The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 18, 1998, Page 4, Image 4
Fied Leach goes 'solo' this
Friday as he writes about
something.
Page 4
Hit 6a
Serving the Carolina Cm
EDITORIA
Adam Snyder,
Amy Shannon,
Kurt Johnson, Assist
Student go
plagued wi
[Editor's note: hbtttt
Adam Snyder,
now Editor in A year late)
Chief of The governmt
Gamecock, wrote f f
this last year at J t
this time as a col- mgmrryrrr
umn. We are rerunning
it as the Vote, da
lead editorial to- (jet offthi
iSlStfM tosmt*
applies. But the choices k
point remains: *
vote Thursday
and let our student leaders know
you care and want change.]
TTvon tVirmorh timo anH frrmo aonin
the suggestion has come up
around the newsroom, we haven't
done an article about apathy
on campus. Maybe that's because
we are apathetic ourselves.
But what could you do with
this fascinating story idea? Oh,
there is so much. We could dive
deep into this hard-hitting issue
to find out what everybody already
knows. People just don't
care.
In passing, maybe they do. As
a whim, as something to whine
about, they will wonder why
nothing seems to get accomplished.
But that slips away as
thoughts of tests, papers and how
to get this weekend's supply of
beer quickly take its place.
So come Thursday, less than
10 percent of our student body
will take the time to vote. They
will go in and out of the Russell
House, not bothering to take a
step towards the polls. The Election
Commission has made this
election season run smoothly and
efficiently.
Polls will be at the Russell
House or your respective school
or college. You'll be more than
likely to be there anyway, or at
least can get there all day long.
But you don't care. Not on
Election Day at least.
I heard someone say the other
day that there is no point in
voting because either Greeks or
African Americans (and lately a
combination of the two) dominate
the campaign. So, in either
case, close to 80 percent of the
student body doesn't feel represented
in the executive or legislative
side of Student Government.
Whose fault is that? Albeit,
both factions have had increasing
political prominence in student
elections recently. But their
Hil Hie(5ai
Serving the Carolina Con,
7he Gamecock Is the student newspaper of The University
Friday during the fall and sprig semesters end We times durtg t
periods Options expressed ri The Gamecock ore those of the edr
The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the p
is the newspaper's parent organization.
The Gamecock
Adam Snyder Editor in Chief Rosalind Harti
Amy Shannon Viewpoints Editor
s i wnfirfm Kuft Jchn,ott '
Can Podatt News Editors Carrie McCulk
Jennifer Stanley Features Editor Kristin Freest!
Achkn Hunt Nathan Brown
. INyan Johnston Sports Editors 5ean Hayfofd
Susan Meyers Photo Editor Torj Q Hsra
Brian Risk Online Editor frf<)
Chris Dixon Copy Desk Chief Connie Karicki
Student Media
Julie Baker Sherry F. Htrin
Susan Barrett
AMda Dickson Carolyn GrifRn
Judson Dtennan Creative Services
_ _ Jim Green
Ellen Parsons Director of
Student Media Mlchde Dame
Lee Ptrippa Advertising Manager ^ Co#Jnl
]
mecock
mmunity since 1908
L BOARD
Editor in Chief
Viewpoints Editor
ant Viewpoints Editor
vernment
Ith apathy
nrBHl strength lies in
the fact that they
r, student can get their conmt
still stituents to vote.
"tin, Other "indepens'
dent" candidates
pn have very little or
iLLUHHi no constituency. All
mn it. they have is every
ise lazy nine out of 10 stussss
7i own. one eise represents
them throughout
the university.
But you do care when your
tuition is being increased. You
do care when your club or organization
gets short ended by the
Finance Committee. You care
when you are tired of the food
Marriott is serving. You care
when you miss two classes because
you are looking for a parking
spot.
You still don't care on Election
Day. You don't care at 5 p.m.
Wednesdays to sit in on a senate
meeting in the Russell House
Theater. You don't care to call
your representative to find out
what he or she can do for you.
And guess what? They don't
care either, and they know it.
I have never seen a group
more deserving of the do-noth
ing nickname. Absences were
outrageous this session. Legislation
has been nil. The call for
old business brings a chuckle,
and the call for new business has
them rolling in the aisles.
This time the fault is shared,
though. Student apathy bleeds
into the senate where they are
unmotivated to do anything for
the small portion of people who
even know they exist. Some representatives
are in it for resume
packing while others just like the
ring of an official title.
What can be done? First, you
can vote to show the powers that
be that you are out there and you
want to have a say in how your
university operates.
Secondly, you can follow up
your vote with pressure. Ask why
it has taken over a semester to
decide what to DO with the Assembly
Street tunnel art design
much less pick up a brush and
paint it.
Other universities' student
governments actually accomplish
something. Care enough to get
our representatives doing their
jobs.
mecock R3S9
i munity since 1908 I
ot South Carolina and is published Monday, We&iesday and
tie simmer with tie exception of irMersity holidays and exam
tors or author and net those of The University of South Carolina
ublisher of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media
All numbers area code 803
The Gamecock
ty Public Relations
Coordinator Editor 777-3914
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, .... Viewpoints 777-7726
nigh Assl News Editor
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VlEWP
The Game*
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Olympi
Ah yes, that special something is
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111 vllv UU IHUl WiliVO VTV1J 1VU1
* * years, thrilling the world and
allowing the dreams of many to come
true. No, I'm not talking about that
bit of napalm hanging in the air with
another
r, J possibility
jggM: of an attack
I which are
rv i til a icar
kurt JOHNSON
name to
Asst. viewpoints ed. pronounce
You know
that's an official rule: Article 3, Paragraph
5, Sentence 1 of the How to Determine
Where to Hold the Olympics
Handbook states, "When held in a nonAmerican
city, the corresponding city,
in accordance with the following
rule, under which is in accordance with
the current sentence, shall be as difficult
to pronounce as it is for Bill
Clinton to keep his pants up."
Good old
Remember when all the stores
were closed on Sundays? Not
just the malls, but grocery
stores and gas stations locked up on
Saturdays, not to reopen until Monday
morning. Can't you remember
needing pantyhose for church and never
finding
i 1 anvwhprp
felicia BROWN ?n Sun~
L days and
Columnist close early.
Ain't
nothin' like livin' in the Dirty South.
Red dirt and tobacco growing coincide
with city streets and corrupt politicians.
We are a multi-faceted society.
But in a world that encounters technology
and social successes daily, we
are considered slow, backwards, ignorant
and stubborn.
I believe it was in my fourth grade
social studies class that I was introllii^d
;1 [il4 \ IzMz
Planned Parenthood
crucial part of
women's choice
To the editor,
I'm responding to the Jan. 26 letter
"Pro-lifers give choice of life to
unborn baby."
In the letter, Ms. Hiland said
that an editorial painted "an incorrect
and absolutely absurd picture of the
pro-life movement." In attempting to
counter this apparent injustice, she resorts
to blatant untruths based on illogical
reasoning, fear and anti-choice
propaganda.
OINT5
:ock
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|
NRSeSB&WSS
cs all al
Anyway, it's somewhere in that
great country of Japan, which has
brought you great products such as
glow-in-the-dark condoms and microwavable
moth balls.
But really, the Olympics are a real
special time. It's a time when the
world comes together to watch their
best athletes compete for bragging
rights. It's also a time when us guys
can use such words as "luge" and
"moguls" in our pick-up lines. Examples:
"Hey baby, why don't we go back
to my place and practice for that twoman
luge competition" or "You wouldn't
mind if I nracticed mv mooul ski
ing on your slopes, now would ya?" Or
something to that effect.
And speaking of pick-up lines, you
KNOW there has got to be some hooking-up
at the Olympics. I ain't lying,
I am not lying. Think about it man,
you've got a bunch of foreigners living
in a village and then two weeks later,
they all return to their respective
parts of the world. Surely, the athletes
go out at night to celebrate a medal or
whatever and the next thing you know
the Swedish bobsled team is waking
up next to France's women downhill
skiers and the German Hockey team
is scoring with Canada's women snowi
South ji
duced to South Carolina Blue Laws.
We were doing vocabulary definitions.
Webster's defined a blue law as "1: one
of numerous rigorous laws designed to
regulate morals and conduct in colonial
New England 2: a statute regulating
work, commerce, and amusements
on Sundays." All my life I have
heard that Sunday is the day of rest.
Not only should you not work on Sundays,
but you should keep the day Holy.
I guess that meant that you shouldn't
do anything sinful on Sunday, but the
rest of the week was open to suggestions.
This was normal and right to
me because everyone said that this is
the way things were.
The other day I was working when
a revelation came to me. Isn't it funny
that the people who say they are
looking out for my best interest, who
say they are trying to protect me from
the sins I could encounter, never once
asked me for my opinion. If s the old
people that think they know better.
Elder generations established these
restrictions and we continually accept
them. The Bible Belt was buckled by
people living in another time. They
had no way of knowing that by trying
to "protect" us from the immorals
of secular behavior they would actually
shelter us in a glass bubble waitGame
I 11 I I ll ' 3 s,udent Han
dude the autho
| held for any arc
Many of the arguments she uses
to make her case are irrelevant, hard
to follow and barely worth any serious
response. However, I feel compelled to
counter her statements regarding
Planned Parenthood.
The worst among Ms. Hiland's
claims is that "Planned Parenthood
depicts a fetus as an indiscriminant
glob of tissue in an attempt to convince
women in crisis to have an abortion."
I would like to know if Ms. Hiland has
ever had any experience with Planned
Parenthood at all.
I feel safe in saying that the majority
of us who have received health
care services of any kind there would
argue that she clearly has not. I
"Some pec
this probl
^ chairman
Wet
PTOEftfiftg pSH
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GC
bout 'sc
"...the Olympics are a r
time when the world
watch their athletes c<
rights. It's also a time \
such words as 'luge
our pick-u
boarders! It has hook-up written all
over it. You know, all those figure
skaters are pretty hot, and not to mention
(I'm really not joking here) the
Russian's Women's Hockey team.
Yes, the Olympics are more than
all that, however. It's about these people's
dreams to be the best (and then
losing their medal for tokin' weed and
then getting it back again), it's about
new countries trying to break through
as Winter Olympic super-powers (such
as Kenya's one-man Olympic team finishing
28th out of 28 in the biathlon)
and introducing new sports to the
worldwide forum (who cannot get riled
up and excited over that great slide
and brush game of Curling?).
The Olympics are also a time when
we get to see a different part of the
world each night on our television and
list not c
"You can't buy beer fro
on Sunday, interraci:
illegal and the gove
periodically vote on v
should have the
ing to tempt fate and have our way
with the world. We don t know better
because we don't know any other way.
We were brought up with these foundations.
What else are we supposed
to do?
If s no wonder that South Carolina
is the state that fights over subjects
like video poker, flying the Confederate
flag over the State House, strip
joints in certain zones, giving condoms
out to teenagers and sex education
classes in public schools. You can't buy
beer from a convenience store on Sundays,
interracial marriages are still illegal
and the government still has to
periodically vote on whether or not
blacks should have the right to vote.
I even read somewhere that participating
in oral sex in South Carolina is
illegal.
cock will try to print all letters received. Utters should be 250-300 won
1 written letters must be personally delivered by the author to The Gamt
r'j telephone number. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit all letter
vmstance
must add that Planned Parenthood's
scope of services include annual gynecological
exams, cancer screenings,
self-breast examination training and
birth control education and provision,
the best way to prevent the need for
abortions in the first place.
Planned Parenthood is not only
bound by law, but also compelled by
its own ethics and standards to provide
complete information to all patients.
Women seeking abortion services
receive frank explanations of the
procedure.
They are presented with the options
of both parenthood and adoption,
and resources to help with either are
)ple think that if we ignore
em, then it will go away."
Mike Moore,
of student services committee
Jnesday, February 18, 1998
i
- <$mtml)
i
allege press EXCHANGE
oring'
eal special time. It's a
I comes together to
)mpete for bragging
vhen us guys can use
and 'moguls' in
p lines."
make fun of it for being so different.
Like the Japanese have a soft drink
named (I'm not making this up)
"Sweat." Of course it means something
different in Japanese, but still, I'm sure
xl. . T? 1*1 1 * 1 i.1
me JMignsn-speaiung peupie over mere
are having a hard time holding their
lunches down.
Yes, it may have seemed I ragged V
on the Olympics, but really, I love them. 9
It's great to see all these neato sports
that I in no way could ever get in.
Also, it's fun to just sit there, get into
the event, and cheer for the United
States (even though the only people
who can hear me are my disgruntled
next-door neighbors). I guess, when
you think about it, what the Olympics
boil down to is trying to score...ah, that
is, make the score. Q
uttin' it
m a convenience store
al marriages are still
:rnment still has to ^
whether or not blacks
: right to vote."
Ass-backwards, that is what I think.
Isn't it nhennmenal that other states
are trying to solve issues like poverty
and drug abuse and we are fighting
over whether or not there should be
a poker machine in the local Amoco
station? If I am not mature enough to ^
control myself and my personal habits, w
then I am the one who will have to suffer
the consequences. It is not up to
the government to protect me from myself.
Don't we want a public of responsible
adults that know how to conduct
themselves and want to be
accountable for their mistakes? Look
at our alternative model. I cannot think
of one person in my generation who is
thankful for the protection the law is
trying to give us. Isn't it time to abol- ^
ish some of the foolishness engraved
in our foundations? Shouldn't we update
the books?
Is and must include lull name, professional t>0e or year and major if
seock newsroom in Russell House room 33a Email letters must inlor
style, possible libel or space limitations. Names will not be wrtfion
hand. They are each counseled, not
coerced, about their choice.
Planned Parenthood supports
women who make the very difficult
and personal decision to terminate a
pregnancy. But it's both incorrect and
insensitive to promote the myth that
the very complex issue of abortion is
taken lightly by either service providers
or by those of us who are pro-choice.
Kirsten Havig ^
Graduate student, Social Work