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? V | ^5ai Serving USC i J J.T. Wagenheim, Editor in Chief t EDITORIAL Jay King, Gordon Mar Lee Clontz, Carsi ! Veterans |Americans should reflect < \have served, remember wt n Thursday, Americans will cele ; 1 fanfare of department stores anc j other national holidays, many A [cumbered by any real concept of wh; [grateful for the chance to sleep late and Veteran's Day has been set aside so ition for those men and women of the U [as America has been a country, have [home and across the globe. Through I [continue to espouse the democratic no [often take for granted. ] This year's Veteran's Day, though, re i Thursday will mark the 75th anniven [Allies and Germans that put a halt to tf [terized World War I. It was at 11 a.m. irvrvtim ? II.. "Th., \l/? ^lUHWUtdliy LcllItU I III, VVOI IU Oil jthan 12 million lives during four years, what is now known as Armistice Clearii ! In fact, Veteran's Day was originally 'being to commemorate the American it jWorld War I. On June 1, 1954, Kansas iduced a measure to change the name honor not only the brave souls who sen [all those who have given of themselves |we may continue to count freedom amo j Of course, we will be targeted with promotional events Thursday, and mucl day away from the office. ? But lest we forget, the people who ha That we may take advantage of an extr the local mall. Let us make certain the men and women, whether living or deat Condemning h< invalid, mismiit 7 --o ' As college students learning what is necessary to survive in the world of adults, we are most often the ones in the trenches fighting to establish our society's values. By our behavior, we set the agenda of that conflict, and where we depart from proscribed actions, we hoist the ^ banner and form for battle. Few campaigns have been more fierce, more appallingly savage than the fray around homosexuality. It has cost friendships, careers, faith and c lives. The din of the battle still 1 continues, perhaps distantly for now, but it will return with inevitable fury. Yet, it need not ^ be so. I The individual struggle of ^ coming to terms with homosex uality is a searing experience r itself without the often sancti- s monious bombast of people who a think of gays as some sort of .. abomination. The JudeoChristian mores of our society c cloud the picture of what forms j of sexuality are "proper" and t add a herculean weight of guilt s over the shoulders of every gay v person. In turning a close eye to the t fine print of our Bibles, our j Torahs and our Korans, many of t us seem to find a holy sanction j aoair??t fhp "deviant" hehavinr " of gays. But this is surely not how the Almighty asks us to treat each other. In describing homosexuals as deviant or as an abomination, those who claim righteousness are in fact denying the very humanity, with all its frailty, beauty, confusion and courage, to a whole class of people. Slavery was once the lot of black men and women as ordained by God, who has changed over the years, as is his custom it would seem, so that his teachings justify the behavior and attitudes of a select group. The rest be damned; perhaps, foremost among them gays. Gay people do not occupy some lesser station as human L'cock , Since 1908 Shayla Stutts, Viewpoints Editor . BOARD itler, Rob Rodusky, on Henderson on soldiers who hat holiday represents :brate Veteran's Day with the usu i three-day weekends. And as wi mericans will spend the day unei at it is they are celebrating, on then shop 'til they drop, that we may express our appreci; '.S. Armed Forces who, for as lor defended the country's ideals their efforts alone, we are able tions and personal liberties we s presents something even more. >ary of the Armistice signed by tl le wholesale slaughter that chara< Nov. 11, 1918, when the confli I All Wars," which claimed moi came to an end in a railroad car tig, France. ! called Armistice Day, called ini len and women who had served . Representative Edwin Rees intr< to Veteran's Day so that it mig] fed during the First World War b ? in the U.S. Armed Forces so th ng our most valued possessions, a deluge of sales, markdowns ar 1 of the country will enjoy an ext tve served have not done so simp a day's vacation by spending it efforts and the sacrifices of tho: 1, do not go forgotten. [jmosexuality led credo >eings any more than the handiapped or racial groups stigmaized by generations of ignoance and insecurity. Indeed, ike many oppressed groups, the ;ay community counts among ts members some of the most uminescent, courageous human >eings alive. In many cases and n many places today, it takes as nuch courage and bravery to ay aloud "I am gay" as it took is little as 30 years ago to say I am black, and I am proud." To say God condemns a man >r a woman tor being gay: lhat s the abomination. It is a basard faith that forgets the iupremacy of compassion and inderstanding. Love is a precious, fleeting hing. Its coming is mysterious; ts passing topples empires. It is he one foundation, the one jromise of eternity that makes >ur lives worth living. Let no >ne deny it to another. To any gay person who reads his column and struggles in the ace of adversity, animosity and loubt, have faith. The whole vorld is not arrayed against fOU. To those who would conlemn me for what I write, know hat I was damned by your stanlards long before this column ippeared. I ask you to think on vhat I have written and not be ;o quick to damn. Learn from he god who guides your faith, vhatever it may be. Let com>assion and understanding stay he hand of judgment. Jay King is city editor of The Jamecock. His column appears 'very other Wednesday. VlEWPOI How II > bjhhk w. "Those who fought for Vietnam were not recog- > nized when they came t back from the war, so this 1 national holiday makes up \ j for what the government c didn't do. It also honors f veterans of other wars." illy LaTonya Hazel Accounting freshman a>g o[ to Master Minds? Indifference, le c- When President Clinton appeared at th ct University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill i re October to celebrate the 200th anniversary c in fhdt inctitutinn'c fminHino hp liropH ihp fapnll* Ill HlOHVUUVil tv/utiutllg, "V UAg,WV? U1V tUVUU students and staff members to devote themselvt to to "lifelong learning." in Clinton linked this philosophy of thirst ft > knowledge to security, saying a readiness t ht adapt to changing times is essential to succes ut both individual and national prosperity, at I propose that our nation's willingness t adapt and to learn extends to our interperson; jd relationships as well. Of principal concern to m ra are race relations. Before joining the USC faculty and since, ly wrote about my deep and abiding concern f( at the future of our nation, fearing that indiffe se ence, or frustration, would prevail over th efforts of many to stimulate dialogue, unde standing and respect among people of all color - In short, to search for solutions to race prol lems. I've urged readers and students not to sh away from frank discussions about their diffe ences but embrace opportunities to learn aboi those unlike them so that we might better adai and all might prosper. Of late, I've not been encouraged by respon es I've received. Distrust, fed by ignorance of the other, has i CP A U aIIAP ni*n JU/1 iiups tic Omicron Delta Kappa, a nationally recog nized leadership honor society, holds an annin student and faculty forum on an issue pertinei to campus life. In spring 1992, sexual assau was the selected topic, resulting in heated debat and accusations against USC for poorly han dling sexual assault cases. In reaction to the forum and the extensiv media coverage, President John Palms formed Sexual Assault Task Force to evaluate and t make recommendations to rectify the situatior Headed by Miriam Freeman, the task force sub mitted a proposal in summer 1992 to Palms wit 18 recommendations to implement in full or i part. The task force created the Office of Sexuu Assault Programs and Services, coordinated b Eileen Korpita, which offers students a place fc information, education and a protocol fo response. The office includes the progran Creating Attitudes for a Rape-free Environmeni RU 486 poses t In a 1991 issue of the British medical journ Lancet, doctors describe a case when a moth took the abortifacient drug RU 486 and failed abort her unborn child. Her baby was bom wi severe malformations of its internal organs ai lower extremities, the worst of these being tl l?mKo r* o??r*ln flov* luoiwii v/i 110 iwwu iiiuud iinu a dingle hwav foot with seven toes. In France, any woman who requests chemic abortion must sign a consent form that states she takes the drug and then decides to carry h baby to term that "I have been clearly warm the child and/or I may be susceptible to risk notably malformation of the fetus or child." One woman has died after taking RU 48 and two others have suffered life-threatenir heart effects. Numerous reports list sevei cramping, nausea, vomiting and bleeding as sit effects of RU 486. The president of Rouss Uclaf, the French company which makes tl drug, has himself called the RU 486 abortic process "an appalling psychological ordeal." Pro-choice groups in the United States a eager to see RU 486 approved by the FDA 1 individual states so it can be tested for use as 1 abortifacient. However, the debate over the u of the drug goes far beyond whether abortion right or wrong. The major issue is the medic danger RU 486 poses to mothers and babii NTS do you feel about Veter; 'It's an important day. "Veteran's Day' Ve should be grateful to something to thi hose who risked their in case other war ives. One can realize flicts arise. I r< vhat veterans did not Vietnam veteran* >nly for country but for my dad was in th amities." . Shelton 5 Ashley Clayton Marketing Psychology sophomore fear impede r *JkJ WtUjAjMiAa jaws locked on many of us, black, white a 0 brown, making productive change difficult, jj Though I carry the skepticism of many in I ie journalistic profession, 1 have considered mys one of those most ready and willing to exchan j ideas about race. Lately, however, I Find mys )r less open, less willing to engage, wonderi r- "what it will profit." ,e During a conversation with a few studei r- last week, I shared the observation that ma s. voice frustration and resentment when mate > of race are introduced. I told them I hear in th sighs, "I'm sick of hearing about this." I t< iy them I understood and regrettably, at times, fi r- the same. at They admitted feeling angry and bitter abt pt black rage directed at whites. They accept tl racism exists but reject charges that they hart s- such feelings or contribute to it, ( litis came as no revelation. Lengthy artic ts in newspapers and magazine^ have report ate safety prog] ti J ^ L* , I |r ^ a 0 which provides rape survivors basic support ai , the opportunity to ask questions about the rights. I) Next week marks USC's annual Safety Da> n three days dedicated to heightening awarenes Programming for Nov. 17 is dedicated to sexu L1 assault awareness. Campus Rape Awareness w y sponsor its third annual "1 in 6 Day." "1 in ( ,r represents the number of college women wl r will be raped. The intention of the program is a heighten awareness of the severity of the pro t, lem and how close to home it is for all of us. ;hreat to mother II who are brought to term after being exposed to er Contrary to popular belief, RU 486 is no >tj "morning-after pill." The drug, taken in c< s junction with a hormone-like substance cal prostaglandin, is used by a woman three we< * to nine weeks into her Dreenancv. In manv c \Jy ^ J es, the unborn child has a beating heart wl rc the drug is administered. je Once taken, RU 486 renders the hormc ei progesterone inactive. Without progesterone, ie uterus cannot support an embryo. The growi )n child is deprived of nutrients during a grov period when major organs and body parts si re as arms and legs develop. The end result is ut or ine contractions that expel the embryo, jn The effectiveness of RU 486, which is c se renlly used in France and Britain, is hotly deb is ed. Pro-life groups put it at 60 percent to 80 p al cent effective at inducing abortion. Pro-cho ss groups generally claim 90 percent to 100 p an's Day? gives us "Veterans should receive nk about more celebrations and s or con- benefits." ;member' ; because Colin Whitley e war." Biology sophomore tanders freshman acial harmony similar sentiments among students across the nation. "Doonesbury," in its signature fashion, has offered glib commentary on race relations on college campuses. To me, the underlying fear is not veiled by the reporting and rhetoric. What is especially troubling about the mass media treatments I've read or viewed is the prevailing reluctance to search for solutions. Perhaps, these matters are too ponderous to nc* consider. Race relations is indeed a conundrum, as James Baldwin wrote nearly 40 years ago. But it is clear that the riddle will not be solved if we 'Se refuse to take up lifelong learning so -that we might adapt and prosper. ng Baldwin described his unique quest in 1955 in the introduction to "Notes of a Native Son": "...one must find...one's own moral center mid iny move through the world hoping that this center ers will guide one aright." eir Though Baldwin, who died six years ago this }ld month, was writing of his own search, ours need eel not be solitary endeavors. We all must devote ourselves to finding that "center" to guide us out }ut of the treacherous pit of ignorance, fear and tat despair. >or Ernest Wiggins is an associate professor in Ipc th& si 110 n ?> nf 1 si ii r ti si 1 i c ti? si n si \Asi e o :ed Communications. rams for women SGA and Korpita's office will sponsor "Blow the Whistle on Rape." Keychain whistles engraved with phone numbers for campus and city police and the office will be given out. Korpita's office will also sponsor Chimera training, an intensive self-defense class for women. Safety Days is one example of what IJSC 1(j does to increase safety everyday. The Safety ;jr Committee and SGA work year-round with lighting, call boxes and other precautionary uid ,s? preventive measures to help avoid si nil ;s assault. In case of a sexual assault, Kori ita's ial office provides a valuable resource fen dealing ill with the aftermath. It is shocking to discover 5" that USC did not have a sexual assault policy 10 until recently, but look how far we have come, to Jennifer Smoak is chairwoman of the b- Safety Committee and Committee on Sexual Assault for SGA. 's, baby's health cent efficiency. T? *:? * ~ ~u: a ? ill wncii dUUUlUll I> IIUI dLIUCVCU UI when a mother decides to carry a baby to term after taking RU 486, the fetus spends months in the uterus deprived of nutrition. The use of the drug can lead to deformities for the child and problems for the mother. One argument some make for the legalization of RU 486 in the United States is that it could 11 help in the treatment of cancer. There are stud1 a ies that show the drug could be helpful in con3n~ trolling hormonally-dependent cancers. However, current FDA regulations do not prohibit cancer research using RU 486 in the as" United States. The FDA only prohibits the ien importation of the drug for personal uses such as inducing abortion. Cancer research concern)ne ing RU 486 occurs in this country and should the continue. ing There are numerous questions about the medvth ical effects and efficiency of RU 486 as tut aborich tifacient. The women and unborn children of er- this nation should not be used as guinea pigs to answer these questions. RU 486 should not l>e ur- cleared for human testing or used to induce at- abortion, erice Marc LaFounlain is a senior writer er- for The Gamecock.