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[PEOPLE P L A( on the town CONCERTS The S.C. Philharmonic will accompany the winner of the Symphony League Young Artist Competition, Jasmin Tiodang, as she presents a concert at 8 p.m. Thursday. Call 2547445 for more information. Mina Tr?/?Vi Moils -Tim RnSP flirCllS Meredith Patterson, Jon Reece a 1994 Alternative Spring Break pr No experien ALLISON WILLIAMS Features Editor It may only be the second week ol school, but many students already an dreaming of sunny beaches and the resi and relaxation of spring break. Although the dreary weather of Jan uary and February makes pleasan weather seem far away, spring break is quickly approaching. But before you ge too carried away with images of scant ily clad bathing beauties, consider trad ing in your bikini for a hammer and i paint brush. The USC Office of Community Ser vice Programs is offering an altemativ spring break March 4-10 on Johns Is land for students who want to do some thing a little different. And the office i looking for a few good people to swing hammer or maybe paint a wall or la down a kitchen floor. "I know people want to get away t some place exotic," graduate studer John Ogle said, "but at the same tinu when you realize you can give somethir back to the community, the state you li\ in, it makes the sacrifice a lot more of a option." Graduate student Jon Reece mad the sacrifice and er\joyed it so much thj he hoDes to do it again this year. "It was an overall nice experience Reece said. "For one, I met a lot of ne people. It was a good way to get to kno 1 liui aua_y at Lfiuiuciauai i ^uuiw ing Arts Center in Charlotte and 8 p.m. Friday at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. Tickets for both shows are $22.50. Call (704) 522-6500 for more information on the Charlotte show and (919) 834- 4000 for more information on the Raleigh show. Amy Grant and Gary Chapman will perform at 8 pjn. Saturday ^ at the Charlotte Coliseum. Tickets are >J~M 357-4700 for more ij RIVER Michael Jerling joou*??cai?a?**?ow tarian Universalist^^^^^^g Coffee House at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on the corner of Heyward and Woodrow streets. Admission is $5 and Pop Will Eat Itself will perform at 7:30 pjn. Wednesday at the Coliseum. Tickets are $23.50. Call 2512222 for more information. Megadeth and Corrosion of Conformity will perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte. Tickets are $20. Call (704) 522-6500 for more information. Nanci Griffith will perform at 8 pjn. ,nu--Dlii*v?4-V?nl PonfArm_ I ZES WHATNOT] i I I I I I ! for students, $7 in advance and $8 D AMIIJiC lumbia ConservaRnPiMIMUp torv of Dance. The charfis$i5,Gai1 MISCELLANEOUS Riverbanks Zoo will offer free ] admission every Friday during J an- | ( uary and February. File Photo nd Julie Neururer participate In the ogram. ce necessary several people I didn't know on campus. ? It was a great way to help out my fellow | man." USC students, along with groups from other colleges, will have the oppor- ^ tunity to help the people on Johns t Island by building a house or 5 putting the finishing touches 0^ I on one. The students will live in a daycare center that is used by the : i I 1 I ] ? I cniiaren 01 migrant workers uuimg imi j vesting season, cook their own meals and interact with the Johns Island commu.. nity. e Ogle, who stressed that no construci tion experience or service experience is s- needed to participate, said he looks fors ward to a diverse group. Last year's group a was made up of one faculty member, d y one staff member, four graduate A students and 10 undergraduates, 0 "Even if you haven't done any ser't vice at all, this is a great opportunity to get introduced to the world of ? community service," Ogle said. "It e gives you a different perspective, I think, n to be immersed in a different environ^ ment from yours." If you're interested, there will an informational meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thurs? day in Russell House 203. For more in'w formation, contact Rachelle Lahner or w John Ogle at 777-5780. at the door. Call 799- 0845 for more information. LECTURES USC professors George Geckle and Robert Felix will discuss "Othello" in a free symposium at 5:30 pjn. Friday in Longstreet Theatre. MOVIES NiekelnHenn Theatre will nresent i "The Advocate" Thursday-Feb. 1. Show times are at 7 p.m. and 9 pjn. daily, with a 3 p.m. Sunday. I MUSEUMS "Madness in America: Cultural and | Medical Perception of Mental Dlness I before 1914" will be on display through March 19 at McKissick Museum. I I THEATER USC Theatre will present "Othello" today-Sunday. Shows are at 8 p.m. today-Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Student tickets are $6. I I WORKSHOPS Patricia Miller, a Florence na- I tive and Joffrey Ballet member, will teach mas- | ter classes at 6:30 pjn. FrirlavanH 11 a.m. Speakiv FRENC log BEN PILLOW Asst. Features Editor an Religious studies Professor Harold French will bel retire from his full-time position in June after 23 stu years at USC. He then will embark on another aca- an demic excursion, this one with the University of th( PiHcKiTrcrVi'a Scmo<itpr at Spa nrncrram 1SS With the Pittsburgh group, French will visit five tir Asian and five Mediterranean countries, integrating n a structured courses with field experiences in each ch country. The program will give French an opportunity to witness firsthand one of his specialty ar- tej eas, Asian religions. ha French, who is department chairman and au- his thor of eight books, came to USC in 1972 after serv- wc ing stints at St. Andrew's Presbyterian College in er North Carolina and Westman College in Iowa. He received a bachelor's from York College in Nebraska, co a master's from United Seminary in Ohio, a mas- ed teFs in sacred theology from Boston University and re a doctorate from McMaster University in Canada, sit It was as a member of the clergy, however, when je< French first received inklings that teaching might F i be his true calling. m "Id been in the clergy earlier and a college chap- pi lain," French said. "From that experience, the part w 1 liked best was teacning. i iraaea teacning ior m preaching." The Kansas native explained his interest in st Asian religions as "a psychic balance from the East" Pi to contrast his Western roots. in Whatever the circumstances, French finds teach- og ing to be a fulfilling responsibility. tv "I like the role of being with young people whose P minds are opening up to larger ideas and value F systems," he said. "It's fun to engage lively minds pi in this kind of a quest so we have a chance to move beyond parochial and provincial views and discover ci larger worlds." b< The "creative ferment" is what French said he v< likes best about teaching ? the excitement of "the spirit of inquiry and stimulation of the search" that s; opens students to the subject matter. ai "I get turned on by the fife of the mind and when si students become curious about other ways and peoples," French said. e; Part of French's formula for initiating this kind v of reaction from his students lies in his strategy of n maintaining open communication with his class- a es. "Even when I lecture, I like to foster a dia- ri Amnesty Intei ^^^Lsco thrc race ^HH|V pho I I H || n .ue," he said. "It's internal dialogue 1? tween me and the s 1II ' | ? V w idents, the students ir._. d the material, and j material and the l tgs, through jour- "**' ils and other ex- M nfl anges." B *BB And as French's * aching experience l * s increased, so has JL * 1 i ontVincnixam nVvMlt )rld religion in genrench said. "I'm --?sa8l^fPl,^^ ore intrigued by ex- :a^L_, ifcs' ,:i oring in company | ith fresh young i Pf if lL fi 1I1US. g? ?p Iff H >a Senior religious jf 5 B *| udies major Jon & ? [I |H *3 i , i - * > w V 9 ark was a student ? French's psycholry of religion class '>ro^?*Wf Harold F ranch vo semesters ago. holds his favortts ark described rench as "a very intriguing person" who disayed knowledge and interest with equal flair. "He was very insightful on all the psychologiil aspects of religion," Park said. "He seemed to i very in touch with many people's opinions and iry open." Since starting his career as a professor, French * 11 1 ? - -i xi-- i iia ne nas seen a cnange m me uasie uemeauui nd manner of college students, one that is now Darting to repeat itself since that first lecture, "There was more social consciousness in the arly '70s," he said. "We went through a lot of priatism in the '80s, and in the 'JHJs, I think I see lore of an opening up again. We need more of ar wareness to hear and learn from each other.' As one might expect, French said the field ol eligious studies has made some transformation! [national vvr ITT LEVA Staff Writer Feeling apathetic? USC students who truly want to get involved with more global isL sues than Gamecock football can make a \ difference and get involved in Amnesty In y Amnesty international initiates campaigns and urgent actions from its headquarsrs in London and p of regional anc lountries all ovei might call a U.S i branch if something particular happens ir South America or another country that re lies on U.S. service or trade. "We would write letters to the secretary of the Interior or the police asking them t< Iternational, the largest human-rights organization in the world. The student affiliate is part of a worldwide organization concerned with humanrights injustice. From Colombia, South America, to the State House, the campus group tries to help and support those who are lawfully imprisoned, tortured, kidnapped or iatened with execution, since 1961, Amnesty International has led the ; for fairness and equity among political refugees prisoners, often using letter-writing campaigns, ne calls and peaceful demonstrations to direct its point to abusive or corrupt leaders and governments. In Columbia, students have an active voice educating the public on im portant human-rights violations such as the recent crimes in Bosnia and Haiti. Beyond the edu cation they proy I vide, the letter^^^fcwriting campaigns ^^^Hand the benefits H often make a real difference, according to active member Toni Turbeville. "We sometimes get letters from Americans B overseas," Turbeville said. "We re|H ally do hear from these places or the fam| ilies that we affect." 'WamJF !KH^S|-- ti f * M MhH ' ! "?. jR jjjjj ^ ' ?BBr ill ffl Ji#*> IHHHyj^^nF ilBff' W *1 i :\<*WJ& - IHI' ins MlUBbj. JJ > KSm (MulS KIM TRUETT The Gamecock i, chairman of tha religious studlaa dapartbook In hla Rutiadga Chapel office. as well, with "the comparative model becoming more normative" today. "TV" trt V\n mfiro /-yf cx nooH ter-writing campaigns. Besides chronic humanrights violators such as the governments of Haiti and countries in South America, Amnesty International has been active in the campaigns againsl problems in Turkey and China. Cantrell is unhappy about China, an active abuser of human rights that nonetheless recently received favored nation status by the United States "China is a big-time human-rights violator,' Cantrell said. "They are really bad about locking up people who speak against the government. One of my biggest concerns is the taking over of Tibe and the imprisonment of any resisting Tibetians. The campus organization meets every Tuesda; despite varied attendance and membership. Ac ^ 11 J.~ J?a.?i. cording to uanireu, some siuuenus at tms suiuimay be apathetic, but many freshmen have no ide. groups such as Amnesty International are arounc [ "We want to get involved," Cantrell said. "W I should care about what happens to other peopl around the world, not just ourselves. There ar people like college students that, if they say some i thing wrong, they may be imprisoned without trial. It shouldn't have to be that way.The first meeting of Amnesty International i f tonight at 6 p.m. Call Paul Cantrell at 779-561 5 for more information. 1UCIC 11IU C^C&oljllgljr kjtoillo 1aJ wv tiiVi v vi m iawv* for onsite ethnographic research," French said. "Not just studying texts and historical materials, but living tradition." . French won't abandon teaching altogether. He will return to USC to teach a couple of classes a r , year after traveling abroad this fall. He also will continue working as associate editor of the En, cyclopedia of Hinduism, an 18-volume project seven-and-a half years in the making, which has its , central offices at USC. { In his free time, French said he will read, con? tinue singing with the Columbia Choral Society, C travel and visit his three children, three stepi daughters and three grandchildren with his wife, Rannie. ites for rights investigate," said Paul Cantrell, current director of the USC branch. "We try to stop further breaking of the Declaration of Human Rights, which was signed by most countries in the United Nations." One of the interesting rules of Amnesty International is that countries can't investigate their own human-rights violations because of inherent bias, Cantrell said. "The German office might contact the state government of Texas in an attempt to get a stay of execution or something," Cantrell said. "And Texas is definitely the worst [in executions]. They had about 30 last year." As far as capital punishment goes, Amnesty International seems to be universally against it, although Cantrell admits that some feel more strongly than others, especially when South Carolina is involved. "Ifs pretty bad in this state," Cantrell said. "Thev execute minors. There was a case a few years ago in Greenville where a 17- year-old was sentenced to death. I met his father. He's in prison now. He's still like 18 or 19 years old." In the three semesters since Cantrell has been president of the campus chapter, it has had several concert benefits, set up tables on Greene Street anH o^nqtiiHpnt.q and conducted let