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THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, June 11, 2003 5 VIEWPOINTS IN OUR OPINION USC should get funding waiver The state legislature has cut USC’s funding again, this time by 2.54 percent. USC now receives 10 percent less from the state than it did four years ago - a difference of almost $20 million. Next year, state appropriated funds will comprise only $127.6 million of the university’s $289 million budget. Even though the state provides only 44 percent of USC’s budget, it still regulates the university’s affairs through the Commission on Higher Education. Last week, the Senate failed to pass Bill 3899, which would have allowed USC to pursue funding from private businesses and relaxed other regulations. As USC alumna and benefactor Darla Moore observed, if USC is to be privately funded, it might as well be privately directed. If the state continues to decrease university funding, the university should be allowed in turn to seek its own funding. The state’s level of funding for USC should match the level of regulation it imposes on USC. President Sorensen has proposed that USC obtain waivers which would let it solicit funds from private businesses. The university needs them if it is to keep its head above water. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK STAFF Editor in Chief Corey Garriott Managing Editor Julia Knetzer News Editor Gabrielle Sinclair Viewpoints Editor Josh Hanley The Mix Editor Brian Ray Sports Editor Brad Senkiw Photo Editor Patricia Shadwell Page Designers Rachel Edwards, Patricia Shadwell Copy Editors Amy Genoble, Parul Joshi STUDENT MEDIA Faculty Advisor Erik Collins Advertising Manager Sarah Scarborough Creative Director Susan King Production Manager Patrick Bergen Business Manager Carolyn Griffin Classified Manager Sherry F. Holmes Advertising Staff John Blackshire TO PLACE AN AD The Gamecock 1400 Greene St. Columbia, S.C. 29208 Advertising: 777-3888 Classified: 777-1184 Fax: 777-6482 CONTACT INFORMATION Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Editor in Chief: gamecockeditor@hotmail.com News: gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Viewpoints: gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com The Mix: gamecockmixedrtor@hotmail.com Sports: gamecocksports@hotmail.com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Newsroom: 777-7726 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. One free copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for one dollar each from the Department of Student Media. Vfz. p£<bi vei-fTo(j psycrtot-OG/sr ci? i 5 eg ^ (?ocr<?f2T X'm A v,s. ~= OertocfZAXic SPa/AToA AMO Something in5u?£ j? Me Keeps wanting to I 5av Nice Things Ag^r/f P£eSi<?£NT Our nation has loose morals TYLERJONES GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM Some cheaters prosper A recent rash of unadulterated, in-your-face cheating has sent many journalists and bat-corkers into a panicked rush to cover then tracks now that Jayson Blair and "Smiling” Sammy Sosa are waiting the firing squad that is public opinion. It seems the New York Times' young reporter and the future President of the Dominican Republic both thought they needed a healthy dose of dishonesty to stay on top of their respective fields. This type of myopic thinking is what makes America such an entertaining carnival. This country was founded on cheating, from the time our good friends the Native Americans were run off their land to John Hancock cutting Ben Franklin in line to sign the Declaration of Independence - cheating is as American as apple pie. One of the only good things about this 24-hour news cycle we live in is that there is always room for a new cheater in the headlines, and lately we've seen some big names. These are no small fry; we’re talking about The New York Times, the great purveyor of honesty, justice, and All The News That’s Fit to Print. The problem with all this rampant dishonesty is that there seems to be a prevailing philosophy in America today that it is only cheating if you get caught. Which leads me to my ultimate question: what is going on that is not being exposed? If history has any validity then it shows us that beneath the surface are dark and murky waters. Dark enough to hide the lies that swim around us everyday, from grade school cheat sheets to insider trading on Wall Street to perjury in the White House. Cheating is the universal enabler, the way to get to the top or stay on top and, despite its stigmatism, most everyone will bend the rules to get ahead. That frightening fact is the "American Way,” a result of the hypersensitive free market economy we have embraced in both our financial and emotional world-views So can someone with hard wore ana nonesty maite it on this bizarre planet we live on? Perhaps, but it is becoming less and less likely. But look on the bright side, I'm guilty of being honest, maybe too honest, and so far all it has gotten me is a crummy bimonthly rant in a college newspaper that no one reads. Now that I think about it, maybe I should give The New York Times a call. Tyler Jones is a graduate student studying journalism