The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 30, 2002, Page 5, Image 5
OTHE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, January 30, 2002 5
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IN OUR OPINION
The splitting
of a minority
One of USC’s most prominent minority groups has
factioned apart. A group of nonwhite students has broken
from the Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Alliance to form their
own group, the League for Alternative Minorities.
If these students are doing this to promote the needs
unique outlet for the Carolina community, then more
powet to it.
But if these students are splitting from BGLA
because of personal conflicts or petty reasons, then
we caution them to avoid problems that often plague
all minority organizations. If a small group is
already separated from the larger group, then then
collective voice as a minority loses impact. When
personal conflicts and power struggles divide a
group that needs to be more unified than most,
promoting an agreed-upon agenda becomes difficult
and, at times, impossible.
It’s no secret that South Carolina doesn’t accept
alternative lifestyles easily. Minority groups that
promote acceptance of alternative lifestyles need to
be as unified as possible to achieve their goals —
without trampling on their members’ rights.
We hope the
BGLA split will
only promote
acceptance of
alternative
lifestyles.
Winners and Sinners
FATHER TIM USC’s Catholic chaplain
miraculously saves woman from CVS
shooting. Eidson’s shooting still helpless.
CAPT. DANIEL McCOLLUM Irmo soldier buried,
‘ remembered for service to country.
DREW BLEDSOE $100 million backup fills in
handily. Now the Pats have a choice to make:
kidnap Faulk or Warner?
THOMAS JUNTA Hockey dad sentenced for
murder. Five for fighting, six for killing?
J. CLIFFORD BAXTER Enron suicide was
; apparently well-liked. Something to hide? Bush
remains Teflon.
YASSER ARAFAT Are we waiting for a photo of
him and Osama in bed?
GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS
An article Monday about Carolina Productions’ upcoming
events should have said Dr. Nicholas Vazsonyi will deliver a
lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. The event, part of the Last
Lecture Series, will be held in the Gressette Room on the third
floor of Harper College.
A column by Katie McClendon in Monday’s paper should have
referred to the “n-word.”
In Monday’s paper, two photographs should have been credited to
C. Michael Bergen. The photographs were taken in Cambodia after
professor Timothy Bergen was awarded a Fulbright Scholar Award.
The Gamecock regrets the errors.
If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us
at gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com.
ABOUT THE GAMECOCK
Mary Hartney
Editor in Chief
Ginny Thornton
News Editor
Kevin Fellner
Asst. News Editor
Mackenzie Clements
Viewpoints Editor
Carrie Phillips
The Mix Editor
Justin Bajan
Asst. The Mix Editor
Chris Foy
Sports Editor
Keith Allen
Asst. Sports Editor
Brandon Larrabee
Special Projects
Martha Wright
Design Editor
Kyle Almond
Copy Desk Chief
Mark Hartney
Online Editor
Page Designers
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McLaulin, Katie
Smith, David Stagg
Copy Editors
Crystal Boyles,
Andrew Festa, Jason
Harmon, Jill Martin,
Paul Rhine
Photo Technicians >
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Hark, Candi Hauglum
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University of South
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Student Media.
Students clump, don’t evolve
MARKHARTNEY
MARKISTHEOVENON@HOTMAIL.COM
Welcome back to the
high school cafeteria.
USC Housing calls it
“clumping.” I’ve heard
University 101 refer to it as self
segregation. It’s a phenomenon
we have and will encounter our
entire lives — the instinct to
socialize, group and live with
people who closely resemble us.
Those who believe a university
is a place where people of all
creeds and cultures mix and
open themselves to new ideas
and points of view are
mistaken. If you think we’ve
evolved in three months or
three years since high school,
look no further than the Grand
Marketplace.
Close to the ATMs are the
Greek tables. People probably
won’t feel welcome there unless
they’re members of a white
fraternity or sorority. On the
opposite side, near Starbucks, are
the Christian tables. Granted,
some Greeks who are in FC A do
sit there from time to time.
But self-segregation isn’t
only at the GMP. Football
dominates a lunch line at the
Patio. Kids who used to skate
but still wear T-shirts from
their Little League teams sit
together outside the Russell
House (I’ve always wondered
where they go when it rains).
Vegetarians with meal plans
are stuck at Veggie Street;
otherwise, they’re at El Burrito.
Some groups frequent
restaurants, clubs and bars
enough that they seem to
believe they “own” them. Their
members bounce, date the staff
or serve drinks. I know I would
be out of place at Pavlov’s on
Thursday night. Only drink
specials blur the lines between
student factions after classes.
There are even more obvious
clumps: the Preston kids, The
Gamecock staff, and all of Bates
House, where it seems everyone
is out-of-state. Does Housing
intentionally pair roommates
by whether they’re in-state or
out-of-state? The evidence
indicates they do. We group
ourselves further by major,
year and intelligence. It’s
unavoidable.
Whether our grouping
occurs by accident or not, we’re
all guilty of it, partly because
we want to be a part of a group
who shares our interests. And
it’s partly because we make
subtle, almost unconscious
decisions about the way we
walk to class, the people we give
hello-nods to, and where we sit.
We’re all a part of cliques,
factions and social coteries.
We’re all closer to two or three
people in our clusters than we
are the others.
I’m not advocating a great
big Carolina sing-along. I’m not
saying, “Hey, Whitey, put down
that barbecue and go to SALA.”
I’m not innocent or ignorant of
these missteps. I’m only saying
that high school wasn’t so long
ago. It’s natural to form
friendships with people who
share your love of Buffy, Thai
Ladyboys or Hedwig. But when
groups start to exclude and
ostracize people by their
appearance, it’s wrong.
At least at Carolina we have
one event that brings us
together each week. People
crowd each other and fill up the
GMP at this time with almost
no regard for social status. We
all love lunch on Wednesday,
aka Chicken Finger Day.
After all, we’re sacrificing our
mascot in an effort to cloud the
distinctions between us. Maybe
you disagree, but I’m not wrong.
Hartney is a fourth-year
chemistry student.
IN YOUR OPINION
Curse words belong
in a college paper
I would have to agree with
Mr. Ray’s—The Gamecock’s
columns have improved this
year. But I think a college
newspaper should consist of
youthful views and
conversational pieces.
Think about how many
times you swear in a day or
hear someone else swear.
Adds up, doesn’t it? The
columns printed in this
newspaper tell a story in a
real-life way. If you have to
say “ass” to get your point
across, so be it. That’s life.
I’m a junior majoring in
electronic journalism. I’ll be
damned if you’re telling me
that journalism should be
completely conservative; it
couldn’t survive in this day
and age without liberal views
and freedom of speech. Take
Barbara Walters’ “The View.”
As executive producer, she
acknowledges on a daily basis
that sex and scandal sell.
a story, whether it be in
Playboy or Time magazine, is
designed to elicit a reaction
from its readers. I’ll bet you a
million bucks that a Playboy
journalist has also free-lanced
for other noteworthy
magazines. A seasoned
journalist knows that strong
words create strong reactions,
good and bad. The Gamecock
has featured many practicing
journalists throughout the
years. They must be doing
something right if we read
their columns from start to
finish without blinking an eye.
Pick up a college
newspaper at NYU or UCLA
and you’ll probably find
enough curse words to make a
sailor blush. So, unless you’re
about to be canonized, stop
criticizing the people who
have a right to be heard. It’s
their freedom of speech; it’s
life. If you can’t handle it, join
the priesthood.
KRYSTA B. HEIDMAN
THIRD-YEAR ELECTRONIC
JOURNALISM STUDENT
Experience differs
with same professor
This is in response to Andy
Bacot’s letter in Monday’s
newspaper. I am very sorry for
Mr. Bacot’s family situation,
and he’s absolutely right when
he says school work isn’t more
important than family.
I know that because I was in
exactly the same situation
when my father passed away in
November 2000.1 left school
and didn’t return until the
following semester. Also, Eric
Johnson was one of my
professors at that time.
In contrast to Mr. Bacot’s
experience, Dr. Johnson was
extremely understanding, as
were all the other Economics
professors. He informed me
about the progress of the class
by e-mail, enabling me to go
over the material by myself
from home. When I came back
to school in January, we -
worked out a schedule so I
could complete the class.
I’m not saying Mr. Bacot’s
story is untrue. But the fact
that it so highly contradicts
my experience with Dr.
Johnson causes me to believe
that either there has been
some miscommunication
between the two of them or
there is more to the story than
Mr. Bacot says.
ANDREAS KUZNIK
SECOND-YEAR ECONOMICS PH D.
STUDENT
Students shouldn’t
abuse death excuse
What’s the major cause of
death among the elderly?
Cancer? Heart attacks? Strokes?
Actually, it's college exams. I have
had as many as 5 percent to 10
percent of my undergraduate
class miss exams because of a
“death in the family.” Many
people don’t appreciate the
problems this creates.
First, a new test must be
made. Test questions aren’t just
thrown together; they’re
carefully crafted to exam the
material covered. They must
range in difficulty to segregate
the class, and they must be
worded so as to avoid confusion.
It’s a lot of work to generate a
make-up exam!
Second, because the exams
are different, how does one
compare the scores on the two
when final grades are being
determined? Because it’s
impossible to confirm a family
death (am I actually going to
demand an attested copy of the
death certificate?), professors
must resort to other measures to
discourage exam absenteeism. I
personally only give all-essay
make-up exams on reading day;
students missing exams must
wait until the end of the semester
and take a more difficult exam
than the original. Although riot
as drastic as refusing to give a
make-up at all, I suspect Mr.
Bacot would still consider me
hard-hearted. However, if he
wants someone to blame, he
should direct his attention to his
fellow classmates who abuse the
system in an attempt to get extra
time to study.
DR. FRANKLYN F.
BOLANDERJR.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT
OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Submission Policy
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My goals
as CP's
president
PHIL WATSON
8AMEC0CKVIEWP0INTS@H0TMAIL.C0M
Forget Jocelyn Elders and
bring me homeless guys.
First it wa$ the cancellation of
... “Dynasty,” and now another
great tragedy is about to hit the
Carolina community like the
fists of a hockey dad in front of
20 traumatized children.
Evidently, many think Carolina
Productions isn’t living up to its
full potential. The organization is
even looking for a new president,
with no success. The future isn’t
looking good, but it’s not too late.
For the most part, I like CP.
They bring pretty good movies
to campus and do other things
too, I’ve heard. But it seems like
the word just isn’t getting out.
The lack of a strong leader in the
presidential role is also holding
the organization back from
being all it can be.
I started thinking about what
CP would be like if I were its
president. For starters, I’d wear
a big cowboy hat; but that’s not
all. Former Surgeon General
Jocelyn Elders, who advocated
. teaomng masturbation
techniques to children in public
schools, wouldn’t be coming on
Feb. 27. She can go talk to
Clemson or Georgia about
choking the chicken all she
wants, but I don’t think we need
any lessons here.
My list has only five speakers:
1. Conan O’Brien, a comedy
genius and a personal hero;
2. Conan’s former sidekick,
Andy Richter, another great
comedy mind;
3. Former “Saturday Night
Live” news anchorman Norm
MacDonald, who’s quite
possibly the funniest man alive;
4. Crazy ‘80s rock icon Ted
Nugent, who I would ask to speak
exclusively about his views on
gender sensitivity and welfare;
5. And Rosie O’Donnell.
Under everyone’s seat that night
would be a small pile of rocks
and instructions on how to
throw them accurately.
But distinguished speakers
aren’t the only things I’d bring to
campus. There would be great
- musical acts, too. Wesley Willis,
renowned singer, songwriter and
keyboard player, would be
invited to come. I’d hook up all
my buddies in the Women’s
Studies Department with a
concert by Tori Amos. Then I’d
hook up all my other buddies at
Channel 93.5 with a concert by
the “new” rock group Beastie
Boys.
Under my leadership, CP
would also bring debates to
campus. In an effort to debate the
war on terrorism, I’d ask NRA
President and all-around bad
mofo Charlton Heston — who
once went to the “Planet of the
Apes” and delivered the
Israelites from slavery in Egypt
— to come to campus. Across the
table from him would be actor,
gerbil enthusiast and all-around
jackass Richard Gere. Hopefully,
their heated debate would turn
into a fight and Heston would
say, “Get your hands off me, you
dirty liberal,” just before
knocking out Gere with a mean
right hook. That s the kind of
quality entertainment I would
bring as president of CP.
Once most of the money in the
budget was used up, as it soon
would be, I’d start paying
homeless guys in Five Points to
come to the Russell House and
debate each other about whether
the government should implant
microchips in their brains. If that
subject got old, they could move
on to debating the superiority of
Mad Dog to Olde English.
I hope CP considers some of
the suggestions I’ve made. My
ideas might not have any
socially redeeming value, but
they would be entertaining^
Watson is a third-year print
journalism student.
and interests of those claiming
that nonwhites are already
neglected in the BGLA, then
they’re filling a need. Every
student or group has a right to
express and promote different
agendas, and if LAM offers a
ATTENTION^
6IG K Shoppers
“THISSHJPIS
SINKING^/
CARTOON BY LATAStiA GIBBS/THE GAMECOCK