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Erin Shaw and Fred Leach together again for your reading pleasure. Page 2 Wit? Serving the Carolina EDITOR] Adam Snyde Amy Shannon Kurt Johnson, Ass\ FffffVVfPVfVP1 M11r AVI* Newhou needs re The reformation is under way. HHwyM USC has recently decided to reform its housing proce- COff^ dures. With Studen this new system, students will be HHKjTSU able to pick which residence hall they USCsbl would like to live tbousbtl in, but now stu- , ?T . dents only have the s*uc*i option of picking initiating one roommate, even if apartment housing, which usually holds up to four people, is chosen. In the past, students had free reign over the amount of roommates they could choose. Many students have shown resentment towards this new system. The biggest concern is having to possibly live in an apartment with twc strangers, when two people thej know well could be living with them instead. However, this system works well with those who want to live in two-person dorms. This is unfair. People like to be comfortable in their own homes, and rooming with people you know well helps make things more comfortable. Having to live with twc strangers offers an awkward situation, having to learn the person's Action a? crew nec One week ago, ^^^rrrrrr a U.S. military plane clipped the U.S.mUita wires of a cable car Mian cat in Italy. The car, .Q which held 20 pas- killed 2( sengers ready to ski, fell 300 feet HHeIUIL and killed everyone Some for? on Doara. needs to I Italian officials ^ ^ . are in an uproar P^P&fyj^ over the situation. peopled They have accused American officers of removing the plane's mission recorder, so as to cover up the possibility that this was not an accident, and delaying its hand-over for reviewing. The recorder will give vital information pertaining to the plane's altitude, air speed and flight path. U.S. Air Force officials have denied all charges, while President Clinton has assured Italian politicians that the United States will commence a full investigation. This investigation, however, will be lead by an American team, which will include Italian commanders. mi. - f j.1 1 1 me crew ui me piane nas expressed their sympathy to the family members of the victims, though an official apology has yet to be heard. Also, the captain of the plane gave a possible explanation for the cause of the crash- he said that the plane's altitude instruments Hit 6 ^Jr Serving the Catohna ine txamecocx is Tie siuoeri newspoper or ine untve Pride/ drrg me fat and spring semesters end We times du periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock ere those ofth The Board of Student Publications and Commwications is I is me newspaper's parent organization TIM OWIMCOCfc Adam Snyder Editor in Chief Raaelind I Amy Shannon Viewpoints Editor Sara Ladenheim Hurt John. Can Podatt News Editors Canto Mo Jemattar Stanley Features Editor Krtettn Fra Achhn Hunt Nathan Be Bryan Johnston Sports Editors s?m Rayi Suaan Mayan Photo Editor Toff 0.^m Brian Blah Online Editor ^ ff)|< Chris Dhtaa Cop/ Dealt Chief Connie Ha Stotart IMta JuHa Baker Sherry F. I SuamI Barrett AMcta Dickson Cmolyn Oi Judeon Drennan Creative Services Mm drown Btoa Persons Director of , Student Media Mlchetm 0 Lee PMppe Advertising Manager ^ i { 'A amccock Community sine* 1908 [AL BOARD r, Editor in Chief . Viewpoints Editor istant Viewpoints Editor sing plan risions I quirks and moods and LllafaJHHI such. It would be mg system much easier if they J f could just live with a iiaerateoj person with whom f?c rtpfids they're alreadv fa miliar. Another concern is the $100 that needs ~>uld hdve to be put down while nore about a student turns in tits before th?,r h?usme "ppJ" uvjuf e cation. If someone de3 thispkttl. cides that they do not want to live on-cam pus or if they do not get the housing asi signment that they want after payI ing the $100, they have only two to three days to get their money back. Two to three days to find out if one wants to live with two total strangers or if they're happy at the house they are. TTiat is insane. ) It's takes a lot more time to get ' to know two new people and decide i if they actually want to live with thorn TVf/vro timo cVirmlH ho ollnt. ' viivii* a"xv/i w vimv uiauuiu uv/ wnvv ! ted to allow students to make a rational decision, s These changes certainly put stu[ dents' wants at a minimum. The I students' concerns have been set aside for USC's convenience. USC i should have left the system alone; . it would have made a lot more stui dents a lot more comfortable. ;ainst essary rrrcr^HBll were not working properly. ryplane hit However, experts hb> mr an/i have agreed that at TtonX such a low altitude, JjAtvpie. the instruments would not have been JLiLaaiil^l of much use, inferring n of action that the crew would be taken to have been able to see the wires with their ustify these owneyes. > deaths. This event definitelv needs further 1 w and deeper investii gation. The Italian officials have every right to be steaming mad. If such an event would have happened to Americans, surely we would have made a bigger ruckus over it than the Italians are. They are even looking for legal action against the crew. That is totally legitimate if the crew was found to be playing around. Really, the cable car was 300 feet above ground and the lowest a plane is supposed to be is 500 feet. There should be no reason for the plane to i be flying that low over a populated area. Even if it was a "mere" accident, the crew should be punished in some way. One cannot kill someone and i not take on whatever repercussions that accompany such an act. i Hopefully, the truth will prevail and justice will be served as nec; essary. \ amecock mm Community since 1908 rslty of South Carolina and is published Monday, Wednesday and ring the simmer with the exception of wiversity holidays and exam e editors or author arid not those of The University of South Carolina he publisher of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media All numbers area code 603 Th? Oamacocfc iarvey Public Relations Coordinator Editor 777-3914 tern Asst tfewpoints Editor Uieetnrtinte 777.770(1 C id lough Asst News Editor iestate Asst Features Editor sews 777-7726 own Asst Sports Editor lord Asst Photo Editor Etc. 777-3913 a Asst. Online Editor Sports 777-7182 rlckhoff Copy Editors Online 777-2833 Holmes Classified Ad Manager rtm Business Manager Meutlslng 777-1184 Creative Director Classifieds 777-1184 '? Faculty Advisor office 777-3888 5 /tfwt W mm* T JL The Ganr foov< I 6u Iwhdt A & I Mounti It only seemed logical. There were patches of snow, a steady declin ing hill, and a $7 plastic sled. Il seemed safe. A couple of weekends ago, I wenl up to Skj kttrt JOHNSON the res?rl Columnist ?s 01 the safest it the country so nobody wanted to take their chances Also, there was only one big patch o; snow. Anyway, the place where we stayec belonged to my roommate's grandparents, so it had the grandparent's smell throughout. It was bearable only after knocking oneself out with twc sledge hammers and an anvil. Well, we arrived during the night so after just "hanging out", we finally got to see the splendor that are th< mountains and their small, cheesj mountain stores, such as (I'm not mak ing all of these up): Mountain Bever Black H It's hard to believe that in the pre sent times there are people wh< tell me there shouldn't be a Blacl History Month. But they do. Wha is threatening about a people cominf together t< ?| celebrati Jena^m Columnist beckons m< to explain Everyday I know what it feels like t be a black woman. Everyday I wak in the same body, I comb the sami coarse hair, I put lotion on the sam dark skin. I only know what is uniqu tome. "Things have changed from th times when we were growing up," m; mother reassures me. She has storie Animals unnaturally kept at the circus To the editor: This past weekend, I had the ex ' _ C ... 1 A. 1_ _ * 1 perience 01 seeing me animais oi Ringling Bros. Circus. The tigers wen caged in small trailers in the Coliseum parking lot. The elephants wen housed in a tent with horses, camels and zebras, all chained so that the) had minimal movement. As I stooc looking at these majestic creatures, ] t >OINT: lecock Liui vv vv } age, Mountain General Store, Moun tain Souvenirs, and Wal-Mart. t So, that afternoon, we noticed i slope in close proximity that happene* t to have some snow on it. We alsi ' just happened to find some plywood The logical thing to do- go sledding Logical, yes, healthy, no. My three oth er intrepid friends and I decided t walk up the Sky slope (which, con sidering how in-shape we were, wa one of the hardest things we've eve done with a piece of plywood) and slei down to the bottom. I was the second one to go. j thought, with me being born in thi t north and having several years of sled rlincr oYT^rlonponn^armvVuilf T u/niili ^ Ulllg IU1UV1 U1J krvibj A ? Wtu' be fine. Well, I was right. My othe three friends, however, were havinj quite a time. Not knowing the art o f steering plywood, they would sled thre feet, fall off and then tumble the re 1 maining 75 feet down. I, on the oth er hand, would sled all the way down ; but I didn't know how to stop, so I woul( slam into the plastic, mesh-wire feno > that separated skiers from a 30 foo gorge (all right, it was a three foot ditch , but it was still scary). f This in turn led to some great nick* J scratches, bruises, and cuts up am f down our bodies, which we proudl showed everyone to confirm our str " pidity. It was still fun, though. " J li If .istory ivi - of integration, discrimination, and a > out hate or fear, however you wish t t see things. The past is a dark histc t iy, but today we are enlightened. We'v I come miles to get our share, and w J still have far to go. If all the peopl J who tell me we shouldn't be so nois about celebrating could just one da 1 walk in my shoes, they would shou too. \ I admit the name-calling and th upfront discrimination isn't staring ir to my eyes. It's the subtle message that people think I'm too stupid to ur 2 derstand that piss me off. If s the grc eery cashier at Food Lion assumin 2 that I must be paying with an EB' i card, even before I can offer him casl TD_ IL _ i i i it s tne disapproving icons an 5 stares I get from the older ladies in th cinema restroom because I shouldn' be allowed to pee in the same room a them. I don't even carry a handba e anymore because store clerks assum e that I am shoplifting with it. But things have changed so mucl e I don't believe that I could have sui y vived in my parents'time. We aremal s ing serious progress as a nation, es pecially the younger generation. Wit The I H II I | I] a student I **1 J | I'J t dude the held for a j realized that this is their home. Sit ting in a cage, chained, traveling acros the country in a train, every day o their lives. There is no end ot the en cus for these animals; when the circu p leaves Columbia, it is not over for their I know, just as everyone else does that this is not the life that a tiger, ele ? phant, zebra or camel is meant for. Ii } the wild these animals roam acres c t land a day! In the circus, these ani 1 mals have no chance of freedom t 1 roam, hunt or mate. v in iirnD "It Sev< ?* Lawrer We c t/iff fi kend 'ki "So...we noticed a sloj that happened to have j also just happened to The logical thing to 0 s r However, things turned tragic when ^ one of my friends tried to "surf' the plywood on the snow. He was fine j about half the way down, but then he hollered, "Look, I'm Michael Kennedy!" The funeral was four days later, .j Getting over this tragic event with r a game of "Let's see how long it takes j officials to find the body," we all went f looking for two waterfalls that my roome mate knew of. Well, we found them. After those _ life-altering events, we had another. We bought a REAL sled- one of those i skinny, plastic ones with a little string e to hold. Overcome with excitement, t we flew home to try out the new sled, i, For some reason, I think it was the over-pounding of anvils, we thought s, we were cool and decided to go all the d way to the top of the slope and sled y down. How can I relate this experii ence- imagine being on the toilet, in an open atmosphere, while hauling onth for \ 11 ? "It's the subtle messa e I'm too stupid to u I grocery cashier at Foo y must be paying wit J before I can o] e each new baby, we are teaching appreciation, not mere tolerance. The s world is diverse. We are different. l" Why is it hard to understand that we want to celebrate our differences? R Jnm on^a raonnnf Hnr ? vyui 31JIC UCJUiaixuo 1 vo|/vvw. v/ui ^ music stems from a soul in need of freeL dom. Our language is one of comd panionship and familiarity. We come e from a family of people tiying to get t by. Surviving is in our genes. Cres ativity seeps from every brow. Deg termination follows in our shadows, e Don't we have a reason to celebrate? Black History Month will continl. ue to bring us happiness and gratitude to all of those who came before us, no [- matter what others believe. I have j- gathered the strength to believe in myh self because others have made the opGamecock wil try to print all letters received. Letters should be 250300 wo . Hand written letters must be personaly delivered by the author to The Gar author's telephone number. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit all lent ny urbwrraiaibc. Instead they are faced with a life s of abuse, forced to perform unnatural f acts that they do not understand. In order to make a tiger jump through a s loop of fire or make an elephant peri. form tricks, it must be threatened with i, punishment! (- According to the Humane Society a of the United States, circus animals if are severely beaten to "control" and "train" the animals. When an elephant o is "gently" prodded with a bull hook in the circus ring, she is reminded of pre will continue to happen *n though the university educates the students." ice Pathel, USCPD Director dnesday, February 11,1998 ^ 9 Ill * a * artoonist MANDI PARK ller' * >e in close proximity some snow on it. We find some plywood, do- go sledding!" freight at 70 miles-an-hour. Yeah, that about does it. Those sleds are $7 deaths. I was so scared that after I slammed into the fence half-way down, rolled limply down to the foot of the slope and barely escaped death via blood loss, I couldn't tell whether the stain on my pants was mud or, well, you know. f And after that, you'd think I'd have J the reason to say "that's enough." Nope! Rather, I told everyone else who weren't sledding that they were missing out on a great thing (they seemed to disagree with me for some reason) and went right back up to go again. After another one of my friends died by using the new sled, we decided to move to the beginner slope. That was a lifesaving move. So, though I lost two good friends f and was a living scratch (later a scab) for a while, it was still a great time. I wonder what will happen when I try to ski. leritage { ges that people think un/laoctnoJ Ti.1- xt liucisidliu...ll $ IIIC d Lion assuming that I h an EBT card, even ffer him cash." portunities of today possible. I do not take for granted the freedom to live in convenience, to make decisions about ( my future. That is what this month is about. I give the utmost respect to the ones who know what it is to be like me in a place that once detested our existence, and depended on us to be tools. Now it is our responsibility to goon. To see what the end will be. To appreciate what others can bring to our lives. To exhibit what we can bring to theirs. I don't pretend to have all the an1 JL Xl 1 swers, dui mere is no reason to de \ threatened by blacks uniting in the name of heritage. Join in, and you too may learn something that will give you just cause for celebrating Black History Month every February. rds and must include full name, professional title or year and major il iecock newsroom in Russell House room 333. Email letters must inf for style, possible libel or space limitations Names will not be with vious beatings that were received when she did not do as her trainer wished. in,- . i A:? .me circus is meant to De a time u> fun with family and friends, but we often forget how these animals suffer for our entertainment. Unfortunately I don't think I'll ever forget the look that I saw on a tiger's face as it paced in its cage, waiting helplessly for the next performance. I have decided to give up the circus, I d rather watch the Discovery channel, where I can see the true beauty of these animals in naturje. ^