Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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flights a matnh ^“""'SKSS? / BY ANGEL SIZEMORE THE GAMECOCK Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is concerned about the free dom of expression, and is not afraid to express their opinion. FIRE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring individual rights and due process, sent Dr. Palms a letter more than a month ago expressing concern about the stipulations of class participation in "Women's Studies 797: Seminar in Women's Studies," a required course for a degree in Women's Studies at USC. Professor Lynn Weber requires students to adhere to set ideologies in order to participate in classroom discussions. The syllabus states that participation counts for 20 percent of a stu dent's total grade. Weber also hands out "Guidelines for Classroom Discussion." These guidelines dictate students "acknowledge that racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, and other institutionalized forms of oppression ex ist." Weber's "Guidelines" also suggest that "we are systematically taught misinformation about our own group and about members of other groups." In addition, the "Guidelines" outlined in the syllabus asks that students enrolled in the course "agree to combat actively the myths and stereotypes about our own group and other groups.” According to FIRE, a liberal arts institu tion should not force political beliefs on its stu dents but should promote freethinking and con sider individual opinions. FIRE compares Weber's insistence that stu dents agree with set standards to a religion pro fessor demanding that his students commit themselves to Christian or atheistic beliefs in order to obtain a degree in theology. According to FIRE representatives, "Students and professors should be at liberty to hold and voice any viewpoints they wish. A university in which students are not allowed to disagree with their professors on funda mental assumptions about reality is incapable of intellectual innovation, critical dialogue, meaningful discourse, or true scholarship." FIRE contends that Dr. Palms must imme diately address this potential breach of free dom at USC. Dr. Palms has yet to respond to FIRE'S let ter. Lynn Weber and the director of FIRE could not be reached for comment. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Inmate gets new trial thanks to sleeping lawyer BYANNEGEARAN ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court de livered a victory Monday to a death row inmate who said his lawyer snoozed through much of his trial, a possible prelude to broader exami nation of the quality of legal help available to poor defendants facing the death penalty. The high court refused a request from Texas authorities, who wanted the court to re instate a murder conviction and death sentence against Calvin Jerold Burdine, who claimed that his court-appointed lawyer slept for up to 10 minutes at a time during crucial phases of the 1984 trial. "The Supreme Court has served justice to day by finding it unacceptable that an attorney should flagrantly nap during a trial in which a man's life is at stake," said Sue Gunawardena Vaughn, director of Amnesty International's Program to Abolish the Death Penalty. The case now returns to Texas, where au thorities must decide whether to retry Burdine or set him free. The state had argued that Burdine could not show his trial would have come out differently if his lawyer had stayed awake. The Constitution guarantees the right to a lawyer, and the Supreme Court has previously said that means the right to an effective lawyer. Burdine's victory Monday is not necessari ly encouraging for other defendants in the long term, said Stephen Bright, a death penalty op ponent at the Southern Center for Human Rights. "The constitutional rule that comes out of this term is that courts should have very strong coffee available to defense lawyers," Bright said. "If the lawyer stays awake (this year's deci sions) suggest that any lawyer is going to be good enough for this Supreme Court. Only in the most dramatic and outrageous cases, such as a lawyer sleeping through the trial, is there going to be any relief given." After the trial, the jury foreman and a court clerk described how court-appointed lawyer Joe Cannon slept for up to 10 minutes at a time. Cannon, denied falling asleep. Burdine lost several rounds of appeals and survived six execution dates before a federal court agreed that Cannon's performance vio lated Burdine’s constitutional right to an effec tive lawyer. A federal appeals court panel first reversed that finding in a highly criticized rul ing in 2000. The full appeals court then agreed to hear the case, and agreed with the first court that Burdine did not get a fair chance to defend himself. The Supreme Court let that ruling stand. • 11:00 AM 2:00 PM Noon 1:00 PM 1:05 2:05 PM 5:00 - 5:20 PM 5:30 - 6:30 PM i ■ 5:30 6:30 PM 5:30 - 6:30 PM 6:45 7:45 PM Women on Weights Monday. Friday Lower Weight Room Faculty/Staff Workout Monday, Wednesday and Thursday Step Combo Monday, Wednesday, Friday Body Sculpt Tuesday and Thursday Water Exercise Tuesday Shallow Wednesday Deep II This schedule will run from Monday, June 3 - Friday, August 2, 2002 Participants need to pay the $10 summer fitness pro gram fee and sign a waiver before taking part in any group exercise sessions. For information stop by the Campus Recreation front desk, 202 Blatt PE Center or call 777-1827. t wivw.sa.sc.edu/pecenter/fit.htm *