Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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EVENTS Trustus Theatre presents "Ta' ing Sides," a play set in the Ame ican zone of occupied Berlin i 1946, April 22 through May 8. Cc 254-9732 for more informatio: 1 Page 4 J by Jessica VanEgeren Staff Writer Laura Metts, a Chapin native^ is the only female driver on USC's auto racing team. Consisting of 20 members, the racing team is competing in the second year of the Intercollegiate Association of Auto Racing. The racing league is unique because it's the only intercollegiate sport that allows co-ed participation. Only three of the six teams in the league have fe male members, and USC is one of them. Metts, a mechanical engineering sophomore, said racing has always been a part of her life. "I went to my first stock-car race at Darlington when I was 7," she said. Tve been back twice a year, every year since 1987." Metts attributes her love for the sport to her father, Aubrey. "My dad raced go-carts when he was a kid," Metts said. "When he started taking us to Darlington, it really sparked my interest in the sport." Metts first thought about joining the racing team when she took a University 101 course. The course helps first-year undergraduates make the transition to the college environment and requires all students to get involved with the USC community. State sen; by Erin Reed Po-.r...-or T? rl One state senator calls it a compromise: Counter the Confederate Flag with the Black Liberation Flag. Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, has proposed legislation that would allow the Black Liberation Flag to be flown atop the Statehouse along with the Confederate Flag that has caused so much contention in South Carolina over its possible removal. Ford said that if the Confederate Flag must stay because of white people's love of their heritage, it makes just as much sense to raise the Black Liberation Flag in recognition of African Americans' love of theirs. "To take the Confederate Flag down would cause too much pain and suffering," he said. "I had to come up with something that would work. " "Both flags are based on history and heritage. To white people, the flag's a symbol of pride and recognition of their struggle. To African Americans, it's the same thing. Both of them have a proud history." Ford was introduced to the Black Liberation Flag in the 1960s when he was 13, during a Freedom Ride with Martin Luther King Jr. from New Orleans to Jackson, Miss. The flag is composed of three horizontal stripes of red, black and green. The red stands for blood, the black stands for the black race and the green symbolizes land. iuna i .H C>h&e4c. ?i 'Announe-e I J j kr in ill Q. Pl.'.fJ Although she was hesitant to join because she was afraid it would interfere with her school work, Metts decided to fill out an application anyway. "Being picked to join the team is proving to be a great asset to my college career," she said. Because the USC racing team is an academically based sport, Metts is able to use classroom knowledge when working on cars with other crew members. Because she's young, she's often not as 1 11 11 _ J 1 A. KnowieageaDie as otner ream memoers. g She admits there are times when she | has to stand back and let "the boys" * show her what to do. Engineering professor Jeff More- | house works closely with the racing team as its academic adviser. He believes the competition created by having a female on the team is produc- s tive for everyone. 0 "She seems to handle her own very well," Morehouse said. "She has 11 found a spot on the team and seems * to enjoy being a part of the competition. "Overall, it's good experience," Metts s said. "I'm getting exposed to mechanical situations before I have to study them. I learn through experience in- t stead of just out of a book." g Aside from the academics involved g with being a racing team member, Metts said she loves to sit in the driver's seat C( and compete. ator wants Ford is in favor of a compromise A rather than an outright removal of the g Confederate Flag because he has come to understand white Southerners' love ri ot their heritage, however onensive the tJ flag might be to some African Americans. Instead of taking one down, put tl both up so both types of heritage are u represented. d "If whites have that kind of love for I: their heritage, it made sense for the flag t< to stay. I respect that," he said. "But we have a flag, too. "If whites hi We should that kind of show the same love c , . , for our heritage, lOf their he] and we can do that it made Senj by putting up the - f Liberation Flag." tne Iiag lO S Ford said he respect that X thfcTf^ we have a fl ate Flag down any- tOO. way because it Sen. Rot would cause too much divisiveness. "It would divide the state so bad and put a wedge be- 1> tween the races that we would not be e1 able to overcome," he said. Ford specified that the Black Lib- ti eration Flag symbolizes African Amer- t\ icans' struggle since American slaves a were treed after the Civil War, during ai the civil rights movement in the 1960s J] and in the present. He said it was under the Black Lib- 01 eration Flag in the 1960s that African b< ^ The Official Book ^ 1400 Greene St. Russell Hou: Where your purchases benefit both you holarship programs of the University of Sou ?vr ?e| Ei The Gi m> -?mm???> ^ " jf *" ^ . *^ppp* > sZisf ' ! \ St; m|||MP**' Laura Metts, a mechanical engineer get me closer to the wheel," she sai At 5 feet 2 inches tall, Metts decribed the changes that had to be made < n the car before she could drive. "I have to use a booster seat to push ae up higher and to get me closer to he wheel," she said. "We also needed to move the fan witch and starter switch because I ould not reach the dashboard.The witch for the fire extinguisher is still ut of my reach. The guys on the earn joke around, telling me if I'm on re, ni be moving fast enough so I won't ave to worry about it." Unlike professional auto racers, allegiate auto racers like Metts drive Black L imericans made progress in their strugle to achieve equality with whites. "The flag was always there, so it epresents the progress we've made and tie freedom we enjoy," he said. The flag would be flown on top of tie Statehouse four times a year: Janary 15 to 24, the week of King's birthay; during February, which is Black listory Month; June 19, or "Juneeenth," the day in 1862 when the majority of AfricanAmerican slaves ?viiv-k/4 Aiil r?Vwvi?4" fc*- iuuiiu uut auuui i icoloVC ident Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation ritage, Proclamation; and se for during the cultural t j celebration of Kwany* zaa, December 26 . But through January 1. The flag would also hang inside the chambers of both tert Ford houses of the generD-Charleston al assembly. Ford said the flag would start off hanging onr during the specified periods and would /entually become permanent. Ford has no doubts that his resoluon will pass. He said he has gotten beveen 25,000 and 30,000 signatures on petition for the flag that he passed round while helping campaign for Gov. im Hodges last year. "That was for my benefit, and everyle supported it," he said. He said he Sieves Hodges will support his resoEEOn store of USC \ se ? (803) 777-4160 | * and the ith Carolina. motion of t 4 / tc. amecock .4 :;: iiWilfefe''' w ing sophomore, is the only girl on US Id. "We also needed to move the fan s five-eighths-scale replicas of 1930s modI el antique cars. These miniature cars race on a quarter-mile track, with the capacity to reach 65 to 70 mph. With eight possible drivers on the USC team, the fastest driver automatically qualifies before each race. Since each of the competing teams is allowed to have only three drivers, the second and third alternate drivers are elected by fellow team members the day of the race. Metts first competed as a driver at the Orange County Speedway in North Carolina in October 1998. iberation lution and that 95 percent of South Carolina whites say they support it. "The governor understands a lot of the underlying issues and why people make requests," said Nina Brook, Hodges' press secretary. Brook said Hodges isn't focusing on the flag specifically, but he's "actively working to raise funds for an AfricanAmerican monument on the Statehouse grounds. And he's also working to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day an official state holiday." "Even though he's not looking at the flag itself, he's looking at issues that are contributing to the debate," Brook said. If the general assembly passes the resolution, Ford said it would show African Americans that the Confederate Flag stands for history and heritage, not slavery and racism. In the meantime, Ford has met with several white heritage groups, including the Sons of Confederate Veterans, to explain his position on the flag. He said they have shown support for raising the Black Liberation Flag at the Statehouse. He expects the Senate to pass the bill this year and the House of Representatives to pass it shortly after. Then, Ford said, the flag would go up in February for Black History Month. "I just do what I know is right," he said. "Whoever wants to can get on the train. Whoever doesn't can stay home." M Claa &!?. s h Vi""j ' ' ' ' 2~ , ^ga ?jM| C's racing team. "I have to use a boosl >witch and starter switch because I coul "My first race, I was very nervous," Metts said. "I was concerned about the car. I didn't want to wreck it. Of course, exactly what I didn't want to happen had to happen. Once the race started, I hit a car." Despite her fifth-place finish, Metts is thankful for her team's support and is eager for another chance behind the wheel. "They joke around and tell me I'm the fastest girl on the team. But all joking aside, they have been very patient with me and taught me a lot." She also realizes that the most important part of being a team member is setting up the car before each race. Flag over Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, ha allow the Black Liberation Flag to Confederate Rag. i/afion (i oadcMarfi ITE OF THE PAY Star Wagpf Tfi&JVIusical ittp:/ /newdream.net/~brett /StarWars/ Monday, April 19,1999 Jessica VanEgeren Special to The Gamecock ter seat to push me up higher and to Id not reach the dashboard." "Each track has different characteristics, which we all need to understand," Metts said. "Like knowing when to change the rear-end erear or making other ad D o justments to allow the car to run its best." When her college racing days are over, Metts wants to keep working in the auto industry in design or product development. She believes her education has given her a unique experience. "When I first joined the team, I was really shy," Metts said. "Now I have 20 good friends in engineering." Capitol Erin Reed The Gamecock s introduced legislation that would ' fly over the Statehouse with the ^/pp |tj e-r? * Fraw&c* (