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"?ri Serving US Lee Qontz, Editor in Chief C Editor! Erin Galloway, Wendy Hudson, Jimmy DeButts, Ryan Wilson, C T7T1 i* necuuiis 11 must be m Director of Student Life Jerry Bi today. He must decide whether th< issued more than two infractions to One complaint against Bigham campus' sidewalks. Every candic tion at the beginning of the campai versity rules about where campai) drawings on the sidewalks are no group wanting to chalk informatic Bigham was given two infracti ings and one for a sign posted on i The person who filed the comp decision of the commission becaus given for the chalk drawings. He racially motivated. Bigham and her campaign mar commission about the complaints, chalk drawings on the sidewalk. E J i i T-* statement to crewer. So Brewer must make his decis what is happening in the campaig incident have refused to commen turi has refused to release records i he has threatened to close meetir porters can participate in infracti outcomes. Because public money support however, and because the Studei sentative of the student body, all tl campaign are public record. In faci mission meetings, you can request can know what is going on with t for the elections is also public. No one knows what Jerry Bre1 ?x _L.u ..^11 yet wnetiier inure iiiiratuuus ww formation about the process, hoA Elections Commission's workings Dont spen in vacatios As all of you are probably aware (I should hope so), next week is spring break. This is the time of year when students are freed of their scholastic responsibility and head for the warmer regions of the world to forget everything they have learned during the first half of the semester. Students tiy many tVi-inna tViav kavo nauor attomntoH UlUlgO VIXVJ 11UTV 11VTV1 before. Bungee jumping and parasailing immediately come to mind. Other students will take the "earthy" approach to spring break and go camping, mountain climbing or perhaps even spelunking. Whatever your plans might be for the week, safety should be on your mind. It would be a shame to come back to school with horror stories about how crime or injury ruined your week. The fact is that when thousands of people gather in a peculiar place (Florida, for example), you can expect two things to happen right away. First, much fun will be had, nriH sprrmH qnmfi trouble will OC cur. This is no reason to cancel reservations or do something drastic like deciding to go see the parents for the week. However, this should be a red flag to keep you on your toes and alert. One reason to be extra-cautious during spring break is that man> areas employ additional security during peak tourist seasons. This is done to protect visitors, but at times overzealous rent-a-cops car put an end to your fun. I have hearc many stories about private secu rity putting an abrupt end to stu dents' vacations. Some private se curity view vacationing student' as pure trouble. Ifs extremely important to knov the local law of your vacationinj spot. For instance, upon arrival you should make an attempt ti find out about the city's open an< common container laws and wha penalties are involved it tney ar broken. I have a friend who wa thrown in jail for the weekend las spring break for drinking on hi hotel balcony. Jail is not a prett; place to spend spring break, bu tBaiffcock; Ltc Clontx I Jimmy D?Butti Editor in Chief Ryan Wilson Chris Muldrow Sports Editors Viewpoints Editor Kim Truett Carton Henderson Photo Editor Radhlka Talwanl Ethan Myerson Copy Desk Chiefs Ryan Sims Erin Galloway Graphics Editors Wendy Hudson Gregory Perei News Editors Design Editor Susan Goodwin All Ansaar Allison Williams Jason Jeffers Features Editors Cartoonists The Gamecock is the student newspaper of University of South Carolina and is published Tues through Friday during the fall and spring semesters, t the exception of university holidays and exam period: Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of editors or author and not those of the University South Carolina. lUA mm C Since 1908 !hris Muldrow, Viewpoints Editor al Board Susan Goodwin, Allison Williams, arson Henderson, Radhika Talwani Dformation ade public -ewer has a difficult decision to make i Elections Commission should have presidential candidate Amy Bigham. deals with chalk drawings along the Ifltj* was cri van a narlcat of informa gn process. The packet included uni2fn materials could be placed. Chalk t allowed, for elections or any other in around campus, ons Friday, one for the chalk drawi light post. laints against Bigham appealed the le he felt more infractions should be emphasized the complaint was not lager, Brad Holt, when talking to the said they did not know who put the lyron James disputed this claim in a ion. And The Gamecock must report n. Repeatedly, people involved in the t. Elections Commissioner Joey Diof infractions issued in the campaign, lgs to reporters, and he has said reon meetings but can't report on the a the University of South Carolina, nt Government is an elected reprehe records of the commission and the b, you, as students, can sit in on comt information on infractions, and you he commission. The appeal process wrer will decide today. No one knows be issued. No one can be denied invever. South Carolina law says the are public workings. d break i-land jail -Vx Rank?N in many cases it can be avoided by simply understanding these local laws. Some big tourist traps employ the use of holding pens in vacant parking lots to process misdemeanor cases. Sometimes, there might be a magistrate present to set bail or bond. God forbid, but if you are hauled into one of these cities, cooperate with the police. Cops that work these streets are not usually swayed by excuses like "I didn't know," "My dad will kill me if I get in trouble" or "I thought she was 18." You have probably heard that con artists and thieves flock to vacation spots such as Florida. Do not take this lightly. Take the appropriate measures to prevent being ripped-off. If the hotel you are staying at has a safe to lock up valuables, take advantage of this service. The cleaning lady is not i above "cleaning" you out. Don't just i assume that because your room is locked, that camera you got for i Christmas is as safe as it would be r in Fort Knox. r Personal safety should be on i everyone's mind during spring i break. I know that during the end / xl 1. 1_ _A i 01 me weemuiius sun t iaj uwuiuic, l but taking a cab back from the bar to your hotel could save you the pain of being mugged. Usually, if - you are in a large group, you will j be fine, but I would not recommend walking alone at night in cities like / Miami. * By using common sense, stu, dents have a great chance of avoid3 ing trouble during break. Don't i risk the chance of ruining the week t by being stupid. Return to school e rested, with a good tan, ready to s swap stories filled with fun. t It would be a shame to come s back with bad memories of cops y and robbers, t lews: 777-7726 | advertising: 777-4249 Laura Day 'AX- 777-6482 Creative Director Jim Green Art Director TletTa Harper Elizabeth Thomas Tina Morgan Adv. Graduate Asst. Asst. News Renee Gibson James Ponce Marketing Director Asst. Photo i sv i Ben Pillow uiroiu|)iin "UUU Stephanie Sonnenfeld Asst. Advertising Asst.Features Manager Larry Williams Erik Co||ins b?i??U. Faculty Advisor Circulation Editor Letters Policy the The Gamecock will try to print all letters received, day Letters should be 200-250 words and must include fall rith name, professional title or year and major if a student. , Letters must be personally delivered by the author to the The Gamecock newsroom in Russell House room 333. ' of The Gamecock reserves the right to edit all letters for style, possible libel or space limitations. Names will not be withheld under any circumstances. ( <! QUOTI UMOUOTt "There are no personal feelings against Ai Public broadca Some time ago, Labor Secretary Robert Reich called for the elimination of tax breaks for the wealthy, or, as he called it, "corporate welfare." I could not agree more. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to shine the light of truth on an extremely wealthy American who is taking advantage of government grant money. Barney the purple dinosaur is raking in hundreds of millions of bucks while our tax dollars go to help subsidize his network. I think it's high time tViot nnrnlp fraak st/mned wallowiner in his giant dinosaur-sized tubs of tens and twenties and gave something back to his community. I say we use the royalty money from all of these Barney tote bags and lunchboxes to help keep PBS in the black next year. That way, we can focus the public debate on important matters like making fun of the Troubled Presidential Nominee of the Week, Dr. Henry Foster (By the way, the Clinton Administration has denied reports that Dr. Foster experimented on test patients by subjecting them to food from Manchu Wok in the Russell House). Seriously, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been under fire from conservative Republicans who want to eliminate taxpayer funding for the organization. There have been a number of other commentators who have beaten this topic to death. However, no one else seems to have picked up on the llth-hour desperation tactics that PBS is using to keep its funding from being cut off. For those of you who don't actually watch pub lie television, the Corporation for Public BroadUSC elections co reminiscent of W In the midst of all the trouble that is going on in organizations that control our uni- [~~ versity, I thought it might be nice to give a little history lesson that has many parallels to USC today. I don't claim to draw any direct references to the current situation, but _ I think it is interesting to read the writing ^ on the wall. On June 17,1972, five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National crgaj Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. It appeared their purpose was to bug the office rather ^ ^ than steal anything. This didn't seem to be a problem at the time to then-President Richard Nixon or to . ? any of his staff. What did it matter to him ^ that someone broke into the DNC? (He would be elected for his second term by a landslide ^ later that year.) It seemed like an isolated incident that would have no damaging ef- ? r c i xt* SO 13 feet on Nixon. ^ Well, everyone knows about the Woodward and Bernstein saga that followed. To wgr( make a long story short (too late), the bur- j WQ glars were linked back to Nixon. Soon, the utgc| media began to press the Nixon adminis- j tration for more on the Watergate subject. It was during this fallout that Nixon aide John Dean issued statements that claimed ovgr Nixon was aware of the break-in and sub- ^ sequent cover-up. Nixon and his staff pro- ^ claimed their innocence but did little in the way to disprove Dean's statements. It appeared to some that Dean held a gtrQ, grudge against Nixon and was trying to get c' the president impeached, while others felt J" Dean's conscience got the best of him and ^ decided to do what was right. ^. so, ANi PLANS ?0d A WORU "THIS Som/^LR ? /OH VfAH. Pltf TouR.^N. | UE'Rf <t0NNA rtAise ^ ^ y ff\o*w to cmvkt .-s^RICHTS VIOLATION.? J CHINA. ^ d JHV, THAT'S veav noble of V HUMAN ftl?HT5_AS0iC IS Si/ftf ^no, NO, i r*e?iM / ^A?ii/?/ritT MJ/M 6.TIOA1 C \ C C/Arwi^r? f ) \ ih?y&c &wm' os <*? ^?\ OVgfl ^ jS o my. The way the elections commissioner is han Teresa Wilson, Mother of USC presidential candidate Teresa Wilson sung is turning PAT MCNEILL casting has a reputation as an unabashed advocate of left-wing thought. In fact, back when "Saturday Night Live" was an entertaining program, there was a hysterical parody of PBS's Pledge Week, where people who made a $50 donation could receive their choice of a Robert Mapplethorpe "Crucifix in Urine" T-shirt or an "Abortion, Yes!" tote bag. There has been speculation that this is the sole motivation for the Republican desire to make PBS and NPR fend for themselves. But PBS has a fiendish plan to undercut its mnirressional oDDosition. It's turning Republican. o- - -?-? jti w *. No, I don't mean that Dan Quayle and Mona Charen have been signed to host "All Things Conservative" (although that's not a bad idea). What is happening is a subtle shift in the editorial slant of certain PBS programs. For example, last week's edition of the PBS news magazine "Frontline" followed a group of panhandlers in New York City. For years, liberals have claimed that the homeless epidemic was caused by a failure of the American system and by deep cuts in social programs by presidents Reai t-i i r, i.: i j u., gan ana ousn. oonsei vauves nave icapuuucu uy labeling the homeless as either irresponsible, mentally ill or drug addicted. The show opens with seven panhandlers, each of whom has his or her own hard-luck tale to tell. ntroversy atergate Racu am The p< dvam iaiii con candidate BpM Sports Editor principle conceptio Sadly, le ironic things is Dean's statements ^as now t get Nixon removed as much as Nixon understan elf did. Nixon and his staff became in- stand. As lingly inconsistent in what they were B igham's lg the media and the public, and ap- ported el( jd they could not get out of the hole they Furthe for themselves. strates th \ an attempt to save the sinking ship, ^en ^ n began to force the resignation of his |s a rac tides and staff. But to save the trouble What i embarrassing impeachment proceed- ,. Nixon resigned on Aug. 9,1974. were a v he interesting question that I can get move on. i all this is: What caused Nixon to fell 1S 1 st? don't lik /as it the fact that his lies caught up Equality i him, or was it the fact that nve men uic same i caught breaking into the Watergate? ty. Now uld argue both reasons can be attrib- creating to Nixon's downfall. We ai think another interesting question that \ye all h Is to be asked is: Did Nixon really need special r lg the DNC? He won re-election easily hie or he McGovern in 1972, so it would seem Qur j idn't need much help. That it all comes down to is Nixon's quest ?? ^our ower and his paranoia of losing, brought 1 P! iy himself and others, eventually de- excuse, yed him. lince that time, Richard Nixon has als been remembered for something he wrong rather than the many things he right. ^ I vu, X dling himself is definitely to be questioned." Republican Dana needs money to pay for her mom's kidney dialysis treatments. Dave is homeless and in a wheelchair. Larry is a disabled Vietnam veteran. Debbie has the AIDS virus. The reporter follows the lives of these poor souls and builds up the sympathy of the audience. Then, the intrepid reporter checks into the stories told by each individual. By the end of the program, we are informed that Dana's mom lives in a comlortable apartment and has never had a dialysis treatment. Dave is a fully mobile heroin addict who uses his wheelchair as a prop. Larry has never been near Vietnam. Debbie's money goes to support her crack habit. Each of the seven panhandlers is (gasp!) lying to the pedestrians. The program ended on a happy note. One of the seven, Theresa, used her Social Security money to move into a subsidized home in the suburbs. When the reporter asks why the heck she's been living on the streets instead of picking up her Social Security checks, she explains her actions thusly: "There's always something very seductive about the ease of panhandling. You know, I have fallen for it before, and I don't know whether I will, in fact, fall for it again." Uan Keep up tnis ngntwara cm long enougn to save its government money? I wasn't sure until I looked at this week's TV Guide. Tonight on "Frontline," there will be a profile of Rush Limbaugh. 110 the Editor il protest isn't needed Dint of an election is to vote for your favorite and the let the best person win. This underlying of the elective Drocess has not changed since its n. It has not changed until now. the election, like everything else on campus, become a racial issue. It is impossible for me to d the grounds on which this protest claims to has been extensively reported, no one on Amy ; campaign staff had any knowledge of the purjction violations. ;r, her large margin of victory clearly demonat she is the people's choice. That should have end of the story ? unfortunately, it is not. Now :ial issue. Why? happened years ago happened before any of us /e. It's time to move on. It has been time to ime to stop attempting to make anything that we e or doesn't go our way into an issue of color, means that all people and things are treated in fair manner. Many have fought hard for equali I** 1 we need 10 siari acung ukc equais iauici man issues where they don't exist. -e all in college. We are all doing similar things, ave our good times and bad. No one is entitled to >rivileges or accommodations simply because of r color. You want equality? This is it. ives are what we make of them. If things don't way, blame yourself and do it better next time, ass the blame onto others or claim some weak Michael Mallegol Advertising senior