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IN OUR OPINION - I
USC must go
the distance
College students tend to seek avenues that save
them money. Because their lives are traditionally
riddled with economic hardships, it’s logical that
they take the necessary, measures to save a few
bucks.
Last week’s announcement that USC has lost 90
percent of its revenue from its 9+ long distance
service comes as no surprise. With cell phone plans
that better accommodate the constantly moving
student and phone cards that cost fewer cents a
minute than the university’s plan, students are
taking the cheaper route.
As a state institution, USC is contractually bound
X __il__J___X_1_1._
The university’s
calling plans
should be geared
more toward
students, or the
plans won’t be
around much
longer. Cell
phones and
calling cards
bring stiff
competition.
LKJ U3C L11C OLCIL^-A till LCICpilUllC
system. But the university can
stilt exercise options to better
benefit students, as well as
itself. The school-sponsored
phone service should be more
competitive. With two or more
companies fighting over
customers, prices will go
down. With more alternatives,
students are more likely to be
iin otoTTiMn' it-* V\mir>n
More student input would also improve the long
distance service. It might be a state-run service, but
more student-focused options could bring in more
customers. There are also many ways the program
could adapt to better meet the needs of international
students, a vast number of whom live on USC’s
campus. After all, some international students can -
now call home on a phone card for nearly half what
USC’s plan charges.
With the long-distance service on this campus
making only 10 percent of-what it made 10 years ago,
the most shocking figure is that the people running
this service are still making ends meet.
One wonders how long USC’s plan can keep in the
red at this rate. If the university doesn’t take steps to
ensure better-quality service for its students, it is a
near certainty that the calling plan won’t be around
much longer.
GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS
A school was misidentified in an article about campus long
distance service Wednesday. It is the University of California at
Santa Barbara.
A band’s first album was incorrect in an article about Sparta’s
debut. At the Drive In’s first album was “Acrobatic Tenement.”
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
Adam Beam
News Editor
Emma Ritch
Asst. News Editor
Chris Foy
Viewpoints Editor
Erin O'Neal
Asst. Viewpoints Editor
Justin Bajan.
Charles Tomlinson
The Mix Editors
Kyle Almond
Sports Editor
Matt Rothenberg
Asst. Sports Editor
Candi Hauglum
Photo Editor
m
Katie Smith
Head Designer
Page Designer
David Stagg
Jill Martin
Copy Desk Chief
Copy Editors
Jennie Dugan, Tricia
Ridgeway, Holly
Totherow, Karen Vaught
Bessam Khadraoui
Online Editor
Kiran Shah
Community Affairs
ji
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The Mix: gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com
Sports: gamecocksports@hotmail.com
Online: www.dailygamecock.com
Newsroom: 777-7726
Editor's Office: 777-3914
urtM ■ t-i_
dlUl/CIH mtuin
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■ v«uicv,ui,r\ 13 11 ie
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
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Gamecock. The
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CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS
Who needs the dating game?
SHANNAREED
GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM
Resist pressure to date
for the sake of dating.
When you’re a 21-year-old girl
in college, the rules of engagement
haven’t changed much from 40
years ago. You’re there to do one,
or both, of two things: Find a way
to take care of yourself and find a
husband. Women’s libbers think
they banished the latter from the
female psyche, but they’re wrong.
When I haven’t seen any fami
ly members or old school friends
for a while, the first meeting is al
ways the same. There is the cus
tomary hug and kiss on the cheek,
followed by a relieved smile—be
cause I haven’t gained any weight
or gotten knocked up—then they
ask about school. I’ll remind them
of the latest change in my major
and graduation date and how
much I’ve gained in student
loans, and they’ll gasp in satis
factory concern.
And then they all ask the same
question: “Soooo, do you have a
boyfriend?” They might also sub
stitute “special friend” for
boyfriend (it’s all the same). Now,
after hundreds of noes, they’ve
raised the bar by attaching, “Why
not?”
Families can be the most in
considerate people on Earth. Over
the years, my answer to that ques
tion has fluctuated from “I just
don’t want one,” to “I’m just too
busy,” to a host of other excuses,
but even that isn’t enough now.
They want to argue, save me
from a life of loneliness and all that
crap. These people don’t have one
long-lasting relationship among
them, but they are just dying for
me to join their broken-hearts club.
I’ve sat through endless con
versations and lectures on what’s
wrong with me, accusations of
lesbianism and blind dates. I’ve
heard that I’m too picky, my stan
dards are too high, or I’m stuck
up, intimidating, too smart, too
flamboyant, too shy and too good.
The consensus is that, if I change
just a little bit, maybe somebody
will make me official.
The real answer to “why not?”
is simple: I don’t date because I like
the way I am right now. I’m taking
the time to know me and love me,
and figure out why I keep getting
more damn wonderful everyday.
You see, people don’t go on first
dates — they send their reason
able facsimiles, their representa
tives. You might not meet the real
individual for a few dates or a few
months down the line, and who
wants to deal with that? Most of
us are still learning crucial parts
of our personality, so why get into
a heart game with people who are
missing pieces of themselves?
I’m not lying to myself. I know
that just because you love some
one doesn’t mean the two of you
should be together. And you can’t
love just anybody, even if you
will yourself to. What you end up
doing is killing time.
I don’t want to kill time with
someone I find only moderately in
teresting just so that I’ll have some
body to pay for dinner and a movie
Friday night. Maybe I’m too much
of a romantic for my age. I’d rather
have love that lasts no matter
what, not the kind that exists be
cause the situation is right.
So what if I don’t like my odds
right now? What’s wrong with
celibacy? I have friends, so I can
hang out with people I know and
like.
So the rest of you can keep on
rolling your dice; I’m gonna sit
this one out for awhile.
Reed is a third-year public
relations student.
IN YOUR OPINION
Eliminating tennis
courts flouts creed
Saturday, I went to the ten
nis courts with my friends in
a good mood. I was so upset to
find that all the nets in the
eight courts were missing and
there was a notice at the en
trance that said the tennis
courts will be removed and a
children’s center will be built
here. The only available courts
will be courts one, two and
three.
I waited for half an hour by
the only three courts there. I
was astonished that a univer
sity of25,000 students will have
only three tennis courts. How
ridiculous is that?
As an international student
here at USC, playing tennis has
become an inseparable part of
my life. I will be deprived of my
only entertainment because
they need to have a children’s
center.
I am not denying the impor
tance of taking care of children,
but in a place where most peo
ple are students, don’t we de
serve a little better considera
tion because we pay the high tu
ition and work hard to build the
reputation of the Gamecocks?
I have been reading The
Gamecock for a long time. I al
ways read that the students
have some priority in this
school and their opinions will
be heard. But I don’t think the
removal of the tennis courts
without our consent is a good
demonstration of that creed. I
believe there are thousands of
tennis lovers within the stu
dent body. Doesn’t the admin
istration think about that?
NING YUAN
(I ItAD l! A'l'PvST I! DENT
Respect those who
serve your country
I was appalled to read Tyler
Jones’ article (“American apa
thy pathetic”) on Friday. I was
halfway through reading it
when I stumbled across his
words “It’s not as if America
doesn’t want to march a phalanx
of meatheads into Iraq and re
decorate the lovely countryside
of Baghdad’s affluent suburbs.”
It is this meathead’s com
ment that got my blood boiling.
Mr. Tyler, have you ever served
your country in the military?
You should be ashamed of
calling the people who have
sworn to lay down their lives for
your way of life (however you
choose to define that) “meat
| heads.” If you spoke rashly, I
can understand that; just apol
ogize in next week’s paper. If
you meant the meathead com
ment, then I am sure several of
us from the “meathead” com
munity on campus would have
more than a few words for you.
Unfortunately, that would
not really work for a few rea
sons: First, if I said what I was
thinking this article would not
get printed. Second, if I had to
explain why your callous com
ment pissed off myself and most
likely several other veterans
you would not understand.
So the next time you vote,
drive your car, go to church or
choose to write an article or to do
pretty much anything you want,
think of us “meatheads.” For if
it were not for “meatheads” like
us, you would not enjoy as many
liberties as you do now.
If you want to know what
this is all about, simply listen
to the song “All gave some” by
Billy Ray Cyrus. So until you
have served on the from lines
young man, why don’t you take
an extra large dose of “shut the
hell up” and start thinking about
that leftist crap you are spitting?
You are truly pathetic.
JIM GERRICK
FOURTH-YEAR HISTORY STUDENT
Defying designated
parking isn’t answer
This is in response to the letter
about parking wherever you need
to (“Students should park wherev
er they need,” Wednesday). I agree
with the student on the fact that
parking at USC is a big problem.
While I agree that something
needs to be done, my main point
is about parking wherever you
want. I have 9 and 9:30 a.m. class
es Monday through Friday.
Because I know that parking is a
problem, I am here at 7:15 or 7:30
every morning. It's not something
I like doing, but I do it nonethe
i__
So, when I come out of my last
class at 4:30 p.m., the last thing I
want to deal with is some student
who parked wherever they want
ed blocking me in. I don't know
where you've been, but people
have been parking wherever they
want. I don't know what the an
swer is, but rest assured that, if
you park your car behind mine
and prevent me from leaving, I
will not hesitate to have it towed.
Personally, I would rather back
up and move it myself, so the tow
ing option seems fair.
KIM HIPP
THIRD-YEAR PHARMACY STUDENT
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Honesty
is best
[ifyou
mutter] i
CATHERINE BAAB
GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM
Introducing the Needle
and the Mumble.
Quincy Jones said, “Laughter
is your soul welling up, saying
‘ain’t that the truth.’ ” I’m para
phrasing. My apologies, Mr. Jones.
I was getting my oil changed
this past August, sitting in the
cramped little office of a Meineke,
probably looking like a real easy
touch. The clerk behind the
counter kept raising the estimate
cost by a couple of bucks every few
minutes and calling me, with a
straight face, “cookie doll” — never
mind that the official price was
posted just above his balding head.
Anyway, there was a damp stack
of Reader’s Digests by my chair, so
I flipped through an older issue to
the “Quotable Quotes” page. That’s
where I came across Quincy’s com
ment. He’s got a good point there; a
connection definitely exists be
tween humor and honesty.
I have at least a handful of ma- |(
jor faults, the chief of which, prob
ably, is my approximate manner
of speech. Which is not to say that
I’m a liar, but that I rarely mean
what I say. Well, I guess I do mean
it, but my meaning isn’t neces
sarily specific to the words I
choose. And while I always make
sure to tell the absolute truth
about feelings, I definitely come
from the Bill Clinton school of
speech. Of course, it could be
worse. I could come from George
W.’s academy (“I know how hard
it is to put food on your family”).
But I think I’ve figured out a
way that I could be more honest
with people. More specifically, a
way I could be more honest with {
people I don’t especially like or
people who disapprove of me.
I’m cultivating a mumble.
Politicians, professors and par
ents have employed this magic
verbal gadget for years. They are
my mumble mentors.
Note my mother’s ingenious
use of mumble, as denoted by
brackets, in the following tele
phone conversation:
“Mom, I’ve given this a lot of
thought, and I’ve decided to be
come an English major.”
“That’s great honey [you’re
never going to get a job].”
“What did you say, Mom? I
couldn’t make out that last bit.”
“I said, I think that’s wonder
ful, darling. If you want to switch, j
then switch [your father and I dis- i *
approve].”
uun i gei me wrong; 1 love my
parents. Since last semester, they’ve
really come around on the English
major issue. And, of course, I appre
ciate their example in this sophisti
cated conversational enterprise.
The example I consider to be the
best is that of my dear friend
Adam. He’s worked miracles with
the mumble. He is a master of the
mumble. In fact, he’s taken the
mumble to a higher level altogeth
er; Adam’s true forte is the Needle.
Recently, he and I compiled a fair
ly exact list of the tenets of the
Needle: It is a relatively innocu
ous insult that, ideally, can be per
ceived as a compliment.
It might involve mumble, word
play or mock self-deprecation; tar
get the object’s perceived strengths;
and exclude from its company the
object of the joke itself.
For instance, while Adam was
speaking to one of his more con
servative professors recently, he
mentioned, “Oh I used to be a con
servative, too. That was when I
had a drug problem. ” Pure genius.
I mention all this now because
I think it might help readers to dig
my angle. Look for me on
Mondays. I’ll be the columnist
smoking two cigarettes.
-;-p-^
Baab is a third-year English and
advertising student.