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o THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, February 18, 2004 Hnlinp Pni! Jofour colleges were sort '-'I 'III 1C. gypped as far as Senate Should there be a representation goes.” Constitutional amendment GINNY WRIGHT banning gay marriage? sg presidential chief of staff oi ‘ www.dailygamecock.com. IN apportionment of sg senate Results published on Fridays. In.Our.Opinion Serving USC by endorsing The Viewpoints page looks a little different today, but it’s no less interesting. At The Gamecock, we take pride in focusing on campus issues. We figure we’re one of the only news organizations that strictly covers USC, so we might as well take advantage of it. But we’re also the only news organization that covers Student Government on a regular basis. Because of this, we feel it is our duty to let the USC community know about what is going on in SG and how they can participate. For the last several years, The Gamecock editorial board has been endorsmg executive candidates for SG elections. These endorsements are not predictions of who will win the elections and they are not directions on whom to vote for. They are only communicating to the student In the opinion of The Gamecock these candidates would do the best job of serving the student body as SG officers. body that, in the opinion ot The Gamecock, these candidates would do the best job serving the students. We hope that you will read these endorsements and begin thinking about the issues that are important to you and make an educated decision on whom to vote for. On Friday, the editorial board interviewed all the SG candidates for 30 minutes each. We asked them questions regarding everything from parking to safety to the newspaper readership program. After the interviews, we closed the door and debated who we thought would be the best candidates for the executive offices. We went around the room and every board member gave positive and negative points about all of the candidates before casting their votes. Votes for all of the offices were unanimous. So read our endorsements. Whether you agree or disagree, you still need to vote. Voting opens Monday at www.vip.sc.edu. Don’t let someone else decide who your leaders will be. r i Gamecock.Corrections In Monday’s The Mix, Sara Thomas’ name was misspelled in a photo credit. In Monday’s News, the Alpha Delta Pi formal should have been identified as the Black Diamond. In Monday’s Page 2, Sharon Osbourne’s name was misspelled. The Gamecock regrets the errors. If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us at gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu. AboutThe.Gamecock Editor In Chief Adam Beam Copy Desk Chief Gabrielle Sinclair Design Director Shawn Rourk News Editor Michael LaForgia Asst. News Editor Alexis Stratton Viewpoints Editor Patrick Augustine The Mix Editor Meg Moore Asst. Mix Editor Jennifer Sitowski Sports Editor Wes Wolfe Asst. Sports Editor Jonathan Hillyard Photo Editor Morgan Ford Asst. Photo Editor Johnny Haynes Page Designers Erin Cline, Staci Jordan, Brian Ray, Brad Senkiw, Mary Pinckney Waters, Chas McCarthy Copy Editors Allyson Bird, Jennifer Freeman. Jessica Fostei Steven Van Haren Wire Editor Z’Anne Covell Online Editor James Tolbert Senior Writer Kevin Fellner CONTACT INFORMATION Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Editor in Chief: gdmecockeditor@gwm.sc.edu News: gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu Viewpoints: gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu The Mix: gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu Sports: gamecocksports@.gwm.sc.edu Public Affairs: gamecockPR@yahoo.com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Newsroom: 777-7726 Editor’s Office: 777-3914 STUDENT MEDIA Director Scoft Lindenberg Faculty Adviser Erik Collins Creative Director Susan King Business Manager Carolyn Griffin Advertising Manager Sarah Scarborough Classified Manager Sherry F. Holmes Production Manager Amber Justice Creative Services Whitney Bridges, Robbie Burkett Advertising Staff Robert Carli, Kate Femim, Latoya Hines Carolina Love, Jesica Johnson, David Weatherford Public Affairs Kimberly Dressier The Gamecock is the editorially independent student newspaper of the University of South Carolina. It 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 StudelTf Media is the newspaper's parent H organization. The Gamecock is supported in part by student-activity fees. ^B One free copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 each from the Department of Student Media. TO rLAUt AN AO The Gamecock 1400 Greene St. Columbia, S.C. 29208 0 Advertising: 777-3888 Classified: 777-1184 Fax: 777-6482 — CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Scott has manageable vision After serving in the SG Senate and as SG vice president, Zachery Scott has a pragmatic view of what he can accomplish if elected president. While some might feel his SG experience is a hindrance in un derstanding issues confronting the average student, it is to Scott’s advan tage as he works with USC’s adminis tration and the state govern ment to fight for students. Scott’s ideas for USC’s fu ture distin guish him from the other / HHBbuJHpi ZACHERY scon receives our endorsement for president candidates, who, while desiring to work hard for the student body, are less prepared, with platforms that fail to-explain how their goals will be realized. After working with Katie Dreiling for a year, Scott wants to continue the success SG has been able to achieve under her leadership, as well as expand pro grams like the readership pro gram and ensure its solvency through guaranteed funding. He proposes including the faculty in the newspaper distribution, on the condition that they help pay for it. Scott cites this program as an example of how leadership can be creative in finding pro grams to serve the students. Scott’s proposal to make the SG president a voting member on the Board of Trustees, if en acted, will give students a say in the decision-making process. The absence of a vote on the Board reduces SG to little more than a debating society, so this would be the first step in ensur ing the Student Senate’s resolu tions have weight. An understanding of the im portance of collective action per meates Scott’s emphasis on growing the lobbying associa tion formed for South Carolina’s universities and colleges. Especially in light of the budget problems that USC is facing be cause of state revenue shortfalls, it is important to remind the leg islature that higher education must be a priority. Even when it comes to peren nial matters like the parking sit uation on campus, Scott under stands that progress is depen dent on cooperation with the ad ministration instead of high-fly ing proposals that will be ig nored by the Board. He points out that the proposed GPS sys tem for the USC shuttles will al low the university to tailor routes to avoid trains and ensure efficiency, along with the stated goal to give students a better idea of where the buses are at any giv en time. This is yet another ex ample of how Scott wants to en sure continuity from the previ ous administration in securing the program’s implementation. Student safety at USC is an im portant plank of his platform, and Scott would make the fund ing of programs like the safety walks and evening shuttles a yearly appropriation once the current grant expires. He is also committed to working with the Columbia Police Department to step up patrols on Greene Street. Scott understands that to lead the student body as president means he will represent all stu dents, including graduate, law and medical school students. He wants to increase communication with these schools and ensure they are fully represented in the student senate, so that their at tendees understand how their ac tivity fees are being spent. The fact that Scott’s platform is easily accessible on the Internet is proof that he values communication with students. Because of his SG experience, at tention to feasible if not flashy goals and his grasp of the issues facing USC, The Gamecock en dorses Zachery Scott for SG President. Senate experience aids Wayne As a Student Government Senator and an RA, vice presi dential candidate Brian Wayne understands the complexity of campus issues. He is aware of what it will take to not only fulfill his job obli gations but to address any of the unplanned issues that might arise while he is in office. | Wayne’s ex perience as an RA has solidi fied his aware ness of, and ability to ana lyze campus is sues beyond the immediate concerns of SG. He has had flvnQrinnf'fl BRIAN WAYNE receives our endorsement for vice president meeting the needs of the everyday student that will enable him to perceive and address “real” issues — issues that directly concern those living and learning at USC. He also shows a willingness to work with whoever is elected president. Wayne recognizes that serving as vice president is to be part of a team. Instead of advocating a rigid personal agenda, Wayne expresses a de sire to fulfill the duties of the po sition first and foremost. The other candidates have agendas that seem too big for the office of vice president. When questioned, they seemed eager to go around the president in order to accomplish their goals. But Wayne understands that the vice president’s principal duty is to oversee the Senate—a task that he is well prepared to manage, considering his SG ex perience. His thorough understanding of the senators’ duties will allow him to better evaluate the work ings of the group from an ad ministrative perspective. Wayne also aims to enforce the rules that delineate a sena tor’s involvement in the campus community. He believes for a senator to truly represent and be in touch with the student body, he or she must attend the requi site number of organizational meetings. As part of his platform, Wayne wants to ensure senators are held to their responsibilities or are replaced by someone with the desire to fulfill the role. Representation, to Wayne, en tails not only knowing, but ex periencing the interests of one’s constituents — involvement is key, as is holding representa tives to their commitment. Aiming to make the Senate more efficient and functional, Wayne wants to adopt more thor ough methods of training sena tors to write resolutions. He also hopes to increase SG’s lobbying efforts within the South Carolina legislature, believing that if SG hopes to affect a change, they must make their voice heard. Although Wayne possesses a clear grasp of what the vice pres ident is obligated to do, he also expressed more unrealistic goals such as keeping the Thomas Cooper Library open 24 hours a day while classes are in session. While the feasibility of such a plan in this period of budget cuts is questionable, the idea shows that Wayne is indeed responsive to the requests of his con stituents. Wayne’s understanding of Senate procedures distinguishes him from his fellow vice presi dential candidates — he is the only one with SG experience. Considering that the vice pres ident is to preside over the Senate, Wayne’s familiarity with its workings makes him the most qualified choice. His dedication to assuring the student body has a voice sets him apart as the candidate with the drive to make a change. Navy life prepares Burnette for role As a nuclear technician in the U.S. Navy’s submarine service, Cameron Burnette gained expe- • rience in leadership and manag ing a budget. Serving on the USS Jimmy Carter, Burnette super vised the creation of a voluntary canteen for sailors who couldn’t return home to eat during the day. His budget expanded from $35 to more than $42,000 in a year. While Burnette is a nontradi tional student, owing to his fpnnrp aQ an pt». listed sailor in the Navy, he embraced Carolina upon arriving here almost three years ago. The third year political science student * ran for SG ' Senate last year, and after being elected was ea I A: ' CAMERON BURNETTE receives our endorsement for treasurer ger to team aoout me pro Diems facing students who live on cam pus, a group he did not previously have experience with. This desire to understand the situation of oth ers exemplifies Burnette’s lead ership style of quiet determina tion to make a difference where he finds himself. Through discussions with on campus students, he found that USC’s meal plan does not allow students to eat more than one meal in a set time period, which he feels is unfair to those who are paying for a meal plan that should cater to student needs and not to an abstract time restric tion. His lack of experience as a student on campus has not been a liability, but rather an asset as it has given him a unique, objective perspective on the issues. Burnette said the impeach ment debacle in Student Senate a year ago motivated him to run for Senate to make the system more of an effective advocate for students. It is this desire that is again motivating him to run for treasurer, a position he feels is less political, but in which he can make more of a substantive difference. He opposes making the trea surer the chairperson of the Senate Finance Committee, be cause he thinks that it would give too much power to the position. However, Burnette wants the treasurer to be more involved with the budgeting process by holding more frequent, intensive workshops for student organiza tions as they draft budget pro posals to receive funding from SG. He believes there is no rea son for student activity fee mon ey to sit in a non-interest bearing account when it could be used by student organizations that miss out on the disbursement process simply because of confusion over the process. Burnette wants to ensure the Readership Program is solvent next, year past the end of the grant that created it. He would also involve faculty members in the program in an attempt to se cure partial funding, as well as finding money in the SG. Burnette is the best choice for SG treasurer because of his prior experience with a large budget and his maturity, evidenced by the Navy’s faith in paying for his college education. Having been in the Senate, he understands the inner workings of the body, and will be able to step into the job with an awareness of the bud geting process. Finally, his desire to serve without a political motive as sures that students can trust his neutral leadership in funding or ganizations on campus. Winners.and.Sinners GARNET & BLACK Celebrates 10-year anniversery with party on Greene Street. Popcorn at no extra charge. DISNEY Mickey overjoyed to keep his job as || board rejects merger with Comcast. ^ „ USC BASEBALL Pounds Charleston Southern in second game of season, starting the long road to Omaha. ' ' <. v-i' ■ ’ '■ - i, , ' . . , ,. •• f . HAITI Caribbean nation devolves into violence as its president refuses to allow elections. A-ROD Swithces to pinstripes in buyout deal from the Rangers. In other news, Steinbrenner buys World Series trophy from Marlins. VLADIMIR PUTIN Russian president maintains editorial control over the nation’s news outlets 1 —Can you say “Communist?”