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Quote, Unquote “The reason why you haven’t seen a Klansman is because they don’t burn crosses in your yard.” S.C. State Sen. Darrell Jackson Wk 0amcock Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08 Editorial Board Kenley Young • Editor in Chief Brad Walters • Managing Editor Brock Vergakis • Viewpoints Editor Peter Johnson • Assistant Viewpoints Editor Sara Ladenheim • Editorial Contributor Emily Streyer • Editorial Contributor *_ Cuban boy should • be returned to father he international tug of war between Cuba and the United States over the plight of Elian Gonzales highlights most nightly news hours and has been discussed from the kitchen tables across America to the Columbia GOP debate. What is right for the child seems to have been overshadowed in many instances by protest and in the case of the Republicans, a chance to show ag ing dictator Fidel Castro who has the upper hand in regards to freedom. Though it is true that the boy’s mother died trying to illegally gain entrance into the United States.from Cuba, where the boy’s father still lives, leaving this 6-year-old to have to decide between living with his only surviving immediate family member and hav ing a taste of freedom is ridiculous and unfair. The boy belongs wit., his father regardless of the political situation in his homeland. The situation needs to be addressed immediately with someone taking a stand for what is right for the child. If anything, the role of Gonzales’ mother should be questioned. Though she wanted to leave Cuba and knew the only way was illegally, she endangered her son’s life to do so. While the United States has offered a visa to Gonzales’ father, if he does not wish to raise his son in the United States, he has every right not to do so. After all, he is a parent, and the responsibility for the child is his. Career Center needs to offer better services he USC Career Center should be the first place students turn to in their job and internship searches. However, the primary research tool students use in conducting job and internship searches today is the Internet, and the Career Center’s Web site leaves much to be desired. Students won’t find any job or internship postings on USC’s Web site. What they will find are links to other schools’ Web sites, such as the University of Vnginia, that do have postings. Students also won’t find any help on how to make a resume on the Web site, but they will find directions on how to schedule an appointment with the Career Center for help or how to register with the fee-based resume expert computer program that is neces sary for students to participate in on-campus interviewing. Students will also be told that they must schedule an appoint ment to take a test that will help them choose a major. This also comes at a price. We believe the Career Center needs a more user-friendly Web site that all students can access. The Career Center needs to post job and internship listings to all students for free. Not all students . can afford to pay the fees associated with Resume Expert or the strong interest inventory. Nor do all students have time to go to the Career Center or schedule an appointment with one of their advisers. As students at this university, we must demand better service from those who will supposedly help us find jobs upon graduation. Until USC can provide decent services to its students and stop re ferring us to more prestigous institutions for job and internship searches, we will never get the respect we so desperately seek. About Us The Gamecock is the student newspaper of The University of South Carolina and is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the fall and spring semesters and nine times during the summer with the exception of university holidays and exam periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the editors or author and not those of The University of South Carolina. The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media is the newspaper's parent organization. The Gamecock is supported in part by student activities fees. ADDRESS The Gamecock 1400 Greene Street Columbia, SC 29208 Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Student Media Area code 803 Advertising 777-3888 Classified 777-1184 Fax 777-6482 Office 777-3888 Gamecock Area code 803 Editor gcked@sc.edu 777-3914 News gcknews@sc.edu 777-7726 Viewpoints gckviews@sc.edu 777-7181 Etc gcketc@sc.edu 777-3913 Sports gcksports@sc.edu 777-7182 Online www.gamecock.sc.edu 777-2833 .c,*»‘«issiON Policy Letters to the editor or guest columns are welcome from all members of the Carolina community. Letters should be 250-300 words. Guest ccrtimns should be an opinion piece of about 600-700 words. Both must include name, phone number, profes sional title or year and major, if a student. Handwritten submissions must be personally delivered to Russell House room 333. E-mail submissions to gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com must include tele phone number for confirmation. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit for libel, style and space. Anonymous letters will not be pub-a lished. Photos are n^quired for guest columnist and din be Provided by the submitter. Call 777-7726 for more information. The Gamecock Ken ley Young Editor in Chief Brad Watters Managing Editor Brock Vergakis Viewpoints Editor Clayton Kale News Editor Brandon Larrabee Associate News Editor Rebecca Cronican Ann Marie Miani EtCetera Editors David Cloninger Jeff Romig Sports Editors Kristin Freestate Copy Desk Chief Renee Oligny Copy Editor Amy Goulding Travis Lynn Photo Editors Stuoent Media Ellen Parsons Director of Student Media Susan King Creative Director Kris Black Julie Burnett Todd Hooks / Betsy Martin Kathy Van Nostrand Creative Services Kevin Langston Encore Edita Will Gillaspy Online Editor Peter Johnson Asst. Viewpoints Edita Kelly Haggerty Patrick Rathbun Asst. News Editors MacKenzie Craven Asst. EtCetera Edita Shannon Rooke Asst. Sports Edita Robert Fleming Asst. Encore Edita Jared Kelowitz Charles Prashaw Shawn Singleton Charlie Wallace Senia Writers Sara Ladenheim Emily Streyer Editaial Contributors Kenton Watt Advertising Manager Carolyn Griffin Business Manager Sherry Holmes Classified Manager Erik Collins Faculty Adviser Jonathan Dunagin Graduate Assistant College Press Exchange iN? jnAlvy' igHJKen IfiSSL THoWffTS? ge „ ■weyewoiMaj OHlQW-THis: fWTCAXUMt'S ...TVuewDe Social Issues Eating disorders aren't diseases During win ter break, I found out that a close friend of mine used to have an eating disorder. During this con versation, some body made a re mark that those who have an eat ing disorder have a “disease.” I was com pletely offended at this statement, just as everyone else should be. It’s a complete insult to any and every one who has ei ther suffered from or died from a real disease. Cancer, AIDS, leukemia, heart disease and Parkinson’s Disease are all real diseases. Try to tell someone who’s suffering from one of these diseases that an eating disorder fits in the same category. Try to tell someone who’s lost a loved one to leukemia that a girl who refuses to eat is suffering from a disease. An eating disorder is not a disease, but rather a pathetic attempt at gaining at tention. This friend of mine is not the first I’ve had that’s had an eating disorder, or the first I’ve had to show tendencies to ward one. In all cases, one thing has re Brock Vergatds is a junior jour nalism major and the Viewpoints Editor. He can be reached via The Gamecock at: gamecockvlew points@hotmail.c om mained constant: They’ve all been seek ing approval and attention. The two most common types of eat ing disorders are anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia is the “disease” where people simply choose not to eat, and if they do, it’s usually very little. In bulimia a per son eats, but then chooses to vomit it all up. In both instances a decision is made. It is the choice of the individual to partake in these activities. This no more qualifies as a disease than a person who habitually skips a class. At any point in time, the people who’ve decided they’re too fat and need to lose weight can come to their senses and quit what they’re doing. All it takes is will pow er. A person with AIDS can’t will their im minent death away. The person with AIDS has a disease. The person with AIDS would do anything in the world to gain weight. The person with AIDS isn’t selfish. People who have been through eating disorders, or those who have terrible self images and show tendencies toward them constantly try to explain that it’s more dif ficult to stop than anyone can imagine. To this I say, at least you can stop. At least you have the option. These people say they can’t help the way they are. They say they’ll always be that way, much the same way an alcoholic is always an alcoholic no matter how long he or she’s been without a drink. They say things that are meant to get them sympa thy. They say things that will get them com pliments. They say or do things' they know we’ll react to. My best friend my freshman year was one of these people that showed Tenden cies towards a disorder. She was the type who knew the amount of calories in eveiy thing the supermarket had. The type who took diet pills to lose weight. The type who would constantly go compliment fishing. She was one of the ones that would do anything to direct at tention to herself, regardless of how neg ative the consequences. She wasn’t fat, and to the best of my knowledge still isn’t, but no matter how small and skinny she got, it was never enough. No matter how many compliments she got, and no matter how much atten tion she received, it was never enough. To everyone out there with a friend like this, it never will be enough either. Catering to their “disease” will only en courage them. Telling them they’re already too skinny, that they lookgreat, their butt’s not big and that they look better than the girls on television will only encourage them to continue their disorders. And when it comes to that, you’re not a solution to the “disease”; you’re part of the problem. One’s time is better spent helping those actually in need. So next time one of your friends with an eating disorder, or disor der tendencies goes compliment fishing, save your breath. Save it for the little kid in the hospital who won’t get to experience life because he has a real “disease.” Save it for those who didn’t have a choice. . The Washington Post "I PONT KNOW WHERE YOUR SOCKS ARE, A HP IFTOtl KEEPC0P1IN6INHERE WITHTWTtW! I'M 60IN6TOrAlLOSHA'' Questions & Answers Who is the Russell House named for? T The building is named for U.S. Circuit Court Judge Donald S. Russell (Class of 1925, Law 1928). Russell was president of USC from 1952 to 1957. He was instrumental during that time in the passage of legislation allowing state institutions of higher learning to issue tuition and dormitory-revenue bonds to finance permanent improvements. Judge Russell, who was appointed to the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court in 1971, is a for mer U.S. assistant secretary of state, gover nor of South Carolina and U.S. senator. He has served as a trustee of Emory University, Spartanburg Junior College, Converse College. Christ School and Benedict College. Do you have questions about anything on campus? Email us at gamecockviewpoints@holmail.com or bring a letter up to Russell House 333, and we ’ll answer your questions. trie. Do you think your opinion matters? Then send a letter to the editor. $ f 1 r Campus Issues Resolve * not to resolve Well, here-, we are at the start of a new semester. A new year filled with new hopes and ex pectations for our i selves. And me a new columnist, here to fill your pretty lit tle heads with my ideas and beliefs. I hope they’ll be new and different from the ideas you’ve read in columns past. But all -in all, I'm just an other face you might see around campus. And you'll probably say to yourself, "Hey, there’s that jackass tney got writing columns up mere at The Gamecock. What a freak." Anti maybe you’Ve made a resolution to stop judging people in this new year. Well, 1 Irate to break it to you, but you just failed in record time, and even before I’ve made the main point on which this column is to be based. The point is that New Year’s resolu tions are destined to fail. Hey, don’t argue with me; you’re tire one who proved me right by judging me in our first paragraph. Ignore the propaganda that those people in EtCetera are feeding you in today's edition. You’re not going to keep that promise to yourself to quit smoking or lose that extra weight, so why even bother making it? If you really want to drop.that bad habit of yours, the best way is to follow the words of Nike and "Just Do It." No pressure, no promises, no problem. This may be a chal lenge for many of you, but if you have any desire to change, you will find the strength to prevail. 1 he key in that paragraph is will pow er,' and in that lies the entire problem. We, as Americans and more so as humans, are based in failure. Our lives are filled with empty promises to ourselves and others, and we are too easily satisfied with small personal victories.' How many people do you know1 whp have attempted to do something healthy for themselves and failed? Just about every one I know (myself included) has attempted strides at health-conscious behavior. It may be totally hypocritical to be writing this column, byt I don’t care. Take this scenario. You want to lose weight, so you go on a three-day diet. Af ter a few days,you Can’t wait any longer and step on the scale to find that you’ve lost 5 pounds. Granted, this is good news for you, but is it reason to celebrate with a big, greasy pizza? Doesn’t that defeat the entire purpose? We are a society too in love with our vices to change our ways. For most of us, our main concern in life is making money. Health and happiness always seem to take a back seat. We are too stubborn and lazy to change our ways, but we blame it on our hectic schedules and promise ourselves that we’ll do it tomorrow. Fast forward to to morrow and we repeat this same proceddre until we are fat, sickly and balding and it’s too late. Do we propose these unrealistic reso lutions in our collective drunken New Year’s Eve haze? How could We possibly be so naive to think that what we’re setting out to do could possibly last beyond a week or two? New Year’s resolutions seem to usu ally turn out quite disastrous for those who dare make them. One friend resolved to quit smoking, but ended up increasing his daily nicotine fix after a few measly weeks of cutting back to ultralight cigarettes. ' Another friend resolved to lose his vir ginity and did so hastily at the end of the year with the wrong person, and now re grets the decision. My point is, if you are overweight, you will remain overweight. If you are imma ture and lazy, you will remain immature and lazy. If you smoke, you will continue to smoke. It is almost impossible to circle a day on a calendar and change yourself from that day forth. The only way you can change who or how you are is to be fed up with who or how you are. And no time table can be placed oh when you will decide that yoi/are fed up with yourself and-your bad habits. Pete Johnson is a senior journalism major •and the Assistant Viewpoints Editor. He can be reached by e-mail at: gamecockvie points@hotmaihc om