Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

4 THE GAMECOCK ♦ Monday, April 8, 2002 SOUND OFF ONLINE POLL Create message boards at Did you know about the $125 fee www.dailygamecock.com or before you signed up for housing? send letters to the editor to www.dailyganxecock.com. gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com Results published on Fridays. THE LEADER Surprise, yet anotherfee! You think that off-campus apartments have expensive deposits? At least you know what you’ll be paying for. The online ‘privilege’ Many USC students were shocked to discover that they couldn’t sign up for housing this year because they hadn’t paid a new $125 application fee. The fee isn’t a true increase in housing costs, but students were required to pay online with a credit card before they even ranked their choices of on-campus facilities. And even if you’re a senior stuck in Capstone, The Housing Department still gets to hold on to that $125 “deposit.” It’s all for the privilege of applying online for housing — never mind the fact that students have been using VIP for three years to apply for housing. Money woes There’s a reason college students thrive on drink specials and Wal-Mart runs: We don’t have a lot of money. Perhaps Housing was afraid of student outcry when it failed to adequately inform students about the fee, and with good reason — $125 is a lot to expect a student to come up with in a week, especially right after spring break. Why weren’t students informed about this change with extra time to find the money? And for that matter, why has this fee suddenly been imposed, when the.changes in technology started several years ago? It’s disturbing to think that Housing could have a massive change approved without already having adequate funding from the university. Students constantly hear about learning to budget money and not running up credit card debt. But how is that possible when we have surprise fees forced upon us? Housing, by acting out of the fear of negative student response, is further compounding its problems and marring its reputation with students. There’s a reason college students thrive on drink specials and Wal-Mart runs: We don’t have an extra $125. GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS As a clarification, an article in Wednesday’s paper should have specified that the USC Board of Trustees voted Monday, March 25, to adopt the new nuclear-engineering program. A column in Friday’s edition should have said three former employees of the Institute of Public Affairs plead guilty to misuse of office. 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 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 ^1^5 5Tof?(e5N IJ/MZ-& Rt6-HT*.. H UC6H5IM6 ' g\ |M fH6 aAiO-HW (?t0^'T C><? ^ai/CH *&rCsKS?# To 6-y CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Religion should be personal MARTHA WRIGHT GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM ‘Student-led messages’ are poor guises for prayer in S.C. schools. The people who run South Carolina’s schools have a chip on their shoulders about school prayer. In this case, it’s Rep. Chip Campsen, R-Isle of Palms, whose neutrally named South Carolina Student-Led Messages Act was passed without debate by the House on Thursday. Its critics and proponents recognize that it’s a push to put prayer in graduations and other academic events, but “prayer” is never mentioned. The closest we get is a statement that’s a collector’s item of evasive language: “The State of South Carolina... does not intend by this bill to encourage or discourage religious, non-religious, or anti religious expression.” Spare me. What on Earth else could they be trying to protect with the label of “short opening or closing student messages”? I’m sure our legislators don’t feel obligated to designate a time for students to say, “Go Gamecocks!” or “I love you 4 EVA, David!” Besides, Campsen’s record doesn’t support the idea of his being on fire for freedom of choice. In this session, his Greatest Hits include plans to ban gambling cruises, to notify parents of minors who get STDs and to define a fetus as a person. The Student-Led Messages Act is redundant at best arid unconstitutional at worst. Schools everywhere in the state already let student-elected representatives, athletics team captains and academic all-stars speak at their events. This bill just removes the state’s fingerprints from the statements by taking away the chance for administrators to influence or review the message. It’s been shown over and over again that infusing public events with religious statements is contrary to concepts in the U.S. Constitution. What they’re hoping is that students will elect to use this time to express religious beliefs, which would be protected as free speech. Similarly protected, however, would be the salutatorian who chose to read selections from Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf.” With this bill, the state could be setting up schools for some very unwanted surprises. It’s a hackneyed statement, but I feel the need to jog our state’s institutional memory: Freedom of religion is freedom from religion. There is a place for student-led religious expression that doesn’t involve a public address system. It’s with the Muslim students who take breaks from class to offer prayers. It’s with Bible study groups who meet at lunch or basketball teams who say the Lord’s Prayer in the locker room. And it’s with every student who appeals to his or her own higher power as test papers are passed out. What these examples have in common is their voluntary nature. You can walk away from a Bible study, but it’s unreasonable to expect people to leave their own commencement ceremonies or flee the football stadium. If your graduation would be substantially marred by the exclusion of a prayer at its beginning or end, then go to a private religious school. Few things are more personal than someone’s choice to practice a religion. South Carolina should keep it that way. Wright is a fourth-year print journalism student. IN YOUR OPINION Media is biased about Palestinians Thank you, Chad Glass, for your bold and candid column Friday about the Israeli fc’alestinian conflict. Indeed, the media gives biased reports against Palestinians. The media emphasizes the sufferings of Israelis while ignoring the injustices inflicted on Palestinians, most of whom have lost family members to the bombshells of Israeli soldiers and are forced into refugee camps and denied a home country. Nothing can justify the killing of innocent civilians, but can anything justify the racism inherent in a state that will bulldoze the homes of one group of people to make room for another? Journalists like you are rare, and I commend your sense of justice. SHEIMA SALAM THIRD-YEAR INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES STUDENT Organization didn’t know about policy Looking at The Gamecock the other day, I was disheartened to see the USC Academic Team listed as one of those “thuggish” organizations that didn’t show up to their assigned meetings at the Russell House. While we, the members of the Academic Team, celebrate our bad-boy reputation, March has been our slow month, and we have indeed showed up sporadically to our meetings. Any other month, and the Russell House staff would have found us “getting our learn on” for two hours a day, Monday through Thursday. We would have canceled meetings if we knew there was a way to do so. Reforming my “hoodlum” ways, I inquired about how our organization could quit wasting money, and I found out that you have to e-mail reserve@gwm.sc.edu to revise your organization’s schedule. I didn’t know that, and I’m sure many of the other “outlaw” organizations didn’t either. As president of the Academic Team, I would like to let folks know that we meet on Thursdays at 5 p.m. on the third floor of the Russell House. The Academic Team is one of the most consistently good programs of its kind. We invite anyone who is interested in quiz and buzzer competitions to test their knowledge against some big time players. It’s fun, I promise. ERIC DOUGLASS FOURTH-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STU DENT AND ACADEMIC TEAM PRESIDENT U.S. music isn’t inferior to English Usually, I don’t respond to absurd opinions in The Gamecock, contenting myself with the knowledge that college students’ opinions don’t represent the real world. But this time, I’ve got to speak out. I hope Mark Hartney was being sarcastic in his column Wednesday, because to even suggest that American music is inferior to English music is ridiculous. I’d even be willing to bet an Englishman would tell you so. America has provided popular music with a lot more than Elvis Presley. For example, in the 1950s, the United States had Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Little Richard, Sam Cooke, The Everly Brothers, Ricky Nelson and many others in the field of folk, blues, R&B and country. English bands wouldn’t have existed without these seminal artists. In the 1960s, the United States had The Beach Boys, Del Shannon, The Byrds, Bob Dylan (he counts twice), The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix (yes, I know he had an English band, but he was still American) Iggy and the Stooges, The Velvet Underground and everything that came out on the Motown label. England had The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who. And during the 1980s, when the ’ United States was pumping out great bands like Black Flag, Husker Du, The Replacements, Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, The Pixies, The Minutemen, Minor Threat, Soundgarden and a slew of other artists, the English failed to produce one decent band. I guess Hartney’s English buddies were too busy having g “wank” in the “loo.” In fact, the English haven’t produced a significant band since The Sex Pistols, and who needs them when we have the Kamones? If Hartney is claiming to be a “music snob,” it would help to learn something about music. STEPHEN CRABTREE FOURTH-YEAR HISTORY AND RUSSIAN 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. E-mail letters to gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com. Letters will be edited. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newsroom at 777-7726 for more information. No more concerts for me BETHANY MITCHELL GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM Maybe I’m just getting old, but I’m tired of crowds and concerts. I went to see Nappy Roots and OutKast at the 3 Rivers Music Festival on Saturday. It’s always great to hear about real artists coming to Columbia. But knowing what I know now, I will never go to another concert in Columbia. First, it was actually cold outside—between 30 and 40 degrees. But being in the middle of a crowd that large made it feel like 80 degrees. At one time in my life, I thought it was fun and cool to be in a crowd of that many people, but with age and a little more wisdom, I discovered that crowds aren’t the best places to be. mere was a long Dreax between the Nappy Roots set and when OutKast was supposed to perform. There was no music being played, and in the midst of it all, I smelled conflict. Not to my surprise, a fight broke out, which left me standing on one leg because everyone was pushed together so tightly. I won’t lie; I get scared in those types of situations. It wasn’t like there was a gun check at each entrance. There weren’t any gun checks — period. And when a fight starts with that many people around, there’s no way that five police officers standing in the distance can actually break through the crowd. Of course, Nappy Roots and OutKast were excellent. But as for me and concerts, I quit. I can’t deal with “ghetto” crowds of drunk, high and immature people. The marijuana smoke really bothers me; it might be your thing, but I might need to get a job soon. If I fail a drug test because of someone else’s secondhand smoke, that’s going to be a problem. And the “ghetto crowd was actually booing the opening act for OutKast. You actually wonder why acts hesitate to come to Columbia. I wouldn’t come either. The crowd’s rudeness is horrible. I wouldn’t want to deal with people losing their children and stopping the music so the DJ can announce that Joey should meet his mother at the pizza stand because she’s waiting on him. And I’m tired of the “Oops, didn’t mean to step on your feet or grab a certain part of your anatomy.” In “The Original Kings of Comedy,” Steve Harvey made fun of how we actually pay money for a bunch of people to stand on a stage and make us faise our hands and dance. Shouldn’t they be dancing and raising their hands? Aren’t we paying them for entertainment? Maybe I’m just getting old. Either way, concerts, clubs, crowded movies and even the mall at Christmas are out of the question. I’d rather find a quieter place so I can actually hear myself think. To top everything off, I lost my cell phone at the OutKast concert. Besides the music, Saturday was not a good day. Mitchell is a fourth-year electronic journalism student. What’s missing from this page? Have an opinion or a correction? Send letters to the editor to gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com.