The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 14, 2003, Page 6, Image 6
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6 THE GAMECOCK ♦ Friday, February 14, 2003
SOUND OFF ONLINE POLL
Create message boards at Will you be doing anything special for
www.dailygamecock.com or . Valentine’s Day?
send letters to the editor to YES, WITH MY SIGNIFICANT OTHER 32%
gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com NO, I’M A SINGLE SWINGER 30%
VALENTINE’S DAY IS AN EVIL MYTH 38%
IN OUR OPINION
Sorensen looks
to USC’s future
USC President Andrew Sorensen told the Board of
Trustees yesterday that revenues were down and
costs were up. He also said that if the university
continues on that path, it could face an enormous
reduction in services or, drastically, extinction. But
instead of pointing the finger at state legislators,
Sorensen offered something better: a solution.
It would have been easy for Sorensen to place the
blame of the university’s financial woes on state
Building a lawmakers, who just last
research canipus Tuesday cut use’s budget by
COUld bring another $6.4 million. But
much-needed Sorensen looked to the future,
money to the Sorensen would seek
University, funding for the research
campus from sources outside the state Legislature. It
would bring five million square feet of local
businesses and governments forging partnerships
with the university. USC, along with Columbia and
local businesses, just spent $150,000 to hire private
consultant Craig Davis to get the project rolling.
And USC isn’t alone on this project. North
Carolina State University’s Centennial Campus
follows a similar design and purpose. Instead of
entering into something untested, USC can look to
N.C. State as an example of what to expect and how to
handle it.
We commend Sorensen for keeping his cool during
trbubling financial times. By focusing on the
solution instead of the problem, Sorensen could be
the man to lead USC out of the financial wastelands.
Gamecock Quotables
“I never have been for
wanting to hurt anybody. I
was young and naive and
stupid and I’m sorry for it.
Very, very sorry for it.”
TOM TURNIPSEED
COLUMBIA ATTORNEY ON CHANGING HIS
' RACIST VIEWS
“In all these partnerships, we
must ensure that the financial
tail does not wag the
academic dog.”
ANDREW SORENSEN
use PRESIDENT ON HIS PLAN TO BUILD A
RESEARCH CAMPUS
“The Click Drive brings the
front lines of the war against
poverty right into the dorm
rooms of American students.”
MARCI SURKES
CLICK DRIVE MEDIA COORDINATOR ON THE
DRIVE’S GOALS
“If it were up to the majority
of people in the state of
Georgia, slavery would still
be legal and lynching would
still be the law of the land.”
THE REV. CHARLES WHITE JR.
DIRECTOR OF NAACP’S SOUTHEAST REGION
ON DECIDING ON GEORGIA'S STATE FUG
GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS
In a story in The Mix on Wednesday about the “The Power of
Porn,” Gene McConnell was misidentified as Jim McGonnell.
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
Editor in Chief
Jill Martin
Managing Editor
Charles Tomlinson *
News Editor
Adam Beam
Asst. News Editor
Wendy Jeffcoat
Viewpoints Editor
Erin O'Neal
The Mix Editor
Corey Garriott
Asst. The Mix Editor
Meg Moore
Sports Editor
Matt Rothenberg
Asst. Sports Editor
Brad Senkiw
Photo Editor
Johnny Haynes
Asst. Photo Editor
Morgan Ford
Head Page Designers
Sarah McLaulin, Katie
Smith, David Stagg
Page Designers
Justin Bajan, Samantha
Hall, Staci Jordan. Julia
Knetzer. Shawn Rourk
Slot Copy Editors
Crystal Boyles. Tricia
Ridgway, Emma Ritch
Copy Editors
Alyson Goff, Mary Waters
Online Editor
Bessam Khadraoui
Community Affairs
Kiran Shah
CONTACT INFORMATION
Offices on third floor of the Russell House.
Editor in Chief: gamecockeditor@hotmail.com
News: gamecockudesk@hotmail.com
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Online: www.dailygamecock.com
Newsroom: 777-7726
Editor's Office: 777-3914
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The Gamecock is the
editorially independent
student newspaper of
the University of South
Carolina. It 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
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and Communications
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Gamecock. The
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organization. The
Gamecock is
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One free copy per
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CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS
Singles hate Valentine’s Day
ALLYSON BIRD
GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM
Today, just remember to
smile and have fun.
I’ve never had a boyfriend on
Valentine’s Day. I’ve never even
had a romantic Valentine’s Day.
I’ve had creepy kids send me car
nations in high school. I’ve had
an ex-boyfriend send me on a
treasure hunt with him as the fi
nal object. Not only did that
make me nauseous, but it also
upset my nerves so much that I
caught the flu just in time for my
scholarship interviews.
Although in high school I nev
er got called to the office to pick
up flowers on Valentine’s Day, I
prided myself on never having
resorted to ordering my parent
to send me a bouquet like some
other single girls. If nothing else,
I at least have my dignity.
No, I was never attached to a
mass of bobbing balloons on tht
dreaded day; and, yes, I migt
have secretly hoped that all tfe
girls who were would get caugt
by a large gust of wind. But I stl
wore a pink shirt and a smile.
Granted, Valentine’s Day, ds
ing and the vicious relationshi
cycle are cliched subjects, bt
since I was fortunate enough t
have my column land o
Valentine’s Day, I’m cosmicall.
drawn to follow the footsteps o
my journalistic forebears. Damn
is it a vicious cycle!
To make matters worse, yot
can never really give up on rela
tionships; that’s why those whc
say they have are always in bars
College has definitely altered
the dating landscape. Many oi
my female friends seem to be
more anxious to find “the one”
now that our years left in school
are numbered. I think a hotter
seller than “How to Lose a Guy
in 10 Days” would be “How to
Win a Guy in 10 Days.” It’s not as
easy as the movies make it.
Like merchandise, the new re
lationships usually break early
on. Then some of them have a
good, long run before the real
ization that they were damaged
goods all along and never worth
the price. And there are always
those few who jump in the shop
ping cart when you aren’t look
ing and then pop up like fungi ev
ery time it rains.
But on this particular day, we
are still jealous of those who have
their shiny breakables; their
bent, dented and frayed; or their
fungi. After all, each of us wants
some chocolate to make us feel
guilty about eating, some roses
to slowly die on our desks until
we begin to draw parallels be
tween their lives and our waning
passion, and stuffed animals to
stare at us while we’re sleeping.
Valentine’s Day will always
suck, but I stretch my neck to
find that silver lining in the
cloud. Today, I celebrate being
free of balloon-cluttered high
school hallways, flower-filled of
fices, and their fat little sidekick,
the I’m-so-lonely-and-unloved
feeling. I celebrate their replace
ment by a far-reaching, open
aired campus where a rose or
two couldn’t upset everything.
On that note, my pink shirt is
dirty. But I might still put on the
smile for old times’ sake.
Bird is a first-year print
journalism student.
IN YOUR OPINION
Fans have the right
to cheer their team
This letter is for Mr.
Rothenberg. What if Keith
Bogans is gay? Would it still be
insulting if it were the truth?
Fans take their frustrations
out on opposing players, and
that’s fine if it’s not physically
harmful. Bogans has heard
worse and will hear much
worse in the NBA. The fact that
he isn’t gay is what makes the
chant funny.
At a University of Kentucky
game a couple years ago, my
friend yelled, “Saul Smith runs
like a faggot” during a timeout.
I gave him the best Charlie
horse I’ve ever laid on some
one. There’s a time and place
for everything, and what my
friend said was wrong.
During football season, a lot
of students yelled “Rex
Grossman takes it up the ass!”
We rain down insults on the ref
erees. We all called Jared
Lorenzen “the fat ass that could
pass” because he’s a quarter
back that weighs 300 pounds! We
don’t really mean it.
USC students, I would like to
apologize for Rothenberg’s sen
sitivity. I have gay friends,and
I’m sure we all know or have
been around gay people. I have,
and we should all have no prob
lem with their lifestyle at all.
Heckling comes with the games,
and as long as people have some
tough skin and know we’re just
giving them a hard time, there
is no shame in it.
• I’m announcing to all teams
that USC plays: Any heckling
you guys get, it’s all in good fun;
we really don’t mean it, so rest
easy, OK? Rothenberg, don’t be
so sensitive or I’ll be forced to
send you a box of “Extra Soft
Aloe-Infused Puffs Kleenex.”
KURT BRANDSTAETTER
2001 USC GRADUATE
Rourk’s immaturity
is not impressive
Shawn Rourk’s column
(“Fanatics Take Things Too
Far,” Monday) moved me to re
spond. I’d be curious to meet
the government teachers Rourk
referred to when he said he has
learned that “we have freedom
of speech up to the point at
which we offend somebody
else.”
It is my understanding that
we have freedom of speech, pe
riod. There is no point at which
our freedom of speech ends.
Common sense tells us to avoid
slander or libel. Maybe Rourk
missed the lecture in journalism
class describing libel. Libel is
defined as a written or pub
lished statement, picture, et
cetera that is likely to harm the
reputation of the person about
whom it is made — any false or
damaging statement or impli
cation about a person.
Twice Ro.urk referred to the
anti-abortion people as idiots.
It was a juvenile display of the
same lack of maturity he sup
posedly finds disgusting when
exhibited at basketball games.
Rourk showed the shallow
ness of his opinion when he
said, “And, frankly, being
forced to look at gruesome pho
tos of dead babies on the way to
class is quite offensive.” The
methods used to try to persuade
him to change his views might
not be to his liking, but they
were effective. He referred to
“dead babies.” Congratulations,
you now understand the anti
abortion position. They are ba
bies, and no one has the right to
kill them.
I suggest that Rourk take his
own advice. He said, “These id
iots need to grow up.” Amen to
that. |
MARTHA WHITTINGHAM
OAK RIDGE, TENN.
Bush’s propaganda
is no reason for war
Once upon a time, there was a
strong country that had been
brought to its knees, willing to be
ed blindly by a leader who would
ell them what was right and
vrong.
He distracted his country’s peo
)le from their terrible troubles by
xeating a common enemy the
people could unite against. Using
xopaganda, the leader worked
he people into a paranoid fren
y, ready to attack with little
roof of guilt.
Suspicion, fear and hate
oread like wildfire. In the name
( freedom, the leader took away
pople’s liberties. In the name of
Rtriotism, he silenced those who
uestioned. In the name of peace,
b waged war.
Now, you know of whom I
seak. I love my country, but I
far her leader. I do not under
and how a man — not a god —
cn judge who is good and who is
eil.
I do not understand how bomb
iig a country will protect her
c/ilians, and I most certainly do
nt understand how provoking a
crnered man who might have
wapons of mass destruction will
kep Americans safe.
Our own urgent economic and
scial crises need to come before
a 'ild campaign against those we
bund “evil.” We need to remem
be that we are humans, not gods.
IOPE DONNY-CLARK
OURTH-YEAR BIOLOGY ANI) GERMAN
TUDENT
Sibmission Policy
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Keeping
up with
news is
hopeless
^ _I
SHANNAREED
GAMECOCKVIEWPOlNTS@HOTMAIL.COM
I’ll just turn to Comedy
Central for word on Iraq.
It’s February, and by now
most of us have either forgotten
our New Year’s resolutions or
have gotten to the age when we
don’t make them anymore. I al
ways tell myself I’m going to floss
after every meal, work out more,
eat more vegetables, blah, blah,
blah; but rarely do any of those
things happen.
The one thing I did manage to
do was cut down on my televi
sion time, but damn it if Fox
didn’t drag me back in.
“American Idol” and “Joe
Millionaire” are just too good to
miss. Nothing melts my daily
troubles away like watching 20
desperate women pretend to like
each other while gunning for a
guy with pseudo-millions.
I still say it wquld have been
better if he were 5 feet 2 inches tall
and balding. Does love or money
prevail? Of course you know the
answer — money! Let’s see if the
girl slaps him and storms out
when she gets the news.
And if you want to know just
how culturally deprived and shal
low our nation has become, watch
“American Idol,” where you can
choose the next one-hit wonder.
I’m aware that I should be
keeping up with the war on ter
rorism, but like most in-depth
news coverage on any subject, if
you miss the coverage in the be
ginning, you have no idea what’s
going on. I’ve tried to read USA
Today and listen to Tom Brokaw
and the lot, but it’s like jumping
into calculus after missing the
first two weeks of classes: I’m
lost. Like many wayward sheep
of my generation, I have resolved
to get my political updates from
“The Daily Show with Jon
Stewart.” Nothing says accura
cy like Comedy Central.
It might seem an outrage to old
er people or political-science ma
jors, but anyone under 30 years
old knows that there is always the
threat of war, and it’s never
against those who you would like
to go to war against.
I know that Iraq and North
Korea are evil, hence the term
“Axis of Evil,” but aren’t we still
supposed to be looking for Osama
bin Laden?
And that brings me to my next
resolution: more Comedy Central,
more Cartoon Network and less
CNN. They can brief me when I
get drafted.
And don’t be naive, the draft
can and will happen again, and
they’ll be taking everybody this
time. The days of college enroll
ment exemption are over, ana a
new day has begun for women’s
rights. Pushing forward with a
crazed manifest-destiny mentali
ty, we’U finally be forced to put
women on the front lines with
men.
Maybe grad students will be ex
empt, which will once again put
those with the money to go to
graduate school, out of harm’s
way. And I would say that this is
just my opinion, but it’s just plain
logistics.
There won’t be any mass move
ment of young people to join the (
army and fight the war against
terrorism. If California were
blown off the map tomorrow, the
only thing that would change is
the stock for American flag com
panies.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m start
ing to warm up to Bush, even
though I didn’t vote for him. But
maybe he should make a resolu
tion: to mind our own country’s
business.
Reed is a fourth-year public
relations student.