University of South Carolina Libraries
Quote, Unquote ‘I have been pig racing at the State Fair since 1989.' Richard Humphreys, Pig Racer Whc (Smccock Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q0S Editorial Board Brock Vergakis • Editor in Chief Kevin Langston • Viewpoints Editor Nathan White • Asst. Viewpoints Editor Patrick Rathbun • Editorial Contributor Brad Walters • Editorial Contributor Martha Wright • Editorial Contributor Recent bike incidents raise safety concerns Two hit-and-run bicycle deaths in the Columbia area this past week have raised concerns about bicycle safety. Dr. Harry Sunshine, 55, died Sept. 30 when a car hit him 7rom behind on U.S. 1 in Northeast Richland, and this past Wednesday, 28-year-old Cedric Ward was struck dead in rural ^exington County. On USC’s campus, where bikes are common, these deaths ihould be a warning sign to both cyclists and motorists to be iware of each other to prevent tragedies like these from hap rening to a member of the campus community. Campus bikers, regardless of experience, should be mindful >f their surroundings at all times while riding and, of course, vear a helmet. More than 3,000 bikers have been injured in :ollisions involving motorists in the past five years, and 81 of hose have died, according to the state Department of Public iafety. The majority of those who died were not wearing hel note At the same time, motorists must respectfully share the oad with bikers and give them plenty of space. When a car md a bike collide, no matter who’s in the wrong, the biker A'ill probably get the worst of it. And because bike lanes are ill but nonexistent here, it’s even more important for mo orists to keep their eyes open. All it takes is one miscue for someone to be seriously in jured — as the campus learned in 1998 when a car struck and seriously injured a Bates House resident on Sumter Street. II cyclists and motorists alike use common sense, we can pre sent another such tragedy from happening here. Survey boasts dubious numbers on drinking Have you ever seen the survey by the Office ol Alcohol and Drug Programs about how “71% of USC students have 0 to 4 drinks when they party”? Who are these people in this bracket? More importantly, where does this 71 percent of USC’s student body party? The survey errs by including those who don’t drink with those who do. It might be that a greater majority of students just don’t drink, while those who do, drink heavily. The ad vertisements give no clarification as to how many of those surveyed don’t drink. Perhaps that’s why the advertisement’s numbers seem inacurrate when students go to parties with al cohol and see hundreds of people drinking a six-pack just to ^el started. The intention of these advertisements seems to be that stu dents don’t have to consume mass quantities of alcohol to have fun at USC. But something they probably didn’t think about is that a little drinking does a lot to some people, espe cially females, of which there are about 13,000 of at USC. So what if they’ve only had two drinks? Perhaps they’d drink more if they weren’t already drunk. College Press Exchange - Si&rr, riei F>isP->.I»A f orr^».ovi« a««a ...AHb7WlS0ME) IS FOR. THE RIGHT TOOf.CtUlEGA.YS, Aftt>7W/S0H£\S FOR LITIGATION... CL, TEACHIMS AUL'AMEWCWVAUJES Napster Where are our protest songs? The end of Napster is near. To prepare for this end of an era, I’ve spent the last few weeks staying up all night with the familiar homed Napster icon blink ing in front of me, till the morning light streams through my win dow and my com puter replies with hesitation to even the simplest orders. Tire first week nf mv Nlnt>dpr-lnvp Jennie Lightweis is a senior Englsih major. She writes every Monday. She can be reached at gamecockview points@hotmail. com was dedicated to finding till the songs I w;ut — all the one-hit wonders ;uul guilty plea sures I will not buy in niy favorite record store. This includes, but is not limited to, disco classics and novelty songs. The first song I ever downloaded from Napster— and that’s a milestone — was the Ohio Players’“Fire.” 1 am not ashamed, but I tint waiting for Metallica to personally close Napster’s — iuid my — shop. I can’t blame Metallica — catchy radio singles work well ;is hooks for bands who fill their albums with gaibage. They don’t want you to hear the rest of the album — they want you to buy their substandard product unheard. My second Napster week was more aesthetically dignified than the first. I used it to explore the rarities of artists I love. I was able to find Ani Di Franco’s acoustic version of the communist anthem “Work ers Internationale,” and Li/. Phair’s early “Girlysounds,” demos in addition to phe nomenal live shows by Polly Jean Harvey mid Diamanda Galas. My pri/c possession, from the second week, is Marianne Faith full ducting on “I Got You Babe,” with David Bowie. The third week was more of a wild card — now that I ’ve settled the accounts of what I long for mid what I can find on ly with the most difficulty, I’m dedicated to making sure I will never go without. So now I’m spending time sampling the work of artists I've only heard about. After a few weeks of musical explo ration mul possible violation of intellec tual property laws, one can come up with a lot of strange theories about music. My newest notion is that there are few girl bands on the level of *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys because young women arc encouraged lo undercut cacli other’s efforts rather than bond over dance moves and pre-teen groupies. The most popular girl group right now, Destiny's Child, and the model on which they are built, the Supremes, are more famous for their chang ing lineups and backstage outfights than their music. My second theory came in the wake of a late night of listening lo Phil Ochs. I decided my generation’s musicians suffer | from the crushing weight of legacy. After I Dylan, Ochs ;uid others, our protest mu sic scents ethereal, young and callow. In addition, our issues aren’t so explosive. The Vietnam War had the byproduct of uniting an entire generation in defiance' j of war, that machine that cats the young. 1 feel our collective generational stmgglcs are underrepresented. Protest bands like Rage Against the Machine and (to a less er degree) Marilyn Mattson are aberra tions. It’s time to write the soundtrack to revolution, <utd we’d better start with tut anthem praising Napster. Letters FDA’s mifepristone approval dangerous Reading Wednesday’s editorial “FDA chooses wisely in RU-486 approval” was disheartening. The editorial hoard failed to present all the facts ;ind inform the stu dent readers correctly, j > RU-486 (mifepristone) is an extremely dangerous pill. Dubbed a “human pesti cide” by some, this pill has been known to cause internal bleeding in women. How “wise” is it to ingest such a tox ic pill? The FDA switched its ruling in on ly a matter of months. Now, in a seemingly rash decision, the FI>\ approved the pill ;uid did so forty (.lays before the Presidential election in what could be ;ui effort by the Clinton admin istration to influence the election in favor ofAl Gore; such imprudence has already been recognized by nuiny on Gtpilol Hill. Says Rep. Tom Cobum, “Congress now has the unenviable task of correcting the FDA’s mistake.” I utge The Gamecock to not seek to influence potential buyers of the pill when you do not appropriate all the facts. What was especially appalling was The Gamecock’s rationalization behind be lieving this decision was intelligent: “Clin ic violence by abortion foes...is a prima ry reason mifepristone’s approval is a wise Yes, clinic bombings, break-ins, mid, of course, homicide of doctors is abhor rent — against what being pro-life truly means. That should stiind without argument; however, die logic behind The Gamecock’s excuse for the pill is faulty also. The Gamecock offers to allow a dan gerous RU-486 onto the market due to the wrongful actions by a handful of the move ment against abortion who do not repre sent the rest of the pro-life community. The decision to have an abortion is critical. This pill will onlyhelp to increase the number of abortions when both the pro-life and pro-choice community agree that the number of abortions needs to be reduced. SaraMareno International Studies Junior Greek fining system a form of tyranny Each morning when I wake and see that lovely building (South Tower) with its clever window decorations just out my window, I again struggle with the weighty questions its structure poses, as in: How is it that they never manage to blow a fuse despite the multitude of hair dryers and curling irons in each room? Needless to say, Brock Vergakis’ re cent column was just “fine” with me. He raises a valid point about the rather ques tionable practice of sorority’s fining their members for serious infractions like miss ing a meeting, smoking in their letters, wearing Wal-Mart flip-flops or eating a Chalupa in public. Not that I, nor any one who survived the 1990s, can refuse to rec ognize the importance of inuige. I mean, really! Can you imagine the nerve? It’s enough to make you break your own nail. But personally, I wouldn’t subject myself to any other fomis of lyninny outside those ,.i_i.__:_i ..r_ I1IIV.IIUJ I V^KIIVU WI IIIV. Catherine Baab Journalism Freshman Columnist right in saying pot is safe This message is for Patrick Rathbun. I really appreciated your column in the Oct. 4 issue of the Gamecock about the use of marijuana. I am an avid user of the substance, more so than alcohol, and I thought that your arguments held great rel evance to college students and other peo ple alike. You made some good points and I hope people will read your column and in turn have a better understanding and ac ceptance of the drug, or whatever you choose to call it. I know I ant not alone in my views. There arc several of us who feel unfairly oppressed because of our choice to use such.a harmless substance. We look around and sec the violence and tension brought about by alcohol and don’t understand how the legality of such is the way it is. I believe that more people should be educated and informed about the tntlh and myths of both substances and possibly sample them to have better knowl edge of the aigumcnts on the table. If support is needed or desired for any further discussion of the topic let me know. I’ll always be willing to participate. Thinks again. Ryan Siddens Business Sophomore Parking lots better than paradise I thoroughly enjoyed Michael Kerr’s column titled “Cities Don’t Need Grassy Fields." I am a native South Carolinian, but my mentality is far away from South ern thinking. I think exposure is every thing Sometimes, and you c;ui almost de cipher the mindset of those who create these ideas. This article needs to be pub lished in The State! It needs to be heard. I am a student/staff member for the uni versity, and parking is horrendous. My parking space is in the garage, tuid I have the option to park free but far away from my building, which is okay. However, for quick enteigency parking, to get in and out of a building is difficult here. There is no parking available at all, not even on a yellow curb, but only grass. I will have to get back with you lat er, but your column was just great. Keep writing. Eric Shuler USC Employee Creed Week Issues Preserving our dignity during USC Creed Week Because this is Carolinian Creed Week, I thought it would be appropriate to have my column con tribute to this in some manner. Actually, this is just a pitiful at tempt at an intro ductory paragraph. One of the tenets of the Creed is to “re spect the dignity of all persons.” Appar ently, several students on campus have for gotten that they Nathan White is a senior histo ry and political science major. He writes every Monday. He can be reached at gamecockview points@hot mail.com themselves are per sons and that they must respect their own dignity. The people I am referring to are those wankers riding to class on those scooter thingies ;uul those tools toting luggage thin gies with wheels to class. These people obviously have no self respect. Those scooter thingies tire for lit tle kids like my three-year-old niece and the luggage thingies are for people who trav el on iiirpkuies. They arc not for college stu dents who must maintain a certain level of superficiality. Yes, the scooters are a quick, conve nient way to gel to and from class, but come on, they’re so gay looking. And yes, those luggage things with wheels are certainly er gonomic, but come on; they’re so gay look ing. Sonic of you arc probably thinking, Nathan, what about bike riders and one strappers (you're probably not thinking that, but let’s just pretend)? First, people on bikes can’t fold up their bikes and stick them in their backpacks. Also, have you been by the Towers late ly? Look at all those mangled bikes. We’ve pretty much taken care of that problem even if there are a few still out there. And as for the one-strappers, I just don’t know. I guess they just didn’t get the memo that all of us cool folks were going back to the two-strap method with the backpacks. Bike riders and one strappers are a dy ing breed of wankers that we need not waste our time with. They are working themselves out of the gene pool. It’s these scooter rid ers and luggage wheelers that are the new challenge to the college coolness status quo. So what arc we cool folks to do about these tools? There won’t be any memos this time, we’re just gonna nip this one right in the bud. If you see scooter ridel's, push them off their scooters, beat them senseless with their scooters, break off the wheels and run away. As for the luggage wheelers, push them over (or spear them, whatever floats your boat), beat them senseless with their lug gage and then break off the wheels and run away. If God wanted us to wheel around to class, he would have given us wheels instead of feet. So when you’re in a pedestrian area, if you have dignity, you’ll use your pieds. Comprendez-vousl I talked with the UPFW (United Pop ular Front of Winkers) president and lie told me the “scooters and wheeled luggage will completely revolutionize campus life for students.” Why can’t we be content in our medi ocrity? Who are these capitalist villains try ing to usurp the status quo? Please, save yourselves and our school from the scooter/wheeled luggage onslaught. If we don’t stop this madness now, what kind of Carolina is my three-year-old niece going to inherit? If you’d like more information on join ing USC’s chapter of UPFW, feel free to call 7-UPFW. Of course, you have to Ik a tool or wanker to call. About Us The Gamecock is the student newspaper of The University of South Carolina and is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday iurfng the fall and spring semesters and nine times during the summer with (he exception of university holidays and exam periods. )pimons expressed in The Gamecock are those of the editors or author and not those of The University of South Carolina. The toard of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher of The Gamecock The Department of Studenttiledia is the ewspaper’s parent organization. The Gamecock is supported in part by student activities fees iDORESS he Gamecock 400 Greene Street :olumbia, SC 292(38 >ffices on third floor of the Russell House. Student Media Area code 803 .dvertising 777-3888 lassified 777-1184 a* 777-6482 >ffice 777-3888 aAMECOCK Area code 803-777-7726 ditor in Chief gamecockeditor@hotmail.com Iniversity Desk gamecocudesk@hotmail.com ity/State Desk gamecockcitydesk@hotmail.com iewpoints gamecockviewpomts@hotmail.com potlight gamecockspotlight@hotmail.com ports gamecocksports@hotmail.com nline www.gamecock.sc.edu •uBM&stON Policy Letters to the editor or guest columns are welcome xn all members of the Carolina.community. Letters ould be 250-300 words. Guest columns should be an •inion piece of about 600 words. Both must include name, phone number, profes >nat title or year and major, if a student. Handwritten bmissions must be personally delivered to Russell >use room 333. E-mail submissions must include ephone number for confirmation and should be sent gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit for libel, /le and space Anonymous letters will not be pub hed. Photos are required for guest columnist and can provided by the submitter. Call 77?r7726 for more information. The Gamecock Brock Vergakis Editor in Chief Brandon Larrabee University Editor John Huiett City/State Editor Kevin Langston Viewpoints Editor Jared Kelowitz Day Sports Editor Kyle Almond Night Sports Editor Jason Harmon Ashley Melton Brad Walters Martha Wright Copy Editors Studott Media Erik Collins Faculty Adviser Ellen Parsons Director of Student Media Susan King Creative Director Sean De Luna Todd Hooks Melanie Hutto Emilie Moca Martin Salisbury Creative Services Amy Goulding Sean Rayford Photo Editors Charles Prashaw Amanda Silva Asst. University Editors John Bailey Asst. City/State Editor Nathan White Asst. Viewpoints Editor MacKenzie Craven Spotlight Editor Miranda LaLonde Ann Marie Miani Jennie Moore Katie Smith Design Editors Carolyn Griffin Business Manager Jannell Deyo Robyn Gombar Kera Khalil Denise Levereaux Brantley Roper Nicole Russell Advertising Staff Jonathan Dunagin Interim Ad Manager Sherry F. Holrt^is Classified Manager