Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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4 THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, April 10, 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.dailygamecock.com. gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com Results published on Fridays. IN OUR OPINION Allowing for endorsements On behalf of Student Government President Ankit Patel, College of Liberal Arts Sen. Ginny Wright has proposed a bill that would eliminate general funding for student organizations that publicly endorse candidates in any election. But the bill has several loopholes that make it ineffective, and it violates everyone’s right to political speech. Patel says student organizations receiving fees are not allowed to “get involved” in politics and still receive general funds. But the bill focuses on _3_A_ 1- 1 5 A Measures like this always fail. SG shouldn’t waste anyone’s time or money by fighting endorsements. ciiuui acmcino, vvm^ii at cn i the same as involvement in the political process. They are commentary, and political commentary is the highest form of protected speech under the First Amendment. me uamecocK enaorsea canaiaaies mis past February, but it’s ludicrous to propose that a newspaper is a political entity. And this bill doesn’t just apply to student media. Any student organization or officer supporting a candidate would subject the group to becoming “political” and to losing money. Would a women’s group that supports female candidates be deemed political and lose its money? It’s true that these are public funds, as Patel and Wright pointed out. But a government can’t decide what it likes and doesn’t like — or what and how it funds — based on content. This isn’t the first time a student government has tried to do this, and the measure always fails. So don’t waste anyone’s time — or “taxpayers’ money” — by fighting this fight. Winners and Sinners USC BODYBUILDING TEAM The strong and beefy showcase their muscles in the Mr. and Ms. USC Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships. Next: Force a settlement in | the Mideast. ; OUTKAST Thanks for being the first real musical group to visit Columbia in a while. No, Hootie doesn’t count. NEW SG CABINET Met for the first time Monday. Hasn’t screwed up... yet. USC HOUSING DEPARTMENT Increases fees to pay for technology upgrade. Air conditioning still pre-1960s, though. RUSSELL HOUSE Penalizes all groups for a few slackers who didn’t show. Anybody throws a spitball, and they’ll close down the GMP. 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 Marv MartnAv OrtUTAOT IMCADMATIAM Editor in Chief Ginny Thornton News Editor Kevin Feliner 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 Kauglum Kelly Petruska 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 US. i55t»e$ MtP^AST m' (oo, wesjot in 1 W 0U& TRAv£u 1 ■ A&^T WON'T S6T i/p A ■ floLY u>^o WR F°£ ft ^5 l/NT«~ \n£ TAKF BfcJ$A5lC TRA\NIH<^ 3S^- 5?&£ CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS The death grip of Alzheimer’s . TAYLOR MARSHALL-GREEN GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM One predator’s poison could prevent another’s. The Gila monster has intrigued me for years. It’s one of only two lizards that uses venom to kill prey or defend itself. But it’s rarely capable of killing humans because of its need to chew on prey while it slowly releases poison. The monster’s bite can be brutal. It can split snakes and lizards in half. It sinks its teeth into victims and overpowers them to their deaths. It’s a nocturnal creature that wants privacy and sometimes a delectable egg. I had a delectable meal over Easter. I was given the opportunity to try a dish made by Vernon, who I wrote about earlier this semester. He makes a damn fine “Hobo” — a massive hamburger patty topped with onion, tomato, bell pepper and potato — and you might recall that his wife, Mariam, is struggling with Alzheimer’s disease. It’s caught a hold of her and won’t release its grip. There have been no experiences in my life like seeing Vernon. He’s as fine a man as they come, and he’s dedicated to being a decent person. He gave updates about Mariam over Easter. “I had an hour or so, so I figured it be a good time to stop by and see you. Mariam is at the mall with Patty. And when I was trying to get her to go, she didn’t know what outift she wanted to wear. That is one of the hard parts of this. She doesn’t know how to make decisions,” Vernon said. The Gila monster’s venom, which stifles small birds and rodent embryos, is one of the most beautiful liquids on Earth for the biotechnology company Axonyx Inc. The company has created a new drug that it hopes to try on humans later this year. It’s called Gilatide, not coincidentally. It’s made from an extracted chemical from the deadly venom of the Gila monster’s saliva, which enhances a previously unknown receptor pathway in the brain that affects memory. “It doesn’t get better. It just doesn’t get any better. It’s a bad thing. A bad, bad thing.” Vernon was in the kitchen of my father’s house talking to my stepmother. “It’s hard ’cause you do all you can, but it doesn’t get better.” Alzheimer’s disease is ruthless. You gain wisdom, children and roots throughout your life. But with Alzheimer’s disease, your greatest memories are taken from you. In return, you’re left with the mind of a third grader. It’s never been documented that a Gila monster’s spit killed anyone. Hell, they need about four or five minutes to chew on your foot and release venom before a human would get a sense of the pain and death that could follow. But at the turn of the 20th century, there were stories about a Gila monster getting a good bite on a loner cowboy and not letting go until sundown. Well, we’re at the next turn of the century, and the Gila monster’s venom has never been so invited. “She doesn’t think they’re her clothes,” Vernon explained. Mariam still doesn’t know Vernon in the morning, she doesn’t recognize half of the things she sees, and she isn’t about to wear some dress that she fell in love with four years ago. The monster’s bite is brutal. It’s past the point of no return. It has sunk its teeth into Mariam’s life and is beginning to overpower it, drawing her closer to her death. Marshall-Green is a fourth-year electronic journalism student. IN YOUR OPINION Housing shouldn’t charge extra fees As I was reading Monday’s article about the new housing fee, one part really stuck in my head. In response to complaints about the fees, Housing Administration Director Gretchen Koehler said the fees were raised because students will be able to choose multiple roommates and because we sign up online. But does it really cost $25 more and an advanced deposit to add two more blanks to the housing application? Housing applications that weren’t online didn’t even have extra roommate blanks. Didn’t we get to fill out our application online last year without having to pay extra costs? I don’t buy into either of Koehler’s responses, especially because the “multiple roommates” I chose didn’t manage to get into the same apartment together. If the Housing Department is going to charge this ridiculous fee, it should at least be able to get its act together. STEVEN TEAGUE SECOND-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT Competition took lots of preparation I was in the Mr. USC Bodybuilding and Fitness competition, and I’d like to thank The Gamecock for publishing an article about the event. Each of the competitors put in a lot of work into preparing for the contest. That one night represented every workout, set by set and rep by rep; that’s what it jook for the competitors to look the way they did. The article was encouraging for me, and now more people will be a little more health conscious as a result. CHUCK SWADLEY FIRST-YEAR BUSINESS STUDENT Coverage might inspire more fitness I would like to thank The Gamecock for covering and publishing an article about the Mr. USC Bodybuilding and Fitness competition. It meant a lot to see a picture of a competitor on the front page. The photographers and writers did a great job. Some students might just be inspired to make that extra effort to put some time into their physical fitness and well-being, and that can benefit all of USC. ZACHARY ASHCRAFT THIRD-YEAR CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDENT, SENIOR TRAINER FOR BODYBUILDING AND FITNESS CLUB USC bodybuilder appreciates photo I would like to express my appreciation for not only putting my picture on the front page of The Gamecock, but also for the article about the Mr. USC Bodybuilding and f ltness competition. It has been many years since The Gamecock had printed anything about the Bodybuilding and Fitness Club, and everyone in the club is very grateful. We hope this will continue and bring more attention to the health and fitness of USC students. Thank you all so very much, and keep up the good work. BRIAN GANDER FIRST-YEAR CHEMISTRY STUDENT Articles, photos make win ‘incredible’ I just wanted to thank the The Gamecock for such great coverage of the Mr. USC Bodybuilding and Fitness competition. I was overwhelmed to win the heavyweight division, but to win the overall Mr. USC title was completely unexpected. To have my picture in the school's paper for everyone to see really makes it incredible. The Mr. USC title has motivated me to compete in the 2002 Mr. South Carolina Novice division, a competition in June. I hope just as man} of my friends and fellow students will “hoop ‘n’ holler” for me onstage again in seven weeks. TERRY ?ETERSON FOURTH-YEAR MANAOEMENTSCIENCE STUDENT. MR. USC 2002 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. The end of the Barbie reign TACARA HALL GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes and types. Beauty, and the pursuit thereof, is one of the most powerful determinants in a woman’s life. We’ve all heard the cliches: Beauty is skin deep and in the eye of the beholder. But just how deep is skin deep? And should our personal definitions rest on the opinions of “the beholder”? This beholder thinks that beauty is synonymous with natural. If you’re going to wear makeup, do it tastefully. If you add extensions to your hair, be subtle. And weight isn’t as great of a beauty factor as society makes it seem. Beauty comes in all sizes, as long as the wardrobe flatters the figure. For most women, the infamous beholders that we try to look beautiful for are other women. Women are so competitive with each other that the opposite sex isn’t the main focus for our sometimes extreme measures to achieve beauty. wnen ranKmg tne oraer ot factors that have the greatest effect on how a woman presents herself, I would order the factors like so: other women first, ourselves second and men last. (Don’t take it personally, fellas. We’ve just come to the realization that most of you don’t even recognize or pay attention to the efforts we make to catch the eyes of the objects of our affection.) In case there are still few people who haven’t noticed, the Barbie days are over. What might have been society’s definition of ideal beauty is no more. On March 1, Shauntay Hinton, a broadcast student at Howard University, was crowned Miss USA. The newest face of beauty is a 5-foot-7-inch black woman with short hair and medium-dark skin — not your “average” supermodel, This definitely isn’t the Barbie beauty queen of the past. I’ve come to the realization that “beauty” is a case-sensitive word, with numerous definitions. I take pride in both my inward and outward appearance, and I believe beauty comes from confidence. Some women feel that in order to achieve this confidence, they must alter their appearance. I can’t exactly dispute this notion, but changes should be tasteful. There’s a very thin line between beautiful and grotesque. Clinique, Fashion Fair or any amount of money or plastic surgery can’t disguise a hideous personality. Likewise, a person might not be as pleasing to the eye but can possess the most striking and unforgettable personality. My advice is this: First and foremost, love yourself. When you’re by yourself, with no other women to compete with and no male to impress, you have to recognize and appreciate your own value. And if you carry yourself in a manner in which others can at least respect you, half the battle is won. Contrary to the belief of many, beauty doesn’t refer only, to physical attributes. Hall is a third-year advertising student. This page is missing one thing. YOUR OPINION. Send letters to the editor to gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com.