The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 20, 2002, Page 6, Image 6
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, IN OUR OPINION
Let us be adults
Last night, the Residence Hall Association Senate
unanimously passed a resolution endorsing
“popular sovereignty” for dorm visitation policies.
The purpose of the resolution is simple: It allows the
students and staff of a residence hall to select their own
visitation policy. That means everyone gets treated
equally, from freshmen to seniors, from Wade Hampton
(one of the most restrictive policies) to Preston (24-hour
visitation). There’s nothing hidden or revolutionary in
the proposal. Guests still have to be signed in, there still
will be some form of visitation policies, and the
roommate contract still trumps a residence hall’s
visitation policy.
It S time I e University officials love to
university e remindstudents, whenever they
students run
their own lives mess up’ ^ wp’re supposed to be
including adults. But, when it comes to giving
visitation us tbe freedom that comes with
policies, adulthood, they seem to become
protective parents, wrapping us in
regulations we don’t want or need. ,
It’s time the university let students run their own
lives, from Student Government elections to student
organizations to student residence halls.
Committees, boards and administrators that try to
tell students how to run their lives are either relics of
the 1970s or restraints that should have been lifted
after junior high.
But, in this case, there should be no question. If
students are old enough to drive, vote or smoke,
they’re old enough to pick their own visitation policy.
Otherwise, college is just high school with a little
more reading.
Winners and Sinners
LISA SIMPSON She might prefer Vassar, but at
least she recognizes that USC (not Clemson) is
the best South Carolina school.
VONETTA FLOWERS U.S. women’s bobsled team
member is first black athlete to win Winter
Olympics gold. Hitler noticeably displeased.
RUDY GIULIANI Made an honorary knight by
Queen Elizabeth. Just make him king, already.
BOB JONES UNIVERSITY “Actively” recruiting
minorities. Don’t mind those hoods — they’re
just ceremonial.
PFIZER Sues Manhattan restaurants for using
the “Viagra” name in seafood dishes. It was a
hard sell anyway.
TAMPA BAY BUCS Finally settle on ex-Raiders
coach John Gruden. And all it cost was their
future.
GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS
In Monday’s paper, it was reported that Jacksonville State’s
softball team scored two runs off two RBI doubles. The runs were
scored off a double and an error by USC. Only one earned run was
charged to pitcher Megan Matthews. The Gamecock regrets the
error.
If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us
at gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com.
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Editor in Chief
Ginny Thornton
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Kevin Fellner
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Asst. Sports Editor
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Festa, Jason Harmon,
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i ne uameuucK is me
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nine times during the
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exception of university
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not those of the
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YOU WERE AHOtWPIC FIGURE SKATING
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CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS
IN YOUR OPINION
Treasurer’s role is
mostly as adviser
I read with much interest
the editorial in Monday’s
newspaper endorsing
Terrance Beeks for student
body treasurer.
While I feel it would be
inappropriate for me to
endorse any candidate, I’m
compelled to respond to a key
issue The Gamecock cited in
choosing to endorse Beeks.
The editorial board quoted
Beeks as planning to
“distribute funds based on
performance, [which] ensures
that lazy groups will get
moving and wisely use the
money they’re given.”
Unfortunately for Beeks,
the student body treasurer
nas no autnority over activity
fee allocation. That duty is
strictly assigned to the
members of the Student
Senate Finance Committee.
Even the chair of the committee
isn’t allowed to vote, except in
the rare event of a tie.
According to Student
Government Finance Code
340.10, the SG treasurer serves
only as an adviser to the
Finance Committee during the
allocation process. Therefore, it
would be helpful for the
treasurer to know how and
where clubs have spent money
in the past. It would also be nice
if he or she previously had
attended the grueling 12-hour
allocation process.
Think about that before you
make your own choice for SG
treasurer.
HYDRICK HARDEN
SC TREASURER, FOURTH-YEAR
ACCOUNTING STUDENT
Students should
vote for referendum
The Student Senate Judiciary
Committee encourages
students to cast their vote
today or tomorrow via
vip.sc.edu. We aren’t,
however, writing with the
sole purpose of asking
students to vote for the
candidates running for office.
We are writing in support of
the referendum that will be
on the same ballot.
This year, we have worked
on and revised the Student
Government Constitution.
Currently, the SG
Constitution is inaccurate in
current procedures and has
typographical errors, making
it difficult to read clearly.
We don’t want the new
constitution to mimic past
mistakes. We have removed
clauses that SG has no power
to enforce. We have clarified
confusing issues, such as SG’s
relationship with its judicial
branch, Carolina Student
Judicial Council. We have
incorporated structural
changes that greatly enhance
the ability to read the
constitution.
We want USC to have a
more efficient constitution
that can be accurately
understood by SG outsiders.
Currently, you must be
familiar with how things are
really run to interpret the
constitution, which can be
misleading.
The Senate unanimously
approved the revised
constitution on Feb. 6. Now,
we ask the student body to
review the amendments when
you go to vote for candidates.
And we ask students to vote
“yes” for this referendum.
SARA MARENO
STUDENT SENATE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE CHAIRWOMAN,
FOURTH-YEAR INTERNATIONAL
STUDIES STUDENT
Candidate leaves
bad impression
.
As we get closer to SG
elections, candidates continue
to press hard for each vote. We
all must understand that
candidates are busy running
around, talking to as many
students as possible.
It’s nonetheless important
that candidates follow up on
their appointments with
student organizations,
especially when the
organization is a group of
politically minded students
who will surely cast their
votes on election day.
As the chairman of USC’s
chapter of the South Carolina
Student Legislature, I was
contacted by four candidates
for speaking engagements and
arrangements were made.
Though SCSL is a small
group (our membership is
limited based on the population
of the university), we are very
active. We will probably have
more students voting in SG
elections than most
organizations three times our
size.
Of course, I can’t voice an
opinion for the entire SCSL
delegation, but I must note that
Ankit Patel, a candidate for
president, didn’t show up for
his Thursday evening speaking
engagement. Can we really
expect any candidate (for any
office) to uphold his or her
platform when he or she
doesn’t even keep campaigning
appointments? It’s something
worth considering.
Hats off to David
Bomemann, Brook Bristow and
Terrance Beeks for their input
and participation with SCSL.
ADAM L. SHAW
THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE
STUDENT
Endorsements are
just value judgments
Readers, beware of The
Gamecock’s endorsements! The
Gamecock is right about its first
responsibility to report the news.
However, it blunders in its
assertion for the privilege of
making endorsements. In a
Monday editorial, The Gamecock
explains, “With every
responsibility comes a privilege.”
I think it’s necessary to add that
for the privilege to take effect, the
responsibility must be handled
with integrity, competence and
consistency.
However, The Gamecock
can’t seem to report with
journalistic integrity, leading
me to wonder why it can handle
the extra “privilege” of
endorsing candidates. The
debate coverage—The
Gamecock takes pride in
cosponsoring the event—was
filled with incomplete
testimony and muddled
explanations about every
candidate’s platform. The “Meet
the Candidates” articles have
hardly been comprehensive. I
also remember the poor
advisement forums coverage,
which had misquotes and
ignored two of the three forums in
the series. I have met faculty
members who refuse to speak to
The Gamecock for its reputation
for misquotations.
If the Gamecock editorial
board reviewed its own articles
dealing with the elections, the
endorsements are hardly
informed. The lack of
journalistic integrity The
Gamecock displays renders its
endorsements worthless.
The Gamecock makes a
second mistake when it points to
First Amendment rights.
Though the First Amendment
gives us each the right to explain
what we think, it also adds the
burden of responsibility to
choose what we say and to
decide what’s appropriate and
what isn’t. The idea that The
Gamecock produces such
endorsements just because it
can is ridiculous and detracts
from its validity as a serious
newspaper. I have never seen a
reputable newspaper say point
• blank, “We support this
candidate.” Perhaps this is
because blatant endorsements of
this kind aren’t appropriate.
These endorsements from The
Gamecock should be considered
with a lot of scrutiny. They are
value judgments from people
without the qualifications to tell
the student body how to vote.
GINNY WRIGHT
COLLEGE OK LIBERAL ARTS SENATOR,
SECOND-YEAR ENGLISH STUDENT
Editor's Note: Many community
and college newspapers around
the nation, including The State,
The New York Times, The
Washington Post, The Daily Tar
Heel and The Florida Alligator,
endorse candidates for elections.
Endorsing doesn’t
help candidates
Oh, no! The Gamecock has
released its endorsements for
the upcoming Student
Government elections. What are
we going to do? I know: Let’s
hold a sit-in. How dare the
newspaper exercise its First
Amendment rights?
Don’t get upset about The
Gamecock’s endorsements. It’s
the paper’s First Amendment
right, but do you really think it
helps the candidates?
I urge you to take the
endorsements with a grain of
salt. As we all know, The
Gamecock isn’t the most
reputable paper in town. If I
were a candidate, I would be
upset with the endorsement. I
would rather be endorsed by
Maurice Bessinger.
So before everyone gets angry
because your candidate wasn’t
picked as “the best,” remind
yourself that the selections were
probably made by one person
who had enough power to exert
the proper influence over the rest
of the editorial board. Are you
really going to let one person tell
you how to vote in this election?
BRIAN PHILLIPS
FOURTH-YEAR CRIMINAL JUSTICE
STUDENT
Submission Policy
Letters to the editor should be less than
300 words and include name, phone
number, professional title or year and
major, if a student. Bring letters to
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gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com. The
Gamecock reserves the right to edit for
libel, style and space. Anonymous letters
will not be published. Outside
submissions supporting or opposing a
candidate or a party in any election will
not be run the day before or the day of an
election. Call the newsroom at 77^7726
for more information.
28 days
isn’t long
enough
BETHANY MITCHELL
GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM
Learning about different
cultures shouldn’t stop
when February is over.
As Black History Month ends,
I’d like to commend the NAACP
and AAAS'for providing
activities throughout the month
showcasing African-American
culture. But I want to challenge
these groups — and other
minority groups—to keep the
functions going.
We can’t settle with one month
to encompass all of black history.
The government thought it was
throwing a bone to the black
community by giving us a month
to celebrate our history. Thanks, •
but no thanks; we got the
shortest month of the year. More
than 40 years ago, that might
have been great, but today, it just
doesn’t cut it.
USC requires us to take
several history courses as
prerequisites, depending on
your major. How many of those
pniiropfi artnallv fnnis on hlark
history? The most we learn is
that blacks were slaves for 400
years and counted as three
fourths of a man. Women didn’t
even count that much. But what
those history classes fail to
mention is that this country was
built on the backs of blacks, and
it wouldn’t be the place it is
today without them. But we
don’t even deserve a full month
or a year? We get lucky on leap
year because we get an extra
day.
I apologize to other minorities
because the government didn’t
have any more short months to
hand out. This society tends to
forget the foundation that
helped build this country.
We owe Western expansion of
railroad construction to Asian
Americans, who risked their
lives doing so. They were more
than the stereotypical movie
characters portraying the happy
and elated house workers.
We should also learn more
about Native Americans. After
all, this is their country. All we
know is that “whites” felt they
were taming “savages” by
stealing their land and
slaughtering their people. It was
supposedly all in the name of
Christianity, but I think it had
more to do with just plain evil.
I know just as well as the next
person that February will
always be Black History Month
and that won’t change. I know
that other minorities probably
won’t get that much national
credit.
But as students at this
university, we don’t have to stop
the learning here. After
February is over, I want to
continue to see events for black
bLUUClILO. I WcUll IU 5CC uaiui
Americans constantly
displaying pride in their
heritage regardless of the
month. I want to see other
minorities rise up and let their
voices be heard.
The only way we will ever be
able to learn about others and
their cultures is by learning it
ourselves. We can’t count on
USC to teach us in HIST 112,
because it won’t happen. And
don’t be satisfied with 28 days to
learn about events that took
centuries to take place.
Other minorities, I hear your
voices, too. All of our ancestors
built this country. Now, it’s time
for the rest of the world to know it.
To white students, this isn’t a
ploy against you. But you should
know the truth and never
assume by what you are taught.
There are always two sides to a
story. The truth and real history
of our wonderful country is out
there; it’s just a matter of your
willingness to explore it.
Mitchell & a third-year broadcast
journalism student.