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4 Southerners should keep traditions Just the other day, I I went to the STEWART J Grand Marketplace IHiiiaiMilfl to eat breakfast. Upon entering th^ serving line, I set my eyes on an aberration I never, ever have seen or ever thought I would see in the South - cheese grits. This had to be a Yankee invention. Just like you don't put a hole in the hflcrpl nn Nnrth vnii rtnn't nut pVippcp in grits in the South. Putting cheese in grits is kind of like wearing navy blue socks with Birkenstocks to a semiformal. It just ain't done. Fve put home fries, bacon and eggs in them. Fve seen people put hog brains and liver in them. But never cheese. And thaf s not the only Southern taboo I see people breaking around here. For instance, you just don't wear shorts on a cold day. It just doesn't : look right. It could be cold enough to freeze the fires of Hell outside, and still, there is always somebody walking around in shorts. Another thing you just don't do down here is wear a hat inside a building. In Summerton (pop. 970 five people went on vacation this week; they'll return for next week's column), weaiing a hat inside a building is about as bad as belching at the table in front of your grandmother. And the thing is, I see just as many Southern Gentlemen perpetrating this act as anyone else. Don't you fellas know it ain't polite? Also, men are always to address ladies as "ma'am." Violating this rule is as serious as not calling your girlfriend on her birthday. Break this one, and you'll be in more trouble than a CIA agent at a minua garnering. But what is even worse than that is women who cuss. The greatest form of birth control down here is a woman with a filthy mouth. Well, that and a big eater. This one is peihaps the most serious taboo I have mentioned so far. Women who cuss have about as much a chance of finding a Southern husband as Madonna does. To Southern men, hearing a young lady, no matter how smart, bright and pretty she is, say even the slightest of ugly words is as attractive as Roeeanne in a thong bikini. Men aren't supposed to cuss either. But when you just miss that trophy buck, or the Braves lose by one run or even if the poker machine at the gas station don't pay off, it can be kind of hard to remember this rule. Even though I am a stickler for tradition, there are a few Southern traditions Fd like to see go the way of the leisure suit. For instance, why is it the boys always have to call the girls? Women don't know this agony. And it's this kind of punishment that men have had to endure since the invention of dating. And I guess it will continue to be our punishment forever. But then again, I guess it ain't so bad. Try listening to a woman tell you about natural childbirth. It will make you thank God for your masculinity until the day you die. ^^tcock r H Wecommer It's amazing how old you can feel w] most defining moment of your generatu tenth anniversary. Every generation has one event that 1 of its youth. For our parents it was th President John F. Kennedy. Almost evi where they were and what they were doii the news. For us. the exolosion of the soaa symbolizes many things. First, it represented the virtual col program. Many of us grew up with th Armstrong's monumental walk on the moon <? THE UNIVERSITY 01 home." Nikkle Cannoi Graduate student, H"On. Because off campus it's easier Anusha Patel Chemistry senior 1 Students Walk out your door, cross the strc class. Or need to do laundry? Just walk di and run back up to catch a favorite te Remember an assignment that's c No problem, run over to Thomas Coop Living on campus provides excellent location to classroom buildings, constant entertainment from other residents, hassle-free narkinfr and easv navmpnt I have lived on campus for four years and never regretted the decision or the opportunities it has provided. Financially, living on campus is easy. Once a semester, students pay a flat fee that covers electricity, rent, water and cable. The expanded cable system that is now included in the semesterly price costs less than any outside cable systems. No worrying about where your roommate put the electricity bill or if the check for the cable cleared the bank. Best of all, toilet paper is free!. Imagine never having to worry about getting to campus 30 minutes early before class to find a parking space. Live here! If you wake up late for class, you can just dash there. Meetings are easy to get to, the library is always near and food locations aren't far away, either. It's just convenient to live on campus. Living on campus is also easy because I could pick my own roommate. We've lived together for three years, and enjoy the same relationship other roommates who live off campus do. And if you need to get away for a little bit, it's simple to find somewhere to go nearby. You can walk down to another room two doors down, step out onto the Hnrspshno or nnicklv crpt a shidv room in the library. On-campus living also give you the chance to meet more people. In a traditional residence hall, friendships can be made in the halls, the lounges and the bathrooms. A by-product of living on campus is physical fitness. Walking everywhere builds endurance and leg muscles. The Blatt P.E. Center is also a short walk away, where you can swim, take aerobics, lift weights or play basketball. And if you didn't get enough walking, use the Stairclimber. The beauty of campus is another reason to live here. Measures by the USC Police Department give us a place to walk or run during the day and evening without worrying about safety. Residence hall living also gives greater leadership opportunities. Resid Association give students the chance change what they do not like about the the country. Sure, living on campus means givin; more than makes up for anything that By Wenc udson, Editor in Chief son, Managing Editor, gan, Brent Seeliger, Viewpoints Editors noratelOth lien you realize the of seeing the foun >n is celebrating its being built in our 1 many shuttles t; ingers in the minds tremendous setba* e assassination of NASA and the el eryone remembers generation's dreai i ,1 i , Ine mission al lg when they heard fl. , . ,, , u ?.i nu n of linking the cla s shuttle Challenger the opportunity t< lapse of the space more than the mi ie memory of Neil mind's lived in. Shi and had expectations F SOUTH CAROLINA ( re privacy and more of a feeling of 1 MAT campus is more expensive and on to get around." VIEWK ? lill'iliiilH debate living jet and in less than five minutes, you're in own the stairs, drop your clothes in a washer levision show. V lue tomorrow at 8 a.m. and it's 10:30 p.m.? ^ t :i >er J-duraxy. 'O* 0 1 dP R 5 1-3 * wu ence Hall Government and Residence Hall to commune with other students, work to halls and meet other residents from across g up some freedoms, but what you can gain is taken away. ly Hudson "| OPINII anniversary of i dation of the space station time. Since then, we've seen HUHAaaAiifl akeoff and land, but this j^e challenger :k has led to budget cuts for explosion limination of some of our lso represented the pinnacle ssroom and the universe. Use it as a was the first teacher to have reminder o inspire us to learn about crocosm our middle school e, along with her six crew mates, was going Boome Do you live < on campus? I "On. Being around all of the at &| ] campus and meeting all the p< QPPV | because I am a freshman." ^ y Jason Braymiller Business freshman "Off. There aren't a lot of optio: ^ jPr.31 students. There are three placi Tve only got two because I am P* I William Baker jjjpF German graduate student MINTS ; on and baAM \ ; )gli( )^H3< 33 t ud i am' )VV* W JL JL in ] N iur generat to bridge the gap between textbool hands on experience. Perhaps the most symbolic mean explosion speaks for our generatio: parents had Woodstock and Vietnai had the Challenger explosion. Does are lucky or unlucky? We've be< embarrassment of a modern day Nix count Whitewater) but perhaps we h a generation. There aren't any protc and it doesn't seem likely well encox rs of our own time. So where are we li >ff or I Why? rtivities available on jople on campus ns for graduate 3s we could stay, but t not married or have ih th O ec s? n is si I ? off campu JL Each spring, hundreds of USC students ssociated with on-campus housing sign upi tearby apartments. While USC offers a vari< oveted apartment-style residences, space i ssignment of their dreams, and they are not he same assignment year after year, as the li i ra j ?)./ I I ? li ft tl cl u a H a d< an si S( Ci C( fc ol ai tl si a: \ : / lr r lii ? to These students may spend a little more ass. They may even learn to appreciate the i they abandon cooking gourmet meals eve lort-lived condition occurring in new homeov . possession of a kitchen). As the commercial goes, "Freedom isn't fi By Amy Editorial Boar Chris Dixon, Martha Hotop, Karen Layne, R Matt Pruitt Ryan Sims, Stephanie Sonne Robert Walton, Allison ion's definim % \r Inorminrr onrl Tf />?*? rv 1CC41AAAXX5 cuiu XI wc ttiC nut U11A.CU, with all of the bonding ov ing behind the today they don't seem t n in itself. Our Medicare and Social Sec n. So far, we ve they don't speak as one a 5 this mean we The Challenger explc .n spare e amemQIy for most of us fc on(ifyoudont , ,, , aven't gelled as we should remember lt { st movement suffered. Perhaps this i inter any Baby Maybe we ^ not fated nked? name of the Challenger This in itself could be its x(^D?itcock Si itudent Media Russell House-USC* Columl Wendy Hudson Robbie Meek Tyi Editor in Chief Matt Pruitt Rc Ryan Wilson Sports Editors Managing Editor Allison A Tina Morgan Williams Jer Brent Seeliger Special Projects Viewpoints Editors ?than MyersOI1 L Martha Hotop Graphics Editor Dipl Cece von Kolnitz Karen Layne News Editors Deanna A Chris Dixon McLendon Stephanie Copy Desk Kei Sonnenfeld Ryan Sims c Features Editor Online Editor? he Gamecock is the student newspaper of the niversity of South Carolina and is published Tuesday The rough Friday during the fall and spring semesters, with Le((e e exception of university holidays and exam periods, pinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the "am< litors or author and not those of the University of e juth Carolina. The I tie Board of Student Publications and Communications The the publisher of The Gamecock. The Department of s( je udent Media is its parent organization. p Tuesday, January 30,1996 s at USC endure the long lines and lotteries s. Others choose to pay the price for *ty of living situations, including the s limited. Students may not get the guaranteed the privilege of retaining y might with a standard lease. Liberated from these assignment egulations and the accompanying isitation guidelines and roommate ssignments, students who live off ampus enjoy many freedoms navailable to many dorm dwellers. But apartments in the USC area an cost as much as $600 a month, tudents who live off campus must lso make their own arrangements for lrniture, utilities and transportation ) campus. Many of these practical roblems can be sidestepped. Students nd roommates to share costs. Some )cal aDartment corrmlexes like University Commons, avoid such roblems by providing furnished units, hort-term leases and a shuttle to ampus. Others are located within ralking distance to USC. Practical issues aside, the pivotal ictor in many students' decisions to love off campus is the desire for ersonal freedom. Once the novelty of le "Animal House" revelry wears off, ving in a dormitory, especially the eshman-style residence halls like ae Towers, can quickly become too ose for comfort. Noisy halls, the temptation of biquitous social gatherings and, of >urse, the archetypal "roommate from [ell" potentially add up to either cademic probation or clinical epression for some students. From lis perspective, the price of off-campus xommodations seems comparatively nail. "You can work in solitude," said mior Wendy Brown. Like many students who live off ampus, Brown believes the inveniences more than compensate ir both the additional responsibilities ' maintaining an apartment off campus ad the relatively high rental rates in in rln?mfn?m orno k\s VAV/TV XlbVTV XX Ui ^U. "You can retreat from campus," le said. "You have your freedom..., ad it gives you a chance to collect mrself." So, for students who value their rivacy, their independence or even leir grade point average, off-campus Ee has a lot to offer as an alternative i USC dormitories. . They may walk a little farther to university dining facilities as soon sry night (a common yet mercifully mers who suddenly find themselves ee." Harris _ obbie Meek, Tyson Pettigrew, :nfeld, Cece von Kolnitz, Williams I moment have we really lost anything? Even a- parents did back in the glory days, o get along any better than we do. urity have become their causes, but mice. sion was a tragedy and will remain irever. But, in light of the anniversaiy, loes not make us weak to have not s the generation of the individual, to have one uniting cause. As the implies, we are being challenged, legacy. 7-7726 lg: 777-4249 -6482 Chris Carr0? 3ia, SC 29208 Dircclor S(udem Media Laura Day 5011 Pettigrew Creative Director ibert Walton Jeff A. Breaux Photo Editors Ait Director dam Snyder Sue McDonald inifer Stanley Jim Speelmon Asst. News Graduate Assistant ,ucy Arnold Marilyn Edwards (a Bhambhani Taylor Asst. Features Madteting Director ichim Hunt Erik Collins Asst. Sports Faculty Advisor th Boudreaux Jason jeffers irculation Editor Cartoonist Letters Policy Gamecock will try to print all letters received, rs should be 2G0-250 words and must include full professional title or year and major if a student, rs must be personally delivered by the author to oamccock newsroom in Russell House room 321. Gamecock reserves the right to edit all letters for , possible libel or space limitations. Names will not ithheld under any circumstances.