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E-MAIL! There's always time for e-mail, right? Send us your thoughts at GCKVIEWS@SC.EDU. We're waiting. i Parfa A Hit? J Sening the Carolina C EDITORIA Sara Ladenheirr Rob Gioielli, V Kevin Langston, Ass is. Emily Streyer, Assist, Jennifer Stanley, Speci Enoughb all at Coli As the facts fni^HKTT about Tuesday's BHHmU Columbine High Nation see shootings are sourcesoj bro?d^r?DnnCNN Colorado, and MSNBC, we have watched and read the stories , that analyze this There seno, tragedy. ^ avow The media are thing is resj. trying to answer this trc questions that ? might never have clear, defined answers in hopes of offering closure to their audience. This situation is unique. We will never have the closure of seeing the murderers taken away in handcuffs. They will never stand trial. And justice will not have the chance to prevail. Sn wp rpfisnn thprp must hp someone else to blame. The stories on television and in the newspapers try to explain how two students could plan such a crime for more than a year without anyone noticing. They tell similar stories of other parents who have allowed their own children to get out of control. Psychologists and Ivy League researchers explain how hate groups, video games and the Internet influenced the 17- and 18-year-old seniors to shoot fellow students and construct pipe bombs with the intent of destroying their school. We have heard from Columbine students who describe how the two murderers were treatRiverbau gives to C One of South nTT Carolina's most popular tourist Riverbat attractions, the celebrates Riverbanks Zoo anniversary and Botanical Gar- ^ dens, celebrates its 25 th anniversary preciate what a contributic great facility River- cotntni banks is. It's one of ? the top zoological parks in the country, and it just happens to be right here in Columbia. Hard to believe, considering we don't normally think of Columbia as having the greatest of anvthing. Some question the ethics of keeping wild animals in captivity, but Riverbanks Zoo participates in a national wildlife conservation program that benefits animals of all kinds. And the zoo has great educational value, as well. Children from i|_% UicGai Serving tlx' Carolina Comn The Gamecock is the student new spaper of The University < Friday during the fall and spring semesters and five times during th periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the editc The Board of Student PuNications and Communications is the publ the newspaper s parent organization. The Gamecock Sara Ladenheim Kdiior in ChieJ Emily Streyer kud uioicui vleujruirns rciuur hcvin taii^iu Kenley Young News Editor Rachel Hetwif Brad Walters Nvu* Editor Clayton Kale Brock Vergakls S/rorts Editor Michael Strlck Charlie Wallace Sports Editor Jared Kelowlu Erin Reed Eealures Editor ? _ . ., . , Katy Evans Rob Lind.sev Eealures Editor _ ' . _ . SeanRayford Eboto Editor Dentshia Gral Matt Ryan Online Editor Ashton June Kristin Freestate Copy Desk Chief '^nn Marie Mia Todd Money Copy Editor Jennifer Sunk Rebecca Cronlcan Copy Editor Student Media Ellen Parsons Director of Jason Curry Student Media Kathy VanNosi Lee Phlpps Adfertislrif,j Manager Sherry Holme; Susan King Creative Director Carolyn Grlfll Susan Barrett Creatiie Semites Erik Collins Daniel Brown Creative Semites Jeff Stensland 1 amecock 'ommunily since 1908 I ROARD l, Editor in Chief iewpoints Editor <tant Viewpoints Editor ant Viewpoints Editor !al Projects Coordinator lame for imbine ed. "The teasing lidHBHI and taunting must >ks to find have got to them," "blame in some students say. chnnthmc We hear these shootings. tales with the hope that a grieving na, , 7 tion will figure out ugh blame where to placejthe id; no one blame: on the stuX)nsible for dents, the parents, Igedy. school officials, video game companies. But blaming those factors won't make the nation forget the images of bloody teen-agers. So many factors, including the mental state of the murderers, contributed to this tragedy. Even in the absence of one or more of those factors, the situation probably still would have materialized. Rather than assigning blame, we need to ask ourselves how the situation surrounding this tragedy developed unnoticed by family, teachers and peers. The clues were there in great number ? why did they go ignored by so many people/ This will happen again if we do not start paying attention to teen-agers. We do not suggest that every brooding teenage owner of a Marilyn Manson album is plotting mass murder, but this is a call to the nation saying that combined behaviors such as owning guns, being antisocial, and distributing of bomb recipes can be red flags heralding tragedies such as this. I _ fw KS LOO Columbia all over the state go to Riverbanks to iks ZOO learn invaluable its 25th lessons about the ; this year, world around ?them. The zoo provides a valuable rei should source for educatthezoo\ lng South me zoo s Carolinians. MS to the Riverbanks is inity. not a symbol of just * one part of the Columbia community, but of all of it. The public and private support of the whole community is what has made the zoo as great as it is today. We'd like to congratulate all those who have worked so hard over the years to make the zoo what it is, and we hope their dedication can serve as an example to others. It is possible to create something that benefits all of us, something we can all take pride in. nrrnrk iMiwa ?VWVI ? amity since 190H <t South Carolina and is published Monday, Wednesday and e summer with ihe exception of university holidays and exam >rs or author and not those of The University of South Carolina lisher of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media is All area codes are 803 Asst. Vii-upoiuls ' ? Hdilor 777-391-1 a Etiil ors , ,,, , gckeaOsc.edu t Asst. Nats Etlitors Viewpoints 777-7726 gckt ieWSOsC.edtt land Assl Spirts Editors ' News 777-7726 gcktteu sOsc edit Asst. Features Editors fclc. 777-3913 um gckelcOsc.edu Asst. Photo Editors ,, , , Sports 777-7182 in' gcks/xnlsOsc edit 'y Special Projects ()n|jm, 777.^3 G*>rduialt>r Crvatitv Services Advcrtisin(, 777-3888 trandOvu/ir*' Services i Classified Manager Classified 777-1184 n Husiness Manager Faculty Advisor ';lx 777-6482 Graduate Assistant ()fficc 777-3888 View The G mm&r CH\L-PKBh "fwe-ifs i WIT College c This semester is the last in college for many of you. They say the best time of your life is college, and ? they might ment and ment, relimore imporGUERMAN ABAEV tantlv,vl, co'"m""< self-all tnat tney teach in college. However, it may not be the most important learning you have to do in your life. What did you answer to the question: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Kids say, "Doctor," "Firefighter," "Pilot," "Astronaut" or "President." Well, president is not so honorable anymore. You might as well say you want to be Larry Flynt. No one says that he or she wants to grow up and shoot other kids. HowevDorsel fit for SG cabinet position To the Editor: I read last Wednesday's editorial about Chris Dorsel with great interest because I believe the attorney general's position is vitally important in maintaining a fair and credible student government. As attorney general, it was my duty (under Article II, Section 7 of the constitution of our university's student government) to, when solicited by Student Government or any other member of the Carolina community, provide opinions on questions of constitutionality. During my two-year tenure as attorney general, I rendered opinions on the validity of SG codes. It is important to note that none of my opinions were legal advice, nor were they binding. Thus, while I believe Chris Dorsel will be a capable and dedicated attorney general, it is completely unnecessary for the attorney general to be a law student. The attorney general does not write, interpret or enforce the law, he merely renders his opinion based on the facts. In fact, the single instance when my opinions strayed from analysis of Student Government Code concerned the Freedom of Information Act's application to the code. I analyzed the scenario much like a law clerk or law student analyzes an issue for an attorney. However, I strongly recommend that future attornev eenerals. includ ing Mr. Dorsel, do not subject themselves to such scrutiny and possible liability. In analyzing the sensitive FOIA situation last fall, SG and myself received assistance from members of the South Carolina Bar, University Counsel and other sources. I make this statement so that there will be no question of my practicing law without a license. I also want to stress that I neither analyzed this situation in an arbitrary fashion, nor did I develop my opinion on a whim. I am not a lawyer yet. In fact, I have two more semesters at the poin amecock TH??e^4AU*??Afl7A!S<-- " j teaOA aid \TO??.TTL? 7lFF&2anceB tQ V\Ct?HC?. ^ >ffers no er, some kids grow up a little and d that. And then, they shoot themselve: No one says that he or she wants t be a crack dealer or gangster. Still, som grow up and do that. And then othe crack dealers or policemen shoe them before they shoot the policeme or the other crack dealers. Kids don say they want to be porn stars o prostitutes. Again, some grow up an become those things. And then they di of AIDS or from cocaine. College is a good time to learn mor< But if you want to limit your educatio to what's in your classroom, you rnigl be putting yourself in danger. Colleg is not all about turning in term paper and passing killer tests. If you can d that, it's cool, but it's not everything Do they teach you in a classroor what you need to do when you suddenl realize, on the brink of graduation, tha you have no idea what you want to d in your life? How many times will yo be rejected before you a get a real job Will you ever get a real job? Will yo be somebody? How many times are yoi going to lose your job? How are you gc ing to feel about it? How are you gc ing to deal with it? Letters to the editor or guest columns 5 columns should be an opinion piece major, if a student. Handwritten subm telephone number for confirmation. T Photos are required for guest columnis law school, graduation and then th Bar Exam in August 2000. Neverthc less, I planned to continue my involve ment in SG as attorney general or ii any other capacity, performing the du ties enumerated in the SG constitution mi ___i mi _ n y. _ inus, wnen 1 ne uamecocn or an; students requested my opinion (and di< not solicit my services as a lawyer), was happy to render it. It has beei an honor and a pleasure to serve tb university as attorney general and a a member of SG for the past six years I am confident President Malik Huss er has selected a competent and intel ligent attorney general. Peter G. Siacho: Law Studen Student praises econ professor To the Editor: When I decided to go back to colleg< as an older and more appreciative stu dent, I noted that sometimes in a clasi or down a hall, something really un usual was happening ? someone wa: thinking. And sometimes, someone waj really teaching ? not just facts, bu concepts that could be applied to every day living. A kind of wisdom might de velop if one also was thinking. USC students are privileged to hav( among their faculty a special someon* that one might pass over without { thought or possibly dismiss as a crazi old man. One might sit in his class anc never think, but that is not his loss. H< is Pnprcn7pH hv tVinep urVm sVinw n o-prt uine interest in learning, as he has invested his life in the pursuit of knowl edge and understanding. References such as "and, of course, there is Rober Clower" in the foreword of scholarly eco nomic texts are but a tiny reflection o the effect that his thinking has hac on economic scholars. Robert Clower who counseled presidents, argued with masters and was considered for the Nobel Prize for his work in economic theory and passed over, continues to seek answers to fundamental questions ? ts NOPE EC V\ - aIu///, t / classroo s? "But if you want ;e to what's in yon * putting yourself n 't >r Do they tell you how to dee d the facts that you may not be lrv ie to the stars on TV and your bod] exactly like models in beauty e. zines, or how to live if you're n n ving a Porsche or a BMW now ai it er will? ;e Who's to blame if you fall i s with your colleague and she or h o you for sexual harassment? How I- make sure you always date the n you want? How do you deal with y ken relationship or an unanswere it Can you find the power to deal o cheating significant other? Will y u burn the house of your former i i? new "flame" as an act of reveng u How do you manage to earn p 11 respect and trust? How to be diff >- What if you're gay? How man >- night stands will you have? Whai get HIV? Will you have any p are welcome from M\ members of the Care of about 600-700 words. Both must inclu lissions must be personally delivered to Ri he Gamecock reserves the right to edit fo t and can be provided by the submitter.Call e that remain unexplained. Yet, tl: fessor takes time for his studeni >- though Dr. Clower's contribut 1 economics may not be fully app: ed during his lifetime, the fact re that the wealth of our nation h y creased in part due to his leaders 1 the discipline of thinking. I His genius is clear, his sarcas i rageous, his anecdotes pertinei e his heart sentimental. I had th< s ilege of taking two of his classe i. I am honored to listen to him over i- where I often forget I am sittinj one of the masters. In the halls at USC, we walk Clower seeing his slight lim s mischievous eyes and hearing 1 t bust laughter, but we may not i that he is always thinking. Iwri * so students will know what a s experience they have available to I highly recommend a class wii Clower, and better yet, lunch. 1 wary ? you will have to think. Arnold R. Dorm s Economics and History S 3 Lose religion t class, not part To the Editor; j Some of the arguments in th 3 cle on religion [April 19] seem si i cial. Particularly, the argumen / reasoned, "Those who turn away 1 religion] do so for a number of re; 3 There is more of a social scene i - lege." 3 A good social scene justifies exc - a lifelong of principles? One hash 3 der how deep-rooted those prin t were to begin with. Or how sh people are in determining wha f ALLY made them stray from re' 1 I think what makes people , away from religion is the develop of their cognitive skills. Readini listening to professors talk abou body of Christ" as being just a glo i "wafer;" finding discrepancies i an English course ? betwef i QUOTE, UNQUOTE "We just seem to get hits at the right time to win." Kim Schultze, second baseman, USC softball team Monday, April 26,1999 l J m for Life to limit your education r classroom, you may be in danger." il with surgery? Will it change anything? Will ing up you ever make it to Hollywood? What / is not if religion doesn't have all the answers? maga- Are you being punished? How do you ot dri- deal with loneliness? Will you stay loneid nev- ly forever? Will you lie to be accepted? Will you sell yourself out? Will you find in love peace or stay restless? le sues Will you stay away from computer do you crime and cheating on your taxes? Or people maybe spend the rest of your life locked a bro- behind bars? Will a gangster blow your d love? brains out? Will you ever have kids? with a Will those kids kill other kids in high rou not school? [over's College doesn't answer those e? questions. And in case you've wondered, eople's these questions aren't mine. They are erent? everybody's questions. And one day, y one- you may have to answer some of them t if you in the tough class, "Existence 101," urVnpVi locfn 1,'ZVv Iiaotiv miivii Jfuuj W11U1C 111C. )lina community. Letters should be 250-300 words. Guest de name, phone number, professional title or year and issell House room 333- E-mail submissions must include r libel, style and space. Names will never be withheld. 777-7726 for more information. lis pro- first and second chapters of Genesis ts. Al- that suggest it might not have been ion to written by the same person; or learnreciat ing the word mains "anthropomorphism," which means "givlas in- ing human-like qualities to deity." ship in Those are the things that make people question their religious beliefs. m out- If college teaches us anything, it's it and to not take things for their face value. 3 priv- It teaches us to question and sharps, and en our intellectuality. Intellectuality lunch, seems like a much better reason for sacg with rificing your spiritual beliefs than a good frat party, by Dr. As for me, I still believe in God and p and Jesus' existence, but I have a hard time lis ro- believing human beings understand ealize God as well as they think they do. tethis pecial Mario I. Ona them. Public Relations Junior th Dr. sutbe Gun control law oppressed Jews enior To the Editor: to This is in response to the article en. titled "A day to remember," about the ies Holocaust. Under the section of freauent.lv asked miestinns ahmit the Hnln caust, the question "Why didn't the Jews stand up for themselves?" was raised, e arti- but I think a key answer was left out iperfi- among those given, t that Once Hitler was in power, he made [from a law stating that the private ownerasons: ship of firearms was illegal. How could in col- Jewish people fight back physically if they didn't have any firearms to fight hange back with? I commend Sara Ladenheim a won- for writing an informative piece on the ciples destruction of the J ewish people withiallow in Europe. I felt that an integral piece it RE- of history was left out and that it should ligion. never be forgotten. Thank you. move iment K.C. Warble g and Philosophy Freshman t "the rifted ? in n the