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6 THE GAMECOCK ♦ Monday, April 5,2004 f Online.Poll * T I ,lTTT I VT"X I *1 like security and parking. I was Should the S.C. Legislature I B 1 ■ / B B ■ f B I ' relieved to find out that the uni pass a law to legalize tattoo- B B"*^ » / « / B-^ B B % B versity is like a well-oiled ma www.dailygamecock.com. J_J f f Vy _ g _L ky STEPHANIE SEJEWSKI Results published on Friday. high schooljunior from aiken, on IMPRESSIONS FROM THE USC SH0WI In.our.opinion New arena boon to USC Even more than a home for our reinvigorated basketball team, the Colonial Center has been a huge success as a concert venue, drawing attention to USC and Columbia. The Colonial Center ranks 22nd in the world for number of tickets sold in 2003, according to Pollstar Magazine, proving that it is drawing more than just basketball crowds responding to the stellar run the men’s basketball had this year. Also, the Colonial Center will be busy this month,-with seven national shows coming, beginning Wednesday with , . , Aerosmith and Cheap Ticket sales for the T . . Colonial Center ri allayed pre- /art of the Colonial construction fears Center s success ran that a new arena attributed to the diversity would not be a good of concerts that have been investment for USC. scheduled for the venue, with acts ranging from pop princess Britney Spears to folk legend Bob Dylan April 10. Columbians are eager for mainstream music shows in an arena setting. Since the Colonial Center has more seats than the Coliseum, there were initial fears that it would be difficult to fill them. But as it turns out, the construction was a good investment for USC from several perspectives. . meariy, uie ooiumai center nas ueen a success from an entertainment viewpoint, and it will also aid the efforts of basketball to recruit top prospects. New facilities that include amenities for athletes help the athletic department, and the arena is also superb for viewing games. Despite the additional seating, the Colonial Center feels smaller, with better views of the court from all around. This helps the teams as they play, since fans who are happy with their seats will be more attuned to the game and thus likely to be more vocal in their support. USC students should be happy about the practicality of the Colonial Center, which contributes to the entertainment options for all Columbians. Gamecock.Corrections If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us at gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu. AboutJhe.Gamecock Editor in chief Adam Beam Copy Desk Chief Gabrielle Sinclair Design Director Shawn Rourk Asst. Design Director Staci Jordan 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, Brad Senkiw, Mary Pinckney Waters, Chaz McCarthy Copy Editors Allyson Bird, Jennifer Freeman, Jessica Foster, Steven Van Haren, Joey Wallace Wire Editor Z'Anne Covell Online Editor James Tolbert Senior Writer Kevin Fellner r *4# CONTACT INFORMATION Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Editor in Chief: gamecockeditor@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 The Gamecock is the editorially independent Director student newspaper of Scott Lindenberg the University of South Carolina, it is Faculty Adviser published Monday, Erik Collins Wednesday and Friday during the fall and Creative Director spring semesters and Susan King nine times during the summer, with the Business Manager exception of university Carolyn Griffin holidays and exam periods. Opinions Advertising Manager expressed in The Sarah Scarborough Gamecock are those of the editors or author Classified Manager and those of the Sherry F. Holmes University of South Carolina. The Board of Production Manager Student Publications Amber Justice and Communications is the publisher of The Creative Services Gamecock. The Whitney Bridges, Department of Student Robbie Burkett, Media IS the Burke Lauderdale newspaper s parent organization. The Advertising Staff Gamecock is Robert Carl I, Kate supported in part by c . . . ... student-activity fees. Femmo, Latoya Hines ~ Q ' _ . One free copy per Caroline Love, Jesica , . _ ’ reader. Additional Johnson David copies may be Weatherford purchased for $1 each from the Department Public Affairs of student Media. Kimberly Dressier TO PLACE AN AD The Gamecock Advertising: 777-3888 1400 Greene St. Classified: 777-1184 Columbia, S.C. 29208 v Fax: 777-6482 b/\5 Jo Go H(G<rt6(Z Who decided skinny was hot? Is it just me, or is Kate Beckinsale not hot? At all. Seriously, I’m really tired of saying she’s hot all the time just because everyone around me is, and if I didn’t, they’d think I was gay. It would probably be kind of fun if they thought I was gay, but that might be a problem some where down the road. Anyway, I watched “Underworld” the other day, the movie that supposedly she was really hot in, and the whole time she was running around in skin-tight leather pants and I figured something out: Kate Beckinsale has the exact same figure as Mick Jagger. Except I think Mick Jagger has more curves. This is the primary problem we face in society today, in my opinion; people think Kate Beckinsale is hot. Kate Beckinsale is 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighs ap proximately 17 lbs and was the fe male lead in “Pearl Harbor.” What’s there to like here? The problem with Kate Beckinsale, and our society, is that fashion magazines and aw fully-scripted movies about vam pires fighting werewolves are constantly telling us that wom en who make Robert Plant look like Aretha Franklin are attrac tive. And they’re not. So what are we going to do about it? For starters, don’t watch “Pearl Harbor,” but that’s more like the 11th Commandment than a new development in the quest to de-hot Kate Beckinsale. (I’m only picking on Kate Beckinsale because she’s also a really, really bad actress. I could just as easily be picking on Claire Danes or Cameron Diaz. Oh wait, they’re also really bad actresses. Sorry, never mind.) All right, so here’s the plan: First, boycott all Kate Beckinsale, Claire Danes, Cameron Diaz and Kurt Russell movies, unless they have Hugh Jackman in them. However, if they have Hugh Jackman in them, but also feature Kate Beckinsale as a vampire or vam pire hunter, then don’t see them, unless they have Ian McKellen in them. Who, incidentally, is way too thin, but I don’t think that’s related to an unhealthy societal view of the female fig ure. Oh yeah, and skip “Pearl Harbor.” It’s really long. After you have performed the requisite boycotting, the next step is to carry a yummy, king size Baby Ruth bar with you ev erywhere you go. Whenever you walk by a super-thin, really ugly girl (usually surrounded by frat guys saying, “Wow, she’s almost as hot as Kate Beckinsale, ex cept she could lose some weight.”), whip out your Baby Ruth and dangle it under her nose. She’ll immediately become transfixed by the chocolate and nuts, neither of which she will have tasted since 1987, and will fol low you home where you can fat ten her into a healthy, attractive girl with rosy cheeks, who will im mediately fall in love with you for showing her how wonderful a king-size candy bar can be. Oh yeah, and you’ll save so ciety from the Claire Danes’s of the world, probably. Oh well, who cares? Once you have a girl friend, anorexia seems less im portant anyway. Just stay away from “Pearl Harbor” and you’ll be fine. In.your.opinion Ally program plays vital campus role I have many comments on USC Printing Services employ ee Archie Crossland’s letter (“Ally signs have no place on campus,” Wednesday). First of all, I agree that it is a priority of USC’s to support all students, faculty and staff. However, that’s the only thing Mr. Crossland and I agree on. The purpose of having visi ble and distinctive signs on campus signifying allies of the gay community is because it isn’t always easy to see who is in fact a member of that com munity. Homosexuals don’t wear signs and neither do their “supporters.” The Ally program has been formed to assist those who need help and have nowhere else to go. Perhaps the program’s an nouncement reading that acts of heterosexism “will not be tol erated” is a bit extreme. Maybe it would be better to say, “Prejudices such as heterosex ism should not be tolerated.” Aside from the possibly harsh wording in ads for the program, it’s still a great idea for a campus that is still relatively shy toward homosexuality. Mr. Crossland goes on to mention that he doesn’t fear ho mosexuals but fears for them, along with adulterers, liars, thieves or anyone else who breaks “any of the Ten Commandments.” He says all of these offenders who don’t repent to Jesus Christ will perish. As a Christian I find these statements quite interesting. Yes, the Bible does mention homosexuality as a sin, but it doesn’t say anything in the Ten Commandments about being gay. And for Mr. Crossland to be such a devout Christian like he claims, it amazes me that he would pass such strong judgment on others. Christians know there is only one judge in this world, and I can assure everyone who is un aware, that judge does not work at USC Printing Services. BRIAN BREITENSTEIN SECOND-YEAR f>UBLIC RELATIONS STUDENT Mexico must follow international law Mexico scored a human rights victory Wednesday when the International Court of Justice ordered the United States to review the cases of 51 Mexicans facing the death penal ty here. According to Mexican officials, the United States sys tematically violated its citizens’ human rights by denying access to consular staff who could as sist in their defense. It is ironic that the very thing the Mexican government demanded, activists in Mexico’s Chihuahua state are now having to struggle for: gov emment intercession in cases in volving state crimes. In Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City, approximately 370 Mexican women have been brutally murdered since 1993, many after violent sexual assault. The Mexican federal government has been slow to intercede in these crimes. To coordinate the investigation and prosecution of these murders, the Fox administration recently appointed Federal Prosecutor Maria Lopez Urbina and Special Commissioner Guadalupe Morfin. Amnesty International welcomed this intervention. It had previ ously found serious deficiencies, including a lack of follow-up on witness statements and evidence, and unjustified delays by police investigators. The Fox administration must take its own advice if it believes federal law supersedes state law in special circumstances, and ag gressively intervene on behalf of the women of Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua who continue to be at great risk of abduction and murder. ANNE GALANTOWICZ FIRST-YEAR I'H.I). GEOGRAPHY STUDENT Submission Policy Letters to the editor should be less than 300 words and include name, phone number, professional title or year and major, if a student. E-mail letters to gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu. Letters will be edited for space, possible libel and style. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newsroom at 777 7726 for more information. A matter ofpoor public relations Those kooky College Republicans. They just can’t seem to quit making themselves look like complete fools. Take last week’s incident with the S.C. Confederation of College Rpniihlirans □ While it’s a bit of a he-said, she-said affair, the facts seem to bear out that former USC College Repub lican chair WES WOLFE woman Ken „ ., dall Robinson public tned t0 screw relations over a guy from student her own organi zation who was running for state chairman. Let me repeat that. She tried to screw over a guy from her own or ganization. A fellow Republican. A comrade-in-arms. Are you kidding? Through Robinson’s actions, which included sending a pack of erroneous credentials to the confederation, she made herself and her organization look bad. In a conversation with The Gamecock, Robinson said she wouldn’t give a quote and that, “There’s no story here.” That’s smart. She could have gotten her story out there and maybe made someone else look bad instead of herself, but no. It was just easier to dip into that well of hatred Republicans har bor for the free press. Of course, Robinson isn’t the only College Republican to do something idiotic in recent mem ory. There were the other knuck le-scraping Neanderthals in her organization who decided to heck le everyone who stepped on stage when U.S. Sen. John EdwTards, D N.C., came to formally announce his presidential campaign in front of the Russell House. You guys were stellar. I espe cially enjoyed the one who screamed the words “commu nism” and “socialism” in my ear when former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt took the stage. The yelling during the prayer was nice, too, and occurred in practically ev ery single pause a speaker took un til Edwards’ wife admonished the College Republicans for their ac tions and asked for some courtesy. It’s one thing to protest, but it’s another thing to intentionally dis rupt an event, especially when you’re giving the USC student body a bad reputation with your actions. All in all, I was almost moved to forego my usual pacifism and buy myself a ticket to jail by jumping onto the sidewalk and throwing punches. According to the MSNBC campaign embed, Dugald McConnell, another member of the working press looked like she was going to walk down from the press riser and strangle one of the kids herself. If she had, though, Robinson would’ve had one less name to duplicate on the creden tials application. And then there s the group of College Republicans who tried to ambush A1 Franken during the question-and-answer period of his appearance at the Roger Center. One fellow asked a question that implied that Republican student groups were being repressed. Right. Republicans control the presidency, Congress and many state governments. But, apparent ly, they’re being repressed. Well, Franken cracked a joke at the kid’s expense and sent him out crying. If you’re going to ambush some one, be prepared to have it thrown back at you. So, here’s to the USC College Republicans. If you guys weren’t such petulant, mean-spirited cry babies, I would’ve had to write about something important. College.Quote.Board DAILY ORANGE jfMgte SYRAW’S^ university “President George W. Bush has asked the FDA to alter the packaging i of condoms so that they include a warning about their ineffectiveness in preventing human papillomavirus, commonly known as HPV or the vims that causes genital herpes. Furthermore, it is appropriate and responsible that Bush, an unmistakably staunch conservative, has acknowledged condoms as a part of the national sexual dialogue through asking the FDA to reword the warning they include.” S. f* ,'■<«* ’* 3 . ■ ‘ . * -Sk*1 THE LANTERN OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY “With all of the tanning alternatives out such as Mystic Tan and bottled self tanner lotions, people no longer have an excuse to place themselves amid the UVA radiation in a tanning bed. That is unless they are striving for cancer—but while their at it, they should make ■sure to take a pack of cigarettes into the tanning bed as well. Even if tanning does boost one’s metabolism, it is not worth the risks in volved.” f COURTESY OF U-WIRE