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Coach Gamecock fans should back Woods as he takes top position USC's football team has a new coach, Sparky Woods, who guided Appalachian State for the past five seasons. Gamecock fans should support Woods in his quest to lead USC. W/AAH C \I/ VI A Ka/^Atr?oc T TCC'r + ?? UUUJ, nnu Utv-Ullltj U 3 Z.OLI1 ucau tuacii, UllllgS Willi him an impressive coaching record. During his stint with Appalachian State, he led the Mountaineers to a record of 38-19-2. He was also named the Southern Conference's Coach of the Year in 1985, 1986 and 1987, making him the first coach to win the honor three consecutive years. At Appalachian State, Woods showed he could produce a winner. He showed that he can recruit well. He has also displayed integrity and character. Most importantly, Woods has shown a firm committment to academics. Woods faces serious obstacles by coming to USC, but they can be overcome. First, he must realize that he was not the top choice of Gamecock fans; Furman coach Jimmy Satterfield seemed to be the most popular candidate. Woods needs to understand that followers of USC's football team can be a demanding bunch who are not easy to please. At the same time, these fans must keep an open mind and remember that Woods is new to USC's system. The new coach must also build a staff to help guide the team. Most of the assistants from the 1988 season have departed for other jobs. One exception is defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn, who has said he wants to stay. Woods should seriously consider keep ing Dunn, the architect of a defensive squad that was among the best in the country the past two years. Players have said they want Dunn to remain as defensive coordinator, and Woods would be wise to listen to their suggestions. Building a rapport with the players might be the new coach's most important task. Communication is the key to any successful venture, especially something as complicated as a football team. Woods should get to work as soon as possible to get to know his team. USC has made a good choice in Woods, and Gamecock fans should be proud to have him come here. When spring practice begins in March, followers of USC football can look forward to what should prove to be a successful season. "NATIONAL SECURITY!* c ; 1 I?* ( The Gamecock ; 1 g ?Y Best Non-daily Collegiate Newspaper, Southeastern Region v Society of Professional Journalists, 1987-88 n Editor in Chief Datebook Editor a ANDY BECHTEL JAN PHILLIPS C Managing Editor firanhirs FHitnr li JEFF SHREWSBURY MICHAEL SHARP Copy Desk Chief Comjcs Edi(or KATHY BLACKWELL TRACY M1XSON Assistant Copy Desk Chief Graduate Assistant o CARYN CRABB ROBERT STEVENSON g News Editor Advls(.r n MARY PEARSON PAT MCNEELY O Assistant News Editors Direc|or of Student Medja fl KELLY C. THOMAS ED BONZA cl SUSAN NESBITT Advertising Manager Features Editor MARGARET MICHELS TODD HINES Production Manager Assistant Features Editor LAURA DAY TOMMY JOYNER Assistant Production Manager Sports Editor RAY BURGOS | KE\ IN ADAMS Assistant Advertising Manager Assistant Sports Editor BARBARA BROWN _ CHRIS SILVESTRI Photography Editor TEDDY LEPP T Letters Policy: The Gamecock will In lo print nil Inters received. Letters should he. at a maximum. 250 to 300 words long. Guest editorials should not exceed 500 words. We reserve the right lo edit tellers tor style or possible libel. The Gamecock will not withhold names under any circumstance. A m Ma(PHE?w I ] | ; 11 i L PI/tiaii I I W/7'W 'III "NEVER MMDTHE BEST: Academy neg The Academy Award nominations are out, and once again, numerous worthy films and performers have been left out. The Oscars are inherently biased toward certain movies. Comedies almost always lose out, as do most movies released before December. The voters also prefer movies with serious messages, no matter how dull or ponderous ? take Out of Africa as an example. This year is no different. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in all its divine wisdom, has failed to recognize some of the best work of the past year. Perhaps the most glaring example is the omission of Hairspray, John Waters' glorious plunge into the mainstream. Hairspray i? remarkable in that it manages to be a gentle satire of message movies while containing its own subtle message of antiracism. Waters masterfully blends comedy, music and commentary in Hairspray. Rikki Lake, the hero of the film, should have received some sort of recognition. Still, she is new un me scene, ana u raKes years tor an actress to impress the Academy. The set design for Hairspray also merits a nomination. The film is a showcase of tackiness rivaled only bv Married to the Mob, which also Letters Apathy ruins 1 _ # went so far celebration be ?ndH ? slandered he _ , ,. respect me. S r?'he editor: . engage in ch; It was upsetting to see so many , di d w impty seats at the recent 80th an- Her tQne liversary celebration of the NAACP. . . fhe USC student body, as usual, and insuhs Q nissed an important message, tinn ielivered this time by N.Y. Con- i a^ai'n' au pressman Floyd Flake. The support thg presjden vas dismal; no white support, no motjve was upport from the Democratic Party voters ejse y - there wasn't even any black sup- sonall' eone, >ort. This sorry situation exists all aS ct OwU-pCI >ver the campus. .. 111111 trust you di In a recent talent show held at the university V jolden Spur, USC blacks (or Afro- ,s that other Vmericans) showed up in staggering dorsements lumbers, only to shout insults at the Q >erformers. That s not all. Although I d Last semester about 100 blacks actjon bv alhered in front of the Russell nei,herdolbi louse to counter-demonstrate a pro- ^ /hite, anti-crime rally that never yhus 1 exnre naterialized. Yet these same people specifjc term annot find the time to participate in b. which { stimulating educational experience. If the ed )hV"y the education is not all endorsed a ( ook knowledge. journalism wl I only hope that these students who frjend j wou] ut in their time, superb talents and j do'not ^n( fforts to organize the anniversary letter to the ed elebration would continue their vjckje Emeri( nod wnrk Hpenite (hp tar-l-siHaicK-al seems not so tanner of the student body. Maybe discredit my f ne day a crop of caring, motivated Qr characler , eshmen will appreciate this and rhetorical m hange the situation. sound and fur especially like .. URoy Peterson aboul how thf Chem.stry graduate student a|fec, apy jm( they berated 7 Groups should S;,my bi Perhaps it w 1 Af PMnnrCP and admonish 1VI- their supporte which at all ti o the editor: humility. Reaction by members of the ssociation of Honors Students to iy letter to the editor of Feb. 15 has aii| p ?j 1 SELLER LIST?DID IT MAKE Kl lects worthy m< wc 1 us L-?tmmi. 1? H( aci should have been recognized for its set design. po Waters deserved a nomination for best screennlav and best dirprtinn Rut thp nnwprc that fr?i be at the Academy probably saw him as a subver- wh sive outsider and shunned him. They punished him an for his earlier films, which Waters created with the vir sole intention of offending everyone. But he ' a f deserves better for his work on Hairspray. \ Another film that merits recognition is School pic Daze, Spike Lee's tale about a predominantly usi black school in the South. Although not a perfect I editor but let me address some 17 _ _ 1 _ ? : negative. One officer JT GlTIStlC IG3K as to claim she was # # Droach, that 1 had |T|prit att?Vlfl :r and that she didn't 11 ailUlll he was now at liberty to aracter assassination, as To the editor: ith one of her decisions. 1 was happy to see the was not unique, and I featuring Martha Parker in th rely hurt by accusations 15 issue of The Gamecock. f the AHS Political Ac- It seems to me that wc tee. athletics here at USC do not i estion the propriety of the recognition deserved of the tial endorsement. The much attention is focused on clearly to influence athletics that the contributio ou would not have per- our female athletes are hrough such an expense overlooked. For example, how son mailing entails (I of us realize that our Lady Gam dn't charge it to the basketball team is currently r our other excuse so far 14th nationally? On the other ;roups gave dubious en- how many of us noticed whe ind thus so should you men's team was ranked in the 1 s make a positive, eh?). for a brief span of time? on't approve of similar 1 am not trying to say that th other organizations, do not deserve the attention the elong to any, other than I am only saying that the w endorsed candidates. athletes deserve a lot more pul ss a general principle in than they currently receive. Atl s ? as it relates to a are an integral part of any univ [supposedly) represents setting, and I feel the success c itors of The Gamecock women's athletic progran :andidate majoring in sometimes forgotten, ho was also a personal A perfect example of the negl Id be likewise annoyed. our female athletes is Parker. 1 aw what to make of the sider Parker to be one of the gr litor addressed to me by athletes to ever put on a :k and Kris Porter. It uniform, yet her name is not r much an attempt to as recognizable on campus as acts, logic, conclusions Ellis or Terry Dozier. Granted, )ut ratner an exercise in guys are great athletes who have asturbation: full of a lot for the university, but Pai y, signifying nothing. I accomplishments while pi; :d how they went on basketball here are equally as si : AHS mailing couldn't cant and should be equally as p dligent voter, and then nent in the minds of Carolina s "he Gamecock for prin- fans. ased" and influential When Parker's career is ovei will have scored more than 'ould do here to remind points, collected more than 75 all office holders and bounds and garnered num< :rs to act with honor, honors for both herself and mes entails a degree of university, most notably being ed All-America. She is an out ding player, and when she is o John R. Hanson court, she personifies hustle SCC economics junior leadership. j?|| (r^l-mini's HIT listif" ovies, actors ovie, scnooi uaze is a well-written, challenging )rk. Lee deserves a nomination for his innovative rection. Unfortunately, the Academy overlooked School 7ze, probably because of its release date in the ring of 1988. Another strike against its getting y nominations is the fact that independent films ually get slighted, with the notable exception of a toon. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is another signifint film that should have received more recognim. Granted, this remarkable movie is up for six :hnical awards, but it deserved more. The members of the Academy neglected Bob )skins, who had to act as if the animated rabbit tually stood before him. His performance is werful just because of that fact. Director Robert Zemeckis deserves a nomination the same reason ? he had to create a film iere the main character did not appear until an imator painted him in. For sheer technological tuosity, Zemeckis earned more recognition than landful of technical awards. But so it goes with the Academy. The members k the films by politics more than quality, but lally the better films win. Jsually. IIS Parker is more than just a fine athlete, though. She is an exemplary student also. She is trulv someone uu special, and she deserves to be recognized as such. This is why 1 feel that USC should honor Parker by article retirir,g her No- 13 Jersey- 1 feel tha* eW this is the only way to properly give e ' her the recognition she so richly , deserves. I also think that would be a imen's step in the right direction toward giv"CCC1VC ? ing women s athletics some needed :m. So ? . , attention, men s "often Jeff Driggers P.E. freshman many lecock anked n'our S.G. candidate op 20 rude, arrogant e men 7 ? :y get; omen To the editor: blicity After viewing the Student Governiletics ment presidential debate on the ersity Russell House Patio Feb. 14, 1 feel I >f our must comment on the arrogant is is behavior of Marie-Louise Ramsdale. She is quite a political strategist, ect of She ignored the other candidates, [ con- and when she was paving attention. eatest she chuckled at their answers. She USC distracted my attention from the learly other candidates' speeches, and her Todd supporters constantly moved around these the area and talked during the debate done unless Ramsdale was at the podium, "ker's But what I found most appalling was tying the fact that during the time allotted gnifi- for questions from the audience, she romi- (in everyone's view) constantly mo ports tioned to her supporters to ask her or her opponents certain questions. , she How stupid does she think we are? 1,700 I found her whole attitude, while 0 re- not at the podium, quite obnoxious, srous and I hope other students present at our the debate were clever enough to see nam- through her tactless campaign stan- strategies, n the and Jeff Lander English junior