Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, June 5, 2002 4 IEWPOINTS THlWSAMEGOCK EDITORIAL BOARD Chris Foy Editor in Chief Will King News Editor Carrie Phillips The Mix Editor J. Keith Allen Sports Editor Jason Rapp Viewpoints Editor Governor sought Wanted: a governor for a small southern state with a poor reputation but a lot of potential. Applicants should have political experience at no less than the state level. Political affiliation and gender do not matter. In addition, applicants should also possess spine, in both the literal and figurative senses. We tire of leaders who say something and quickly back down when faced with opposition. Courage to do what the applicant thinks is right is a must. Compromise is great, but it can also be counterproductive (see "Confederate flag"). Non-leaders need not apply. Applicants should be budget-conscious, as well. Our education system, from kindergarten through college, won't be fixed with budget cuts. Money doesn't solve everything, but it's a crucial tool and a way to get started. Applicants should realize that one level of education is just as important as the next. Stop short-changing higher education, already. Companies want nothing to do with a place that offers an uneducated workforce. Not to mention that education also raises the quality of life. If you think you can handle this, you've got our votes. Please step forward. We'll even endorse you. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK STAFF Angel Sizemore Asst. News Editor Robert Gruen Photo Editor Lindsey Walker Online Editor Page Designers Crystal Dukes. Melissa Mikius Copy Editors Lyndsey Hicks. Laurie Sanders PLACING ADS The Gamecock 1400 Greene St. Columbia. SC 29208 Advertising reps: 777-3888 Classified ads: 777-1184 Fax: 777-6482 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, Earl Jones. Jennie Moore. Melanie Roberts. Beju Shah Advertising Staff Jackie Rice. Stacey Todd 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 GAMECOCK POLICIES 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. HUAST yJZwS / Th(5 \ g5 HI6H &A5 A^fcX^cffcP / W6£THA^^A5T/ r \e^'5 Hl6tf /f ^ y prices. y^J v i i^TT7^iFZjfc CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS So, you want to be the flagship? Strong leadership needed to make USC the true Uof SC BY JASON L. RAPP GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM The remnants are on the smokestack behind the President's House. Near the top are painted three familiar letters: "USC." But it once, you can barely tell, read "The USC." Gamecocks from way back will attribute this to the debate between our USC and the USC named for Southern California. I don't know why it was removed, but it's time for someone to paint our "The" back up there. This has nothing to do with surfer dudes and which USC is the original. It’s about being the main university in South Carolina. More than a month ago, The State newspaper ran a large story proposing higher education reforms. One proposed reform was to proclaim USC, over Clemson, the state's flagship university. Oh, the rhetoric that sparked. One would think the calendar read mid-November. Partisanship, as it does in all things political within our borders, made an appearance. The Orange and Purple Nation protested loudly, claiming that Clemson should be the state's flagship. They've pointed to higher admissions standards and their Public€ollege of the Year award from Time magazine back in 2000.1 point to the fact that in 2000, only nine percent of their 14,066 undergraduates were minorities... in a state in which 35.3 percent of the residents are minorities. A flagship university should represent its state. According the these figures, how representative is Clemson? USC's 2000 figures weren't much better (18.5 percent minority students) either, but they’re an improvement. I respect Clemson, and I'm not trying to bash them. It is a good institution at which one can receive a good education. They have strengths; we have ours. But we're larger, we have more impact on the state's economy, and we're more representative of the people who live here. Both schools can prosper. Coexistence, with us being the flagship, is possible. This argument is about South Carolina and its future. This state is poor and its citizens less educated than the national average. We need jobs. We need a better education system, from bottom to top. We need a well funded flagship university to be a place of research and a source for educated workers who stay here to give potency to our economy and quality of life. Yes, money is involved; explaining the outcry from the Upstate, If any of this happens and USC is named the flagship, then we would get sufficiently more funding from the state ta funnel into research and, I hope, increase faculty pay And more endowed chairs on our faculty. We need strong leadership to get it done... at USC and in the State House. Strong leadership isn't petty; it is mature and realizes that not being a flagship does not mean your school is second-class. Strong leadership does or does not. I hope Dr. Sarenson and the state's elected leaders work together to get this done, not for USC, but for South Carolina. Rapp is a 4th-year print journalism student.