The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 01, 1996, Page 3, Image 3

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Thursday, February 1,1996 ISi Serving USC. Wendy Hudson, Editor in Chief . Una Morgan, Brent Seeli] r.m iibImI BOVVWIm Chris Dixon, Martha Hotop, Karen Layne, R Ryan Sims, Stephanie Sonnenfeld, Cece von O P I N I Black History us a chance t Black History Month Hnnn starts today. Today is a Wtmmmm day to decide whether we, Black H as a society, want to Month or become the melting pot relatu or a salad bowl. The melting pot gTfnTS represents a smelting of all cultures under one title It's fu - American. Under this to get it mentality, we will concentrate on putting African-American history into the books instead of focusing on one month to highlight a few wonderful events, and then forget. Under this mentality, we will not only include African-American ] pnntrihiitiftne tJiot nf on*. Stephen Carr IttgfimK Computer science sop "Yes, once- fr?m #3 Nicole Barber ?H English freshman Advert^ VCWJIIUUIK FAX: 77: Student Media Russell House-USC* Colum Wendy Hudson Robbie Meek Ty Editor ill Chief Matt Pruitt R, Ryan Wilson Sporti Editors Managing Editor Allison A Tina Morgan Williams Jet Brent Seeliger Special Projects Viewpoints Editors Ethan Myerson I Martha Hotop Graphics Editor jyjp Cece von Kolnitz Karen Layne News Editors Deanna / Chris Dixon McLendon Stephanie Copy Desk Kei Sonnenfdd Ryan Sims c Features Editor Online Editorr The Gamecock is the student newspaper of the University of South Carolina and is published Tuesday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters, with 1 * the exception of university holidays and exam periods. Lelti Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the nam editors or author and not those of the University of Letu South Carolina. The The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media is its parent organization. style be ? amtwwawaaw wub vaub \jx auj ' individual, regardless of ethnicity. 1 And the endless debate of equality, ] affirmative action and race relations 1 will end, and we can spend our time on things that will benefit eveiyone 1 as a whole - perhaps by concentrating 1 on finding a cure for AIDS and cancer. < Under the salad bowl theory, we ] can maintain our individual heritages 1 and be tossed together in one country, i There will be African Americans, Asian Americans, Polish Americans, i Italian Americans and the list 1 continues on and on. It's great to be i proud of our heritage, but where do s we draw the line? Under the salad bowl theory we i still have a Miss America pageant, ? in which anyone can participate, and i] ? 131 ? -l, A??T> a. t a iuibo uiai& nmciita r ageaill. X Doesn't anyone see the irony in this? v Scholarships for schools still are @ THE UNIVERSITY OF i Do you read The C report? How doei feel about safety o "Yes, it's amazing. I much crime on cam] Misha Cleckley English junior m Ha "Yes. It's not that ba will go on no matter cars in parking lots \ tcock 9m* 1908 Ryan Wilson, Managing Editor, ger, Viewpoints Editors' inmil anwhm obbie Meek, Tyson Pettigrew, Matt Prui Kolnitz, Robert Walton, Allison Willian I O N Month gives o reflect [ffffSH based a large degree on i race. istory Students who id race qualify as "minority ons students" have more opportunities than some [flTHBH ti1086 who fall through the loopholes. It is ird predicted that in the near right future America will be mostly of Hispanic origin. Are we going to redefine "minority" when this occurs, or are we going to stop this foolishness now? Our generation may be filled with hate, but it comes from all races and affects everyone, not one particular group. Education is one thing, but continuing to recognize someone because of their race is wrong, no matter whether the initial intent is to do good. Black Historv Month is n tima to celebrate a culture that has long Deen under-recognized. But while loing so, it should be our goal to :each a point where it is not necessary ;o set aside one month for an ndividual ethnicity. And while keeping this goal in nind, some revolutionary things will lave to happen. Some of the mderlying but dividing practices in lociety will have to be addressed. It's hard for a group of students n a closed room to decide how to Lpproach the issue of race relations a the context of Black History Month, magine what it will take for the yorld to get it right. SOUTH CAROLINA tamecocK crime s it make you n campus? didn't know there was that pus." d. It's a big campus. Some crime what we do. Car vandalism and :hat are supposedly protected do ihomore New York and there's a lot more 7-7726 tig: 777-4249 7-6482 Chris Carroll bia, SC 29208 D*xtotofStuder?M?iia Laura Day son Pettigrew Creative Director obert Walton Jeff A. Breaux Photo Editors Aft Director dam Snyder Sue McDonald inifer Stanley Jim Speelmon Asst. News Graduate Assistant ,ucy Arnold Marilyn Edwards ka Bhambhani Taylor Asst. Features Marketing Director Idiim Hunt Erik Collins Asst. Sports Faculty Advisor ith Boudreaux Jason Jeffers Srculation Editor Cartoonist Letters Policy Gamecock will try to print all letters received, sis should be 200-250 words and must include full e, professional title or year and major if a student, srs must be personally delivered by the author to Gamecock newsroom in Russell House room 321. Gamecock reserves the right to edit all letters for , possible libel or space limitations. Names will not ithfteld under any circumstances. VIEWP " Si Sole Si HE DE dole s # HI ^ m ? ? ? m inR b|P??~ W8M Oof QUOTE UNQUgii Ml understand that the funds available, but tl organizations are; Southerners he I was born in Lancaster, S.C. and raised in Irmo, S.C. There is something unique about being Southern. Honey suckle summers, gardenia lazy paths and sticky watermelon fingers on a July afternoon i are childhood pleasures. We value our beaches, battlefields and beauty i pageants. Time passes more slowly, s Things are slow to change. s Being Southern is something you < grow into like grandmothers pearls; it 1 is hard to leam or teach. We have many < skeletons in our past, but it is a heritage < none the less. It makes us who we are. 1 Being Southern, we show our honey I before our sting. As soon as we can * talk,"ma'am and no ma'ams" parade ?i from our little lips. We invite you in for ? a glass of iced tea and ask about your e family. Names are important. It shows ? our heritage and reminds us where we ( come from. i There are some prerequisites for ? being Southern. You must know what t grits are and be prepared to explain to Yanks that it has little to do with dirt. ( It is amazing how we can turn a one c syllable word into several. My nephew o from Newberry wants c-a-k-e for his t birthday and maybe some hot dawgs. v Toe-headed children and names like \ Bettie Mae and Sara Ann are par for o the course. You must have at least one ti Bubba in your family. I have an uncle E Optimist encoi "When I look into the future, its so t bright, it burns my eyes." - Oprah p Winfrey s "That it will never come again is is what makes life so sweet." - Emily Dickinson b "If you think education is expensive, 0] try ignorance." - Derek Bok }, "Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become." - James & Allen ^ Vi I really think these four quotes have ^ so much meaning and so much hope, ? and they are all included in this year's C( edition of the Mortar Board Planning Calendar. I guess more students, other e] than myself, find a source of inspiration in each of these, or in quotes in general, y As college students living in a society f where the Generation X mentality is tt placed upon us, we must learn to find bi wavs t.n Via insnirorl Rut tnlfintr tViio 1 e ? ? concept a step further, we must also w become sources of inspiration for others, jf At USC, I have many peers who go above and beyond the call of duty to hi serve their school and their community. d< The stereotype that students on the ? college campus are lazy, uninvolved it and unconcerned without any cares in pi the world is WRONG. I believe, as the ir eternal optimist, the majority of college students find their own groups in which I'i to belong (although it may be after their m freshman year) and develop ways to m maintain their own individuality while cc becoming productive citizens. pi Not every college student is going to to be the all-around, outgoing, into- D everything campus leader. But every pi student, particularly at USC, is capable M of making their mark in some way. I th say this because the opportunities are out there, and they are of such a variety be pent; ill ? LL?i$ OLD. m SERVES fltHL55J! iEs ?DOKiteffi iiiai I Was Hei iutupandMM >TE FOR MB. ? I Steve f Forbes But Not> w$mm m P?* ^ Wmlm Wmm m e/// ? CLIN7 f|i?|ll Blllll miiii ggrgg Finance Committee must v ley have to have priorities, among the most meritoriou Anne Knight, president of Carolina Cares ive to defend 1 Bubba. Yall is I juue I p the cornerstone I UBBEY a of our KTTTnjHTSJHH o vocabulary. It y is a rare house that never serves fried a chicken or okra. d One of our greatest claims to fame t is our hospitality. Our tourism industry c speaks of that. The way we wave and u smile at neighbors and meet your eyes in the street demonstrates how we a /alue hospitality. There are layers to p sur warmth. We will welcome you into >ur home and take out our best silver. C)arn it if the next day you don't hear 1S Sam say how we thought you needed c i haircut. If you live in the South, you have s1 in opinion on the Confederate flag T ;ither way. Shannon Faulkner, Hootie n ind the Blowfish and the coming C )lympics are dinner conversation. There Ig s a strong military tradition in the ni >outh that turns our cautionary eyes h, o Bosnia. ^ My sister-in-law moved to South _ ( Carolina from Detroit so my brother ould attend medical school. Her bservations have opened my eyes to ai he distinctiveness of our region. The ar feather is erratic. The humidity is hell. ^ are very conservative and religious G n the whole. There are a lot more trees to tian people. Allergies are us. Dr. Red ca hike is hilarious, and Joe Pinner is as fig jrages student hat every | TERESA I of o s s i b 1 e I WILSON I in tudent interest Co j represented. m The interests of college students go m( eyond the structured activities provided n campus. Not only do students engage ^ ti community service activities a< iroughout the Columbia area and the tate, but they work in all types of jobs ^ rhile still in school. Yet many times cit re are still depicted as having terrible ca rork ethics and nonchalant attitudes, th to our critics not understand that most W( jllege students are helping to finance pa leir own educations or paying for it ,, ntirely on their own? My advice is to prove wrong all of le doubters. We must dispel the hype! o accomplish this, we should continue UF ) do what works best for us as students, ha at most importantly, as individuals, res If being involved in five activities Mi orks best for you, then go for it. But, wr one activity suits your needs, then g0 at your all into that. Or, if working to elp pay for school, take pride in your etermination and initiative to take ire of this responsibility or others like , such as helping to care for a family, aying intercollegiate sports or engaging a I i the arts. Mi I've chosen the first option; currently, ha m president of ODK and involved in lev any other activities. This works for m( e; I love serving my school and my immunity in this way. I also feel my pr, -esent involvement will be beneficial ^ my development in my future career, ecide what works best for you too, but im ease do not let your talents go to waste. a' ^ !ake a difference in your own life and we ie lives of others. th< So basically, my point in all this has col sen to promote the involvement most dif -1 > t Bl ^ 1BBB1 lie; e First! IS ? S HH jjHlMi ?gg?g array < 88v WvwOsWwvvSvoSt OvwOwDwUwWHft WfififiSXM Ll^6 Hi WKM f IP to tws rmri nf liBi 11111 IS honor P t 11 MM WMM h?mai / ciuL, jj||?|? liiiigMg iiMiMi Lincol: Crazy. ||||jg IHllil IH heisk H'? MB 1111 ???? Vote for me, g? p rON Not my wife, mi j of patr Pr unackj UUJPj^J^.I!2gMrm2kli battle! If ? recoj '; . accom] aseffoi the fou york around the total . Community service if^ is of recipients." its chil Americ that th accom] ,1 1 one par their heritage Americ >ermanent as the Statehouse. Siestas tQ ire good for sanity. There is still the ^ j ^ Id boy's network, but it is changing. . Ve are often snobs about our history; mi 1?I ristocratic in our airs. Tradition is a mv?nT c ?j ?] Ti i 1-?i-- j and J o vuuic^igoi owuiu. it &.ccps ub liniLea 0 our past, giving us a sense of pf^x ontinuity and heritage. It also slows , , s down, and we fall behind. ^ j? c The South falls behind in education ,, ei others nd income. We are the last to change. ' lacism and ignorance are deadly to ?? ur future. Despite our facades, there 0 . 0 1 the sick-sweet smell of fruit left out 1 n ingei x> long. It is time for spring cleaning. u< To progress we must embrace our 0 a!~ac trengths and sweep out the closet. 88 ^ or ?rsri? hose skeletons are making too much ? oise. The Confederate flag and the itadel issues need to be resolved. contribu goring the underlying difficulties will History at make them go away. Schools and w^en ^ aalth care in poorer districts require (jjSp? gher priority. Georgia's lottery is a jn a asitive step towards improving gjves p( lucation. Innovative ideas and change their ov( e the only plausible solutions if we people e to keep up with other regions. appreci; We are Southern by the grace of study of ad, and thaf s why we have to fight and der succeed. If there isn't anything we music, t] n do better? we can put up a good focus is i jht. society. Blac . 1 involvement = this tim us do engage in and encourage insight i volvement in students who are not ^ mmitted to anything else. It really the dept akes the college experience much it is an ore worthwhile. We all know the main America irpose of coming to college is to earn Blac degree in a chosen field to prepare people of r the future. But I believe there is w*1ft ., , and wha 30 another purpose ? to mature as ejgg izens who have enough character to jy re about the people around us and African i e state of society as a whole. It is time exists oth i- step up to the challenge and do our significa rt, however small the role we might H i s p a n ay. Americ For college freshmen who have not contribu t tound their niche and for those perclassmen still searching, you don't oftenou] ive to go far. Take advantage of the multifac wurces available right on this campus. Month i ake it a point to prove these critics cultural eng. In the process of doing something diversity od for yourself and others, you will lp uplift your own generation and mm&m aerations to come. I will end this column with my 'orite inspirational quote. It is actually irayer taken from "Illuminata" by ay Ann Williamson: 1 pray that God 4.#+ jv-jy. s planned for me to reach the highest rel of humanity that it is possible for k &T0 Think about the meaning of this ayer; to fulfill its true meaning, I ow I must start now. Through service, rolvement and commitment, we can ? reach the point in our lives where can look back and feel good about gt)0(l ; various roles we chose to play as * lege student^ who actually made a <j 3 ack History onth gives ; a chance pplphrafp roilghout TAMMY year SKEETE ricans I irate an rf holidays designed to acknowledge sat contributions people have made i country. lorge Washington's birthday is ed so we may take time to pay [e to a valiant American. Abraham n's birthday is celebrated because nown as the "Great Emancipator." m's Day is for those who served, ed and died for this country, quently, every American child is ed to be familiar with those who lily patriotism. wever, there still remains a group iots and forefathers who often go lowledged. Unlike other soldiers, lid not rise to glory from the ield but from the cotton field, jchool curriculum refuses to gnize the outstanding Dlishments of African Americans "ts equal to those we hold dear as nders of this country, then Black r Month is a necessary supplement gap in education, merica claims a desire to provide dren with accurate depictions of an histoiy, thai it is not acceptable e spectrum of African-American ilishments be summed up with agraph about slavery and another tin Luther King, re are many extraordinary African ans who have contributed much American way of life. Madame alker, the first female self-made laire, Garret A. Morgan, the >r of the three-way traffic light, hn Stanard, inventor of the ator are just a few examples. All people are pioneers in their crafts )uld be recognized as such, ir achievements, along with many should be common knowledge to s. It helps to form an appreciation an Americans as people rooted luity and enlightenment, lents should not fall prey to the erization of African Americans dealers, lazy welfare recipients, bangers. They should Be equipped s knowledge that, like Caucasian ins, African Americans are equal itors to our present society. Black Month is one of those rare times lese myths of black culture can slled. ddition, Black History Month jople an opportunity to better ;rall cultural perspective of black . In a system where music ation is often thought of as the Western European artists ohly lies the many other origins of tiere is one month when the sole not on an European-centralized :k History Month welcomes is from those who are curious i customs of black people During e events are organized to cnvo -O ? r- O" nto black culture. These events i invitations to others to explore hs of black culture and see how integral part of traditional in culture. k History Month challenges all racial backgrounds to discover ikes African Americans original it makes them jut like eveiyone ough the accomplishments of Wericans are many, there also ter groups of Americans deserving nt mention. Asian Americans, ic Americans, and Native ans are but a few of the cotors of this land where all men ted equal. ^ uui cuuL&uuiiai crau society as a whole denies this eted existence, Black History 9 necessary in order to give a balance to this great land of