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Changes United States should capitalize on Cuban-Soviet relationship For three decades, Cuba has been America's next-door enemy, overtly and covertly. Although Fidel Castro continues to harangue the United States, the recent visit from Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev indicates that times could be changing in the island country. The summit between Gorbachev and Castro was a classic con frontation between new and old. The Soviet leader has brought dramatic changes to his country while Castro insists on staying with a strict communist dictatorship. Before Gorbachev's visit, Castro whined that following the Soviet Union's reforms would be like sleeping with another man's wife. Although it is difficult to determine exactly what the two men discussed during their meeting, Gorbachev obviously has the upper hand. Cuba's government relies on the Soviet Union for everything ? even its very existence. For example, Cuba receives more than $5 billion in military and economic aid from the USSR each year; what used to be a client state has turned into a welfare state. Relations between the Soviet Union and Cuba will probably change drastically in the next few years. The United States can benefit from this delicate situation in many ways, but President George Bush seems reluctant to budge from America's antiquated policies toward Cuba. Rather than clinging to cold-war rhetoric, Bush and Secretary of State James Baker should be looking into how the changes between the Soviet Union and Cuba will affect American relations with the island country. The first step toward breaking the ice with Cuba is bringing an end to the U.S. economic embargo. This policy has been in place for three decades and has done little to alter Castro's politics. If anything, the embargo has only driven Cuba further into communist repression. By allowing American businesses to deal directly with Cuba, the U.S. relations between the two countries will improve, and the American economy will benefit. China and the Soviet Union have begun to experiment with the free market; perhaps Cuba can be the next communist country to move toward capitalism ever so slightly. The United States has a marvelous opportunity to moderate relations with Cuba. Estrangement need not last forever, especially when both parties can benefit. "IT'S MAPE IN THE U.S.A." The Gamecock Best Non-daily Collegiate Newspaper, Southeastern Region Society of Professional Journalists, 1987-88 Editor in Chief Photography Editor ANDY BECHTEL TEDDY LEPP Managing Editor Datebook Editor JEFF SHREWSBURY JAN PHILLIPS Copy Desk Chief Graphics Editor KATHY BLACKWELL MICHAEL SHARP AccSctont Pnni/ Hoc!/ Pkiaf Pnmioc Frlitnr VV/pj VxlIIVI V/vmivo *^v?nwi CARYN CRABB TRACY MIXSON News Editor Graduate Assistant MARY PEARSON ROBERT STEVENSON Assistant News Editors Adviser KELLY C. THOMAS PAT MCNEELY SUSAN NESBITT Director of Student Media Features Editor ED BONZA TODD HINES Advertising Manager Assistant Features Editor MARGARET MICHELS TOMMY JOYNER Production Manager Sports Editor LAURA DAY KEVIN ADAMS Assistant Production Manager Assistant Sports Editor RAY BURGOS CHRIS SILVESTRI Assistant Advertising Manager BARBARA BROWN Letters Policy: The Gamecock will try lo prim all tellers received. Letters should be, al a maximum, 250 lo 300 words Ions- Guest editorials should not exceed 500 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for style or possible libel. The Gamecock will not withhold names under any circumstance. ? NE*l\CRk! VEWS^y " REMEMBER WHI Fight for visil The issue of visitation has been at the forefront of our minds lately, and I believe that as students it is imperative that we understand not only the implications of last Thursday's board meeting, but also the reasoning behind the actions of the Board, the Student-Trustee Liaison Committee and Student Government. Although the majority of us do not agree with the outcome, perhaps an explanation of the chain of events, many of which were not public, will put everything into perspective. Shortly after I was elected Student Government president, I attended a meeting of the Ecology Committee, where we were informed that it was highly unlikely the Ecology Committee proposal would pass the board in its original form. The members of the Ecology Committee, however, were satisfied with the work they had done, and it was the consensus of the Ecology Committee that any changes in policy and subsequent recommendations to the board would be made by the Student-Trustee Liaison Committee. It was further resolved that the Ecology Committee wanted to maintain visitation privileges closely resembling those, established within its report. Between the Ecology Committee meeting and the Student-Trustee Liaison Committee, I spoke with several board members, many students and administrators and tried to establish some common ground. Although well aware of general student satisfaction with the current system, we had been informed that unless an alternative plan ac* ji.' ' MM. ".. MUM H.l. Letters to the Apathy hurts A i , Wouldn't student rally the bo, v this controv ing tuition c Trt tho orlif/xr* J i \j iiiv tuiiui. unuer cunir This concerns the matter of what is USC for fo being done toward the proposed almost dout visitation policy. to be a maj< I went to Capstone Thursday to participate in a demonstration against the proposed visitation policy of Mike Fair. Taking in consideration of how large USC's student population is, I expected to see an {fit enormous group of angry people picketing. Instead there were only hpfpi maybe 50 people, and 10 of them were reporters. The crowd was quietly sitting under some trees, holding To the editc up three posterboards that said I, as a "Students for Individual Morality." would like t Don't get me wrong. I'm not put- for his effoi ting those who participated in the "no opposil demonstration down, but instead I, however, those people who didn't attend. It's What abou pretty pathetic, or should I say USC? As apathetic. The people who didn't at- righteous, r tend might not care now, but they'll 90 percent o be doing a lot of bitching next tion has be< semester when their lives are govern- Consequen ed differently. favored gay students 01 ust, ine nme is now this universi to express yourselves. There is Perhaps tl nothing you can do about it once it I certainly 1 has happened. Don't just sit to the not change t wayside and let someone bulldoze proposed st over your rights. Fight back and passed. In a show them that you care what hap- a problem w pens in your life. policy. Remember the old saying that Mike Fai "children should be seen and not 2,600 gays heard." We're not children anymore. happy. This population David R. Gooldy university's i Biology junior secretary tc Trustees). T ual populat Visitation not ?a?y^' # # I would lil top priority hai h r * * various stat and college: To the editor: quoted by t For the past couple of weeks I have Higher Educ been following the articles in The has occurrec Gamecock about all the ruckus over legislators o changing the USC visitation rules. I 112,614 sti would like to sav that I am very glad voting resid to see the students of USC getting in- In a letter tc EN THEY USED TO ONLY BUIPi tation rights fa [ 11 V d ceptable to the majority of the board members t< was proposed, Rep. Fair's motion for no over- tl night visitation, campus-wide with the exception tl of apartments, would in all likelihood be adopted. It was therefore with great reluctance o that the members of the Student-Trustee Liaison h Committee endorsed a proposal that allows for n phase-out for freshmen in 1990 and sophomores k in 1991 with continuaj reassessment and re- w evaluation over the next few years as complete v\ elimination of visitation, with exception of apart- n ments, is addressed. It was essentially this pro- t< posal that the passed the board last week. o Although this proposal is in my opinion, one w, that fails to consider the lifestyles of students, p whom it will directly effect, and shows a con- w siderable lack of regard for the students who will o attend Carolina in the future, there essentially k ! editor mething they feel should newspaper on April 13, Les ) them to decide. stated that she was a ta the time Rep. Mike Fair citizen and, "As a taxpayer, ard of Trustees spent on condone a university alio ersy be better used to br- students to do whatever the :osts or crime on campus while my money supports it ol? I've been a student at Toole, we pay taxes as well, ur years. The tuition has sure as the fine, upstandin )led, and crime continues tax-paying citizen that you or concern. can appreciate our position taxpayers should be heard. Kelly Logan After all, our country was Marketing senior on the basis of individual ri the freedom of choice, not Qnoiticf t*ons reactionary zeal Toole and Fair, which will o to destroy our basic rights t *OS6XUalS keen ta^en f?r granted for s Alan I >r: English so| Christian heterosexual, Josef :o thank Rep. Mike Fair Political science so| rts with regard to USC's te sex" visitation policy. T pffpj* vV Tlti have only one concern. AjClld Tr III' t the gay population at 1 a result of your self- OV6rZ6illOU! larrow-minded morality, f the university's popula;n discriminated against. To the editor: tly, your policy has The overzealous letter of s and lesbians attending Edwards concerning the Cor ty. flag {The Gamecock, April his was a slight oversight. quires response. lope so, but it still does The ideology that motiv he fact that the policy he secession of the Southern st ill exists waiting to be states' rights. While it is equ II actuality, there was not that the states' rights in the i rith the existing visitation many decision makers of t was the "right" to perpetus r's proposal has made supremacy, it is inaccuratt and lesbians extremely "they were all fools repres is 10 percent of the total sick and illogical ideology.' of 26,435 adults on the fallacy to say that an ind campus (as quoted by the motivation for an ideology, i ) the USC Board of illogical, makes the ideolo he 10 percent homosex- illogical, ion was quoted by the I am neither a "good ole t esbian Student Associa- a racist, but it does matter to the Carolina campus. many South Carolinians we ke to also address the fact in battle, as I'm sure it was in e 112,614 students at the to their families and sweethe :e-supported universities I would like to remind th< > in South Carolina (as as well that the founders of he S.C. Commission for tion were also "illegal soldie :ation). I am not sure if it an illegal flag." A revolul i to Rep. Fair and other cause should not be invalidat r not, but most of these ly because he is a revolution idents are tax-paying, ents of South Carolina. Michael V. Hj > the editor of The State First-year law 3B0N US V " f r from over ^as no other choice for students. All other opons and concerns were conveyed to the board, ut as students we were in effect powerless. Once Lep. Fair turned that question of visitation into ne of morality, we were unable to direct attenon away from it. This case is a perfect example f legislation without voting representation, ecause we had no vote in this matter. The question we must address now is where do 'e go from here? We do not believe that the ight for visitation is over, and as students, we eed to remain strong and united for the reminder of the war. If nothing else, last Thursay's outcome bought students the time necessary ) educate and to demonstrate to the people of us state that there is so much more to visitation tan sex. In retrospect, perhaps the most positive aspect f this entire issue has been that student interest as been raised. We are asking now that you do ot become discouraged because there is so much ;ft to do. This issue has proved that as students 'e do need a vote on the Board of Trustees, and <t will begin to work for such a vote this sumler. With a vote we will, in the future, be able d make motions and cast our ballots as students n the issues that effect us. We must move for'ard to this goal of a vote together. In closing, lease remember my door is always open. There 'ill also be an open forum to further discuss the utcome at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in the Russell louse Theater. ^-plying Headline lacks I do not # , . article s point Well, and I'm To the editor: g, moral Regarding a story on the front are, you page of the April 11 issue, I found it i that all somewhat upsetting that a newspaper with a circulation size of The founded Gamecock would be so careless with ehts and its headlines. t the ac- The title, "Tens of thousands rally ots like in favor of abortion," is hardly nly serve representative of the purposes or the hat have views of the people involved in the :o long. rally, which is so colorfully described in the story the title is supposed to inlamilton troduce. Those thousands of people phomore were marching in Washington to ad>h Myers vocate a woman's right to have an phomore abortion and not to advocate abortion itself. There'is a significant difference. t?l Those who advocate a woman's right to have an abortion are ads' vocating the principle of choice in regard to an individual's control over his/her own body. This in no way necessitates having an abortion, but Sheldon merely the opportunity to decide for lfederate oneself, according to one's own I 14) re- ethical and moral code. According to the pro-choice movement, no one has ated the the right to force a woman to do ates was anything with her body that she does tally true not want to do. This may entail givminds of ing her the choice to have an aborhat time tion, but it also entails the right to tte white choose to carry the pregnancy to full : to say term, there are those within the enting a movement who personally disagree ' It is a with the method of abortion to ividual's resolve the situation of an unplanned if indeed pregnancy, but in turn, they agree gy itself that each individual must have the right to make this decision for >oy" nor herself. me how It would be to vour DaDer's great re killed advantage, as well as to your aportant readers', that more care is taken in ;arts. striking up a bold and catchy ; readers headline. Whether it be for a this na- homegrown story or a story that rs under originates with a large wire service, :ionary's there is no excuse for sloppy ed simp- journalism, ary. Jo M. Render immond Graduate student, international student studies