Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Quote, Unquote “I believe that the timing is a little unfortunate, coming as it does in the middle of the budget crisis." William Hubbard, USO trustee, on John Palms’ consideration of a Senate run %\it (gamecock Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08 I Brock Vergakis Editor in Chief Brandon Larrabee University Editor Erin O’Neal Spotlight Editor Kyle Almond Sports Editor Brad Walters Design Editor Cristy Infinger Asst. University Editor ”T Valerie Matchette City & State Editor Amanda Silva Spotlight Editor Martha Wright Copy Desk Chief Charles Prashaw Asst. City & State Editor Aubrey Fitzloff Asst. Viewpoints Editor Palms must act quickly if he’s to run for Senate USC President John Palms caught everyone off guard Wednesday by acknowledging that he was strongly con sidering running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Strom Thurmond, which would likely lead to his resignation as USC president. Palms would be wrong in abandoning the univer sity at the crossroads it is facing now — particularly in light of the current budget crisis. But if he does want to run, he must de cide to do so quickly. No matter Palms’ decision, damage has already been done. As trustee Michael Mungo pointed out, Palms is now and forever a Democrat in the eyes of the politicians in the General Assembly, for Palms to publicly consider a run, and for USC administrators r vTj reveal that he was doing so, was extremely unwise. Unless Palms is definitely going to run — and we suspect he is — he and other USC officials should have kept the matter to themselves. But now the news is out, and a public decision from Palms must be made swiftly. The longer Palms remains undecided, the harder it will be for USC to find a suitable replacement for the school’s top post. Palms has presided over a great improvement in USC’s image and credibility, a monumental task after the financial and person al disasters former president James Holderman visited upon the university. If USC is to find a replacement strong enough to take the school to the next level — a solid research university with AAU credentials — it will need to begin the search as soon as possible. Ideally, it would be in the university’s best interests for Palms to stay and finish the work he has started. We don’t doubt Palms could serve ably and represent South Carolina well as its junior lOnator, and we don’t doubt that he would be a vigorous defender of higher education, something that is badly needed in Washing ton. But Palms still has much to do here at USC. He can do far more good for this institution, and higher education statewide, as a spokesman for South Carolina’s colleges and universities in stead of one of 100 senators serving the entire nation. Several members of the board of trustees were shocked, and slightly dismayed, that Palms would so publicly reveal his politi cal affiliation, especially because he will now be a possible De mocratic candidate asking a Republican-controlled legislature to give USC more money. These, too, are valid concerns. After all, how could the GOP-dominated Legislature look favorably upon the institution headed by a potential opponent of Lindsey Gra ham? We expected more of Palms. To leave now, having brought the university to the cusp of the goals to which he has aspired for so . lg, is a disservice to the faculty, staff and students of the uni versity. But, first and foremost, it is a disservice to the legacy of John Palms. A B O U T U s 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 Arfrertising 777-3888 fied 777-1184 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.dailygamecock.com SuBMttstON 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, 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 for confirmation and should be e-mailed to gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit for libel, style and space. Anonymous letters will not be published. Photos are required for guest columnists aryY-an be provided by the submitter. I The Gumehxecx Ann Marie Miani Travis Lynn Jennie Moore Sean Rayford w Photo Editors Mark Yates Page Designers Crystal Boyles Betsy Baugh Mackenzie Clements Sara McLaulin Jason Harmon Community Affairs Copy Editors stummi-mcma Erik Collins Carolyn Griffin Faculty Adviser Business Manager Ellen Parsons Sarah Sims Director of Advertising Manager Student Media Susan King Jannell Deyo Creative Director Robyn Gombar Kera Khalil ?,* *"una Denise Levereaux Todd Hooks Nicole Russell Melame Hutto Advertising Staff Emilie Moca Martin Salisbury Sherry F. Holmes Creative Sen/ices Classified Manager Only two letters to the editor per siudent will be printed in a semester. Staff columns take priority over guest columns, unless the guest columnist offers expertise on a subject, or if the subject's relevance is limited by time. Guest columns and letters may be submitted by e-mail to gamecockviewpointsOhotmail.com. Call 777-7726 for more information. The Gamecock v ...r.,... .. ............................ _s s ■' . iJ *> 'jaceTHe | TDxtSwJHjcKeJ XHflve Tt> I QtveTIASdA ^ OusrToftf^^ He? r/!/W! KnctjoyouCpJtVuvm [Geto^ I SUCKS) IFRomNs&H' iviuJfjfoiJ date* ’OfeiwnA V ^qSsi.I . " luilioiO T/tVfllEAif 'PlMS " I Pop Culture Hollywood shows us the way again Traditionally, —" —— the Oscars ' are an an- » nual event at acwt which people gaze in awe as witty * commercials and **“"**■ spoiled actresses Phil Watson in $5,000 dresses is a third-year are paraded across student i n the the television Collegeof screen. Journalism and If you were Mass lucky enough to Communications, see the awards, send responses to you saw various gamecockviewpoints self-serving, over- @hotmai|.com. zealous accep tance speeches scattered between 10 minute Pepsi commercials featuring Bob Dole and Britney Spears. I did like the long, drawn-out commercial breaks. They were more entertaining than the actual awards. I’d rather watch that lovable auto-insurance gecko than I would the self-loving sell outs who gathered in Hollywood to inflate their already blimp-sized egos. Let’s start with the Britney Shears commercial I mentioned earlier. AtTeast Britney and her breasts understand they are simply marketing tools. They know there’s nothing genuine or original about them, and they accept that. Unlike Spears and her silicon friends, the vain celebrities in the awards show actually think they’re special and that their opinions matter. This kills me. Does Julia Roberts really think the mindless drivel that comes out of her mouth should matter to anyone other than herself and her elitist Hollywood friends? In an interview before the awards, Roberts found it necessary to give us some in-depth political analysis. Evidently, she doesn’t like Geotge-W. Bush. She seems to think he’s stupid. Why hasn’t she been on Hardball and The O’Reilly Factoid Roberts is such a talented woman. Not only is she a good actress, but she knows why we shouldn’t like conservative politicians. Roberts might as well have given her dissertation on the Bush Administration. She seemed to do everything but that. I don’t know exactly how long her speech lasted, but it was much longer than the 45-second limit the show set. As it turns out, Roberts was protesting that time limit by mumbling incoherently for as long as she could. You go, Julia! What an activist — one minute she’s protesting the economic policies of the president, and the next she’s going after the fascist 45-second rule for acceptance speeches. It would have thrilled me to see some hideous space aliens come down and abduct everyone in that auditorium. I think some rectal probing would make Julia Roberts realize George W. Bush and the Academy’s 45-second rule aren’t so bad. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. Maybe next year. Letters Abortion exposure was unnecessary To the Editor. How many women on campus have had an abortion? Did all USC students have to be exposed to such pictures as the ones shown in last week’s display on the way to class? Why didn’t USC approve a display of huge pictures of black lungs or mouth cancer? I can’t tell you how many people on the campus smoke. You almost walk to class in a trail of smoke. I wonder how many students might consider quitting if they knew the harm it does to their body. The abortion display wasn’t needed. I wasn’t able to eat for two days after seeing the pictures, but maybe USC is experimenting with eating disorders, too. Julie Pike Second-year Student College of Journalism and Mass Communications Abortion should be banned, not display To the Editor It wasn’t surprising that students were offended by the genocide awareness display. I understand their strong reactions, because those pictures shocked and grieved me, too. Abortion is a disturbing subject that most would prefer to avoid. If we can’t bear to look at images of aborted babies, how can we allow abortion in our nation? The reality and effects of abortion arc far worse than those awful pictures could depict. In attacking the display, we are missing the point. One letter to the editor stated, “The display is outrageous, uncalled for and should be banned.” My response? Abortion is outrageous, uncalled-for and should be banned. I Mary Cook Fourth-year Student College of Engineering Marriott should allow Patio employee to sit To the Editor During a recent visit to The Patio cafeteria, we noticed something different. Our good friend Merrill, the man in chaige of checking and swiping student IDs, wasn’t in his usual position. The powers that be at The Patio have decided Merrill shouldn’t be allowed to sit while he works. Instead, Merrill has been forced to stand and work behind a raised table, which is specifically designed to prevent him from sitting at any time. Merrill’s job doesn’t require him to stand for hours at a time. This act is pointless and callous. We feel that this is an important issue and that the comfort and support of USC employees should be a paramount principle of the university. If most sweatshop employers allow their employees to sit while they work, why should USC Dining Services be any different? Andrew Griffen, Andrew Frasseto First-year Students College of Liberal Aits, College of Math and Science 4 Students should think rather than get upset To the Editor The purpose of last week’s abortion display was not to upset, offend or disgust people. Abortion is a touchy issue; no one really likes to talk about it, but everyone has their stance. When dealing with a complex issue, it’s always best to hear everyone’s side to form your opinion. That was the purpose of the display — to show one group’s take on abortion. A lot of people have complained that the photos are just disgusting. The mission of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform is to show what abortion does. There isn’t a pretty way to show it; an aborted baby isn’t cute. It is important to consider this. Staying disgusted and doing nothing gets you nowhere. A few people talked with the people manning the display, but more people made no attempt. I don’t think anyone would disqgree that talking wouldn’t hurt. Finally, freedom of speech is anyone’s. If you want to present other views, go for it. Invite a group, invite a speaker, host an event. To quote The Gamecock: “The answer to speech you disagree with is... to respond with speech of your own.” ErinFlickinger Third-year student College of Science and Math [Ed. Note: Erin Flickingcr is president of Students for Life, a group that sponsored the display] Proper Etiquette It’s time to regain common courtesy It’s very easy to feel like a small fish at USC. One is constantly surrounded by thousands of ... . „ —. Michelle Pittman students who are is a SKOnd.ye„ pretty much the studentinthe same age, many of college of whom seem to be Journalism and achieving great Mass things, reducing Communications, our accomplish- Send responses to ments to mere gamecockviewpoints shrivels of self- ehotmail.com. satisfaction. My already small perception of myself is further dwarfed by the attitude of many of the people I encounter on a daily basis. The congregation of so many little souls in such a short stretch of time is bound to cause problems, but the few laige egos that have escaped scrutiny are taking over. l round mysett throwing barbecue sauce at a stranger the other day. It already takes 20 minutes to get a decent lunch on campus, once you factor in the “speed” of Maniott employees and the long lines that defy concepts of personal space. But when it’s chicken finger day and you’re really hungry, you learn to have a little patience. Unless you’re the bitch who was behind me in the condiment line at Capstone on Tuesday. Everyone else waited, but Miss Better-Than-Thou obviously had more important things to do. There’s no excuse for pushing or shoving past the age of 12, and cutting in line is about the lamest thing you can do. So when her giant rear end was pushing in front of me, I called her on it, and if she hadn’t managed to get honey mustard all over my new sweater, I would have let it go. But how precious are clean clothes? Someone needs to stand up to these jerks. I can’t do it alone. I’m not the only one who has had those episodes of invisibility when one can’t help but wonder if this entire campus needs glasses. Or maybe we’ve all just forgotten basic human dignity in our rush to get ahead. Wfe’ve forgotten the little things, such as not slamming doors shut behind ourselves, just in case someone else might be walking in. And, excuse me; but elevators were invented for those who live in skyscrapers and the handicapped who find it rather difficult to climb stairs on wheels. I’d especially like to remind people of the elevator principles because I’m tired of stepping into my steel fortress to find all the buttons pushed or someone hugging the door while their friend moseys down the hall. The elevator is for the \ general use of everyone, not to promote the laziness of people who find it too difficult to travel to the second floor from the third. I realize this is extremely petty, but I am a firm believer in details. Life’s a bitch, and things will go horribly wrong. You can count on it. So in the meantime, why not take three seconds out of your day to look out for someone else? They might not appreciate it as much as I do, but catch the wrong person in the wrong mood, and there’ll be hell to pay. Wve got enough to worry about. It would be nice to know that someone’s holding the door, or a bike is swerving to avoid passers-by, and all of you blessed drivers are not flying past the crosswalks as innocent pedestrians huddle under their umbrellas. If we all start off small, perhaps one day we can live in a world where people are on time and phone messages are always relayed. Life sucks enough. Try not to contribute.