University of South Carolina Libraries
Blacks denied equality Book acce: Editor's note: This is part two in a six-part series on Black History Month. The series will run until Feb. 20. We regret that because of space constraints we were unable to run part two last week. Space permitting, The Gamecock will try to run the third part of the series on Wednesday, and continue with part four on Feb. 13. By KELLY C.THOMAS and MARY PEARSON News editors An often neglected area of study in the history of black Americans is their long, painful struggle for equality of access to libraries and related facilities. An exhibition at USC's McKissick Museum shows the highlights of that struggle and the progression of blacks in their search for literary knowledge. Bob Williams, associate professor in the College of Library Sciences, said the exhibit was the product of a year-and-a-half's research and preparation. It is a part of the research being done under a grant given the university by the S.C. Humanities Council. The program is in its third year. i "It is a tremendously neglected area of study," < Williams said. "Of course," he added, "the study of library history I itself is neglected, but there is hardly any research done on I M IDr I f^BB if^JLW ftk jj $?fL^^mjlL oJEM Greenville County, 1935 ? Young black children wait for pastimes, "Story Hour." Rape Continued from page 1 The offender said he had seen the girl in class and wanted to meet her. He saw her at,a party one night, and ec she spoke to him. "She was looking pretty hot," he said. "' They talked, and he told her about his videotape collection and invited her to see it. She was thinking it would be 1 nice to get away from the party, and he seemed nice, so she left with him. "< In her mind, they were going to look at his videotape he collection and maybe talk some more. He, however, dz thought he was making a big impression on her and he ar might just "get lucky." When they got to his house, he put on a video, and they th started talking. He reached over to kiss her, and she let him. Bi She was thinking he was an interesting person and that she didn't really mind letting him kiss her. He was think- kr ing, "Oh, boy! Things are really going good now." th He started to move in on her, and she said no. "She ca said no, but we all know what that means," he said. Freeze Continued from page 2 Lyle Richards, a freshman elec- discounts to student: tronic engineering major from Texas, grades, and students a said his South Carolina car insurance rate by taking a drh is $800 a year, more than twice what course, Varnet said, he paid in Texas. "I don't think tbey The average cost of insuring one high-risk drivers on automobile in South Carolina is $500 Richards said. "We h per year, said Special Assistant to the they continue to drive Chief Insurance Commisioner jail." Joseph Varnet. The state's method o He said insurance costs depend on requires people purchas tactors sucn as age ana sex ot the to pay a recoupment driver and type of car. Young people recovers the losses in; can expect to pay a higher rate panies make on bad dr because they are more of a risk to "There has been a re insure. of the recoupment fee,' Some insurance companies off~r "It isn't much, but we J.DuSticky's Celebrity Bartender Nij every weanesaay Come Party at Sticky's Wednesday with our cele bartender of the weel< you would like to be one o celebrity bartenders come to Sticky's and appl Mon. - Friv 2pm - 5pr ss difficult library services for blacks." A summary of the research and the exhibition is given in a pamphlet prepared by Williams and his associates and is available at the museum. The exhibit uses photographs and documents to illustrate the black struggle for equal access to the world of literature that many people take for granted today, Williams said. One of the first attempts to establish a private library society was made in about 1830 in Charleston when a group of free blacks formed the Bonneau Library Society, Williams said. The society provided the black community in Charleston access to otherwise unobtainable books. It was named after black educator Thomas Bonneau and served also as a cultural center for blacks. Other literate blacks during the period before the Civil War often had to rely on their owners' private libraries. Many black Americans had little or no access to reading materials because of laws that prohibited the teaching of slaves to read and write, Williams said. The Civil War and its aftermath brought both oppor:unity and disappointment to the black people's struggle :o gather books and other reading materials. ft W f $ jjf /?s M ft" JA ?? * - Courtesy of the National Archives und Records Administration the arrival of a bookmobile and one of their favorite As he forced her down, she struggled. When she realiz1 she couldn't fight him off, she stopped struggling. What's the use?"she thought. "After a while, she stopped struggling," he said, "and knew she had really wanted it all along." "There is a script by which men date," Burkhart said. Can you imagine a fraternity brother walking into his >use and informing his brothers that he had found his tte so interesting that he decided to get to know her mind id leave the sex and stuff alone?" "Also," Walsh said, "society teaches our young boys at 'real men' never take no for an answer." Most cases of acquaintance/date rape go unreported, irkhart said. Walsh said the idea of getting raped by someone they low is often unnerving for women, and the fact that ey don't report the assault (often not telling anyone) can use serious problems for the victim. Assault victims can suffer in four major ways, she said. s with good of inches here and everything an lower their counts." /er education "The governor eventually wants to reduce rates 10 to 20 percent," he should let the said. "The freeze passed, in part, the road," because the governor has made ave buses. If automobile insurance a top drawer , put them in issue in this legislation." f insuring cars Butler said the six-month freeze >ing insurance may be the beginning of a trend, t fee, which "It's possible that there may be some surance com- rollback (in the insurance rates), but ivers. we're not optimistic that it will be cent lowering much." 'Tuckersaid. Truax said the six-month freeze i 're in a game will prevent insurance rates from inI ) I ALPHA 1 * CONGRA Their Nei WE LCT ght Sheila Baxley Katherine Ha Cathryn Berry Adrian Huff Beth Biegerstaff Patty Hunt Ann Bonner Leigh Ann Jo Kim Bregal Karen Keator 4-Uj^ Robbin Bryant Jennifer Keep Julie Caveny Ariail King L *|. Alita Delrio Kelly Liber L/l lly Bonnie Jean Drake Dawn Loverd I Margaret Draughn Virginia Mars ^ I Sally Fulmer Katie Martin Leslie Gallagher Eileen Mason Christian Garnett Betty Morrah Debra Gladstone Valerie Palme ij- QUI* Tara Godwin Krista Pearma Lori Goepper : ^ BLACK HISTORY MONTH * A, *"I think it was extremely difficult for both blacks and whites in the state to gain access to libraries," said Roberta Copp, a consultant to the S.C. Library Heritage Project. "The state was very economically depressed after the war, and books were hard to come by. It was doubly hard for blacks because of the prejudice," she said. After the war came the period known as Reconstruction. According to the pamphlet, attempts were made to integrate the state's institutions of higher education and had some success, but the attempts were also confronted hv maior nh<;tarle<; For example, for a short period, USC became a predominantly black institution. Richard Greener was the first black man to graduate from Harvard University, and he worked as a librarian at USC from 1875 to 1876. This work is not documented well, Williams said, but what information is available shows him still working on obtaining books for a growing 1 literate black population. But with the end of Reconstruction, blacks depended upon primarily privately funded colleges for educational advancement, he said. ? "This was made doubly hard because during this time t many blacks spent most of their time just working to earn a living. They didn't have time for libraries or educa- ( tion," Copp said. During the early 1920s, free public library services for ] blacks were beginning to become a reality in a few counties in the state. I Greenville County was the first to establish such a 5 library. In addition, it provided a bookmobile service to < help rural blacks get access to reading material. t t ^__?mi , C t ( t First, they suffer psychologically. They blame ( themselves and think of many ways they should have been c able to prevent the rape from happening. N I Second, they can suffer socially. They withdraw from * friends and family and can become fearful of all men. s A third possibility is academic suffering. Their minds ^ are so full of thinking about the rape, having flashbacks s and dealing with the trauma, that they are unable to con- P centrate on their studies. The victim's self-esteem also suffers. They become " atraid tnat tney are the cause and that people see them as 1 easy or flaunty. u "A big problem," Walsh said, "is that young women ^ are not prepared for sexually aggressive males. We don't alert them, and we leave them naive. We need to educate a them and let them be more aware of the things going on Jl around them." I Lectui creasing for much longer than six of Margie Gillis and months. by USC music pro "This is billed as a six-month Conant and Raymon freeze, but we have a six-month pro- But he said he dc cedure that it takes to implement an two programs will be increase after the request has been We're working e made, so essentially we have a things. I just sort of 12-month freeze on automobile in- ing somehow they'll surance rates," Truax said. said. He said the General Assembly Stepp said he also I froze insurance rates from July 1, tion of the Roger Cen 1987 to July 1, 1988, and at that time pleted by the Feb. 15 Campbell asked for an additional six- obtaining a full occ month freeze. from the city. "Because of all of this, rates have not increased in two-and-a-half years," Truax said. n I I UJLA'l'tiS w Initiates! VE YOU! II LeAnne Pitts l/inlfn1 Jessica Sessions lUllKU Lisa Shealy Supplement hnson Tracie Sheppard pg ) Leigh Simpson ?er Padgett Singleton Low COSt to Caroline Tigner Campus pick Kristian Tomsic # Service you e Elizabeth Trevathan hall Kim Troublefield Heather Trumball OPE Mirtha Vallini f? Karen VanBrunt r Rhonda Wall n Meridith Williams Rebecca Worsley fcj* l f pi College leaders attend seminar From staff reports About 500 college students from Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina descended on the Russell House Ballroom Saturday for a conference on leadership. Sponsored by USC's department of student life, the Student Leadership Training Conference offered seminars on a variety of topics, including motivation and management techniques. Aside from providing tips on how to be an effective leader, the conference offered student leaders an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas, said Jerry Brewer, dean of student life. "You learn a lot more from your peers," he said. The conference was divided into three short sessions. Topics for the sessions included "Women in Leadership Roles" and "Who Says You're Not Creative?" Faculty members of USC, Armstrong State and the College of Charleston led the seminars, which stressed discussion rather than lecture. Students reDresentine various camnns omnns fmm w - , 0. " v'" schools such as S.C. State, the University of Georgia the College of Charleston and all branches of the USC system attended the conference, which lasted all day Saturday. Leaders of Student Government, student media and minority groups were among those who went to the sessions. Keynote speaker Walter Kneece, Southern Bell general manager for customer service, told students to have a clear idea of what they want to accomplish. "You've got to have a dream," he said. State Rep. Candy Waites, (D-Richland), addressed the students at lunch in the Russell House Ballroom and offered a similar message. She recounted her battle in 1964 to allow students from South Carolina who go to school out of state to vote by absentee ballot. Student leaders should not be afraid to challenge the system and fight for what's right, she said. Most students said they enjoyed the conference. "I thought they were good programs and well thought out," one USC student said. S G Continued from page 1 iomeone coming into the office of vice president must be ixperienced." The following are interviews with the treasurer :andidates: Debra Gladstone, psychology sophomore "I believe that a great portion of the student activity fee "und is being improperly used. I would examine each area iupported by the student activity fee to see where funds ire being misused. I would then redirect any misused porions of the student activity fee into programs and acivities that would directly benefit USC students. "As a resident adviser I am responsible for an activity "und that is used for the benefit of the residents, and I am ilso responsible for the management of this money hroueh bud&etinp and adminictrntivp dnti*?c cn^K ? :ounting and working with the university's housing funiing process. I have also been attending S.G. Finance Committee meetings to better understand the specific luties I would encounter as treasurer. I also manage the unds of the S.C. Association of Student Body Residents." Iritt Seibert, finance sophomore "The most important issue facing the university that hould be addressed by the treasurer is the efficient spenling of the student activities fee. As treasurer, I will make ure that those funds spent by S.G. are used to promote rograms that are beneficial for all students." "My experience as director of institutional affairs, a aember of the executive committee and other committees or the university over the past two years has given me an inderstanding of the process by which S.G. operates. Tirough this understanding I feel that I can be more efective as treasurer of the student body. This year I have ppointed over 150 students to university committees, udicial boards and Students for a Better Carolina, and 've spoken with them about issues that concern them." re Continued from page 2 a performance "Our architects and contractors fessors Richard are working with the city to ensure d Dudley. compliance with those factors that >esn't think the W'H enable us to obtain a full oc: cancelled. cupancy permit as granted by the ci)n both those ty. I feel sure that will happen by have a gut feel- February 15," he said, work out," he Construction of the building must trunks construe- be polished to meet the expectations iter will be com- of city inspectors, he said, deadline set for He said work must be completed in :upancy permit rehearsal rooms, reception rooms and administrative offices. si American Red Cross COURSE PACKETS at s Professor Publishing are: ary course materials copied and bound in ckets for individual student use. students No cost to department -up & delivery Fast turnaround can depend on Free copyright permission assistance N 24HRS EVERY DAY ' kinkoVcopies professor publi s h i n g' 933 Main Street HOWE: 799-3807 1