University of South Carolina Libraries
Quote, Unquote ‘Football gave us the opportunity to show our strength nationally.' Denise Wellman, Director of USC’ Visitor Center Wm (Samecock Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08 Brock Vergakis Editor in Chief Clayton Kale Viewpoints Editor Erin O’Neal Spotlight Editor Kyle Almond Sports Editor Brad Walters Design Editor Brandon Larrabee University Editor Amanda Silva Spotlight Editor Valerie Matchette City & State Editor Martha Wright Copy Desk Chief Cabinet should complete all campaign promises ien Student Government President Jotaka Eaddy an lounced a massive petition to get the drop date pushed jack, The Gamecock was one of many supporters. We were elated that more than 5,000 USC students signed to support the effort, and faculty senate seemed to be receptive to the idea. Then the attempts stopped. No more petitions or talk of send ing the proposal to faculty senate, which meets today. Service 101 and the Sixth Man Club — two other components of Eaddy’s “Contract for Carolina” platform — were completed, but the drop date proposal went nowhere. We’re disappointed in Eaddy’s cabinet. Not only because the proposal hasn’t gone anywhere, but also because we expected more from Eaddy’s branch of SG. It was consistently active while SG senate did what it’s so comfortable doing — nothing of im portance. Eaddy’s other campaign promises undoubtedly contributed to her landslide victory in the 2000 election, but the cornerstone was her plan for the drop date, which seemed more likely to suc ceed than other, more ambitious efforts. Unless Eaddy and her cabinet quickly move to get the propos al approved, it will fall by the wayside. The effort will be wasted, and an otherwise successful administration will end with a nag ging question: What if? I Students need to unite to fight budget cut plans College students in South Carolina should be mad as hell at Gov. Jim Hodges and the General Assembly because of the impending budget cuts that could force students to pay almost 30 percent more in tuition. It’s inexcusable that the powers that be couldn’t foresee a state budget shortfall in light of tax cuts mid the ban on video poker. What happened to Hodges’ campaign promise that “Lottery=Education”? Surely the man who promised to be the education governor can’t be considering cutting higher educa * tion. The voters of South Carolina have been misled, arid so have young people who voted for Hodges. The future of South Caroli na is at risk; cutting funding will mean fewer South Carolinians will be able to afford to go to college. Students must unite and stop the State House gang from steal _ . ing millions of dollars from our collective pockets. Budget cuts now would be disastrous. The thought that the state’s budget problems are going to be placed on the backs of college students is outrageous. Already-poor college students shouldn’t have to pay for the bungling of South Carolina government. 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 m 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 Mecha 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 gamecockviewpomts@hotmail.com Spotlight gamecockspotlight@hotmail.com Sports gamecocksports@hotmail com Online www.dailygamecock.com Submission Policy Letters to the editor or guest columns are welcome from all members of the Carolina community l etters should be 250 300 words Guest columns should he an opinion piece of about 600 words Both must include name, phone number, professional title or yt-nr and major, if a student Handwritten submission, must* lie fiersonally delivered to Russell House room 333. I mail submissions must include telephone number W for confirmation and should be e mailed to gamerockviowfioints@holrnail com ItieGarnicock rev***, Hie right to edit for lilml. style i and '.pace Anonymous lettif^ will not Im puMiOied Hiolos are requir**] lor guest columnists arid can I*; provkled t»y tin* submitter T>* CU**coc« Aubrey Fitzloff Charles Prashaw Ann Marie Miani Asst. City/State Editor Jennie Moore Katie Smith Travis Lynn Fran Woods Sean Rayford Mark Yates Photo Editors Page Designers Mackenzie Clements i Betsy Baugh Jason Harmon Community Affairs Copy Editors Stuoent Media Erik Collins Carolyn Griffin Faculty Adviser Business Manager Ellen Parsons Sarah Sims Director of Advertising Manager Student Media c ... Jannell Deyo cZS, ^nGombar Kera Khalil Sean De Luna Denise Levereaux Todd Hooks Nicole Russell I Melanie Hutto Advertising Stall I Emilie Moca Martin Salisbury Sherry F. Holmes Creative Services Classified Manager Only two letter, to Hie editor |>er •>! intent will tie l«nnt»i| in a vinr-.ter *f.otmnn'. take |inority over Hno*.t r.oliimrr., link-.'. tlKf^m-.t i.oliiinrir.l olUf, expertr.0 on (i '.nli|»*r.l, or if Hie Mib|Of.t''. relev.inee i*. limited by 1 line (jiM-.t r|iknnir. and letter. may Ik- Mibniitb-d try e in.nl to |*.iiih< or kvi«-w|»oint\M*otin.iil • om (..ill /// //'/<• for more information ' . BEEtER’a / LOOKS UKE \ THE/RE RAISING TUITION AGAIN... It’s Clinton’s legacy, stupid IthinkDonlmus summed up Bill Clinton’s lega cy best: “He’s a grown man in the Oval Office with Iris pants around liis tin kles getting a BJ from a fat intern.” Imus, the original radio shock jock, has never been a friend to the Clin tons, but he speaks the truth; his de scription hits the Clinton nail on the Hamp Nettles is a second-year economics major. Reach him at gamecockviewpoints ©hotmail.com. head. Bill turned the White House — the People’s House — into tut Arkiuisas trailer park, and his latest actions show him to be the trash he really is. Upon taking office, Clinton had the cliance to make his administration the most ethical presidency in Americiui history. Among the string of lies Clinton told on his way in raid ait of office, we now know that to be the biggest. An ethical president would not allow his White House staff to vandalize the West Wing and Air Force One. Clinton hasn’t even apologized. An ethical president would never grant a quid pro quo presidential pardon in exchange for votes or political donations. But Clin ton did — twice. An ethical president would never run the Lincoln Bedroom like a Motel 6. Yet Clinton did everytliing but construct a neon sign to flash “hourly rates” on the White House lawn An ethical president would at least addres rape charges if he were ever so accused But while Clinton’s accusers, who havt nothing to gain and everything to lose have given multiple interviews am withstood media cross-examination, Clin ton simply let Iris lawyers deny the charges An ethical president would never ordei overseas bombing raids as distractions fron his impeachment hearings. An ethical pres ident would itevergo before the Ameri can public, wag his finger in our faces an< tell an absolute lie. Perhaps Clinton was confused by wha “ethical” meant when he made his origi nal proclamation, considering his troubli defining smaller words such as “sex,” “lie, and “is.” Clinton, however, has done a bril liant job of defining what “unethical” mean! But let's set ethicsaside for a moment Perhaps you believe Clinton raid think on ly a president’s deeds matter. Apparent! many Americans have adopted that mind set, as evidenced by Clinton’s astronom ical job approval rating, which truly con fuses nte. The question I ask is: has Clinloi even done a good job governing? America’s tax burden is higher tlrai you or your parents have ever seen, am recently released data show consumer con fidence at a multi-year low. Fourth quai ter growth came grinding to a halt, an economists are beginning to predict zer growth for the economy in the near fu ture; others are predicting a recession. I fact, the manufacturing sector of the econ omy has been in recession for six month! The Clinton economy, once his claim t fame, has become a black mark on his resume. Over the span of his term, Clin ton did nothing to reform America’s grotesque entitlements system. Add the fact that nearly four years were spent on Cabinet missteps and impeachment, and it’s clear why Clinton’s legacy will be cliar acterized by what went wrong, not what went right. The most telling product of Clinton’s failures, though, is the fact that Republicans now control the presidency, I Congress and the Supreme Court—a dra matic power reversal from years past. But even if I forgive Clinton’s moral disrepute and concede the debate over . whether he actually accomplished much ’ of anything, I still have a major problem with him. To Clinton, everyone and every thing around him was a means. He used his family, his friends, his staff and his of fice to rise to power. He lied to them, used ' bribes when that failed and obstructed jus tice as a last resort. His career path is lit tered with others’ ruined lives, but never his own. To me, there is no worse of 1 fense against another human than to treat him or her as a means rather than an end. And for that, Clinton is pure trash —he would fit in better on Jerry Springer than The West Wing. I In a perfect world, Clinton would re . turn to his mobile home in Hope, Ark., . but instead he has moved into a laiger trail i er park — Washington, D.C. Perhaps he might follow Intus’ oft-used plea: “I want you to set yourself and your trailer on fire.” ) I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Letters Student questions spending of funds To the Editor The university hits just spent $1.8 mil lion on a collection of Ernest Hemingway novels. Does this blatant misuse and mis allocation of funds bother anyone but me? What does it say to the student body that the university can spend $1.8 million on “rare” books, but won’t save any of this year's budget money to compensate for the upcoming potential 15 percent cut? The article said this will “attract scholars from all over the world.” Big deal — it will attract scholars to a school that stu dents can’t afford to attend. 1 guess that is a dream of most pro fessors — to spend every day studying and not have to bother with teaching. The fac ulty and administration is obviously not worried about the upcoming potential cut, simply because their jobs are secure. I, however, am incredibly worried be cause if this cut does go through, 1 get gypped out of tin education because I will no longer be able to afford to come here. If a couple thousruid students have to drop out, what does that matter? We have rare Ernest Hemingway novels. Bonnie Sweat Third-year classical studies student BGLA’s intentions can create problems To the Editor Consider all ramifications before al lowing BOCA to change policy. On the surface,the Bisexual,(lay;utd U'sbianAI 1 liiuicc'jtnal lochiutge USC’s anti-discrim ination policy seems very “admirable.” I don’t want a repeat of the murder of Matthew Shepard, and I certainly don’t want gays to be constantly harassed for any reason. Even though I believe the gay lifestyle is logically and morally wrong, they should be protected from violence just like every one else. Of course, we shouldn’t be set ting up policies to exclusively protect cer tain groups because of their immoral practices, but for those who think that ho mosexuality is okay, this policy change probably sounds like a step in the right di rection. The BGLA probably has nothing but good intentions, but even good intentions can have devastating results. Consider what would happen if softie people wanted to start a Nazi or a KKK oigiinization at USC. Would they be able to? Of course not, because they are his torically racist groups, iind USC’s policy clearly states that you cannot discriminate because of color or race. Now, what if a gay student wanted to join an organization that believed being gay is morally wrong? I am sure that the person would be allowed to participate, but what if they wanted to become one of the leaders of the organization while still being openly gay? Would the organization allow a gay person to be a leader? They probably would not allow an openly gay student to become a leader, but if USC's policy were changed to what the UGLA wants, the university might have to step in and make sure that the individual is not discriminated igainsl. So the person would have to Ire appointed to a leadership posi tion, and the moral liber that holds the or ganization together would be lost. ► ’ I here are many ways the IK il -A could use their "iimoceiit^iolicy change to dis rupt and destroy other oiganizations that disagree with their lifestyle. So be very careful to consider what you will be losing before you decide if this change is needed. David Richardson Second-year engineering student Offended student demands apology To the Editor. I hope that I speak for more than just myself when I say that I was personally shocked by the political cartoon appear ing in the Monday issue of The Gamecock. I think it unfairly persecutes bom-again Christians (I myself am Catholic), but not only that, it blatantly denigrates homo sexuals! I think that unless the political c;irtoon taigets a single individual’s state ments (i.e. Trent Lott or Jesse Helms), then the cartoon is nothing less than a stereotype, and that should not be toler ated in a newspaper that should reflect a tolenuit campus. Also, the term “f-word” (a derogato ry term for homosexuals) is JUST as bad as the “n-word” (a derogatory term for African-Americans). Just as it would lie extremely frowned upon to print the “n word,” it should be equally frowned up on for the “f-word.” Whoever has the job for editing or fil tering the political cart(X)ns has dropped the ball and needs to issue ;ui explicit apol ogy to both the Christian and homosexu al communities! C. Martin Caver First-year mtcmatifSnal studies student Budget Battle Prepare > ■ to sell yourself As you’ve heard,tu ition is probably going up. In a Gamecock poll, almost 60 per cent of students said they would n’t be able to afford th§ tuition hike. . About 30 percent said they would transfer. Jim Hodges, who was elected at empty promises of Phil Watson is a second-year journalism major. Reach him at gamecockviewpoi nts ©hotmail.com. oeuer eaucauon, nas sei a nuge nuruie for those who want to go to college. I'm not sure how the new budget is going to help education in South Carolina, which Hordes says lie cares about. I’m sure Hodges is still angry with those prisoners for hav ing dirty sex in his house, but he shouldn’t take out his frustration on us college stu dents. Chances are there will be a raise in tuition, and students will need to find wavs to produce the money Hodges is taking from them. You’re probably saying, "But I already have a job.” If you’re an average college student, chances are your “job" involves refilling drinks at Don Pablo's or some oth er degrading task that pays next to noth ing. If you want to make the big cash and stay in school, you need to think outside the box. Be creative about the way you make money. Try to remember that prostitution is n’t the only way to make money. There . are plenty of other get-rich-quick schemes that don’t involve selling sex. But if all else fails and you have to sell your body in or ■ der to cope with Hodges’ new budget, so be it. Being a hooker for a few years and finally getting your college diploma is bet ter than being forced out of school because r*i. _ _1_i_» ... ii. •_. .1_i_i. VII VIIV. IIV« intv^ju CUIVi I III v II l£, VVI It livrv/rv er for lire rest of your life. Some of you are computer whizzes. Think of a way to steal money front the Internet. I’m sure it’s not that Itafd. And when you figure out a good scant, let nte in on it; I needs to make some greens, yo. If you do get caught, though, and you go to jail, don’t tell the guys there you’re do ing time for computer fraud. I can only imagine the atrocious things that happen to computer fraud guys in prison. If you’re lucky, you might just go to a minimum-se curity prison, complete with cable and Eth ernet jacks. Then you’ll be able to contin ue your scant in prison and go back to college when your sentence is up. You ladies could sell your eggs to pay tuition, and fellows could make donations of a different kind. I hear sperm banks are great places to meet chicks. Everyone can experience the thrill of donating a kidney for money. Meeting a strange woman at an airport, going to a ho tel room with her and drinking a martini site offers you isn’t the only way to get rid of those unwanted kidneys. If you go to a hospital to have a kidney removed, you can be paid, and they use anesthesia, unlike those unlicensed Russian doctors who re move kidneys illegally. Then there’s panhandling in Five Points. Those who are desperate for tuition money could dress in rags and ask people for spare change. If they say no, harass them. It seems to work for a lot of people down there. You could take a part-time job housekeeping at the Governor’s Mansion. It’s a fun job with a lot of perks There are many opportunities for “mod els” at small “agencies.” Studios might be a grimy basement in Shandon, and in stead of being featured in Vogue, you might be featured on some underground pomo Web site, but you will be paid. On a simi lar note, local strip clubs love hiring USC students. That’s a sure-fire way to get past the wall Hodges is building for college stu dents. Students could come together to make a Web site called www.studentsdegrad ingthemselvestopaytuition.com. Students could do anything online for money. View ers would have to pay to access the site. This could solve everyone’s problems, and the site could dedicated to Gov. Hodges. • You laugh, but sadly, this tuition hike WILL force some students out of college and force others to go to desperate means to make ends meet. With almost 30,000 students at least a few will be driven to do something sketchy to pay tuition. That’s what I Itxlges will have to live with. I hope stale legislators realize this juhI don’t approve^ie budget. ^