of man, King unquestionably strengthened America with his philosophy and non-volent activism. One of the most celebrated voices in America, he was all things to the civil-rights movement: ad vocate, field general, orator and symbol. He reached more blacks, more Americans and more citizens of the world than any other American reform leader in this century. And because of his impact on American democracy, supporters for a King holiday successfully campaigned to establish a natonal day in honor of him. Although the idea for a King holiday won federal approval in 1985, today there remains an effort to get several states that refuse to accept the holiday to join the rest of the nation. States such as Arizona, New Hampsire, Wyoming, Idaho, Robertson ca Pat Robertson, the Republican presidential candidate who has been hindered by his image as a fundamentalist idealogue, has taken himself out of mainstream politics with his recent proposal to eliminate the tobacco industry. Under Robertson's ludicrous plan, the federal government would buy all the tobacco produced by American farmers over the next 7 to 10 years. This would provide time for these farmers to find a more dignified crop. Robertson has yet to estimate what the cost ol his plan would be to taxpayers. Undoubtedly, it would be massive, so massive it might take a tax increase to do it. Plus, state governments would lose all the money they get now trom taxes on cigarettes. With this latest proposal, Robertson might have doomed his campaign. His power base is the con servative South, but his position on tobacco alienates the growers of one of the South's main cash crops ? tobacco. Robertson bases his plan in a false sense ol morality and courage. In Columbia Wednesday, lit related how he kicked his smoking habit when he heard of the health risks that cigarettes present That Robertson quit smoking is great, that he , I made it ba< i i iff , Guilfoyle > = r get my brother to drive me down in his pickup truck so I could pick up my stuff and head on back to Spartanburg and get a real (ugh) job. But a friend mentioned that perhaps 1 could get part of my fees deferred until a later date, and since registration was extended until Thursday, I figured 1 would give it a shot. So 1 spent Monday running up and down the coliseum, talking to people. The treasurer said 1 can pay a third of my fees down if I can make full payment within 30 days. 1 could come up with the third right away, but the rest in 30 days was impossible. So I went to the nnauciai am people. i lancea 10 people ai me coliseum and went up to the office also. And they recomputed my financial eligibility for me and ? iplishments ju Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Hawaii, which are disregarding popular support for a King holiday, are facing vigorous efforts from those who are determined to have a true national holiday honoring King. In many of these states, opponents of the holiday argue it would be too costly. This unpopular position has sparked criticism from many, including Sen. Robert Dole, R.-Kan., who suggests that critics estimate the cost of more than 300 years of slavery, followed by a century or more of ( rnnnmii- nnlitir;?l anH <;f>rial exclusion of hlacks. There are also those who argue that King is not in the same category as George Washington and Christopher Columbus, and Thomas Jefferson is more deserving of a holiday. For those who wonder if King is in the same impaign going I wants all Americans to follow his example is not. > The frirmpr rpvprnnH hevnml flint ^:iviiiu America must improve its health. "I don't think ? it's foolish at ail to recognize what we all know ? i that smoking is bad for your health," Robertson says in justifying doing away with tobacco. No one ? except for public-relations represen r tatives for major cigarette companies ? is going tc ; argue with that. The simple fact of the matter i< cigarette smoking causes cancer, heart disease anc : other health problems. TEN!... ^ | NINE!... I EIGHT.'... I ck to school miracle of miracles, 1 qualified for the guaranteed student loan that 1 didn't get this past semester. So 1 was able to pay for my tuition and my housing fees. I'm back. And it really took a heavy burden off my mind. I really didn't want to become one of those statistics. After all, any mind is a terrible thing to waste. Even mine. And there are three people I must thank for getting me back to school. There was the guy at the financial aid table ? I think his name was Bob ? in the Elephant Room who realized I was in desperate straits, and he told me to try some things, including the tactic that u/nrVpH AnH tH#*r? thprp'c PqiiI'I Ck rr\iincplnr at thn financial aid office who actually took the changes in my status and recomputed my eligibility status and found out 1 was eligible for a GSL. Both of them saved my life. But I wouldn't have been able to be helped by those people if it wasn't for a third ? my little brother. He was busy Sunday, so we had to drive down here Monday when registration was open. And he took off work to drive me down to pick up my stuff. And he was patient enough to wait around all day once 1 decided to chase wild geese. Thanks, bro. So I'm back. : Hooray. stify holiday ' category as Washington and Columbus; yes, he is. And by honoring him, we do not diminish the accomplishments of others, because his achievements represent an extension of what they stood for. King brought forth the vision that our founding fathers had for our country and has made America a better nation. He took the first significant steps toward making a reality of what our founding fathers dreamed, a reality that is not complete even today, considering recent racially motivated incidents in Howard Beach, N.Y., and Forsyth County, Ga., where blacks have been the victims of racism. ' Twenty years after his assasination we still do not live in a nation where people are judged "riot by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character," as King had hoped. The dreams of King and our founding fathers must never be forgotten. Instead, we must continually seek to make them a reality, by ensunng that all Americans, regardless of their race, sex or nationality, are being granted their constitutional rights to liberty and justice. l ikewise, we must not forget our history and our leaders, but reflect on them and what they stood for, remembering there are still many valuable lessons to be learned. The King holiday is an overdue honor to a man who is much deserving of commemoration and should symbolize a commitment of all Americans to racial equality. ; up in smoke But if Robertson is so concerned about the health of America, why hasn't he proposed ending the industries of red meat, caffeine, sugar and salt? All of these products have been shown to have adverse effects on the human body, but Robertson seems to ignore this simple fact. If Robertson really wants to make America healthy, he would support doing away with these industries along with the tobacco industries. The inherent hypocrisy of Robertson's argument continues as this latest stance conflicts with his stated support lor capitalism. Me nas maintained that he is a free-market conservative. Apparently, Robertson's market is not entirely free. Only goods with the stamp of government approval can be sold. : The tobacco farmers and cigarette companies arc fulfilling a demand, creating the supply. And they make money doing it. They also pay their share of i taxes. It all sounds like capitalism, but Robertson seems blind to his own beliefs. Then again, such ridiculous ideas are typical of a > man who once said he could control the path of a > hurricane through prayer. I Go back to meteorology, Pat, and get out.of politics.