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O. THE GAMECOCK ♦ Monday, April 29, 2002 "J T7!TTT“P)/“V VTmO ONLINE POLL 1^ % /% / I—JI I I Would you buy the Five I i \ \ I ■ ■ %l I l Points meal plan? A WW I \ W ^A I L I www.dailygamecock.com. -™——^ M S _ l. 1 —I— t'—' Results published on Fridays. THE LEADER Best-laid plans On Friday, USC President John Palms made his recommendations about the Strategic Directions and Initiatives report to the Board of Trustees. When the SDI report was released earlier this year, many proposed ideas seemed radical and poorly planned. But Palms’ recommendations, passed by the board, now seem rational and feasible after months of deliberation and compromise between different bodies of the university community. This plan will prepare the university for Association of American Universities membership and an elite national reputation. Not necessarily right now Some of the proposed SDIC recommendations are already well under way, like the merging of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications with the College of Library and Information Sciences. But students should also realize that many changes could take up to five years to be fully implemented, like raising the bar on SAT scores or putting in place a new university budgeting system. President Palms, the SDI Committee and college deans have put together a promising plan for redirecting the university. But despite being given little time to make its report, the SDIC has developed a realistic plan for streamlining and redirecting the university. In line with deans’ wishes Rumors in the fall included qIiwimo+iam rvFPnlloan nf Criminal Justice and expansion of the Honors College. But the current recommendations implement well-thought-out plans for both colleges. Palms proved he listened to key deans and program heads by making specific suggestions in line with their wishes. His plan for the criminal justice program cites its dean’s plan and changes the SDI’s recommendation that the college become a major under the Sociology Department; instead, Palms says it should be its own major under the College of Liberal Arts. He also took issue with the SDI’s recommendation for rapid expansion of the Honors College, up 25 students each year, and said it should be done this fall and re-assessed in January. The next president These recommendations will serve as a blueprint for the new USC president, who will be announced this week, and all the candidates have said they trust Palms’ advice. And despite more budget limitations, the new president can also use Palms’ suggestions as a springboard to make his own. - -—,-,-,-,-,-:-,-<fc_,_, ,_ GAM ECOCK GOODBYES For the nest of the semester, the normal Viewpoints columnists will be taking some time off. Instead, graduating staff members ofFhe Gamecock will be writing theirfinal contributions, after yeais of late nights and missed classes - all for the love oflhe ’Cock. Jy pn?y** ’\,r / / H6rA<2. THfr W/ J \ AA / po5TAU 5£(2.ViC£ Yd At<T CT^lT L>-YyA[ (S Y«UJt(»(rAQv'>T A *TH«^ y^\ > 71 / C^TTiH^ (JACK y\w Av Z'Wl'y' \ .&mrmil^Tr5^AA^ CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Letting everyone know the score BRANDON LARRABEE GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM Years of reporting have taught me a few things about this university. When you’re a journalist, you tend to pay more attention to the workings of your world than the average person. This isn’t necessarily a virtue; in fact, it’s more of a sickness. Unfortunately, we rarely get to offer our frank assessment of what’s happening. That’s because we have to be fair and impartial reporters of the news. If something’s BS, we have to get somebody else to say it rather than saying it ourselves. Not now. I’m leaving USC, and it’s time to let the whole campus in on what I’ve learned. Student Government is worthless. I apologize to those in Russell House room 110, but it’s the truth. It’s not that the organization doesn’t have great potential; it does. At the University of Florida, for example, there’s a 30 percent to 40 percent voter turnout every year. That seems puny, until you realize that almost as many students at USC probably don’t realize SG exists. There are a few SG members who actually ao some gooa. cut me omers are too busy worrying about passing resolutions to undo the seating chart or creating commissions that end in “May November” to actually advocate the student body’s point of view. We have a seat on the Board of Trustees and, last time I checked, we outnumber administrators several dozen to one. Let’s do something with that. USC President John Palms was good overall, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune from criticism. My main beef is his personal squadron of tow trucks and reserved parking signs that he puts behind Preston every two or three days. USC apparently could face a budget shortfall approaching $18 million; half of that could be avoided by having KFC cater the new president’s meals instead of Marriott. The Board of Trustees is, for the most part, whack. Yes, there are a few shining examples of sanity, like former chairman William Hubbard and Darla Moore. But some of the others —notably those that, oh, allege that gays are bent on world domination — show a streak of insanity unparalleled even by state legislators. And can we please stop putting in green space? How about we make a deal: for once, board members should have to park on their own. No towing the cars at Carolina Plaza, no reserved spaces for the football games — they’re on their own. We’ll see how fast the Master Plan changes then. Never count on bureaucracy. Thirty years ago, the College of journalism ana Mass Communications moved into the basement of the Coliseum on a temporary basis, they said. We’re still waiting. USC, for years, has plotted and schemed to come up with a way to get into the Association of American Universities. Short of the hand of God, that doesn’t seem imminent. As for sports, I would love to see a USC football game where I wasn’t on the verge of having a heart attack. I love a dramatic game as much as the next person, but two years of relying on Phil Petty’s arm to save us doesn’t constitute my definition of a fun Saturday. It’s akin to hearing your doctor say, “Tell my lawyer I’ll call him about that malpractice lawsuit” just before heading into surgery. But there are a few other things I’ve learned at USC. Friendship is the greatest prize of all, but don’t let it compromise who you are. Trust should be reserved for those who earn it, not everyone who comes along. It’s better to have loved and lost, though sometimes it causes more heartburn. Learning is one of life’s greatest missions. And people are all that matter in this world. When everything else — ideologies, institutions, places and memories—fade away, people, will still be here. Except, of course, for bureaucracy. Larrabee is a fourth-year print journalism student. He began working at The Gamecock on his veryfirst day at USC and has been a reporter, a designer, university editor, Viewpoints editor and special projects coordinator. 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 Larrahee 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 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 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 Cov • 777 d A QO IN YOUR OPINION Education needed about character I picked up The Gamecock the other weekend. What really caught my attention was Edrin Williams’ column “Workers deserve student respect.” It caught my attention because I’m working on a project on character education. It sounds like there needs to be some character lessons being put in to play and practiced on campus. Maybe it’s time to start putting character education classes into action. Maybe something as simple as a “be nice” policy or theme needs to be highlighted by Student Government to remind students about respect. If students are showing disrespect now, what will they do through the rest of their life or when they go into the real world of work? Corporations know and expect new employees to come not only with degrees but also with character. Education without good character traits is almost worthless. Thanks go to Williams for taking the time to notice and write about this, bringing it to the attention of students. TERESA “TIM” MILLER c.i.ass np ir7a Rnswm.i oa Patel is destroying spirit of freedom College of Liberal Arts Sen. Zachery Scott has done nothing wrong—at least not as long as we’re still considering Student Government to be a democratic republic. The main issue here seems to be that Scott voted against legislation that SG President Ankit Patel wanted passed. Scott did the right thing. He approached his constituents and asked how they would like for him to vote. It’s more than any of the other senators did, as far as I know. In fact, I think that Scott is the model senator, one whose example should be followed by the other senators. I’m in the Moore School of Business, yet Scott still asked for and listened to my input. The legislation in question violated basic freedoms of almost everyone on campus. Denying groups the ability to openly support political candidates is unacceptable in the United States—we are guaranteed free speech, and no student government can take that away. So Scott voted against said legislation. What did that get him? Praise from his constituents for doing the right thing and removal from the chairmanship of Patel’s Election Reform Commission. This is where I begin to have serious issues. Patel, because Scott voted the “wrong” way, removed him from an unrelated commission. This reeks of hot-headedness, immaturity and dictatorship. I especially find it disturbing that Patel will do this in the name of squelching political ambition for the betterment of our school. Is he not fulfilling his own ambitions by placing on the commission only people who share his beliefs? And as for Patel accusing Zach of lying, what happened to “Principal, Not Politics”? Patel, you lied to us all. Fortunately, I’m a cynic and didn’t believe it for a second. I originally voted for David Bornemann, and now I have a rock-solid reason to give to anyone who questions that decision. Patel is destroying the spirit of freedom on this campus. And is anyone besides Scott willing to fight for us? JOHN BRETT NOLAN FIRST-YEAR BUSINESS 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 tp gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.conV Letters will be edited. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newsroom 777 770C Even gay students deserve protection -IR|^... GREG HAMBRICK GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM You’d think universities were places where you could always be yourself. The world is actually a better place for gay people than at this school. Never in a million years did I think I’d provide that nugget of advice, but it’s sadly true. You’d think that universities are places you go to be yourself. Well, let me tell you about where I work in the “real” world. At a financial institution where words like “consei vative” are a compliment, I’ve been an openly gay employee for four years. The company has a non discrimina.tion policy that includes sexual orientation. They include gays and lesbians in diversity training and policy making. They even have Columbia’s gay pride march on a company calendar posted all over the building. Aside from the administration’s support of a diverse workforce, my co-workers continue to amaze me. I’ve seen a father refuse to donate to the United Way because it supports the discriminatory Boy Scouts of America. One woman wants to punch somebody at the American Red Cross because it refuses to take blood from gay men. The administration at USC must know, but not care, that gay students are being harassed, even at rallies to end harassment. I’ve met some amazingly forward-thinking people at USC, but you need to look from the top down, not vice-versa. Students shouldn’t need to explain why they need protection—the school should offer that without request. Believe it or not, I can understand why it isn’t willing to help. I know it might be difficult for people who have never been afraid to know why they need to protect someone. I was called a “faggot” and a “fairy” the other day. The guy was completely wasted, but his words had all the contempt and rage of someone who didn’t understand me and didn’t want to. He had three friends who weren’t as drunk to hold him back, but his words brought to the front of my mind the face of a friend that had been beaten just after he heard those words. Until someone calls USC President John Palms or our next esteemed president a “faggot,” this school might never change. USC won’t see a dime from me until it shows that it wants to protect its gay and lesbian students. And it should know that I’m not alone. Because of my involvement with the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association, mi; Cflvnolifir ic nn mir i>nc<nmn Some told me that would deter possible employers, but I think it deters the right kind of employers. In fact, several interviewers have jumped on that point to show me how their company values diversity. I wonder what USC could possibly say to entice minorities into working and going to school here. I had several pieces of advice and opinion to dispense in this last column. Unfortunately, this one took up my allotted space. For the rest, you’re on your own. Later. Hambrick is a fourth-year print journalism student. He begat} working at The Gamecock last summer and has been city/state --> - - - t-• ■