The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 24, 1995, Page 3, Image 3
Tuesday, October 24,1995
'tBaifScock
Serving VSC Since 1908
Wendy Hudson, Editor in Chief Matt Pruitt, Viewpoints Editor
Editorial Board
Lucy Arnold, Jamie Clark, Gregory Perez, Stephanie Sonnenfeld, Allison Williams,
Larry Williams, Ryan Wilson, Chris Winston
Black Cultural Week
indicator of diversity
Members of the USC community will have the opportunity to witness
another indicator of our university's diversity.
This week has been designated as Black Cultural Week. Supplementing
Black History Month (in February), Black Cultural Week promotes education
and awareness of the history and culture of African-Americans.
Throughout the year, various days or weeks are designated to certain
groups on campus. It is important that the USC community understand the
purpose of these events.
Many individuals feel as though these celebrations of certain cultures
only divide the campus and hinder unity. Others feel shunned by the seemingly
exclusive nature of these special events.
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them from the community. It is possible, and, in fact, important that all
members of the community allow for efforts in the education and celebration
of an individual's culture without ostracizing him or her.
Each of us can learn to appreciate others' backgrounds and simultaneously
befriend them. We can learn from others ? as they learn about themselves.
Keep these things in mind over the course of Black Cultural Week. You
might learn something.
Church divided over
issues of sexuality
"D /^l . i.:
Deuig vjiuisucui can auiiictiiiica
be very disheartening. There are so CARSON RUSH
many different ideas of what being ?? ;
Christian means, and these ideas Columnist
sometimes clash head on, causing , . . , ,,.
great controversy. mosexuaUm the church and they
I am witnessing a great exam- fremp <wrthewaydi^are bepleofthis
in my native Presbyterian mg treated; there needs to be a disChureh
(USA). The point of discon- 38'to caa jam ihe church
tent homosexuality. andwhodeodes who ff m
I have been holding out on this * the ftestytaian Chuidi lUSA),
topic for a few weeks now because I Constitution says that the only
know a lot of people have problems requirement for adnussion mto the
with it. But something happened 'hurch 18 /aith ln Jesus Christ as
this past week that angered me to Sa r ^ acceptance of his Lordthe
point of finally breaking through ?"rf To be an office of
and writing on the subject. the church, wlmh^udes the office
Last Tuesday, I attended the reg- of mmister of the Word and Sacraular
quarterly meeting of Trinity ment one must only be a member of
Presbytery, the Presbyterian version the church.
nfo rWocm Hnn rxf fVam ?xrxr?4a rrirr. HOWCVer, tile ChUTCh haS added
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en at the meeting was the final re- the cnterja t"at yoa us,t not be a
port of the Committee on Human Practicing homosexual. To deny someSexuality
one across the board the rignt to hold
In 1993, the 205th General As- office because of sexuality, or any
sembly of the Presbyterian Church other matter, is really denying them
(USA) ordered that persons of all lev- the right to be a fully-functioning
els of the church should seriously un- member of the church. No matter
dertake a study on human sexuali- what your opinion on this matter,
ty, inrlnding homosexuality, with the this contradiction must be worked
findings to be presented to the 208th out> and that occurs only through diGeneral
Assembly in 1996. alogue.
Trinity Presbvterv undertook h ^ that very dialogue that is be
such a study, and over the past two m? denied. People fear the schisms
and a half years, the Committee on diat will form in the churches should
Human Sexuality has been giving die homosexual issue be brought inpresentations
to and gathering da- to full light. I fear it, but I know that
ta from various groups in an attempt the beast of conflict must be faced,
to foster dialogue on the issue. In 49 CE, many of the people in
In October of 1994, the Commit- the church feared what would haptee
gave a presentation at the Pres- pen if they let Gentiles in, but they
byteiy meeting, so all of the pastors knew the issue had to be discussed,
of the Presbyterian churches heard so they called the Jerusalem Counit,
as well as many members of the cil. It is time that we learned from
congregations. At the end of the pre- the courage of the church mothers
sentation, each of the churches was and fathers and took this issue headasked
to conduct its own study, and on.
to report the results to the Commit- silence is deadly. It we ignore
tee. the pain that many people feel beWhen
I was handed the results cause of the church's policy, the probof
the study last Tuesday, I was lem will fester until it overtakes our
shocked. Of the 71 churches in this very soul. I am ashamed of what
Presbytery, only eight did a study, happened last Tuesday at Presbytery.
Seven told the Committee that they There are divisions over the issue,
refused to do a study. The other 56 and reconciliation can only occur
just ignored everything and kept their when people are willing to start talkmouths
shut. ing again.
I must admit, I am in favor of the I turn with hope for a found peace
ordination of homosexuals, but that to the words of Samuel Stone's great
is a topic for a later column. What I hymn "The Church's One Foundafind
troubling here is that so many tion": Though with a scornful wonchurches
refused to even discuss the der this world sees her oppressed, by
matter. They took the ostrich ap- schisms rent asunder, by heresies
proach to the issue: if we stick our distressed; yet saints their watch are
heads in the sand and ignore the mat- keeping; their ay goes up "How long?"
ter it will so awav. Well, it doesn't. And soon the night of weeping shall
The facts are these: there are ho- be the morn of song.
wwkw "life i News: 777-7726 Ethan Myerson
^Rhiwrnn? Advertising: 777-4249 Graphics Editor
VUul I llUIUV FAX: 777-6482 Gregory Perez
Design Editor
Ryan Sims
Student Media Russell House-USO Columbia, SC 29208 Online Editor
Wendy Hudson Lucy Arnold Ben Pillow nChnSf ,
c... . n. -f Director of Student Media
Editor in Chief Stephanie Chris Dixon , ollt.Q n?v
Matt Pruitt Sonnenfeld Asst. Features i ^ve^Di reoor
Viewpoints Editor Features Editors Robbie Meek ?_?. A
Chris Winston Jamie Clark , asst a^d,recto?
Copy Desk Chief Photo Editor Jason Jeffers " .
Allison Williams Robert Walton Cartoonist Marilyn Edwards
News Editor Ass, photo Editor Keith Boudreaux Taylor
Larry Williams Martha Hotop Circulation Manager Marketing Director
Ryan Wilson Cece von Kolnitz Sy a??
Sports Editors Asst. News
Lattara Policy
The Gamecock is the student newspaper of the University of ~ , ... , . ....... .
South Carolina and is published Monday through Friday dur- e P" "" le"CrS TTrt
ing the fall and spring semesters, with the exception of univer- Letters should be 200-250 words and must include full
sitv holidays and exam periods. name, professional title or year and major if a student.
Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the editors Letters must be personally delivered by the author to
or author and not those of the University of South Carolina The Gamecock newsroom in Russell House room 333.
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
is its parent organization. be withheld under any circumstances.
w c ^
VIEWPOINTS
nif\A "Haa V
wwmsm
QUOTE, UNQUOTE
"Black Cultural Week is a supplement to Black History Mo
and this is a good time to celebrate an<
Jackie Rice, AAAS Special
Horgan's guide to zesty
Hey all you College Guys and Gals, I Nc
guess whafs right around the corner? MATT HORGAN "Matl
No, it's not a man with a knife; guess Columnist larva*
again. Well, yes, unemployment is cor- ' think
rect, but it isn't the answer I'm look- pounds of tootsie-rolls and those black- endle
ing for. No, it's Halloween you dum- and orange-wrapped Hell taffies. pirate
O _ 11 ll 1 A 1 A -i.
mica; iiiwiuwecu, me u umpeu-up, oaaiy, tilings are no longer mat nary
Americanized, commercial version of simple. At our age, Halloween deteri- woulc
that ancient festival of carnal delights, orates into a cheap, petty competition tume:
All-Hallows Eve. However, instead of of who has the best costume. And Fm W
the traditional drinking and sex late here to help you dog all of those oth- conce
into the night, these days kids get er losers. So here it is, my "Guide to your <
dressed up like morons and go grovel Coming Up with an Innovative and say y<
for candy. Disturbing Halloween Costume": Buttr
Halloween is an unforgettable part Okay, first of all, you gotta break it?
of every person's childhood. Your mom away from the monotony of the old It'
would take you to K-Mart or some oth- standards. Dracula, Frankenstein, the stract
er store run by invertebrates, and then Wolfman... they're all passe, so forget Don't
she'd pick out one of those horrible about 'em (though if you dress up as Avarii
plastic costumes that fit too snugly in Michael J. Fox as "TeenWolf, you're not be
the crotch. I'm sure you remember in business). Go with something new, might
them-they came with the masks that something fresh, something that So
looked as if thev were designed for screams "Freak " Now iust as an e*- costui
Quasimodo (no air holes and the eyes ample (don't steal this from me, 'cause ' tiesai
a foot apart). Then you found yourself IH know if you do), I'm going to be a the 01
walking the neighborhood streets giant maggot for Halloween. It's easy had t<
dressed as Tweety-bird, He-Man, or and economical- a couple of white trash up as
one of those damn Mon-chi-chi's, and bags, paint my face black, and root is alwi
by the end of the night you'd have 20 through trash cans... it's that simple! that t
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Berube's complaints about
After subjecting myself to Professor shuttle is sometimes full and often late), again;
David Berube's tirade on the legislature And you are concerned about waiting Mi
being in the Plaza, I have decided to for an elevator? Try making $18,626 per son tx
"Just Say No". year (gross) and paying $187.50 a year ready
Professor Berube states that is is to park in the seventy-five cent parking pies ar
"virtually impossible for those faculty lot. and v,
and stafL.to find an elevator to go up Professor Berube, your concern about been j
to the seventh through 12th floors" be- lobbyists is lame. Everyone knows lob- cause
cause the legislators and their staff" take byists only come around during lunch comm
the elevator from the first to the second and in-between conference meetings, riage <
floor and the first through the third floor. And when they come they like to park or a w
For the 35,000-odd faculty, staff and on the street so they can make quick would
students at this University, please let getaways Gobbyists, leave me alone, this dia on
me tell you that there are two elevators is tongue in cheek but true, and I want Ar
at the Plaza. One is and "express" elevator to be a lobbyist!). Furthermore, the Gen- could
that skips the legislative floors. The sec- eral Assembly begins on Jan. 9,1995 that ft
ond elevator accommodates all floors, and ends (hopefully) on June 1st. The he wa
Yes, it's true that the second and third Spring semester begins on January 8 gardle
floor inhabitants could walk up the stairs and ends on May 1 (with a break from taken
? most of the second floor does. I have March 3-10). You will only have to suf- have I
waited for an elevator for five minutes fer for about 16 weeks (remember you of the
once ? big deal Professor Berube, big will have just had a four-week break). Simp*
deal. Life is complicated. Why don't we follow Denise Wellman's financ
mere are worse tilings to worry about idea and look at this as an opportunity. An
than having to wait for an elevator for Invite a legislator or a staff member to affirm
five minutes. Talk to someone you al- your floor. Show them the view (in my for all
ways see but never talk to. Read The case, the Heart of Columbia's stagnat- was w
Gamecock. Read the Carolina Quarter- ing pool of green slime). GET A LIFE!! Ameri
ly. Look at your date book. Look at the Waiting for an elevator or climbing six are as
art work and displays that are close by. floors is the least of our problems! white
Professor Berube's complaints con- using
cerning parking are justifiable. Once the Jerf D. Cook In
music building was completed, the au- GINT graduate student took e
thorized "G" parkers park in the "All leave!
Decal Lot" - even though the "G" lot right ToiiPhHprrv WlifLtPfl 9
next to its is often half-full. ' . *
, tAtlf
it these ti s would park in the ti lot iiiipvi uiiii asauva
(and you know who you are!) then the
All Decal lot would be left for staff mem- I am writing in response to Tommy p .
bers that only have a Z. Professor Berube, Touchberry's article "Verdict marks nahas
it ever occurred to you that staff tional division on race line." ing 1
members at the Lihraiy and others places I found his opinion to be very narhave
to park behind the Coliseum and row minded and offensive. I think his Pr
walk (yes, walk) to their place of em- opinion is based on the influence of the rect ii
plo^ment, often in the rain (because the news media*that made this a black equal
nth (in February). We want to celebrate all year,
i educate about our history."
events co-chair
Halloween costumes
)w, I know what you're thinking, cent, or you're walking the.fine line of
t, I don't want to dress up as a a costume disaster. If you array yours,
Fve got family and friends to self as former Soviet Premier Leonid
of." Well, do not fret, there are Breshnev, you're sure to flop. The same
ss possibilities. You could be a goes for Carol Burnett, Walt Whiti,
an alien, an emu, a giant san- man, Ernest Bornine, and Meatloaf
napkin (in general though, I (the singer, on the other hand, dressl
avoid hygiene products as cos- ing yourself as the entree would be a
3). good idea).
hen you are coming up with your Try to pick celebrities that have
pt, keep in mind the logistics of done something bad or really stupid
?stume. Ifs all well and good to lately. You could be Michael Bolton
? 171 * Ii-1 - " C J x O
ju wcult uu uiess up as a riymg wiui a uau case ui uyseuieiy, or a Dayess,
but how are you going to do watch character with a Portuguese
Man-o-War wrapped around your tors
also a good idea to avoid ab- so. Ooh, here's one for you couples out
concepts and terms as costumes, there: Hugh Grant and Divine Brown
show up at a party dressed as arm in arm... how charming! And as
x, or Self-Pity. Not only will you always, you can't go wrong with Flip
s well-received, other partygoers Wilson.
throw snide remarks your way. These are just a few of the many
what's the key to a successful guises you can don during that most
ne, you ask? Two words: Celebri- twisted of our holidays, Halloween,
rtichoke (actually, celebrities is Give the kiddies lots of candy, unless
ily important word here, but I they're dressed as a Power Ranger...
) meet my quota). Yes, dressing then give them a swift kick. And for
a well-known or famous person God's sake people, don't eat those Halays
your best bet. But make sure loween decorated doughnuts in the
;he person's fame is rather re- Grand Marketplace.
Plaza petty, unjustified
st white issue. cally mention sexual orientation. Race,
r. Simpson and former Mrs. Simp- ethnicity and gender are entirely sepaiing
an interracial couple was al- rate issues from that of homosexuality
an issue because interracial cou- and to lump them together would be a
ne not fully accepted by some blacks mistake.
rhites. This issue would not have Race and gender are properties that
addressed in the news media be- you are born with and have no control
blacks and whites would share a over. No one should discriminate on
on point of view. If this was a mar- these basis because they are merely
)f a black man and a black woman physical characteristics people are bora
hite man and a white woman, this with due to their particular ancestry.
I not have been on the news me- They have nothing, inherently, to due
Le tenth as long. with a person's behavior or actions,
lother issue that the news media Sexual orientation, on the other hand,
have focused on, but did not, is is directly related to a person's behavIr.
Simpson is a wealthy man. If ior. Whether that behavior is proper or
is a man of average income, re- not is another issue, but that issue should
ss of race, the case would not have not be lumped together wit that of genhalf
as long. The murders might der and race. This is what many homo)een
announced on the news. One sexuals do not seem to understand,
first questions directed to Mr. I resent gay rights activists constantly
son after the case referred to his relating their cause to the civil rights
:ial status. movement, they have absolutely nothtother
comment he made was about ing in common. The civil rights moveative
action. Affirmative action is ment was about giving people freedom,
minorities, not only blacks, which equality and equal opportunity so that
horn you kept referring to. I think no one would be limited, as to what they
ca is starting to realize that blacks can achieve, from birth,
qualified as whites, which some Now, all people in America are cons
are refusing to accept and are sidered equal from birth (including hothe
excuse of affirmative action, mosexuals), what happens after that is
my opinion, the 0 J. Simpson case another matter. Homosexuals must rentirely
too long, and it is time to alize that their cause is about society's
Mr. Simpson alone. acceptance of a kind of behavior. They
are not denned as homosexuals from
Tawanda Shondell Jones birth.
Chemistry freshman I empathize with homosexuals' desire
for full acceptance, but to put their
113 correct in leav* situation in the same basket with the
situations of women and blacks would
OUt homosexuals be a gross misrepresentation. Thankfully,
the President realizes this.
esident Palms was absolutely cor1
not adjusting the university's Marshall Thompson
opportunity statement to specifi- International Studies sophomore