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Viewpoint $ Race Club charges admission p based on appearance 1 Imagine going to Group on Thursday night for happy hour with c a crowd of friends. After you get through the door you notice that a although you were charged a $6 cover, the blond woman behind p you only paid $1. r In fact, all the blond women are only paying $1, but all the . brunettes are paying more. Hmmm. " At Cracker Jacks, a local nightclub, it seems that the cover charge keeps fluctuating. When several African American patrons entered the club they were charged $6, which seemed rather high. They watched the door man and found that the other customers were only being | charged $1 or $2 to get in. When they accused the bar's owner of racist behavior, his excuse was that the admission rate at the club was at the door man's discretion. How can this be legal? Not only is it morally questionable, but it seems to be in direct violation of Americans' Constitutional right to be treated equally. Whether this was a racially motivated incident or not, it is still unethical to have a cover charge that is subject to the whims of the MAN sitting at the door. I suspect there are an awful lot of women who know they can get in free at such an establishment based on the length of their skirts. Discrimination is discrimination whether based on ethnicity, religion, gender or appearance. One of Cracker Jack's owners said the bouncers try to discourage suspicious looking-people from entering. This group of African Americans was working on a political campaign. No doubt they would have been terrifying to run into in a dark alley. Perhaps to that door man, being black is grounds enough for suspicion. There's something contradictory about that becuase the owners said this had nothing to do with race. They were just discouraging people that they "...suspect might cause trouble." It seems their policies might have them in a whole world of trouble now. I /ffEMiPtg WH/rrrH?\ I / vi \*u uu i?? u uv?? '' 77 " ' " i Wf/./- AR? YOUDO/N'?'? YOU KNOW) A DAMN WELL- YOU AREN'T OLD J Zt^Mnough to prink Jj /_ *I l\ \ Private Barney Smith: Old enough to die but too young to drink. I'M AN # iEtMRoNM&ttAUSr. *f | C rQrlpC nnll^\7 "taking up" more important causes VJI ?.LIv^ poverty, homelessness, discrimina i illiteracy and so forth. Personally, 20OC1 enough not believe that grading policies, d mas beine given before or after gra T . .. tion and Coke vs. Pepsi are issues o e ecu or: demand great attention. The futui In response to Mr Justin Kahn s let- our ca[i* and sociel as we knc ter concerning the USC Law School malters' whlch we, as citizens, grading policy, w.sh to say that not d and nej hborSi should con everyone in the law school agrees with . ? him As a first-year law student, I rsi;ves David Rand would like to have my grades before First-year law stu paying my bill, I would like to be able J to tell summer employers I have done a x* 1 well, and I would like not to have the ^DOltS ?HllCi0 pressure of wondering whether I passed , # or failed. But I realize that professors UIllITlOrCSSlVC are busy people, much like all of us. They arc not magicians, nor gods. Things do take time, especially when lo the editor: you are grading several hundred ^ attended the Lady Gamecock lengthy essays. skctball game against Tennessee Give professors a break. Truly, I be- ^ an(* was v^fy unimpressed lieve that concerned individuals could reading the article appearing in spend their time more effectively by Gamecock the very same day coi Question: Do you 1 /lonica Perrin Kevin Ki Early Childhood major French r It should be lowered be- "it shot :ause younger kids get it all the n inyway and that's something along v >eople are going to have to that sho ealize goes on." Attendance poli Since I was a freshman at the university, I have felt there has been a grave injustice put upon myself and other students by certain professors. It was my choice to enter this university. It was my choice to pursue a certain major, and most importantly, it was my choice to spend thousands of dollars a year to receive a higher education and a college degree. Because it is my choice to get a higher education, why am I forced to follow an attendance policy that, if abused, lowers a grade I clearly deserved in a class. I feel that you should have the choice to attend or not attend a class. If it wasn't for the students, how would a professor make a living? Are professors afraid their lectures are so drab that students won't come? Are professors worried that their class is so easy, students don't have to come? On occasion I have had grades lowered from A's to C's or B's to C's. I clearly deserved my "A" or "B." I clearly took tests well and learned the material necessary to receive an honorable grade. How do you justify this? If I was being paid to come to school, I would have an obligation to attend classes daily. But I'm not! Attendance par When I was asked to do this Cross Fire, I wasn't quite sure which angle to take. So, I decided to present what I knew about the university attendance policy, good or bad. Like any other policy at USC, there are exceptions to every rule. Right or wrong, my purpose here is to write in defense of the policy. Maybe if I'm lucky, a few of you will see it my way. The purpose of the university attendance policy is to ensure a top quality education for all students. It is not aimed at impeding anyone's right to attend or not to attend a class. Many students feel that an attendance policy takes away from the rights they associate with going away to school and growing up. What they do not realize is that this policy is all part of growing up and assuming a little responsibility for ourselves. When an instructor distributes a syllabus, it becomes the contract between the student and the instructor. Students should accept the terms of the syllabus and what it obligates them to do. Any student who doesn't like the attendance policy of the class has the same right to drop the class, much like a student who doesn't like the course load. Many professors are pretty lenient. How- ever, if students don't live up to their end of the bargain, they should expect to be If you have an Is: you would like to see addressed in C drop it in a Suggestion Box or Call The < like ing them with the USC men's team, tion, think the article was immature, i] I do timed and in bad taste to gain fan su iplo- port. I believe the article only inspir< dua- the men's team and fired them up that play their best game of the seaso e of soundly defeating Tennessee for the >w it first SEC win and then sock it to Gee 5LU- gia. 1 llallKS VJlilo. cern R.C. Willian Army (retirei olph Marijuana use society ritual To the editor: This letter is in rcferenee to Mr. Ti Watts' article on marijuana. If yc :s ba- facts are accurate, using marijuana a: : Jan. replacement for trees in paper produ after would be very beneficial to the Unii i The States. Where your statements bccoi mpar- skeptical is in the second third of y( :hink the drinking age shoul Ml *"** JP '"' . x-' mmmm M mfi Don Eddie Wahdai riajor Biology/Pre^ ild be eighteen. With "I believe the ssponsibilities that go at twenty one vith being eighteen people out thi uld be your right." are too youni to be more m; 5 Firc^ cy not sensible Most of the classes I have found to contain "Mandatory Attendance or Else" policies are classes that have uninteresting professors that spend all their time lecturing straight out of the book. I see no purpose in attending a lecture that only reviews the book and wasting an hour of my time. I did not come to college to be spoon fed. I think students deserve the common respect to be able to make independent decisions on whether to attend class. This quite possibly could insure more interesting, thought provoking lectures by professors that grab students' interest and inspire students to eagerly participate in that class. I feel there are many students that share my position on this issue. This in no way is an attack on the education system, but I feel this injustice should be recognized by the university and action taken to either educate students on why the mandatory policy was drafted or evaluate the possibility of terminating this policy. ?Dean A. Sinatra Dean Sinatra is a senior majoring in psychology. t of education penalized. I think another aspect of the problem has to do with professors who don't follow the university policy for attendance. When professors let attendance go unnoticed, which is their choice, it becomes harder for those professors who do take attendance to enforce the rules. This poses a problem for the student who does not understand why a professor would decide to lower a grade because of low attendance. On the other hand, these same professors are often the same instructors who reward students for high attendance and class participation. Another argument some students use in defense of their right to decide whether they will attend class is that it's their money paying tuition as well as the professors' salaries. The only way to refute this is to say that in a deeper sense, the student is the one losing out. Regardless of whether we decide to attend class, the professor is still going to get paid, and class will still be held. So why not take advantage of the opportunity to learn? I know this sounds idealistic, but why not? I'm an idealist, and that's the way I see it. Sam Sammataro o___n . - oam aammataro is a political science and English major and a student senator. sue or question "ross Fire or USC Voices, Please Samecock Newsroom at 777-7726. I article. U- Each culture goes through certain ri p- tuals of rebellion in order to let of id steam. This not only benefits the indi to vidual but also the government becausi n> the activities people perform do not at dr tack the government outright. >r- In our society the main outlet is al cohol. Our government has not legal is ized marijuana and other drugs becaus< d) a balance must be maintained so tha Ai ** i? _~u~n: J a. A uiese ruuais ui icuciiiuu uu nui get uu of hand and decay the social order. Quickly referring to the issue of tax ing marijuana, if it is being brough into this country today underneath th nose of the government, how then wil the government regulate and lax th igc drug when it is made legal? Do you rc >ur ally think the dealers of drugs or olhc s a future "legal" distributors will allov cts the taxing of their product when the Led can avoid it? me John S; Pesapan )ur Political Science junio Id be lowered to eighteen. ASK.v> JimI jhh ||0hhmh"| ^ n Jennifer Nance led major Political Science y should leave it "I don't know if they should . There's a lot of lower it to eighteen, but they ere drinking who should lower it. It's stupid to g and they need be able to go to war but not ature about it." have a beer." Bigotry excuse | for ineptitude - David Bowden Once again, certain American politicians have started pandering racism against the Japanese. If one believed some members of Congress, one would think that the Japanese are an evil race of conspira lors mieni on aominaung me nara-womng Amencan race. Sounds like something out of "Mcin Kampf." "Proof' of Japan's wicked ways is the wellpublicized statement by Yoshio Sakurauchi, the Japanese government's equivalent to our Speaker of the House, who criticized American workers as be- . ing lazy and said that the United States is in danger of becoming Japan's personal "sub-contractor." What Japan-bashers fail to realize is that Mr. Sakurauchi is an individual with his own il^NHjn opinion. Yes, he is an official in the Japanese government and yes, what he said was controversial. However, Mr. Sakur- ' auchi no more represents the ? feelings of every Japanese citizen than Sen. Jesse Helms represents every American. This may be a surprise to many, but Japanese don't all think alike. The other point to be made is one that few Americans have been willing to talk about. The fact is that ~ Mr. Sakurauchi is, to a large extent, right. A recent ot-fiplo from TV?a A aai.a A aiuv^iv 11 win iiiv^ r\^^uv^iaic/u new says uiat /aiiiciican companies reject many applicants because "they can't find good workers." A survey of American business found that "the average manufacturer rejects five out of every six applicants and that twothirds of companies regularly reject applicants as unfit for the work environment." Sounds like the truth hurts many of these Japanbashers. They cannot accept America's failings and look to blame those nasty, insidious Japs for our problems. Funny how British and Dutch investors (who are a little more white than the Japanese) don't attract this controversy. British Petroleum has gas stations in every city in America. If B.P. was called Japanese Petroleum, Americans would be going ballistic. Japanese imperialism, they would call it. American politicians need to stop whining and get our country in order. Sure the Japanese protect their markets. If anyone thinks the United States doesn't protect American markets (especially agriculture), they've been smoking crack. The best thing I can say about George Bush is that he is not a Japan-basher. Paul Tsongas, one of the Democratic candidates, isn't either. Of course, the way things are going, neither of those guys will be president in 1993. I hope the guy who does win sees an ally and partner in Japan, not an enemy. m ' ^ ^ ^ ' ' IGamecock f Editor in Chief Eric Ward Managing Editor Tige Watts * Copy Desk Chief Kathy Heberger Asst. Copy Desk Chief Jennifer Jablonski Viewpoint Editor Shelley Magee News Editors...Patrick Villegas/Gordon Mantler Asst. News Editor Kim Everitt 5 Carolina! Editor Greg Rickabaugh t Asst. Carolina! Editor Lee Clontz t Graphics Editor Ryan Sims Photography Editor Virginia Marshall Asst. Photography Editor Eric Glenn j Sports Editor Ben Breazeale 0 Asst. Sports Editor Chad Bray || Faculty Adviser Erik Collins c Asst. Advertising Manager Melissa Owenby Asst. Classified Manager Amy Taylor r ? ^ The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be 200-250 words. Full name and professional title, or year and major y if a student, must be included along with address and phone number. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit letters for style, possible libel or space limitations. The Gamecock will not withhold names under any circumstances. ' -