The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 17, 1992, Page 3, Image 3
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
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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.
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