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On Friday, we'll have Rob Gioielli and Emily Streyer with their columns and insightful opinions. Hie 6a Sen ing the Carolina Con EDITORIAL Jennifer Stanley, Sara Ladenheim, 1 Rob Gioielli, Vie Kurt Johnson, Assista Kathleen McCormic sids a c< with nevi It is a known fact that sex sells in magazines, Morning-aJ movies, television approved ty and in roughly every other form BW!T1TiE2E of media. However, many people This may le think this is a di- sexual irrespo, rect cause of the high teenage i 11 J i_ pregnancy rates, as wen as me i amount of sexually transmitted I diseases that are plaguing people today. 1 But the fact is, people, no mat- < ter who they are, are going to have 1 sex. And the proper procedures s are going to have to be followed so < that people can protect themselves i from any unwanted post-sexual problems like pregnancy. i Recently, the Food and Drug < Administration approved the \ morning-after Dill to be readilv < packaged and more easily avail- ] able to the public. The pill has been around for years, so it's nothing i new to doctors. < This pill, taken within 72 hours i of intercourse^ is 75 percent effi- ' cient in disrupting conception by 1 inhibiting ovulation, fertiliza- i tion and implantation of a fertil- : ized egg in the womb. This pill may i relieve many worries about USC should A A minuses in j As students, we fi|ij^^B7T are very concerned flHHHLLi over the possibility Adding miJ that the grading sys- grading tem could change in Mmwf the next few years. The proposed Thtsmigh changes, which have barm thi been approved by the faculty senate, must also be approved by the other USC ; campuses. We are hoping the ' changes will not come to fruition, i Under the proposed system, : minuses as well as pluses will be ] added to letter grades. This would i be fine if it did not affect GPA negatively, but it seems that it could, i Now, we get 4 points for low A's. ] Under the new system, we'd only i get a 3.7 for an A-, a 2.7 for a B-, j etc. We'd also receive less credit for "plus" grades: 3.3 for a B+, whereas we now get 3.5. 1 That means that we can i work hard all semester to pull, say, ] a 91 in a difficult class, and will i get only a 3.7 for our trouble. j Supposedly, the changes will address grade inflation, which may ; or may not even be a problem at i our university. The committee that i proposed the changes, the Scholastic Standards and Petitions Committee, did not find hard evidence i of grade inflation, though there a /-m^t /!% Wk tinman " ^*4" Sent lift the Carolina Cmnin The Gamecock is the student newspaper of The I'nhersity < Friday during tile fall and spring semesters and tri e times during tin periods. < Ipinions expressed in 11k- t iamecnck are those of tile edilo The Board of Student Pulilkatk ins and Communications is tlx puN the newspaper's |iarent organization. The Gamecock Jennifer Stanley liililor in Chief Rob Llndsey Sara Ladenheim Manaymy liililor Jessica Barfleh Rob Giolelli Vieuptiinls liililor Jackie Poston Josh Lonon Nines litlilors Todd Money Erin Reed Rosalind Harvi Kristin Freestate I'ealures liililor Bryan Johnston Eelilorial Assistant Kurt Johnson Nathan Brown Sports liililor Brad Walters stilti<I Thorpe Ifioto lihturs Kenley Young Sean Rayford Ruth Nettles Brian Rlsh (Inline liililor Denlsha Gratis Student Media Ellen Parsons Director of Carolyn Griffli Student Media Jim Green I Lee Phlpps Advertising Manager Erik Collins Sherry F. Holmes Classified Ad Jeff Stensland Manager mecock vnunity since 1908 BOARD Editor in Chief Managing Editor wpoints Editor nt Viewpoints Editor k, Editorial Writer Micern r pill pregnancy, but it does nothing to protect inferpill dividuals from STDs. V FDA And thaf s why there are a lot of concerns surrounding this drug. There are con'ad to cerns that it will lead risibility. to irresponsible sexual practices because proper protection will not be used in order to shield from STDs. This is a valid issue. Men may chink condoms are less of a necessity because pregnancy is the Dig concern when deciding to have sex. Yes, STDs factor into the discussion, but people might lie or aot even know they have an STD. A majority of STDs do not have symptoms until weeks, months or Dven years after a person originally contracts the disease. This could lead to a number of other - - _ . 1 - A i _T people geuing a disease. The point is, with this pill more easily accessible, a neo-70s era of "sexual freedom" and "free love" certainly should not be revived. There are still responsibilities with having sex, and these should be understood when deciding what form of STD and pregnancy protection should be taken. reconsider grading TC|j|55*~| seems to be a ItiHHH higher proportion nuses to the 0f A's and B's rej system cently, according rmrrTfrnM to Chairman James Day. t do more The problem an good. with inflation, said Day, is that there is not enough of a spread over the grade spectrum. Therefore, it is hard to discriminate high-achieving students from more average ones who also have high grades. In theory, the changes should correct this problem. Some also feel that the new policy will aid USC's reputation. Apparently, many upper eschelon schools have already adopted this approach. We applaud most attempts to improve our school and its reputation. However, we can't support something that comes at the expense of the students, and isn't even guaranteed to help in other areas. Any letter grade says little about the student, loo many lactors are present. In all, it doesn't make sense to change an already meaningless system so that it has the potential to harm students more than it already does. iccock ?a utility since I'M Hi >f South Carolina .mil is published Monday. Wednesday anil summer with the exiqitk m (if unn ersity holidays and exam ?s (ir autls >r and n< t tin we < i Ihe I nivaTsHy i if v Hitl) (am Jina. ishiT of Ihe llaiueeoi'k. Ihe Department of Student Media is ?\u\uv<hi.%uuiviw All area codes are HO3 C.o/n Milan j Editor 777-3913 Viewpoints 777-7726 ey hilMk Miliums v.ws 777-7726 IMmlar Assl Vieupoints Editor j.;tc 777-3913 Assi ,Vms Milan Sports 777-71H2 Encore Editor un Asst. Eeatuns Editor Online 777-2833 Advertising 777-3HH8 n Business Manager Creative Director Classified 777-1183 ''acuity Advisor Fax 777-6382 Graduate Assistant Office 777-3888 Vfowp SK " son ,\m W OOtVtC ^ VIMT Yfl fV... UtMUT... Rain, rain As young college students (well, v the majority of us), we are faced with tough decisions that are going to affect ^ W-v ^ere was c * Fm" V# ways some" n L r H us in some v KURT JOHNSON ^"1?"' " , . ? some went coU"nnist the right di- ? rection, oth- u ers chose the wrong direction. Yet, whichever direction we went, 11 we all ended up in college, where we ^ are now our own boss (unless you have 0 a girlfriend). Here, we are allowed to 0 make our own decisions and make up d our own minds about what to do. d Anyway, what I was saying was c that, as young, somewhat influential, college students, we are faced with many r decisions throughout our stay here. c Some decisions include whether to stay in tonight and do work or to go to that concert; whether to drink and dri- ^ \ Parental be! I keep my eighteen-month-old daugh- r ter on a leash, and I am determined 1< to keep doing so despite your nasty stares. I It's not a n leash, really, just a tether that 0 attaches to 11 Vtor u;ri of KIKI McCORMICK a columnist got a device s that is more of a harness, which winds around I her whole torso. It's more restrictive, li so I haven't tried it yet. I bought them both at Wal-mart, \ during a harrowing trip in which Devin ^ ran through the aisles (stopping long j enough to try a baby-size disco boot on her already shod foot), into shopping carts (after which she'd turn dizzily auuut uciuic taivuig uii 111 anutiici uid Collins' Corp. got I bad rap in editorial e F To the editor: r An editorial is defined as an "edi- ( tor s opinioit. However, good editors r base their opinions on facts. Unfortunately, the September 2, 1998 editorial in The Gamecock regarding Collins Entertainment Corporation (Collins) was not based on facts. < I know that this editorial was not based on facts because wheh I called the ed 'PINT WrT) W*m &, i m DTO... ^ * im rm MWBE. 30ST Y\m } go away e to that party so you can drin ome more and pass out on a small co je table; whether or not to have se nth that person you just met on th onee taDie: or. wnen you nave a roon ill of people over, whether to pop i Austin Powers," "Animal House," < Monty Python and the Search for tl loly Grail" (that's a tough one). However, I believe there is one d ision that plagues us all, that co ters us in, uhh, well, the corner, th( rabs a hold of the back of our tight rtiiteys and yanks like there is no t lorrow. I'm talking about the decision i whether to go to class while it's rail igOh Lord! The first thing that poj ito your head when you wake up i tie morning and see those steady shee f rain, hear the gentle tumble of dro{ ff the roof and see the misty, mugg reariness that penetrates your wii ow, is "Oh good, it's still night out. an get some more sleep." But then you look at your clock ar ealize you've got 20 minutes to get lass. "#@A%! It's raining. I don't wai o go to class!" Then comes the eternal struggl )ut come the weights and balance rou begin to fight with yourself: ld.VIUl III ection), and through racks of clothin saving piles of products in her wak There were several moments wht could hear her joyful little shrieks mother aisle, but I couldn't see he Those moments scared me, so lecided to find a way to attach her ne. Yesterday at Columbiana Mall wj ler debut as a tethered baby. Towai he end she got cranky and start( lulling at her wrist, but mostly I thir t gave her more freedom. She could run about and exploi inywhere I was willing to follow, bi he could never be out of my reac Do I sound defensive, like I feel lil have to iustifv mv nractice of bat J J J X eashing? Sure I do. I got some weird look Vhatfs more, I know what I would ha tone ? before I had a kid, that is ? 'd seen an infant on a leash. I'd have told that mother (or at lea >een tempted to tell her) that she w, eing inhumane, treating her child lil l pet. TTHM M I I 9 J . I land phone nun tor she informed me that she had n ontacted Collins prior to writing tl editorial. n 4.1.. 1?4 ? VyUiiacquciitijr, ict 111c ioac una u lortunity to present the facts su ounding Mr. Fred Collins and tl Rollins' commitment to South Caro la's educational system. From 1990-1997, the Fred Colli] foundation donated over $600,000 en institutions of higher learning his state. This amount includes ov >45,000 to USC and $180,000 to t) JSC School of Law. "It's i this m 1c ? Mark mm eN<m w to... vjith nw Fom^WMI , OP THE UNIT r, or just de k f" "But some of us don't !X human powers. We ar< ? ourselves through the ie drenching rain." e r" You: "I have to go to class. Why else am I spending thousands of dollars to go here?!" Libido: "To drink and have sex." oj. You: "Oh, yeah, right. But still, this 1_ might be an important class! I have to learn stuff, so I will do well on the quiz Jg and/or test!" in Libido: "Yeah, but isn't your bed nice tg and comfortable? Feel the warmth of )S your blanket. Bask in the softness of ry the mattress. Sense the wonders in your dreams!" I You: "Well, I guess I can miss just this one time." td Libido: "Cha, as if." to Anyway, you get my point, it Well, this may not be a problem for some people (i.e. those with cars, Raine. X, or invisible, protective domes over s. their body). But some of us don't have cars or superhuman powers. We are >ublic object < g, I'd have told her that her baby t e. was going to have "issues" when it grew - j sn up. in Of course, now I know better. Now ^ r. I know how much trouble a child can , i get into if it isn't restrained. j tn But what I wonder is, why wasn't anyone expressing concern over Devin ' as today? < r(j I'd like to think that people simply ;cj know how hard it is to keep a baby free ] ^ yet close, so they understood what I was i doing. That was probably the case with ^ most people. I worry, though, that a tendency to ? not get involved was at play here. I think ' that people don't interfere with others' ie child-rearing practices enough in our 1 society. ] We have this bizarre notion that it's ' :s- just the parents' business unless there , ve is severe abuse going on. ^ We should correct parents when we see them screwing up their kids. When J st they scream at their kids in Wal-mart, as or correct them repeatedly out of habit 1 ke more than cause, we should step in with suggestions, if we have them. We should iamccock will Iry to print all letters n-eeived. Utters should lx* 250 -VX) words and mi ;n k'llers must lx* personally tk-liverul hy tlx- author to Tlx- (i.imee<vk newsroom in llx r. The (iameeixk reserves tlx- right to edit all letter lor style possiMe lilx'l or spaci ot Mr. Collins is a member of the USC i le Law School Partnership advisory board < and is a large supporter of USC ath- i p- letics. ] r- Collins also has a scholarship pro- < le gram for the children of its employees < li- and an internship program for college students. : as If any USC student is interested in 1 to participating in the internship program in please call me at 254-4444. er In South Carolina, Collins employs be over 300 people at nine offices, and their children are educated in over half of South Carolina's school districts. To ncredible to have reached ilestone. It means we have l lot of great players." Berson, USC soccer coach, n his 300th career win i' rrvi\M ? I'DtWIV.ftLO LTOmms..: 4 ; i A > BEP&S?^lf VO STMtSj 1 ffl (\\m mi i V DM). J ^l^v' L al with it have cars or superz forced to drudge rnW nmifinn VV/1V4* |7VU1X11^ breed to drudge ourselves through the :old, pouring, drenching rain. We come to class looking like we ust got finished with the "warm, liqlid goo phase" of the "Austin Powers" infreezing pro-cess. And then we start o shiver because we are severely cold rom: 1) the cold, wet rain, 2) the air :onditioner being on, and 3) us forgeting to wear our "microwavable unlerpants," which will warm all parts of 'our body after just two minutes and 12 seconds in the oven. So, there has got to be something to lo about this, right? No, not really. You ire just going to have to get your lazy rntt out of bed and get to class. Ahh, ihh, ahh! Be quiet, you're just going to lave to deal with it and get wet. Now, I don't want to hear any more lomplaining. So I'll just shut up. ~jf concern ;ell them to be big and not take out their rustrations on their children. And whpn nnrents we know nlnn ;heir kids in front of the TV daily, we should tell them we disapprove. When they are too lenient or too authoritarian, we should recommend books )n effective discipline. We don't always even have to be right when we make these suggestions. We just have to show concern, so that people will know that the way they raise their kids is important to the larger community. Their parents may have to live with ;hem for 18 years, but society has to live with them for the rest of their lives, rherefore, we should have a say in the way they turn out. So come on, practice on me. If you've ?ot a problem with me tethering my baby, tell me at kawarth@vm.sc.edu. I may not take your advice, but at least I'll know you care. ?st include full name, prttfevskinal title or year and major il a student Russell 11?xisc rtxim i-W It-mail letters must include tlx* authors felel* limitations. Names will not Ix* withheld lor any circumstance suggest that these people are not concerned that South Carolina's SAT scores rank last in the nation is outrageous, [t was these employees who developed Collins' billboards lambasting Beasleys educational record. As for the editor, who did not research Collins' stand on education before writing her editorial, next time, do your homework before you write. Scott Mongillo US^. School of Law Junior Law Clerk, Collins Entertainment Corporation