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THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, April 3, 2002 5 SOUND OFF TT^TTTDATATm d ONLINEPOLL Create message boards at I I—^ B / % / I—JI I I I Should the SAT requirement be www.dailygamecock.com or I I 1 j ■ / ■ / I ■ ■ I I l dropped from the USC application? send letters to the editor to I I J W W I www.dailygamecock.com. gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com —B m A Y Y WL ^ 1 —B— —/ Results published on Fridays. IN OUR OPINION Choosing our undergrads The Board of Trustees is discussing throwing out the SAT I requirement for admission to USC. That might be far bolder than anything the board has ever done recently, but it’s the wrong bold step to take. It’s well known that the SAT is racially and culturally biased. And some students who do very well in school don’t do well on tests. Under pressure from the administration of the University of California-Berkeley, the College Board has said it’s _ _.. preparea to revamp its test. The SAT I is * .. .. . * eAfPT known to be D^te its flews, to sat i racially and remams the only consistent way culturally biLed. t0 measure ^ academic But it’s the only abilities of students across the accurate scale, nation. An “A” in one high school might be a “B” in another. Certainly, USC should decrease the importance of the SAT; the current weight given to the test is unfair to the students whom it punishes. But requiring SAT II scores or an essay could raise USC’s student quality while allowing some students who did poorly on the SAT I to make up for it elsewhere. It’s encouraging that the board seems unlikely to do away with the SAT I score provision. But that doesn’t mean the board shouldn’t consider improving USC’s admissions process. With the university considering a wide array of changes under the Strategic Directions and Initiatives Report, now is also an ideal time to reform the way USC chooses its undergraduates. It’s an opportunity the board shouldn’t let slip by. Winners and Sinners COCA-COLA Vanilla Coke to come in cans. No more unnecessary trips to Waffle House. MARYLAND Congratulations. You sucked less than Indiana. What would your fans have done had you lost? BILL CLINTON Former president to acquire new canine companion. No word on other kinds of companions. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE AND POLICY RESEARCH Think tank formerly known as Insitute of Public Affairs sees former employees plead guilty to misuse of office. New name change needed? MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT Caught flat footed in Sumwalt debacle. INS feels your pain. SHARON, ARAFAT “Leaders” escalate violence as situation spirals out of control. Peace process not proceeding so well. GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS 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 Editors 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 /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. Gloria | Simpson, Stacey » Todd The 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 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. TO PLACE AN AD The Gamecock 1400 Greene Street Columbia, S.C. 29208 Advertising: 777-3888 Classified: 777-1184 Fax: 777-6482 Common-sense college lessons PHIL WATSON GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM Geometry might not help you in the real world, but these classes will. Can you swim? At USC, your future doesn’t depend on it. But at public universities in North Carolina, it does — if you can’t swim, you don’t graduate. All able-bodied students have to demonstrate the ability to swim a lap in a pool and tread water for five minutes. In the 1800s, few people knew how to swim, and the powers that were in North Carolina decided all students should know how to stay afloat. As old-fashioned as the rule seems, it’s a good idea. My grandfather was a sea captain most of his life. Even after he retired, he lived on Florida’s Gulf Shore and had boats that he and my grandmother took out often. Neither of them knows how to swim. Lucky for them, they never fell overboard. But a simple required class could have been a lifesaver. I like the idea of requiring students to be able to demonstrate some real-life, common-sense tasks before they can graduate. For example, all able-bodied students should have to run a mile in less than 10 minutes. It’s not that hard, and working on making it in time would provide some exercise for many people who haven’t run since they were chased by bullies in the seventh grade. In another physically demanding requirement, all students should have to demonstrate the ability to turn off a cell phone before class. I know it’s difficult and many haven’t learned how, but, with practice, anyone can master this complex art. The new requirements wouldn’t be only physical. Students would have to demonstrate a working knowledge in other areas of life, like dating. Tcan already imagine what the lectures might be like in that class. “Fellows, if you meet a girl and she has a bumper sticker that reads, ‘I still miss my ex, but my aim is improving,' run like an Afghan from a daisy cutter. For the next class, please read the two essays in Chapter 9: ‘Are those just chapped lips, or should I be worried?’ and ‘Why haven’t I met any o'f Johnny’s friends?”’ Another required class should be “General Respect 101,” or, in simple terms, “How Not to Be a Jackhole.” This class would teach students important things, like why you shouldn’t use the desks in the library as a forum for calling people you don’t like gay and why you shouldn’t pee off the balconies of the Towers. “Stop Complaining 101” would also be a required class. Whiny crybabies whose daddies buy them $30,000 cars would be taught that they’re really over-privileged, spoiled brats. This class is more important now than ever because complaining seems to be the new official pastime of USC students. These requirements and classes would turn out stronger, more adjusted students. S§me might not like the ideas at first, but, like those who get caned in Singapore, students would look back and be grateful. There are some things that academic curriculums can’t teach. For everything else, there’s my crazy ideas. Watson is a third-year print journalism student. Majors, minors, college, o/z zzzy/ SHANNA REED GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM While you might play safe with your major, have fun with a minor. Here’s the deal. You bust your butt all through high school, and you get here. Some of you make the decision early, some of us wait until the last minute, but we all have to make it. It’s one of the most nerve wracking questions that has plagued you in your young life. It’s the icebreaker at parties. It’s the first question your parents’ friends ask when they haven’t seen you since graduation. If you get shot today, they’ll include it on the 6 p.m. news, along with whether you had on clean underwear. It’s your major. No matter what, you have to declare a major. Coming to that decision is no walk in the park. It’s like buying clothing detergent for the first time and realizing there are 20 different brands and 30 different variations, and you can only choose one. How many times can they truly improve Tide? If you’re like most people, your dream is to make money doing something you love, but the reality is most of the time what you love doesn’t pay the bills. And if you aren’t paying your own tuition, your freedom of choice is severely restricted. You might have wanted to major in art history and lose yourself in periods of history that sound like fancy restaurants: Baroque, Renaissance. Maybe you wanted to major in theater, but the idea of teaching high school drama didn’t appeal to you. Or maybe you wanted to learn to say “You have beautiful teeth” in four different languages. But, alas, life isn’t always fair. So you had to choose something safe. Usually it’s something with letters, like CIS or BIS, or the basics: biology, chemistry, psychology. But don’t take this the wrong way. Some of you might have wanted to be doctors or psychologists or dental technicians all your lives, but some people had to make a choice. Either be a starving artist and, well, starve or join the grind. But we do have some choices. This is a democracy, after all. While your major might mean almost everything, your minor is just that — minor. You never know what can happen in a lifetime. Chances are you’ll change professions three or four times before you retire. And seeing as how we’re living longer and thus working longer, you’ll want to change professions three or four times. You need to break up the monotony and enjoy what you do. You quite possibly might have the chance to turn a hobby into a profession with just a little instruction. Sometimes you don’t need four years to get' the information you need to do what you love. With a cleverly chosen minor you can make the world think you’ve conformed, and your parents will be none the wiser. Go see your adviser to talk it over. It’s definitely easier than choosing your major, and it has less lifetime commitment. You can choose to minor in anything you want. Anything. Philosophy, dance, anthropology — it doesn’t matter. Some people might tell you that you have to choose something to compliment your major, but a lot of employers won’t even ask what you minored in. Take this opportunity to be as frivolous as you want. School can be fun again. You have your entire life to immerse your self in your ‘ default career. Take a little time out to study what you want. Learn how to paint that mural of Pamela Anderson on your apartment wall; you know you’ve been dreaming about it. Reed is a third-year electronic student. IN YOUR OPINION University waivers on SAT requirement I don’t understand the administration’s thinking. How do yyu go from wanting to improve the university SAT average to thinking about dropping it entirely? The goal of improving the overall university SAT average would be to get the most qualified students to come to USC. It seems counterproductive for the administration to drop the SAT requirement if it indeed wants more top students. The admission standards are low enough as it is. It’s been my observation that just about ♦ LETTERS, SEE PAGE 6 You ’d be cooler if you were British. ft MARKHARTNEY M%RKC0NVEYSANG10PHILIA@H0TMAIL.C0M I have one question for you: Why can’t we aH just‘Brit’ along? After living in England for a year and a half, I became subtly cooler. At least, I thought so. Being a music.snob, I took time there to learn about The Jam, The Specials and The Smiths. Older Brits still add the article to newer bands. The man who owned the record shop (or “shoppe”) on my street made frequent reference to “The Oasis” and “The Blur.” This is what having bands like The The does to a country. Upon returning stateside, Southern hospitality came as a pleasant surprise. In fact, it was a shock. The first person I met told me to “Have a nice day.” In Britain, this man would be trampled to the sidewalk. Everyone walks in Britain. Cars are only used when the Underground is flooded or aflame. The vehicles are kept in briefcases, and are unfolded around the driver. Bowler hats are used to steer. Because they don’t rely on cars, don’t smile and have unintelligible accents, the British are infinitely cool. Any musician or television program (“programme”) that is lame is redeemed when they explain it • was only to prove how stupid the United States is. We bought the Spice Girls and Teletubbies, didn’t we? Even if you think Brits aren’t smarter — and they are — they pretend to be intelligent so you have to give them credit. And in their defense (“defence”), at least they understand irony. This has to be the single biggest problem with Americans. Remember “Ironic” by Alanis Morrisette? Almost nothing in that song was ironic. We failed to note that. Was it ironic that it rained on her wedding day? No. It would have been if the groom were a meteorologist. If you move to Denver, and your aunt lives there, it isn’t ironic. It’s a coincidence. There’s a difference. This is almost as annoying as hearing people say a coincidence is so “random”. It’s not. It’s just interesting. Move on. i urge mese people to visu England. Learn their zany words for ordinary objects, like truck (“lorry”), tourist (“profit”) and Irish terrorism (“Tuesday”). I guarantee you will feel less confident than if you were placed in the heart of Baghdad. The air of superiority is thicker them the fog on the River Thames (pronounced “chips”). And why not? What have we done that’s culturally worthy recently? The Brits can always point to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The David Bowie and The Other ‘60s Bands we tried to copy. We have Elvis, who didn’t write his hits and died in a very unflattering position (on the “loo”). Even their media is exciting. When news is slow in England, they send a photographer over to one of the 3,000 members of the royal family for pictures of § them naked. What do we get in our tabloids? Let’s not start. And they actually show Princess So and-so naked, which is sometimes a good idea. I also want to gamble when I go back. I’m nor referring to bets on soccer (“melee”) matches, 40 hour cricket games or darts. These reserved people bet on when celebrities are going to ♦ HARTNEY, SEE PAGE 6