These are letters to the editor written by CofC Honors College first-year writers published by the Charleston Post and Courier in the Fall 2015 semester. Follow the links to the P&C websites.
Phillip Greene, “On with the show at the new Gaillard,” 17 October 2015
The Concert Hall of Charleston, the Gaillard, is re-opening this season after being renovated. Charlestonians should be excited for their beautiful new venue, because a concert hall of the caliber of the Gaillard is a unique resource for a city to have and the Gaillard is of extreme quality. Yo-Yo Ma, the finest cellist in the world, and perhaps the most famous living classical musician is headlining the program of the opening gala.
The gala will be followed by a season of Masterworks, featuring the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, with new musical director Ken Lam at the podium. Lam brings new energy to the classical music scene in Charleston, after the Charleston Symphony experienced several years of financial peril.
The Gaillard is unique in our city because it serves as a place where people can go to listen to classical music. When people listen to classical music, they are transported back to the era in which the piece was performed. Classical music remains important not only because it is aurally pleasing, but also because of its apparent connection to the historical events that shape the music.
Since music is such an important part of culture, classical music becomes a medium to explore history. For example, when the Charleston Symphony Orchestra plays Beethoven’s 9th Symphony on Oct. 24, those in attendance will be listening to the first symphony ever to include a choir. Perhaps the most incredible part of the symphony is the fact that Beethoven composed it after he had lost his hearing. It is remarkable to be able to share the same jaw-dropping experience that people did in 1824, because it links you to a cultural phenomenon that occurred centuries ago.
The newest venue in Charleston will serve as an original way to experience the beauty of the past in a city that is already filled with an abundance of history. After years of uncertainty, the classical musical scene in Charleston is re-establishing itself along with the opening of the Gaillard. I encourage the citizens of Charleston who have never experienced the symphony to give the new and improved Gaillard a try, and to really get excited about all of the music that is happening in Charleston.
Show me a downtown driver, and I’ll show you a person who doesn’t think much about the safety of bikers on downtown streets.
As a student at the College of Charleston, I ride my bike somewhere downtown several times a week. Occasionally those trips take me three or four miles from campus. The biggest challenge I face when biking that far isn’t the workout, but the lack of respect I get from every other driver on the road.
Downtown Charleston streets are narrow and can be extremely dangerous during rush hours. Despite low speed limits, drivers fly while rushing to their destinations. In a city where bikes are so common, it is surprising that so little attention is focused on this issue.
In a study by the Alliance for Biking and Walking, South Carolina was ranked in the top four states for biker and pedestrian fatalities. It was at the very bottom for spending on bike lanes and sidewalks. This is no coincidence. Yet the number of cyclists downtown increases.
It is both infuriating and terrifying that every time I ride my bike downtown I get crushed towards the side of the road and almost forced off of it as drivers whiz around me at ridiculous speeds. It’s impossible to avoid riding bicycles on downtown roads. Even if I could keep up with the pace of traffic, I suspect drivers would still not respect me. Since I am more vulnerable on my bicycle than people are in cars, drivers do whatever it takes to avoid me — even speeding around me rather than following at a safe distance as they would a car. This attempt to avoid an accident only escalates the danger for cyclists.
We must eradicate the stigma associated with cyclists, or at least move towards wider acceptance of bikes as vehicles if we want downtown streets to be safer.
Hayley Mazur, “Offshore Drilling too risky,” 25 September
Gov. Nikki Haley has decided to pursue offshore drilling because she believes it is important for our economy, but does she realize that drilling off shore — no matter how careful — will damage marine life?
Marine organisms are already in jeopardy all over the globe due to over fishing, climate change and pollution. Promoting an industry that could be toxic to marine organisms off the shore of South Carolina is a mistake. The risk is not worth the reward.
Remember the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf Coast? Eleven workers died and millions of gallons of crude oil polluted the gulf, resulting in the deaths of millions of organisms. For months, seabirds were found on beaches covered in oil, unable to fly, and doomed to death because of the drilling.
Oil rig spills are not uncommon. Every spill adds to the pollution of our planet and damages nearby coasts. Do we really want our beautiful shorelines to turn into black, toxic goo? Every spill kills organisms already in danger. Do we want that? Every spill off South Carolina’s coast would damage our marine environment.
Offshore drilling in South Carolina will affect all of us. It will damage us by damaging our unique wildlife. Is that what we want?
Wilson Ford, “Public Green Space worth Defending,” 20 September
I would like to commend Mayor Joe Riley for his consistent endorsement of public parks in the City of Charleston. After reading about Longborough Park, I find it comforting that the city is taking care of those who lack the luxury of enjoying waterfront property.
As a college student I spend nearly all of my time rushing down crowded city streets, taking in hard gray buildings without the opportunity to gaze upon the natural beauty of Charleston.
With all of the issues pressing on the city, including growth, traffic and race relations, the mayor’s interest in public parks is especially admirable. They are an underrated resource.
Nowadays, with the onslaught of technology, it is ever more important to spend time in the natural environment. In nature exists a solace we can find nowhere else.
Only with a waterfront view can we glimpse a great blue heron swooping in to claw a snapping menhaden. Only in nature can we absorb the effulgence of a sunrise. Only in nature can we live outside of our ever present burdens, problems and stress.
I thank the mayor for his brilliant prioritizing and encourage everyone to enjoy Charleston’s beautiful natural landscape.
Take a break from the routine and take advantage of the wonderful opportunities the city has created for you.
Madison Rahner, “Eliminate the need for school choice,” 18 September
School choice is a great idea in theory — allowing academically driven kids the option of pursuing a more fulfilling and rigorous curriculum is commendable.
However, the consequences are steeped in inadequate educational standards, classism and systematic oppression.
Students should not have to attend a magnet school, miles out of the way, to receive a competent education. The fact that this is even a topic of discussion shows that our schools are failing our students and falling shamefully behind national standards for education.
The fault in school choice is that it’s almost the only choice for anyone looking to excel academically.
Were we to invest money in subsidizing tuition and transportation to private schools in the region, it’s valid to think that some, potentially many, students would be helped, but it’s a matter of which students.
Even with subsidies alleviating some of the burden, only the most privileged and determined students with willing and able parents would be able to take advantage of it, leaving the students who need it most without that opportunity. This would exacerbate the existing, systematic oppression of the poor and widen the gap between the middle class and the poverty-stricken for generations to come.
Removing well-off kids with strong support from their families from a struggling school will leave the rest of the school to plunge further into academic ineptitude.
Without the benefit of positive student relationships, good role models and positive peer pressure, classroom behavior and grades will further deteriorate along with patron donations, PTA support and standardized test scores.
Instead of investing money in school choice subsidies, invest money in teachers, student resources, adequate facilities and extracurricular activities.
Erase the need for school choice and improve our city for generations to come by leaving no student behind and helping Charleston succeed not only as a school district, but as a stronger, more egalitarian community.
These are students who entered into real public debate by publishing letters to the editor in the Post and Courier on their research (and other) topics in Fall 2013.
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Catherine Stiers, 14 December 2013, Post and Courier
Risks to Students
Ever since I moved to the College of Charleston campus, I’ve been appalled at the risks students face just by walking around campus during peak traffic hours.
I have heard many stories of students being hit, or almost hit, by vehicular traffic. You may chalk this up to irresponsible young pedestrians who like to jaywalk, but that isn’t always the case.
One of my friends was hit by a slow-moving car as he tried to cross the street completely legally. The impact was hard enough to leave a bruise. A friend of a friend was hit so hard while crossing on his skateboard that the skateboard broke.
I, myself, have witnessed a group of students scrambling out of the way as a car stopped on a crosswalk and attempted to back up, making contact with at least a few people.
The intersection of St. Philip and Calhoun streets seems to be the worst. I’ve narrowly avoided being hit there several times, through no fault of my own.
It seems to me that these issues are mostly caused by rushed student drivers or, more often than not, tourists who do not know how to drive in a city like Charleston. It is only a matter of time before a serious injury comes from this negligence.
It is my recommendation that the college hire traffic guards to monitor busy intersections during peak hours, and for Charleston drivers to pay more attention when navigating heavily traveled areas.
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Jessica Rutana, 11 December 2013, Post and Courier
Winning merger
As a pre-med student in the Honors College at the College of Charleston, I have been closely following the potential merger between MUSC and C of C. While I understand the trepidation behind some of the staff and students of both schools, I believe that a merger would be beneficial to the Charleston area.
I have heard talk of how the College of Charleston will lose its appeal because the strong focus on undergraduate education will be taken away, but I don’t think that is the case. Personally, a large part of the reason that I chose C of C was because of the close relationship with MUSC.
There are great volunteer and research opportunities at the tip of my finger, and a merger would strengthen them. Also, after speaking with students in my dorm, I have concluded that many others feel the same way.
Some fear the liberal arts might disappear from the curriculum with a merger, but if anything, they would be strengthened because the school could offer a Ph.D. in many subject areas, including liberal arts.
The merger would also benefit the Charleston economy by producing individuals with upper-level degrees to fill positions at companies such as Boeing. They would no longer need to draw employees from other parts of the state. Having a research university in the area would also draw other companies to Charleston.
Though talks of a merger between MUSC and C of C have been going on for decades, the recent boom in the Charleston economy allows the perfect backdrop for the merger to actually occur.
It would greatly benefit the city and its residents.
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Allie Harrell, 1 December 2013, Post and Courier
CofC merger-a bright idea
As an aspiring medical student, when I heard about the possibility of the College of Charleston and the Medical University of South Carolina merging, I was all ears. First of all, my decision to go to CofC was heavily influenced by its close proximity to MUSC. My rationale was that I would have plentiful opportunities to apply to positions at MUSC — in order to test the waters and see if medicine was really right for me.
I was exuberant with enthusiasm when I heard of a possible merger: I would have access to more experts and research opportunities.
With a merger, more CofC students would work on MUSC projects, and thus more research would be generated for the Charleston area. I recently read a scientific study that concluded bigger research teams yield more research than smaller counterparts.
With a merger, MUSC will be able to increase the number of people working on research projects. With each human addition, a new perspective is added. Combining many ideas to form one large, all-encompassing idea is what will stimulate and produce the best research.
As a Charleston resident, I want this research to be happening here — not in other research-heavy areas such as the Research Triangle in North Carolina.
With research, comes innovation, and I want Charleston to show up on the map as one of the nation’s most innovative and forward-thinking areas.
Research could equip students and professors alike with knowledge to improve local businesses and organizations. This will result in a more efficient business community for Charleston.
The merger would benefit me as a student, provide me with opportunities to research and help me further decide what I want to do once I graduate.
But ultimately it would benefit the Charleston community. It would generate more research for Charleston.
It would result in more state-of-the-art ideas, which could be translated to the business community, which would most importantly help the area generate economic growth.
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Sarah Wiegreffe, 29 November 2013, Post and Courier
New school
I am writing in response to the recent debate over the location of the new Berkeley County middle school, and the October 23 article “Daniel Island residents win battle to keep grades K-8.” I was surprised to read that Superintendent Rodney Thompson supports keeping the middle school on Daniel Island. I understand the land was donated, but isn’t respecting equal opportunities for all students more important? Equal opportunities includes equal commute times.
Take a look at the school bus schedules for students living near Clements Ferry Road attending both Daniel Island School and Cainhoy Elementary/Middle.
These students spend 40 minutes to an hour on the bus to and from school.
It is unfair to allow Daniel Island students to continue to be able to walk and bike to school at the expense of Cainhoy students’ long bus commutes.
Here’s an idea: Why not build the new middle school at the proposed Clements Ferry Road location, but instead of reconfiguring grades to make Daniel Island and Cainhoy K-8 schools elementary only, let them stay the way they are?
This will reduce commute times for students, support projected population growth on Clements Ferry Road, and fix the overcrowding issue.
The 454 students currently bused to Daniel Island School but living off the island will have a new school, and Daniel Island residents can still keep their “pedestrian lifestyle.”
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Molly Murray, 28 November 2013, Post and Courier
Cruise impacts
Charleston has been a part of the cruise ship industry for decades. However, in the past couple of years, the city has had to deal with controversy the cruise industry brings.
In 2010, the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SPA) introduced plans for a new cruise terminal in downtown Charleston.
Since then, frustration over the issue has been brewing and seems to have climaxed in recent months.
In September, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel voided the Army Corps of Engineers’ permit for the new Union Pier terminal. Now Charleston residents face uncertainty about what will come next.
Supporters of the plan believe it will economically benefit the city and will only yield positive outcomes. Although economic gains definitely follow close behind a new thriving tourist hub, I have a problem with the supporters’ argument.
Charleston, known for its iconic Southern charm, is home to brick sidewalks, rich Southern food and a history that dates back to 1670.
As a native of the hustling and bustling New York, I really appreciate the laid-back uniqueness and beauty the city offers.
Unfortunately, downtown Charleston is frequently inundated with thousands of bustling cruise ship tourists who don’t see the city as the historic beauty it is, but only another brief destination.
Charleston isn’t a Disneyland, it’s our home, and the cruise ship tourists are slowly stripping our home of the peaceful antiquity we have all come to love.
It’s obvious that the economic potential from the new Union Pier Terminal does not outweigh the growing cruise industry’s negative effects.
We need to take a stand for our city and preserve our beloved Charleston.
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Moriah Alten Flagg, 26 November 2013, Post and Courier
Pass texting ban
As a College of Charleston student coming from a state with strict texting-while-driving laws, I was appalled that South Carolina has no law against it. I was thrilled when Charleston passed the ban. I had been following the issue closely.
I understand that it will be difficult to transition into actually prosecuting lawbreakers, but I have seen no efforts to put this ban into effect.
Based on the article “Charleston police to post signs warning of texting ban” there should at least be signs and fliers with the details of the ban up by now. I have been looking for them while walking around on and off-campus and have seen none.
Also, to make matters worse I constantly see people texting while driving. Just recently, I witnessed a distracted driver almost hit a pedestrian in the cross-walk because he was texting and not paying attention. Texting while driving is dangerous, and police need to start prosecuting to protect the drivers and pedestrians of Charleston.
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Sierra Small, 24 November 2013
CofC a Tabacco Free Campus
The College of Charleston Board of Trustees and President George Benson recently approved a policy that will make the College of Charleston a 100 percent tobacco free campus beginning in July.
This is contrary to the previous policy that only prohibited smoking inside buildings and within 25 feet of designated smoke free entrances.
The decision has been one of controversy. Proponents are ecstatic at the protection of their health rights. Opponents feel their individual rights to decide to smoke are being infringed.
It seems to be human nature for individuals to desire that their rights be upheld even if they infringe upon the rights of others. It is in circumstances like these that the common good must be analyzed.
The College of Charleston has students, faculty and staff with pressing respiratory illnesses. There is also a large population of nonsmokers on the campus.
Due to the lack of efficiency in the policy passed in 2006, the health rights of nonsmokers were not protected from the negative effects of passive smoke.
As a student at the College of Charleston and a person battling a chronic respiratory illness, I can vouch for the extreme amount of smoke on the College campus. Every day I’m forced to hold my breath on the way to class to avoid inhaling the exhalations of smokers.
Although the decision to make the campus 100 percent tobacco free has caused conflicting responses, this is a decision that demands that all focus on the common good.
We must not see ourselves as individuals, but as synergistic members of a community. Rather than gloating about the decision, we must collaborate in supporting our governing authority, the Board of Trustees, and trust that their decision was for the good of the College of Charleston.
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Echo Buffalo, 22 November 2013, Post and Courier
Please Proceed
I attended two different high schools in South Carolina. These two high schools were twenty minutes way from each other, but could not be further away in expectations from their students. At one school, I was encouraged to not only perform well, but express my creativity, dive deep into concepts, and challenge myself. At the other school, emphasis was placed on memorizing the steps instead of thinking critically about the process and becoming Google search experts instead of fostering active curiosity. Throughout my first semester of college, it became clear to me which school better prepared me for the rigor I was now facing as a student.
If the Common Core State Standards were implemented in every South Carolina public school, I’d have no reason to debate which school primed me to be a critical thinker, a problem solver, or a lifelong learner. South Carolina has consistently ranked at the bottom for student achievement. Obviously our current standards are incapable of moving us forward.
Now, more than ever before, South Carolina’s future depends on our willingness to create a new educational framework, one that raises academic expectations of all students and provided them with the skills, tools, and resources needed to succeed.
Common Core is a step forward in the right direction towards equal education opportunities for all students. Where a child lives should not determine whether he or she is able to attain a quality education that will help them succeed in college and the workforce. Despite the recent rallies and bills pushed to stop Common Core, the implementation process should proceed for the betterment of South Carolina schools and students
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Julie Barton, 13 November 2013, Post and Courier, A10
Common Core
Before even reading the Nov. 8 article on Charleston County public schools’ report cards I knew there would be a reference made to the new Common Core standards explaining how they have improved our public school system.
It seems to me that every time something goes right with public education the S.C. Board of Education and the state Education Oversight committee immediately attribute the success to Common Core. On the flip side, whenever anything goes wrong in the school system, it is because Common Core has not had enough time to work.
I am a student who has looked at Common Core for a course dealing with local policies until I was blue in the face. These new standards of education are the foundation for average schools concerned with meeting benchmarks. South Carolina needs exceptional schools focused on surpassing the expectations of the Common Core standards.
South Carolina is not the only state where there is controversy over continuing on with the standards. While we might see improvements in S.C. schools, perhaps it is simply due to the recent emphasis on improving education outside of Common Core.
It is time to really look at Common Core and assess whether it truly is the best option for our situation. South Carolina may be better off developing strong state values that push students further.