University of South Carolina Libraries
E-MAIL! Vent your rage '90s style: Send us your opinion with an e-mail. GCKVIEWS@SC.EDU. Technology fees at work. Page 4 ?(E Serving the Carolina EDITORI Sara LadenheL ?1 ?1_ !_11* KUU uiuicm, Kevin Langston, Ass Emily Streyer, Assu Jennifer Stanley, Spe Night libi hectic co] In recent r-^?? months, the Divi- BHHHUL sion of Libraries Operating and Information Cooper\ Systems has made hour, a lot of progress in ^ , . its attempts to H improve services to , students. The hectic According to students k George Teriy, vice the need provost and divi- night Stu sion dean, the di vision has received an additional $10 million to improve facilities at the Thomas Cooper Library. Included will be a renovation of the library's study areas. Also, most ot tne liorary s electronic resources will be completely accessible online within the next year. The library also has opened a remote storage facility with room for 1.5 million older items, such as books and microfilm, which will free up room for the library to acquire newer ones. Another option the library is looking into is extending its hours. For the past year, it has been considering keeping just the main and computer lab levels open late at night. But according to Terry, budget and safety considerations are the two main reasons the library is currently only open until midnight. Women a 1 *! as puDiicii NASA, in ef- " ^^ 77 forts to make space HHHm safe for all human NASA wan beings, has an- aU-femah nounced the notion of having an all-fe male crew in future BBPT1T3P missions. NASA - , expresses goals of women a reaching Mars and rightfulp creating a space Space prog] station that can asplibli permanently house people, and it wants to study the long-term effects of space on women. Although we find the intentions of NASA to be commendable, we also see this announcement as yet another publicity stunt. An elderly John Glenn returned to space as a specimen for studying the effects of space on older people. Most saw through this facade and took the mission for nothing more than a public relations frenzy for NASA. In recent years, the importance of JNASA missions has been more obscure from the public eye. Television stations have stopped cutting to live ?lt(5f Serving tlx' Carolina C< The Gamecock is the student newspaper of The Inkers Friday during the fall and spring semesters and five times durin periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the i The hoard of Student PuNkations and Communkations is the the newspaper's parenl organization The Gamecock Sara Ladenheim lidilor In Chief Emily Stre) Rob Glolelll Viewpoints lidilor Kevin Lang Kenley Young Mews lidilor Rachel Hel Brad Walters News lidilor Clayton Ka Brock Vergakls Sfiorts lidilor Michae| sti Charlie Wallace Sports lidilor K , Erin Reed I'ealures lidilor ,, o?k Katy Evans Scan Rayford l%Mr> hiiln- I ^encshia ( Matt Ryan Online IMor Ashton Jur Kristin Frccstate Copy Ikylr Chief Ann Marle Todd Money Oyn Hdilor Jennifer St; Rebecca Cronlcan Copy l/itlnr Student Media Ellen Parsons Din-dor of Jason Curr Student Media Kathy Van! Lee Phlpps Adts-rtisinn Manager Sherry Hoi Susan King (.'n-aliee Din-dor Carolyn Gr Susan Barrett Cn-aliie Sereices Erik Collin: Daniel Brown Cn-aliix- Sereins Jeff Stensla I 1 iamccock i Community since 1908 AL BOARD m, Editor in Chief Viewpoints Editor istant Viewpoints Editor stant Viewpoints Editor cial Projects Coordinator nary aids liege life =^^?\ Since most of the circulation staff r the Thomas are students, the library 24 recent increase in ? n dn v -the minimum wage y already costs the li brary $250,000. .. And maintaining lives college student safety ^adpromote the stack levels is ' for a late- a big concern, esdyfacility. pecially late at J night. There are no 24hour study facilities on campus. There are study rooms in the dorms, but anyone who has lived on campus knows they rarely offer an ideal study place. And many off-campus students have living situations that make the library the best place to study. College students live hectic lives, and often the only time to do any real studying is late at night. A late-night library is the best resource to a student who needs to get work done but doesn't need the distractions of the dorm room. While .we are encouraged by the improvements the library is maki. g, we think the expansion of library hours should be a priority. The additional money and effort it would take for a late-night library are worth it. And if students had it, they would use it. rew serves ty stunt shots of the shutIahHHH ties lifting off into tS to send an outer space. It hap? crew into Pens so ?^en an^ ^ without drama ' that we simply don't take interest , . anymore. eservetheir So how does lace in the NASA solve its 611ram, but not en ratings? It sends city tools. an all-female crew ? intoouterspace.lt has never been done before, and it will surely snag several front-page headlines in the process. Women do deserve their role in the advancement of the space program, but not as an advertising tool. An all-female crew is not necessary. Perhaps sending more women on a mission but with men A1*AWT AC IITAII Ull U1U UCYVj do VYC11. You don't need all women to study the long-term effects of space. A few will do nicely, and it will prove to the people that NASA does in fact care about the health of its astronauts and not the profitability of its missions. imccock ? immunity since 190S MMyHHMIlMMBMBjMi ;ity of South Carolina and is published Monday, Wednesday and K the summer with the exception of university holidays and exam editors or author and not those of Hie University of South Carolina, publisher of The Gamecock. 11k- Department of Student Media is All area codes are 803 rcr zt.cs/. Vum ix tints Editor 777-39 M !S,on KcLvcimc.cdH wio A&cf .Mns Fdiltus Viewpoints 777-7726 le . KcLvicusmc.cdu ickJand Acs/ Spurts Fditurs News 777-7726 wtz KcLiwus@sc.edu Acsi. Features Fditurs Etc. 777-3913 ,raham Kcketcftscedu te Acs/ lltoKi Fditurs v Sports 777-7182 M'an' ' Kck.yxinsmc.tiiu anley Special FntjMs 0n|jnc 777-2833 OntrdinaUtr y Creatiiv Services Advcrtising 777-3888 c'ostrande, n'o/iie Services mes Classified ManuKer Classified 777-1183 iffln business Mauamer s Faculty Adcistir ' ax 7-6382 nd Graduate Assistant ()(Tjcc rn-MVH View The Ga / A, "SQJt I Cobain Historically, people have misplaced their priorities, turning pop icons into undeserving idols. Itjs scary KEVIN LANGSTON What^s columnist scarier is that you can see similarities between the two. If you step back, way back, and look, you can see a close relation between religion and rock 'n' roll. For example, Karl Marx called religion an opiate of the masses, and Starship said, "We built this city on rock 'n' roll." If you were to imagine a world without religion, you would probably find people desperately searching for explanation and security from the unknown. By the same token, a life without rock 'n' roll would be Hell. People wouldn't have been exposed to music's cutting edge, and they'd be desperate for a radical change from big band and doo-wop. For Jesus and Cobain, many likenesses can be seen just through mere appearance. Both Christ and Cobain had long hair. Now, I'm not an expert Foreign cul I've come to the conclusion that things we don't fully understand are thought of as "cool." It also helps if they origi nate from a far-off, Middle Eastern country or are hunrl rorl o nf U1 VUO KJ X years old. Art, literature and popular Western culKATY EVANS ture are columnist drawing more from Eastern influences these days. The first example is mehndi. For those of you not acquainted with the art of mehndi, Madonna had it inscribed all over her hands in the video for "Frozen." The mehndi craze hit England last year, and I'm told it's growing in popularity here, too. The practice of mehndi tattooing has been performed for generations in the Middle East, India and Pakistan. Brides are tattooed on their hands, feet, insides of their arms and up their shins mnst nftpn hpfnrp thpir wpHHinp Oth er female members of the bridal party Sports poll done in poor taste To the Editor; After reading the questions in the 1999 Gamecock Sports Cornwallis Awards Poll, I felt compelled to respond point imecock JT5 bEATH BY smells llli on biblical hygiene, but I would expect Christ's hair to be quite mangled and nappy. We've all seen pictures of Cobain, and I seriously doubt he ever picked up a bottle of shampoo or a brush. Jesus wasn't too much into fashion, as he was usually garbed in nothing but a robe. Although this look was not too fancy, it was the hip thing to wear. Cobain also tapped into the realm of fashion. He helped push the grunge look to the fashion forefront. He wore flannel, which was much like Christ's loose-fitting sackcloth. Not only did the appearances of both Jesus and Cobain tie them together, but their actions also generated similarities. For example, both preached "come as you are," although Christ didn't make a music video to get this idea across. Some say Cobain resurrected rock 'n' roll with his "alternative" sound, and Christ supposedly resurrected Lazarus with his omnipotent power. Cobain's act of saving rock 'n' roll is probably more admirable than Christ's act of saving some guy. Both Cobain and Jesus were acclaimed for leading a revolution against the mainstream. Jesus popularized Christianity, and Cobain popularized "grunge rock." Although Christianity has had more longevity than "grunge," both were highly popular and have paved the way for millions of imitators. For Cobain, it was Eddie Vedder, and for Christ, it was David Koresh. Cobain and Christ are now both revered long after their untimeley demistures provic can be painted, too, but it's not as intricate. The tattoos are painted with a henna mix and wear off as the skin renews itself. To people in India and Pakistan, this time-honored tradition is a way of life. In Europe and America, we have taken their rituals, their culture, their traditional ways of life and commercialized them, thus diluting them. Mehndi is not the only example; the whole idea of Indian dress was revived last spasnn in F.npland T Hnn't. know o ? if it was big over here, but the clothes shop I work for in England had a lot of dresses and skirts coming in that were based on the sari. Chinese symbol tattoos are also growing in popularity, but why do so many people like them? It's back to the idea of buying into another culture. Having a Chinese tattoo that means "peace" is far more mystical than having the actual English word tattooed on your body. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does take something away from the original idea. What would people frnm PViina cav if know Wpctorn. ers were walking around with their everyday words temporarily stuck on various body parts, and what do Indians think of Westerners wearing saris? Letters to the editor or guest columns are columns should lx- an opinion piece of ab< if a student. Handwritten submissions must numlx-r for confirmation. The Gamecock required for guest columnist and can lx- pr to one of your categories: Worst Impersonation of an Athlete. Despite our basketball's disappointing season, that is no reason to criticize one of the game's hardest workers and best attitudes: Hagen Rouse. He consistently gave everything of himself both on and off the court. As a team captain, Hagen was continuously QUC "W( of 1 Sai f WE WlLI =? PEKS/S UNTIL \a ^^JPRESTA/i ;e the Hoi "Cobain's act of savii probably more admi act of saving some g es. Both died before their primes, and many say neither man was allowed to live up to his full potential. Cobain lives on in the hearts of all fans who cheered on the rebellious fury of the genre he helped start. Christ lives on in the Bible, several churches and places of worship. The apostles and teachers of Christianity have helped to spread the word of Christ throughout history, and this has helped to establish Christ's teachings as somewhat of a legacy. Dave Grohl, former drummer for Nirvana and current singer for The Foo Fighters, is a makeshift apostle for Cobain's cause, bringing the same type of rock Cobain would have liked to millions of fans. Both Jesus and Cobain have had songs written about them. Several hymns celebrate the teachings of Christ, while groups like R.E.M. and For Squirrels wrote songs about Cobain. Furthermore, live performances will immortalize Cobain and Christ. Fans were shewn a deeper side to Cobain when Nirvana's "Unplugged" show aired on MTV. This removed Cobain from the depths of obscurity and allowed fans to see his true worth. Similarly, who could ever forget Christ's sermon on Mount le fashional "The point I'm trying anything from far a\ our own culture is 'c The point I'm trying to make is that anything from far away that is unlike our own culture is "cool." Art and culture from Oriental countries are very "in vogue" at the moment, and this, I think, is due to the likes of celebrities, such as Madonna. Eastern culture seems to be viewed by Westerners as a way to look cool. I'm not saying that some people are not genuinely interested in Eastern culture, but a lot of people, especially in England, seem to be stealing pieces of culture and misusing them. Of course, I'm not immune to the whole craze. The other day, I bought some temporary tattoos of Chinese symbols. Each one means something different, such as "friend," "peace" or "love," but how do I know what they really mean? They might be genuine symbols, but the point is, "Who's to know?" I could be walking around with some complete gobbledygook on my shoulder blade, but I'll never know unless I take welcome from all members of the Carolina com out 600-700 words. Both must include name, pho lx' personally delivered to Russell House room reserves the right to edit for libel, style and sp; ovided by the submitter.Call 777-7726 for more it praised publicly for his attitude, work ethic and leadership by coach Eddie Fogler. In case you were wondering, it is quite an honor for your teammates to elect a junior as a captain on a team with five seniors. Given the self-centered nature of many college athletes today, it is in my opinion we need more players like Ha )TE, UNQUOTE * must remember that for all their possibilities, computers aren't God." muel DuBois Cook, educator and civil rights activist Wednesday, April 14,1999 ^1 i ? o u? | h 1 J = | ly Spirit ag rock 'n' roll is irable than Christ's uy." Sinai? That basically defined him as the Messiah for the human race. Sure, he didn't have the luxury of state-ofthe-art sound equipment to project his voice, and he couldn't get his sermon made into a successful album, but he did well with what he had. Finally, Cobain and Jesus are good marketing tools. With the growing popularity of "What Would Jesus Do?" bracelets and merchandise, Jesus has become as profitable as Michael Jordan. Cobain, on the other hand, has graced the cover of many magazines and the fronts of many shirts. He has been celebrated more after his death than he was in life, as is the case with Christ. Realizing that you can easily compare Jesus with Cobain helps explain how we place too much importance on trivial accomplishments. Sure, Cobain made rock 'n' roll fun again, but who cares? Rock 'n' roll is more or less selfsufficient. Religion, on the other hand, needs leaders to push it to the masses. Mentioning Cobain and Jesus in the same breath already gives Cobain too much credit than he deserves. But it is still funny to imagine there being a resemblance between the two. )le crazes I to make is that ray that is unlike ool.'" the time to go to the library and find a book on Chinese writing. But my point is, if it looks good, who cares what it means? Eastern culture is not the only thing we look up to. Art and literature also provide good examples of how we bow to things painted or written hundreds of years ago. There's a big Shakespeare revival at the moment, what with "Shakespeare in Love," "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet." So why do we look with awe upon things we don't understand? Maybe we're fed up with the commercialized society we live in and the superficiality of it all. Maybe we reach out to the cultures of far-off countries in the hope that we'll find enlightenment. I think it's a positive thing when people want to find out more about other cultures, about history, literature and art. But do we do it just because we think it's cool? munity. Letters should be 250-300 words. Guest me number, professional title or year and major, 333- E-mail submissions must include telephone ice. Names will never Ix* withheld. Photos are gen Rouse. Until you put your heart into a team for four years, I suggest your writers stick with subjects on which their ignorance isn't so profound! Shelly Hogan Political Science Senior