Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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SOUND OFF ONLINE POLL Create message boards at Do you think Student Government www.dailygamecock.com or actually makes a difference? send letters to the editor to YES, ABSOLUTELY 32% gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com NOT A BiT68% IN OUR OPINION Responsible SG elections Finally, an election that won’t be about signs. For far too long, Student Government elections have been more about who could force other candidates out of the race with infractions than who had the best ideas or qualifications. President Corey Ford’s administration has said it will allow elections to become exercises in democracy, not rule-learning. Candidates won’t face Denalties for costing violations unless thev’ve repeatedly flouted the rules. We have a An(j more person-to-person CG campaigning will be allowed. 3,1 u C™paig5 Now, the responsibility falls on the candidates. Students those involved , act responsibly. already M bombarded with fliers they don’t read. If candidates campaign person-to-person for four days, they need to be creative. Handing out fliers will only drive our already pathetic voter turnout even lower. Responsibility also falls on Elections Commissioner Adam Bourne. Bourne has said he’ll treat the Elections Commission as an advisory board and make all final decisions himself. We’re encouraged by Bourne’s laissez-faire attitude about elections, but we hope he will seriously consider the Commission’s opinions and not make decisions on a whim. If Bourne and the SG candidates act responsibly, this election can be about ideas, not infractions. That just might do the one thing endless years of bickering about rules has never done — get students to vote. Gamecock Quotables “I was pleased to be part of this rigorous and successful process.” JOHN PALMS use PRESIDENT, ON HIS INVOLVEMENT IN THE SACS ACCREDITATION PROCESS “It remains to be seen if we will ever get the drop date moved.” COREY FORD SG PRESIDENT “We must believe we can achieve.” ERNEST A. FINNEY FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE S.C. SUPREME COURT. PUMPING UP MLK DAY OF SERVICE VOLUNTEERS “We haven’t set the cost yet, but it won’t be high at all. ” DEREK HUGGINS PARKING SERVICES DIRECTOR, ON THE COST OF DECALS FOR THE NEW COMMUTER LOT “We don’t want to restrict this to something only for the Jews around the state.” JASON SHAIMAN MCKISSICK CURATOR, ON THE MUSEUM'S SOUTHERN JEWISH LIFE EXHIBIT “This (game) convinced me I was right all along. I know nothing about basketball.” DAVE ODOM WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH, AFTER USC'S 78-49 WIN OVER KENTUCKY GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS A photograph in Wednesday’s paper of men’s head basketball coach Dave Odom was taken by Robert Gruen. The caption should have read, “USC men’s basketball head coach Dave Odom walks off the court during his team’s 60-51 defeat at the hands of Vanderbilt on Saturday. Odom said the game was ‘the first time I have been very disappointed in my team.’” The Gamecock regrets the error. If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK Mary Hartney Editor in Chief Ginny Thornton News Editor Kevin Feilner Asst. News Editor Mackenzie Clements Viewpoints Editor Carrie Phillips The Mix Editor Justin Bajan Asst. The Mix Editor Chris Foy Sports Editor Brandon Larrabee Special Projects Martha Wright Production Manager Mark Hartney Online Editor Page Designers Crystal Dukes, Sarah McLaulin, Tyrone Simon, Katie Smith, David Stagg Copy Editors Kyle Almond, Crystal Boyles, Jason Harmon, Jill Martin, Paul Rhine, Andrew Festa Photo Technicians Robert Gruen, Aaron Hark, Candi Hauglum # CONTACT INFORMATION Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Editor «n Chief: gamecockeditor@hotmail.com University Desk: gamecockudesk@hotmail.com City Desk: gamecockcitydesk@hotmail.com Viewpoints: gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com The Mix: gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Sports: gamecocksports@hotmail.com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Newsroom: 777-7726 STUDENT MEDIA Erik Collins Faculty Adviser Ellen Parsons Director of Student Media Susan King Creative Director Carolyn Griffin Business Manager Sarah Scarborough Advertising Manager Sherry F. Holmes Classified Manager Creative Services Todd Hooks, Earl Jones, Jennie Moore, Beju Shah, Advertising Staff Betsy Baugh, Denise Levereaux, Laura Miller, Jackie Rice, Stacey Todd TO PLACE AN AD The Gamecock 1400 Greene Street Columbia, S.C. 29208 Advertising: 777-3888 Classified: 777-1184 Fax: 777-6482 The Gamecock is tne 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. One free copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for one dollar each from the Department of - ; Student Media. ST^Oi PlN’Of 5(^0^\^Cr Affect'S -£ACp5 PlfpgRgNTty ^2 , (_«=-. /^v/ow^e'R^^^HoN ( 5veo ^ofts fcA<^AL _I \ PI5C(*l/*nation//y 5 i ct&A^re company —--,T ,tr ..-— JL. ^ -4k~! i. » CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Working toward King’s dream EDRIN WILLIAMS GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM Equality should apply to more than one minority. Early Monday morning, several hundred USC students congregated at the Russell House to pay reverence to one of this country’s most noted leaders, Martin Luther King Jr. King gained international fame during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ‘60s. Much of his notoriety stemmed from his nonviolent belief that love, in the face of violence and danger, could overpower hatred. For the past several years, the university has honored King’s legacy by giving students a day off from class. What separates our celebration from those at other institutions is that students here are encouraged to participate in a wide variety of community service projects. This year’s sites included the Department of Juvenile Justice, Oliver Gospel Mission and Epworth Children’s Home. But regardless of the site, there was a common theme for the day — showing love for mankind through service. While King’s name carries a connotation closely tied to the rights of blacks, it’s often forgotten that he spoke on behalf of all that were oppressed, suppressed and repressed. This meant that all minorities, whether based on race, age, sex, religion, gender or physical ability, could find inspiration in King’s message. On Monday, the students who got out of their beds and faced the cold rain didn’t think sleeping was more important than giving back to the community. In return, they were rewarded with a day of meaningful service. At one time or another, all of us have cried foul when we feel someone has infringed upon the rights we believe are guaranteed by the Constitution. However, how many times have you taken the time to ask whether you have respected the rights of others? We have all been in situations where we have had some power not granted to others. As a black male, I often overlook the advantages I have as a heterosexual male with a sound mind and full use of my limbs. Yet I easily recognize when someone uses my race against me. Is this acceptable? Yes. Is it right? No. There is no hierarchy of oppression. Sexism or religious discrimination or any other form of prejudice does just as much to destroy the fabric of this society as racism does. Until we rid our society of all of these wrongs, we will never truly reach equality. I, like many of the other student volunteers, recognize that I’m fortunate to have so many of the things I have. I realize that others might not have the same chances that I once took for granted. The MLK Day of Service gave me a chance to say “there is hope and there is help.” In a time when so much cam seem so wrong, seeing college students give their free time can give the less fortunate what they really are searching for—hope. What more could King ask for then one person caring for another? We often hear the questions about whether we have achieved King’s dream. While the answer might not be a resounding yes, Monday was an indication that his dream hasn’t been forgotten. Williams is a fourth-year African American Studies student. IN YOUR OPINION _i. _i_ij i i . udiiieuuuiv diiuuiu use less profanity First, I’d like to thank The Gamecock for having better editorial columns this semester thus far than in the previous semester. The “freedom of speech” that is taken to the max in this college newspaper is nice, but when stories begin to sound like they had the depth and thought of my roommate’s comments 10 seconds after he wakes up in the morning, the line has to be drawn. My one gripe, though, is the frequent use of strong profanity in these columns. Is it to be startling? Is it to get your point across? Is it to give the proverbial middle finger to our culture’s “professional” newspapers? Profanity has no place in the newspaper aside from quotes, and even then it should be highly scrutinized by editors. The Associated Press says, “Do not use them in stories unless they are part of direct quotations and there is compelling reason for them. When a profanity is used, flag the story at the top.” Sure, it’s nothing we haven’t heard before, but then again, the readers of any other newspaper are probably well aware of the meaning of those same words, yet I don’t see them printed in any other reputable source. I totally support the use of the editorial space in a college newspaper to reflect the edgy style of the student body. If the columns on this page had value aside from shock value (in many cases), then there would be an argument for using it, possibly. In The Gamecock, nowever, u writers would count the profanities in their columns, multiply that by five and spend that many extra minutes thinking about what to write, I guarantee that terrific columns would abound, true debate would be sparked and the paper would possibly even overcome the shun of the Journalism school and many of its professors. Comments about my sexuality and my mother’s four-letter looks surely will abound in the heads of the writers I speak of, but I’ll just rest assured that those in agreement with them can be found in the fine writings of Playboy, E10nline.com and the Free Times. The AP, The State, The New York Times, CNN, Fox News and a few other small-time outfits have done some decent columns without profanity; I can always just hide in a corner and feed my nit-picky, freedom-of-speech-hating self while holding the papers over my virgin ears. CRAIG RAY THIRD-YEAR PUBLIC RELATIONS STUDENT USC needs to realize SG is productive “If USC is a community, then SG is our local government. We are the people, and we are waiting.” So am I. In my three years on this campus, three years IN Student Government, I haven’t seen the office more active. Ideas to communicate to students are at a new high - the academic advisement forums were a prime example. Months of planning went into these student opinion forums. Of the 25 siuaenis wno snoweu up iui au three forums, two were non Student Government. I’m waiting. When SG plans outreach for students from a mailout to full blown activities on Greene Street, a handful of students show interest. I’m waiting. I know it’s hard to take interest in an organization that “doesn’t do much.”But Student Government does a lot on this campus. Every time the Faculty Senate or Board of Trustees meets, we have a representative for the student body. Already plans have been laid and are being carried out to fight budget cuts. Written resolutions do change public opinion and sometimes university policy. And as far as the SDIC reports, each committee is contacting the appropriate administration to discuss whether the proposals will be good for students and the future of USC. I realize we all might get tangled up in the political business over the next few weeks. But I urge The Gamecock and the rest of the university to realize that this has been a productive year, and it will continue to be one. CHRISSY STAUFFER COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS SENATOR, THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE 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 gamecockview points@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 fo» more information. SG SPEAKS Cooking up good solutions NITHYABALA GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM Every candidate aims to improve ‘cafeteria food.’ The good news is that Wednesday’s chicken fingers can be saved. The bad news is that when you return to school next fall, you might not be greeted by the smiling faces of Sodexho’s dining employees. USC’s dining services contract is in a renewal process, and there are at least two other major vendors bidding for the contract. Dining services are provided on our campus mainly for the students, so the dining provider should be willing and able to cater to the tastes of our student body. A well-trained salesman speaking quickly enough could leave us all believing that we will be eating gourmet food that tastes as good as your mama’s cooking. Maybe college cafeteria stories are something of an urban legend, but regardless, it’s J -C _1_- i_i._ _ _ _ -l UOlUllll/lJ 11UI 11CCU CIO guuu as some home cookin’. With the right input and research, we might end up getting something that tastes pretty close. As one of your three elected executive officers, one of my primary goals is to ensure that students receive the most accommodating and appealing dining services. I’ve lived on campus for my four years at USC, but I haven’t had a meal plan for the past three years because the pricing, hours and meal options didn’t fit my needs. These are just a few common student problems. It’s imperative that, as your representative, I find out what these three companies offer at other schools, whether other schools are satisfied with their food service provider and what these providers can realistically implement at Carolina. I emphasize “realistic” because we don’t just want to side with the salesperson who says the company is going to add a 24 hour Waffle House to the GMP. Don i gei me wrung. 1 wuuiu love a 24-hour Waffle House, but it’s just not going to happen. So it’s my job and responsibility to make sure we do our homework. During the renewal process, we plan to visit nearby schools that are served by these companies to evaluate their facilities. In addition, we’ll have a ballot box in front of our office and will be encouraging students to drop in any suggestions or complaints. I have also invited all three companies to give presentations to the Student Senate. Senate meets every Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the RH Theater, and our meetings are open. The first presentation will be Feb. 6. Student Government is often chided for not doing enough for the students. But not everything we work on can be displayed in some snazzy case for students to see and then pat us on the back. Sometimes our work consists of meeting with administrators and making decisions on behalf of the student body. With dining services, it could be as simple as saying, “It’s my opinion that the student body wouldn’t only desire a coffee shop in our library, but also that they would benefit from it greatly.” Our power lies in being able to speak on behalf of the entire student body. So we do just that and speak for you. I think it’s been every candidate’s promise since back in the days of fifth grade elections to “improve the cafeteria food.” Well, cross your fingers because, this year, we might be able to do just that. If you have any questions or concerns, drop by our office in RH Suite 110, call me at 777-5065 or e-mail nbalasub@gwm.sc.edu. Bala is SG vice president and is a fourth-year finance student.