The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 19, 1996, Page 10, Image 10

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LO Earth needs to clean up its act I Here on SNYDER ' 32nd street, hum in company is a BBSSiltiiiSii* big deal. When guests grace our loorstep, we humbly roll out the red arpet, albeit faded and worn, to make iur visitors at home. Call it southern lospitality or just plain manners, guests ire welcomed to a dean and comfortable letting. And all it takes is a small ompliment for us to express a glimmer if pride in our home. In the past few years throughout the >outh, everyone from government to ndividuals have been sprucing their tates, cities, or homes for the arrival if foreign visitors. Although critics have harged Atlanta with being unprepared, indermanned, and unequipped to take n such an event, neither Atlanta, nor he bouth were without good intentions n making the world's trip to Dixie a aemorable one. But recent events have hown Atlanta is a microcosm for the est of the world. Scientists have discovered what they elieve could be neighbors visiting, lemains of microscopic organisms on a aeteorite recovered in Antarctica are K>inting to life once being sustained on dars. The question, "Are we alone?" ould be simply answered by knocking lext door and seeing if anyone answers or would have answered millions of ears ago). This discovery is akin to an inannounced visit from a neighbor. You ;eep the guest waiting in the foyer as ou scramble about to make the front oom respectable for guests. But your leighbor can see it all and the illusion r a spotless nome is tarmsnea. &o our uest, sadly dead on arrival, had to wait n the only unspoiled continent we have eft until science and technology were ble to invite our neighbor to sit down. Jut it is not so much science that is not eady for others like our Martian leighbor. On second thought, I don't know if it 3 so sad our Martian friend was DO A. f you were coming to Earth for the first ime, ideally you would want to be dead md land as far away from people as ossible. Look at the alternative. Instead f the red carpet being rolled out, crimson ilood of another inner city shooting rould be the trail to follow. Some cowboy 11 Texas would let Independence Day 0 to his head and come out blazing with is six shooters to save the world as we now it. The prospect of life outside of our planet j fascinating and exciting. The prospect f life on our plaftet is much more itimidating. Century-old problems of unger, homelessness, and war remain nresolved. Plagues of disease, nmorality, intolerance drape over our rorld. Planetary neighbors, such as umans, plants, and animals, do not sceive the welcoming they deserve. Our ivers, lands, and air are polluted Mother 1 ?1_ J iann is oemg rapea 01 ner resources. But this not to say our home is going > hell in a hand basket. Throughout le existence of man, we have broadened ur collective mind, and advanced arselves. We see it has come with a rice. But, we also have the know-how nd drive to overcome our shortcomings nd improve on our mistakes. It will ike all we have learned to learn the lughest lesson of all: how to get along ogether peacefully in a clean ivironment. It is time to clean up our act If not for iirselves or for our descendants, then ir the fact we've got company coming. Due {-I/msivi nib WILL ft "ME j 1 ?* QUOTE, UNQUOTE "I feel like a freshma Remember t If I have learned anything the p? two weeks, it is that life seldom go how you plan it The fact you have tl newspaper in your hand meai something went better than I w expecting. Since arriving here, I have learn this lesson many times, but the tii optimist in me always manages squelch the negative until somethi; really bad happens again. Perhaps sharing a few of my "lesser moment you can infer some of the lessons. wnen i arrived nere as a rresnme I had come off of a really disastro senior year. I had spent several yea pining for my high school's class do\ and, when I had finally gotten pa that, no one in my class would let r forget. I came to USC with the hop of getting involved, making good grad and, if I was lucky, to meet someor I found the Gamecock by answeri: a call to come to the orientation meeti in Ml 1994. There I met Lee Cloni the editor in chief. He was a charisma leader and, even in a crowd of w< over 100, made me feel like I cou really make a difference. My first sto as a news reporter was about wash and dryer facilities on campus, ft news editor, and lata* boyfriend, Keit told me it was designed as a test Th figured if I could do that stoiy well ai came back, then they could trust n with important stuff. While studying for a biology test oi night, I really needed a break. I want to go up to the newsroom but, I did] want to go empty-handed. I stopp< by the grocery story, picked up son Golden Grahams cereal and Coke, ai headed ever Nn nne wnnld ever tin away an extra hand helping with layo and the cereal was a hit with all of ti starving faces who hadn't even hi time for lunch. I had made my offici start as a Gamecocker. From there, I rose through the rani Some days were better than othe and school and home life always ke me going. No matter what, thoug the Gamecock-was at the center of n lifflo nniunrao Tfai+Vi an/1 T Viorl Ka/ Utblb U1UTV/1 J.kvl l/l 1 U11U JL 11UU WV/V rteTOoi^ L "j fad DoRP) St ^ J At (..ITAv/ J ^ VIEWPC V A n. I feel uncertain and like I'm going for the first time in my life." Don Greiner on taking the Interim Provost position. o fisht for what vo J ist dating for a I tina into the: ies while and were morgan job. lis both staff I began ns members. All end of m as of our friends were editors or writers. Sud de Everywhere I went, there was the realized ed Gamecock. hadsixd ny The best part of being Upstairs was worj[e(j ( to the fun people. Lee was great, and the , ng next editor in chief, Nancy, helped me 601 e by to not only do my job, but to have fun nonsens s," with it. Erin, the news editor, became P^Pect a fast friend who guided me through Forsta in, not only the realm of administration ^ y?u w< us and bureaucracy dealing with the news, y?u s^ou irs but also my relationship with Keith, every coi vn I had never had social success until I a s p e o p ist met most of these people And the great interest? ne thing was, they were part of my work than ho ies and my play time. Instead les As the semesters went on, I became revenge,1 le. more involved. As anyone who has p r o b 1 e ng ever been on a staff knows, it becomes common^ ng addictive. I wanted everything at the ^ow wro tz, office to be perfect I saw so many things jnn oce[ tic that could be improved. And I was the f ,, sll one determined to do it all. Id So began my summer as editor in ^ ry chief. I started out full force. Usually a f ^7," er the summer editor is responsible for Luckily ly three big papers: My staff and I have began to ;h, done six. Although this is nothing battle is r ey compared to what a regular editor during m id does, it's been hard with only seven I will fc ae student staff members. The professional summer staff has been wonderful and carried what I h \\n t __.v . _ . Lie us uiiuugii tiic aaiu times. vYiieni Wildl aCll ed remember this summer, I will ratio disa 1't remember how humble I was in the more da ed face of such an enormous task and of differeni oe all the people I have to thank for it As yoi ,d being a succes s rememix rn There have also been a lot of changes t, , ut in the newsroom. We painted, we filed a be and we created policies that were long id overdue. All of this on top of summer so eone al school made me realize just how wj*at y01 vulnerable I was. Remen is. And then it all blew up. Countless y?u f?r ^ rs things fell out of place. TTie sky really power hi pt did start falling. I was a mess, although because; h, I tried not to show it upstairs. I'd go Editor's ly home and sit and stare out the window right all s ;n wondering how I could get out of going was not' ffoutf /) I WHAT D? -"/dtA EL, | ^1,1^ ^Sl\? i.oU< LIKE. "felTS I ^ r HNTS St Tina M Keith Bout ' Cece voi ^ ^ Get invoK W) -=? the collet if ^ ^Eifl * ^ Don't just come here [~i *? 8? *? school. H _?Life at USC is more __ ^ than just hitting the books and cramming for exams. There are over 200 I -?r organizations on campus IT^"" covering a range of ^ ""' ^interests from the Baptist i^vc "T^TT^ ^ ^ Student Union to the tc _? D Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian y5^ upfMpQ Association, to the Fencing Club. Each of these groups is more willing to take on new mem interested in contributing to \ growth and the general coolp The real key to eryoying co is to find something you love then do it to the hilt.TTie grouj - . get involved with will be the bre< away from home ground for lifelong friendships possibly love. This isn't to say classes a important or that you should in yourself so deeply you forget a 11* everything else. Rather you si: Q DCllCV \Z take a bite out of what this car has to offer, relish it, savor it, c real world and having a real to hunger for the fall and the g i_ nly^about six days ago, I SafCty ItilS what a doofus I was being. I lays to eryoy something I had I 111 l"^||l||l|IW >ver 2 years to accomplish. I " "111 11|# IW l ;o put all of the bureaucratic It's hard to remind [h je I had encountered into people about the virtues I ive. of being safe and cautious rters, I had always assumed without sounding too are in charge of something, preachy. Unfortunately, Jd take your co-workers into recent events have spurred isideration and treat people the need forsucha >le. You should be more reminder. ? d in gettingthe job done right ^or exa P^e' there ,' w much power you have. were two inatacesm the W , ...... . "Vulture Lot" - the one i / nuiiini imill | Sports Editor I Directa The Gamecock is the student newspaper ol Carolina and is published Monday, Wedn the fall and spring semesters and six times the exception of university holidays Opinions expressed in The Gamecock ar< oiithru* *r%J ne\t thr?co r?f Thp T IniVArcit ^ The Board of Student Publications an< yV \ the publisher of The Gat, LI* \ The Department of Student Media is it J \ The Gamecock will try to print all lei should be 200-250 words and must professional title or year and major must be personally delivered b \ The Gamecock newsroom in Russei The Gamecock reserves the right to e< Kjti possible libel or space limitations. ^ withheld under any circui oi singling someone oui lor . ., ,, ? ,, u j , right beside the Russell you should woric through your House. Oue involved several p ms. I considered this who were arrested for gun posse 'lace and just. I found out just the other was a carjacking. Ifs ng I was. to imagine that in our "little n< it people around me became woods" something so vi< . A small, happy family was would happen. The problem is, t' iside-down. And I had to make like this happen all of the time Many of you are coming froi , someone listened to me and cities and Columbia seems like a see through the chaos. The small dot on a very large map. 0 lot over, but for a few minutes have come from very rural area iy reign, I made a difference. may not adjust to the need for s tegin to look back over my Either way, we all need to rel today. I will probably weigh the basics such as lockinS your oped to accomplish against and bei"8 ?>utious of who you aally came to be and find the * * n .. A j.i f Most students come to colleg ppomting. And then, m a few , , ,, , r -Ti v - a xi Ret away from the reverberi ys, wi egin o see the parental voice in the backgrounc :e, however small, I made. keepg gaying> yQur CQat 1 start a new semester, your doors, call me when ypu cl ;r you can make a difference. your plans." Now that voice is i small and come in the middle What you need to do is to de1 n, but long after you're gone these habits with your roomna will remember you fought for If you're going to be out lal i believed in. someone know. If you're leaving iber to thank those around heir support. Don't become ingry and take control just r"~" you can. p i prerogative. I have had that ^Tr summer. The best thing I did use it to justify my actions. Tina Morgan J Editor in Chief Co| ?1?~ Keith Boudreaux Ro Viewpoints Editor I I Coco von Kolnitz Ja 1 I News Editor k k/bOJ 1 Chris Dixon M; ^ Features Editor Grai Aoltlm lliinft C Monday, August 19, 1996 iommm rving USC Since 1908 [organ, Editor in Chief dreaux, Viewpoints Editor UKorial Board Dixon, Achim Hunt n Kolnitz, Robert Walton I N I 0 N ied to taste ie experience I it in. Then, when your hfetfcBAjftAafli time here is up, walk Student away, remember how you invo Ivement were different before you came here and how the I university changed you. You are at a udents should get crossroads, with the ilved in campus life freedom to do whatever i truly experience you wish. Just use your college. common sense, and respect the feet most people aren't going to give a damn about what you than do. b e rs Remember it doesn't matter what their other people think. One of the joys ess., of college is you get to discover who liege you are and be that person. ! and Now is the time to experiment, j you but remember the values your parents sding tried so hard to teach you. i and The most important thing to remember is to simply do something, ren't to get involved and stay that way. volve Apathy is the bane of student life, ibout You only come this way once. Hie lould cliche is a cliche because it is so veiy npus true. Don't let a day pass without Irink seizing it. to be a priority , in Columbia nfTVTTTTSH tell someone. As hard as it is, we've all got to Campus remember that telling safetv someone where we are isn't thwarting our independence - it may actually be saving it. eping yourself safe Meeting a lot of is to be a priority. new people can be exciting ke the time to learn and, we may be willing to vhat you should. sacrifice our good sense for a good time. For first eople dates, you may want to consider going ssion, out with another couple. If you plan hard study sessions, do it in a public place, sck of Also, remember to call your family. Dlent They've been there to help take care hings of you and can give good advice. On campus, don't walk alone at u big night. Carry telephones numbers i very such as USC's police department, thers Familiarize yourself with the call s and boxes and do not abuse them - they afety. may help to save the life of you or a earn friend. doors If you are new to the area, get a hang map and learn where the police substations are. e and It may all sound silly. With classes, iting new roommates, new surroundings, 1 that new people and the hassle of moving , lock in and getting settled, learning how lange to be safe may not be a priority. It gone, should be. velop We've tried to help out If you look lates. on page 22, you'll see most of the te, let campus emergency numbers. Take town, a look. 1 foffadi lohn Lyons Marilyn Edwards Taylor jy Desk Chief Marketing Director bert Walton Laura Day hoto Editor Creative Director ison Garnba jj. Wagenhelm Canoon*. Jett A. Bream djLSK,. An Directors hris Carroll Erik Collins r of Student Media Faculty Advisor : The University of South esday and Friday during during the sununer, with and exam periods. ; those of the editors or y of South Carolina. Th# Gamecoc|( 1 Communications is The University ol Souti Carolina necock. s parent organization. Editor (S03) 777.7721 Nsh"* URor 7774111 vtowpotatfMnor 777.71 SI lers received. Letters include full name, 777.7,,, y the author to ClnsifMs 777.1184 II House room 333. lit all letters for style, MV8l1Mll| 7774248 Names will not be instances. Fu 777.6482 II, I J