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Quote, Unquote ‘I think it [music] kind of ran its course from 1967 - 79. That was the golden age of rock.’ Robert Pollard, lead singer, Guided by Voices ■Che ©amccocli Wednesmy, January 26,2000 Whc (Bamcock 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 Late cancellation endangers students he “Blizzard of 2000” brought more than 4 inches of snow to the Columbia area, but some might not remember the beauty of the weather as much as they’ll remember the in considerateness of the university in its late cancellation of classes Tuesday. Unlike other local schools, which gave their students plenty of notice by canceling Tuesday classes early Monday evening, USC decided it would go along with whatever Gov. Jim Hodges an nounced concerning state offices. So, following Hodges’ lead, ad ministrators announced Monday night that classes wouldn’t begin until 11 a.m. Tuesday. And it wasn’t until between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Tuesday morning that local media outlets announced that classes were off for the day. By then, many commuting students and professors were al ready making the dangerous trip to campus, only to find classroom buildings locked because they’d left home before the announce ment was made. Winter weather seems to have befuddled the administration again this year, just as it did last year when campus saw an inch of snow. Sadly, even though the roads were bad enough to warrant the cancellation of classes, many students made the dangerous commute just the same because of the late announcement. We applaud the administration for making a prompt announce ment concerning Wednesday’s classes, but it doesn’t reverse T\ies day’s problems. Next time, we suggest that the administration give students and faculty more notice to prevent its 15,000 off-campus students from having to make a needless commute. Legalizing tattooing right thing to do A House subcommittee has passed a bill to legalize tattooing in South Carolina in an effort to maintain public health safety and regulate the practice. According to officials, tattooing has long been illegal in South Carolina mainly because of a conservative attitude, which goes so far as to make illegal the selling of ferrets. Avid tattoo aficionados who live in South Carolina might no longer have to worry about making the long drive to Atlanta or Charlotte to get a tattoo. Those who didn’t have the resources to take an out-of-state trip usually visited one of several illegal tat too parlors in Myrtle Beach. With the passing of this legislation, there’s now hope for a guarantee that tattooing in South Carolina will be licensed and sanitary. The Department of Health and Environmental Control supports the measure because illegal tattooing isn’t regulated and could spread diseases when dirty needles are used. This is a big step in the right direction toward the advancement of free expression in the state of South Carolina. It’s about time state legislation stops being stubborn about letting people express themselves through body art. Maybe next we can all own ferrets, as well. 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. Adoress The Gamecock 1400 Greene Street Columbia, SC 29208 Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Stuoemt Media Area code 803 Advertising 777-3888 Classified 777-1184 Fax 777-6482 Office 777-3888 Gamecock Area code 803 Editor gckeddsc.edu 777-3914 News gcknewsdsc.edu 777-7726 Viewpoints gamecockviewpointsdhotmail.com 777-7181 Etc. gcketcdsc.edu 777-3913 Encore! gamecockencoredhotmail.com 777-3913 Sports gcksportsdsc.edu 777-7182 Online www.gamecock.sc.edu 777-2833 Submission Policy Letters to the editor or guest columns are wel come from all members of the Carolina community. Letters should be 250-300 words. Guest columns should be an opinion piece of about 600-700 words. Both must include name, phone number, pro fessional title or year and major, if a student. Handwritten submissions must be personally deliv ered to Russell House room 333. E-mail submis sions must include telephone number for confirma tion. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit for libel, style and space. Anon^nous letters will not be published. Photos are required for guest colum nist and can be provided by the submitter. The Gamecock Ken ley Young Editor in Chief Brad Walters 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 Kevin Langston Encore Editor Student Media Ellen Parsons Director Susan King Creative Director Kris Black Julie Burnett Todd Hooks Betsy Martin Kathy Van Nostrand Creative Services Kenton Watt Advertising Manager Carolyn Griffin Amy Goulding Travis Lynn Photo Editors Will Gillaspy Online Editor Peter Johnson Asst. Viewpoints Editor Kelly Haggerty Patrick Rathbun Asst. News Editors MacKenzie Craven Asst. EtCetera Editor Shannon Rooke Asst. Sports Editor Robert Fleming Asst. Encore Editor Charles Prashaw Shawn Singleton Charlie Wallace Senior Writers Emily Streyer Editorial Contributor Business Manager Sherry Holmes Classified Manager Erik Collin* Faculty Adviser Jonathan Dunagin Graduate Assistant Robyn Gombar Gina McKelvey Melissa Millen Brantley Roper Nicole Russell Advertising Staft The Gamecock Hey, General Sherman, you forgot something. Social Issues Respect yourself, or others won't She stood alone with tears falling from her eyes, wondering what she could have done different ly. He stood alone at the cor ner of the bar, wondering what was taking the bartender so long to get his drink. Moments later, one of her friends ap proached her with a simple question: “Why Brock Vergakis is a journalism junior and Viewpoints editor. He can be reached at game cockview points@hotmaii .com do you constantly take all his shit?” Then came her answer, so brief, yet so complex in understanding. “Because he loves me,” she said. What caused her to start crying only moments earlier was that the one who “ioved” her violently grabbed her arm and told her to shut the hell up and get her fat ass out of the bar. This from the one she says “loves” her. I stood alone, watching in amazement as all of this transpired, wondering how someone could allow herself to be treat ed this way. But then I remembered the answer, he loves her. While I patiently waited for a bever age, I heard him explain to anyone who would listen why he took the action that he did. Apparently, the “disagreement” took place because she ran into an ex boyfriend earlier that night whom she still wanted to be friends with. All of his buddies seemed to think he was right, saying things like, “Serves the bitch right” and “What a whore.” She had just been described as a bitch and a whore because she wanted to be friends with someone. But don’t worry, it’s not a big deal, because he loves her, she says. She tells her friends to leave her alone because they don’t know him as she does. They don’t know, the way she does, how much he cares about her. Tired of the frustration, her friends oblige and leave her alone, tears still falling from her eyes. Tired of seeing how someone could show such little respect for herself, I got my drink and left. This entire “drama” took place in less than 10 minutes. It’s absolutely amazing how much people can reveal about themselves in that little time. It’s absolutely amazing how completely disgusted I be came with two people in less than 10 minutes. I couldn’t believe the nerve he had to treat her in such a horrible manner. The pure arrogance he displayed in his self righteousness was mind-blowing. Instead of being happy he was the one with his girl friend, his jealousy consumed him and he showed everyone there what a monster he was able to be. Everyone realized what a complete jerk he was being - everyone, that is, except his girlfriend. f She’s obviously been blinded in the name of “love.” There’s absolutely no rea son for any girl to put up with that type of behavior from any guy, but she did so be cause she says he “loves” her. She puts up with it and gets frustrat ed with others because nobody else can understand how much he cares about her. She’s absolutely right. I’ve never been able to understand how that type of be havior can be misconstrued as coming from someone who cares about another. I’m sure her friends can’t understand, either, and I take pity on all of those who can. Maybe the bruise he put on her arm was the first time he had ever done any physical damage to her, maybe it’s not. Of tentimes, though, mental abuse is just as bad as physical. Whether it’s an insult or an open hand thrown at someone, it’s bound to cause suffering. I would hope that everyone in a situ ation like this would be able to recognize it and get out as soon as possible, but as this weekend proved to me, this is not always the case. It bothers me to think that next time, it’s quite possible it might be one of my friends who gets in a situation like this and doesn’t get out. I hope that this will never happen, and I wish nobody ever has to go through life with someone who “cares” about them the way this guy cares for his girlfriend. Most of all, I hope everyone realizes that to get out of such a situation takes courage and self-respect. Because if you don’t show respect for yourself, you can’t expect any body else to. Financial Issues BellSouth much too greedy BS: BellSouth or bullsh_t? With BS pushing to increase your monthly bills by as much as $17 per phone line, the answer is easy. The S.C. Public Service Commission is de riding whether to establish a univer sal service fund to subsidize service to remote, high-cost areas in the state. The fund, which would most ly benefit BS, Mario Ona is a journalism .senior and can be reached at game cockview points@hotmail. com would become one of the most expensive plans in the nation. In 1997, BS, with its near monopoly in providing local service, said the outrageous amount of $440 mil lion would be needed for the fund. PSC, since then, has computed the data itself and says the fund needs $330 million. Whoops, a discrepancy of ONLY $110 million! Where is the seriousness? To put these num bers in perspective, North Carolina, a state twice as laige and twice as populated as South Carolina, proposed $12 million. Our state is asking for more than 36 times that amount! The $440 million translates to as much as $17 a month more for everyone. And we get upset when stamps go up a cent! For some people, that would near ly double their monthly bills. For a small company with several phone lines, costs would increase substantially. For senior cit izens with a fixed income, that’s more than $200 a year more - an additional cost many won’t be able to afford. And for the ma jority of nonrural dwellers, it would mean paying something for nothing. These tac tics explain how BS recently reported an earnings increase of 9.1 percent from last ' year. It went from $23.1 billion to $25.2 billion. Without any numbers to compare BS’s increase in earnings, it’s difficult to understand how insulting BS’s profits are to its clients. Usually, when a company is as big as BS and its market share is close to 100 percent, simply maintaining its share and revenues is a success. Yet BS, despite already controlling almost the entire mar ket, has the luxury of having increases of 9.1 percent in revenue. The fund is a good example of how BS operates. They say the fund would be rev enue neutral, but given BS’s history of doing whatever it takes to make the buck, it’s hard to believe that they’re doing some thing without monetary compensation. BS is probably doing what I used to do when I wanted a G.I. Joe. If I wanted one, I’d ask my parents for two. We would baigain, and I’d end up with the one Joe I originally wanted. But there are differences between BS and me. I was 6 when I resorted to those tactics, and even at that age, I had morals. I wouldn’t ask for nine G.I. Joes when I needed only one. BS, however, is asking for 9 G.I. Joes, and if they get 7, they could n’t be happier. Worst of all, you and I will be paying for those Joes. Some say that BS’s aim is to have some “cushion money” to ensure that when competition gets too close, BS can afford to drop its prices. With this “cushion money” set aside, BS could afford to drop its rates without losing any thing. To me this sounds very convincing, pecially when BS refuses to voice its opin ions on the issue. What are they hiding? Why can’t they justify why they need so much money? This ends up being a good case study for the flaws of capitalism - when people begin to make money, they get ad dicted and don’t know when to stop. They don’t know when enough is enough. The motivation to make money surpasses so cial responsibility and even humanity. Sure, people have the right to make as much mon ey as they can. But do people or oiganiza tions realize that sometimes it is at the expense of others? BS seems to have fall en into this trap. It wants to continue in creasing its profits. Considering that BS es sentially has a monopoly, the only way to increase profits is to take more money from the people it serves. And because the people don’t have a choice, they hav^m^ submit to BS’s game. Where is the si|j^ ‘ responsibility? Where are the values of uas company? What can we do? You can con tact the PSC and voice your opinion. Don’t let BS get away with this. Save yourselves $17 a month. PSC’s Web address is www.psc.state:*c.us, and you can call the commission at '737-5230. Letters Capstone crime violates residents As a resident of Capstone House, I, too, would like to comment on the recent string of thefts that occurred here last week. I have a comment on this issue because like others, I found myself violated by this thief. The fact that this person was able to walk into my room while I lay there sleep ing and lift my belongings leaves me with a feeling that words cannot describe. It is not so much that they stole my jewelry, because those items can be re placed, but that I was there when it hap pened. Since the robbery, I’m constantly thinking of what I should have done to pre vent this or what would have happened if I had woken up and found this person in my room. It pisses me off to realize that this person knows exactly what I look like, when I have no clue as to who they might be. To know that I can be passing them on my way to class or work irritates the hell out of me. To the robber, I’ll give it to you, you got me good. However, though your tactic seems clever and effective at the moment, your luck is sure to run out! I know that I said the items you stole can and, may I add, will be replaced, but I would like to take this opportunity to ask you for my belongings back. I know that it is unrealistic to think that I’ll get everything if anything back at all, but can I at least get back my class ring, my mother’s cluster and my boyfriend’s bracelet with his name on it? I mean, let’s be for real, who are you going to sell a class ring to? Finally, to those Vho did not find yourselves a victim of this person’s crime, I’ll leave you with a little advice: Don’t let your guard down because you might end up like me and other students who live here at the infamous Capstone House. Felicia Brown Business Sophomore Administration gets F on snow storm Please pass along my wannest and most sincere appreciation to the administration of the University of South Carolina for the outstanding job they did in reacting to the recent snowstorm. With unparalleled com petence and despite all the modem means of quick communication (e-mail, radio and television), somehow they still managed not to inform many of us that classes would be canceled Jan. 25. The mile walk in the snow this morning was nice exercise any way. KarlTyer Graduate student Daria Moore School of Business Heritage is no excuse for hate After reading what the misinformed and misguided Thomas A. Eybl wrote in his let ter Monday, I was aghast. The Statehouse is the governmental institution of every one in South Carolina. Heritage is no ex cuse for hate, and it’s not justiHeat on to alienate an entire population. Not every one in South Carolina finds 300 years of oppression, degradation and enslavement worth honoring. Mr. Eybl said that he is disappointed that The Gamecock hasn’t come fully into the new millennium. Well, I am heartbroken that he encourages this state’s stagnation, with its “plantation men tality,” and that he has failed to bring him self and those around him into the 21 st cen tury, where narrow-mindedness and prejudice aren’t accepted. For him to be a member of the race that the flag is constantly berating, it is difficult to fathom how he can believe the propa ganda spread by the very ones who would have him still in bondage and in “colored only” sections had the National Associa tion for the Advancement of Colored Peo ple and many others not fought and died to get it changed. Perhaps they should fly a flag in their honor. Furthermore, the ques tion shouldn’t be whether Malik Husser speaks for the entire university, but whether the flag speaks for the entire state. Now Mr. Eybl can proclaim his support and speak of all the other “Southerners” who believe as he does about the flag, but I and 50,000 others were not afraid to let our voices be heard just a week ago. The NAACP is not the enemy of South Carolina; the foe is the members of the Leg islature who refuse to listen to the pro gressive and common-sensed people of the state. We should not be glorifying or flying the Confederate flag. If we are a universi ty of the next generation, we shouldn’t want to carry the sins of our fathers with us in to what could be a wonderful future. Kamilla Bostick Journalism Freshman