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THE LEADER USC’s pitiful racial record The good news: Race relations are getting better in South Carolina. The bad news: University officials don’t appear to be part of that improvement. Earlier this month, a group of 26 maintenance workers filed suit against the university, alleging a history of discrimination, indifference and intimidation. Of the 34 maintenance workers who are black, none are managers. (There are 137 maintenance workers at the university.) So out of one-quarter of its maintenance staff, the university canftot find one person it feels is qualified to hold a managerial position? We believe that stretches credibility to the breaking point. Furthermore, the lawsuit claims that when rumors of a lawsuit began, Director of Building Modification and Maintenance Services Department Gerald Goings conducted “interviews” with employees about their treatment in a thinly-veiled attempt to intimidate the employees. The employees lawyer said they did not want to go to court. But when USC The university S wouldn’t acknowledge the response to Equal Employment lawsuits alleging Opportunity Commission’s discrimination findings that the workers had makes Gary been discriminated against, Condit look like the plaintiffs had no choice. John McCain. What’s worse is that the university is doing a pitiful job of responding to the allegations. We would like nothing more than to hear university officials refute the lawsuit point by point. Instead, they label the complaints “groundless” but refuse to elaborate. That response makes Gary Condit look like John McCain, and it makes USC look guilty, callous and afraid. Universities should lead their states when it comes to diversity. USC was a leader on the Confederate flag issue; President John Palms wrote a letter calling for the banner’s removal from the State House dome, and the Faculty and Student senates passed resolutions calling for the flag to be moved. It disappoints us that USC now appears to be falling behind the rest of the state in race relations. It could turn out that the university’s actions aren’t discriminatory. But until USC administrators give us a reason to ignore the findings of the EEOC, we have no choice but to believe the worst. GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS Charlie Lisk, a USC recruit drafted by the Chicago White Sox, signed with the team earlier this month for $400,000. The catcher was incorrectly reported to have not signed yet. If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. Write us at gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK Martha Wright CONTACT INFORMATION Editor in Chief Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Marv Hortnpv Editor in Chief: gamecockeditor@hotmail.com University Editor city Desk- earn ' Sa™c°ckudask@h°tmailcorn city Desk, gamecockcitydesk@hotmail.com ■ Viewpoints: gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com Anntiiohf Friitnr Spotlight: gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Spotlight Editor Sports: gamecocksports@hotmail.com .. . _ Online: www.dailygamecock.com fhris Fd> Newsroom: 777-7726 Sports Editor Beju Shah -m PLACE AN AD The Gamecock is the Online Editor lU KLft student newspaper of the The Gamecock University of South Aaron Hark 1400 Greene Street Carolina and is published Photo Editor Columbia, SC 29208 Monday, Wednesday and Advertising: 777-3888 Fdda>' durlng the fall and GregHambrick Classified: 777-1184 spring semesters and nine City & State Editor Fax:777-6482 times during the summer with the exception of Brandon Larrabee CTimFNT MFniA university holidays and Viewpoints Editor OlUUtm MtVIA exam periods. Opinions Erik Collins. Faculty Adviser expressed in The Page Designers Ellen Parsons. Director of Gamecock are those of Katie Smith. Student Media the editors or author and Mackenzie Clements Susan King, Creative not those of the University Director of South Carolina. The Community Affairs Carolyn Griffin, Business Board of Student Betsy Baugh Manager Publications and Sarah Sims, Advertising Communications is the Copy Editors Manager publisher of The Crystal Boyles, Sherry F. Holmes, Classified Gamecock. The Jason Harmon.’Jill Manager Department of Student Martin Media is the newspaper's Creative Services parent organization. The Todd Hooks, Martin Gamecock is supported in Salisbury, Beju Shah part by student activities fees. One free copy per Advertising Staff reader. Additional copies Betsy Baugh, Caryn may be purchased for one Barowsky, Denise Levereaux, dollar each from the Jackie Rice, Stacey Todd Department of Student Media. 4 't; am r n T T V Cl V. P R F <J Q PYTH A^GE [ I SnLLTH\NK | ABour THAT#3oo 1 REBATE. OL' A I SENTMEBACKlN I 6G6NT-ONE-BLEW J THE WHOLE THiN(-r r 1 on lotto T REMEMBER. V/HEN the Government osei* TO VENOUS A MONTHLY SOCIAL-SJECOMTY CHECK... TOST ft>E BEMV OLb! My special hatredfor N. C. CHARLES PRASHAW CPRASHAW@YAHOO.COM The only good thing about the Tar Heel state? I don’t live there. As a South Carolinian for more than 18 years now, there is nothing I hate more than North Carolina. It’s a special kind of hate, like the kind the animated characters on The Simpsons had for the town of Shelbyville. The grass is always greener in North Carolina and the towns are always nicer and bigger. The highway signs are all new, and the state is actually repaving its interstates. I don’t know why, but every time I cross the North Carol'ina/South Carolina border, a dread falls over me like hot Waffle House syrup over pancakes. I’ve passed the same border on 1-95 countless times. “Welcome to the Tar Heel State,” the bright blue sign says. But for some reason, I’m not welcomed; the South Carolina tag on the back of my car clearly tells everyone I’m not from around these parts. And I’ve always got this sinking feeling that the cops are all about to pull me over and pretend they’re the dirty redneck cop from the movie Porky’s who busts out your headlight with his billy club and then tries to write you a ticket for it. I hate North Carolina from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Cape Fear River. I hate UNC, Duke and Wake Forest equally. I especially hate The Daily Tar Heel newspaper. If I had a copy of it here, I’d wipe my ass with it. I hate Aberdeen, Burlington, Charlotte, Durham and every town in between. I hate Gov. Michael Easley, Michael Jordon, former President James Polk (even though he is dead) and Richard Petty. I’ve had three ex-girlfriends from North Carolina. I went out with Kim for two years, two really good years of my life, my senior year of high school and my freshman year of college. Kim couldn’t go to USC, though; she didn’t like Columbia. She had to go to UNC-Chapel Hill, “a real nice school,” she said. Kim and I tried the whole long distance thing for more than a year. That chick would never come to Columbia, but my happy ass drove four hours one way to see her every other weekend. She finally called me around exam time this past December and told me she was leaving me for a drama major she met at The Rocky Horror Picture Show in Raleigh. About 90 percent of my hate for North Carolina comes from that one experience. The other 10 percent comes from dealing with North£arolina tourists in Myrtle Beach who realize at the last moment they’re in the left turn lane and the Hard Rock Cafe is on the right. So, like jackasses, they pull this four lane changing maneuver right in front of me. The closest I ever came to spending the night in jail was one time in Wilmington, when an honest trip to go get a tattoo turned into a demon hell ride full of drugs and booze. In fact, I can’t think of one good thing about the whole state of North Carolina other than that I don’t live there. My older sister, Heidi, lives in Southern Pines, North Carolina, so every so often I have to make a daring trip to the enemy state and risk life and limb on the roads of North Cackalacky to see her. If it wasn’t for Heidi and the fact you can buy beer on Sunday there, I would avoid the state like Columbine High on Hitler’s birthday. I hate it when people write columns that complain about crap then they don’t offer any kind of solution. My solution: stay away from North Carolina and North Carolina women. And we should try to sell the whole state back to the English. THE WEEK IN REVIEW A life cut short brings calls for safety Concerns about safety in Five Points burst onto the national scene when four teens allegedly shot two prosecutors from the Illinois U.S. Attorney’s office early Aug. 20, killing one. The shootings, which occurred on Laurens Street near the Salty Nut Cafe, brought calls for more lighting around Five Points. WHAT'S NEXT: Those charged with the shootings face bond hearings Monday. The Gamecocks lose to the Phillies “A few more hours.” That was surely the first thought to come into the minds of USC baseball fans when they found out that freshman recruit Gavin Floyd had signed with the Phillies late Wednesday night. Had Floyd attended class just a few hours later, he would’ve been ineligible to play in the major leagues until the end of his junior year. The Gamecocks also lost juniors Marcus McBeth, Michael Floyd and Brett Price to the big leagues, along with recruit Charles Lisk. WHAT’S NEXT: Baseball season kicks off in early February. The Gamecocks will try to make the College World series after losing the Super Regional to Stanford this year. Students move in - well, sort of As thousands of students unpacked their stuff and settled into their dorm rooms, 88 students settled into a different kind of dorm — the Holiday Inn on Assembly Street. Because of a flood of last-minute applications, housing had nowhere else to put the students. For now, they enjoy all of the luxuries of hotel life, and can buy a meal plan from the hotel. WHAT’S NEXT: Some of the students might be able to move into vacancies in Greek housing, but Housing Director Gene Luna said they wouldn't be forced to move out before the end of the semester. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the editor: I'll admit, I was surprised and somewhat shocked to see the redesign of The Gamecock when the Thursday issue came out. I must admit that on the whole I enjoy the new, slimmer look — I feel like I can flip through and get the news I need without reading a lot of extra or repetitive information. My only complaint, however, is that I still maintain my affinity for the design of The Gamecock,tie on the front page of the paper. Picking up Thursday's issue from the stand, I wasn't even sure it was the actual Gamecock student newspaper. From what I could tell (placing the new and old side by-side), the old title line does not appear to take up any more room that the newer, slimmer version. Perhaps this would be a good topic for an online poll? I always saw the title design as a hallmark of the publication, something recognizable and comfortable to your readership. NICHOLAS YOUNG, "2ND YEAR HONORS COM,EYE. DARLA MOORE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS STUDENT Submission Policy Letters to the editor or guest columns are welcome from the Carolina community. Letters should be 250 300 words. Guest columns should be about 600 words. Both must include name, phone number, professional title or year and major, if a student. Deliver handwritten submissions to Russell House room 333, or send e mail 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 and can be provided by the submitter. Call 777-7726 for more information. £ Dodge the cars: Walking at USC AUBREY FITZLOFF AUZ EYBREEZY@HOTMAIL.COM Campus is filled with dangers for those trying to cross the street. Not to rant, but the USC campus is a really dangerous place to be a pedestrian. Not only do we have to worry about being robbed or shot at after . dark, there is also this ever present question lurking in our minds when we go to class each day: “Am I going to be run over today?" Having recently been in a car accident, which was my fault, I might be a little overly nervous about this whole traffic thing. But I don’t think this is all my imagination. For the moment, we’ll overlook the fact that people in South Carolina don’t drive safely in general. Let’s examine just a few of the hazards that USC students face on a daily basis: CROSSWALKS. Somewhere in the driver’s manual, I remember reading something to the effect that pedestrians always have the right of way when they are crossing the street in a crosswalk. Now, we all know there are those kamikaze students who’ll step out onto a crosswalk regardless of whether a car is coming. But these cars are supposed to be yielding to pedestrians. Unfortunately, either I imagined that phrase in the driver’s manual or the J •_1_X J_)i_ uiivoiojujiuuii icaic, NO TURN ON RED. This one goes hand in hand with the crosswalk problem. The reason there are so many “no turn on red” signs on campus is because there are crosswalks on so many corners. It amazes me that so many students managed to get into USC when they obviously can’t read and understand this sign. Never mind that illegal right-hand turns are essentially the same thing as running a red light; just imagine being the pedestrian in this situation. One of the scariest things is to be crossing the road in a crosswalk when some car makes an illegal turn and almost runs somebody over. And does the car give the pedestrian the right of way, which he or she already legally has? Of course not. SPEEDING. I don’t think I need to explain how speeding doesn’t work with crosswalks. Speeding is a real danger for the daring pedestrians who jaywalk. Now, we all know that jaywalking is a pretty stupid idea. But this is a college campus. There’s not always going to be a crosswalk nearby when you’re late to engineering and you’re over by Greene Street. The way that some drivers zip down the roads, you wuuiu mum il never crusseu their minds that somebody might actually have to cross the road. Sadly, people don’t win when they get in fights with cars. Cars are bigger. They always win; it’s proven. So I’ve said my spiel, and it probably won't change anything. But the next time I’m crossing the road in the crosswalk at the corner of Pickens and Greene and somebody almost hits me while making a right-hand turn into the crosswalk on a red light where there’s a “no turn on red” sign, don’t be surprised if I’m slightly perturbed. College is supposed to be home while we’re here, and if we don’t feel safe walking around our home, something is seriously wronif