The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 27, 1998, Page 2, Image 2
That kooky Kiki will give
you some of that "God
stuff' with her column.
Page 2
mm
Serving the Carolina Cor
EDITORIA
Adam Snyder,
Amy Shannon, 1
Kurt Johnson, Assisti
Video pol
is not den
What a great
democracy in which HMuImm
welive- Gov. Davio
It be gotten so wantsthevu
great that we don t ? , ,
even have to worry industry t
about making deci- BnTmn
sions for ourselves
or determining There an
what is right and important i
wrong We are be- ^ uHth th
mg told what we
can and cannot
do. That seems to be South Carolina
democracy.
And what political system
wouldn't be complete without the
name calling and finger pointing by
opposing parties.
The video-poker controversy has
definitely brought South Carolina
into a stir. While other states are
worrying about what to do with raises
in unemployment or trying to figure
out ways to solve their over-immigration
problem, we are here
deciding on what to do over video
poker.
"Well, it's the person's choice
whether or not they want to play
the machines," you might say. But
thanks to Gov. David Beasley, such
a decision has graciously been made
for us. Plain and simple, he wants
video poker out.
Video poker, according to
Beasley, is a cancer that will "suck
fVia cnnl anH fVio lioarto mif nf fVio
VAAV IJVU1 U11U ItlAv 1AVU1 UO UUU U1AV
people of this state."
His main reason for eliminating
the industry is because it violates
South Carolina's constitutional ban
on lotteries. He believes lotteries
are negative.
Yet Georgia's lottery sends the
state's students to college with the
money it earns. Worst of all, about
$60 million comes from South
Carolinians who play Georgia's lottery.
And now the political ruckus has
begun. Three video-poker operators
accused Beasley of threatening to
close down the industry if they and
others didn't contribute campaign
money to the Republican cause in
1994.
Beasley denies requesting funds
from the industry, though he has
admitted he was in contact with the
School of
lucky to g<
Today is a day that USC will not
soon forget. Darla Moore, a 1975 political
science graduate of USC, is
giving the business school $25
million.
Her gift will enable USC to
further improve its already nationally
ranked undergraduate and graduate
international business specialities
as well as build upon other
areas of business study.
The money will also help USC
gain more national recognition as a
mialitv instit.iit.inn nf hipher learn
m Be(5ai
" "Jjf Serving the Carolina Comi
The Gamecock is the student newspaper of The University i
Friday during the fall and spnng semesters and five times during th
periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the editc
The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the pu,
is the newspaper's parent organization.
The Gamecock
Adam Snydar Editor in Chief Roaallnd Harve
Amy Shannon Viewpoints Editor
c__ . Kurt Johnson A
oBra LBOcnntiin
Cara Pellatt News Editors Carrie McCuiiot
Jennifer Stanley Features Editor Kristin Freestai
Achlm Hunt Nathan Brown
Bryan Johnston Sports Editors ?ff|trr Rayfo^
Susan Meyers Photo Editor Tori O 'Hara
Brian Rlsh Online Editor ?ffn nggd
Chris Dixon Copy Desk Chief Connie Karickh
Student Media
Julie Baker Sherry F. Holm
Suten Barrett
Allela Dickaon Carolyn Qrlffln
Judaon Drennan Creative Services
Jim Qreen
Ellen Pareona Director of
Student Media Mlchele Damea
Lee Phlppe Advertising Manager CoHlne
? ?
1
mecock
nmunity since 1908
LBOARD
Editor in Chief
Viewpoints Editor
int Viewpoints Editor
ter ban
nocratic
accusing party. Now,
IbUmMHR he feels this industry
f Beasley *s harmful and dander)
fiohpr ?erous m some way?
and he wants to shut
unnea. ^ down Coincidence?
Tj^nraMHjl Hardly.
When money was
? more donated to the goverthiflgS
to nor by video-poker opan
poker. erators, and he "found
- out" gambling money
ttt o a f nlrnr* H r?n cil a*t
w a a ta&cii, jjcaaicjr
promptly returned it. However,
video-poker operators claim he didn't
return any other money donated by
video-poker vendors that were "disguised"
so no one would know the
origins of the money.
And in a show of how "great" and
"upstanding" he-was, Beasley immediately
chastised Democratic
nominee Jim Hodges for not returning
campaign money he obviously
received from video-poker vendors.
It's too bad every man
cannot live up to Beastey^ "morality."
It's a ludicrous idea to ban video
poker. Gov. Beasley and the rest
of South Carolina need to loosen up.
There is such a thing as being too
conservative.
It's almost sickening. Despite
what Beasley and the rest of those
fuddy-duddy conservatives think,
people have a mind of their own,
and a vast majority of us know how'
to use it.
Beasley and others opposed to
video poker need to stop blaming
the industry and start blaming individuals.
If people spend their money
on poker, that's their problem.
They obviously have no idea of
responsibility or proper spending.
Getting rid of video poker isn't going
to get rid of people's irresponsibility.
Instead of throwing the money
away that can be accumulated from
a lottery and heavy taxation on video
poker, take that and use it to help
these people. Help them by establishing
better educational programs
and strengthening the ones already
in place.
This way, we are ensured of a
more intelligent and more responsible
population.
business
et money
ing and greater respect from other
universities.
To Ms. Moore, we extend our
thanks. Although her donation is
targeted towards USC's school of
business, it will create a ripple effect
that will benefit the entire university.
A monetary gift of this size has
never been heard of before at USC.
Hopefully, Moore's gift will inspire
others to donate, if not to USC, then
to other institutions. A better educated
populace leads to a better
i__ /v __ _ 11 r
society ior aii 01 us.
rack RiSI
nunity since 19()8 ({ SShHHhU
of South Carolina and is published Monday, Wednesday and
e summer with the exception of university holidays and exam
its or author and not those of The University of South Carolina,
blisher of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media
All numbers area code 803
The Gamecock
y Public Relations
Coordinator Editor 777-3914
sst.Viewpoints Editor
Viewpoints 777-7726
igh Asst. News Editor
le Asst. Features Editor News 777-7726
Asst. Sports Editor
Asst. Photo Editor Etc. 777-3913
Asst. Online Editor
Sports 777-7182
oft Copy Editors
Online 777-2833
m Classified Ad m?hi.
Manager Student M#dla
Business Manager Advertising 777-1184
Creative Director Classifieds 777-1184
i Creative Services _ 777C.0,
Graduate /Isst. ha* fff-Mtu
Faculty Advisor office 7773888
4
VWp
The Gamec
?i i =
[ WPQD
aw
\ to
V A
Tvrv
Teacher
Im going into the wrong line of
work. I'm in grad school now, work- i
ing on my M.A.T. in social stud- i
ies so I can teach history in a secondary <
school. I think I might change based
on what I have learned from a friend.
?1 One of
fe-: coworkers , ,
- ; $30,000 a :
fred LEACH year. In ad- ;
Columnist dition, her ,
friend, let's
7 <
call him Jack, never graduated from ,
college. In fact, he is a month or two
away from earning his associates de- ,
gree. I was stupefied by this, but my 1
friend just told me I was jealous. I sup- j
pose I am a bit envious of someone who
doesn't go to college, yet is earning ^
$10,000 a year more than I will be when
T i. J liA : 1 r 1
i gei uuue witii my six-pius years ui (
school.
]
'Big and
I kevin LANGSTON j
Columnist 1
Okay, there is no way of getting \
around it (or me for that matter).
I am Big and Tall. I was
the smallest of the three children in ?
the family, but I've sprouted. You
can blame it on genetics or the good 1
cooking of my mom and dad. I just live
with it. I don't really have much choice, r
do I? ?
So I live as a large person. It isn't
all that bad. Usually people are ma- I
ture about it. I have great friends who *
accept me for who I am. If people are *
prompted to laugh and make fun of 1
me, I simply shrug it off. After all, they I
probably aren't worth the thought.
I have been a fairly large person ?r
for the majority of my life. I have faced '
many inadequacies in the accommo- I
dations of big and tall people. When I I
go into department stores, I find that *
the Rip & Tall section is the smallest
department in the men's section. f
Wouldn't common sense provide 1
people with the idea that people shop- 1
ping in the Big & Tall section are per- I
haps Big and Tall themselves? Wouldn't ?
this lead the people to make this sec- v
tion of the store a bit larger than the c
other sections? f
Usually when I approach the Big
& Tall section, I find the walls adorned r
with hideous articles of clothing, s
Just because we are larger does not t
mean we have no sense of fashion. How- s
ever, most people think this way.
It is rare that I will even go into a t
store such as The Gap or Structure. I c
know they won't carry anything over
an XL shirt and a 42 waist. I was in t
Structure the other day, and I saw a j
?
OINTS
iock
to ga&zvmt m
mnp^.ouck on
^a^^A\UP a
i hv3ut? /*
4f'
s deserv
Now Jack isn't just a janitor, she
tells me, he is the "Head of Mainte_
_ _ II TIT .11 il j 1_ _ 1_ _ -I'l'
nance, wen, mat may De nis politically
correct title, but if something has
webbed feet, lots of feathers and sits
around in the lake saying, "Quack
Quack," then it's a duck. Donald may
prefer to be called water fowl, but he's
still a duck."
Recently, Jack was courted by a
major hospital who desired his services.
A bitter holdout ensued because
JWB wanted to keep him. JWB eventually
resigned the all-star janitor to
his present contract. He is, I am
told, competent (but not spectacular) at
what he does. So what if he's the
Mark Mcguire of sheet folding? For
$ 30,000 a year, I could be the John Elway
of sheet folding, the Michael
Jordan of sweeping and the Ken
Griffey, Jr. of window cleaning.
I point this out only to say that
hparVipra nrp crrnsslv linHprnniH T am
told that teachers choose their career
for idealistic principles, not for the monsy.
That may be true, but looking at
that another way, think of how many
people choose more prosperous lines
)f work (like being a janitor) who would
make wonderful teachers.
tall' can'
pamphlet that boasted "We guarantee
m have your size!" I eagerly picked it
lp, and found that the highest size
hey carried was a 42 waist. Some guarintee.
I wouldn't buy clothes from stores
>f such reputation anyway. Reputaion
is what you're paying for. Their
eputation is worth $60 alone. Clothes
or big and tall customers are aleady
more expensive than any other
irticle of clothing. Why?
Is there some tax that larger peo>le
have to pay? I am unaware of this !
ax. Most "smaller" people will counter
his argument with the fact we are payng
for more material. Well, do petites
>ay less for their clothes? I doubt it.
I don't even try the "one size fits
ill" crap anymore. With a hat size of
1 3/4 and a shoe size of 15 or 16 (de>ends
on the brand), I know I don't ap>ly.
They should rephrase the saying
o "one size fits most."
I have dealt with being a large perlon
throughout my life. I dealt with
t in middle school, high school, and
iow college. When I came to college,
figured things would be different. I
ilways thought the college way of life
vas one that accepted diversity with
>pen arms. Boy was I slapped in the
ace with a cold dose of reality.
Apparently, being big and tall
neans nothing in the realm of diverlity.
I always thought diversity applied
o everyone. No one can escape diversity,
right?
Well it seems that the lowly big and
all have found a way. Want to know
lur secret? So do we.
None of the bookstores carry anyhing
bigger than an XXL shirt. They
ustify this with stories of smaller peoGamec
>
] 11 j |1 * a student. Hand \
H 1 1 L il V etude the author'
H held lor any circi
<
"It's like I g
^ thinking at
. Mich
> ?
Pi Mm
collet
e mure u
"We all wonder why the pu
tem is failing in America. T
sons for this, but one is th;
a teacher receives is ver
We all wonder why the public ed- force
ucation system is failing in America, most
There are many reasons for this, but and ?
/\m /\ ?n i-Vi r? 4- i-h /\ nnln mt /% ^/\n/tl% am h a t /
uuc la timt uic pcutiy aaioxjr a tcauiici nuwt
receives is very discouraging, espe- V
cially when one could make a lot more ed m
at other jobs which require less edu- Whe:
cation. When I think of the inquiry mom
projects and the textbook inventories Let's
that I have had to do so far in grad hold
school, I wonder what in the heck I am teacl
doing here. The answer is not always he be
easily found. is up,
If one's desire is to help people and a ne
to try and have a positive impact on $125
lives, then there is no better profes- teacl
sion than teaching. However, the pay itist
is horrible, barely enough to get by so in
sometimes. The same is true of oth- the c
er important professions like law en- on d<
t go to the
"It Is rare that I will e
store such as The Gap or !
they won't carry anythi
shirt and a 42 ^
pie coming in and buying larger sizes USC,
for the use of pajamas. So I guess while type,
smaller people rest comfortably at night tions
in an oversized garment, large folks you r
must deal with what they can get. jQ-n
Sweet dreams. ^
I don't buy the pajama bit. There
is a demand for larger articles of cloth- we
ing. So why isn't it met? We want to ^ave
be comfortable in our clothes. Is it peopl
too much to ask to have something that ganis
will fit us? We buy clothes too. You XL si
don't see a bunch of large naked peo- us to
pie roaming the campus, do you? I hope pe0p]
not. We do find clothes, but people al- g
so find needles in havstacks. Ask mv
et goose bumps just
>out the Olympics."
elle Davison
JSC Diver
Friday, March 27, 1998
ie press EXCHANGE
aoney
iblic education syshere
are many reaat
the paltry salary
y discouraging."
ment. Why is it that we pay the
for entertainers like movie stars
ithletes? The most important jobs,
(ver, are neglected.
/hen the baseball players wantore
money, they went on strike,
n a talented athlete wants more
jy on his contract, he holds out.
imagine for a moment a teacher's
-out. Mr. Walker, an excellent
ler, wants a bigger paycheck, and
comes a free agent when this year
. So he tests the market and lands
w deal worth an eye-popping
,000 over five years. Why can't
lers strike or hold out? Because
oo important of a job. But, if it is
lportant of a job, then why does
ry of," show me the money" fall
:af ears?
" " sens,
uncle. Our selection is nothing com- ,
pared to the selection everyone else 0 0
has.
Clothes are supposed to be a medi- stu(k
um for expression. They are supposed forta
to reflect our ideas, interests, places II
we've been, in short, who we are. So just)
with this current argument, it can be furfh
said that we are being censored. too
I love R.E.M. I would love to show yye v
my love for this band by wearing a shirt
with the band on it Can I do this? Nope. ^
Apparently large people don't listen to 1
music. PeoP
To my dismay, no shirts come in
any size above XL. Large people must 'em 1:
not go to concerts eitner. CiVen nere at
xk will try to print all letters received. Letters should be 250-300 words and mu
written letters must be personally delivered by the author to The Gamecock new
s telephone number. The Gamecock reserves the nght to edit all letter for style,
rmstance.
*
i mall
:ven go into a
Structure. I know
ing over an XL
waist."
I have fallen victim to this stereoI
joined two student organizalast
semester. As an incentive,
eceive a free T-shirt when you
hat wasn't the reason I joined, but
1 like free stuff, don't we? I must
slipped through, because large
e obviously don't join student orations
either. If they only offer
lirts, it must mean they don't want
join. There is no room for large
ie (no pun intended),
o large people have no fashion
e, don't mind paying extra for
es, don't mind settling for what
[an get, don't like music, concerts,
int organizations and feeling comble
in what they wear.
'you can believe that, then I have
vasted my time. Nothing can be
er from the truth. We are people,
Ve want what everyone else wants.
/anf liKortips that all are oil.
to receive. This is America, damn
) if you are big and tall, tell the
ile you aren't going to take it
lore. We want our fair share. Give
tell, big and tall!
ist include full name, professional title or year and major if
'sroom In Russell House room 333. E-mail letters must inpossible
libel or space limitations. Names will not be with*
?