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Use St. Patty's to air out frustrations I I Columbia JJJ* is known for more than its Blowfish and 35second yellow lights. There's a St Patrick's Day festival in Five Points. The annual block party aiv a tci i luijr passive iui&.. iviust ui us have good manners, and those that don't are good-looking enough to be stuck up. The well-behaved and nose-in-the-air debutantes make for quiet streets, like Greene Street in front of the "student union." People are too busy politely avoiding Mastercard salespeople or checking their reflections in the Russell House window to talk to one another. We all have problems, whether it be hearing that "I won't tell your name" song or having to fill the ice trays. But we have far too many telephone prefixes to remember to solve anything. We're told to call Charter if we have a problem. That's completely wrong. If you're depressed, you're probably not drinking enougn. L?eam 10 spean up. So lefs act up on St. Pafs Day (well, the 16th). Start downing beers at dawn, and don't stop. Improve the city's streets by filling in the potholes with your puke. Be loud and naughty in any and every way. Lie on the train tracks?make the Old Southern wait on you for a change. If we make enough of a ruckus, we could scare off the few corporations silly enough to reside in our four skyscrapers. If AT&T leaves, they might take some of the prefixes with them. Part of the planned festivities is a Bock the Vote program to get us students to vote. Do not participate. There is nothing rewarding about the political process. Our goal is not another four years of Clinton and other cool liars. We want to be heard and remembered. A riot will give us immediate positive rewards like national TV exposure and cute girls who dig bad boys. Our uprising will be the best yet. With all the hip bands playing, well have an instant soundtrack. Add a Pearl Jam song to make a bitchin' mixed tape to remember our big moment. This weekend is our big chance, Mow students. Embody the spirit of Judd Nelson raising his fist at the end of The Breakfast Club." Then wreak havoc. The next day well go for bagels. My treat. Turns On Red, train blockades and a Sunday alcohol policy that discourages private consumption in favor of bar/restaurant hopping so the moral minority can count sinners between church sessions. Let's give them something to talk about. Hell, lef s give us something to talk about More than one columnist has griped recently that our generation lacks a really big moment. "Where's our lunar landing?" "Where's our JFK assassination?" Obviously, the Challenger explosion doesn't count because we didn't worship the astronauts the way our parents worshipped the Kennedys (although we really felt for the teacher). Our state needs to be shaken. We 4. :uu. _ r.iu if 4 ~e nas grown irom a reruge lor savannan wannabees into a full-blown carnival atmosphere attracting the fair-weather Irish from as far away as Clemson. Ifll be a great place for our student uprising. Why riot, you ask? I've discovered something twisted and obscene that shows what USC really thinks of its students. "Emolit Mores Nec Sinit Esse Feme." What does this mean? This Latin expression is stamped beside the USC name on everything from sweatshirts to the five-subject notebooks we use to kill roaches. But not even the insultingly thorough University 101 has translated this for us. Yes, Alanis, it is ironic. Ironic that a state could spend so much oxygen debating whether or not the Confederate flag is racist or merely jingoistic while a veiled insult is flaunted in our face daily. As an important journalist, I did some intrAflfirrAfin/* An fLA OHUIAAI T AAII! /In'f mv cougauiig vui tiic ouujcvt. x tuuiuil t reach our college spokesperson (extra week in Daytona), so I had to dig deeper than the one phone call we Gamecock writers usually settle for. It turns out the Latin lingo was created in 1964 under a special university committee code named MOPPSLI (Make Our Poo* Public School Lode Intellectual). The chore of coming up with an expression was given to Lester B. Graves, a distinguished but dark-humored Columbia businessman. Told only to "make it look fancy," Graves used the famous dead language he learned at Midlands Prep to write: "Hey sucker, if you had any brains you'd be out of state." After learning the meaning, the Carolina Bigwigs (Mungoloids) punished Graves by depriving him of his right as a rich redneck to have a part of 1-26 named after him. But the trustees thought it was pretty funny, so they let the logo stick. No one will ever know they thought But now we know, and this should be the last straw. We've put up with No . THE MufffT aio[/(f^ if \ < \\ f4 A v, hi QUOTE, UNQUOTE <i don't feel myself like a portion. I think youn are incredibly dis Housing sig If housing sign-up season is just too well-organized, monotonous and altogether dull for you, here's a lighthearted little tale of nepotism and treachery to bolster your faith in this well-oiled bureaucracy we call home. Names have been changed to protect the questionably inhocent. If you were a member of RHA Senate or attended the Horseshoe Virmainor fnrnm in tVio foil vrm wrmlri point of this is that the PARTY would < attempt to blind people to the truth of { society and censor the right to speak ; out. To a Republican, society is sick, I and they feel the need to cleanse its j mortal wounds immediately instead 1 of progressively. Does this sound j something like megalomania? To the t Democrat, society is sick, but thaf s 1 what makes society wonderful. In this f concept, it seems reasonable that forcing i women to perform self-inflicted coat ? hanger abortions and people to actually t act out their obsessions instead of \ trying to tastefully quench their thirst j on the Internet is the solution. This t seems to be a blind man approach, c have heard a certain housing official (whom we'll call Ms. Informed) describing this year's new and improved housing sign up. The system would be fair to everybody, with no "squatters' rights" allowed and a lottery to ensure equal opportunity for all students, for every room. In fact, this grand plan was described repeatedly as egalitarian, or "affirming political, economic and social equality for all" (American Heritage Dictionary, Third Ed.). But if you actually attended housing sign up on March 11, you were treated to a new meaning of egalitarian: "f avoritism shown or patronage granted to relatives" (American Heritage Dictionary, Third Ed.). Ironically, this is the definition next to "nepotism." Fullv believine in the egalitarian procedure, many students arrived at the Russell House ramp the day before equipped with sleeping bags, long underwear and their favorite pillows. Seizing Ms. Informed's egalitarian. treatise, the students organized GOP agend In this year of political debate and mudslinging, we, the people of the United States, have been subject to the Republican presidential debates. Okay, so the race is really Bob Dole's. As a Democrat, I will even concede he's the best the Republicans nave to otter. But has this party actually enticed us with anything new? No, not really. The problem with a platform is that it never really changes. That is why they call it a platform. This is not to say the Democrats are always the same, but it does seem the Republicans are contradicting themselves. A platform is really a laige, flat object people build stuff on. Lately, the Republican Party has been building a whole pile of stuff on a platform that, because of Pat Buchanan, Steve Forbes, Alan Keyes et al., has been unsteady. These are the so-called fundamental beliefs of the Republican Party. i 1) Outlaw the use of abortion. Some i uphold this for all cases, including i rape, incest or life-threatening situations. ] Ironically, this would cause government i to interfere with the lives of Americans. 1 This leads then to... i 2) Small government that does not 1 interfere with people's lives. 'Nuff said? < 3) Outlawing indecencies. Okay, the i $ Sm/lT^Ta LOWf/l hi > 1 VA i lot of poople do about \ g gay men, especially yo proportionately affected MTV star Sean Sasser on AIDS and HIV n-up still n< MATT HERZM themselves JESSICA NASH according to a i- Ai J __ iiai uaseu on who arrived first for the vigil. This ensured thai those most dedicated to living within this egalitarian community would receive a just reward for their suffering in the bitter cold. For most of the group, 18 hours without sleep and constant shivering followed, but the list grew longer and longer. Throughout the night, the students envisioned the rooms they would earn for their efforts. The weaiy students staggered into the warm confines of the Russell House at 7 am., with stiff muscles, windbumed faces and mild exposure to vouch for their long night on the ramp. They knew the hard part was now over. What they didn't know was that not everyone had to do things the hard way. smDarrassment on tne person rrom iinfeeling classmates. Hey, kids are :ruel. All of us can attest to having jone through the hell of kindergarten md elementary school. Right? 5) Outlawing Financial Aid for Liberal \rts students. Alright, now this is a Bob Dornan and Pat Buchanan pet Droject, not necessarily one in which ;he entire Republican Party states. Most of them are hesitant to attack 'undamental building blocks of the Vmerican system, including reading md writing. These two skills fall under he auspices of the English Department, vhich, in turn falls under the urisdiction of the Arts (another thing he Republican Party wants to cut), >r Liberal Arts, ft seems the Apparently, select students with family connections in housing had already been signed up a week before for a room that many in the line had been coveting. This led to expressions of disbelief, anger and finally, in some cases, grief. It seems the majority ol the housing officials were completely unaware of this transgression. When they were informed of the situation, they were in no position to rectify it. After the initial shock, the stoiy became clearer. A housing official, acting on her own and in violation of i mired by I EUQ. SANCHEZ I suggesting MSTfvjmnwgMHJ that if they don't see, it does not exist. To the Republican Party, these are moral acts. These things that really do not affect the lives of the socially challenged, i.e. the Republican Party, are at the forefront of the platform of a group of people who actually don't norfolra in fVtaan annnnanrl in/^/w?an4 |/ui vuav ill biibOV OU|/JhA/o^u lllUWCllt activities. It seems plausible that one should actually experience the indecency before passing judgment and censoring "indecencies." (See homosexuality.) 4) Public school prayer. Okay, one of Gingrich's pet bunnies. Basically, Gingrich believes everyone should become a Christian. Little do the Republicans know, we have other religions in the United States. There is something called Islam; there is Buddhism; there is Hinduism; there are a whole bunch of -isms and only one -anity. It would seem the needs of many would outweigh the needs of the few. That would seem to be the basis of the entire American political system, but is it? No. Besides, if a non-Christian student did not pray before classes began, would it not put undue - Thenl S7"/t/vp/)Apj-^ 8jfessa<S88 ^ / ' sft. ' J Q 3- tc "I ' / 6lT?f THf gAAtgcegC I vho HIV affect in great profling gay men of color, by this epidemic." i :>t foolproof i the all-new egalitarian system, had i signed up a family member and that i student*s preferred roommates for a ' prime apartment. This eliminated : housing spots that should have been J guaranteed to people who had waited in line for them. This just goes to show that blood ! is thicker than honor, and not even the Carolinian Creed holds water at , all times in the administration. The i^reea siates, 1 win aemonstrate concern for others, their feelings and ! their need for conditions which support s their work and development." [ According to the 1995-96 Carolina a Community handbook, this is a pledge to be compassionate and considerate, avoiding any behaviors that are insensitive or inhospitable. The handbook also goes on to state, "This last clause reminds community 1 members that they are not only obliged to avoid these behaviors, but that they also have an affirmative obligation to confront and challenge, and respond to or report the behaviors whenever or wherever they're encountered." As students we have done our part. While it is true that the Housing Administration did not have the ability to control this event, it does have the ability to see that the situation is rectified and that it never happens again. infighting [ Republicans freak whenever they see ' the word Liberal. Hey, lest I remind ; the world, liberal thought is what created this country, ya bozos! If anything, this year's political debacle has shown us that 1) Georgian's don't like AfHcan-American Republicans, 2) Pat Buchanan is either the biggest idiot in the world to think he'll get nominated, or he is the world's biggest sociopath and needs to be caged, 3) Steve Forbes has proven, despite the liifl Aur?\ ii* A attatAo ui 1110 uwn pai tjr, tliat U1C Republican Party represents the rich, upper-class, white majority of America. No offense to Forbes. I do actually think he's the one decent man in the race for the Republican nomination. Finally, we should all take note that in 1988, Bob Dole was considered the most controversial candidate for president. Yes, he was the Pat Buchanan of 1988. Now he's the frontrunner. If America is progressive in any way, this suggests that Buchanan could get nominated someday in the future. That would be an abomination. However, that is an article for another day. So, when you go out and vote in November, keep in mind that politicians really don't represent the collective masses. The mere fact that I contradict their party platforms is evidence of that. Think about this ? if you thought the Republicans trying to control Hollywood and the Internet were ridiculous, consider their future targets of scorn. In the future, when porno stars get married, the Republican Party probably won't allow the woman, who may or may not be a feminist, to hyphenate her name because she's married and working in porno. Furthermore, she's a feminist and in pomo. Ridiculous? Maybe, or maybe not. Probably just another example of people dealing with too much time on theiHiand^^^^^^^^^^^^^_ _ "15a Serving Wendy Hudson, Editor in Ch Tina Morgan, Brent! EdK< Chris Dixon, Martha Hotop, Karen Lay Ryan Sims, Stephanie Sonnenfeld, Cece Diversity UC511UUIJ Contrary to popular v?ff belief, diversity isn't HUlli necessarily related to skin color or race. It expands far beyond that Far beyond. For some reason, society has deemed Prog diversity as color and Divei race, when they are only lead one rung on the latter undei of diversity. People ignore the other elements. Perhaps it is this reason thai prompted USC to hold Diversity Week, which is currently in full swing. It is a shame that by the time students reach college the} are not comfortable enough with diversity to even understand whal it truly means. Hopefully, programs like USCs Diversity Week can aic students and the community lr understanding the pluses anc minuses of diversity. Buchanan's of racism, x< Pat. Rnrhannn snrmnrts I his isolationist policies by I claiming that America needs k^VTT time to "assimilate." He calls for the formation of a unified America culture. His well-intentioned rhetoric reek of racism and xenophobia. By insistin American culture needs to be assimilate at all, Buchanan ironically negates ever culture that has contributed to the histor of this country. In a land made up entire] of immigrants (except for the Nativ Americans, whom Buchanan has nc mentioned), xenophobia doesn't mak much sense. If we are to follow Buchanan's sock engineering project, how will we determin an authentic American culture? The firs Americans we find in our grade schoc history texts - not counting the Nativ Americans, of course - were the Puritan Is their culture the one we are seekin to emulate? After all, they were almos here first. A unified culture demands a littl comer-cutting in American history. Nc to worry: Buchanan has it covered. H also demands students be taught a histor of which they can be proud rather tha ashamed. But history centered aroun blind glorification is nothing more tha: propaganda. It certainly is not dedicate* to true learning and understanding The study of history is not necessaril a celebration; every nation has a fe\ stories its people would like to forgel Americans have many things of whic] to be proud, and we have many reason to feel ashamed. Such a condition is no a moral judgment; it is merely the wa; of people. A history that only recognize triumphs without addressing failure onH motivoo ia \1rnrfV1loaa Diversity takes a blow if a unifie< culture is adopted. Ideally, diversity i] education does not devalue any cultur in its investigation of all cultures tha contribute to our American heritage. I diversity is viewed as going overboari in its pursuit of this goal, it is a backlasl to centuries of calculate* IBaiffcock s Student Media Russell House-USC* Wendy Hudson Robbie Meek Editor in Chief Matt Pruitt Ryan Wilson Sports Editors Managing Editor Allison Tina Morgan Williams Brent Seeliger Special Projects Viewpoints Editors Ethan Myerson Martha Hotop Graphics Editor Cece von Kolnitz Karen Layne News Editors Deanna Chris Dixon McLendon Stephanie Copy Desk Sonnenfeld Ryan Sims Features Editor Online Editor The Gamecock is the student newspaper of the University of South Carolina and is published Tuesday through Thursday durine the fall and snrinv scmrsirrs u/irh the exception of university holidays and exam periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the editors or author and not those of the University of South Carolina. The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media is its parent organization. IfUwi, liaOCR use Since 1908 ief Ryan Wilson, Managing Editor, Seeliger, Viewpoints Editors I Mial Board ne, Robbie Meek, Tyson Pettigrew, Matt Pmitt ! von Kolnitz, Robert Walton, Allison Williams N I O N 1 Week puts forward XTTJT^hI It is a heavy IbMUhH burden to carry, but iversity spreading the word * Week about diversity has proven to be easy and rewarding. At USC, diversity has inspired rams like a variety of programs 'sity Week that have turned out to to better be vital to many at the rstanding. university, not only because they meet the needs of students and staff, but because they address i Letters must be personally delivered by the author to The Gamecock newsroom in Russell House room 333. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit all letters for style, possible libel or space limitations. Names will net it being. Isolationism of any kind is >1 impossible. We need not assume our e global neighbors are enemies or that 3. their cultures infect the so-called American g way of life. There's nothing wrong with it holding our heritage dear. But first we must determine what our heritage truly e is. ?t Does America really need an e assimilated culture, or, more importantly, y is such a culture possible? Where does n assimilation end and fascism begin? d Buchanan has been criticized for racist ^ innuendoes in his campaign rhetoric, d Hispanic Americans criticize his ' compulsion to refer to all Mexicans as y "Jose." His exaggerated pronunciation v of Justice Guinsberg's name has roused " cries of anti-Semitism. 1 Buchanan has indeed expressed a ? deep resentment toward cultural "others." He interprets Americans' cultural ties ^ to other countries and other languages 3 as treason rather than as integral aspects 3 of our collective identity as a nation. Will j there be room for American Jews in an ^ assimilated nation? Catholics? African e Americans? By advocating an assimilated culture, f Buchanan and those who agree with 1 him are calling for the construction of a 1 social fiction. A history that never was j will bolster a present that never can be. ws: 777-7726 vertising: 777-4249 X: 777-6482 Chris Carrou Columbia, SC 29208 ?f student Med* Laura Day Tyson Pettigrew Creative Director Robert Walton Jeff A. Breaux Photo Editors Art Director Adam Snyder Sue McDonald Jennifer Stanley JimSpeelmon Asst. News Graduate Assistant Jennifer Hanson Marilyn Edwards Dipka Bhambhani Taylor Asst. Features Marketing Director Achim Hunt Erik Collins Asst. Sports Faculty Advisor Keith Boudreaux jaMjn JefTers Circulation Editor Cartoonist Letters Policy The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be 200-250 words and must include full name. Drofessinnal title or vear anH mnior if a cmH?nt specmc interests. Everything from the Women's Student Association to religious groups celebrate a certain area of diversity. Rather than shun or admonish the differences among USC students, these types of ( organizations offer a welcome environment for individuals to feel at home and congregate with other 1 students, in turn teaching students a little about one another. policies reek enophobia amy I underrepresentation. For iARRtS I instance, as little as a century aS?> female authors were dismissed simply because of n their sex. Now the literaiy canon is still being expanded to include these and ;s others' writings. The point is, we must g remain aware of cultural bias, or we risk d overlooking rich, worthwhile aspects of y our heritage. y Buchanan's talk of assimilation y reminds me of other famous rhetoricians e of this centuiy, men who moved nations it to bloodshed with promises of a great e pan-Germanic destiny. Likewise, talk of the United States' unified culture is il an unnecessary fiction. Technology has e forced a trulv clnbal commnnitv into