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Quote, Unquote ‘I’m not really concerned about people who think that this bill is in violation of church and state.’ Rep. James Law, on placing “In God We Trust” placards in public schools Page 6 Wednesday, April 25, 2001 Wk (Bamecock Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08 Brock Vergakis Editor in Chief Brandon Larrabee University Editor Erin O’Neal < Spotlight Editor Kyle Almond Sports Editor Brad Walters Design Editor Cristy Infinger Asst. University Editor Valerie Matchette City & State Editor Amanda Silva Spotlight Editor Martha Wright Copy Desk Chief Charles Prashaw Asst. City & State Editor Aubrey Fitzloff Asst. Viewpoints Editor Board of Publications should be abolished It’s hard to decide what to bring up first in this editorial: the machinations of the Board of Student Publications and Communications, the fact that the board shouldn’t exist or the sustained indifference members of the Department of Student Life have shown for the First Amendment. The board has reprimanded Brock Veigakis, an editor in chief whose leadership has greatly strengthened the news-gathering and editorial aspects of The Gamecock. And while the board hasn’t informed Veigakis of his status for next semester, his exclusion from a meeting to select student media leaders was a spineless way of blocking liis return. Veigakis was reprimanded in part because The Gamecock — like virtually every other newspaper in the nation — decided to endorse candidates. According to the board, The Gamecock shouldn’t endorse candidates because the newspaper receives student activity fees. This excuse doesn’t wash; campus newspapers around the nation receive student fees and endorse candidates. While the university believes its policy prevents The Gamecock from endorsing candidates, we’re pretty sure the U.S. Constitution supersedes any “constitution” the university can apply to the newspaper. The Student Press Law Center agrees with us. In an attempt to control the newspaper’s editorial content, Director of Student Life Jerry Brewer has written letters to nearly everyone who’s had even a passing familiarity with The Gamecock, telling them they’ve been “nominated” for Vergakis’ job. Some of those nominated didn’t even have staff experience. Obviously, Brewer thinks anyone can handle tliis demanding and time-consuming post. The board’s apathy for the journalistic quality of tliis newspaper is as obvious as its ignorance of the First Amendment. The board has engaged in a cowardly series of closed-door meetings and secret decisions, skirting the S.C. Freedom of Information Act at every opportunity. What’s most embarrassing is that a journalism instructor, someone who should understand the First Amendment, endorsed tliis action. The board is a worthless, antiquated body that should be eliminated. Its duties include appointing leaders of the three Student Media outlets —WUSC, Garnet & Black and The Gamecock—but the board has shown itself too incompetent to even get that done within a reasonable time frame. This task could easily be assumed by students, as is the case with most other student organizations. These actions are the latest sign of Student Life’s total disregard for freedom of the press — an attitude that has encouraged attempts by at least one Student Government candidate to prevent The Gamecock’s publication and has allowed the unpunished and uninvestigated destruction of almost 1,000 issues of The Gamecock. This last incident is particularly galling considering that Student Life did nothing to penalize the SG official involved, wliile Veigakis exercised The Gamecock's First Amendment rights by endorsing SG candidates and was punished. u seems me ooaru s omy purpose is 10 quasn me rirsi Amendment rights of Student Media organizations whenever they anger someone in the board’s good graces. But it shouldn’t get an inflated sense of self importance front the success of its coup d’etat. The members of the board could dismiss every editor at The Gamecock, they could decide our fate in secret meetings, they could dole out favors to their friends. But the newspaper’s creed would remain the same: We will not be silent. Staff note: Because Vergakis is a subject of this editorial, he abstained from voting on, contributing to or reviewing its content. ppjj 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 activity fees. One free cort per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for one dollar each from the Department of Student Media. 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 Fa* 777-6482 Office 777-3888 Gamecock Area code 803-777-7726 Editor in Chief gamecockeditor@hotmail.com University Desk gamecockudesk@hotmail.com City/State Desk gamecockcitydesk@hotmail.com Viewpoints gamecockviewpoints@hotmail com Spotlight gamecockspotlight@hotmail com Sports gamecocksports@hotmail.com Online www.dailygamecock.com 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 numtjor professional title or year and ma|or. if a student Handwritten submissions must be personally delivered to Russell House room 333 I mail submissions must include telephone number for confirmation and should be e mailed to gamecor kviewpointsWhotmail com Ihe Gamecock reserves tlie r*ght to edit for libel, style and sf»ace. Anonymous letters will not !*• publistied Photos are required for, guest columnists and can Ijo (xovidc-d Ijy It*; suljrnitter The Gamecock James Battle Travis Lynn Ann Marie Miani Sean Rayford Jennie Moore Photo Editors Katie Smith Mark Yates Crystal Boyles Page Designers Mackenzie Clements Betsy Baugh Jason Harmon Sara McLaulin Jill Martin Community Affairs Copy Editors Student Media Erik Collins Carolyn Griffin Faculty Adviser Business Manager Ellen Parsons Sarah Sims Director of Advertising Manager Student Media c u Jannell Deyo Susan King _ . _ 1, Creative Director Robyn Gombar Kera Khalil Sean De Luna Denise Levereaux Todd Hooks Njcole Russe|| Melanie Hutto Advertising Staff Emilie Moca Martin Salisbury Sherry F. Holmes Creative Services Classified Manager Only two letters lo the editor jxx student will tx; print'*! in a sorriest'.*. Staff columns take (priority over gixrsl columns, unless the guest columnist offers ey|x*liv; on a suh|ect, or if the subject's relevance is limited tjy time finest columns and letters may tx; submitted Ijy e mail lo gaiiHi.ix kvnrw|xjintsC#hotmail.com Call /// //'/<> fix mrxe information College Press Exchange igirmsG Toaem mftYwt &hool calendar —^^——- —^ 1 “ M Am m mm, snaw Muswfr mes am JVliK, JUPAYlNilWW, PR^oews RAY INfeHJWV, SPRiNSDRftAK in HViRCH AND Ptft-CoUWNfc RuiWR RAY IN AFRIL //>/ A\V--_ J Editor apologizes to everyone Brock Vergakis is a fourth-year student in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications and The Gamecock's editor in chief. Send responses to gamecockviewpoints ©hotmail.com. I guess, in retrospect, I should apologize. There are a lot of things The Gamecock did this year that people didn’t like, things that people found too controversial. A lot of people didn’t like our endorsing candidates in SG elections, identifying the culprit in newspaper thefts or allowing letters to the editor to run that were openly critical of anyone or anything. But it’s never too late to say you’re sorry, I suppose. I have only a few issues left before my term as editor in chief is finally over, so now is as good a time as any to do it — I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not warning the university community that I had no intention of letting The Gamecock be intimidated this year. I should have warned Student Government that crying to the Department of Student Life about our legal right to endorse candidates wouldn’t do a whole hell of a lot to influence me. And I should have warned the Department of Student Life that I have absolutely no sympathy for anyone who tries to silence the voice of a free press by destroying the medium it’s printed on. When The Gamecock is destroyed or censored, USC’s only true public forum is abolished along with it. But I guess I should even apologize to our readers for allowing the Viewpoints page to be an open, public forum. I guess the smart thing to do would be to call up every student, faculty member, administrator and employee on campus to make sure that the only editorials, columns and letters to the editor that appear on the page are ones that nobody will find offensive. Most of all, I should apologize to the kangaroo court of injustice that is the Board of Student Publications and Communications. I should have wanted its members that I’m intelligent enough to understand campus media law, that I’ve read the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act and that I keep in contact with the Student Press Law Center about the board’s shady activities. I really could have made the board’s life much easier if I hadn’t decided to challenge the status quo on campus by publishing material that editors before me were too intimidated by administrators to print, such as endorsements. Administrators have even tried to tell current and past Gamecock staff that we’re forbidden from using “ ’Cocks” in a headline. I should apologize for not warning others that my staff would stand behind the First Amendment and our exclusive right to control the content of this newspaper, despite the efforts of a few disgruntled and misguided Student Government members. And I’m really sorry for pushing through with an effort that would make South Carolina’s best collegiate newspaper a daily. 77ie Gamecock would be the only collegiate daily in the state and would fill a deep void left in the education of USC students who want to practice journalism after graduation. Really, what the hell was I thinking when I actually believed the board could accomplish something of value for once, instead of proving its own incompetence by attempting to schedule a meeting of a public body without 24 hours’ notice, as is required by South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act? And I apologize for believing that even though the board’s ignorance runs rampant when it comes to collegiate journalism, that at least when it did decide to take action, that action would be a forceful one. Earlier this week, the board held a closed meeting that they didn’t bother to tell me about in which I was disciplined for having the audacity to allow what nearly every student and commercial newspaper in the nation does: endorse candidates for political office. I was merely reprimanded — but come on; if you’re going to prove your ignorance of student press law, go all out and suspend or fire nte and quit behaving like cowards. About 20 years ago, the board illegally fired an editor, but that was a board with guts. However ignorant and illegal its actions may have been, it was still a board with guts. If the board wants to send the message that it controls the content of this newspaper, it needs to be more forceful. A reprimand? How lame. Does it really think it can intimidate future editors from making political commentary by reprimanding me? It probably does. But I can’t apologize for the board’s stupidity. I can only apologize for my own stupidity for believing that free speech, robust debate, acceptance of both popular and unpopular opinions and ideas, and an intellectual atmosphere of political dialogue are welcome at South Carolina’s largest public university. Letters Budget cuts mean dropping classes To the Editor I am writing to convey my deepest concerns to university students about the severe budget cuts that tire under way. More than thirty classes from the McMaster College of Arts are being dropped. Many classes from other colleges are in the same process. Why are we paying tuition if we can’t get the classes we need to graduate? And how is it that none of the authorities seem to care — i.e., the president and vice president of USC? The only way we can change something like this is to take it into our own hands. Budget cuts! Budget cuts! Budget cuts! Take a stand and fight for your education! Join tlie protest ;gainst university budget cuts at noon Friday in front of McMaster College ;ind march to the Stale House. Save your education! Kristen Hand Third-year Student College of Liberal Arts Parking services lacks priorities To the Editor As if parking isn’t already a big problem, the “parking gods” have become the enforcers once again. The Bales/Bates West parking lot is now “Student Only." I am a student! I might not live on campus, but off-campus students make up about 70 percent of the student population here. Why don’t we have anywhere to park? The Bates/Bates West parking lot is never full, so why does it need to be for students only? In the past, this lot has been used by students, commuters and faculty because it is near a shuttle stop. I’m really concerned about where the priorities of the parking staff lie. My car just fell into a pothole the size of a kitchen sink in the commuter lot near the police station. Why haven’t they taken care of that instead of posting needless signs about who can park where? Why are faculty lots often filled with six or seven cars? Maybe we should look into a first-come, first-served system because I’m wasting time, gas and energy driving around this campus in search of a parking space that doesn’t exist. Letisha Taylor Fourth-year Student College of Science and Mathematics Turtle Tug mess is still there; clean it! To the Editor: I am writing in response to Amanda Ingram’s April 20 letter about the Della Zcla Turtle Tug. After contacting the Blatt P.E. Center, I was informed that Della Zcla was responsible for cleaning up the rancid mounds of reeking Jell-0. 1 am still confused as to why Delta Zeta didn’t plan the event on the space allowed for tug-of-war provided by the school. If you look on a map in the P.E. center, the spot is clearly marked. And how dare you all think that you have more important things to do, such as “$1,600 for deaf and hearing-impaired children.” Delta Zeta probably cost more money in damage to Field F than they raised. I hate to spread the word, but there is still hard Jell-0 on the field. Ms. Ingram said,"... we, Delta Zeta, were not responsible for the Jell-0 cleanup.” Then who was? We’re not in kindeigarten; we have to clean up our own messes. The men’s rugby team had to host a game against Davidson on the rancid mounds of reeking Jell-O. It must have given Davidson a bad impression. When they hear the name USC, all they probably will think about is the time they were tossed down in “that nasty red stuff that smelled like puke.” As a member of the Field Hockey Club, I know our practices are scheduled from 5:30-7 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday on Field F. I, too, am in a sorority, so I think fundraising and supporting your philanthropy is important. While doing good deeds for others, you also have to shout out your own school. Liz Supples First-year Student College of Liberal Arts Field Hockey Member I Gender Issues Women, men live separate existences James Battle is a third-year student in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Send responses to gamecockviewpoints ©hotmail.com. I was sitting on my front porch with a girl and two guys. The two guys’ names were Florence and Tufly, and the girl's name was India. On my front porch, there’s a bedraggled couch that I got from my great aunt when she died, and we were sitting on it. We were listening to the radio and watching cars go by. It was the middle of Tuesday afternoon, and we were sweating. “Hey, Florence, how much money would it take for you to have sex with another man?” Tufly asked. “A lot,” Florence said. “I’d probably have sex with another guy for a million dollars,” Tuffy said. “Well, I’d do it for a million dollars, but only if I could shoot the guy afterward,” Florence said. “Then he couldn’t tell anyone.” “What if it would save all of humanity? Your having sex with tliis guy. Would you do it then?” Tuffy asked. “No,” Florence said. “I wouldn’t either. But what if you only had three days to live, and after you had sex with tliis one guy, you could hook up with as many women as you wanted? You could even have auditions and pick out the hottest girls. Hundreds of them. Wbuld you do it then?” Tufly asked. “Of course. But only if I could still shoot that one guy,” Florence said. “Please, shut up,” India said. “You sound like complete idiots. Do you hear how ridiculous tliis conversation is? ‘Yeah, I wouldn’t... but you would... but only if.’ Just give it a rest.” “Oh, and what do girls talk about?” Tufly asked. “Wfe talk about our emotions, and we nurture each other. Our conversations are about tilings that matter, and they are radiant,” India said. “Right. The last time I heard you talk to your roommate, you were trying to decide what to watch on TV. ‘I wanna watch whatever you want to watch ... well, I don’t care ... we can watch anything... no, really I don’t care... OK, well, I’m just going to set the remote down here.’And when she left, you told us how much you hate her,” Tufty said. “Hate is a strong word,” Florence said. “That it is,” Tufty said. “None of you would understand. Boys are too competitive. They’re always trying to put each other down, and they never get anywhere,” India said. “It’s like you’re always playing that game where you stack your hands on top of a baseball bat.” “I could kick your ass in that game, Tufty,” Florence said. “See? This is what I mean. You’re always nagging each other,” India said. “Look,” Tufty said. “Florence and I, we understand what you’re talking about. I used to date a girl, who finally dumped me, thank God, but she used to tell me the same thing. She always wanted me to go to these movies called ‘romantic comedies.’ Only there was a lot more romance than comedy, and the parts that were supposed to be funny were stupid. Usually, a girl lost her wedding ring or something, and it was this ‘big deal.’ I mean, guys would do those girlie things, but they suck, so we don’t.” “Personally, 1 jjst nod and wave when they’re talking to me,” Florence said. “Try not to listen to all that ‘blah, blah, blah’ and perk up when it’s time for lovin’.” “Nice one,” TulTy said. “I hate both of you,” India said. “I think I might change my namp to Don Pcrignon," Tuffy said.