Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Quote, Unquote c -» The cops won’t be able to do anything to stop them next time, even if there is time on the clock.’ James Adkisson, Wide Receiver fl Wednesday, September 6, 2000 Zht (Bamecock Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08 Editorial Board . Brock Vergakis • Editor in Chief Kevin Langston • Viewpoints Editor Nathan White • Asst. Viewpoints Editor Patrick Rathbun • Editorial Contributor Brad Walters • Editorial Contributor Fans should reject new spirit song Students were introduced to the new Gamecock spirit song dur ing Saturday night’s game against the New Mexico State Aggies. “Rocking with the Gamecocks” was written by two University of South Carolina alumni, and it was given its first test run at the beginning of Saturday’s game. As USC’s first official spirit song, “Rocking with the Gamecocks” is supposed to supplement the fight song. The new song was pumped through the stadium before the fa miliar “2001” session began. With fans already worked up about the first game and potential victory, the song’s initial success could nnt hp amirafplv mpJKlirpd However, during halftime, students were given another oppor tunity to hear the song. This time, there was a more open rejection to the song. As the football teams returned to the field for the sec ond half, the song was cut before it was over. This was met with an accepting ovation. The initial reaction to the new spirit song should not be met with any amount of shock. The song sounds very outdated and laughable to the average college student. Its appeal is aimed more toward older fans of USC sports and not the students. If this was supposed to give fans something to celebrate, it missed its mark. Fans of USC football didn’t need a new song to give them reason to celebrate. They needed a team worth cheering on, and although previous teams might have deserved it, they failed to provide any reason for much celebration and spirit. Fans did not storm the field and rip down the goalposts because of the new spirit song. A simple win, a sense of victory, inspired such behavior. USC sports teams and their fans deserve nothing less. USC needs to alert students about rape Many of you probably do not realize that there was a rape off campus on August 17, two days before students moved in. Unfor tunately, the university has done little to make this incident known to students at Carolina. It would be fitting for the univer sity to make public announcements to the student body that such incidents can mid do occur around USC. The university has stressed to The Gamecock that this incident did not occur on campus, but that is misleading. This incident oc curred on Greene Street near the Gambrell and Williams-Brice buildings. Considering, that part of Greene Street is half on-cam pus and the other half is mainly off-campus housing inhabited by students, along with several student religious centers, the incident virtually happened on campus. In fact, the area surrounding USC between Blossom Street, Gervais Street and the railroad tracks is often referred to as the USC neighborhood. In the future, the university should take necessary steps to in form the Carolina community that such crimes occur near USC and that students should be prepared for such instances so that they too will not be victimized. This is an urban campus and USC should make sure that students understand that because of this, USC is vulnerable to crimes such as rape. A R n it t IT c The Gamecock is the student newspaper of The University of South Carolina and is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the fall and spring semesters and nine times during the summer with the exception of university holidays and exam periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the editors or author and not those of The University of South Carolina. The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media is the newspaper's parent organization The Gamecock is supported in part by student activities fees. Address The Gamecock 1400 Greene Street Columbia. SC 29208 Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Studeht Media Area code 803 Advertising 777-3888 Classified 777-1184 Fax 777-6482 Office 777-3888 Gamecock Area code 803-777-7726 Editor in Chief gamecockeditor@hotmail.com University Desk gamecocudesk@hotmail com City/State Desk gamecockcitydesk@hotmail.com Viewpoints gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com Spotlight gamecockspotlight@hotmail.com Sports gamecocksports@hotmail.com Online www.gamecock.sc.edu Submission Policy Letters to the editor or guest columns are welcome from all members of the Carolina community. Letters should be 250-300 words. Guest columns should be an opinion piece of about 600 words Both must include name, phone number, profes sional title or year and major, if a student Handwritten submissions must be personally delivered to Russell House room 333. E-mail submissions must include telephone number for confirmation and should be sent to gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit for libel, style and space Anonymous letters will not be pub lished. Photos are required for gir'est columnist and can be provided by the submitter ’ Call 777-7726 for more information. The Gamecock Brock Vergakis Editor in Chief Brandon Larrabee University Editor John Huiett City/State Editor Kevin Langston Viewpoints Editor Jason Harmon Martha Wright Copy Editors Jared Kelowitz Sports Editor John Bailey Asst. City/State Editor Amanda Silva Asst. University Editor Nathan White Asst. Viewpoints Editor Student Media Ellen Parsons Director Susan King Creative Director Sean De Luna Todd Hooks Melanie Hutto Emilie Moca Martin Salisbury Creative Services Kenton Watt Adyertising Manager wmmaammm MacKenzie Craven Meredith Davis Asst. Spotlight Editors Amy Goulding Photo Editor Sean Rayford Sports Photo Editor Miranda LaLonde Ann Marie Miani Brad Walters Design Editors Will Gillaspy Online Editor Kyle Almond Asst. Sports Editor Charles Prashaw Senior Reporters Jacquelyn Poston Writing Coach Robyn Gombar Melissa Millen Brantley Roper Nicole Russell Advertising Staff Carolyn Griffin Business Manager Sherry Holmes Classified Manager Erik Collins Faculty Adviser College Press Exchange Technology Issues Technology desensitizes its users — the space age, and everyone should be none too happy about this prospect. Sure, there are many ad vancements that Patrick Rathbun might have im- is a junior jour proved our stan- na|jsm major and dard of living, Writes every but there are WedneS{jay He many.others canbefeached that arc unnec- . _ ' . via The essary and even t detrimental. Gamecock at; Technolo- gamecockview gies, including points@hotmail.c the Internet, om have the poten tial to lead to ' ' ! feelings of detachment and frustration. Sure, technology can save us some time, but there’s no substitute for human contact. Some new innovations show us that our dependency is becoming increasing ly frightful. We can look forward to a uni versal card, which will be used as a cred it card/identification card/license/contact avoider. The card will merely decrease the amount of human interaction necessary in society, so that we can return to electronic reclusion with haste. This is definitely what we need - more impatience in our soci ety. Speaking of impatience, there are now portable matchmaking computers avail able in Japan. So, rather than actually meet ing people naturally, a computer aids in judging possible compatible partners. All you must do is input your character traits and interests, and the computer goes to work, beeping when a possible mate al so carrying the porta-matchmaker has sim ilar inputs. When I begin to trust a computer to make compatibility judgments for me, dien I know I’ve sunk to the lowest depths of desperation. In addition to refusing to carry a match making machine, I also refuse to carry a cell phone or pager with me. 1 can’t imag ine having this kind of leash around my neck at all times. I’m pretty sure I don’t want anyone to be able to track me down at anytime. I wouldn’t sacrifice my pri vacy for these tools. Electronic pets are also becoming more prevalent. I don’t understand how a ro botic dog could come close to having a re al dog. It’s only a matter of laziness and convenience. If you want to have the abil ity to turn your pet on when the liming is right, then I guess this would be for you, but don’t expect any emotional attach ment. I can’t wait until the next step is re alized in mechanical companionship. Soon, robotic buddies will be available, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m really tired of just playing with my computerized dog and consulting human friends for solutions. I need some more feedback, and a robot can really fufill those needs with pre-record ed, limited responses. I think HAL is the coolest, and he never shows any emotion. And I just can’t wait until every car’s interior includes a television. 1 can’t af ford to miss those reruns of “The Wonder Years,” so rather than be an attentive driver I can throw my attention towards Fred Savage. The Internet certainly is a valuable tool in our rushed society, but some peo ple possess an unhealthy addiction to the Net. Overuse of the Internet, just like TV, can reduce the amount of healthy hu man interaction we need to maintain. Both have the ability to educate and entertain, but only in small doses. Dependence can lead to callousness, numbness and de tachment. We can also thank the Internet for decreased attention spans. With e-mail and electronic docu mentation, there are no archives and it will be more and more difficult to have a win dow into the past. Everything is in con stant flux, and there is a mass deletion of documents taking place. I’m not saying we need to be residing in caves, but we must be weary of new technologies, and take into account their entire impact. Saving time shouldn’t be our most im portant concern. There is no substitute for human interaction or emotion. I don’t want simulated experience.. I want expe rience itself. I don’t want artificial intel ligence. I want intelligence without elec tronic additives. I want to free myself from cutting edge dependency. I’m not ready to live as The Jetsons. L. E T T E R S Column overreacted to parking problem I am a junior here at USC. 1 had classes in the Coliseum the last two years. You can make it from the Coliseum to Gambrell or the other buildings on cam pus in under 15 minutes on foot even when your professor lets you out late. I know because 1 did it for two years. So don't say it cannot be done, it can! As to the issue about the parking spaces that were taken out, five years ago they did not even exist, that area was like it is now. Also, most major colleges and uni versity are in cities, like the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. But their campus is predominantly green and all the parking is on the perimeter. We have four multi-level parking decks on campus. If you are so worried about parking, why don't you by a parking pass for one of those? Most people came here because they got scholarships or because USC has the program they wanted and Clemson did not or they wanted to be a Gamecock. I came here because of the pro gram 1 wanted and the history of the school, like the historic horseshoe. So why don't you do a little more re search? Also, the university added spaces behind the Bull Street Garage. Sa?a Ruth Connelly Political Science Junior The Washington Post "WHADDYA MEAN, HE'S NOT VERY EXCITING?/ HE'S NOT ASKING YOU TO MARRY HIM, JUST TO LET HIM RUN THE COUNTRY FOR A FEW YEARS" f .. ‘ : i ! . Student Issues Celebration offers USC rally point Rarely does a lime coroe j on this cam pus when an exhilarating event incites the student body into a state of celebration. Yet, last Saturday nigltt became one of the Corey Ford roost memorable in is a junior politi Carolina history, cal science With the 31 -0 major. He writes victory over the a column every New Mexico Stale Wednesday. He Aggies, the Game- can be reached cocks broke their via The 21-game losing Gamecock at skid, thus creating gamecockview a frenzy among the points@hotmail.c students that even- om tually led to the demise of the sta- **’“* dium’s goalposts. While the field rush occurred a little prematurely, the celebration overall did not resemble the chaotic rioting that has hap pened at other campuses when similar vic tories took place. No cars were overturned; no looting occurred in Five Points. The initial rush onto the field thankfully resulted in just one injury. The noise level - unbearable at first - accompanied with the chaiging of hundreds of fans simulated a scene out of “Brave heart.” The south endzone goalpost became the first victim, taking only 4 minutes to fall. The goalpost by the student section followed shortly afterwards, and both struc tures found a resting place on or near cam pus. I have never experienced anything com parable to Saturday’s jubilation. The dis tinctions that usually divide students were gone. Sporting events have this effect on people because, here, one can find fans of different backgrounds coming together. Stu dents who didn’t even know each other were chanting and chest-bumping togeth er. For once, we finally had a common goal in which to act upon: tearing down the goal posts. Only last February’s freak snowstorm sent the students into a similar celebrato ry mood, yet this cannot even compare to Saturday’s game. This campus desperately needed this outcome, simply because we have been too divided in the past. With USC being such a large campus, organizing students for a certain cause creates a tedious difficulty. Our location pr esents another prob lem. Since the campus is open to urban Co lumbia, we are not closed off like a num ber of other schools. Except for those involved in student organizations or other service groups, students no longer hold the fervor of decades past in regards to activism. Nevertheless, activism is not the only aspect lost here at Carolina, pride in the University lags behind, especially when compared to other schools in the South eastern Conference Granted, a 21-game losing streak may not help matters, yet th is is the time when students should stand by their athletic pro gram the most. The success or failure of our sports teams must not be the determi nant for school pride. Students should stand proud to be a student of this University and a recipient of its benefits. Nothing angers me more than when students wear apparel displaying logos of other collegiate teams like: North Carolina or Penn State. Our athletic programs de serve better. Yes, maybe the students should have held off on their stampede with 36 seconds left in the game. But, the celebration and the eradication of the goalposts certainly became one of the most gratifying expe riences in Carolina history - one which must be remembered as a tr ue moment of student unity. And just imagine if we upset Geoigia....