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Quote, Unquote ‘If we could find a way to beat them (Arkansas), I would personally tear down the goalposts.’ Lou Holtz, USC Football Head Coach Friday, October 13,2000 ICIlC (BaiUCCOCb Page 5 fflic (5amecock 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 Martha Wright • Editorial Contributor Lottery cannot serve as cure-all for state South Carolina should have a lottery. The lottery is a vol untary source of revenue and an alternative to involuntar ily taxation. The main argument against having a lottery is that it is a “regressive tax on the poor,” meaning that people who can least afford to spend their money on lottery tickets are most likely going to. Who are we to really say how a person spends his or her money? As long as this person pays his bills and taxes, there is no reason for anyone to interject with his spending habits. One thing that South Carolina or any other state shouldn’t do is promoting the lottery as a way to cure social problems. Lottery revenue won’t cure South Carolina’s problems, but it could help finance government. For example, the lottery is so successful in Florida that there is no state income tax. With the lottery, Floridians have the option of buying or not buying lottery tickets. They can use the money Florida has chosen not to tax them with for other things as well. If South Carolina uses the lottery as an alternative to taxa tion and not a social cure-all, it should be accepted. Many less er-privileged South Carolinians may indeed invest more money into lottery tickets than would be considered prudent for some one in their economic bracket, but, again, it isn’t our role to say how they spend their money. These are free-thinking human be ings, not the moronic consumers that many combatants of the lottery make them out to be. And if the South Carolina lottery is as successful as Florida’s, all South Carolinians will have much more income to spend when the state income tax is abolished. States around the union have earned billions of dollars in rev enue from their lotteries. These are revenues that would have been generated from involuntary taxation had the lotteries not existed. Any form of revenue that doesn’t harm person or prop erty should be promoted as an alternative to taxation. The lottery, if created properly without any notion of curing social ills, is definitely something that South Carolina should consider implementing. } Poor scheduling forces tough decision on fans This weekend, there will be a test of fan loyalty that shouldn’t have to occur. Many students, especially out of-state ones, will have to choose whether to go home this weekend or attend the Arkansas football game. Arkansas is an important game because, if we win, we will become eli gible for a bowl. Forcing students to choose whether to sup port their team or go home is a bad situation, made worse by ► having to fight the lack of parking because of the State Fair. We hope in the future the athletics department does every thing it possibly can to avoid scheduling games over fall break and the same weekend as the state fair. About Us "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. Student 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 gamecockudesk@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 guest 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 Jared Kelowitz Day Sports Editor Kyle Almond Night Sports Editor Mackenzie Clements Jason Harmon Ashley Melton Brad Walters Martha Wright Copy Editors MacKenzie Craven Spotlight Editor Amy Goulding Sean Rayford Photo Editors Charles Prashaw Amanda Silva Asst. University Editors John Bailey Asst. City/State Editor Nathan White Asst. Viewpoints Editor Aubrey Fitzloff Miranda LaLonde Ann Marie Miani Jennie Moore Katie Smith Design Editors Studckt Media Erik Collins Faculty Adviser Ellen Parsons Director of Student Media Susan King Creative Director Sean De Luna Todd Hooks Melanie Hutto Emilie Moca Martin Salisbury Creative Services Carolyn Griffin Business Manager Jannell Deyo Robyn Gombar Kera Khalil Denise Levereaux Brantley Roper Nicole Russell Advertising Staff Jonathan Dunagin Interim Ad Manager Sherry F. Holmes Classified Manager College Press Exchange ''I SEE IT txbNTTAKE. LONGrRJftJHE CAHWJSHSTDW'SE.UP: . - • The College Experience Saying 'bye' is tough to stomach I am a senior. I have put in three years and one-half a semester at this university, and in the spring I will be entering in to the “rest of my life.” Am 1 scared? Not really, no. I think that friends, family, teachers and I have worked hard for this moment, and I am practical enough to know I’ll be overwhelmed Kevin Langston is a senior jour nalism major. He can be reached at gamecockview points@hotmail. com UUl 1IVSV uiipivpuiw. I might not jump right into the “rest of my life,” but I will never lose sight of it—the elusive future that I’ve been work ing toward for 21 years. Don’t get me wrong. I hope that after I shake the hand of President Palms in May I will already have a job to dread going to in the near fu ture. I have certainly worked for it, and I deserve nothing less. Through 21 years, I have concentrat ed most of my efforts to this ending point. My parents have provided more than I can ever return, and in a few short months it will be completely up to me. This has been a tough ride, but only as tough as I have wanted it to be. And in recollection, my college years haven’t been the toughest. I’d like to say that I have been ready and willing to take on any challenge while at USC, and I’d like to say I’ve been successful in this endeavor. But there is one aspect of get ting older and closer to “the rest of my life” that I cannot and will not come to terms with saying goodbye to the friends I have made. This practice has been getting more and more common, and there is no bet ter way to prepare you for the tough years that lie ahead than to have to say goodbye to the people that have been a major part of your life during the most important years of your life thus far. Since my more formative days as a freshman, I have had to end each semes ter by saying goodbye to a dear friend that I have made while at USC. That has been the toughest part. Forget the exams and research papers. You can always prepare for these moments, but saying goodbye is something I have not yet found a way to stomach. At first, it was a few people. Some in fluential comrades and buddies here and there, but as I have gotten older, more and more of these friends have moved on to •the bigger, brighter and better. I always thought Fd get used to it. 1 have never been more wrong about anything. Just this past weekend, I had to say goodbye to a per son that 1 had the luxury of knowing for two years. I think I always took his pres ence for granted, and now I have only regret to show for that. But I am sure this case is not rare. I would be remiss if I didn’t think all of you have gone through the same thing. If you haven’t, get ready for it. It is inevitable. I walk on this campus and look for the familiar faces that have made this place feel like the first thing away from home that I could really call my home. I have more and more trouble with this as the se mesters roll by. I miss seeing their faces. I miss sneaking up on them from behind to talk while we scuny to class. I miss them sharing these years and experiences with me. I miss it all. It would be selfish to say I wanted all of them to stay here with me, but I am on ly human. I would like for them to be here with me, but I realize that we have to move on. We have to take those next steps that we have taught ourselves for about 20 years to take. That doesn’t mean I can’t miss the hell out of them when their voices aren’t on the answering machine after a long day. 1 still keep up with my friends, and they keep up with me—the real ones, anyway. But I don’t have the luxury of seeing them whenever I want. No amount of classes can give me the thickness of skin I’ll need to get used to this. If there was one thing I would like to say to all of my friends who have been with me through these all-im portant college years, it would be that I am only a mere reflection of their beauty and brilliance. I am a lucky person to know and love the wonderful people that have been with me and continue to be with me. They are what made and make these years the best of my life thus far. If I ever had a good day, it was because of them. If I ever had a bad day, it was because they weren’t around to share it with me. I cannot imagine what it will be like when I am finally on the other end of these dreaded goodbyes. I don’t look forward to it, I assure you. Regardless of where I go from here on out, I cannot be true to myself if I don’t admit that my friends are the most important thing in my life. When I am starting all over, thoughts of them will dance in my head as I struggle to sleep at night in my new world. They helped me get this far, and I can only say that wher ever I go from here will be a tribute to them and our love. Letters Bigoted columnist needs Creed lesson To the Editor Because it is Carolinian Creed Week, I thought that my roommate and I would teach Mr. Nathan White a few things about the Creed. First of all, it is C-R-E E-D, not C-R-E-E-P week. Second of all, let us read the fourth thing we shall do as a Girolinian: “I will discourage bigotry, while striv ing to learn from differences in people, ideas and opinions...” Maybe if you took a look around your self, your eyes would be opened to a whole new world — one in which you are a very small, infinitesimal speck of dust. In fact, Mr. White, the one-strappers and scoot er riders outnumber you by a great deal.. How would you like it if the next time a scooter rider saw you, he pushed you in to some bushes, beat you up with his scoot er, strangled you with your two-straps, and ran away? When I’began reading your column (“Preserving our dignity during USC Creed Week,” Oct. 9), I thought: “How nice. Some student is actually going to publish something about upholding morals, ethics and dignity.” I was sadly mistaken when I read your article, which encourages stu dents to beat others senselessly, for no oth er reason than because they’re “wankers.” Perhaps in your next column, you should define the word “wankers” because, frankly, I thought that you were one. But you would not use “wanker” as a deroga tory term if you, yourself, were one. As for your 3-year-old niece, perhaps you should worry less about passing on an “uncool” look, and worry more about mak ing sure she does not grow up to become a thoughtless, uncompassionate “wanker.” Perhaps, though, her gene pool is already tainted with your bigoted views. Perhaps you should switch your major to biology, so you can isolate and copyright your “scooter” gene or “one-strap” gene. Per haps, if you should be so lucky, you could find the “wanker” gene. And then, you could form the perfect Aryan nation, de void of any forms of deviation from the standard “cool” two-strap. For future reference, I am concluding my letter with a helpful hint: Use spell check before you send in another column. “Superficiality” is not a word. At least not in English. Perhaps it is in Swahili. Un fortunately, I do not speak that language. And 1 was under the impression The Game cock wrote in English. Claire Gilbert AIME Freshman Use of word “gay” inappropriate To the Editor I would like to comment cn Nathan White’s column. I am sure that others share my outrage and disgust with Mr. White’s apparent need to regress back to his days in high school when insulting a person for no apparent reason was “cool.” 1 would like to inform him that those days are over. .1 also lake serious offense to him calling people who he talked about in the article “gay.” My sexual orientation aside, it is appalling that this appeals in the very same issue that told us Columbia is fourth in the nation in per capita HIV/AIDS cases. Am I the only one shocked by that statistic? 1 do see the humor in the column, but I also see its inappropriateness. This is Creed Week, and Mr. White totally raped the Creed with his comments in his col umn. To me, that is unacceptable. The pur pose of the Carolinian Creed is to foster pride in the students of this university. This is college and, in addition to learning, it is a place to leant to live with others in so ciety and appreciate their differences. I sincerely hope that those who do take the Creed seriously, join me in my disdain for this column. Mr. White, I hope you real ize what you have done and how many people you could have offended with your comments. I understand the concept of free speech and your right to say what you want, but there is a time for all things. Your words were not only juvenile and disgusting, but they put a spotlight on your ignorance and stripped you of any dignity your were trying to preserve with this column. Toby Guinn Music Senior The Workplace Conformity starts with uniformity With a-mere two-and-a h a 1 f months of my pre cious freedom re maining before grad uation, I am left to ponder how it all went by so fast. In just a few short months, I will be at the point in my life that I always thought was such a long way off. My life thus far has been in prepara tion for what is about to come. Will I be in tegrated nicely into the system of the y# *1 Pete Johnson is a senior jour nalism major. He writes every Friday. He can be reached at gamecockview points® hot mail.com working world, or will 1 be Gist aside because I’m not ripe for the conformity that comes along with it? I have come to the conclusion that no body will judge what you do for a living, as long as you wear a shirt and tie. That is the only thing the employers care about. Who came up with the concept that, in' order to be a self-respecting human being, one must wear, at the very least, a shirt and tie? And once we have accumulated a closet full of pressed shirts and nicely colored ties on an electric revolving tie rack, we must wear them appropriately and stand around die wa ter cooler with our fellow shirt-and-tie-wear ing drones to discuss “adult” issues. What defines one’s attire as .being fit to sit at a desk in all day? If all dress codes were eliminated and people were allowed to wgit whatever they wanted, maybe working for a living might not be so boring and monot onous. If I could roll out of bed and throw on anything at all to go to work, perhaps the thought of it wouldn’t be so repulsive. It might be aigued that you should dress -a certain way because you are representing the company you work for. But who set the benchmark for “professional attire” as a shirt and tie? Doesn’t it lose effect when every one else does it? We are simply giving in to peer pressure. Dressing by anyone’s stan dards eliminates individuality and essen tially turns you into a numbered cubical ~ dweller. I think there’s a chart in the CEO’s office of every company with a number cor responding to each of us. Hell, even most company execs are numbers in their very own system. u _’ ..ii i— i rificing ourselves and our time to an invisi ble queen bee. And what do we get from it? Well, we get to be average, law-abiding cit izens and we get to pay out the wazoo for everything but sunlight and air. The only goal we set for ourselves in our adult life is to get by and earn just enough to support ourselves and our families. I am a person who gets bored very easily. Being that 95 percent of jobs right out of college are generally pretty boring, how am I sup posed to maintain my sanity while simulta neously keeping an optimistic and happy out look on life and my future? I am sick of watching commercials about businesses designed to help your business to do better and more oiganized business with other businesses. These people all look so happy that their fomis and reports have been neatly and effectively filed away and trans ferred in a timely fashion to their clients, who desperately need these generally point less numbers and figures so they can fill out their own set of forms and reports and go through the same process with another business. What difference does it all make? Nobody really knows the importance of any of this crap. All they know is what they’ve been told by their direct superior, who knows what he’s been told by his direct superior nrwl cn nn un thp rlinin nf rnmmanrl \ inct I - • a big game of telephone with cheat sheets. Why is everyone so business-obsessed? It seems that nobody in business really mat ters anyway, so why waste our time with it? The more I talk to recently graduated friends and watch movies like “Office Space,” “Fight Club” and “The Matrix,” the more 1 reali/e that I would really much rather go to class and generally goof off during the remain der of my time here on Earth. I can’t think of any of my graduated friends who are hap py with their job. Even some of the most fo cused people I know seem deflated by the transition into the working world. How I envy the adventurers among us (and often within us) with not a care in the world other than to learn and explore. You’ll never catch one of them in a shirt and tie. Langston Hughes once said: “Hold fast to . dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly." I don’t see a verse in there about professionalism or ties.