Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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wkI Serving < Chris Dixor Stephanie Sonnei Editoi Lucy Arnold, Achim Hunt, Bryan Johns Jennifer Stan not an eas^ When James Dickey died Jan. 19, USC and the literary community lost one of the Great Ones. A great writer, a great poet and a great person were all swirled together in Dickey. Not many others can claim this. But as the ones who loved Dickey continue to hurt, to grieve, the world continues. Grumbles are made about Marriott, new student government leaders are sworn in and the Dogwood fells her blossoms in return for green new leaves. Along with these continuations of the cycle of on-going life comes a void left by Dickey's death?a void that needs to be filled for the benefit for this University and her students. Dickey cannot be replaced. It is impossible. When a new poet or writer is invitea to come teach USC students in Dickey's steed, it will be as if a tiger lily has been dug up, leaving the empty hole, and another flower being planted there; not the same, different, merely residing where the other once was. As much as the tiger lily was loved, admired and respected, we students need another mentor of the same genre as Dickey. D^L! nuuuisuii is stellar base Baseball season opened yesterday. Hotdogs were sold., peanuts were bought and an anniversary was celebrated? the celebration of integration in America's favorite pastime. Fifty years ago, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in mgjar league baseball by becoming the first AfricanAmerican in that professional sport. Robinson's entry into the world of baseball was not just a landmark for sports, but it was also a landmark for so manv involved in the fierht for equality. Without Robinson's entry into the major leagues, there may have been no precedence for Brown vs. Board of Student Media RmaeU H Chris Dixon News: Editor in Chief Advertisi Stephanie FAX: Sonnenfeld Viewpoints Editor Achim Hunt Karen Lajxe Bryan Jennifer Stanley Johnston News Editors Sports Editors John Lyons Mark Hopkins Kelly Copy Desk Chief MePherson 1??rP? Features Editors Photo E(Ltor 0 The Gamecock is the student newspaper of the Uni Wednesday, and Friday during the Fall and Spring sen periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the e Carolina. The Board of Student Publications and Communicatio Student Media is its patent organization. The Gamecock will try to print all letters recei include full name, professional title or year an delivered by the author to The Gamecock newst reserves the right to edit all letter for style, poss withheld for any circumstance. 5amecock use Since 1908 i, Editor in Chief lfeld, Viewpoints Editor rial Board ton, Karen Layne, John Lyons, Ben Muldrow, Jey, Nikki Thorpe. key's shoes y task to do While the English Department offers many fine men and women as our professors, our teachers, our mentors, the position of poet/writer-in-residence offers a unique spin in the classroom others may not offer. Hiring another poet-inresidence is not only beneficial to the English and Humanities Departments, it is also vital for the entire recruitment process. A respected and widelyacclaimed poet-in-residence helps attract prospective students, perhaps even the high school senior not necessarily interested in the humanities, but wfio catches the famous name and makes an impromptu stop here at South Carolina. We hope the people in charge of bestowing another great writer upon us will search carefully and not quickly for us. We students are not in charge of the process of advertising the open position, reviewing applicants, or making the final decision. Something truly important to us is not in our hands, and we hope those in charge will make the correct decision for us. > more than hall player Education, Martin Luther King or any of the various Civil Rights acts we now value today. Jackie Robinson wasn't just a stellar baseball player, he was a major historical figure and he should be remembered that way. Thankfully, museums such as the Smithsonian are showing exhibits in honor of him. Thankfully, people like President Clinton will honor Robinson at a ceremony this month. Thankfully, players, managers and umpires wore Jackie Robinson patches on their sleeves yesterday on opening day. Lefs play ball, Mr. Robinson. It's your game. ouse (JSC Colombia, SC 777-7726 Adam Synder ng; 777-4249 Office Manager 777-6482 JeHfe" Cartoonist Ben Mnldrow Melissa Sellers Graphics Editor Online Editor Mkld La Rocque Laura Day Asst. Viewpoints Creative Director Reginna Green Kim Golden Asst. News Asst. Advertising Jessica Nash Manager AsstFeatures Erik Collins Jefr Nicholson Faculty Advisor Asst Photo ivenity of South Carolina and is published on Monday, esters, with the exception of university holidays and exams ditois or the author and not those of the University of South ns is the Publisher of The Gamecock The Department of ived. Letters should be 200-250 words and must d major if a student. Letters must be personally room in Russell House room 333. The Gamecock iible libel or space limitations. Names will not be VIEWP hen MR. COFFER 5CANPAJ. BREWEf ' TVsD A FRESH SCAMPS ?VFRV W?ER/ SPECIAL COVER-Op FEATURE KEEPS 1HE TRE9DEMT IN HOT WATER .,v They're all airhe Tommy Amico Tips for li\ Hi Th* are very few human j I beings who receive the ^ * truth, complete and j staggering, by instant illumination. g Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale, by ^ successive developments, cellularly, ^ like a laborious mosaic." ^ Anais Nin a a I was at the liquor store last week ^ when I started having peculiar e memories of my childhood. I don't talk about my childhood very much so maybe it was just the ^ alcohol talking. I soon started thinking f about high school and the fact that all the white students sat on one side ^ of the classroom, the black students sat on the other, and those like myself who fit in neither, sat in the middle. ^ Even as an immature 15-yearold, I could realize that this was a huge discouragement to race relations. ^ A small voice in my head told me that all people should come together t in peace and harmony, but that was ^ soon silenced by the crashing waves j of the next drink I took. o JNow as an immature z 1-year-old, g I have learned, fragment by fragment, the truth about unity, especially on n this campus. The truth is that there t isn't any unity, there has never been _ any unity, and there will never be j any unity on this campus. g The divisions are as clear as the OINT P QN^T\ 0M$ i jiltt I - ncvC jj. ttPj || isft /<-0/v 1 / *> 1 I S^/s \ I \\ ads. They're a j great chei , softball Sports Informati< dng sane SHAWN SINGLETON Caribbean Sea. There are the obvii livisions between African-Ameria md whites but they just don't si here. The fault line has also be Irawn between Greeks and n< keeks and within the Greek sysfc tself. The Greek system was or JEliated with creating congressrr ind congresswomen, senators, CE1 amous writers, actors and actress tc. It was once an honor to be p f the Greek system. However, today the Greek syst Las been affiliated with alcoh elated violence, strained rs elations, and many unfair a 4-U 4-1 inwaiiicu atcicui^pco mat LJ olumnist has had a hand in levyi Nevertheless, in some areas i rue that some fraternities a ororities will not date, or ev issociate, with someone who is i Jreek. One of my best friends told m ale of his days as a pledge ii raternity at U.S.C.-Spartanbu le was at a fraternity-sorority mi ne evening when he met one of 1 orority's members. After a few minutes aeaningless chit-chat, he asked 1 his question, "If I were the sai lerson with the same qualities, 1 wasn't in a fraternity, would j till go out with me?" She could i 1 li!1 / ^ '' V I u great comedy act, bi iiistry builder. m Director on the USC freshman soi ly in an ins a answer the question. That story stuck with me, for I had a mixer of my own to attend ^ later that evening. This is not true with all Greeks ins , but one would be blind as hell not >en to realize that this does happen; that people can be that materialistic and ill" em discriminating. When it comes to race, the ice University of South Carolina is two separate universities, one black and p. one white. W.E.B Du Bois once said, (eg' "The problem of the 20th century is ^ the problem of the color line." One definitely exists, however, it is a self-imposed one. An unwritten, unspoken code that everyone here ice and all over seems to be happy with. , It's been around since I was a born ^ and before. tllS You can't unify two groups that ^ just don't want to be together, it's impossible. Dr. King's dream was just that?a dream. This is our reality, ^ this is our curse. A new form of segregation has e a been installed here; one that has not ^ been installed by its leaders but its citizens. This puts a new meaning xar to George Wallace's "Segregation ^ now, segregation forever" policy. How do we solve this problem? Q ^ We don't, at least not on a grand ier scale. Each person must do their me part to unify this university. Of course this won't happen, so rou why the hell bother, right? I can only . do my part but I cannot control, the minds and hearts of everyone else. 9 I <^l t y Mt&i ?1997 I at they're also a ftball players. I ane world I usually laugh at the anti-war music a of the 1960s and 70s. ' It's good music but it's an unrealistic idealogue of an event that may never happen; at least not in my lifetime, but judging how many African-American men are dying of violent crimes before the age of 25, my lifetime could end tomorrow and that would prove my point. Jean-Paul Sartre one wrote, "Everything is gratuitous, this garden, this city and myself. When you suddenly realize it, it makes you feel ' sick and everything begins to drift...that's nausea." Many times in my life I have gotten that nauseous feeling, when I see the Confederate flag flown by some racist redneck, when my fellow brothers and sisters are killed over garbage, and the Dallas uowboys win another Super Bowl. I think everyone has experienced this form of nausea before, or will ? experience it sometime in their lives. What do we do about it? Nothing, except take some PeptoBismol and move on with our lives. Before we can be unified, we must realize that we are truly divided, then come up with realistic solutions. We must get out of that idealistic mode of thinking about world unity and peace: it won't happen. Trv to make peace in your own separate , world first. In an insane world, this is probably the sanest decision we could make.