University of South Carolina Libraries
Unfair ; College administration should stay out of students' private lives The decision by the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission to turn the names of underage students convicted of illegal possession of alcohol into their universities is an invasion of students' privacy. Their reasoning behind this decision is to hopefully catch stu dents who may have an alcohol abuse problem and to discipline offenders. This is a lame excuse for the trouble it will cause students. It is true that young people can develop a drug or alcohol problem, but most people who drink are doing so because they like to or as a social activity, not because they have a problem. This action should be considered an invasion of privacy because a student's off-campus activites are his or her own. If they are caught by the ABC and are charged with the illegal "possession of alcohol, they will have to face the legal consequ. ences and more than likely their parents' wrath. This is not USC's or any other university's business. If a business man is charged with DUI, the police do not notify his employer. So why do university officials and the ABC think they they have the right to cause students further grief? Part of the university experience is to grow and become an adult, and part of becoming an adult is learning to deal with the consequences of your actions. A university is no place for the principal calling a student in to discuss their behavior. This is not meant to belittle the serious problems associated with drugs and alcohol, but the threat of possible expulsion or having to go to counselling for having a few drinks is ridiculous. JjQf1 olcA COtfO OlfVl /inofl 11.411 U/1 /Janlt 11.1 fU n?. ?J - ?- -J 1 uiov/ oujo uiui ^>avii Will Ut U&aiL Willi Ull <111 lllUIVlUUai basis", which of course works both ways. It will be good for students if they have a chance to defend themselves, but at the same time one must realize this could also mean that if mommy and daddy have any pull at the university then their son or daughter may get off where as another student might not. Most people drink, especially young people. And as long as they don't drive or endanger anyone, they should have that right. The 21 age limit is equally ridiculous as this new action. By the age of 18, a young person has to face most legal responsibilities and are probably about as responsible as they will be. Let them learn on their own. There are already laws for underage drinkers. If they get caught, let them face the consequences like adults. Don't add to their -Slproblems by allowing USC to get involved. > 9 NO TIME FOR A MIRAGE 5H&MAv&r '"- - *&:*&? <pft1c Sr c*wf foST-DtrrATcH ,. > -i .! >k' V " The Gamecock News: 777-7726 Advertising: 777-4249 Jeff Wilson Sharon Willamson Editor in Chief Managing EditorlCopy Desk Chief Lynn Gibson Elizabeth Lynch News Editor Carolina Life Editor DougAube Renee Meyer Sports Editor Photography Editor Kelly C. Thomas Viewpoints Editor Elizabeth Fox Sherri Tillman Assistant News Editor Assistant News Editor David Bowden Kathy Heberger , nr/itin/i I if*, T?^:. A .. ' " ?- ? - v^w c A?1 ciLiur jriddidimhi Xm,"dfOLlf%CL LJIJ? E^dtlOT" BRANf LONG JULIE BOUCHILLON , Assistant Sports Editor Assistant Photography Editor ) Octavia Wright Assistant to the Editors Kristin Francis Erik Collins > Graduate Assistant Faculty Adviser t Ed Bonza Laura S. Day * Director of Student Media Production Manager ^ Ray Burgos Renee Gibson * Assistant Production Manager Advertising Manager ^ Kyle Berry Carolyn Griffin s Assistant Advertising Manager Business Manager ^ i: Letters Policy: The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be, at maximum, 250 to 300 words long. The writer must include full name, pro- r fessional title if a USC employee or South Carolina resident, or year and major if 1; a student. An address and phone number are required with all letters sent. The d Gamecock reserves the right to edit letters for style, possible libel or in case of space limitations. The newspaper will not withhold names under any circumstance. v" 4*^ . . -V . . vYOU GOING TO CALL HIM INTO AC" Jlf' ?^ - MMWcJ^?PWTMiM iv Wffr a^ F J|^B^^HSw|^H||^B^^j|R|Bi^^u i|^B7|^^^| WTiMLi MB r^y ; I jii Dlfj AJ BTT^B ijub? I- ' ' ' ' . There is no g( We modern folk are an arrogant bunch. According to us, we are immune to sickness, harm and death, and we're only slightly fallible, i What do I mean? Let me tell you. * My friend and I were walking in Gambrell Hall the other day when we heard a loud buzzing noise echoing down the hall ? the fire 1 alarm. The surprising thing was, nobody did anything. Some people looked up and around like they'd never heard one before, but they didn't move. Some didn't even look as though they'd heard it. And, what got to me most, my a friend and I said, "Oh, it's the fire alarm," and p continued on our way to the canteen. The buzzer stopped about 10 seconds after it h started, and there was no fire, but it struck me h as odd that this and other life-saving devices are p so often similarly ignored. a Part of the problem with fire alarms, I real- n ize, is they have to be tested so often. People d are told to ignore the alarm on a particular day it and that stays with them. And we've all been through the day when some prankster pulled the ti alarm repeatedly, making us run out in the cold without our coats six times in one day. It's not n fun. e - ?? w j a A search and di Letter writer be a persona life exDerienc* misses point ^ tacks, Mr. L< _ , line sardonic To the editor: Thomas as K< As an objective observer of the ton? Thomas recent editorial by Kelly C. Tho- journalist.s mas, Military is for honorable with Amcricai men- n<* " and rf?n eral Patton, al ten by Mr. Neil Lewis, I feel Mr. G ? .. . Lewis's empirical views on how nece;sa t0 American servicemen view combat He ^cr are most interesting. I'm sure his A u 6 ? , . . kid whose idei view is a very accurate description ., ?, e . J r % without her cu of how many servicemen feel on T . . . the issue of war. However, I find it thlS s,omcd unnecessary to place personal af- ci?U o"cifi" , fronts as reasoning of his point and a *Lnr? 1 doubt his opinion reflects the di,sessmeniview of all young servicemen. I also question his views on one's authority to exercise editorial opinions. Miss Thomas's editorial explicitly states that she is relating Q 111 11 her opinions based on the feelings 3f servicemen she has encountered, rnpplp that's where her authority is rested. SJJCvlC One of the ways in which jour- To the editor: lalists cover an issue is to attempt I am appal o gain empathy with the subject, minded, specii Stephen Crane wrote The Red Shealy in his j Sadge of Courage, one of the in the Augusl greatest war novels in history, Gamecock. / vithout actually being a soldier, mankind shou lis method was through meeting the purity of oldiers and discussing war, than the lives < rankly and realistically. A journal- ligent mamma st can't actively participate in ev- ice in Alaska ry subject they cover in their ca- very flippant i eer. A journalist interprets and re- titude towart ays what he or^she finds in human animal: liscussion with knowledgeable extinction of i eople on the particular subject. per year, the rr )ne's authority to write an edu- wildlife habita ated opinion comes through re- of our waters ' : \ ^ HHl ? 1 riON, TOO?' 'FORK OVER ALL V SKI KJHm * n^^wKjnuv^^b . v VKkmIUBOl^M Kj0QHI?^^MuSi " cnio lilSf alilllfcilSi ii#8 * < is ij iliilillf :i| lilii ? M )od excuse for .. cau kelly C. Thomas ^ 0Ur nes The point is, though, the alarms are there for was reason. People die in fires, and alarms help spii irevent that. Let all who have ears to hear . . . kne Another point is that the rate of violent crime F as reached phenomenal levels, reports of rape eno ave more than doubled in the past five years, eng eople are being murdered in groups in Florida, spei nd people are still walking outside alone at pie ight. I know every once in a while people just a li on't think and run somewhere alone, but it just wa> ;n't safe ? for women OR men. like Someday, our "It can't happen to me" atti- A ide is going to catch up with us. I Our careless attitude is ruining our environ- don lent. Pollution, deforestation, the "greenhouse cam ffect" ? all continue to plague our planet be- out scussion, it need not our own loss of dignity. 1 narrative of one's ,s Furthermore, the intell public is very concerned abo to his personal at- lives of whales and their 1 ^wis in his opening bere on As well as al ally refers to Miss mals> who lheir very exif *111/ P "Pnnori 1 Dn? deserve our resDect and care . vivuviai i ai" , 1 Comparing a college ^elfarf's dependent upon the ittempt at empathy of 'he an'mals- and i servicemen to Gen- fare's dependent upon the q ias, "Old Blood and environment Perhaps ily sarcastic and un- 1 ^ou a PeoP.f polemicize a point, yourself cared more about to "a well off college mals,. mng m ** water' r, ... . ? wouldn t have to worry too ' ,of hardsh'P ,s go aboul lhe purity of iL rling iron for a day." p Catherine F ting relevant to the Ar, Ed. Graduate St, if so, can Mr. Lewis acts supporting this USC parkin Jeffrey C. 1 urbitt ofjll ^fllP rilf* lurnahsm Freshman ollll UIC plli Unict 1^1 editor. Let me add my voice to thi a mor that will undoubtedl iSlSl raised from the latest develof in the debacle more comn known as parking at the Univi led at the narrow- of hSouth Carolina. I fully ssist attitude of Mr. Pathize Wlth commuter stu. juvenile commentary 0 must arrivc on campt : 27th issue of The car^ as ^ am* cac^1 morri'ng According to him, ^a^ ^ere are no avai Id care more about Parking spaces. However, I cj its drinking water ^dp wondering what will be< of three highly intel- ?* me as 1 continue the ard Is suffocating under Usk of P^g * ^ great in n waters. It is this Uon of hlSher education wit! ind cold-blooded at- resources markedly diminishec 1 our fellow non5 that has led to the Did the parking committee learly 1,000 species listically believe that "the lassive distinction of would be able to hold the ovei ts and the pollution of students who would be f< ? not to mention to seek parking there? From OUR MONEY OR I'LL DRILL YOU F SUPER UNLEADED' - *? w;kknc'/ \\ mm V coL ) 3-' :'J t* I " -.-/ .. ;-.- |? '! |,; - . il j I " I I ' - 111 I I I II I ._ _U Ill carelessness ise we just can't seem to believe we're doing thing wrong. ^ople drive drunk because they just know y'll still be able to operate their car. Joe over re couldn't but they can. Ve've even got to the point where we ignore own bodies' warning signs of poor health I illness. Headaches are dismissed as tension, nach aches as indigestion, red eyes as tireds and once, when I was little, my pneumonia ; dismissed by the doctors as an upper rectory infection. Lucky for me, my mom w better. eople are scared to death of AIDS, but not ugh to stop taking intravenous drugs or to age in safe sex by using condoms. And iking of using condoms, it seems some peowould rather pay for abortions than pay for ttle piece of protection. Or then, there's alrs good or abstinence for those who don't the "discomfort." md the list goes on and on. don't agree with those who say people 't care about anything but themselves be;e lately it seems people don't even care abthemselves. sonal experience that parking committee members may not have had, igent I can tell you that unless you park ut the in "the pit" before 6 p.m. on Sunfuture day, you needn't trouble 1 ani- yourselves looking there the rest of >tence the week (university holidays ex. Our cepted). If you are lucky enough to ? _ finH o (hafa tka rtnrUinrt rmrlf ' "vi mtu a uiwt, uiv guuJ wel- have been looking favorably upon uality you. The fact that I live on the , Mr. Horseshoe should not deter me like from parking at Bates, I suppose. i ani- If I needed access to my car Monn we day through Friday between the much hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., the Shuttlecock would merrily deposit risch me at my fender (of course, I ident might need to allot extra time for this or just give in and hike it). But if a job takes me off campus and I 12 return after dark, the Shuttlecocks are already safely tucked away for g" the night while I must make my solitary way across the large and lonely campus. I could park in a . Faculty Lot closer to my residence " c^" hall and get up at 6 a.m. just to )ment ma^e sure * ^ad ^me t0 an ^ )me.n parking place and take the Shuttle. y cock to my first class. ersi ^ I seriously doubt if the extra 450 em~ commuter spaces will alleviate the en s problems these students face when 1S^S arriving for classes, and it will ' sureiy lniensiry panting proDiems 1 a e for on-campus students. The parkannot I ing committee needs to offer stu"ome dents viable solutions to this prob111 Oil Q lem such as, reducing the number of parking stickers made available J my to students and/or creating new parking struggle from one group of students to another benefits no rea- one, but it succeeds nicely in creatpit" ing animosity between the groups rflow and towards the administration. Dreed Tracy Skipper per- Psychology Senior