The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 13, 1999, Page 11A, Image 11
The Gamecock celebrates
missing year of Volume 92
“Norma Palms takes over the duties for
her devastated husband. In Nancy
Reagan style, she reveals she actually has
been running the university all this time
and will set USC straight for AAU.”
And you thought it was difficult to
determine what year begins the
new millennium.
M Last spring, I bid my farewell to this
newspaper, but now I have to come out
of retirement to correct a wrong I made.
And my
mistake
means The
Gamecock
has traveled
through a
confusing
time warp,
resulting in
this
newspaper
losingayear
I ADAM SNYDER of its life. It
.[icolumnist will be
M ~~ known as
^ the year of
the “Gamecock bug,” Volume 92.
Several years ago, when I was
studying past volumes of The Gamecock,
I realized something had gone awry. The
volume number was wrong, or so I
thought. Obviously, this is something
to which the general public pays little
attention, but it has great significance
to the members of the staff of the
newspaper. In addition, our able librarians
at the South Caroliniana Library
appreciate an accurate reading of volume
numbers and dates for historical purposes.
Seven years ago, The Gamecock staff
had changed the volume number at the
beginning of the fiscal year in July, as
is our custom. Then, at the beginning of
i the fall of that same year, the new staff
moved the volume number up another
^otch. Noting this, I told the editors two
years ago that we were off by a year and
needed to change the volume number
oacK.
All was fine until I did a little more
of that “millennium math” when I was
researching The Gamecock in May. Much
to my frustration, I realized that volume
change seven years ago was to set the
records straight, and I undid it.
You see, this newspaper began in
the spring of 1908. The three issues that
spring were Volume L If you or I were
bom that year, we would not turn one
until the spring of 1909. But in newspaper
talk, 1908-1909 was Volume II. So,
following this math, the school year of
1 '.9-2000 would be Volume 93, although
two weeks ago, during the 1998
1V9 school year, this newspaper's header
I ii« cated it was Volume 91.
8o today, in order to get back on track,
^*j]l be foregoing Volume 92 and would
™^»velcome you to the first issue of
the 9un^olume of The Gamecock.
This staff remembers that the job of
this newspaper is not to confuse you over
birthdays, but to inform you of the year's
work. So, we would like to let you know
what happened during that missing year,
Volume 92.
July - Carolina’s newest class visits
campus for orientation. They are an
extraordinary bunch -100 national merit
finalists, four students with perfect SAT
scores, and a record number of
scholardiq* are handed out The numbers
are shocking at first, but when you look
a little closer, you see that 60 percent of
the freshman class are foreign exchange
students.
August - With a plan to eliminate the
“suitcase-college” stigma of USC, local
bars and Marriott offer free beer and
liquor drinks on the weekend. It works
- the interstates and back roads of South
Carolina are empty on Fridays and
Sundays. Although a little drunk, students
get more involved on campus, as well.
September - Safety advocates finally
get their way. After years of trying, USC
improves lighting on campus and
eliminates unsafe areas by cutting back
trees and shrubs and adding more call
boxes. Muggings, rapes and all violent
crime drop to next to nothing. University
officials are overheard saying, “If we
would have known that this is all it took,
we would have spent the money years
ago.”
October - Safe Ride, the plan pushed
by Student Government to get students
to and from Five Points safely, becomes
a reality. Also, a transportation system
that allows students within a two-mile
radius of campus to ride city buses for
free is instituted. Coupled with a new
campus circulator, internal campus
parking is freed up, and more green
space is planned.
November - Professors and small-time
administrators end their internal
squabbling. Instead of playing “save
your-own-ass” politics, both sides decide
to give up their fiefdoms and stay true
to the essence of any university - the
students. And, of course, the football
team defeats Clemson, capping an
undefeated season under Lou Holtz.
December - The Gamecocks win their
first ever SEC Championship game and
will play for the national championship.
The AAU Acceptance Committee
evaluates USC. They decline to accept
the university, even after awesome strides
in research, stating, “Although USC’s
research program is excellent, the
university’s overzealous support of only
a few schools on campus proves it has
limited vision. The AAU prefers well
rounded institutions.” President Palms
locks himself in the President’s House,
realizing his mistake of overemphasizing
research schools at the expense of
professional and less glamorous
departments.
January - The Gamecocks defeat
Southern California in what is dubbed
as the “Safe Sex” Sugar Bowl for the
national championship. Norma Palms
takes over the duties of her devastated
husband. In Nancy Reagan style, she
reveals she actually has been running
the university all this time and will set
USC straight for AAU.
February - For the first time in years,
the SG elections go off without a hitch.
In fact, in celebratation of Black History
Month, blacks and whites storm the
Statehouse and remove the Confederate
battle flag, saying; “Today, South Carolina
will cease living in the past, and we will
start planning for the future.” The flag
never returns to the Capitol dome, and
the university gets international attention
for its progressive students.
March - After a dismal basketball
season, the team puts together a winning
streak in the SEC tournament, winning
the automatic bid to the NCAA
tournament. For the third time in four
years, the men’s team loses in the first
round. Like the years before, excessive
partying the night before the game is
blamed for the lackluster performance
*
April - After several students are hit
by cars crossing the street to get to the
new fitness and wellness center,
adminstrators respond, “See, we told
you they would never use a tunnel or
skywalk.” This confuses students because
university officials never built a tunnel
or skywalk to avoid traffic at one of the
busiest intersections in Columbia.
May - USC graduates some of its best
students in years. The median first year
income of all graduates will be more than
$50,000. The Alumni Association and
the General Fund are licking their chops
for donations. Norma Palms’ new plan
for the university, giving fair support
for all schools and departments, has
been a success. The AAU reconsiders
USC and accepts the university. Students,
faculty and staff celebrate the fact that
they will no longer hear speeches about
AAU from either Palms.
June - The state legislature awards
USC for its efforts by increasing state
allocations by more than 25 percent.
Trustees award students by decreasing
tuition by 5 percent after years of
increases. USC is ranked by many
magazines as the top institution in the
Southeast and one of the best in the
country.
Wow. What a year. Sorry we missed it.
SUMMER OF '99
/
Letters to the editor are welcome from all members of the Carolina community. Letters should be
250-300 words and must include name, phone number, professional title or year and major.
Handwritten letters must be personally delivered to RH 333. The Gamecock reserves the right to
edit for libel, style and space. Call 777-7726 for more information.
Columnist ignores
voice of majority
To the Editor
Once again, the message of the
minority is attempting to quell the voice
of the majority (Emily Streyer, “S.C.
harms itself with its heritage,” July 21).
South Carolina has never found the
"national limelight unbecoming," rather
this proud state and her citizens relish
the thought of national attention. A
boycott by the NAACP in an attempt to
silence the vote of this states majority
is as relevant as the NAACP considering
legal action against the TV networks for
"not having enough diversity in their fell
lineups." Has anyone taken a look at the
Black Entertainment Network lately?
Perhaps we aren't aware of the proportion
of diversity on Warner Brothers
Television?
I proudly say "heritage not hate" and
find the reference to those that display
a similar belief of being a "parrot" an
example of a lack of understanding by
Ms. Streyer the reasons for the flag flying
over the capital today. I agree with Ms.
Streyer that the flag is a symbol, it’s a
symbol of a nation that was forced into
extinction by use of military force and
occupation. The Confederate States of
America were formed in the same
manner, as were the 13 colonies. Citizens
that expressed their dissatisfaction with
the governing body and elected their
own governing body, formed their own
constitution, distributed their own
currency, dispatched their ambassadors
to foreign countries and of most
importance believed in their right to be
governed by those of their choosing. While
differences between North and
South exist today, they are insignificant
compared to those that existed in the
19th century. The misconception of a
planter aristocracy that represented the
entire South is erroneous, for many
throughout the South neither owned
slaves nor lived under conditions greatly
different than those enslaved.
Emancipation wasn’t the origin of
Northern insistence on the existence of
the union, only after Northern support
for continued conflict waned did President
Lincoln proclaim the end of slavery as
justification for the continued War
Between the States.While the South
may have lost the war for independence,
we Southerner's take great pride in the
behavior of our soldiers when they
marched through Northern States, vastly
different than that of Northern soldiers
who pillaged, plundered and burned
much of the South.
Ms. Streyer goes on to call those that
believe in the preservation of Southern
history to be "proud and ignorant."
Perhaps Ms. Streyer is an advocate of
minority rule, or that those which make
the most noise are entitled to having
only their opinion heard?
The flag should remain over the
Capitol, not because I say so, or any one
person says so, but because the majority
that voted in our state elections said so.
Until a vote is cast by the majority of
this states citizens that elects to lower
the flag, the minority of this state should
respect the views of the majority.
No Ms. Streyer, the flag is not the
most prominent symbol of racism in this
world; it is however a poignant reminder
of my ancestors and the sacrifice they
made for this state and the nation this
state once was a member of. This state
voted to retain the flag, if you have such
little respect for those that passed before
you, please attempt to have some degree
of respect for those of us that disagree
with you today, after all, we are the
majority in this state.
John Kirby
Marketing Senior
W NEWS A&lN “•™Is 6FTS OS
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PAILY (SUN KILLINGS"
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1' 1 ' L
latest multiple
The Washington Post
A proven winner wants your help this fall
“As we all know, it’s never too late (or
too early) to make yourself attractive to
prospective employers. Writing skills are
one of the most important on many
employers’ checklists.”
Summer. That's supposed to be the
key word. No more pencils, no more
books, no more teachers .... Well,
_ for those of
I I you not
working or
trying to
prolong the
journey back
to (or for the
first time to)
school, some
of us were
busy trying
to make the
SARA LADENHEIM butterflies
columnist_ that are
-- always
present on the first day a little lighter
on your stomach.
Something big is happening in this
last semester of the 1990s at USC.
In fact, it's something that each and
every one of you who read this column
should be proud of as a part of your
university and community.
Your own student newspaper, The
Gamecock, is going to win the collegiate
equivalent of a Pulitzer Prize — the
elusive Pacemaker award in journalism.
Now, for many of you, this means
about as much as that dead cockroach
on the floor over there.
But for maybe one or two or 1,000 of
you, a little piece of inspiration will be
planted, and you will want to join the
most progressive and exciting organization
on campus.
Not only do I, as your editor in chief,
guarantee that you will love your
experience at The Gamecock, but I also
guarantee that you will be a member of
an award-winning team. It might not
be the Sugar Bowl or the NCAA
Championship, but it will be something
that you can be proud to say you are a
part of.
Here's how we're going to do this; it's
my own secret plan:
Take a look at the paper now, and
compare it to last semester (or if you
missed the past style of The Gamecock,
come up to RH 333, and we can show
you how much it has changed). Not only
does it look like a million dollars, but we
want it to make one million dollars. Yes,
you read that correctly. We want our
little South Carolina paper to equal the
profits of another little college paper to
our immediate north — The Daily Tar
Heel at UNC. It is possible to do this,
but we need your help. Here's how we
can do it:
First of all, refuse to pick up copies
of the “Zip Sheet,” even when their people
stand there and shove it in your face.
Refuse to do it. Simply say “no thanks,”
and pick up a oopy of the “Cocky Shopper,”
our very own coupon clipper that is colored
in the friendly garnet and black as
opposed to the blinding yellow of the “Zip
Sheet.” If you think about it, the “Zip
Sheet” has nothing more to offer than
pushiness. All of us here at The Gamecock
are fellow students, and helping out your
fellow students is a definitive part of the
Carolinian Creed. It's a small sacrifice
to make for your fellow students.
Secondly, join The Gamecock. Not
only will you get to cover the most exciting
events on and around our campus, but
you might be the lucky winner of a weekly
press pass to Williams-Biyce Stadium.
One lucky person will get to cover the
game each week with veteran Gamecock
staff in the press box or alongside Sean
Rayford, the 1998 South Carolina Press
Association's “Best Photographer in
South Carolina Collegiate Media,” right
on the field. As we all know, it’s never
too late (or too early) to make yourself
attractive to prospective employers.
Writing skills are of the highest
importance cm many employers’ checklists.
Clips from The Gamecock can help you
out as a senior attempting to get a job,
or as an underclassman frying to secure
an internship, grant or a stronger resume.
The best part about it is that you decide
when you want to write, what you want
to write about and how often you want
to write. Any major is welcome; proof of
this is in your editor in chief. I’m not a
journalism major, but rather a history
and political science double major. We
have many journalism majors on staff,
but we also have representation from
the computer science department,
international relations, engineering,
media arts, anthropology and
interdisciplinary studies, to name a few.
Finally, show a little pride in your
school, and do something that will help
to make it better than ever. It would be
wonderful to be able to write more stories
about students who are out of, rather
than in, trouble. School spirit should be
more than just attending football games.
If you see litter on the Horseshoe, pick
it up. If you see a fellow student struggling
with a door or with a tray in The Grand
Marketplace, help him or her out. Take
the time to leave your mark on this
campus, and remember that it’s never
too late to do it, either.
All I have ever wanted to achieve as
editor of The Gamecock is to inspire my
staff to want to produce the best
newspaper in collegiate journalism. I
hope that you will read this column and
become inspired to do something great
with your collegiate experience.
,' —I-I—I-I- . -I-I—-——— -—J ;