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Quote, Unquote ‘It would be unacceptable to try to build a tuition increase to make up for $23 million.’ John Olsgaard, Associate Provost " 'Cht (Samecock Serving the Carolina Community since 1 QOS Brock Vergakis Editor in Chief Clayton Kale Viewpoints Editor Erin O’Neal Spotlight Editor Kyle Almond Sports Editor Brad Walters Design Editor \ _ t Brandon Larrabee University Editor Amanda Silva Spotlight Editor Valerie Matchette City & State Editor Martha Wright Copy Desk Chief Anti-discrimination needs to include all USC hasn’t had a great reputation for student activism in recent years, but one student organization seems to be changing that notion. The Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Al liance is making a concerted effort to change a longstanding USC anti-discrimination policy that excludes sexual orientation. The BGLA made a presentation to the student senate this past Wednesday to try to rally support for its cause, and The Game cock hopes its voice is heard. If USC is going to have an anti-dis crimination policy, it needs to be all-inclusive. Otherwise, a mes sage is sent that it is OK to discriminate against some groups and not others. Discrimination of any kind should not be tolerated. The Gamecock hopes this won’t be a difficult change to push through. However, the BGLA is no stranger when it comes to tough fights with the university. In 1981, the group successfully won a lawsuit against the university when USC denied them per mission to be an official USC organization. If the BGLA has to fight again with the university over this policy, we want it to know that it won’t be alone. The Gamecock will stand behind the BGLA throughout the course of its fight. Letter campaign will represent students’ view It’s encouraging news that 950 students signed letters uiging the General Assembly not to cut the university’s budget by 15 percent, as Gov. Jim Hodges has foolishly proposed. What’s not encouraging is that there are about 24,000 people who haven’t signed and should. Granted, the letter drive hasn’t been the best-publicized lobbying effort Student Government has taken on. But knowing the thousands of students who walk in front of the Russell House each day, it’s doubtful senators staffing tables on Greene Street on Thursday got the signatures of even a quarter of the people who walked by. Maybe they didn’t go out and actively encourage enough people to sign; regardless, they shouldn’t have had to. Students should have been forming lines to sign the letters. Undoubtedly, one of the reasons Hodges pro posed the cut in university funding is the level of apathy shown by the lack of signatures for the letter drive. The conventional wisdom is “College students don’t vote, so why not cut their budget?” College students don’t vote because they think govern ment has no bearing on their lives. Now it does, but they still show an incredible amount of apathy. Students need to go to the SG office on the first floor, or stop outside the Russell House when SG sets up tables this week. Fill out the letters and let your representatives know you are ready to actively oppose the budget cut. 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 erf 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 gamecockeditor0hotrnail.com University Desk gamecockudeskOhotmail.com City/State Desk gamecockcitydeskOhotmail.com Viewpoints gamecockviewpointsOhotmail.com Spotl ight gamecockspotl ightOhotmai I .com Sports gamecocksportsOhotmail.com Online www.dailygamecock.com SOBM&SION POUCY 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, professional 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 j for confirmation and should be e-mailed to j gamecockviewpointsOhotmail.com. < The Gamecock reserves the right to edit for libel, i style and space. Anonymous letters will not be published. Photos are required for guest columnists , and can be provided by the subnSitter. Travis Lynn Sean Rayford Photo Editors Aubrey Fitzioff Ann Marie Miani Jennie Moore Katie Smith Page Designers Charles Prashaw Asst City/State Editor Betsy Baugh Community Affairs Mackenzie Clements Jason Harmon Ashley Melton Copy Editors Stuocnt Media 1 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 Sarah Sims Advertising Manager Jannell Deyo Robyn Gombar Kera Khalil Denise Levereaux Nicole Russell Advertising Staff Sherry F. Holmes Classified Manager Only two letters to the editor per student will be rinted in a semester. Staff columns take priority over uest columns, unless the guest columnist offers expertise n a subject, or if the subject's relevance is limited by ime. Guest columns and letters may be submitted by -mail to gamecockviewpointsdhotmail.com. Call 777-7726 for more information. 1 map I ra WM GOP \ HWE IIP F0y» COWfflMI, / ppl mmt, p» I The aspiring novelist, final chapter The creative fire is burn ing inside you, and you just can’t wait to ink your very own nov el. You’ve got your protagonist, Sam; your antagonist, Sam’s dad, Dirk; your romantic love interest, Angela; and your goofy sidekick to be killed off, Andy. Now comes that not-so important aspect of every great novel: 4.1_1 Michael Kerr is a third-year journalism major. Reach him at gamecockviewpoints ©hotmail.com. uiv piuu It’s been said countless times that every story has already been told. Therefore, the books, movies and plays of today are merely updated versions of art created many years before. While some see this as a shame, I see it as an advantage. Your work is already half-completed. The plots are all right in front of you; you just have to pick one. Here are some ideas for your novel; ■ The Forbidden Love Novel: Sam meets Angela at a costume party (for some reason, every great love story has a costume party in it). Sam is dressed as a glass of milk and Angela as a giant Oreo cookie. It’s love at first dip. The conflict, which every story needs, arises when Sam introduces Angela to his father, Dirk. Dirk is furious that Sam would bring Angela into his home because she is either Jewish, African-American, Asian, white, too poor, too rich or a Red Sox fan. (The horror!) Sam defies his father and plans to marry Angela. Dirk attempts to stop the wedding, but Andy interferes with his plans. They fight. Andy dies. Sam kills Dirk. Sam and Angela live happily ever after. ■ The Road Novel: Sam and Angela were high school sweethearts. After graduation, Angela leaves their small, Midwestern town to go to college back East. Sam thinks he can handle it, but he is wrong. He sets out, with Andy riding shotgun, on a road trip to find Angela and tell her he loves her. Along the way, however, Sam’s estranged father, Dirk, finds out he will lose his rich grandmother’s inheritance if Sam is alive. He sets out to kill Sam, but the boys man age to escape in every chapter. Dirk finally tracks them down and comers Andy in an abandoned cracker factory. (I just think abandoned cracker factories are cool, OK?) They fight. Andy dies. Sam kills Dirk. Sam and Angela live happily ever after and are filthy rich when grandma kicks the bucket. ■The Existential Novel: Sam, Angela, Andy and Dirk all exist. They are free to make their own choices. The book is filled with their thoughts and dreams. Absolutely nothing happens for more than 500 pages. Absolutely no one reads your crappy novel for more than 500 years. Then around the year 2567, a noted schol ar decides your novel was a brilliant sto ry representing man’s struggle with him self, his sexual identity and God. You meant none of this while writing the novel, but you are heralded as one of the true great writers of the 21st Century. Unfortunate ly, you are far too dead to enjoy the royalty checks. ■ The Sitcom: You have your characters, but who says it has to be a novel? Simply make Sam a swinging bartender in Chicago. Angela will be his on-again, off-again girlfriend who waitresses in the same bar and has a sarcastic comeback for everything Sam says. (Has this been done already?) Andy will be the wacky neighbor, and Dirk will be Sam’s grumpy father who serves merely to point out his son’s flaws. It may not be the next The Great Gatsby, but if NBC picks it up, the next Seinfeld will put a lot more money in your pocket, anyway. You might think I made writing a novel sound much easier than it really is. Well, the fact of the matter is, I did. I wrote my first novel as a senior in high school. It was hard. It didn’t turn out well. Now, about three years later, I have yet to write my second. It’s not for lack of effort. I have plenty of ideas. I know what I want to say. It’s just a hard thing to get done. My hat is off to every man and woman who is able to do it. Ashcroft is a hypocrite To the Editor The confirmation of John Ashcroft as United States attorney general is truly a setback for tolerance and political integrity in this country. Ashcroft opposed James Hormel’s nomination for ambassador to Luxem bourg. Speaking to reporters during the nomination hearings, Ashcroft said Hormel “has been a leader in promoting a lifestyle. And the kind of leadership he’s exhibit ed there is likely to be offensive to ... in dividuals in the setting to which he will be assigned” (Hormel happens to be gay). What Ashcroft meant was that Hormel’s homosexual “lifestyle” might offend the largely Catholic people of Luxembourg. Perhaps Ashcroft should have consid ered the feelings of the 78 million Catholics in the U.S. when he accepted an honorary degree from Bob Jones University. He was n’t concerned about offending U.S. Catholics when he accepted a degree from a university that calls Catholicism a cult. Mr. Ashcroft opposed Bill Lann Lee’s nomination to head the Civil Rights Divi sion at the Department of Justice. Ashcroft said Lee was “an advocate who is willing to pursue an objective and to carry it with the kind of intensity that belongs to ad vocacy, but not with the kind of balance that belongs to administration.” Does Ashcroft meet this litmus test he applied to Bill Lee? Could anyone accuse John Ashcroft of “balance”? KarlTyer MBA student dulhs goal aamiraoie, but unnecessary To the Editor On the front page of the Feb. 2 edi tion of The Gamecock, an article titled “BGLA wants policy change” caught my attention. The thrust of the article was that the BGLA has asked the student senate to support them in an attempt to change USC’s anti-discrimination policy to in clude “sexual orientation” among the list of categories on which a person cannot be discriminated against when being consid ered for employment or enrollment. I applaud the spirit of this effort, but I must question its significance. Does the discrimination policy make a difference one way or the other? If sexual orienta tion isn’t among the categories, does USC then have a legal right to discriminate against homosexuals? Of course not. If the policy is changed, will it suddenly per suade the bigots of the world to change their outlook on life? Of course not. Sexual orientation is something that should probably be on the list. However, it will be the most useless gesture ever made. No one will care, no one will be protected and no one will change their views. Most like ly, no one will even look at the policy. Richard Joy Thud-year computer science student i_ener snows example of racial profiling To the editor I, too, read Mr.Green’s account of his experience with “perceived” racism. I be lieve what Mr. Green wrote is a clear example of racial profiling. I was appalled by the response of the student who com mented and referred to the incident as an “example of nonexistent-yet-perceived racism” (Letters, Monday, Jan. 29). As suming that he is not black, it’s safe to say that his ignorance of the situation and sim ilar incidents is the basis of his comment. A recent poll in The Washington Post found that 68 percent of blacks believe racism is still “a big problem in our soci ety,” while only 38 percent of whites agree. I feel that denial and cultural ignorance are even greater problems in our society today than the racism itself. I also believe that it is not the malicious and outlandish acts of racism that are hindering the growth of our society, but the subtle, “not-so-no ticeable” gestures and comments that are more powerful. Instead of evaluating incidents of racism as being “serious” or not, we, as citizens of such a diverse society, should look deep er into the situations and search for means of rectifying the situation. TacaraHall Fourth-year advertising student Look for William Snyder’s column in Tuesday’s online edition. 'Che (gamecock Take our word. www.dailygamecock.com •__i_i Helping . to search for one The Search for Six con cluded a while ago. If you’re not sure what the Search for Six is, here’s a brief sum mary. With regard to USC’s bicenten nial celebration, the administration has decided to select six people who repre sent USC. Most of these people have no affiltotinn uritli Nathan White is a fourth-year history and political science major. Reach him at gamecockviewpoints ©hotmail.com. this university, and it’s hard to comprehend why these people will participate in any bicentennial-related event. To sum it up, the Search for Six is wankerish. But, as a servant of the people, I am compelled to support this great institution in any of its endeavors (no matter how dumb) out of loyalty to the cause. With that said, the university has charged me with the great honor of delivering in person the letter of congratulations to the Dalai Lama on his selection as one of the Six. This is my story of the trials and tribulations I endured to deliver this message to Garcia, I mean, the Dalai Lama. Because the university gave me a per diem of 22 cents, I had to stow away on an oceanliner headed for India. I was discovered by the crew on the second day and was forced to earn my passage. I had to perform as a male dancer for mid dle-aged women whose husbands could no longer satisfy their insatiable needs. My virility was put to the test over and over again. Let us not talk about this sad chapter in my life any more. Once I arrived in India, the adventure really began. As I was proceeding to find the Dalai Lama on foot, the people started bowing down and worshipping me. Apparently, I was mistaken for Quetzalcoatl, the legendary light-skinned deity who would someday arrive in the land. Hold on, oops... wrong Indians. Sorry about that. I eventually found the Dalai Lama lecturing to the elders in the temple in Jerusalem. No, wait, that’s when Joseph and I were trying to find Jesus. Sorry, my mind’s a little hazy from those high altitudes in the Himalayas. The Dalai Lama was in his usual hangout just “hanging out.” When I found him, he seemed quite bored with the fast ways of the exile lifestyle and was hankering for a change. He was very excited about USC’s selecting him as one of the Six. “I can’t wait to see Los Angeles,” the Dalai Lama said, clapping his hands like a little child. “Sorry, Mr. Lama, but we’re going to the USC in Columbia,” I said. “Oh, damn. I guess I’ll have to tell Richard Gere I can’t meet up with him until the next Free Tibet concert. Anyway, let’s get going.” On the plane trip back, the Dalai Lama was asking me about the Greek scene at Carolina. He was thinking about rushing a fraternity and was wondering if there were a Delta Lambda chapter at USC. “Sorry, Mr. Lama, but there isn’t a Delta Lambda chapter at Carolina.” “Then I guess I’ll just have to grow out my hair nice and shaggy and buy a North Face tech vest. I already got the thong sandles, and I’m wearing my South Carolina flag belt right now. You know, I was actually bom in the South and only moved to Tibet after I got tapped to be the Lama. We should’ve won that war,” the Dalai Lama muttered in quiet frustration. When we finally arrived back at Columbia, the Dalai Lama found out about the possible budget cuts for USC and the possible tuition increases. He went crazy. At first, he started going to the State House to hold up signs, and, when that didn’t work, he thought about organizing a student takeover of the Osborne Building. When the Dalai Lama found out that taking over the Osborne Building had already been done in the 1960s, he nixed that idea be cause he wanted to do something original. We tried to stop him, but to no avail. In protest of the tuition increases, bad food at the GiMP and a whole list of other griev ances, the Dalai Lama immolated himself in front of the President’s House. The University has now tapped me for notifying everyone that the Search for Six has been discontinued and replaced with the Search for Five. 4 b