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E-MAIL! Remember, we have an email address, so don't hesitate to write us. It's GCKVIEWS@SC.EDU. Write one, write all! Page 4 ?ic6 Sen in# Ibe Carolina i EDITORS Sara Ladenhein Rob Gioielli, V Kevin Langston' Assi. Emily Streyer, Ass is i Jennifer Stanley, Spec Too little ] Thurmon As USC tears down GibbesMa- IHHUai chinery on Blossom Parking i and Assembly n streets, it s making r way for the new "gate to USC." ROT] But most stu dents, faculty and rarmng tss staff will have to be consick walk to the Strom constmcti Thurmond Fitness L__ and Wellness Center instead of driving, even if they live off campus. Columbia's Zoning Board of Adjustments made that clear when it approved fewer parking spaces for the new facility than what was required. The center will cover six acres, and the board usually requires about 800 spaces for a facility of this size. However, the university requested and received approval to have only 80 spaces. Arrnrdiner f.n Director nf St.u 0 - - ?? dent Life Jerry Brewer, who's heading the project, the city was calculating the same number of spaces as it would for a commercial facility, not taking into consideration the capabilities of the shuttle service, parking garages and other nearby parking areas. The success of getting people to and from the facility will depend on improving the Carolina Shuttle, adding night service, and creating more dependable schedule, Brewer said. Improving the shuttle is easier said than done. Although a night service will help on-campus students get from their residence halls to the center, it's a trek that will take them across one of the SGimpoten support fro Today marks [" ^ iFTT the end of filing for Student Govern- The upt ment elections, and Student Gc tomorrow the actu- elect] al campaigns can ' begin. No one is as crit- rr ? , ical of Student Gov- V 6 ?1 sb[ ernment as we are, ^e}' but not because we mean S01 have some kind of permanent hatred for the organization. We simply realize how much power they have and how much good they could actually do. We want what's best for the student body, and there's no organization that could achieve as much as SG. This is why we'll be watching the campaigns closely, and we want you to, as well. Look closeUicGai ~ tJT Seninfi llM' Carolina Corn The Gamecock is ihe student newspaper of The I 'niversiiy Friday during the fall and spring semesters and five times during t periods Opinions expressed In The Gamecock are those ol the edi The Hoard ol Student I'ulrlicalkns and Communications is the pu lite newspapers parent organization The Gamecock Sara Ladenhelin Editor in Cbiif Emily Streyei Rob Glolelll Vu-ufHunts Editor Kevin Langst Kenley Young .Seus Editor Rachel Helw Brad Walters Metis Editor Clayton Kale Nathan Brown Sports Editor Brock Vergal Erin Reed /-natures Editor charUe WaUa Rob Undsey features Ed,tor Kvans Sean Rayford I'hnlo Editor .. ? , . Deneshia Gra Matt Ryan Online Editor Kristin Freestate Copy Desk Chief ,on June Todd Money Cofrr Editor Ann MarU' M Rebecca Cronican (jin Idilor Jennifer Stan Jessica Barfield Orfry Editor Student Media Ellen Parsons Director of Jason Curry Strident Media Kathy Van N< Lee Phlpps Athenian^ Manager Sherry Holm Susan King Creatine Due< lor Carolyn Grlfl Susan Barrett (irafrhii Desixners Erik Collins Daniel Brown Jeff Stenslaru 1 amecotk . Community since 190S ll board i, Editor in Chief rieupoints Editor stant Viewpoints Editor *ant Viewpoints Editor ial Projects Coordinator parking at d Center busiest and most AiiflHHBI dangerous inter3it the new sections in Colummrmond bia? .... , Even if the shut^ tie is improved, offHi camnus students and faculty memues need to bers won't benefit. >red before Going to the gym is on begins. an inconvenience ___J for anyone who lives off campus and who has to park across campus from their destination and then spend another 15 minutes getting to the gym. The university might argue that off-campus gym-goers can utilize the parking areas behind the Carolina Coliseum on Blossom and Park streets. However, during the day these lots are often full, and in the evening there are often events at the Roger Center and Coliseum, meaning people have to pay to park. It's true that the centers end of campus might one day be bustling with Greek housing and intramural fields. That might make the center seem safer and less isolated. But until there are other residence halls, secure parking garages and dining facilities, it would spem ridinilrnis to walk to the gates of USC and less timeefficient to drive there. The Carolina Shuttle improvements have been discussed for several years, but there seem to have been few results. Until the shuttle service can run nights, run dependably and transport people courteously, USC might want to find another alternative. it without >m students ly at all the candiftiafllHH dates and what :oming they're saying. Do )ljernment they really want to !0ns help their fellow ' students, or are I they just looking for something to 7Winterest, nilf nn fu01-rbr0. Vr J v-> . . * " K VII 1/IiUII i V t actually sumes? Decide who netbing. you think are the best leaders to help Student Government reach its potential. One of the reasons the administration doesn't pay attention to SG is that so few students seem to care what their student government does. Maybe if we all showed we cared a little more, we'd have a bit more of a voice in what goes on here. And now is the perfect time to start. mccock ? munity since J(MM HElBlttlHI of South Carolina and is published Monday. Wednesday and he summer w ith ihe exception ol university holidays and exam tors or author and not thcae of The I niversily of South Carolina blisher of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media is r A.W Vtivpoinn All area codes arc Sltf on hi ilon, Iditor 777-.-v;H ig AW .V?s tuition mM9sc cihi Viewpoints 777-7726 Js AW S/*/rr.s litlilors gckeiews@si.edti ,ce News 777-7726 AW l\-uliins tuition . ficloious&M nhi ,ham Be 777-.W1.-I AW Itutio tuition Kita-h@s, ,-tlii lani Sports 777-71S2 ley S/K\utl I'nifixb gcksffnrlsftsc edtt (.nonfatal!# online 777-2W Advertising 777-.SSS8 rstrand Classified 777-1 IS 1 es (.'lass if fad Manager In llnsiness Manager | ;ix 7T7-(riX2 / 'ai ally Ath'isor 1 (,notion,- Assistant ollil1' V 777 WKS view The Ga i i^? ? i . .7 VNfc lant *TUIS? FCWERf RE | ^ A t/Y X IV/ A shadowy Russell House patio at midnight is revealing. For a more striking view, have a look from the second 1 ?' , , story balcony. ^aP~ F jk room-land jSL JB| no jpree room EMILY STREYER ?? columnist j , n days college students. A fungus of Grand Market Place leftovers had sprouted behind our student union. It had overtaken every table and many of the benches, and had spilled onto the stone patio around them. I've seen cinemas post- "Rocky Horror Picture Show" that were cleaner. Some people will keep their nest clean only as long as finding a trash can doesn't require an undue trek. OthS.C. gamb Only a short time ago, if you wanted to legally gamble in a casino, you had to go to Atlantic , 1 CityorNevaI 3ET??| , 8^ ua. L?Ul UVCi allowed on .. all Indian ROB GIOIELLI reservations. cof""""5' The primary motivations behind this wave of legalization have been to raise tax revenue, provide jobs and promote tourism. Not being a state to follow the traditional route, gambling came to South Carolina in the form of video poker. There's always been a strong debate surrounding this unique gaming industry, but with the election of Gov. Jim Hodges, video gambling looks like it's here to stay. But questions still remain on how we '11 regulate video poker, and a new form of gambling has reared its head in South Carolina. Professor upset with bookstore To The Editor; During the Christmas break, the textbook department of the Russell House Bookstore informed me that a book for my Sociology 307 course was out of print or out of stock at publishers and used book dealers. I ordered a replacement book and gave you an exclusive order on the understanding that you would order all 50 copies. Only 20 copies were ordered. My students came in and bought all 20 copies in the past few days. When I called today, no one on your textbook staff was aware the book had sold out, despite the fact several students had been told that it was sold out and had come complaining to me. We begin reading the book point imecock YO '"IOL&R/SJE WOI P-l C. OK\ " THE LIESTHE , ? rV0U94OJLD bpr :SI6N' r . / ward RH j ?i~ :??x J?u ci pcupie JU&L uun t cciic. wiie CApicination for the trash might be that the bins in the area (and in front of Thomas Cooper Library, as well) are filled well past capacity by lunchtime. Are attempts to keep the trash cans emp ty miner is tnai lasn negiectea rrom too much civic-mindedness or not enough? Which is the chicken and which is the egg? I hadn't been this disheartened by evidence of such a mixture of obliviousness and apathy since I walked across the Horseshoe after Bid Day festivities and realized what the self-glorifying Greek girls had added to campus that particular day was a kindergarten collage of lunch bags, straw wrappers, paper napkins and blue cups with flat Diet Pepsi. Forget the crime at Capstone. This is far more dangerous. We're supposed to be old enough to know the world doesn't revolve around us but young enough to think we can change its course if we try hard enough. Those who want to change the world lock horns with the sheeple psychololing needs r\oct irnor nrxernn Knofe lioxrn x ui uiv- jjaoi/ jwxx , ^aouiu uuato nuvu been operating out of the Grand Strand. These ships, dubbed "boats to nowhere," take passengers aboard and then travel two miles offshore into international waters, where gambling is perfectly legal. There hadn't been much trouble with this operation until recently, when the state Legislature began to consider regulating, or possibly outlawing, these boats. In response, the owners of the floating casinos have threatened to sue the state, arguing that prohibiting their operations constitutes a seizure of property without just compensation, which is illegal under state and federal law. The validity of this claim is questionable, since the government wouldn't actually be seizing their property. But in addition to legal arguments, opponents to these new gambling ventures have brought up some other interesting points. Along with more jobs and increased tax revenue, other states have experienced a fair number of problems from legalized gambling. From an aesthetic point of view, the businesses that gambling attracts are cheap and tacky. The low-rent restaurants and motels 4- V? r? 4- nofni* frt fVin fAiimct r>/4 c 5 U'renot IBB RTM/TOEE HI Th&olykapig mm OtoNVITTEE. jjj id ( <&oesa i f\ / ?>TIU 7lAr \ "THE L>l I jl )atio disa] "Those who want 1 lock horns with th of they-did-it-first." gy of they-did-it-first and only a fe maVp it nnst 30 still rnrincr From my summer jobs in retail, F learned that a lot of people will try observe some sort of order if they c; distinguish one ? you keep the puzzl organized by publisher, title and sis for example, and most people will t to put a puzzle back where they fovu it. If they don't, you can tidy up wi a minimal effort when the store is slo Hn flin n+Vinr onmn colocnonn v-/ii i/iit utiici liciiiLi, ouuit use a less-than-100-percent return an excuse for not even bothering at a An assistant manager actually mai fun of me for putting the puzzles in some sort of discernible order, clair ing that because they'd never stay th way by themselves, I was more or le i close ex; bulk of the new jobs are at the mil mum wage level. While tourists flock to this kind area, they might blow only a couf hundred bucks and then leave aftei few days. But the local community a casino town tends to suffer more th it gains from legalized gambling. While these are some of the val arguments South Carolinians are ma ing against casino gambling, gamblin proponents fail to see the irony in the: The Myrtle Beach area, where mc of these boats operate, is quite possit the most outlandishly commercial sti of land in the country. Any place whe the rate of miniature golf courses p capita is that high shouldn't worry abc becoming too garish in appearanc As far as problems with compulsi gambling, that's a road South Caro na has alreadv had thp disnleasurp mat e-ai/Ci iaj UHC tuui IOL u wu spicau like a bad rash across the area, and the ^MjBmTssion.s for c length. I 1 M 777-7726. ^ M m. The Gamecock student. J her The Gamect>ck r on Monday. I had relied, unwisely it would seem, on your bookstore to mannap this nrHpr nrnnprlv without rnn stant supervision by me. I must tell you that your current system of monitoring orders, placing orders, monitoring stock and covering shortfalls and other errors of the present kind is woefully inadequate. This mistake is not an isolated one, I believe, based on experiences of myself and colleagues in past semesters. It demonstrates a clear case of mismanagement of the textbook department of the bookstore. You will not receive any more exclusive orders from me, and I warn my colleagues of the likely consequences of such actions. In fact, I am seriously considering omitting your store from all my future textbook orders due to continuing shoddy performance and lack of supervision of the ordering Lhd ^ 1 traveling. The unregulated nature video poker means it preys upon t] low-income residents of this state, < fering an escape from reality and chance to solve life's problems with o: jackpot. In Columbia, video poker machin aren't in Irmo or Spring Valley; they on Rosewood and Two Notch. Anyo: who has ever gone into a Rosewood D ve convenience store on a Friday ? olumns arc welcome from all members of the Carolina columnists ctin only be printed twice a semester. Plea: ry to print all letters Letters should he 2sO-3<Xt words and must it letters must he personally delivered by the author to the Russell eserves the right to edit all letter for style lihel or space. Names sale process. Some professionalism called for here. Elwood Carlso Professor of Sociolog Reader suggests a soul searching To The Editor: This is in response to Guerma Abaev s column from the zoth. 1 teeJ must apologize to you for the rude e counters you have received. I don't kno where you go or who you frequent wit but not all Southerners are rude. Ai not all of them force their beliefs in Gk on others. Do I believe in God? Yes! I I have faith? Yes! In today's society, tl world is so mixed up that you do ei counter phony, neurotic, two-faC,? fcUOTE, UNQUOTE "I used to watch the basketball team a lot; now I don't care anymore because they are awful." Mark Piras, Journalism Junior Friday, January 29, 1999 ^? s i X CoULV) >PNT<Sp ) UITBP < TAT^S-*/ f,^D ppointillg o change the world e sheeple psychology (w an idiot for trying even though a modest return from my effort was evident, ve Less-than-100 percent is worth it. to Ask someone who works with disadm vantaged children or the disabled. Ask es a performer who reaches a small but se, receptive audience. Ask anyone who's ry willing to drink a half-full glass of wine id because it tastes good. Maybe you can't change the world, but you can change th the part of it you live in. w. Entropy is a fact of life, and it catchile es up with all of us eventually, but it's as pretty boring to watch in the meantime. 11. Think for yourself. Act for yourself. Start ie at the Russell House, to n- Comments welcome at The Gamecock at or esstreyer@mindspring.com ss animation li- ternoon has seen the row of machines filled with essentially working-class ?f and lower-income people, blowing their "e paychecks on something that offers dur a bious odds of reallv Davine off. m The problems with gambling already ^ exist in South Carolina, and I must ad^ mit a certain amount of responsibility ^ for their existence. I voted for Hodges g,g in the last election, knowing full well his connections to Collins EntertainISf. ment, the company that's doing an exj]y cellent job of preying on the less fortu-ip nate of South Carolina. At the time, ire Hodges and organized gambling were >er a lesser evil than Beasley and the Chrisut tian right. :e- But now, after fully realizing how ve harmful video poker can be, I regret even voting at all. Before we consider whether we want the "boats to nowhere," ? there needs to be some serious regula^ tion of the video- gaming industry. Gambling isn't ethically or morally ne wrong. In a democratic society, people have the right to spend their money as es they please. But it needs to be properre ly regulated so it isn't focused on takne ing advantage of those who can't afford ri- to feed hundreds of dollars into a video if- game. Community They must be ix'twccn 650 and 750 words in sc deliver all submissions to Russell House room 333. or call ldude full name, phone number professional title or year and major if a I louse room 333. E-mail letters must include ihe author's telephone nunv will never be withheld is nasty people, but again, not all are like that. Some are true, genuine, lovable Christians. And a lot of them receive in their education from USC just as you jy do. Stop searching for that perfect whoever or whatever you're looking for. One day, you'll find it, or it'll find you. And I've learned that true friends are those J that do call you and that you call. Maybe you're the one that has the combination of being neurotic and two-faced be in cause you re looKing way too nara to 11 find what I call happiness and you're n- too afraid to just believe in anything iw that can bring you that. So my advice h, is to search your soul and find that someid thing that gave you your misconcepxl tions because it's not what I'm hearing; )o it's something deeper, le n- Iris Doctor d, Mrrriot Food Service i