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Read the weekly appearance of our own Kurt Johnson, plus some editorials you'll be sure to find interesting and low in fat. Serving the Carolina Coi EDITORIAL Jennifer Stanley, Sara Ladenheim,, Rob Gioielli, Vie Kurt Johnson, Assist a Kathleen McCormic Funds ne improve With the recent burning of two cars HHRJiifl in the Blossom The recent 1 Street Garage, a in call for better secu- Cam rity in these facilities is being heard loud and clear. A male, who runei was videotaped funding tc walking out of the better se* garage by surveil lance cameras, set fire to two cars and keyed several others. The university police department has worked hard on this case, and the suspects they saw on the security cameras have been charged. Vandalism has been a constant problem in the Blossom Street Garage for some time now. There are no posted security guards, but USC police officers patrol the area in cars. And this harassment needs to stop. It's not a problem with the police department. They are doing a great job on this case and have not withheld any information. They want the students to know about it, so it can be a recognized as a serious situation. No, the problem is more universal. The university needs to give the police department more on nrxry rJn o KnffAi* inK lLU-lVXlllg OVJ LIl^J UU1 UU a Juu CP applai strong co Seen Carolina HMnr Productions lately? HHm We have, and it Carolina Pr seems everywhere multitude you look lately, CP events on is doing something. From the "Swing Thing," which was co-sponsored with orgai WUSC 90.5 FM, in should be a the Russell House for doing i\ Ballroom to the after abig Thursday concerts L. ? on the Russell House Patio and tree movies in tne ruissen Mouse Theater they really seem to be outdoing themselves. CP has done a great job these first few weeks of school, and with Homecoming and other events coming up, it only looks like it'll get better. This is a long way from the same organization that last year lost $40,000 with one Wallflowers concert. They seem to have made a great comeback this year, giving us a lot of interesting programming. We hope they can keep this up and continue to improve through out the year. CP is, along with Stu ffe ?ie(5ai OJ" Sen inn the Carolina (.mm Tile Gamecrxk is the- student newspaper ot lire I niversity Friday during die tall and spring semesters and five times during tl |Xtkx1s (tpinions expressed in The (ianxuxk are those ot die edit Ihe Board ot Student Publications and (Communications is the pul the newspaper's parent organization. The Gamecock Jennifer Stanley Editor in ClneJ Rob Lindsey Sara Ladenhcim Managing Editor Jessica Barfle Rob Glolelli Viewpoints Editor Jackie Poston Josh Lonon News Editors Todd Money Erin Reed Rosalind Har Kristin Freestate Features blitor Bryan Johnston blilorial Assistant Kurt Johnson Nathan Brown s/xirts blilnr Brad Walters Nlkki Thorpe limn FAitnrs Kenley Youni Sean Rayford Ruth Nettles Brian Rlsh Online kdilnr Deneshla Gra Student Media Ellen Parsons Director nj Carolyn Grifl Student Media Jim Green Lee Phipps Adeertisin/t Manager Erik Collins Sherry F. Holmes Classified Ad Jeff Stenslant g Mci^ayer ? 1 nrntodt nmunity since 1908 .BOARD Editor in Chief Managing Editor ?ivpoints Editor nt Viewpoints Editor :k, Editorial Writer eded to security and make this campus as safe as pos'andalism sible. This could om Street mean having more officers and cruis^ ers patrolling the I campus area, set, ting up a security ids more guaVposition at )proiide the garage, or any Clirity. other methods of improvement necessary. The students whose cars are parked in that, or any garage, need to know their cars are safe. It costs $160 to use a space in the garages. That's a lot of pudding. That's money the students are giving the university for a protective and convenient place to park their cars. If this money doesn't do that, and it seems like it hasn't, what's the point? Why not just spend $20 and park anywhere? Another big point is the fact that people love their cars. They're almost Idee another member of the family to them. They will pretty much do anvthine for their car to 0 be as healthy and usable as possible. Giving more money to parking and security will help in warding off such stupid nonsense. ided for meback dent Media and Student Govern1oductions' ment, one of the of recent most visible student organizations on campus. They also have one of the toughest jobs nizatton around mmended Providing frets job well quent, diverse, and 1 setback. interesting pro ? grams is a very tough job to do, especially when you're trying to appeal to a campus of 26,000 students. When they do their job right, CP provides events we can all eniatr r\r\^ lnorn daty\/-* juy aiiu icaiii ^uiiictiiing liuiii at the same time. They, probably more than any other student organization, have the power to bring a little more unity to such a large campus. And it's great to see a group that was under so much fire last year jump right back into things. It's that kind of resilience and energy that we need more of in the Carolina Community. Often, we get too much talk and not enough action. nrrnrk umai since I'MM iBlMiMMMjllli of South Carolina and is published Monday Wednesday and it summer with the exception of university holidays a nil exam ore or audit* and n<< those of Hit Cniveisity of South Carolina Mistier of Hit (iumecock. The Department <4 Student Media is Atl area codes are 803 Oify Hdiion, ? Id editor 777-39 14 Viewpoints 777-7726 vey 1'iihlc Relations _ News 777-7726 Director I Assl.Vieufximts lirlitor |.tt 777-3913 Ut /Vews Editors g Sports 777-7182 low ire lulitor iham Ati? Ivrttuns Fdtior Online 777-2833 Advertising 777-3888 In HiLsinew Manager Creative Director Classified 777-1183 / acuity Advisor ^ 377-6482 i (iratluate Assistant Office 777-3HHH VSewe * NOTHING LI Newstuder These are some of my observations I've made in my first weeks in Columbia: The Hot TrrWe^in columnist Columbia this August about midnight, hoping to avoid a day's heat, but I didn't escape it. Suddenly, "In the Heat of the Night" had a new meaning to me. Midnight Express My first night in the capital city was not a very quiet one. At 2 a.m., a deafening series of horn blasts made my fellow early-arriving roommate and I sit up in our beds in Bates House. My roommate, still half-asleep, asked if that was a ship. "Yeah, Titanic," I answered, as I recalled there being no ocean near Columbia. Later on, it turned out to be just a train. Trains must mean a lot to people here; once it's on the tracks everyone is sure to know. Students, SG defend Second Serving To the Editor, I understand that there is a regular need to fill the opinion page of The Gamecock with a unique editorial perspective based on recent facts and events. However, original thought being the precious commodity that it is, what filled the space on Wednesday arrived far to quickly and cheaply. Your opinion that "SG needs not to divert attpntinn from TTSf!" contains an undocumented assumption about our agenda: that Second Serving is the one and only effort and concern of those SG administration. Patronizing remarks about the plight of the homeless serve as poor camouflage for this attack, and an equivocating anti-conclusion that, maybe SG is sort-of focused on USC, makes the craven charge even less palatable. The fact of the matter is USC Student Government's top priority is the representation of student body welfare and interests to the faculty and administration of this institution. We are laboring and lobbying to change policies and living conditions in favor of our fellow students on a daily basis. But just as an oil tanker can't turn on a dime, the fruit of our labor is slow to blossom. I HEY YOU! THE Within days The Gamecock Now you can c internet. Lo ? 'PINT' KE A SUMMIT < )FF OUR POMES mgm it finds beai Legs vs. Wheels Being used to the well-developed public transportation system in Moscow, I have never needed a car and never driven one. That turned out to be bad news for me in Columbia. Initially, I tried to walk everywhere. But the hike from Five Points to Fort Jackson, which took an hour and 40 minutes, changed my mind about walking. Just as I entered Forest Acres, the heat was killing me, and I was soaked with sweat. I was so hot I decided to take off my shoes and keep walking barefoot, hoping for a little relief. Suddenly, I saw a local woman who gave me a bad "no bums allowed in this neighborhood" look. So since then, I ride my bike. Mouthful of the South I had virtually no trouble understanding Americans in Moscow, because they were all from the Midwest. But talking to South Carolinians made me doubt my knowledge of the English language as a whole. It actually made me feel like an idiot. It was either: (1.) people here speak a different language, or (2.) they taught me Chinese. To my relief, I later discovered South Carolinians do speak English, but with a southern accent, which sounds rather hot and sweet once you start to understand it. The Gamecc 9 1 I |9I . jor a student. telephone numhe Nonetheless, it is an honor and privllocro fn Kn qKIq fn cnnrn T^af ic wVw xxra UV/gV/ W WV UU1V/ W UVi TV/. 1UUV 1U ?f 11J ?T V decided to give something back to the greater Carolina Community; good stewardship of our position is not an option, it's an obligation. Second Serving requires very little on our part - a few phone calls, a few hours of an afternoon - yet it satisfies hunger and may even touch a broken heart. Whaf s more, it is a program with indisputable relevance to this school: after all, student money buys the meal plans that pay for the food that, as we have learned, often goes to waste. If tailoring the policies and conditions of this university to students were as simple as giving away surplus food, within a year we could transform USC into a paradise of scholarship, a city on a learned hill. Unfortunately, it isn't that easy. That is why each new administration takes up the burdens of their predecessors-academic forgiveness, housing conditions, parking, and the cost of tuition, while trying to leave the grounds we tread a little more friendly, caring and welcoming by volunteering in and around our campus. We will continue to bring the needs and desires of students before the powers that be at the University of South Carolina, as we will continue to strive to make Carolina a community. Our only hope of success in this endeavor is that our constituents know what it is LAZY ONE IN you will be c :omplain with ok for the ac "We eratii GET-TOGETHER TIC TROUBLES. Lity in Soutl "...talking to South O doubt my knowledge guage. It actually mac idiot." Beautiful Places I discovered that mentioning South Carolina is beautiful on license tags is no advertising trick. I haven't yet been to the beaches or mountains of the state, but Columbia is beautiful to me. The only disappointment so far has been the Congaree River. During my first week here, I was taking the heat pretty badly. I longed to take a swim so I decided to do so in the River. Just before I was about to go in, people told me there were poisonous snakes and even alligators in there. I opted for a safer alternative: the USC pool. Smiling Faces South Carolinians do smile a lot. You notice after living in a non-smiling country like Russia. I expected retail store clerks to be smiling. But I didn't expect that people in the street, and I mean complete strangers, even attractive women, would be smiling and even saying "hello" and initiating small talk. *:k will try to print all letters received. Letters should lie 2Sil-3(*( wc and written letters must be personally delivered by the author to tin r. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit all letter for style, possih that we do; their support is our legitimacy. As the masters of the greatest conduit in that process, you, the editors of The Gamecock, wield a weighty power that compels impartiality. That is why we are more saddened by the festering cynicism that belied your editorial than the slight it was-to your colleagues. We sincerely hope that you have not fallen prey at such a young age to the ill-reasoned premise that pervades journalism today; that wisdom and jadedness are one and the same. Blakely Hallman SG Community Service Director To the editor: I want to express my opinion regarding the "Take Our Word" section in September 16th's paper, specifical ly in response to the article entitled "USC Community Needs SG Support." I can understand why there is some hesitancy among some students about "Second Serving," the new program that SG has begun that gives leftovers to the Oliver Gospel Mission, because of short-sited fears that SG will possibly abandon the student body's desires for improvements to be made on campus. I don't understand why The Gamecock, presumably the voice of the students, is taking such a negative stance toward this innovative, positive program. THE BACK! Lble to perso: the ease and Idress on Wed] were tickled with the coopon we got from the fraternities." rnie Ellis, Director of Law Enforcement and Safety : TO TAKE H EH. BORIS"?* g ' ' - * SS*. i Carolina irolinians made me of the English lanle me feel like an But what really killed me was a policeman smiling at me at the entrance to the State Capital. Russian police officers NEVER smile at people. Unless they succeed in extorting a bribe from you. Getting Rednecked Well, it's been a month and I have come to realize I'm starting to like it. I guess they call the South beautiful because you get to feel beautiful about being here sooner or later. You see beautiful people, go to beautiful places, hear a beautiful accent, your neck gets tanned, and it makes you feel good. It starts to feel like home. Guerman Abaev is originally from Moscow. He is getting his Master's degree in Public Relations from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. >rds and nmst ini'lude full name, profesMnrul title or year and ma. Russell House r<x)m 333. E-mail letteis musl include the author's le libel or space limitations. Names will never he withheld. True, you enumerated a list of qualities that are admirable about "Second Serving," but to imply that more parking spaces and better Shuttlecock services are the true domain of student government is laughable. Student government can say all it wants about needing more parking spaces and better shuttle services ~ the impact of their efforts will be minimal, at best. Real impact on our community - and I include USC within this community -is creating programs like "Second Serving." Your editorial stated, "It (Second Serving) does not affect the USC community in any way." We do damage to ourselves as an institution of higher learning when we pretend that we exist in a comfortable, academic bubble that is totally separate from the outside world. USC students make up a significant percentage of Columbia's population. If we send Al ______ 1 *1 il. _ 1 ' 1 me message, inte me one contained within your editorial, that people outside of USC who struggle to find their next meal do not affect us, we have done a great disservice to a school that constantly touts itself as "community-minded." If that community only includes the USC campus, count me out. Sarah Dings Graduate Student Social work nally e-mail speed of the nesday. ) \