The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 23, 2002, Page 9, Image 9
™ THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, October 23, 2002 9
SOUND OFF ONLINE POLL
Create message boards at What will you do this weekend
www.dailygamecock.com or without Carolina football?
send letters to the editor to www.dailygamecock.com.
gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com Results published on Fridays.
V
IN OUR OPINION
Extra money
benefits USC
P
In the Board of Trustees meeting this past
Thursday, the board approved a plan to increase the
student activity fee from $46 to $66. This will be the
first raise since 1998 and is expected to bring in
$300,000 for the university.
Although greater costs for students are rarely seen
as favorable, the board’s latest decision has the
potential to be beneficial for USC. The money is meant
to go to student organizations that need extra funding,
Though raising
the activity fee
means students
must pay more,
the change could
1 help them more
than it costs
with a smaller portion going to
the maintenance of the student
union.
Student Government now
relies on carry-over funds from
previous years, but the new
plan will fix that so that groups
such as SG won’t have to worry so much about where
their money will come from. Out of the additional
$20, $2 will go to SG, $10 to Carolina Productions, $5
to Russell House maintenance and $3 to late-night
programs.
Students rarely recognize benefits from such cost
increases as the activity-fee increase, but maybe
under this plan, the students of USC will see results
firsthand. The additional fees will go toward projects
and programs designed to get students more
involved on campus. For a change, $20 can actually
produce helpful changes on Carolina’s campus while
at the same time improving the quality of the USC
community.
Winners and Sinners
LOU HOLTZ Comes to campus and signs
autographs. With promise to come back, Lou
will now average one visit a year.
CREED WEEK Only week we can think of that
j encourages cross-dressing. Isn’t it ironic that it
P comes right before Halloween?
* MTV For rocking USC’s campus. Next time,
though, how about bringing people we’ve
actually heard of?
MARTHA STEWART Insider-trading charges
still looming. “Martha Stewart Living” will
now be broadcast on Court TV.
I LSU For teasing us in the first half, then
P blowing our brains out in the second. Here’s
hoping you lose another quarterback.
WINTHROP For lowering the scientific bar by
practically giving away biology degrees. Way
to aspire for MIT, Harvard and Yale standards.
GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS
A headline in Monday’s paper was misleading. It should not
have said a message left by a sniper was by phone.
The Gamecock regrets the error.
If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us
at gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com.
ABOUT THE GAMECOCK
C^u ali. < n/MITA f\T IIIPArvi. • —. > . .
Mary Hartney
News Editor
Adam Beam
Asst. News Editor
Emma Ritch
Viewpoints Editor
Chris Foy
Asst. Viewpoints Editor
Erin O'Neal
The Mix Editors
Justin Bajan,
Charles Tomlinson
Sports Editor
Kyle Almond
Asst. Sports Editor
Matt Rothenberg
Photo Editor
Candi Hauglum
Head Designer
Katie Smith
Page Designers
Samantha Hall, Julia
Knetzer, Sarah McLaulin,
Shawn Rourk. David
Stagg
Copy Desk Chief
Jill Martin
Copy Editors
Jennie Duggan, Tricia
Ridgway, Holly Totherow,
Karen Vaught
Online Editor
Bessam Khadraoui
Community Affairs
VVmnwi mi vniTiHIIUII
Offices on third floor of the Russell House.
Editor in Chief: gamecockeditor@hotmail.com
News Desk: gamecockudesk@hotmail.com
Viewpoints: gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com
The Mix: gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com
Sports: gamecocksports@hotmail.com
Online: www.dailygamecock.com
Public Affairs: gckpublicaffairs@hotmail.com
Newsroom: 777-7726
Editor’s Office: 777-3914
STUDENT MEDIA
Faculty Adviser
Erik Collins
Director of Student
Media
Ellen Parsons
Creative Director
Susan King
Business Manager
Carolyn Griffin
Advertising Manager
Sarah Scarborough
Classified Manager
Sherry F. Holmes
Creative Services
Derek Goode, Earl
Jones, Kimberly
Myles, Melanie
Roberts
Advertising Staff
Adam Bourgoin,
Justin Chappell,
Bianca Knowles,
Denise Levereaux,
Jacqueline Rice,
Stacey Todd
i ne bamecock 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
1460 Greene St.
Columbia, S.C. 29208
nu»ci uaillg. ' I I uuuu
Classified: 777-1184
Fax: 777-6482
CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS
The invisible ties that bind
SHANNAREED
GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM
Friends and family form
a net that will not tear.
There are people who come
into your life and it seems as if
they’ve lived in your universe for
ever. Then there are some people
with whom you don’t seem to
mesh, however nice and interest
ing they are or whatever the com
monalities they share with you.
There are these intangible, di
aphanous threads that connect
friends, family and lovers to us
through time, space and experi
ence. We can’t escape them, and
we shouldn’t. All these people af
fect who we are. They know us
better than we know ourselves,
and we love and hate them for it.
It is sometimes hard to deal
with the fact that friends change
over time, and sometimes it’s
even harder to deal with the fact
that some aspects of them will
not change.
And there will be people who
will try to break that bond, but
once a part of your heart is con
nected to" part of another’s, I
doubt anything can change that.
I have a friend who is my
cheerleader, my partner, a high
born celestial phenomenon; she
is a larger-than-life diva-in-train
ing. If I need anything —from a
dollar to a kidney — she’s there.
I have a male friend who is an
ex-lover, brother, hip-hop philoso
pher, Adonis in Timberlands.
This man, my friend, is as com
fortable to me as a favorite pair
of jeans. I believe he can take over
the world, but if I were on fire, I
wouldn’t count on him to piss on
me to put it out. But that’s OK.
He’s a part of me, too, and some
times he comes through like no
other.
I have another friend who is
my sister. She’s known me
longer than anyone has. She is
family — a kick-ass, down-to
earth goddess who is always,
above all, real. We can talk ev
ery day or every six months and
the love is still there. I only wish
this intelligent, artistic marvel
knew how marvelous she is.
They are all a part of me, and I
wonder what age and time will
do to us all.
There is beauty in youth; we
all know it. It’s the idealism and
the energy that’s so fresh in our
faces, but what has me wonder
ing is whether, although all these
people form a security net, they
be enough to protect us from
drowning. Will they be enough
to keep from letting the world,
and those who don’t love us, con
vince us we don’t deserve what
we have or aspire to have?
I have seen and heard a thou
sand and one sob stories about
dreams turned to failures and as
pirations transformed to dust.
What separates those ill-fated be
ings from those at peace? I’m not
really sure whether there is an
answer to that question.
All I can do is pray that faith
and love lead me in the right di
rection. And, although I can’t dic
tate the actions and emotions of
my friends so that they never feel
the pain of failure, I can promise
to be there when it happens.
I can promise to rub salve on
emotional wounds and wipe
away tears. I can promise to be
there through girlfriends and
boyfriends, spouses and children,
job change after job change, and
success and disappointment.
They are my family, and you
can’t get rid of family. And, as for
those invisible threads that con
nect us, the hands can’t break
what the eyes can’t see.
Reed is a third-year public
relations student.
IN YOUR OPINION
i
Bikes could solve
parking problems
It seems as though the sec
ond-most-common complaint
at USC, next to the GMP, is
parking. Too bad many people
don’t realize how easy the so
lution is: Ride a bike.
I admit it’s not perfect. My
helmet makes me look pretty
dam sexy, but I’m not a big fan
of being hit by cars (it’s hap
pened twice). But my bike has
yet to get a parking ticket, and I
don’t pay a cent in parking fees.
My biggest problem with
riding to class isn’t the weather
or helmet hair; it’s my safety.
I don’t see a single "Share the
Road" sign on my journey to
class. There are no bike lanes.
Although the city lacks bike
friendly amenities, the people
of Columbia can be worse.
When drivers aren’t hitting me,
they can be found trying to ride
me off the road or yelling at me
to get on the sidewalk (which
is illegal).
Wniie tilings aren t penect
for bicyclists, however, things
are about to get better.
Columbia will have its first
ever Critical Mass on
Thursday. We’re meeting on
the Horseshoe at 5:30 p.m.
Critical Mass is best described
as a pure, simple group bike
ride to increase bicycle rights
and bicycle visibility in
Columbia. We’ll be riding in
Columbia’s version of rush
hour traffic. We won’t be block
ing traffic—we are traffic. I in
vite everyone to join us in a
ride around town. Bikers
(skaters are welcome), put on
your favorite riding attire and
get ready to make history.
Critical Mass got started in
San Francisco in 1992. Since
then, every month, a group of
riders get together the last
Friday of the month. Everyone
rides for a different reason. I’ll
be riding to make the city un
derstand how important my
safety is. I’m tired of being hit. I
want this city and campus to
see that I’m not the only one
with concerns.
Please consider riding your
bike to school tomorrow. We’re
encouraging a Bike to School
and Work Day because, once
you give it a try, I think you’ll
either sympathize with or join
our cause.
Also, if you’re driving at 5:30
p.m. tomorrow, join in cele
brating: Honk! But, please,
don’t try to run us over.
Write to the city and
President Sorensen to support
the addition of bike lanes and
“Share the Road” signs around
campus. After all, the more peo
ple who ride to class, the less
you’ll be able to complain about
parking.
KATIE MCCLENDON
‘Christian’ fails to
represent religion
I just want to make sure ev
eryone who was at the debacle
behind the Russell House
Thursday afternoon knows one
thing: That psycho you were
watching is not representative
of Christianity. Now, I don't
claim to follow the straight and
narrow, even as much as half
the time, but I am a Christian,
and, as such, I was horrified to
see and hear this man claiming
to follow God.
As a true Christian, I want
to extend an apology to all peo
ple who were called a whore, or
who were persecuted for their
personal beliefs or lifestyles.
This man was completely in
the wrong because Christianity
is about love and acceptance, and
he showed neither. If you want to
learn the truth about what
Christians believe, I encourage
you to go to a local church or drop
by any one of the many campus
Christian organizations. If you
don't, then that's your right as
well.
As a final note, for those who
might see this as an attempt to
take away from another's First
Amendment rights, that is not my
intention. My intention is only to
correct a false image that was pro
jected about my religion and
what I believe.
BRETT NOLAN
SECOND-YEAR PHYSICS STUDENT
Hockey team finally
gets recognition
I just want to say thanks for fi
nally writing an article on hockey
(“What the puck? Hockey’s back,”
Monday). The sport and the local
team definitely need recognition.
So many people don't under
stand the toughness and excite
ment of the sport, and this article
gives a clear picture of how awe
some hockey is. These guys are
true athletes, and anyone who
watches and appreciates hockey
would have to agree.
GINNY POLIN
FOURTH-YEAR CRIMINAL JUSTICE
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 to
gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com.
Letters will be edited. Anonymous letters
will not be published. Call the newsroom
at 777-7726 for more information.
Dude,
you ’re
getting
the ax
PHIL WATSON
GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM
Maybe Steven can get a
new job annoying Iraqis.
One of my wishes came true last
week. No, Rosie O’Donnell and
Barbara Striesand weren’t slowly
eaten alive by millions of horse
flies in the middle of a Texas oil
field. That wish hasn’t come true
yet, but something almost as good
happened. The Dell Computer
Corp. or, as I like to call it, the pur
veyor ef the most evil advertising
campaign ever unleashed on
mankind, gave the ax (metaphori
cally, unfortunately) to Steven.
You know Steven, don’t you?
He’s the annoying little punk who
can’t stop running his mouth
about Dell PCs. "Dude, you’re get
ting a Dell." Those words make
me cringe. I’ve heard better slo
gans at a wannabe hippie protest
against war in Iraq.
Speaking of which, now that
Steve needs a new job, maybe we
could send him to Iraq. I’m not
sure who would get him first—the
two-bit Iraqi military that every
one’s so afraid of for some reason,
or his fellow soldiers after his first
"Dude, you’re getting a sunburn."
But, sending the little pipsqueak
I TA r\v*/-\KnV\1 tt 4-Vtrv wiaoI Pao
sible option. So, I found another
way to show my undying hatred of
this advertising campaign.
Dell actually set up an America
Online Instant Messenger screen
name for Steve. When I heard
about this, I had to check it out.
Just put DellDudeSteven on your
buddy list and let the insults fly.
It might be an automated re
sponse, but it’s still fun to think
Steve is actually there, crying be
cause of your insults. Here’s the
conversation I had with him (my
screen name has been changed;
better luck next time, ladies):
PWatz: I’m glad you got fired,
monkey boy.
DellDudeSteve: I’m great.
Thanks for asking, Pwatz. It’s
good to meet you.
PWatz: I hate you.
DellDudeSteve: Oh, really. I’m
sorry 2 hear that. I hope you
change your mind.
Pwatz: I never will.
DellDudeSteve: Are you look
ing for a new PC?
Pwatz: I’m looking for you, and
when I find you, it’s not going to
be pretty.
DellDudeSteve: That’s great.
What kind of options are you in
terested in for your new Dell PC?
Pwatz: Have you ever danced
with the devil in the pale moon
light?
DellDudeSteve: Let me get this
straight. You want a new Dell PC
with cutting-edge graphics?
The discussion went on like
that. He might have been some
what incoherent, but he still made
for better conversation than some
people I talk to on AIM.
If any of you would like to hunt
this guy down, his real name is
Ben Curtis. He’s 21 years old and
attends New York University.
Because Ben "I sold my soul to
Dell and all I got was this stigma"
Curtis is now out of work, I came
up with some new jobs he’d be
great at: nurse’s assistant at a
methadone clinic, professional
plasma donator or prison guard.
"Dude, why did my partner just
lock me in the room with you
guys?"
No matter what career choice
he makes, Steve is soon to be a
thankfully forgotten memory, like
slap bracelets, the XFL, Sinead
O’Connor and that unspeakable
incident at summer camp when
you were 12 years old.
Thanks for the memories, dude.
We’ll see you and Subway’s Jarred
on Celebrity Boxing in five years.
Watson is a fourth-year print
journalism student.