The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 22, 2002, Page 4, Image 4
4 THE GAMECOCK ♦ Friday, March 22, 2002
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IN OUR OPINION
The good, the
bad, the Oscars
At this year’s annual Academy Awards show, John
Travolta will be making his eighth appearance as an
award presenter. Sadly, Travolta has handed away
more Oscar statues than black actors have received
in the 74 years of the show’s history.
Then again, that’s no real surprise. The show has a
history of nominating films and actors that appeal to
mostly white audiences and ignoring others that are
groundbreaking, genuinely good or racially diverse.
This year holds the
In the past, the possibility for change. Three
Academy Awards black actors _ Halle Berry
have left ou* a willSmithan(iDenzel
specific American tit ,. . A J
segment Let’s WashlnSton — are nominated
hope Oscar can in lead‘acting categories
appropriately Sidney Poitier, who will be
handle diversity, honored with a lifetime
achievement award this year,
is the only black to have won an Oscar in a lead
acting category.
The academy, which is dominated by whites, has
been more than willing to promote-its progressive
new class of nominees. But why has it taken so long
to come so far? The downside of the publicity
surrounding this year’s diversity is that it could lead
some to question the legitimacy of any award won by
a black actor. The academy should make sure that
any such criticism is unfounded by selecting the
most-qualified candidates, regardless of their race,
even if that hasn’t been the case in the past.
Gamecock Quotables
“If other women are hurting,
then I am hurting, too.”
TORY WILSON
POET, ON HER ART, WHICH SHE PERFORMED
AT THE FIRST SHE FESTIVAL
“This is a tragedy for Carolina.”
JOHN PALMS
use PRESIDENT, ON THE DEATH OF STUDENT
TRACI HEINCELMAN
“The first part of the play is
like foreplay... it’s something
to get you to what you really
want to do.”
DAVE ODOM
use MEN’S HEAD BASKETBALL COACH,
COMMENTING ON THE BEGINNING OF THE
CONTROVERSIAL PLAY INVOLVING CHUCK
EIDSON IN THE SEC TOURNAMENT GAME
AGAINST ALABAMA
GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS
On Wednesday, Phil Watson’s column should have read, “Of
course, not all Afghan men smell bad or restrict their wives.” The
typographical error was an editing mistake.
Some information about Whaley’s Mill, located at 211 Main St.,
was incorrect in Wednesday’s paper. Whaley’s Mill offers one
bedroom apartments starting at $500, two-bedroom apartments
starting at $715, three-bedroom apartments starting at $895 and
four-bedroom apartments starting at $1,160. Water, sewer and
trash pickup are included with rent. Each resident is provided
with a desk and chair, and all apartments include a dining table
and chairs.
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
J. Keith Allen
Asst. Sports Editor
Brandon Larrabee
Special Projects
Adam Beam
Contributing Editor
Martha Wright
Design Editor
Page Designers
Crystal Dukes, Sarah
McLaulin, Katie Smith,
David Stagg
Kyle Almond
Copy Desk Chief
Copy Editors
Crystal Boyles, Andrew
Festa, Jason Harmon,
Jill Martin, Paul Rhine
Mark Hartney
Online Editor
Corey Davis
Photo Assignments
Photo Technicians
Robert Gruen, Candi
Hauglum
Kelly Petruska
Community Affairs
CONTACT INFORMATION
Offices on third floor of the Russell House.
Editor in 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
EDITORIAL BOARD
Kyle Almond.
Mackenzie Clements.
Chris Foy. Jason
Harmon, Mary Hartney,
Brandon Larrabee,
Carrie Phillips, Ginny
Thornton, Martha
Wright
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
Derek Goode, Todd
Hooks, Earl Jones,
Jennie Moore,
Melanie Roberts,
Beju Shah
Advertising Staff
Betsy Baugh,
Amanda Ingram.
Denise Levereaux,
Jackie Rice, Stacey
Todd
TPie 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
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per reader. Additional
copies may be
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Department of Student
Media.
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CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS
The creation of a snobby elite
ANN MARIE MIANI
GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM
Equal opportunities?
USC doesn’t have any.
The administration has
shown us yet again that the
only way to get ahead at this
school is to be elite.
Honors students get
privileges in almost every
aspect of life at USC, so why not
add housing to the list? They
already have Maxcy, so they
must assume that the rest of the
Horseshoe would just be an
extension of that.
And honors students wonder
why they’re accused of being
snobs.
Honors College Dean Peter
Sederberg said honors students
deserve more opportunities in
academics, community and
housing.
But why housing? Why
should a sophomore get to live
in an apartment-style dorm
over a senior? Does seniority
count for anything anymore?
Does having their own phone
line make honors students even
smarter?
Sederberg says the Honors
College vision is to build a
community atmosphere within
the honors community.
But all Sederberg will end up
doing is build a community of
snobs — a clique of elitists who
think they can get anything
they want simply because they
want it.
I am a senior and live off
campus, so this new policy has
no affect on me. But I feel sorry
for those seniors who’ll have to
live in Asbestos City—I mean
Capstone — so some prissy
sophomore can live on the
Horseshoe.
What is the university trying
to prepare these “special”
students for? Apparently, a life
of getting whatever their little
hearts desire. Let’s teach them
early on that if they want
something, they can get it
because they’re “elite.”
It’s easy to say these students
deserve “more opportunities”
because they do more for the
university. I know a lot of
people who do things for the
university and aren’t in the
Honors College — they get
nothing. Where are our frickin’
privileges?
When I worked as an editor
at The Gamecock, I gave more
than 30 hours of my week to the
newspaper. As production
manager for Garnet & Black, I
sacrificed nights and weekends
to its production.
And what did I get for my
hours of sacrifice? Do I get
special treatment in my
journalism classes because I’m
putting into practice what they
teach me? Do my teachers cut
me any breaks when I haven’t
slept for 48 hours because of a
deadline?
Of course not. I didn’t score a
1300 on my SAT.
For once, the real problem
isn’t with the Housing
Department. It’s fairly
worthless, but the real issue
here is that the majority of the
student body comes second to
this university. The
administration has showed
with this new policy that the
only people who matter are the
elite. The rest of us are
expendable.
Remember this when you are
35 years old and suffering from
lung cancer because you lived
in the asbestos-filled Capstone
or Bates House instead of
Woodrow. You can lament the
fact that, if you had gotten a
1300 on your SATs, life at USC
might have been better.
Miani is a fourth-year print
journalism student.
IN YOUR OPINION
Horseshoe housing
is about tradition
It seems the debate against
Honors College students
having sole rights to
Horseshoe housing has been
skewed and misrepresented.
This issue isn’t about denying
honors students perks for
being who they are; it’s about
granting them sole access to
USC’s heritage.
Living on the Horseshoe is
a privilege many students
strive to obtain. If you’re
lucky, you’ll be granted this
esteemed housing as a junior,
but most students have to wait
until their senior year.
The Horseshoe is the
backbone of the university; it
is where this institution of
higher learning began. A
certain amount of respect is
warranted for the place,
respect that you only obtain
after a few years of walking
the halls of the university’s
facilities.
We aren’t trying to rob the
Honors College of the housing
community it has wanted for
so long. Instead, we’re trying
to preserve honor and
tradition.
If the Honors College went
after any other location on
campus, such as South Quad,
I’m sure there would be some
ruckus..
But this debate is so heated
because the Honors College is
taking away the Horseshoe,
which, by right, belongs to all
students.
It’s disheartening to hear
that honors students are being
harassed over this issue
because they didn’t personally
do anything.
The anger that other
students have over this issue
is misdirected, but it saddens
me that, no matter where it is
directed, it will do no good.
In my four years at USC,
I’ve seen many petitions
distributed and many students
cry out for change. But it has
all fallen on deaf ears. In all
the debates, the students have
never won a battle with the
administration; they have
been able to only try their best
in putting up a good fight.
ANDREW M. CADY
FOURTH-TEAR MEDIA ARTS
STUDENT
Hall of Fame isn’t
about music merit
Wednesday’s editorial was
spot on. Unfortunately, The
Gamecock editorial board
failed to state the deeper
motivation in the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame’s actions. The
reason that certain inductees
have entered the hall relates to
rock ‘n’ roll’s growing self
conscious celebrity, not
necessarily because of each
group’s level of merit.
This explains why the
Moody Blues — whose path
breaking debut album is now
35 years old — have yet to
enter the hall, despite 40 years
of output that includes more
than 15 albums and many
more singles.
The Hall of Fame doesn’t
celebrate longevity, musical
skill, or even the rebellion
that supposedly drives rock
‘n’ roll. It’s a mutual
gratification society for the
forgotten, mediocre or fame
obsessed. They show us lesser
beings how “meaningful” the
“influences” from the great
musicians were upon them,
and they have their “legacies”
transmuted from a bit of
music they might have
enjoyed playing in their youth
to “cultural icons.” It’s about
basking in the reflected
greatness of the truly talented
and gaining status for yourself.
Doubtless, Britney Spears
will enter the hall like
clockwork when her time
comes, while true musicianship
will, as always, fail to grasp the
American consciousness. That
just goes to prove that
mainstream rock ‘n’ roll, the
entirety of the music industry
and the whole of American
society are really all about
conformity after all. Big
surprise there.
ERIC A. CHEEZUM
HISTORY GRADUATE STUDENT
Arena doesn’t need
corporate sponsors
The USC Athletics
Department is considering
corporate sponsorship for the
new arena, which would give
naming rights to that
corporation similar to the “Bi
Lo Center” in Greenville. USC is
a beautiful and state-of-the-art
campus that shouldn’t be
trashed by a large company
placing its logos all over one of
our newest flagship buildings.
Buildings on this campus
should reflect all that is great
about Carolina, and not serve as
billboards for corporations.
Why not name the building after
someone deserving, such as
Frank McGuire or Mike McGee?
BRAD HENRY
THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE
STUDENT
Submission Policy
Letters to the editor should be less than
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number, professional title or year and
major, if a student. Bring letters to
Russell House 333 or e-mail
gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com. The
Gamecock reserves the right to edit for
libel, style and space. Anonymous letters
will not be published. Call the newsroom
at 777-7726 for more information.
Finding
work for
summer
CLAYTON KALE
GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM
Betting is not the best
way to make money.
Instead of going out and
getting a “normal” college job,
such as waiting tables, I did what
I thought would be best for my
career and got jobs with
newspapers during the summer.
Now, I’m nursing a foot wound.
Let me explain.
I’ve got this guy Vinny
breathing down my neck over a
bet I made last spring. It’s a little
embarrassing, but I bet that USC
would be named to the
Association oi American
Universities by the time I
graduate. I’m not a graduate yet,
but it’s clear that USC won’t
become an AAU institution
before then.
I need a job before Vinny
ruins my chances of procreating.
But, because I haven’t
graduated, I’m unqualified to get
a job as a reporter (although
that’s not what they said last
summer or the summer before
that or the summer before that).
I brainstormed about what
sort of jobs would be well-suited
for a 22-year-old nerd with a
larger-than-necessary
knowledge of history,
philosophy, obscure religions
and other useless stuff. The best
thing I could think of was
working at a bookstore.
“I’ve read tons of books, ” I
thought. “I bet they’ll hire me in
a flash.” I should stop betting. I
went to a chain on Harbison,
and the manager there put a new
twist on the word “qualified.”
“Oh, sorry, Mr. Kale, ” the
manager said. “You’ve got no
retail experience, and you’re
overqualified. ” Huh? No retail
experience, yet overqualified?
Overqualification should be the
least of their worries, based on ■
observations of their current
employees. They’ve hired people
who don’t know the difference
between Tom Wolfe and Thomas
Wolf, but they won’t hire me,
apparently, because I’ve read
books that never appeared on
The New York Times bestseller
list. I suppose I won’t meet the
corporation’s goal of selling
drivel to the masses. If they want
to continue to hire people who
haven’t read anything much
more complicated than Harry
Potter, then there’s nothing I can
do about it.
Hey, I’m not bitter. I just need
a job. I made a bet that the
university would take all the
money that I and 22,759 other
students threw at them and turn
this place into a first-rate
institution. Instead, they used
our money to build a second
arena for a sport that we’re not
that good at and another health
center (and they named it after a
Clemson graduate. Oh, the
humanity!). My days are
numbered. I’ve got to pay Vinny.'
There are plenty of ways to
make money. I can offer my
services as a research-paper
writer. Bring me the books and
the topic and $50 per page ($200
minimum, please), and I’ll fill
your professor with wonder at
my brilliant (read: drunken)
insights. Send your paper
proposals to me at
Iamnotserious@coldmail.com.
We’ll work out payment
arrangements then.
In the meantime, I can always
sell my blood plasma at NABI for
$50 a week, or I could sell one of
my kidneys or half my liver on
the black market.
Vinny, if you’re reading this,
don’t worry. You’ll get your
money. But if you don’t mind
doing me a favor, go down to the
big bookstore on Harbison and
tell the manager that you have a
friend that could use a job.
Kale is a fourth-year print
journalism student.