The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 26, 1992, Page 3, Image 3

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\ Welcome New USC Trustee chairman needs to listen to students, faculty Welcome to the chairman's seat, Dr. Floyd. C. Edward Floyd was elected chairman of the USC Board of Trustees last week and we'd like to take the opportunity to welcome and inform him about some student concerns. Just to let everyone know, Floyd is a vascular surgeon from Florence who has served as vice chairman for the past four years. He has a lot of work to do to keep this university running as well as former chairman Michael Mungo has. First, the USC-system breakup is going to take a great amount of time and consideration. We trust the decisions you and your board make will be in the best interest of the entire system. Make sure, though, you don't jump into any hasty decisions. Get faculty, staff, and most importantly, student input to form some kind of consensus. The students are going to be the ones most affected and you need to make sure what you decide will not be detrimental to anyone's right to a good education. Another important issue on the minds of everyone is tuition. We know how bad the budget and economy are right now and tuition does have to rise. It is your job to make sure any increases are kept to a minimum. Before any increases are passed, make sure every option has been explored and the tuition hikes are necessary. At USC, we pay the second highest tuition in the South. Don't let the price of a quality education get out of the reach of quality students. Residence halls regulations are another area of concern. Students oro oh??11infT rmt a tremnnrlr*iic amnnnt nf mnnev to live nn-camnus 1 and we believe they are not getting a quality product. Curtailing late night visitation for members of the opposite sex, strict residence hall policies and unappealing living conditions have already decreased this year's housing enrollment. Let's try to bring the students back to campus. Academic standards must be addressed also. The question is whether we should raise the minimum SAT score to bring our school up to a higher academic level or remain a school which allows a greater number of people the chance to obtain a degree. The USC Board of Trustees, the faculty and the students need to decide whether we are to become more academically competitive or serve the state as an educational resource in order to serve the greater number and good. The advice we would like to share with Dr. Floyd is to remain open to all the possibilities. It is very easy to enclose yourself within the walls of meeting rooms, make decisions you think are in the best interest of the school, and forget the needs of the the students and faculty., Dr. Floyd, make sure you work for the betterment of the USC community as a whole. 10. He seems like a smart man. I can't believe he misspelled "potato." 9. We've waited 12 years - what's a lousy hour wait? Q M~l VAii tkrnnnki v. MVJ: IUU UWU i yvi 11 ii vuv^i i. 7. Let's tar and feather the Bush-Quayle group! 6. Where's the keg? 5. Has he been reassigned? 4. He's Tipperiffic! 3. Did he inhale? 2. Too bad I was too lazy to register, I would've voted for them. 1. I'm voting Libertarian! "IBaitco ck Editor in Chief Greg Rickabaugh Managing Editor Patrick Villegas Copy Desk Chief Jay King News Editors Chad Bray J.T. Waqenheim Viewpoints Editor Jack Dunn Features Editor Lee Clontz Sports Editors Nancy Salomonsky Tim Thorsen Photo Editor ...Stephanie Newlin Graphics Editor Ryan Sims ? Cartoonist Paul Jon ( Asst. News Editor Melissa Tennen Asst. Features Editor Jennifer Fuller Asst. Sports Editor Rob RodusKy Asst. Viewpoints Editor C.E. Holman Asst. Photo Editor Lea Clayton Asst. Graphics Editors Kristin Buehiman Gregory Perez Asst. Copy Desk Editor Brian Giarland Production Manager ] Laura Day Asst. Production Manager Jim Green Faculty Advisor..\ Erik Collins Advertising Manager Renee Gibson Student Media Coordinator Jim McKellar Graduate Asst Brian McGuire Darkroom Technicians Erin Galloway Rika Hashimoto The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters-should be 200-250 words. Full 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 withold names under any circumstances. riewpo: VJWH SCW, t 'M GtAP To SE? ^01/ KEAPI/VG - NC HNON REAPING ACTUAU NOURISHES THE MINI?.. 50 U/HAT MOU -REAPI/VGP Some advice on I was skimming the Greenville News the other day, and an AP story caught my eye. Tho ctr-M-i; mac aKnnt o little hr\v whn annar. i X AAV/ kjiv/l J T? UO UUV/Ut U AAV11V Uv/J ?? 11V ently got a bit overzealous on the swing set at his local playground. The kid went airborne (very briefly) before smashing into the ground. The fall really hurt the boy, and he may have suffered brain damage. we What was the mother's first reaction, you ^ may ask? It was a question raging across ^ America these days: "Who do I sue?" The paper reported that the family did sue wa someone, and they won over a million dollars. j Unfortunately, the news story did not say who was the unlucky victim of the lawsuit. I have a ^ few possibilities. e(j The swing set company for failing to install ma proper safety equipment that prevents the child- mcatapult effect. ^ The city for failing to hire swing set regula- ^ tors whose sole duty would be the supervision ste and control of swing velocities, arcs and styles. ev< The company that surfaced the playground for failing to label the ground with "Contact ^ with falling children should be avoided" stickers" ag: Kriss Kross for recording the song "Jump" ^ because the lyrics may have subliminally induced the bov to let eo of the swing. J KJ w Cl C Sir Isaac Newton for discovering gravity thus defining a natural force that caused the child to ^ fall. All the other parents on the playground who Better race relati There is an open forum on race relations tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Russell House Ballroom. Believe it or not, racism still exists. And while everyone would like for things to be hunky dorey with everyone loving everyone ?] else and judging them not on their skin color but on what they stand for, it is not going to ^ happen easily in our lifetimes. As a white male, I hear many opinions from ^ people that don't exactly square with what peopie would like to be hearing. Last year at a racism forum, there was a B majority of African-Americans. Obviously, the Caucasian audience was scared to voice the ^ concerns of themselves and the probelms that ca need to be addressed. ca In relaying the following quotes from what 1 g hear from time to time, I do not mean to offend ^ anyone, but to make people aware of some of ^ the present day feelings. I think the letter in ' today's letter section addressing a white concern ^ shows the reality of the problem of racism on gj our campus today. ^ Here is how some Caucasians view African- OQ Americans: |l "There are niggers and there are black people. Danlitv o must therefore JVtM.lllrj' iX closer to the ill j million dollars black and anything deros # # fear that they white issue wi,h ,o,al di,s women or el< might be prese To the editor: As Ugjy ^ For those of you who question simply a des< why prejudice still exists in today's thini,s really "enlightened" world, try going to bad? There is the state fair. Odds are that you between whitt will witness large groups of black never cha youth behaving like neanderthals ety as a wbole with no respect for order, authority as somethinii or people in general. violent ^ obl Odds are the long lines you will j for one m be waiting in will be interupted by 0gnize the eq several, foul-mouthed jerks who people who c simply cannot wait in line and without resc ints MA\?o/V/ NEW "S / BOOK who you can sue . Iwo n ? <-> r?/-* /Innn Knrir urof/^Kinn tKoir Aum I'iHc tha\7 1)111*1*0\ it 5U U0115 uuoj waiuniig uiwu uwn iviuo uivj l not keep a proper watch on the swing boy. dodge [t seems like everyone is looking for a lawsuit pool, se days, meaning everyone is also finding you \* ys to guard against lawsuits. home For instance, imagine you own a nice, invit- swimi ; swimming pool. It is shaped like Mickey Alcatr )use and has happy little ducks and fish print- Eve on the bottom. Naturally, your pool is like a someo ignet capable of attracting little children from rescue les away. You built the pool without a fence, burnin t your neighbors warn you they turn their ildren loose on the neighborhood during the fa^ amy summer afternoons that make a pool ^no ^ ;n more of a temptation to sweaty little kids. asc^e You put up a fence to keep the kids away, - ^ iuming salvation from any possible lawsuits jj^no ( solving drowning children. Your phone rings j ? ain, and your neighbors tell you their children ^ >k rock climbing classes over Christmas break u , ? ^ use th 0 years ago, ana your ience serves as more 01 ~ :hallenge than a barricade. 0 You string barbed wire across the top of the any011' ice and install electronic motion detectors. Pen s en you sink into your La-Z-Boy, confident accept ur legal worries are a thing of the past. The Pages ons demands stud raaaBTEEnnaJ B.T1] i %rf NAA> DITOR-IN-CHIEF r* *' racisn '' 111 wt ie niggers I can't stand, but the black people what 1 at least sensible." j " "I am so sick of black people getting jobs . cause of their skin color. What about the lites who are more qualified?" "This Malcolm X thing makes me sick." ?P n "I can't believe they think Cockwheat is as fensive. It's just a character. If Eddie Murphy w n make fun of Buckwheat, and be funny, why ma'e n't the newspaper?" over 1 "Oh, it is so funny when black people make white n of white people, but let a white person make Wh n of black people, and you will be called yiew ( cist." to Kgl "Thev shnnlri rename Rlockfest and call it I w ackfest." would "If they like Africa so much, why don't they to res] back." happe "I can't believe they have a whole month for I'm make their own line behaivor or cries of racial disci front. I'll bet you a nation. There is no such thin that no one will say the "plight of the black man" ;atory to them out of more. Opportunities are out the will react violently The only limitations are o iregard to children, knowledge and ability, not his ierly people which color. There are black peopli nt. this campus who are excepti this letter seems, it's achievers, who are readily acce :ription of the way by everyone because they are, which is pretty decent and hard working. , serious discontent Unfortunately, they are :s and blacks which exceptions who must try to ch nge until black soci- the realities of black society can be characterized whole. Until they do, blacks other than ignorant, continue to be viewed with p noxious. dice as an embarassment to ti n not willing to rec- selves and America, uality of a group of annot face dilemma Keith B )rting to criminal Engineering sophoi -r Ms\ lit S ABOUT NO UftlSUMENT in America x>rs, however, buy their children Fisher "My First Prison Break" kits complete yire cutters and Ninja stealth suits, the time the swimming pool debacle is you are embroiled in a fierce legal battle se your hired pool guards end up shooting eighborhood children who were able to v under the armored concrete walls and around the land mines to get into your You are in exactly the kind of situation it re trying to avoid, and when you go to relax after the trial, you have to go ming in your little home version of az. in worse cases of liability come when ne rescues a person, and the person he s sues him. A person can charge into a g building and carry out children, adults, cats, gerbils, hamsters, birds, fish and ant and still be sued for accidentally puncture family's velvet painting of Elvis crying tries to save it. It does not seem fair peoel like someone owes them when someerrible happens to them. -mpathize with the boy who was injured, have a basic argument with people who e courts to place blame for a simple accin someone who had no intent of harming e. Things like the little boy's fall just hapometimes; sometimes you just have to t fate and not rifle through the Yellow for the "attorneys" heading. lent openness History Month. They already have Martin r King Jr. day. And what about White y?" ley have the NAACP. But if I started the >VP for white people, they would charge 1." lile these are the harsh realities, this is is being said. I am sure that Africancans say similar things about whites. 'ould hope that I could stimulate some it on these issues. I also hope people at rum won't be scared to say what is the ruth about racism on this campus, t year during the race relations forum, a girl cried because an African-American said that black people are going to take n the year 2020, and then they will treat people like they had been treated, ile it may have been harsh, that was the 3f the student. It needed to be said to bring it the realities of racism as it exists today, ould hope, however, speakers at the forum 1 be polite and give the other side a chance pond without the boos and put downs that ned last year. sure it will be an interesting forum. ft USC mother reany thanks friends >ne's skin To the editor: 3 on The family and friends of Ms. onal Sonya Lee Busby would like to . J t .*! _11 ,yicu exiena a worn 01 appreciation 10 an are of you for your words of comfort during our time of bereavement, the it meant so much to us to know ange that we were in your thoughts and as a prayers during this tragedy. Thank will you for your cards, letters and reju- phone calls. hem- May God continue to richly bless you. illiot Mrs. Vivian Busby nore