Editorials from across South Carolina: domestic violence, ill-advised prank, SC State trustees

Domestic violence

As of 2015, the most recent year with available data, South Carolina remained among the top five states for women killed by men.…

And given the high rate of women who are killed with guns, state lawmakers should take a tougher look at gun laws rather than working to dramatically weaken them, as some in the state House and Senate did during the most recent legislative year.

Chief among the priorities should be closing the so-called Charleston loophole that helped Dylann Roof purchase the gun he used to murder nine men and women at the Emanuel AME Church in June 2015. A drug possession charge ought to have raised a red flag during a background check.

Current law allows a gun purchase to proceed if a background check has not been finalized within a three-day window. Given that the overwhelming majority of checks are processed within minutes, the wait period could be extended indefinitely without inconveniencing most lawful gun buyers.

At the very least, the maximum wait period should be lengthened significantly. After all, a background check is useless if it has not been completed.

Ill-advised student prank

Four students at Anderson’s Westside High School learned a painful lesson last week: joking about rape is no laughing matter.

Two seniors and two sophomores at the school made the unwise decision to spell out the word rape on their bodies and captioned the photo, “What we do to Daniel,” a rival high school. The photo was shared on social media and now the four students, all young men, are facing undisclosed disciplinary action.

It’s a tough lesson, but one that needed to be handed out.…

Newton said the story about the incident has gone viral, appearing on CNN and in tabloids as far away as London. Such publicity has cast the school in a bad light, because of the decisions of a few.

Teenagers play pranks all the time. Most don’t rise to the level of resulting in punishment. Social media, which is filled with funny photos and memes that are shared freely, contribute to the desire of some students to be clever and perhaps have a post go viral. Social media leaves a footprint. Hopefully, these students won’t have trouble getting into special programs or being admitted to college as a result of their actions.

S.C. State trustees

No matter the reason for only one candidate filing for the 12 board positions at South Carolina State, the result is an opportunity for the university to continue under its present leadership and phase in new trustees.

When the Legislature mandated a solution to the fiscal crisis at S.C. State in 2015, it ousted the former board and appointed a seven-member panel to get the job done.…

In addition to securing state fiscal assistance, the university is operating in the black, has increased enrollment and has set the stage for long-needed improvements in infrastructure from buildings to technology. The board and interim administration made difficult and unpopular decisions that helped S.C. State remove the specter of losing accreditation. And when Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ probation was lifted, the trustees moved to put in place permanent leadership with one of their own: President James Clark.

The decision allowed a seamless transition and solidified the type of relationship between board and administration needed for a university on the road to better times.

But as Way has often stated, the work in unfinished. The present board is the right group to continue as trustees.

Members were selected to serve until June 30, 2018, “or until a full new board of trustees is elected and qualified.”

In order for them to continue serving, the Legislature will need to revisit the legislation.

The seven are needed as the Legislature goes about reaching the full complement of 12 legislatively elected board members over time. A completely new board taking over in 2018 is simply not a sound approach.