Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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\ ^aiiUcock Serving USC Since 1908 J.T. Wagenheim, Editor in Chief Lee Clontz, Viewpoints Editor Editorial Board Wendy Hudson, Carson Henderson, Gordon Mantler, Nancy Salomonsky, Tony Santori 'Violence D/74?/I-M V-yi / rvi <V v/ /7-n c?>1f-CfWI t^/^7/ lOVWl / 1 14 / C ^ //H^f to removing guns from schools For too long, the attitude has been that Columbia is immune to violence. Certainly, there's the crime inherent in any medium-sized city, but Columbians have blindfolded themselves with a false sense of security. Any illusions that violence isn't a pressing issue were shattered Tuesday when Earnest Dunlap, an Eau Claire High School student, was shot and killed in class on an otherwise normal day. The shooting should serve as a wake-up call to parents, teachers, students and school administrators across the state: Violence can happen I anywhere. Some schools, mostly in larger cities, have begun using metal detectors to make sure that students can't bring weapons into school. A bill pending in the Legislature would require metal detectors in all schools. This is a positive step, although the need for metal detectors in school is a tragic and unfortunate consequence of society today. Still, anything that makes the classroom safer is a benefit to the students and teachers. Metal detectors alone won't keep guns out of schools, though. If the law can't keep guns out of the students' hands, then it will probably be unable to keep them outside of the school doors. The only way to ever make schools completely safe is for parents to do their job: to parenting. They can't depend on schools to fully educate their children on every aspect of life. Certain virtues such as morals, judgment and a regard for human life are learned outside the classroom. Witnesses claim the alleged killer kicked Dunlap repeatedly as he lay } dying in the hallway. This isn't the act of a well-adjusted or responsible individual. Portions of today's youth are learning to place no value on human life. They're growing up mindless instruments of violence, prepared to settle any dispute by brandishing weapons. Weapon buy-back programs, where police stations offer a set price, usually 5100, for any handgun are also a good place to begin. While it might be expensive, the human cost of the weapons is far higher. Young people also need a confidential way to turn in students who carry weapons and the encouragement to do it. Students don't want guns in their school any more than the people who carry them. Guns are just a way for young people with no self esteem to get what they want most^respect, of any kind. By allowing students to help take control of their own safety, administrators would also be endowing them with one of the most empowering gifts of all: responsibility. | When it becomes acceptable, even respectable, to turn in students with guns, school administrators will have taken a tremendous step toward making their schools a safer and more effective place to learn. The tragedy in Eau Claire hopefully won't soon be forgotten. For the sake of S.C.'s youth, it can't be. Super Bowl not place to debate flag issue With arguably the biggest annu- ~~ al American sports event, the jdHBk Super Bowl, coming up this weekend, my friends and 1 are getting excited about the party we're going to be throwing, and I'm get^ting excited about rooting my team, the Dallas Cowboys, to vie- ? ? ^ Unfortunately, another aspect of this annual event managed to capture my attention, and it's defi- COLUMNIST nitely not a pleasant one. The issue is that of the The flag is important and has its Confederate battle flag being place, and that's in a museum and hung in the Georgia Dome, as not in the face of humiliated and well as the Georgia State Capitol insulted African-Americans, itself. A significant controversy Yes, I am a Southerner and surrounds this to the point that a proud of it, but I'm not proud of protest will be held before the everything about the South, espen'tn Ilv 1 \Y/~ ^game. VI*4"/ V^ivii W ai tia. U3, it o * First, let me start by saying that something that intrigues me to I'm a firm believer in history as a the core, but it's not something study and understanding of one's that 1 would worship and neither heritage and in the famous should anyone else. That's truly phrase, "Those who do not know despicable in my book, and I and understand history are couldn t call myself a true and doomed to repeat it." This is devout Roman Catholic if I supsomething we need to remember ported this. when dealing with this very deli- Even though I'm in full support cate issue. of the protesters and of rallies and I feel that all aspects of the protests in general, I can't and South's history should be in our won't support the judgment that school books so we can learn and helped to decide the time and live from the lesson of this knowl- place of this protest, ^dge. However, I don't feel the Holding the protest before this Confederate battle flag should be great sports event, in my opinion, flown anywhere, much less over a is quite tacky and should be capitol building or in a sports are- avoided at all costs. Let's let the na. people enjoy the game and leave The flag, to me, symbolizes the the banners and pickets in the South's bigoted past, a past the closet until Monday. Then, pergood, decent and Christian peo- haps we can solve this burning pie of this section of our great controversy that has plagued the country should put behind them. South for so long. I fir-kit/| News: 777-7726 Chris Carroll Coordinator of Student Media oamrcocR Student Media Russell House-USO Columbia, SC 29208 J'm Green Asa. Production Manager J.T. YVagenheim Nancy Salomonsky Darby Lackey Gregory Perez Editor in Chief Carolina! Editor Asst. News Production Asst. Lee Clontz Santori Melissa Tennen Brian McGuire Viewpoint Editor Sports Editor " Caro[ina. Graduate Asst. Carson Henderson David Mandrell Renee Gibson Copy Desk Chief Photo Editor nmm? Advertising Manager Gordon Mantler I Chris Muldrow ^ ESl J. Taylor Rutland Copy Desk Chief Graphics Editor Asst. Advertising Manager Wendy Hudson Nora Doyle pau| Jon Boscacci Erik Collins News Editor Asst- News Carloonisi Faculty Advisor The Gamecock is the student newspaper of the Letters Polky University of South Carolina and is published Monday, i .. Wednesday and Friday during the fall and spring semes- The Gamecock will try to pnnt all letters received, ters, with the exception of university holidays and exam Letters should be 200-250 words and must include full periods. nam?, professional title or year and major if a sludent. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the Letters must be personally delivered by the author to kfditors or author and not those of the University of The Gamecock newsroom in Russell House room 321. piouth Carolina. ?The Board of Student Publications hnd Communications ^ Gamecock reserves the right to edit all letters for is the publisher of The Gamecock. The Department of style, possible libel or space limitations. Names will not I Student- Media is its parent organization. be withheld under any circumstances. Viewpoint w VJEU, if's AG ^ 1o ?L?CT TMose; tea. "SE(?\/AAns oFfieli -mJH WHo ALWAMS Ea/P" up \toffc AtoW/// "Before I came to Carolina, I had lot already had integrated fraternities. He systen MTV vast w Two nights ago, I-was sitting on my sofa, slowly turning into an eggplant while MTV flashed its famous disjointed message to me, when a jolt of realization hit: MTV is really pretty stupid, and I was glued to the tube for absolutely no comprehensible reason. Let's start with the infamous MTV vee-jays. What kind of training do you have to have to stand in front of the camera, shift nervously from jr one foot to another, tug at the hem of your g, black concert T-shirt and try to make some babbled connection between your mother's meatloaf g, and the newest Prince video? I can see the inter- ? view now.... ,v vt Interviewer: Can you stare at a cockroach on 7 m the floor and drool at the same time? . ... . . e: Potential MI v vee-iay: is the cockroacn mov 'j 01 Iflg lo Interviewer: No. Of course not. I can't even do that! fc Potential vee-jay: I guess I could try. Interviewer: Well, can you dance to Aerosmith? ^ Potential vee-jay: No. P( Interviewer: You're hired. S? F.ven worse than the vee-jays are the MTV newspeople who take their jobs seriously. One d Kurt Loder, for example. How newsworthy is this sc stuff anyway? I mean, once you've seen Axl Rose I arrested once, you've seen him arrested a 1,000 fo times. Do we really need a crack news crew filmIrresponsible women *hould. p^ce r _ tare recioients. undeserving of choice Ms. Stutts m; an point that To the editor: and not a privi Shayla Stutts, the author of as to compare "Campbell misses mark on contra- to that of Ch ceptive issue," missed the point of known for ag Campbell's statement during his how many ch State of the State address. Gov. legally give bii Campbell, who does not face the son is difficult pressure of re-election, made the of the obviox gutsy statement tnat, hvery more importar woman on welfare should be on available natur; some type of birth control." What food, to sustj has ensued is a worthy discussion Because of thi on what controls society can, and others, we cal What can b< lpP^sp3jj| Metal detectors and more st IJfto f 8oes back to the home, J&C need to act more like parents Ei The only way to do it is son tion to see who's bringing t I has them. Gun control laws j*i out of school. Kids will get th Director of promotions and ts s, A IN t Sit'ICS UIMEn/ MgRsiTf' r7117 uf <;TA< SiTTiA/6 ?l?CTiN6 Himg. teAcMERS ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 3ked into the Greek system at a lol ;re at USC, it wasn't that way, and n, I feel better served to contribute asteland o Chris Muldrow GRAPHICS EDITOR ig Neil Young every time he plays with another rungy performer or group? The little MTV feature shows are lacking in race, also. What fool pulled all those people jgether in the same house for "The Real rorld?" I've never seen roommates argue as tuch as that bunch. Every time I see the show, I <pect one of the women to pull a Lorena on ne of the guys, and that country-singing guy >oks too much like Garth Brooks for my com?rt. The videos seem to be moving farther and farler away from the actual music they're sup osed to illustrate. I watched two videos and iw a boa constrictor, a woman fondling a rat, le same woman shaving her leg, a wind-up uck toy and a guy tossing popcorn at the :reen. Does this sound weird to you, too, or am just a narrow-minded, old-fashioned, uninrmed lout? Of course, I guess inexplicable symbolism is on women and wel- oped nation which resources to take care o ide her civil libertari- lation. This is one of tl childbirth is a right behind social welfare, lege. She went as far Of the many points Campbell's proposal made, there was no me lina, which is well need to reform a wel gressive policies on that many Americans se ildren a couple can ster that we can no lo th to. The compari- The author seems not t to swallow because that many American" is differences and, women who cannot t; itly, we have enough current obligations she al resources, such as taking on any further tin our population. Simply, women or fa is difference, among cannot afford to take c 1 ourselves a devel- children today should r i done about guns ii ^though. Parents the ie kind of detec- 1 They hem in and who work won't keep guns woul em. Bill Boggs I spirit coordination jr? 'V ^ f> O $ ? ra (3 ^ | ? ce> fc>^Xj ^ if?' IMC V \ TU\S 1' p% < Poesai'T m GRAPES t of other schools. Many of them rather than bad mouth the Greek Scott Williams Tri Chi acting president f stupidity better than videos with concert footage that basically screams, "You poor fool, you should have saved the money you'd spent on cable to come jto this concert -and had fun like these people, rather than sitting at home channel-surfing through this dribble and the Playboy Channel." I think part of the weirdness comes from the people on MTV now. You've got groups such as Stone Temple Pilots, whose lead singer sounds, acts and, despite his bright red buzzed hair, is even beginning to look like Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. And what's the deal with Smashing Pumpkins? They sound pretty good, but the woman playing guitar looks like Heidi, and the lead singer looks like one of those emaciated kids who spends all day prowling the Internet on his Pulse IBM compatible. I guess I focus a little too much on what people look and act like on MTV, but let's face it: The music in Music Television is going away, and the stupid "extras" are taking over. My roommate commented that so many people watch Beavis and Butt-head because they sit in front of the TV and do the same thing all people do when they watch MTV: They make fun of everyone who sucks. Unfortunately, that's a lot of people. Chris Muldrow's column appears every Friday. \ has the ning to have more children in the ! f our popu- immediate future, he premises There is no doubt that we will hear more about horh sides of this the author issue. I suggest that in these times ntion of the of economic uncertainty, when the fare system average American is asking for e as a mon- more accountability of how Uncle * nger afford. Sam spends our tax dollars, we :o recognize will also see more pressure on ? feel that individual responsibilities which ake care of does not exclude the American >uld not be family, obligations. milies who Karen Smith are of their College of Social Work tot be plan- graduate student 1 fi schools? irts in the home. They need to work with ommunity and parents to talk to children, ols aren't getting the support of parents. Tamaron Costen Spanish freshman simply shouldn't have them. If parents ed harder to monitor their children, it dn't be a problem. LaDonna Brown Elementary education junior