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E-MAIL! Feeling negatively charged: Put some electrons to work. E-mail us at GCKVIEWS@SC.EDU. Our in-box is waiting. Monday, March 15, 1999 si ) 3amccodi na Community since 1908 IAL BOARD im, Editor in Chief Viewpoints Editor distant Viewpoints Editor istant Viewpoints Editor ecial Projects Coordinator icourages list racism l ular, and so fa 15,000 people ns Government is tionwide hav toting the signed the pledg 'Mm Pledge. through ONB'spn ? motion of it. Student Go\ j rC , ernment has star ed to promote th i community pledge on campu on to strive to and more than 5C 1 racism. members of th urn Serving the Carolli EDITOF Sara Ladenhe Rob Gioielli, Kevin Langston, A: Emily Streyer, Ass Jennifer Stanley, Sp Pledge er fight agai Mention Birtn- _________ ingham, Ala., to HHHU many people, and Student < they conjure up im- prow ages of fire hoses and police dogs, _ part of "Bull" Connor'8 brutal suppression of civil * rights marches Caroline during summer inspirati 1963. em But the city whose name became synonymous with Souther] whites' resistance to the civil right movement has made remarkabl progress in the past 35 years, i town once described as the mos fiercely segregated in the countr has become one ot its most racial ly progressive. Kelly Ingram Park, where mos of the demonstrations wer held, has been dedicated as a plao of "revolution and reconciliation. A series of sculptures shocking! yet honestly portrays the con trasting horror and dignity of tb demonstrations. On the south sid of the park is the Birminghar Civil Rights Institute, erected ii 1992 to educate people abou the movement. These are just physical mani festations of the overall attitud of Birmingham residents. Peopl there realize problems exist be tween black and white communi ties. There is an understand^ that, even though we've come ver far in the past half century, racisr and prejudice are still very mud alive in Alabama and the rest o tne woria. This attitude toward racial un derstanding haS existed for som time in Birmingham, but it ha gained steam in the past year o so with the Birmingham Pledge The pledge was introduced i little more than a year ago at i breakfast sponsored by a grou] called Operation New Birming ham It has become extremely pop The Birmii I believe that every persor I believe every person is e) regardless of race or color. I believe every thought and harmful; if it is my though me as well as others. Therefore from this day fo eliminate racial prejudice \ I will discourage racial pr actions. 1 will treat an people with will strive daily to honor t world will be a better plao m Be 6 ^5" Serving lite Carolina The Gamecock is the student new spaper of The Inn Friday during the fall and spring semesters and five times du periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of ill The Board of Student Publications and Communications is tf the newspaper's parent organization. The Gamecock Sara Ladenheim Editor in Chief Emily Sti Rob Gioielii Viewpoints Editor Kevin La Kcnley Young News Editor Rachel F Brad Walters A'eus Editor Clayton 1 Brock Vergakls S/xirts Editor Michael ' Charlie Wallace S/rorts Editor iare(j Ke Erin Reed Eealnres Editor . Rob Llndsey Eealnres Editor ^ va Sean Rayford I'hoio Editor "e Matt Ryan Online Editor Ashton J Kristin Freestate Copy Ik-sir Chief Ann Mar Todd Money Ctyn Editor Jennifer Rebecca Cronlcan O-fry Editor Student Media Ellen Parsons Director of Jason Cut Student Media Kalhy Vai Lee Phipps Advertising Monaster Sherry Hi Susan King Creative Din-dor Carolyn ( Susan Barrett (.n-atiie Sen-ices Erik Colli Daniel Brown Cn-alive Sen-ices Jeff Stens 1, ????1 Carolina commi nity have signed i n We hope even more will in th s coming weeks, e By signing the pledge, a pe \ son makes a simple, yet powerfi t statement: They admit racism sti y exists and will work to eliminal i- it whenever it surfaces. Some will be quick to crit it cize the pledge, and it does ha\ e some drawbacks. It's not all-ei e compassing ? people encounto " discrimination for myriad reasor y other than race. And simply sigi - ing a little slogan is not going 1 e end racism. e But all the Birmingham Pledj; n is intended to be is a start, an i it accomplishes that goal perfec t ly. The path to racial reconcile tion starts with admitting thei i- is a problem. Only when we a e agree that there is still discrim e nation and prejudice can we s i- down and have an open discui i- sion about solving those problem g We urge everyone to read th y pledge, consider it carefully, an n think about it over the next fe' i days. Even if you don't make yoi if commitment formal by signing i incorporate the pledge into yoi i- daily life. e Taking this kind of attitude U s ward improving race relations i r especially good for South Carol !. na. Our state has a history of prol a lems as long as Alabama's, jus a not as well-known. We hope w o can make the kind of progress pe< - pie ir Birmingham have. tigham Pledge i has worth as an individual, ^titled to dignity and respectjj \ every act of racial prejudice is it or act, then it is harmful to ' Hi ' | ' rward I will strive daily to from my thoughts and actions, ejudice from my thoughts ano dignity and respect, and 1 2. nits pieugt, KWJivuig w e because of my efforts. amccork EBB ersity of South Carolina and is published Monday' Wednesday ai ring ihe summer with the exception of university holidays and exa e editors or author and nut those of The University of South Girolir ic pulslislier of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media MkiAAkjMiUatMf All area codes are 803 reyer Asst.\ uvjxjiuts ngston liditors Editor 777-3913 lelwig Asst. Mvs l/lilon gckedOsc.ed Kale Viewpoints 777-7726 Strickland Assi. S/xirts Fxliltim Kcki'ieUitOsc.edii lowltz News 777-7726 n$ Asst. Ivuluns Editors ncltiwus@sc.edu i Graham Etc. 777-3913 une Ass/. Pbuto l/lilurs nchelc@sc.edu ie Mian) Sports 777-7182 Stanley S/xcitd Itujecls neks/*,rts@sc.edu (minlmah ^ inline / 77-2833 rry Creatitv Sendees Advertising 777-3888 riNost rand (.'real it v Sen 'ices tilmes Classified Muttaaer Classified 777-1183 Griffin llttsittess Manager ns faculty Advisor '"ax 7-6382 land (Iraduate Assistant orfuv rn-MWH View w w w The ( ic_ I Dating ti X, y^V nee more and more St. Patrick I I Day-themed TV shows start rui ie ning, I realize spring is here. Th season i J- GUERMAN ABAEV crucfol for to columnist successfi ZlJ relationshi je or just d friendship, is never easy. Although I'i not a big expert on it, I feel I shoul a_ share with you some wisdom on the to] ?e ic I was lucky to learn about from som jj different gender-related-issues sp( cialists. First, a guy should find out if ^ woman is OK about men in general b< s" fore going ahead and asking her ou S. This simple procedure can be a real lift is saver. Why? Because you can alwaj [d come across a woman like Cynthi w Heimel, who in her article "Brothei ir hood Could Be Powerful" in The Villag Voice, allows no more than two cat* ^ gories for males: "macho pigs" an "guilty men." "Macho pigs," Heime writes, "don't care" that women hav D~ been oppressed for centuries "and ne\ is at e 3Parking the leasi of our problems To the Editor: I am writing in response to the ir credible number of headlines in th Gamecock recently about what one Sti dent Government member calls the "cr sis situation" of on-campus parking | "Crisis situation"? Has the USC sti dent body become so self-absorbed an bored with life that it chooses to elevat a minor inconvenience into a "ciisis sii uation"? Since when did walking an ei tra 15 or so minutes to get to class b< come worthy of such furor and politic! activity: I can think of a number of other ver pressing issues that deserve greater a tention. If you want to talk about a r< al "crisis," look no further than the 1 brary. For a university that aspires 1 the status of a top-notch research ir stitution, Thomas Cooper sure is a soi ry example of USC's efforts toward thz goal: rude circulation staff (save for tw ? or three friendly and professional souls !the absence of a full-time governmer documents librarian, claustrophobi study carrels, antiquated computer syi ^ terns, and, most annoying and fru: trating of all, the general messiness < is the bookshelves and the large nun ber of "missing^' books. Having been I circulation assistant for both a publ library and a university library for year lemme tell ya that there is absolute] no excuse for the library's sad stati The Interlibrary Loan Department: probably the best thing there is in thi building. So please, Student Government, r? solve the parking "crisis" soon and the get back to the real business of ensu ing a fine education for the student you represent. While it's certainly problem (I park nearly every day at tl: Coliseum, although my office and clas; ?s are in Gambrell), I didn't trav< _ # pointf Samecock ^((srr:?llfSrl 1 I Ljjfl Rwpi . . '' Tjl^\|^49A| raps ambus 's er will. Your average woman knows i- to just ignore the macho guys unless 1 is they get in her face and she has to kill < s [!] them." So, if you want to live, and SlJ le you do care about women's history of i- oppression, maybe the other category )f will suit you better. Let's see. ie "Guilty men," says Heimel, are those n "who know and hate that women trac m have been oppressed for centuries." hav< J - However, guilty men may be even worse just ie than "macho pigs" since they are "no non n fun at all, because guilt causes low self- nica esteem and general wimpiness. Guilt har makes men clutcft tneir neaas ana mut- won a ter, then fall asleep with their clothes sug? il on." Yes, this could be a very disap- drui P pointing sight to a woman, especially cate a if she wanted to see the man naked. 5 n Secondly, check out your outfit be- "tau d fore you actually go out on a date. Odds tria: y are that some of your clothing acces- wav te sories can get you in trouble. Accord- can ing to Susan Strauss and Pamela Es- deli\ peland, authors of "Sexual Harassment Anol a and Teens: A Program for Positive is th 3" Change," "wearing an obscene hat" is pupi ^ one of the ominous examples of "sexu- es. I ally harassing behavior" that have been ter e rs reported in U.S. high schools. Hmmm! minj a I'm really starting to doubt whether I brinj r" should wear my favorite baseball cap, whi< 'e with "COCKS" on it, for my next date, ry, y Often, communication is a huge er, \* d problem in relationships. Henry Beard da!r and Christopher Cerf, authors of the I e "Sexually Correct" dictionary and poin dating guide, offer an off-the-beaten- little I Letters to the editor or guest columns are welcoi I columns should be an opinion piece of about major, if a student. Handwritten submissions mi telephone number for confirmation. The Gamec Photos are required for guest columnist and can * halfway across the country to enroll at ease this university and then argue about sane where to park my car. The banner cur- J rently gracing the facade of Thomas cies Cooper is emblazoned with the words, gani i- "Heart of a Great University." Let's devs g make sure that heart doesn't die of ne- hun i. gleet. UNI i_ ' inhil t. Marjorie R. Asturias chei [. Gov't & Internafl Studies tran d Graduate student ter t. Letter calls to <; end 'silent war' fy? d emb Editor's note: This letter consists of i y text from a petition that has been cir- spor t- culating on the Internet. aboi drer i- To the Editor: in H jo For more than a century, student spor i- movements have had an important place it." r. among the agents of social change. Stu- l it dents have a histoiy of fighting for peace is a r0 and justice. In the 1960s, students i ,); spurred debates in Congress about the Edv it war in Vietnam and led the protests for rece lc peace. acti< 5. Students also struggled against dis- actii 3. crimination and racism ? both in the pasi 3f civil rights movement in the U.S. and sive i_ in the fight to end apartheid in South thes a Africa. Now, in the 1990s, there is ty." ic another war we must end, another S; struggle for peace and justice in which of tl [y we, as students, must make our voice. es heard. agai is For more than eight years, our gov- illeg it ernment has been waging a silent prir war against the people of Iraq. This righ b- month, the U.S.-led sanctions will kill the ,n 4,500 infants and toddlers, according ong< r_ to UNICEF reports. Today, this policy pie 1 s will kill 250 people in Iraq, as it did yes- 1 a terday... and as it will tomorrow. Since gan' te 1991, more than one million people have a re s. died due to the scarcity of food and med- the: b 1 icine and the spread of water-borne dis <*! "( C( r\ * ;$?? L^" I I>OES W J gROR"r? ii 2 E iNP L jA p hunwa m really starting Lould wear my fa ith COCKS' on it k approach. They say psychiatris 2 noticed that hand drums could 1 the thing to "open up" patients wl nally would have trouble commi iting. Thus, men, who also find d to share their emotions wit len, let alone make explicit verb jestions, might want to bring a sim n on their next date to commur their desires nonverbally. Similarly, women, who have hef ght in the Western society by pj rchy to be nice and not to mak es," according to Beard and Cer find it hard to be assertive an ier unwelcome messages of rebui ther tool of thoughtful psychiatrisl Le answer to this. Women can us set surrogates to deny a man's pas; )on't be surprised if next time, a iloquently and passionately drun g your emotions to your date, sh gs out a hand-held Kermit the Fro] :h smilingly tells you, "We're so rou've not been approved. Howe1 re appreciate your interest in Amai [hank you and good night!" t's not that unusual that, at son t, a romantic date might become ; more than just holding hands. me from all members of the Carolina c 6Q0-700 words. Both must include na jst be personally delivered to Kussell ock reserves the right to edit for libe be provided by the submitter.Call 777-7 is -- all direct consequences of tl itions. since 1991, United Nations agei and independent human-rights o zations have been reporting on tl istating impact of the sanctions c lan lite in Iraq, rour years ag' CEF reported that "Sanctions ai liting the importation of spare part meals, reagents, and the means i spoliation required to provide w; and sanitation services to th ian population of Iraq. What hi me increasingly clear is that no si; :ant movement towards food sea can be achieved so long as th argo remains in place." \nd what is our government's r lse? When asked on "60 Minute it the death of half a million chi i in Iraq - more children than die [iroshima, Madeleine Albright r ided, "We think the price is woxi We say NO! The death of one chi death too many. \s Noam Chomsky, Howard Zin yard Herman and Edward Sa: ntly stated in their national call f mi, "The time has come for a call mi to people of conscience. We ai t the point where silence is pa consent ? when a crime reachi ie proportions, silence is complit We refuse to be silent in the fa< lis war. We denounce the trade sanctioi inst the people of Iraq as immon itimate and contrary to fundament iciples of humanity and hum* ts. We demand that Congress ai president immediately end tl ling sanctions war against the pe if Iraq. Ne support the University of Mich s Student Assembly, which passt solution in January condemnir sanctions against the people of Ira m UOTE, UNQUOTE Dur silence would be an act of )nsent. ... [Slince this execution ras such a landmark execution, ;ve needed to say something." Matt Painter, political science sophomore Page 5 I rKrfNS \ O FiND PLACE" TD lAQL/ !^? I ry men to doubt whether I vorite baseball cap, , for my next date." ts happens. A poster at the USC Sexual se Assault Services enter delivers a clear10 cut message on the issue. It says both u" that sex is love and sex is not love. Love 1<: or not, it must be safe these days. So ^ psychotherapist Sharyn W olf suggests ^ a useful risk-reducing technique for . women in her book, "Guerrilla Dating Tactics," which is employed by one of 1J0 her patients,- Elsa. "Elsa keeps a computer printout of her sexual partners e in her wallet," Wolf informs us. "When f; she's with a guy she likes, she hands d him the list and asks for his." I beT. lieve a true gentleman should honor ts such a request by giving away his lit;e tie black book. s" I guess viewing the process of dating as a guerrilla war is exactly right. Most singes, at some point in their lives, 16 become soldiers of fortune, making t heir way through the wild jungles of dating, armed with just hand-held communi1. cation drums and puppets, awaiting to engage in the death match with the big, ie scary, ruthless animal called Amore a Verities. It ommunirv Tprtf'rs ^hniilrl h<j 2^0-^00 wnrrls cTiTT^r me, phone number, professional title or year and House room 333- E-mail submissions must include 1, style and spacy. Names will never be withheld. '726 for more information. ie We call upon all students dedicated to peace to join the growing movei ment to end the war against Iraq. Get r- more information on how you can help ie end the war by sending an e-mail to in studentinfo@leb.net. Check the Web o, site at http://leb.net/iac/students.html. re It was the collective voice of the stus, dents that woke our nation to the horof' ror of the Vietnam War. We must once a- again issue the wake-up call to the conte science of our nation, is g- Submitted by a- Brian Carnes ie Mathematics Graduate Student e- Groups' funding I questioned id e- i o tne Editor: Lh I truly admire the student senate Finance Committee's noble goal of proId moting diversity on campus by allocating funds to organizations who enn, courage it. However, I have to question id the logic of saying groups such as the br Students Associated for Latin Amerito ca and the National Association for the re Advancement of Colored People pros' mote diversity. es Yes, I am aware that "legally" these :i- groups are open to all students. But is this really the case? After all, how many ce Caucasians and African Americans belong to the Students Associated for Latin is America? Also, how many Latin Ameril, icans or Asians were at the last NAACP al meeting? In fact, the very names of these in organizations effectively limit their id membership to people of certain groups, le Perhaps what Clardy meant to say o- was that the Finance Committee promotes minority interests. ti>d Heath Hoppes lg Accounting/Finance Freshman qr