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VIEWPOINTS Page 6 1 —L ^ » f I V>/ —I— -A- 1 r\^S Wednesday, March 1,2006 TH#feAMECOCK EDITORIAL BOARD Editor \ Design Director STEVEN VAN HAREN CHAS MCCARTHY News Editor ; Sports Editor JUSTIN CHAPURA STEPHEN FASTENAU Assistant News Editor \ Viewpoints Editor JACKIE ALEXANDER BRINDY McNAIR The Mix Editor \ Assistant Viewpoints Editor ALEXIS ARNONE AARON BRAZIER IN OUR OPINION Price boost necessary for USC to compete We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: in Spurrier we trust. USC football coach Steve Spurrier on Thursday delivered an oral report card of USC’s athletics facilities in comparison to other SEC schools, according to The State newspaper. His analysis: a few D’s, a lot of F’s. Not to be outdone, Athletics Director Eric Hyman asked USC’s Board of Trustees to raise the price of football tickets $10 for season-ticket holders. They’re both right. Spurrier knows what we need, and Wyman knows now to get it. On the surface, a ticket price increase sounds evil; after all, our love of Gamecock football doesn’t end after four years, and we’re all going to want to come back to Williams Brice Stadium years after we graduate, i ickcls won t ue rree anymore. But we have a big-time coach who took us to a 7 5 season and a bowl game. Now we need the proper facilities to be a big-time school — and not only in football. Spurrier is the most recognizable sports figure on campus, and he’s already put his money where his mouth is to help non-football teams. In December, he donated $25,000 of his salary to help the track and field teams update their facilities, according to WIS. That’s a man who knows USC should be recognized as an all-around sports giant, not just a football school. Higher ticket prices will help ease the financial pinch of buying new training rooms and upgrading the stadium, two of the things Spurrier said we need to compete with the Floridas and Georgias of the conference. A shot at an SEC championship is worth shelling out more money at the gates. USC is on the up-and-up, and with cutting-edge facilities such as the Strom and the upcoming Innovista research campus pushing the school to new heights, “thy children to be” might have to shell out a little more money to help USC onto the national stage. We need the proper facilities to be a big-time school — and not only in football. IT’S VOUR RIGHT Voice your opinion on message boards at www.dailygamecock.com or send letters to the editor at gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu CORRECTIONS If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know about it. E-mail us at gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu ABOUT THE GAMECOCK Editor STEVEN VAN HAREN Design Director chas McCarthy' Copy Desk Chief AARON KI00 News Editor JUSTIN CHAPURA Assistant News Editor JACKIE ALEXANDER Viewpoints Editor BRINDY McNAIR Assistant Viewpoints Editor AARON BRAZIER The Mix Editor ALEXIS ARNONE Assistant Mix Editor KRISTEN TRUESDALE Sports Editor STEPHEN FASTENAU Assistant Sports Editor ALEX RILEY Photo Editor NICK ESARES Assistant Photo Editor KATY BLALOCK Public Relations Director ROSE GREENE Page Designers MIKE CONWAY, KATE FENWICK, MEGAN SINCLAIR Staff VTrsters A.J. BEMBRY, TOM BENNING, JESS DAVIS, TIM MCMANUS, MARJORIE RIDDLE, GINA VASSELLI Copy Editors CAROLINE DESANCTIS, BETHANY NICHOLS, ELIZABETH PARHAM, KATIE THOMPSON, JAMISON TINSLEY, KRYSTAL WEBBER. LIZ WHITE STUDENT MEDIA Director scon LINDENBERG Faculty Adviser ERIK COLLINS Creative Director SUSAN KING Business Manager CAROLYN GRIFFIN Advertising Manager SARAH SCARBOROUGH Classifieds Manager SHERRY F. HOLMES Production Manager C. NEIL scon Advertising APRYL ALEXANDER, KATIE CUPPIA, BREANNA EVANS, MARY RACHEL FREEMAN, DEIDRE MERRICK, MCKENZIE WELSH 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 o/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 copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchasedfor $1 each from the Department of Student Media. % CONTACT INFORMATION Offices located on the thirdfloor of the Russell House Editor's office hours are from 2-3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays Editor: gamecockeditor@gusm.sc.edu News: gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu Viewpoints: gamecockopinions@gusm.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 ; Sports: 777-7182 Editor's Office: 777-3914 Fax: 777-6482 / r WHOA! \ IVE60TAPERPIN D.CTRYING TO GIVE OUR PORTS TO AN ARAB COUNTW WITH 911 CONNECTIONS! Courtesy KRT Campus Sharing bed with strangers is risky business Partners by dozens endangers everyone, not only ONS players I probably should have told everyone that I’m not really cut out to write a sex or relationship column. Most of what I write is from those weekly chick chats with my girlfriends over dinner, online or during the weekend catch up. Considering most of my friends and most of their friends are currently experiencing the newly single period of college, the topic of the last few weeks has gravitated towards “hooking up.” “Hooking up” most commonly is used as slang for one-night stands — or ONS, as comedian Dane Cook calls them. And ONS are a direct effect of singledom. In this day and age, ONS are a regular Thursday through Sunday collegiate activity. What is a single girl most likely to do? Have a little fun and try on as many pairs of shoes that she can. I know many of you have a problem accepting my cavalier tone, but let me explain. This is a campus where sex is as prevalent as ... Gamecocks. So, most likely, students are participating in this Gamecockesque activity whether you, me or their grandparents disapprove. In this environment UZIDHITE when °?e Second-year S e X U a I I y print active couple journalism decides to student call it quits, those two people become separate ONS players. And then one day the girl, lets call her Jane, wakes up only to realize her magical number has multiplied; she’s suddenly expecting a bundle of joy, and a very uncomfortable infection has found its way into her body. On campus, where Jane has so many partners she cannot count them on two hands, precaution is a key word. Take that moment when Jane hears “Oh, crap the condom broke.” Mood killer? It’s a lot more than that. Even if the condom hadn’t broken, condoms are only about an 84 percent to 94 percent effective method of birth control. Not every college girl is on the pill, patch, ring or whatever, and that doesn’t protect against STDs. But I’m not here to offer that age-old abstinence solution. This is college. So, in the ONS, singledom period of college life? remember that elementary school lesson that you parents, teachers and “Kindergarten Cop” drilled into your head — never talk to strangers. Now that we are older, never sleep with strangers. Maybe it seems a little obvious to some of you, but think about how many people go to parties and mixers, meet a nice young man or woman only to wake up the next day hung-over, in pain and trying to remember if his name is Oreo or Corey. Just to clarify, if you know little more than a name, last name or nationality, that’s not much better. You really don’t want to be like Keith Richards, or your life could be like a “Maury” episode complete with melodramatic paternity tests. Keep in mind those strangers you are sleeping with were once someone else’s ONS, too. Where has Oreo been or better yet, who has Oreo been with? If we are all sexually active ONS players on this Gamecock campus, we are all in bed together. And just make sure you’re looking out for all the Gamecocks next time you get your ONS on. IN YOUR OPINION New Orleans needs to celebrate culture As Carolina students and also as New Orleanians, we would like to address the editorial in Monday’s paper. First of all, the suggestion that a mysterious entity identified only as “the city” use the proceeds from Mardi Gras to help individual homeowners is absurd. Over one third of the city still does not have basic utilities such as power. Should the government of New Orleans make life better for all citizens and work to restore order, or should they hand checks to homeowners? We are all hoping that this particular Mardi Gras will jump-start the economy so that when those homeowners are able to come back, they will come back to an economy that is recovering and can provide them with jobs. This will benefit all residents. Secondly, The Gamecock draws an analogy between Mardi Gras and the benefit concert held in New York City after Sept. 11. We understand that some analogies can be drawn between New York and New Orleans. However, the analogy The Gamecock uses should not have been made. Comparing the over 150-year-old tradition of Mardi Gras to a one time benefit concert is ridiculous. The Gamecock fails to realize that Mardi Gras is a time-honored tradition, part of the fabric of New Orleans’, not a once a-year party put on for tourists. When New Orleanians go through a tough patch, we look forward to Mardi Gras. The overwhelming spirit of the people to revere life conveys message that we should be thankful for what we have. It is a family tradition. We remember our own Carnival traditions and look forward to the day when we can pass these on to our children. We believe we have suffered enough during these past six months to atone for the sins of the past 150 celebrations of Mardi Gras. We believe that it is time for New Orleans to celebrate a brighter future and the rebuilding of our lives. Let New Orleans laugh, live and love. Laissez bon temps rouler! PAULA JOHNS Third-year international studies student MARK LABRUYERE Third-year accounting 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. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newsroom at 777-7726 for more information. Winners & Sinners New Orleanians celebrated Mardi Gras by poking fun at the delayed disaster response, dressed as emergency Meals Ready to Eat. ‘ An unidentified man stole $352 from tvvo Brownies selling Girl Scout Cookies at a Publix near Lake Frederica, Fla., Monday. President gets growing pains like adolescent high schoolers Commander-in-chiefs reign parallels lessons learned in childhood The story of George W. Bush’s presidency is much like the story of a child growing up. During the 2000 election, he was much like a 5-year old about to go to school for the first Tim time. Sure, he mcmnnus may have done Fifth-year some awful print things in his journalism proverbial student “terrible twos,” such as being arrested of driving under the influence and taking illegal drugs, but you can hardly hold what a guy did as a toddler against him. His first term in office was much like a child’s journey though elementary school. A child is still getting use to the whole “being around people” thing, and the president was still getting used to the whole “leader of the free world” thing. And while he may have lied to start an unjust war, everybody makes mistakes in elementary school. I’ll even be the first to admit that I beat up a guy over a football game in fifth grade, but I’m sure everyone forgave me, forgot about it and holds nothing against me for it now. Likewise, the country forgave Bush for his childhood aggression and re elected him in 2004. But his second term has been like high school, where students are held more accountable for themselves. Bush’s first flirtation with “being held responsible for stuff’ came in 2004 with his horrible mismanagement of Hurricane Katrina. l ne American people nad a wake-up call. They saw that their president was like a child about to go out to the real world and needed to learn a thing or two about responsibility. So, Bush’s approval rating plummeted after it was revealed that the commissioner of the Arabian Horse Association was appointed to the position of head of FEMA as a favor from Bush’s campaign manager from the year 2000, and apparently did not have what it takes to manage one of our nation’s worst national disasters. With his recent decision to let a company operated by the government of the United Arab Emirates manage several of our nation’s ports even disappointed the conservatives, who until now were much like the parent who always took your side. But now, conservatives all over the country, from radio show hosts to congressmen, are giving him proverbial stern lectures and three days without TV. Mr. President, you’re growing up, and it looks like you just turned 18. You will no longer be treated as a child, and normally, you would have to learn responsibility. But since you’re already one of the most powerful men in the world and will probably retire in less than three years, you really don’t need to learn anything. But if you did, we’d all be really proud of you.