Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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ONLINE his week’s question hould USC continue to lerease the size of the incom ig freshman class suze? Vote t www.dailygamecock.com. .ast week’s question Vill you vote in the primaries? ee other poll results at ww.dailygamecock.com. ES 20% 10 20% VHO CARES 60% TOPIC HINGSTO PACK FOR TRIP 0 OMAHA he Gamecock staff creates the i/eekly “Top 10." Submit topics to Samecockviewpoints@hptmail.com .0. Amap.WhereisOmaha, myway? (.Stamps, to send us a postcard. . I. Genuine leather ball glove, f. Peanuts and Cracker Jack. >. Textbooks. Just kidding. 5. Champagne, but in plastic cups recause SLED is watching. 1. Throat lozenges for Mike Morgan. 1. A-l sauce. Sorry, PETA, ‘tis steak rountry. S.Goalposts and shrubs to destroy vhen we win. Oops, wrong sport. L. Your “Clemson Sucks" t-shirt. QUOTES “I do believe they are a radical :errorist organization. They lave supported groups that have ximbed restaurants, and are as iad as people who support Osama bin Laden.” BECKY WALTON PUBLICE INFORMATION DIRECTOR. S.C. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE RANTS “PETA’s target was the NCAA, and this time, their opponent buckled like Mike Tyson to a Lennox Lewis uppercut.” AN ANONYMOUS GAMECOCK STAFF MEMBER We’ll publish the best rants we get from readers and conversations in our newsroom that are too caustic for news. Submit yours on any topic to gamecockviewpoints@Hotmail.com Education penny pinching needs to stop TERRANCE BEEKS GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM Elected officials should hold true to their word about improving higher education. WHAT THE HELL were three words that repeatedly sprouted forth from my mouth last Monday. Let me explain the reason. I am a guy that likes to know about the world around him. Therefore, I make it a habit to view some sort of media on a daily basis. I usually like to tune into CNN because it continues to reign as king of the “liberal media” and pisses off staunch conservatives that are forced to retreat to their beloved Fox News. However, the reason that I could only muster the phrase WHAT THE HELL was not because of something covered on CNN, Fox News or MSNBC. They were probably too busy deciding on which one would be the next to get Geraldo Rivera. I received some unfortunate news from my hometown paper, The Greenville News. The headline read, “Colleges face cuts instead of rewards promised by state.” The Greenville News reported that all of South Carolina’s 33 colleges and universities are on track to meet or exceed state standards, but the state will break its promise to increase funding as a reward. I also learned that there were five schools to significantly exceed standards. They are the University of South Carolina, Clemson University (yeah, I was shocked too), Greenville Technical College, Tri-County Technical College and the Medical University of South Carolina. I also learned that colleges and universities can expect to begin this fiscal year with $70.8 million less than last year. USC alone was hit with an $18 million cut. USC officials reported that they are cutting back everywhere possible. The USC spokesman added, “the departments and colleges have taken substantial cuts over the past couple years. A cut of this magnitude will put tremendous pressure on us for a sizable tuition increase.” Yep, that South Carolina General assembly sure knows how to reward dem’ der colleges and universities. I keep asking myself do South Carolina elected officials and candidates really care about improving education? Are they only concerned about making themselves look good so that they can receive more votes? They repeatedly say that they care about education in their commercials and websites but it seems that their actions do not match their words. The legislators’ responses to the issue are disappointing as well. They felt satisfied in supporting Higher Education because colleges and universities did not suffer the same devastating cuts that other state agencies are dealing with. Is that the best answer that they can come up with? Who elects these people? No wonder the state budget is in such a mess. I noticed that both the House and Senate were quick to overturn Governor Jim Hodges’ veto last week when their own budgets were in question. Did they take a drastic budget cut like other state departments and agencies when it came to their salaries and benefits. I am not concerned with placing the blame for the budget mess at least not in this column but I expect better from our state leaders. It is time for the General Assembly to stop making promises that it can not keep and start doing what is best for the state. Perhaps you will be able to keep your promise the next time. Seeks is a fourth-year liberal arts student. IN YOUR OPINION PETA needs to focus on real issues I am writing to express the outrage and concern of South Carolina’s 4,000-plus cattlemen regarding a recent announcement that the NCAA has bowed to pressure from an animal rights group and plans to stop using leather basketballs in championships at each NCAA division level. It is alarming to see news that the NCAA apparently has been working with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a radical animal rights organization. PETA’s leaders have said its ultimate objective is no animal usage by humans for any purpose. Mr. Cedric W. Dempsey is known as a leader who has taken the NCAA from an association focused solely on college sports to one now considered a partner with higher education. Working with PETA is inimical to such a partnership. PETA is widely known as an organization that vehemently opposes animal-model research at universities and has openly supported terrorist organizations that break into university research laboratories and destroy vital biomedical research programs. PETA also is the organization that instituted a campaign last year that encouraged college students to drink beer instead of milk. In a May 7,2002, letter signed by the directors of Division I men’s and women’s basketball championships, Gregory A. Shaheen and Sue Donohoe, the NCAA thanked PETA for providing information regarding the merits of doing away with leather basketballs and for “working cooperatively with our staff to achieve the desired result.” Those of us who make our living in the cattle business would like the NCAA and state universities to explain their relationship with PETA and, in particular, how PETA influenced the decision to stop using leather basketballs. Leather is a high-quality product that is humanely produced. We also would like to know how decisions like this are .made and what position the NCAA and state universities are going to take when PETA returns to demand the NCAA to prohibit the use of animal mascots for state universities and prohibit the use of leather baseballs and baseball gloves, leather footballs, soccer balls, and volleyballs, and leather belts and athletic shoes. JAMES SEASE EHRHARDT. SC 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 gamecockview points@hotmail.com. Letters will be edited. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newsroom at 777-7726 for more Information. —