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Quote, Unquote ‘It’s a great cause. It’s something that is a very healthy competition for both schools.’ Gena Runnion, Director of Greek Life on the USC, Clemson Blood Drive Monday, November 13, 2000 Will 0ai11CCOCk Page 7 Wlu (Bamecock 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 Take advantage of Meet Your SG Day This Wednesday, USC’s Student Government is hosting its an nual Meet Your Student Government Day. This event is a way for Student Government to show the student body all of the projects and legislation Student Government has involved itself in this year. This event will take place all day on Greene Street and is a great way for students to see what Student Government does. What it does is often overlooked by the student body, and this is a good way for students to really learn about and gain an understand ing of Student Government. T TC f** V Do/\r« /innt nn/1 Kr/i linim rMit Ofl OtnK1 O X X VVllUwil V IU1U vyx tl UUVVVU ilU T V UV lvi VJl* vu> — tious plan for Carolina going into the next millennium. This is the time for students to see how Student Government is acting on be half of the student body in regards to USC’s new vision. Issues such as parking versus green space are becoming hot is sues on campus with students. How is Student Government ap proaching this issue and other issues that will directly impact USC students? Not only will you get a chance to meet your Student Govern ment representatives, but you will also get to know students who might be considering running for office next February. By going to Meet Your Student Government Day on Wednesday, you will not only get a chance to meet your current Student Government, but you will also get the chance to get informed on potential candi dates for office next year. A -W A bi-Lo changes image to make more money \ he Devine street Bi-Lo will reopen this Wednesday as an of ficial Gamecock Bi-Lo. It has traded in its cow mascot for the gamecock and has changed its colors to garnet and black. This reopening ceremony is intended to raise student awareness of the Bi-Lo so students will feel more inclined to shop at a store that outwardly supports their school. It’s a simple marketing ploy to raise their number of shoppers. While we obviously condone school spirit, we don’t necessarily like it when it’s being used to make a quick and easy buck. Sure, the Bi-Lo might have put a lot of money into redesigning their store, but it was only to lure more Gamecock fans, particularly students. An obvious question is why a better location wasn’t cho sen for a Gamecock Bi-Lo. This store is out of the way for stu dents who live on and around campus. There is no real reason for students to venture out to this location, aside from the fact that it’s a pro-USC store. ( Why is the university supporting a store that is so far away from campus? This insists USC students choose their store over others. Why? Will the university be getting any benefits from this store, and if so, will any of it directly benefit the students? 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 oreanization. The Gamecock is supported ir, 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 803-777-7726 Editor in Chief gamecockeditordhotmail.com University Desk gamecockudeskdhotmail.com City/State Desk gamecockcitydeskdhotmail.com Viewpoints gamecockviewpointsdhotmail.com Spotlight gamecockspotlightdhotmail.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 338. E-mail submissions must include tele phone number for confirmation and should be sent to gamecockviewpointsdhotmail.com. afc The Gamecock reserves the right to edit for libel, 9 style and space. Anonymous letters will not be pub lished. Photos are required for guest columnists and can be provided by the submitter. ^11 777-7726 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 Editors City/State Editor Charles Prashaw ' . . „ Amanda Silva Kevin Langston Asst University Editors Viewpoints Editor John Bailey Jared Kelowitz Asst. City/State Editor Day Sports Editor Nathan Whjte Kyle Almond Asst. Viewpoints Editor Night Sports Editor 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 Student Mew* 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 Director 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 College Press Exchange Election 2000 Florida is now the Wanker State Before I begin another can tankerous di atribe, I would like to say to all of you who read my last column and decid ed to vote any way, I told you so. This voting stuff is madness! Madness! Okay, let's talk about this little election that's fin ished. Do we have a President yet? No, of course not. This crap should have been over nothing less from an A1 Gore supporter. I just knocked 50 million people! Wow. That's gotta be a record or something. Now they are re-recounting the votes, and because I saw a problem with this, I decided to go down to Florida this week end and see what the heck is going on there. I personally talked with some of my col leagues and discussed the situation. These two residents of the Orlando area asked not to have their first names printed for personal reasons. My colleagues, Mr. Mouse and Mr. Duck, told me they don't even know what's going on. Frankly, they said, they're just plain confused. What is with all this confusion stuff in Florida? Enough questions. It's time for answers and who better to give them then myself? I mean, come on, am I not always right? I think my last column is proof of that. Here's how it's gonna be. Florida loses the "privilege" of voting for president from here on out. I think it's pretty clear they can't handle this little responsibility. We'll make Florida a commonwealth like Puerto Rico, where Puerto Ricans are US citizens who don't vote for President and don't pay federal taxes. The only dif ference is that we'll make Florida pay tax es because in their confused status, they won't even notice. The problem with this is we will no longer have 50 states, and we all know how nice and round that number is. There fore, we will make Puerto Rico a state. At least Puerto Rico doesn't have a bunch of rednecks in its northern half and it does n't have a bunch of whiny Cubans crying about some dude named Elian in its south ern half. Whatever happened to that wanker anyway? He probably got confused and voted for Pat Buchanan too. I can't believe we didn't '’atch this soon er. We should have known Floridians weren't up to the challenge of picking a circle that has a GIANT arrow pointing to it from their preferred candidate's name. Once again, I must insist we set up a sys tem of government that disenfranchises everyone but cool people like me. If we did that, we wouldn't have this Florida fiasco because nobody in Florida is cool. If there ever was a better time to set up a despotic regime in America than now, I can’t think of it right now. The best way to set up this system is by choosing a leader much in the same way the Publisher’s Clearing House chooses its winner. Two things come to mind when I think of Florida. First, that's where the Back street Boys are from, and second, the Unit ed Popular Front of \Vhnkers (UPFW) has its headquarters in Palm Beach County (big surprise). Also, while I was in Flori da this weekend one thing did stick out quite clearly in my mind. Everybody was riding around on scooters. Hmm. I think I'll leave you to think about that one yourself. lueMjay xiigiii, uui wc uavc a xiiaxc pxuu lem. That problem is Florida. My good ness, the most powerful man in the world will be determined by a bunch of back water chumps whose favorite football team plays in a "swamp." The problem is these Floridians aren't really sure who they actually picked to be our next President. This is due to the fact that a bunch of "citizens" in Palm Beach got "confused" with whom they were voting for. Apparently they mistook the big GIANT arrow next to Pat Buchanan's name as an indicator that they were voting for A1 Gore. I would expect nduidn nnne is a senior political science and history major. He writes every Monday He can be reached at gamecockview points ©hotmail.com Letters Reader questions columnist’s fear of Bush To the Editor It is so refreshing to see someone who is so enraptured in dislike of one candidate that he is perfectly willing to ignore the problem areas of another that he greatly prefers. Mr. Johnson indeed shows such a bias towards Gore, it is a small wonder in deed that he has not flown down to Flori da to hand-recount the Palm Beach votes himself. Now, I myself cannot understand a "fear of Bush", for the simple reason that I had no fear of Reagan. Neither man strikes me as the highest of intellectuals, but rather as men smart enough to rely upon the opin ions of advisors who are more well versed in matters that the potential President may not be. This is what advisors are for. I for one doubt the credentials of any one man who claims to be an expert on every thing, and especially one who claims to have invented the Internet. You see, Mr. Johnson? Gore is hardly without his own verbal gaffes. At least with Bush, ignorance can be claimed. But after eight years of hanging out with President Clinton, you'd think A1 Gore would be abetter liar Or at least a more circumspect one. This is why I have a "fear of Gore". It really seems to me that the man is phys ically unable to stop lying. Or if not lie, embellish the truth. Or misquote his facts. His attempts to endear himself to the peo pie of America, if not outright two-faced lying, are the little white lies which can be even worse, especially if one cannot stop making them. And as for Gore being more straightforward and honest then Clin ton, it hardly seems possible that he could be less honest. But then, comparing Gore to Clinton in any way, shape or form may not be the best of comparisons to make. Finally, I would challenge your claim to Bush's being a brat. He's a grown man who has been Governor of Texas. Yes, he has gotten family support, but considering who his family is, is it really that shocking? And I'd rather have a brat then a liar. At least with a brat, you know where you stand. Who knows what a liar will say? Patrick Geannan Alumni, College of Engineering, 19% Alumni, College of Math and Science, 2000 Student suggests USC obtain higher image of success To the Editor It is said that to be successful, one must project an image of success. The same the ory holds tree for this University. As I walk through this campus, I observe two things that I deem to be detrimental to the pub lic image of this University. First is the constant blaring of car stereos. Second is the commercial expos held in front of and behind the Russell House. President Palms often speaks of a goal for U$C to be included in the AAU. He has made great strides in emulating AAU schools like the University of Virginia and UNC-Chapel Hill. I have been to the cam puses of both these fine institutions and can attest that they do not have commer cial carnivals going on during classes, nor can one hear the bass of car stereos on every comer of campus, 24 hours a day. I am sure that at other elite schools like Stan ford, Harvard and Yale, the scene is simi lar. One thing that the nation’s top uni versities have in common is this: an atmosphere of civility and scholarship. As I walk through USC I often feel that I am in a rap video or at an adventure theme park, not at a distinguished University. These obstacles are quick-fixes (e.g. enforce a campus-wide noise ordinance, and simply discontinue the commercial expos), and should be rectified as soon as possible. They are small problems with simple solutions that will make a world of difference for USC. Lastly, I would like to commend Pres ident Palms for the progress he has made for USC in my four and a half years here. We should all be grateful to have a man of such vision and foresight leading our Uni versity into the 21st century. Thank you, President Palms. WadeZirkle Political Science Senior 1 Have your voice heard! submit you letters to: gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com ---*____1.... Election 2000 Freedom should be our goal Tuesday after noon, after vot ing in my hometown, I drove in dusk down the In terstate. The classic rock radio station was playing the Bush cam paign’s altered version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop,” Clin ton’s 1992 campaign song. It cut off mid song, inserted a brief soundbite from Clin ton’s testimony to the Grand Jury regarding Monica Lewinsky and segued into the Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” I admit, de cnitn rr»\r HieliL'n ovc for, this was a clever and accurate lampoon. Yet, I changed the station. It was Election Day, and I had felt nervous since morning, suspecting people might be conned by the Texas Governor’s populist rhetoric. I punched button after button. The travesty was play ing on every station in range; I had a feeling the Clinton era was over. What would the end of the Clinton-Gore Era mean? At the time, I thought it would n’t mean much. People say “liberal” and “conservative” as though they are polar op posites, when they are modifications of the same system. Whoever is President will con tinue with oppressive free trade agreements, allow the American worker to be laid off in favor of slave and sweatshop labor abroad and in Mexico, extend the death penalty to widespread use for federal crimes and con tinue the United States’ “special relation ships” abroad. Their major differences, abor tion and the budget surplus, seemed small when one realizes that there are various forms of democracy at work elsewhere in the world Every year, the United Nations does a so-called Freedom Index, in which they rank the freest countries in the world. America is usually in the top ten, but not always. In Am sterdam, they have the right to use mind altering chemicals in any way they see fit. In Canada, they have universal healthcare. In America, we’re stuck with “democratic” capitalism and the Electoral College, by which a candidate who loses the popular vote can become president. Freedom should be our goal and the goal of our presidential candidates, but only A1 Gore seems to be working toward it in this Floridian brouhaha The two candidates have finally distinguished themselves from one another. Republicans aigue that the butterfly bal lot is clear and that people who made errors should realize the election process is im perfect. They are on a slippery slope to de ciding who can and can’t vote. Old peo ple? Those with poor eyesight? The practically and intellectually challenged? “Let them flounder,” Bush seems to say. “The process is imperfect.” When racial intimidation in Florida is mentioned, they are even more evasive. There have been reports of state troopers positioned at the polls, turning away African American men by alleging they have crim inal records. There have also been stories of A.M.E. churches, the polling places of the communities, being conveniently skipped when the election workers were picking up ballots. Stories abound of minorities being turned away, with election workers claim ing they had run out of ballots. And how does Bush’s team respond to this? They suggest those pesky Democrats are “distorting and politicizing” the process. ■ Bush’s team consists mainly of his father’s old cabinet members—James Baker, John Sununu and the like— parts of an adminis tration voted out because most people be-? lieved they were out of touch with the coun try. As the events in Florida unfold, it seems clear that the 1992 election was accurate in its mandate. I saw a Bush crony on television claiming all of these complaints are the re sult of “agitation” by the Democrats who had converged on Florida. It reeked of Jim Crow-era racist rhetoric—agitators from the North bringing the promise of civil justice and stirring up a population that had been abused by the system. How should the nation deal with this challenge? Bring in the United Nations and let them monitor a new election in Flori da. They are more objective than Jeb Bush or any county election commissioner. After that is over, let’s make sure this is the last year the Electoral College is used. We can not afford a president without a popular man date. Jennie Lightweis is a senior English major. Se can be reached at gamecockview points®hotmail.c om rwthinrr Rnch ctanHc