The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 30, 1998, Page 4, Image 4
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Page 4
Power, use!
will GREEN
a r.i
uuvsi ^uiumnisi
P re-script: To all the members of student
government who are going to complain
to me about this: Just sink back into your
ignorance, and pretend Fm talking about someone
else.
Fm taking valuable time to emerge from my
self-induced apathy in order to speak directly
to the members of student government. Fve
been reading about your little escapades and
power games that you're having among yourselves.
Now, I don't really give a damn about
any of you. But just to piss you off (a hobby of
mine), Td like to point out some things that you !
paragons of self-awareness don't seem to have
noticed.
One. vou don't have anv sort of Dower that
matters. Sure, you have neat little titles like
Attorney General and President and all that
happy crappy, but face the facts: If the trustees
or anyone with real power really hates what
you're doing, they'll just change it. And what
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?ulness of ?
changes that you might make are
extremely piddling. What sort M_
of self-respecting student group
prides itself most greatly upon , '
giving us Chick-Fil-A (tasty veic
though it may be)? This is stu- v
dent activism in motion? Morons. '
Two, as far as I can tell, the student
body doesn't really
trust you. Why should we? Any
one who actually campaigns for
power probably shouldn't be trusted. And if by
some miracle someone who gets elected isn't a
power-grubber, odds are they're dumb enough
to think that student government is actually
enough to make a difference. The sort of brilliance
we have come to expect from student government
and organizations is perfectly exemplified
by the loss by CP of $40,000. Let me
repeat that. Never mind. You read it right the
first time. That's real money these twits are
spending. Our money. My money. If SG has that
much money to just fling upon the flames of stupidity,
how about throwing us a campus-wide
? ISRAELI SCMO
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MY GAS
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Viewpoints
The Gamecock
5G questioned; i
ele
rhree, this isn't a real government. ^
?? Election committee? Impeachment?
a can't be serious. Did your mothers
op you on your heads as children?"
stu
party? Everyone invited, everyone drinks. one gUy just by
$20,000 for beer and liquor, $20,000 to bribe Thanks. They we
away the police. It could work. And the secon
Three, this isn't a real government. Veto? cja^ volunteer w
Election committee? Impeachment? You can't er denigrate that
be serious. Did your mothers drop you on your never suggest a
heads as children? Or did they just feed you Work that USC vi
paint chips? Mock trial is one thing. They at g0 here's my i<
least get big shiny awards. But you guys are any non-voluntet
just being stupid. Maybe there are some simi- organization. Tha
larities to real world governments that are con- media and the vo
fusing you. Corruption. Incompetence. You get using the excess r
the idea. I would like to see the documents re- anyone who wish
porting how much each candidate spent on the
OlCHltb 1 Dorm lift
theresa MARTIN 1
Guest Columnist
It took me forever to fall asleep last
night. I stared around my dorm
room for what seemed like hours.
My eyes wandered from my posters, to
my pictures, then to my desk, back to
my posters and so on. I could hear continuous
pattering of footsteps, opening
and slamming of doors and constant
giggles that echoed throughout the halls.
Occasionally my ears would focus on
the elevator. The rumble of it, going up
and down South Tower, remains steady
day in and day out. These sounds have
become my companions, my shelter and
. even more, my home.
\ I'm used to the lifestyle here. I've
. \ become accustomed to turning off the
TV when the microwave or phone are
OT V in use for fear of blowing a fuse. Waiting
for an elevator to go to and from my
5Sr^ '.1 rnnm has hernmp a nart. nf mv Hailv
scheduling. I'm used to wearing
shower shoes when I bathe and I
couldn't imagine not having them.
These simple annoyances, silly and
routine, make life imperfect. You find
?? EXCHANGE yQurself shnply moving out of the way
fmr!: *??
Bp- ~ PRT|1
? mm
^wmuAww
^wwcijil
solution {
ctions. Perhaps the basic rule of the stu
it whoever spends the most maining
ney wins will hold up, just like er school
the real world. and incre
But perhaps I am being too g0
native, too cynical. I'm going to tiong?Pri
k on the sunny side of student . , .
rernment. I see two positives. ?
First, I really enjoy the free
ff I score each year on election As I v
r. I took two dozen donuts off What abo
promising to vote for him. the voice
re tasty. Sucker. the poor s
id positive is serious. I appre- are gone?
ork in any form. I would nev- to speak v
; which is done. And I would wjth lett
i plan that would hurt the ^g s^.u(j
slunteers do. i j . jpt
iea. Cut all school funding for ,,
... 6. wewanti
:r organization or non-major ,
t would leave us with student or 1 '
limteer organizations. Then, men^ hie
ooney, offer to pay all dues for resi
es to join (and work for) any ernment'i
, Impeach
3 feels lik
vhen you are in the shower and some- i
)ne flushes the toilet because you know t
fouH get burned. The elevator soon be- c
:omes a shared bond that only the top
loor girls can relate to. a
When coming home and listening a
? stories about boys, good pasta, and J10210
is simply enough, you feel lucky t
md maybe even blessed. Because you
ind yourself defending South Tower 1
ifter you've been complaining about it, c
md because you know that with all its s
laws there are hidden charms. t
We all know well miss it. Well miss r
;he appliances that constantly break c
md well actually miss the community
aathroom that keeps us so very close, e
Fhese are the memories well have; some a
jood and funny, others sad and disap- r
pointing. The interesting people that \
ve've come to know by mere accident r
vill scatter, and we'll find ourselves
pulling images of them into our a
ninds and remembering. I
As I laid there, as all these thoughts i
"an through my head, I vowed to try a
md let some of the simple things touch
ne, not just in passing. I vowed to let v
ny schedule become messy and to rip I
lp my "to do" list from time to time, f
When things go unfinished, 111 accept c
Monday, March 30,1998
)roposed
dent volunteer organizations. The remoney
could be used for various othneeds,
like extending library hours
lasing security.
lere does that leave other organizavately
funded. Sell candy like you did
:hool. Sell blood. Do a bikini car wash,
t ask me for anything,
vrite, I can hear the uproar arising,
ut the voice of the people? What about
of the students? Who will speak for
tudents once our beloved mouthpieces
Well, brace yourself. We're gonna have
ip for ourselves. We can flood the school
ers and e-mail. We can go back to
ent activism. What happened to good
it agitation? If there is something that
>adly enough, we can organize and ask
t we don't need the student governrarchy
to do it for us. Let them pad
ames some other way. Student gov3
last act should be dismantling itself,
'em all.
e home
t and move on. At least I know that
his imperfect lifestyle is mine, and I'm
:ontent.
Ill try to be grateful for the gossip
ind wicked laughs that lull me to sleep
it night and wake me in the mornings.
Inrl T'U friz for tVio lifo of mo to malrP
JlXXV* A tJ. VI J l\/i WiV iiiV W* iliv W muuv
hese feelings last.
I know that IH soon settle down. I
enow I can't stay peeled back in wonler
forever. Fm not deep enough to see
lymbolism behind every corner. I know
hat soon enough I'll go back to wor ying
about my hair and what's going
in Friday night.
But last night as I laid there, my
syes wandered around this small room,
ind the sounds of South Tower brought
ne comfort. I felt happy just where I
vas, in my ordinary life with my ordilary
problems.
Maybe the things we take in vain
ire actually preparing us in small ways,
daybe Fve gained experiences in this
nfamous dorm that I wouldn't have
mywhere else.
And maybe, as I drifted to sleep, I
vas happy. Anyway, who knows. I do
mow that last night I rested peaceully,
in my own life, that feels so orlinary
but for now is enough.