The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 20, 1995, Page 3, Image 3
Wednesday, September 20,1995
"IBaffcock
Serving l/SC Since 1908
Wendy Hudson, Editor in Chief Matt Pruitt, Viewpoints Editor
Editorial Board
Lucy Arnold, Jamie Clark, Erin Galloway, Gregory Perez, Stephanie Sonnenfeld,
Allison Williams, Larry Williams, Ryan Wilson, Chris Winston
Student apathy
matched by faculty
Each year, students elect officers and senators to represent them
in the student government. Each year, student government fights
apathy ? trying to drhw students into the governmental process.
Faculty members often attempt to wage war on the apathetic ? stressing
the importance of participation.
However, the faculty equivalent to student government, the Faculty
Senate, suffers from the same apathy. At the last meeting of this
body, roughly half of the members of the senate were present. Only
a third of the members were present for a meeting last spring to examine
and revise the tenure procedure. Less than 10 percent of Faculty
Senate members responded to an interest survey distributed last
year.
Student apathy is disturbing. Faculty apathy is even more disconcerting.
Faculty members have a closer association with, and more
bearing on, administrative decisions (ideally this situation would be
reversed, since the focus of the university should be the students, but
iLJ. il ii- \ n n 1 i i ? i
mis is anoiner matter;, r acuity memDers are relatively lnnuentiai
in decisions which determine policy and hence have a responsibility
to monitor the quality and status of our university.
Just as student apathy defers the decision-making process to a
"higher authority," apathy from the Faculty Senate defers the process
to administrators. Important decisions need to made by those who
will be most affected by them.
Ask your professors if they care about the decisions being made
while they sit in their offices. Remember that these decisions will ul- v
timately affect the student and the state of the university as well.
Family values still
important today
During my two years as an op-ed r~??
writer for the Gamecock I have of- TOMMY TOUCHBERRY
ten espoused the theme family val- ;
ues." This theme, which has its ori- Columnist
gins in the 1992 Gush campaign, has
become the cornerstone of conservative
politics in America today. single-parent families, and other
The "family values" theme refers types of dysfunctional families. Of
to a variety of pro-family issues. These course, I am not saying that liberal
issues are of utmost importance to political policies have contributed to
every American who believes in our the demise. Other factors include
basic Judeo-Christian values. If it Hollywood, the mass media, and an
were not for these values, the Unit- overall decline in religious faith and
ed States would never have become obedience,
the most productive country in the The Christian Coalition is the
20th century. America would not most despised organization by the
have enjoyed the highest standard un-Christian left. The liberals hate
of living. the Coalition because the Coalition
Often, we get bogged down in the exposes liberal anti-family policies,
logistics of these issues. These pre- Liberals believe marriage is a "comfamily
issues, such as opposition to fort-zone to be entered into long af"abortion
on demand," same-sex mar- ter a couple has had intimate relariages,
drug and alcohol use and tions (sex). They also ignore the fact
abuse, and "value-free" education are that marriage is "for better or for
important. The support for parental worse. Liberal and commitment are
rights in determining their child's two words which just don t seem to
education, ending public taxpayer ?? together,
funding of sacri-religious materials 1 would ^ to relate personin
museums and on PBS, and lower al life to this issue of family values,
tax burdens for all American fami- ^ Thursday, I proposed to my girl,
, 1^1 1 T Ul- -1 J TT7
lies with children are important, too. menu- ^*A?y, sue saia yes. we are
The real goal of all these issues n?w happily engaged and are planis
to promote an environment where f? married next June,
the traditional family unit can not My fiancee and I were both raised
only survive, but prosper as well. As Christian families. We both becheesy
as it may sound to you as a heve in these same values and morals,
college student, it is critical that we Traditional family values are a very
turn our culture around on the issue important part of our life,
of family responsibility. We need more Now, I know this may sound tofamilies
that look like the Cleavers' tally foreign to some of you; but I
and less that look like Murphy think you should realize that there
Brown's. ore still some of us around who beThe
problem with modern day heve in traditional values and oldAmerica
is that, we have a breakdown fashioned romance. My fiancee and
in the traditional family unit. Lib- J ^ never encounter any of the proberal
social and economic policies have lems that run rampant in today's sohelped
increase the number of chil- ^ reason: family values-We
dren born out of wedlock, divorces, learned it, we love it, and we live it.
\writenow
Reader responses are welcome. Letters should be between 200 and 250
words in length and should be delivered personally to Student Media in
Russell House room 333
I ??I
- WC2>w???rr.rh News: 777-7726
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Student Media Russell House-USO Columbia, SC 29208 Ryan Sims
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Wendy Hudson Lucy Arnold Martha Hotop Chris Carroll
Editor in Chief Stephanie Tina Morgan Director of Student Media
Matt Pruitt Sonnenfeld Asst. News Laura Day
Viewpoints Editor Features Editors Ben Pillow Creative Director
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The Gamecock is the student newspaper of the University of The Gamecock will try to print all letters received.
South Carolina and is published Monday, Wednesday and Letters should be 200-250 words and must include full
Friday during the fall and spring semesters, with the exception name, professional title or year and major if a student,
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Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the editors *
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The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the The Gamecock reserves the right to edit all letters for
publisher of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media style, possible libel or space limitations. Names will not
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VIEW]
j
SNrtsun: L
QUOTE UNQUOTE
"Faculty governance ii
- Past Chair
Life imit
Irony!? Ladies and Gentlemen, th
has to be the collective term for lai
week's end. Today, I plan to take yc
on a journey, on which we will exploi
this term and how we as a collective hoc
are saturated with it. Last week, I di
covered the possibility that one of tl
vexy institutions which is supposed 1
truly allow every person to be free, i
well as, to be the voice for truth and ju
tice, is saturated with irony.
It is perhaps ironic that I am sti
naive enough to believe in unbiased ii
stitutions. This institution is the mi
dia. Especially the media on a campi
which can have a devastating, or woi
derful, effect on an individual. Is th
bad or is this good? Well, I do not knov
However, I admonish that we may gai
some small insight through three am
of question and analysis. First, what:
irony? Second, I will discuss two ver
controversial incidents that occurre
last week. The executive session ths
our student senate called in order to dii
cuss the confirmation of Kris Wustro1
and the inflammatory and degradin
article that appeared in The Carolin
Spectator concerning an English pre
fessor.Third, the sacred free press.
The first area of question and anal}
sis is that of irony. My good friend Mi
Webster asserts that irony takes plac
LETTERS TO THE EDI1
Conservat
?
This past week, our mailboxes wer
stuffed with copies of The Spectator,
paper glorifying the Republican part}
I found this paper to be offensive, nai
row-minded and overly critical. Thispj
per consisted of 15 pages of biased art
cles that demanded that everyone fit ir
to their idea of what a "normal" perso
is like. They need to realize that ever]
one is not the same and that they can
expect everyone to be just like then
They used the lowest possible method
to prey on people's prejudices of thing
different than them. Then, for some rec
son, they couldn't seem to understan
why the Gamecock got student activit
fees. Do they not realize that they ir
suit a large segment of the USC popi
lation with their shallow, slanted re
marks? Ironically, they feel that you
- publication "insults the intelligence (
USC students" by "brainwashing" ther
while their presentation of just one sid
of the story does just these things. Nc
one of their articles is more than an ec
itorial which tells the story like the
want the reader to see it. Do they nc
think we are intelligent enough to hea
both sides of a story and create our ow
opinions? They are an insult to journa
ists everywhere. They try to convinc
their readers to be Republicans, but
they represent what Republicans stan
for, I want to be a Democrat! Keep u
the good work, Gamecock. The Spectc
tor can't see much because it's wearin
blinders.
Debby Hame
Broadcast Joumalisi
POINT
i MiHAfhlnaf 4a Ka (hasciihuI If ikn 4
W WHIWMHia^ ?V MW UVH9HI wa HIV I
of the Faculty Senate Marcia Welsh, o
ates art: i
r~?
3t TRAV ROBERTSON
re Columnist
ly
s" when someone expresses a sense coi
ie trary to that conveyed by the individi
to als actions or words. Several other d
ls finitions of this term are: opposite an
s" the frustration of hopes, as well as cove
sarcasm. I would like to suggest tha
with these definitions in mind, iron
1 may be that of the individual, or that i
the collective whole, which in turn mear
society. With these possible definitior
j in place and at our disposal we move 1
v the second area of question and anal]
n s*s'
^ Last week our student senate, whic
g I am a member of, decided to go into a
y executive session in order to discuss Kr
d Wustrow's confirmation. Anexecuti\
j GOCGinn moonc fV*of mmnrnnn io fnr/?o
^ WVUk/IUl* XUVVUAO VilUV VT ViJUHV/ iO 1U1VV
3. to leave except the senators, nomine*
N and the vice president. We believed th?
g we should call this session because thei
a were some questions about the nomine
)- and his performance as parliamentar
an of the senate. We, as a collective bod
j- felt that these questions were better sui
r. ed for private discussion then bein
e talked about on the front page of a new;
OR
ive publica
? Alumni provides irissan
t. information
ri
I would like to provide you with som
i- additional information that should hav
l- been included in the "Chime Time" stx
n ry printed in the September 1 issue (
r- The Gamecock. The chimes at Rutledg
't Chapel were donated to the universit
i. by the alumni of Chi Omega Sorority
Is They were presented to the universit
p in honor of the 50th anniversary of th
i- founding of the Eta Gamma chapter (
d Chi Omega here at USC. Alumni co
y lected over $10,000 to pay for the chime
i- which the entire university communit
i- has enjoyed for 20 years. The sisters c
Chi Omega are very proud to have cor
it tributed to the Carolina tradition an
)f would like to receive credit for our dc
n nation to the university.
e
>t Daphne Vagena
1- Chi Omega Advis(
y USC class of 198
>t
n Housing director
'e thanks columnist
if
d Trav Robertson is to be commende
p for his editorial entitled, "Unseen hel
merits thanks." His complimentary ft
g cus on the custodial, maintenanc<
grounds, support, and dining service
staff is well deserved by the fine folks i
a those positions.
j] The department of housing is forti
nate to have good people in our custt
s
?*
Faculty aren't there to vote, then we a
m the lack of participation from Faculty Se
rony rears
"1 paper and in public. In my opinion, the
irony, inherent in this situation, is that
later in the week Mr. Wustrow allowed
himself to be associated with a some
-J garbage that is printed on paper?which
a_ did exactly what we chose not to do to
a. Mr. Wustrow. We gave him enough reg_
spect to not air his dirty laundry in pub(j
lie, yet he and his fellow "writers" de^
cide to embarrass and attack an indit
vidual who is trying to educate people.
' How ironic!
The Freedom of the Press. When
^ our forefathers fought and died for the
freedom of the press did they have any
idea that those ideals would create such
a wonderful monster with a schizophrenic
personality? Should our press be used
to destroy the character of individuals?
I am the last person who hates to be ren
alistic, but there is irony inherent in the
18 phrase, Freedom of the Press. Granted,
e we all have a right to publish newspad
pers and books, but there will always be
copy editors and a need for space which
helps to sell and run our newspapers,
"e However, what happens when a news*
paper makes up details or even misrei
ports facts. Have you ever noticed how
/, small and ineffective a retraction is. I
t- did not seem to notice one after last
g weeks false report that the Student Sens'
ate broke the law and voted to confirm
tion needs
S dial, support and maintenance positions.
9 These individuals are as interested in
the success of our students as anyone
on campus and their level of committe
ment to excellence is unsurpassed. As
e an administrator, I realize that any suc>
cess realized by me or members our ad)f
ministrative staff is most likely due to
te the efforts of the employees cited by Mr.
y Robertson. Thank you for their recogf.
nition and let me add my appreciation
y to these employees who are the core of
e USC family. They deserve our utmost
)f respect.
Iss
Gene Luna
y Director of Housing
)f
J Homeless series only
>- touches on causes
A When the Gamecock first announced its
)r running of a series on homelessness and
19 panhandling I assumed that the article
* vi l_ . l xl
was going 10 Diame nomeiessness on ine
Reagan administration and those evil,
uncaring capitalists in Washington. However,
I was surprised to see an informative,
well written and researched article.
However, the article failed to mend
tion some of the known causes of
p homelessness. According to the De)
partment of Agriculture 1987 report on
J, the subject, homelessness is brought on
s by a combination of events, such as menn
tal patient "deinstitutionalization," alcohol
abuse, non-enforcement of vagrancy
i- laws, and de facto legalization of drug
)- use, among others. In the public policy
3
ISA
ire giving up these rights."
mate members
i its head
a nominee in executive session. In reality,
no vote can be taken in a session of
this nature. Who checks the media? Will
they always have the last word?
In conclusion, it seems ironic that al
most every institution has some system
of checks and balances, except the media
There is no doubt that we need newspapers
to report some opinions about
various aspects of our life and the world
in which we live. However, when will
we push aside the simple irony that the
media is supposed to report the facts,
not divert people's attention from the
real issues that are affecting our campus
and world today? I would suggest
that, until we have more intelligent and
responsible individuals, there is a need
for copy editors and viewpoint editors,
because they are the individuals who
are the ethical center of our society and
press. I would argue that just maybe we
need these individuals because of the
actions of Kris Wustrow and Mr. Davenport.
How ironic: the individuals who
think they are practicing free press are
actually destroying it. And while I am
in favor of capitalism, true democracy,
and an absolute free press, I will not forsake
the character of individuals and
human kind as a means to those ends.
4 -
objectivity
sector virtually nobody believes that
homelessness can be solved by mass
housing and/or cash grants (however, it
was rumored that Ted Kennedy and
Marion Barry offered to take drugs and
alcohol off the streets one gram or shot
at a time, but this was politely refused).
Donating money to places like Oliver
Gospel Mission may make some people
feel good, hold hands and sing "Kumbaya."
But ultimately what happens is
your money is often subsidizing someone's
destructive behavior. I am not denying
that some positive aspects of shelters
exist, but merely to state that homeless
people are not helped by a handout
from a well-meaning, but naive, student
S.H. Edwards
Senior
College Republicans
violated Constitution
Upon reading Trevor Spencer's column
of his experience with the "all-loving"
college Republicans and their prophet,
Pat, I was not surprised. However, I
was surprised that the hired help con
veniently amended the constitution last
week. I'd actually like to know if any
action has been taken against the College
Republicans by the university for
Trevor's unjustifiable treatment and the
false advertising?
Dee Bhambhani
Junior