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Service Volunteer opportunities abound in Columbi Despite the chill wind and the threat of rain, more than 30 peop gathered in front of Russell House Saturday morning to participa in a community service program called One Shot. A monthly program sponsored by the Division of Student Life Office of Community Service, One Shot's main purpose is to intr< duce people who normally don't volunteer to the world of comnu nity service. Saturday's group went to the Peachtree Rock Preserve, a loc park maintained by the Nature Conservancy. Their task was to clean up litter in the preserve and to create fi lanes, which allows controlled forest burns. The burns are a natur part of the forest cycle; before man cleared much of the forest parts of them would be destroyed each year because of lightning. And after just three short hours of hard work, the preserve w; noticeably cleaner and the fire lanes completed for the spring burn This program is just one example of the many worthwhile se vice opportunities in the USC community and Columbia area. There is a large selection of programs and charities for studen interested in serving the community, ranging from the One Shots soup kitchens to just giving blood. But in these times of shrinking budgets and staffs, many pn grams can afford only limited public relations and depend on inc viduals' own initiative to get involved. Even though, when asked, most people say they strongly suppc volunteerism and would be willing to devote a small part of the time to it, most never act on it. This is very unfortunate and disturbing. And trends seem to sho volunteerism is decreasing. In a time of sacrifice, as Bill Clinton has called it, we know go ernment can't do everything or even most things. With this in min volunteerism is even more important. It is imperative that individuals become active and stay acliv Without this help from the private sector, many people will sufft This could mean closed soup kitchens, dirty parks, illiterate adul or bloodless bloodbanks. The call for service is now louder than ever. And we mu respond. The opportunities are there. USC's Office of Community Servi is always willing to help people find their niche in volunteerin But students must go to them. They do not have the staff nor t budget to go to the students. So get involved. A little bit of devoted time can go a long way. The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be 200-250 word? maximum. Full name and professional title or year and major, if a student, must be included along with an address and phone number. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit for style, possible libel or limitatinne Tlio nnmornrt \i/il1 nnt u/ifhhnlH nampc OfJUWl/ 11111114AL1VSHO* A ftIV VJUIIIWVV/V rv will 1IV/V FVIUIIIVIU IIUII1WJ uritloFany circumstances. Block voting unnecessary in student body elections UMOJA, an organization stressment elections, and, to my knowl- | ^ edge, that's an understood no-no I I , a These two organizations gave their members a list of executive and legislative candidates to vote PATRICK for in hopes of securing a voice V I L L E G A S that would represent these groups L________? or views in the upcoming year. And we cannot let the big-spendWhen the results were finally jng liberals waste thousands upon tallied Thursday evening, 30 can- thousands of our student activity didates backed by these two fees 0n useless projects and spegroups won senate seates, 20 of cialized groups." them backed by UMOJA. This This type of thinking scared list by UMOJA even included a many of the liberals on campus, write-in candidate tor vice presi- an(j groups like UMOJA started dent who received more than 15 putting out their own list of canpercent of the vote. didates for which to vote. This, boys and girls, sounds like So instead of thinking for the a good case of partisan politics to interests of the students this me- past Thursday, many of the stuAlthough we should not rule den(S wound up voting for the out the tact that these people best jnterest 0f (he party or orgawere elected on their own merit nization lhey supported and uTtiand that they won without the mately forced out many senatorial backing of a separate party, we candidates who had good ideas, bear the responsibility of reading but did no{ have a gI-QUp backing between the lines. them. Last week, the USC College This whole system caused a Republicans sent out a list ol major disruption in the integrity Republican candidates in their and fairness of our selection otticial newsletter urging its process, and, instead of voting for membeis to vote Republican in a better qualified candidate, many the SGA races. The list included disallowed the possibility of fresh more than 35 members and asked faces and new ideas to enter the members to take it to the polls arena of student politics, with them. AS j have said all semester The newsletter also urged j0ng, student government is not a members to "reclaim Carolina" place for little Jesse Helmses or from the liberal majority and pseudo-Teddy Kennedys to be said, "The most horrendous out- running around the Russell House come of this election would be an Theatre politicking for the left or enormous defeat for conservatism right cause. It's a place for us stuand fiscal responsibility and a dents to have a small voice in how victory for liberalism and fiscal we spend university money and waste as our tuition increases." how life is governed here at USC. The newsletter also went on to Get s try not to make student say that Republicans "must not government bigger than what it let the liberals succeed in bashing really is. American traditions and ideals in , . , the name of -cultural diversity." 1 Vie wp i s ?&F 4. <9&r' "AT ~ ?= W v. Feminists on the For many years, the pornography issue has been making unlikely ~ c- bedfellows of feminists and funda- X3M -r- mentalists. Although the basic prinIts ciples of feminism inherently lean to the liberal left, lately they seem | ist to have undergone a directional mutation that brings feminist ideals okr\nt m ntariolr 1 QH H auuui v^iuuv/ niaiuiaio IUU [0 around until they have gone so far l^e left they find themselves, SHE inevitably, on the doorstep of the ^ ^ right. Feminists' philosophies are changing from progressive to suppressive, and women should be very uneasy. By opposing pornography because it "victimizes" women, feminists are creating a dichotomy in the women's movement. This protectionist philosophy is absolutely ridiculous. It does nothing but drag women back into the dark ages. How can women stand as strong and empowered individuals when our own movement keeps telling us we are victims, that we need to be protected, that we are mindless enough that our moral standing must be legislated for us? I The women's movement was born from a need to equalize women in a patriarchal society. Nothing is accomplished toward that goal when our sexuality is suppressed. Women who take part in the creation of norGun control a key percentag , . . with fire to lowering crime through One re To the editor: that New Recent letter writers have been supposed at pains to assure the readers of crime rate The Gamecock that firearms some- fact is th: how have nothing to do with the murder r; high rate of homicides committed populatioi with guns each year in the United was onl States and in South Carolina. Carolina i The fact is that in 1991, the last jn mo year for which complete figures are where fi available, there were 24,703 mur- handguns ders in the United States and 402 the murdt in South Carolina. In every state, 100,000. year after year, half of all murders Anyor are committed with handguns, and working firearms of all types account for cide in" t two out of three murders. South Ca The homicide rate is higher in njze that some states than in others, but the tator of n NEWSROOM fOW f" 777-7726 P.O. BOX 85131 UNIV Editor in Chief Associate Editors Let Viewpoint Editor Copy Desk Chief News Editors J<i< Asst. News Editors Lea Clayl Carolina! Editor Asst. Carolina! Editor Sports Editors Nancy S, Asst. Sports Editor Photo Editor Asst. Photo Editor Graphics Editor Asst. Graphics Editor Cartoonist Copy Editors Ch Student Media Coordinator Production Manager Asst. Production Manager Advertising Manager Faculty Adviser Graduate Assistant Darkroom Technicians Erin Ga oint Guess WHAT'S L 601 a/6 UP? l ill r ^ |||j wrong side of por mal erotic materials sign a con- w ^ tract. They make a conscious deci- fo ||K^ sion to participate in those activities, and they even make money st; doing it. How can this woman be ra * ^ W I called a victim? What kind of a e> feminist says women are not capa- it. ble of signing a contract? This means women should not be pi allowed to sign a business deal, a th L L E Y lease or a bill of sale, since obvi- fr GEE ously we are incapable of under- ec standing the nature of such agree- ti< ments. it; Let's give ourselves some credit here. The sf moment we become victims by virtue of being female, we should go ahead and pack it in, w because we can't handle being functioning se members of society. ol For the first time society is beginning to hold fii men responsible for their crimes. Men do not se commit rape because of pornography, but fu because some-of them are twisted individuals. ---Feminists must stop connecting rape with pt pornography. A man does not suddenly go out w and force himself upon a woman because the lo Playboy centerfold was a 36D wearing black th garter belts. th Feminists are unwittingly helping shift blame away from the men who perpetrate sex crimes and transferring it to pornography. There SI should be no room in the feminist movement for I - e of murders committed availability of firearms w arms is quite consistent us all safer, it the country. cent letter writer claimed Bruce Jersey, where all guns are Englisl ly banned, has a higher : than South Carolina. The it in 1991, when the u.s. Valentine condt ate was 9.8 per 100,000 a tasteless prom a, the rate m New Jersey r y 5.2 and the South To the editor: rate was 11.3. As a graduating student st European countries, j jUS{ wanted to e,xpi irearms and especially extreme disgust for the ad< are not readily available, [ast week "all over can it rate is less than one per "Valentine Condoms." T1 was "Show your valentine le who is interested in ?send a condom!" First c for a lower rate of homi- thought of sending a co he United States and in opposed to the traditional rolina will quickly recog- card is completely tasteless firearms are a great facili- Secondly, I would jus lurder. Restrictions on the state some facts about cor JJttNltLUl ERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA < Patrick Villegas > Clontz, J.T. Wagenheim The Gamecock is the Gordon Mantlei South Carolina and is pub : Brian Garland ... , , , ? . , rk Dunn, Melissa Tenner, Wednesdays and Fridays < :o)\ Rochelle Killingbeck weekly during both sumn Jennifer Fuller versity holidays and exam Melinda VValdrop Opinions expressed in alomonsky, Tim Thorsen ()r auth()r and not those of Rob Roduskv n , , c. , .Stephanie Netvlin The B,Wrd ?f Student Kelly Johnson publisher of The Gamecoc Gregory Perez parent organization of The Chris Muldrow Change of address fo Paul Jon correspondence should be iris Davis, Thorn Harman Tl c r Jim McKellar The University of South C, Laura Day Subscription rates are ! Jim Green Columbia, SC. The Gamec Renee Gibson 0f the University of South Collins dent activity fees. Brian McGuire lloway, Rika Hashimoto u\ \ \ Ssll; ; Hi El/ER *:|i!! 8?EN , BEIWEE/V ^ A ROCK ~tf\ ANt? A \\/ ? 1 ll A A K ^ PLACE ? nography fight omen who are willing to give men an excuse rrape. Novelist Anne Rice pointed out that when we art giving credibility to the idea that "pornogphy made him do it" we must also accept the xuse, "but she was dressed like she wanted Yet, feminists are still busily trying to ban oducts that cater to audiences of erotica. Don't ey realize success in removing this material om the shelves gives moral majority groups jual ground for limiting sex and AIDS educa;m in schools because it discusses homosexualy and in taking the Wizard of Oz off library lelves because it has an evil witch in it? Feminists should be supporting the movement omen are making towards discovering their ixuality. Instead of trying to rip this material f the shelves, they should be proud women are nally able to step out of the traditional role of x as a duty and take part in erotica as beautiil, self-aware, sexual beings. We are breaking away from suppression by itriarchal religious tyrants who would keep omen barefoot and pregnant. We can no nger subscribe to the idea that women sullied eir sexuality and corrupted mankind during at fateful tree-side apple seduction. We're just too smart for that. ielley Magee is a .columnist for The Gamecock ill make that people are not misled in trying to show their care. Condoms have a 15.7 percent failure rate. Banking Pearson a fatal disease or any other STD, h faculty not to mention pregnancy, on an 84.3 percent success rate is not my idea of showing concern. This is a Dills' tac1, ant* 311 organization on cam,. pus wants to encourage you to take OllOn that chance, possibly with your life. The only 100 percent sure way to show vour valentine von care is at USC, to abstain. The media and popular ess my opinion today say that college stu> that ran dents basically cannot control ipus for themselves. That is a lie. Don't re motto believe it because there are stuyou care dents on this campus who are )f all, the abstaining until they are married ndom as and are still enjoying life to the 1 rose or max. t like to Jenny Hazeres idoms so Marine science senior ^ ADVERTISING r wy 777-4249 . COLUMBIA, SC 29208 student newspaper of the University of lished three times a week on Mondays, luring the fall and spring semesters and ner sessions, with the exception of uniination periods. i The Gamecock are those of the editors the University of South Carolina. Publications and Communications is the k. The Student Media Department is the Gamecock. rms, subscriptions, requests and other sent to The Gamecock, P.O. Box 85131, irolina, Columbia, SC 29208. 1 $46 a year. First class postage paid at :ock is a registered student organization Carolina and is partially funded by stu