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This Day In USC History October 29, 1971- Windows in 13 cars were broken in the Capstone and Columbia Hall area. THE STORY BEHiND ALLHALLOWS EVE i _ ay A4h Wmj t H) ami As sfs tan r ErCiTf|A Editor Goblins Jack-o’-lan^Mfi^dbkgkfcSts ate all symboMhat are associatechv ivRth pr^nt-day mloween. / >v We tend to thirirtto; Halloween i a moota-day folilay, but it actually has its roots in Celtic'Eng land^uring this time, Ha loWehj^^ndmi a|Allhallow#E’en, or Allhallows Eve. /S. One theo^ns that the oHgins of Hi llow€en laylrhan ancient Celtmestival, the “Samhain.” HalLa^veefr / is a rite with fcan root? \ me rituals ancMvinaliQnwpre part of their celebration, iWan priests usually onfered antfnal sacrifices before and during the festival. It was celebrated at the / end of Obteber and^erOguj zid the end of their calendar yean [ / The eeriness of this festival was Mt the cMs beheved that the veil between this worji and the /world of the dead was the thinnest during the Samhain festival. Because of these|Celtigd5eliels, witch / es, ghosts and cats are otten used in Halloween activiHesM* W The Samhain celebration used nuts, apples, skeletons, witches and black cats. Prophecy reading, \ channelmg and magic were practiced to seek answers for the future. It w4 surmised that both good / ^\andeyil spirits walked the earth during this time in the form J)f a black cat. I / \ /Blaekcks were considered to have the ability to predicrthe fiiture. I /During this festival supcWtural beings terrified^ general pubhcjwen today black cats are consid ** ere&tpbe symbols of HMoweenandsupefstition. To celebrate the Samhain festn^bQnfires were lit outside the villages to honor the gods. All the vil lagers brought embers tomSrHSSerSid relit the fire in their own hearth. The embers were held in holloweciout gourds with s^ary feces carved into them. This was the predelessor of the ja^o-lantem. In present-day America, children dress up is their favoritecartoon characters or action heroes and walk around their neighborhoods (accompa^igdby an aduk of course) to go trick or treating. This modem ritual has alsocome out ©f the past. There are a few theories about the origins of dressing up and trick or treating. Some are more obscure thm others: • Adults and children alike dressed up in scarykxistumes and in order to keep evil spirits away. • The celebration of Muck Olla, a Celtic god, wherktlwe was a parade and people begged for food. • A custom where people leave food out for the spmts|that walked the earth during the Samhain So the origins of Halloween are not that different from present-day practices and traditions. They might be done for different reasons: the ancient Celts celebrated for religious reason and modern-day Americans celebrate for the sake of celebrating (after all, we do need a holiday in October). Harry Potter children's series raises concerns, some USC professors denounce investigation by John Huiett Assistant News Editor While some South Carolina parents are speaking out against supposed occult influences in the Harr) Potter children’s book series, some USC educatior professors are denouncing the criticism. A dozen parents asked the State Board of Educa tion on Oct. 12 to remove J.K. Rowling’s popular fan tasy books from schools, alleging the books encourage witchcraft and violence among children. One Columbia school, A.C. Moore Elementary, has halted the order of more Harry Potter books for the school’s library until an investigation is done on * the books’ effects on children. | But education professor. Lorin Anderson said m Harry Potter opponents are overreacting j| and neglecting real problems in the process. fm “With all the things going on in schools, safe ty issues, lack of academic gains, low test scores H ,the question of if one book is going to turn per- I fectly nice students into Satanists doesn’t place H too high on the list,” Anderson said. “It’s amazing people think a book has this i| kind of power,” he said. Anderson, who teaches curriculum and re- i| search courses, added that one of the major reasons 1 for secondary education is to get children to read. * He said he questions those parents and educators who seek to rid school systems of books that encourage children to be literate, saying, “I wish I had the time these people have. “This is supposed to be education, not mythology not theology. My guess is if the kids like to read the books, they’ll read more often and leam to read bet ter.” uiumaieiy, nnuerson saiu uiose opposing me dook: are missing the point of education entirely. “One of the biggest problems in this state is liter acy, not witchcraft,” Anderson said. Michael Rowls, associate professor of literacy anc education, agreed with Anderson. But he said the pus! to ban the books in schools goes beyond education is sues. “From an academic point of view, I am against cen sorship of any kind of literature,” Rowls said. Rowls said he doesn’t understand why parents and educators are against the books, considering the fan tasy genre has been around in children’s books for many years. “The linkage with the occult is curious to me be cause it has always existed in children’s literature,” Rowls said. “The [Harry Potter] books are basically 1990s versions of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and other children’s classics.” Rowls warned that if the Harry Potter books were taken out of schools, it would be the be ginning of a disturbing trend. “If we’re going to get rid of witch craft in literature, we’re going to have to 1 get rid of ‘MacBeth’, too,” Rowls said. While Rowls said he wouldn’t use the Hany Potter books as educational tools in the classroom, he would have the books available to encourage his students to read. The State Board of Education has yet to make a decision on whether the books will be removed from schools. Regardless, the controversy hasn’t hurt book sales. Harry Potter books cur rently have a stronghold on the top three positions of The New York Times best sellers list for hardcover fiction. ■ W Since its release five weeks ago, Wg “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azka ||r ban” has been No. one. Holding steady at No. WW two is another in the series, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” on the list for 19 weeks. W It dropped a notch only after the release of the lat f est Potter book. And “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” com ing in at No. three, has been on the list for 44 weeks. The book’s paperback version has been No. one on the list for paperback fiction since its September release. French duo takes on U.S. BY DEEPTI HAJELA Associated Press New York — There’s no sibling ri valry between Helene and Celia Faus sart, who perform as the African French duo Les Nubians. The sisters talk to one another as much as to the questioner, reaching out to touch each other’s arms when making a point. That doesn’t mean these “no quibbling” siblings don’t have an oc casional disagreement. “We’re sisters, of course,” He lene explained. They began performing profes sionally about five years ago and have gained a dedicated following in the United States. Les Nubians combine the hip-hop soul sensibilities of Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu with the world rhythms that reflect their international up bringing in Europe and Africa. They are currently on tour, play ing to capacity audiences at clubs across the United States. It doesn’t seem to matter to their American fans that most of the songs on their album, “Princesses Nubiennes,” are sung in French. “I think people are saying that ‘We don’t know what they’re saying, but we can feel what they’re saying,”’ Helene, 25, said. “They can definitely love the music, the voices, the arrange ments.” Campus Notes Drop-In Center needs peer health educators The Open Door Drop-In Center is re cruiting new peer health educators. Stu dents will staff the Drop-In Center and help other students with nutrition, fit ness, stress, blood pressure and body fat percentages. Stop by Health and Well ness Programs for an application. Appli cations are due today. Flood relief donations still accepted The Office of Community Service Pro grams will be accepting items for the vic tims of Hurricane Floyd throughtoday. Non-perishable food items and person al hygiene products are in demand. These items can be dropped off at the RH base ment office. M_I _ A_•_ __ nuunu iduie udinmy Society hosts Halloween party The Round Table Gaining Society will host the first Carolina Halloween Party from 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday at Cap stone. The event, which is open to all students, will feature a costume contest, food and music. Admission is a donation of three cans of food per person or five per couple. The cans will be donated to the Harvest Hope Food Bank. Students can also pay $3 per person or $5 per cou ple. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, in front of the Russell House. For more information, e-mail at uscrtgs@hot mail.com. CHDC offers workshops The Counseling and Human Develop ment Center is offering a “Healing the Wound: Recovering from Loss” work shop for those who have experienced loss, both obvious ones like death and less obvious ones like changes in lifestyles. This workshop will describe a healing process and provide time for discussion and sharing. For more information or to register, call 777-5223. ri duuuc unt. to be given Kaplan, Psi Chi and the Golden Key Hon or Society are offering students a prac tice Kaplan GRE at 9 a.m. Saturday. Call Caroline Hill at 771 -2947 or Torrey Be cote at 544-4411 for more information. Volunteers needed for the Governor’s Cup The 27th Annual Governor’s Cup Run ning Events need 100 volunteers to aid in event preparation and commencement. Volunteers can work six different sign up shifts on today and Saturday. Students, faculty and staff are welcome to sign up at the Office of Community Service Pro grams in the RH. Call 777-5780 for more information. SG mock election to be held Student Government is sponsoring a mock election from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tues day. All Columbia campus students can vote for presidential candidates for 2000. Questions regarding Safe Ride, changing USC’s mascot and the slate lottery will be included. Vote at www.vip.sc.edu, choose personal tab, then Student Gov ernment elections. _a i__: well will Id MIUIIIIII Association to host basketball preview The Carolina Alumni Association will host an evening with Eddie Fogler from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Monday. Fogler will speak on his ideas and hopes for the coming season, and the team wi^ll be in action. The evening is open for members of the Carolina Alumni and student mem bers of the association. Each member of the student portion may bring one guest. For those interested in becoming a member of the Alumni Association Stu dent membership, call the Alumni Of fices at 777-4111. CPR course to be offered Health and Wellness programs will offer an American Red Cross Adult CPR course from 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 9 in Blatt 110. Cost is $20. To register, call 777-6518.