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Viewpoint Big Brother Students, not administrators, should make visitation changes e Mike Fair is back at USC. The plan he devised to phase out overnight visitation in 1987 w has resurfaced to haunt all USC students. In a compromise pi reached by the Board of Trustees years ago when Fair was still on th the board, overnight visitation is to be eliminated by the fall ^ semester. It's alarming the board believes all USC students are so imma- ~ ture that they need someone, preferably the elder statesmen of the state and community to decide whether they should have overnight guests. . The majority of students here at USC is not in support of this J policy. Why are these views not taken into consideration? The older leaders in the state and administration think they know what the students want. In reality, they want USC to be the way they wish it. They forget they aren't the ones who will attend the school. One of the arguments for getting rid of overnight visitation is it will decrease or practically eliminate the cases of rape on this campus. Most students agree rape is a horrible crime, but phasing out overnight visitation is not going to stop it. Education, added security, and stricter adherence to the already established alcohol policy will. Tfte current visitation policy is not a lenient one, but enforced, it is as effective and mutually acceptable as a policy can hope to be. There is no need to change it. We don't need to make it stricter. There is no visitation policy that pleases both the students and the administration. Regardless, aren't there more important issues which need to be addressed instead of beating the dead horse of visitation? Hopefully, student petitions, already circulated, will not be ignored by the board. The passage of this policy will only lead to more rule-breaking or to the majority of USC students flooding the city of Columbia looking for off-campus housing. PRESIDENT WeLTSlN fijrak Promised TOfIuuTHE |?|S& f/?OZ?N foop SECTION \ tPtp^i OF THE LOC.AU ^ MOSCOW MARKET. !C! PHI fir nlpQCPfl spect graduates have shown to I OvIH"* |JICci.oClX dignity of the ceremony. Pdlinc trk cnaol/ By the time the graduates of Hum; X dllllu Ivr ijUcdK ities and Social Sciences are preseni their diplomas, half of the studei To the editor: have left. The noise is terrible, and What's the big deal? President Palms makes the e,ntire ceremony a disgrace being inaugurated and speaking at my ^ doesn t matter if you have t commencement sounds good to me. President of the United States deli\ What do Jimmy Stewart or George ^ commencement address or Mick Bush know about my experiences here Mouse. Either way, when so many pe at USC? Nothing! pie choose to leave and create disti Palms has shown more concern for bances, the ceremony is worthless, the students at this university than any I salute the committee for choosi other high level administrator I have Palms. Money is a major concern, a ever seen since I arrived here six years il's time the students learn they mi . r* t . Kpor nort r\f U..**<-4If ?U^ ^ . ago. Being a pari or nis inauguration ?1 wuiucu. u uic muu will be a memorable experience for the crunch really upsets you, why doi seniors ^ou vote t0 rePlace those in gover ment who feel education is seconda How often do the students get to 10 their personal desires, take such an active part of this tradi- Why not write your congressm. tion? Probably not very often. If the se- and senators and let them know yi tiiors want to make their ceremony are tired of the disregard they she more memorable and dignified, why toward their constituency. I guess I w -not lock the doors of the arena so that Set off my soap box now and go bi people don't leave half way through my invitations to commencement. S Jhe ceremony? I have attended a num- y?u there, folks. ]ber of commencement ceremonies, and William D. Wims I have been appalled by the lack of re- International Studies seni < ' Question: Do you expect i graduation? honda Creasman John \ nglish graduate student BIS mi "Yes, the job market for "Ye; hat I want to go into is marke retty good. The money isn't tion i lat great, but I do expect to creas ave a job." marke shoulc Mascot should 1 I think the first time I ever met Cocky ii person was in Beaufort a year ago. H< came down to the branch campus there t( perform in a festival parade in our town. I was really impressed the university would take the time to send him down t( represent USC. He brought a lot of smile; to the children and even adults. Even Clemson fans could not help but b< delighted in Cocky's funny character ant professionalism. But the whole time we were there, w< wondered whether Cocky was a man or wo man. I thought whoever was inside woult talk, and we would know. But I was provei wrong. Cocky only used sign language ant wrote notes. Which brings me to my point. Cocky should be professional. He has th< large task of representing this vast univer sity in hundreds of activities every year Many times, he leaves a lasting impressioi on people and reflects the quality of th< school itself. Cocky should be Just a little common sense, please. If we only had some common sense in this university, it would be a better place to grow and learn. Take for example this whole Cocky mess. Why on earth is Cocky not a struggling undergrad who wonders where his next meal will come from? Instead, university officials would rather pay someone else more than $1,500 a month to jump around and make fun of sports officials. For that much money, many university students could pay more of their tuition and not have to worry about gas in their cars, food for their stomachs and phone bills. I wouldn't mind earning $1,500 a month to act like a fool with a big chicken head on. Instead of being a struggling journalist, I wouldn't mind being Cocky, and I'm sure a lot or students wouldn t mind either. It's ridiculous to justify Cocky being a professional. This is a university made of students. It makes perfect sense to have an undergrad be Cocky. One student doesn't have to bear the brunt of the Cocky work. Dennis Pruitt, If you have an you would like to see addressed ir drop it in a Suggestion Box or Call Thi Prisoner plans, in~ # f offers advice its it To the editor: he Please all me this opportunity /er evoke one of the few rights I have 1< ey the freedom of speech. 50_ I was sentenced to 15 years jr_ prison. My family has since gone av and moved out of New York City. 1 ng friends have abandoned me. ncj But there is little resemblance to jst kid who fell victim to the mean stre ey of New York as a young drug dea 1't who thought the fast lane was the 1 _ until he was put away at the age of 2 iry Right now I'm working toward g ting my degree in psychology and p -n sentational speaking at Ulster Colle ou in upstate Ulster County, N.Y. >w If you keep your mind and body ill shape, you can overcome the odds I uy hind these walls. At 5-foot-8 and 1 ee pounds, I have been able to keep sound mind and strong health, att Life should have been different, I ior 1 did not have the chance because I to have a job with your dc A/illiams Xiang Yan ajor Electrical Er s, because I feel the job "Yes. I h t for business informa- have a job system majors is in- developmen ling. The computer t is real high, and there I be no problem." 5 Fir? be a professional i Why leave the huge responsibility to ' student who must be concerned with h ) schoolwork and a million other things? Sti dents who are interested should do a / undp.mtiidv with (""nrlcv and sptvp. a<j a on ) dilate assistant once they get their diplonu s and can concentrate on that task. Cocky has brought this university bot i awards and prestige. USC spends hundrec I of thousands of dollars on sports and publi relations trying to do the same thing. If or i person, or one character, can do that with - little reimbursement for a big job, what 1 the problem? i Students will have the same opportunit 1 to be Cocky as will Gerald Hendrick, tf man who performs as Cocky now. In fac he is a graduate of the Media Arts Depar ment. We should be proud to have him rej - resent his alma mater. I tell you this ? h - does a darn good job of it. 1 - firon Rirkahannh i Greg Rickabaugh is the Carolina! Editc for The Gamecock. an undergraduate vice president of Student Affairs, and othe i administrators want Cocky to be an under i grad. Finally, some common sense. Currently, Cocky works through the Ath letic Department. This just does not mak< sense. Cocky is the university mascot, an< he should work through the university, no the athletic department. And if he works through the university he should be from the university, preferabl; an undergraduate student. An undergraduati could earn so much from being a mascot The person could receive some pay to of fset an already high tuition. It's ludicrous to say if Cocky was ai undergrad, the quality of Cocky would fall It doesn't take too much to act like a tota fool. Look at Mike Fair, he does a pretb good job of making himself a fool, and he'i never been Cocky. Cocky must be an undergraduate, shor and sweet. - Tige Watts Tige Watts is the Managing Editor foi The Gamecock. Issue or question 1 Cross Fire or USC Voices, Please 9 Gamecock Newsroom at 777-7726 environment I was thrown into made it hard. I'm trying to make my restitution to society. I want to become a positive influence instead of wasting my time away in a prison. I would like to meet and talk with someone who has an al10 truistic mind, not someone with an anti-social personality disorder who will deprecate a human. in These walls have given me the /ay chance to grow so much mentality most people will never realize. Having defined success, envision the pathway the you will take to get there. You must els have a definite destination. Fix your heart to the right goal and watch innate forces, like desire, ambition, incentive, and determination, bejel. gin to spark of igniting the will to re_ achieve it. ;ge Nothing will stop me from becoming a major success story once I regain my in freedom. At this stage of my life, I'm t>e- truly imperturbable. 60 ) a William Satterfield #82A526 3ut South port Correctional Facility the Pine City, N.Y. jgree in the first six months after Kristina Walters iglneering major Public Relations major opefully already "Yes, I think the public relain research and tions field is a real good one, t." and it's expanding. Companies are now hiring their first PR officers, so there should be some jobs open." ~ Media out of line | to broil Clinton - Gordon Mantler A disturbing pattern in the media's political coverage has developed over the past few years, especially in the past two presidential elections. a The media stumble upon something "earthjs shattering" about a public figure who grew up during the Vietnam era and decide to ruin his career for n moral reasons misunderstood by the current genera. tion of gun-touting cowboys. ls The latest in this long list of media victims is Bill Clinton. h A letter written by Clinton in 1969 mysteriously ^ materialized in the hands of ABC News last week, jc saying he did not support our ie involvement in Vietnam, he a wanted to be deferred from the >s draft, and he supported anyone \ who protested the war and > T dodged the draft. r j In response to this letter, ppr ^ public opinion polls show Clin- ( '[ J t_- ton dropping in New Hampshire * and the rest of the country. |e Many experts also feel Clinton's political base is eroding in the South because of this discovery. In 1969, Bill Clinton was 23 'ears old and had just finished his first year as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University in England. He had grown up watching the Vietnam War in kin liirinn trvrxm T_J a nntu A rv? /\?h /inn U/-v?>n lr<11n/l ma nvmg iuuiu. 11^ 3aw nni^iiv^an usjyz ucnig khicu and sent home in body bags through the convenience of the family TV. Why should he quit his schooling and his future, and possibly end his life for a cause he and at least r half of his contemporaries did not believe in? He wanted to change the world as a public official. The country would not be helped if he was shot in the jungle of Asia. 5 Can you blame him? Most.students today do not. 1 I asked USC students about the Clinton situation, 1 and most students agreed they would not have supported the war if they had grown up in the late '60s. These same people today support the need for ocy casional military intervention. Clinton is no * different. Another well-known public figure infamous for eluding the Vietnam War is Vice President Dan Quayle. 1 But Quayle is one of the biggest supporters of a formidable American military in government today, 1 proven in his Senate record. y Both Clinton and Quayle supported the Persian 5 Gulf war and both want a more gradual cut in the military than many other politicians. 1 So why does the media make a habit of barraging politicians like Clinton and Quavle with questions about their involvement in Vietnam for months after it has been discovered? r The '60s was a completely different era than the past two decades have been. In the '60s, the Ameri can establishment was questioned constantly by the youth, but the government's answers did not satisfy most of the country. Now we're living in a generation in which things are accepted, not questioned. In the '60s, fights about civil rights, assassinations, riots, poverty and many other issues tore apart the United States at home. Idealism is common among the young, and 23-year-old Bill Clinton was no different. ? Do members of the media think they are providing a legitimate service to the American people, especially Southerners, if they harp on this issue over and over again? If they do, they are sadly mistaken. IGamecock 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 Man tier Asst. News Editor Kim Everitt Carolina! Editor Greg Rickabaugh Asst. Carolina! Editor Lee Clontz Graphics Editor Ryan Sims Photography Editor Virginia Marshall Asst. Photography Editor Eric Glenn Sports Editor Chad Bray Asst. Sports Editor Sean Ryan Faculty Adviser Erik Collins Asst. Advertising Manager Melissa Owenby Asst. Classified Manager Amy Taylor The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be 200-250 words. Futl name and professional title, or year and major 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. \