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Quote, Unquote ‘I’m 58 years old. By the time I was really to the place where I could do something, I’d be too old’ i William Norton on pulling his name out of the Dean candiacay forthe College of Journalism ' and Mass Communications Friday, November 10, 2000 Whc (Bamccock Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08 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 Student newspaper should stand firm The student newspaper at the University of Minnesota ran a sports column advocating the suspension of the men’s bas ketball team for their involvement with an academic fraud scandal. Subsequently, the men’s basketball coach told the paper’s sports editor that if a more "supportive" piece wasn’t written, The Minnesota Daily would be denied press credentialsvthus essential ly preventing any coverage of the men’s basketball team. In what he considered the best interest of the paper, its readers and the university, the sport’s editor abided with the coach’s de mand. As a student newspaper on a very large campus, we are otten charged with the task of trying to please as many people as possi ble. While our priority doesn’t lie with keeping as many people happy for as long as possible, we do value the importance of keep ing contacts and presenting timely and objective news. We understand that for the student body to get the news we think is most important to them, we have to rely on certain people at this university to work with us in gathering and presenting this news. We understand the decision made at The Minnesota Daily, but we do not necessarily advocate their actions. As an opinion piece, the column had every right to run, and there should not have been any retraction or apologetic follow-up column. Yes, the paper has a responsibility to cover men’s basketball, but they also have a responsibility to their students to report the news concerning an athletic program that appears to be corrupt. In the long run, the men’s basketball program runs a potential risk in shooting itself in the foot by denying coverage from the universi ty’s press. The Minnesota Daily should have stood by their opin ion piece. Grant provides good opportunity for USC Che National Institute of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded University of South Caroli na researchers $8.3 million in grants last week. The funding will serve to address three public health problems including do mestic violence, diabetes and obesity. The grants provide opportunities for the USC School of Public Health's researchers to combat health disorders pertinent to the state of South Carolina and supplement the $4.3 million the school has received since July 1. South Carolina ranks at the top of the nation in incidences of domestic violence, diabetes and obe sity. We encourage USC researchers to appreciate their unique op portunity and realize the ramifications the research might carry. We hope that USC and its School of Public Health will continue the exemplary work and uphold its reputation by remaining on the cutting edge. 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. Adores* The Gamecock 1400 Greene Street Columbia, SC 29208 Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Stuoent Media Area code 803 Advertising 777-3888 Classified 777-1184 Fax 777-6482 Office 777-3888 Gamecock Area code 803-777-7726 Editor in Chief gamecockeditordhotmail.com University Desk gamecockudeskdhotmail.com City/State Desk gamecockcitydeskdhotmail.com Viewpoints gamecockviewpointsdhotmail.com Spotl ight gamecoc kspot I ightdhot ma i I. com Sports gamecocksportsdhotmail.com Online www.gamecock.sc.edu Submission Policy Letters to the editor or guest columns are welcome from all members of the Carolina community. Letters should be 250-300 words. Guest columns should be an opinion piece of about 600 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 must include tele phone number for confirmation and should be sent to gamecockviewpointsdhotmail.com. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit for libel, style and space. Anonymous letters will not be pub lished. Photos are required for guest columnists and can be provided by the submitter. Call 777-7726 for more information. The Gamecock Brock Vergakis Mackenzie Craven Editor in Chief Spotlight Editor Brandon Larrabee Amy Goulding University Editor Sean Rayford John Huiett Photo Editor, City/State Editor Charles Prashaw „ . , . Amanda Silva Kevin Langston /Usf. University Editors Viewpoints Editor , . _ .. . a u i John Bailey Jared Kelowitz ^ aty/State Editor Day Sports Editor Nathan White Kyle Almond Asst. Viewpoints Editor Night Sports Editor Tasha Isaac Mackenzie Clements Aubrey Fitzloff Jason Harmon Miranda LaLonde Ashley Melton Ann Marie Miani Brad Walters Jennie Moore Martha Wright Katie Smith Copy Editors Page Designers Erik Collins Carolyn Griffin Faculty Adviser Business Manager Ellen Parsons Jannell Deyo Director of Robyn Gombar Student Media Kera Khalil Susan King Denise Levereaux Creative Directa Brantley Roper Sean De Luna Nicole Russell Todd Hooks Advertising Staff Melanie Hutto Jonathan Dunagin Emilie Moca Interim Ad Manager Martin Salisbury Sherry F. Holmes Creative Services Classified Manager Katrina Bevis MD-Ttte WINMEP- IS... /hour^ter.. Election 2000 Canada ain't lookin' so bad to me ■j-dprida, Flori 1-4 da, the red A neck riviera. Florida, Florida, there’s no more pa thetic place in America. Yes, Vic Ches nutt said it best. The fate of our country now rests in the hands of Florida - home to retirees, refugees, aspiring young criminals, boy bands and countless other ne’er-do well be the real Slim Shady. What are his motivations in wanting to become president anyway? I think he wants it because daddy had it. I’m waiting to see Bush - during his acceptance speech (knock on wood that doesn’t happen) - to abruptly scream “O’Doyle rules!” be fore he leaves the stage. Bush seems to treat this like a junior high school election where the ‘too cool to be in politics’ candidate promises free Yoohoos (the surplus) to everyone when he wins. It seems like most Americans are voting as if they’re picking someone to hang out with over the next four years - the guy who will buy you a sandwich and not ask for the money back. The is sues are what is important, and many of Bush’s ideas are unrealistic and quite mo ronic, to put it straight. Besides all this, Bush just acts so dumb. I get the distinct impression every time he opens his mouth that there is a cue card close by. It shouldn’t matter what his speechwriters tell him to say; the quality of character lies within how a candidate acts under pressure - alone. For example, when faced with a ques tion he is unprepared for, Bush changes the subject to something he knows the peo ple want to hear. Granted, this happens sometimes when someone is in a jam, but it doesn’t even seem like he gives the ques tion a second thought afterwards. He lacks a healthy intellectual curiosity that a president should possess. Yet Amer icans still gobble it up. Why? Because he is just so damn charming and nobody wants to clear the smoke to see through to the issues at hand. The decision should come from the content, not the delivery. Delivery is im portant; all of the great comedians and ma gicians have perfected it. With all the smoke screens he throws up when a tough question arises, he seems like a magician, but then he says some thing funny like “many of our most im portant imports come from overseas.” And let’s not foiget the whole “subliminal” fiasco. This kinda leads me back to the co median idea Clinton, too, has perfected that deliv ■ ery, and he has used that to charm the pants off many fine (ahem) ladies. So how am I supposed to believe that Mr. Popular is any different in that aspect? After all, every one wants to be Bush’s best friend. I am not a fan of Clinton’s character or moral decisions while in office, but he has been a better-than-expected leader over the past eight years. Gore seems like a more straightforward and honest person than Clinton ever was. I wish so many wouldn’t hold him under the same con tempt under which they hold Clinton with out giving him a chance to shine, and shin ing is something that Bush doesn’t seem capable of doing. Yes, I guess this is a Gore endorsement, but only because I am one of the many Americans who fell into the “fear of Bush” category in my support for Gore. Gore is by no means a superior leader in com parison to the superior leaders that Amer ica has seen in the Oval office - yet. And there is no mistaking the feet that he smarter and better prepared than Bush. If you want some food for thought, ex amine Texas under Bush, and then imag ine what this man will do to our country. Well, we certainly forget the “sea to shin ing sea” part when Bush decides to open up the Alaskan National Wtldlife Refiige for oil drilling and the Florida Everglades for exploration (and eventually, possibly, drilling). And with a Republican majority in the House and an equal slate in the Senate, Georgie W. will basically get whatever he wants and it will be handed to him, com plete with silver spoon in mouth. Having a brat for president will truly be an expe rience America will never forget. wellers. Well, the mood is hardly sunny right now in the Sunshine State. The future of our country “hangs in the balance” and the “whole world is watching” this election that is “too close to call.” (I figure I’d throw in all the cliches I’ve been hearing on the news over the past two days). If nothing else, there will be two main things we will take away from this elec tion. 1) Your vote really does count, and 2) The electoral college needs to go. Wtll we end up in the hands of a com petent man who slightly lacks in charac ter what he makes up for in experience or a man who so often has come across as a bumbling, blathering idiot? Bush knows how to spell “potato,” but that is about all I will give him credit for. In the slipstream of my consciousness, there lies something that triggers my com mon sense nerve. It is this nerve that goes haywire when Georgie W. opens his mouth. Sorry to all of you Bush supporters, but I just don’t trust the man. Actually, I wonder how you do. Isn’t anyone turned off by his penchant for sweet talking and that sly smile? It’s quite revolting and fright ening. Forget Eminem, Bush could very Pete Johnson is a senior journal ism major. He writes every Friday He can be reached at gamecockview points ©hotmail.com Letters Generalizations of Greeks by writer are uneducated, unjust To the Editor In last Friday’s edition of The Game cock, Pete Johnson kept his streak of ig norant rationalizations about USC’s Greek community going with his comments about sorority girls. More specifically, he described Paula Jones’s statement to Larry King as "a ditzy giggle, worthy of the dumbest sorority girl." You might ask why write a letter about something as trivial as this? Well, this is just one in a long line of derogatory comments Mr. Johnson has made toward Greeks in his weekly col umn. So I figured as a member of the Greek community, it was time to call Mr. John son on his generalizations. His inane comments led me to believe that he harbors a twinge of jealousy and bitterness towards Greeks, even when he has demonstrated little to no knowledge about fraternities and sororities. I encourage Mr. Johnson to talk with several of the 2000 Greek students on cam pus before he writes any more obligatory remarks, in hopes that he will be able form a better, more educated opinion. This is all in an effort to help Mr. John son become a better journalist because, as we all know, these hasty generalizations make for bad journalism. It would be as if I said that someone was as misinformed as a Gamecock editorial writer. Which for all intensive purposes is false, but I go ahead and label the whole group for the misdeeds of just one or two members. So Pete, for this Friday’s column I im plore you to at least get to know the people before you stereotype them. Edward H. Bolder Fraternity Council President Political Science Senior Maurice’s Barbecue ad has no place in school paper To the Editor Today I was walking through the Rus sell House when I happened to see the lat est issue of The Gamecock. "Interesting," I thought. "Why don’t I see what is going on in the lives of my fellow students at the University of South Carolina.” However, little to my surprise, as I turned to the Sports section, I saw an advertisement for Maurice’s Barbecue. Yes, the Maurice’s Barbecue that ad vocated that the confederate flag remain atop the State House. The Maurice’s Bar becue who in commemoration flies the confederate flag atop its restaurants. Yes, the Maurice’s who is being boycotted by not only the black, but others in-state and out-of-state who supported the removal of this flag. It is not enough that I have to drive past this blatant representation of dis crimination, hatred and servitude on my way home. I now can open up my school’s newspaper, this school that stands for equal ity among all its students and faculty, and see a company that stands for discrimina tion, hatred and servitude. It was my belief that the flag was taken down. But as I turned the pages of The Gamecock I see that it has once again risen. Timisha Pnrcher Business and Media Aits Junior gamecockviezvpoin ts@hotmail.com Carolina vs. Clem son Examining the rivalry of Carolina, Clemson ust over two years ago I could n't have cared less about the rivalry be tween USC and Clemson. When I moved down to Columbia from New Jersey to start my freshman year, I didn’t even re alize there was a ri valry. As far as I was concerned, sports ri valries began and end ed with the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Things have changed. Last weeicend t traveled to Liemson along with the rest of the Carolina Rugby team to play in a tournament. After Saturday's matches were over, I found myself in a bar. Surrounded by Clem son faithfuls, we Carolina boys broke out the chanting and tomahawk-chopping of Flori da State University, who was, at the time, beating the hell out of Clemson's football team. This didn't seem strange to any of the South Carolinians there. Most of them had seemingly grown up with the rivalry. They understood it. They lived it. But for me, it was something new and fun. I didn't bother going to high school foot ball games. I never got involved in the in ter-school and inter-town rivalry at home. I never got in a fight with guys from the ri val high school. So talking trash to Clemson fans in a bar was something altogether new for me. 1 thought about the rivalry and why i cared about it on the drive home Sunday morning. How did I go from complete apathy con cerning the rivalry to becoming wrapped up in it in two short years? I'm not sure I can explain it. I'm not sure that I even understand why South Car olinians are so wrapped up in the rivalry. Is it something that is just ingrained in to children from an early age? Last week, I went to Wal-Mart and saw a 3-year-old boy decked out in orange. He had on a Clemson baseball cap, a Clemson T-shirt and orange shorts with a lit tle tiger paw on one leg. Is this child des tined to become a Clemson Tiger? Is this child a victim of abuse? What happens if this little boy grows up and decides he wants to go to USC because it has a better journalism department, or a more exciting campus, a better football team, prettier girls or any other number of rea sons? Will his parents disown him? Will he be on his own to finance his education because he decided not to be a Clemson Tiger like his father before him, his grandfather before him and his great - grandpappy before that? The same can be said for the child whose babv clothes had Gamecock logos embroi dered on them. What if this child decides to major in poultry? It wouldn't be fair of his parents to keep him from attending Clemson and getting the best education money can buy. Rivalries like this don’t need rhyme or reason. I have been a New York Yankees fan since I was bom. I can't tell you why I hate the Red Sox, but I do. It's just what we do. Yankee fans hate the Red Sox; Red Sox fans hate the Yankees. Clemson fans hate USC, and USC fans hate Clemson. It's the nature of the beast. Rivalries like these keep sports inter esting. Last season when the Gamecocks were going 0-11, no one would have cared about the season finale had it been against New Mexico State. But since the game was against Clem son, USC's record didn't matter. This season the rivalry is taking on a life all its own. With both teams planted firmly in the top 25, the rivalry is at an all-time high. The rivaliy is what makes the game great Michael Kerr is a junior jour nalism major. He can be reached at gamecock viewpoints@hot mail.com