The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 24, 1995, Page 5, Image 5
[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."
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(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