Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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^ THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, March 26,2003 ' 0 SOUNDOFF TTT^TTTTl/^V UfTICI ONLINEPOLL Create message boards at I 1-4 » l\ I I-* I I % I Which No. 1 seed will advance www.dailygamecock.com or I I ' J 1/ «/ I If %l | l ^ the farthest in the men’s send letters to the editor to IIJvV I \ 7 1 Ik/ NCAA Tournament? §QTTi6cockvi6wpoifits@hotfTiciil.cojTi l JL www.dailygamecock.coin. Results published on Fridays. IN OUR OPINION Simmons is rightfor SG The theme of this year’s Student Government presidential race is restructure. Nearly all of the candidates interviewed by The Gamecock’s editorial staff gave a different version of how they would change SG if elected. We commend their visions for change and desire to improve SG’s effectiveness, but in the end we feel only one candidate has the ideas and the will to carry it out: Justin Simmons. The cornerstone of Simmons’ platform is restructuring the Student After looking at SG Senate As it is all 24000 use om e OU e, stU(jents are represented by a Simmons sees its , . problems and 8roup of 35 s,utlenls-wh0 “*■ k wants to fix them, for the most part, ineffective and of no interest to the student body. Under Simmons’ plan, the Student Senate would undergo a tremendous change that would place senators based, not on colleges, but on student organizations. This would bring more students into SG and breathe new life into a Student Government that has more or less become just another student organization. Simmons aiso orings a iresn perspective to After looking at SG from the outside, Simmons sees its problems and wants to fix them. Other candidates have more SG experience, but what have they accomplished with that experience? The problem with SG is that the students in SG have lost touch ^ with the students in the rest of the university. Simmons’ plan to restructure the Senate could bring the students back into SG. Simmons’ restructuring plan, if implemented, will not only bring students into SG, but also increase SG’s influence with university administration. Right now, it is easy for the Board of Trustees to ignore an organization in which only 1,000 students out of24,000 participate each year. If more students are involved and we see election turnout increase to more than half the student body, the Board of Trustees will have to take notice. It can’t ignore the entire university. Simmons isn’t the only candidate who can perform the job of SG president. Most of the other candidates are more than capable of running SG; we feel, however, that Simmons has the best all-around ideas and vision to lead the student body. If his ideas are brought to fruition, SG has the potential to become less of a self governing society and more of a voice for the students. GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS 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 Jessica Foster, Alyson Goff, Mary Waters Online Editor jSessam 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 Viewpoints: gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com The Mix: gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Sports: gamecocksports@hotmail.com Public Affairs: gckpublicaffairs@hotmail.com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Newsroom: 777-7726 Editor's Office: 777-3914 STUDENT MEDIA The Gamecock is the editorially independent Faculty Adviser student newspaper of Erik Collins the University of South Carolina. It is Director of Student published Monday, Media Wednesday and Friday Ellen Parsons during the fall and spring semesters and Creative Director nine times during the Susan King summer, with the exception of university Business Manager holidays and exam Carolyn Griffin periods. Opinions expressed in The Advertising Manager Gamecock are those of Sarah Scarborough the editors or author u and not those of the Fhorr f H rnager University of South Sherry F. Holmes Carolina. The Board of _ w ka Student Publications Production Manage, and Communjcations Patrick Bergen is the publisher of The . _ ._ Gamecock. The Creat ve erv ces Department of Student Derek Goode. Media is the Earl Jones, newspaper’s parent Sean 0 Meara, organization. The Anastasia Oppert Gamecock is supported in part by Advertising Staff student-activity fees. John Blackshire, One free copy per Adam Bourgoin, reader. Additional Bianca Knowles, copies may be Denise Levereaux, purchased for $l each Jacqueline Rice, from the Department Stacey Todd of Student Media. TO PUCE AN AD ! The Gamecock Advertising: 777-3888 1400 Greene St. Classified: 777-1184 Columbia, S.C. 29208 Fax:777-6482 o**’ 1 f » CARTOON BY HANNAH ANGSTADT/THE GAMECOCK Norton could make Senate effective Lobbying and Senate relations are key for VR Anyone familiar with Student Government this year remembers one thing: scandal. The Student Senate lost credi bility after an attempted im peachment and an alleged threat. According to both of this year’s vice-presidential candi dates, its committees won’t meet, and its representatives take meetings less than seri ously. Senators are “lazy, inatten tive and make false promises,” says vice-presidential candidate Patrick Norton, a second-year political-science student. For his proposals to make the Senate ac countable, The Gamecock’s edi torial board endorses him for vice president. Formally, the vice president’s first duty is to maintain control of student senators, including the creation of committees and the appointment of committee chairs. It’s technically possible to sweep clean the whole decay ing superstructure on the first day of office, he said. Norton has both ideas and a plan to make them actualities. Norton says he would use his power as vice president to re move apathetic senators from of flee. Senators are assigned to stu dent organizations and must meet with them during the semester, but most leave their or ganizations derelict. Norton says senators who don’t meet can be eliminated, but this rule hasn’t been used for a while. With the committees, he pro poses to reign in the undisci plined senators by appointing committee chairs he personally knows will do the job and take out chairs that don’t come through. But internal matters aren’t where his platform ends. SG has been remarkably internally fo cused lately; so after he has swept out the old, Norton has realistic plans to use what he says is SG’s biggest asset: the ability to lob by. With an efficient Senate, he would move to send a liaison to the state Legislature and com municate with the representa tives. We think a liaison is a good idea because legislators of ten complain they don’t hear students’ voices and, therefore, they can’t craft policy with the students’ interests in mind — in other words, eliminating fund ing. To get our name on the speaking lists of our state’s edu cation committees would nulli fy this excuse. Norton also says he can lobby the Board of Trustees to stop transforming metered spots into unmetered spots. Imposing marginal costs for spots in high • demand would deter potential campers. , His opponent, Zachery Scott, is a similarly good choice. Scott is interested in reconnecting SG with the students, and thinks ex panded information would do the job. His proposal for a Web site, www.myusc.com, to track SG is pertinent to a school at which SG’s voice is heard only during sensational intrigues. Scott also hopes to improve attendance by attending com mittee meetings himself, and says he will provide for better communication with the Board of Trustees. Both Scott and Norton agree that Student Government does not meet with organizations, and Scott pro poses to communicate better with the senators and students to solve it. But we think Norton’s posi tive proposal to communicate with and lobby the Board of Trustees, as well as his plan to use the vice president’s power to force senators to meet with their organizations, put him over the top. Edwards is ready to handle finances canumate wouia mane the most of position. Both candidates for Student Government treasurer have the necessary experience for the job. Both would aim to help students. But Ben Edwards, a third-year phi losophy student, is the candidate with the best, most feasible, most well-organized plans to make stu dents’ lives easier in tangible ways. Edwards, who has served as treasurer for the South Carolina Student Legislature as well as treasurer and president for USC’s racquetball club, has a platform centered on helping student orga nizations use their money wisely. He has promised to keep in touch with the organizations’ treasur ers, increase their access to forms by putting themonline, help trea surers fyid outside sources of funding, and make treasurers’ workshops — which they are re quired to attend — as quick and painless as possible. Edwards, who was director of academic affairs on Corey Ford’s Cabinet and is now a liberal-arts senator, plans to make sure stu dent organizations get all the mon ey they are allocated; previously, SG used some of that money to cov er its own expenses, but the in creased student-activity fee should make that practice unnecessary, Edwards savs Overall, it’s a plan that makes the most of the limited power an SG treasurer is allowed. Billy Grooms, the other candidate for treasurer, also has good intentions, but his plans exceed the bounds of the treasurer’s abilities. For ex ample, part of Grooms’ platform is that he would personally speak with state legislators about ways to create budget cuts: It’s a good idea, but it’s one that falls more firmly under the responsibilities of a president and vice president; and regardless, South Carolina’s budget woes are part of a tangled situation with no easy solution. The Gamecock’s editorial board thinks Edwards’ practical ap proach is the best, most concrete way to serve the student body. Basketball player was disrespectful The Gamecock has twice highlighted—and, by implica tion, endorsed — the political view of Manhattanville College forward Toni Smith. Smith’s comments and behavior are disturbing and embarrassing. I assume Smith is an American citizen. As such, she does not have to agree with President Bush, Congress or its senators, but she should have the decen cy to respect the country they represent. The flag is the United States of America. When it flies above our embassies around the world, those embassies become American soil. When it is fold ed and given to a soldier’s wid ow, it acknowledges that sol dier’s service and sacrifice to our country. When it is un furled at a basketball game, it represents America s recogni tion of healthy competition. What an insult to turn your back on the flag! Thousands of military personnel are fighting under that banner. On the first day of the war, Saddam Hussein proved our country’s decision was correct when he launched a Scud missile, precisely the weapon he has been claiming he does not have. That is why we are in Iraq right now, because our president has knowledge that Saddam has the means and inclination to kill us. Contrary to what Smith said, America has always toiled for the betterment of its people, and I find it ludicrous to suggest oth erwise. If her conscience will not allow her to salute the flag of her country, perhaps she should re examine her conscience. MOLLY BRADY COLUMBIA IN YOUR OPINION Iraq is a tnreat, not Pakistan and Israel David Byer’s letter (“Cost of war would be paid with lives,” March 5) contains two sen tences that I find very trou bling. Byer said: “U.S. allies Pakistan and Israel both ille gally possess nuclear weapons and could easily use them in the future. Neither Israel nor Pakistan is being threatened with an American invasion.” Do you want to know why Iraq is being threatened and not these two countries? To most, the logic is elementary. Here are a just a few reasons: 1) As even you wrote, Israel and Pakistan are our allies — good point, why would we at tack our own allies? 2) Iraq has killed its own peo ple who voice opposition to Saddam. 3) Iraq has mercilessly slaughtered thousands of Kurds. 4) Iraq tried to assassinate rresiaeni ueorge n. w. jousn. 5) Iraq has violated 17 U.N. resolutions in the past 12 years. 6) Iraq wants to inflict harm and death upon Americans. 7) Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. 8) Iraq attacked Israel with Scud missiles in the Gulf War. 9) In 1980, Iraq invaded Iran. 10) Saddam is a militaristic dictator, whereas Israeli Prime Minister Sharon and Pakistani Prime Minister Musharraf are quite the oppo site. I hope you know why we are pursuing Iraq and not Pakistan or Israel, Byer. RAYMOND COBLE THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL-SCIENCE STUDENT Marijuana isn’t the worst drug out there I smoked a few joints of ganja last night. First, I raped a girl and then I accidentally shot one of my friends. After I did that, I got so hungry, I went to Taco Bell three times, and the weirdest thing happened: I killed a little kid on a bicycle every time. I mean, come on. Why are peo ple trying to paint such a bad pic ture of ganja? Where is the fight against addictive prescription drugs with horrific side effects? Where is the fight against alco hol, which contributes to domes tic violence and car-related deaths? It’s OK to take some sore throat medicine that might lead to heart failure or diarrhea, but it is bad to smoke some leaves that make you jovial and hungry. One advertisement said that one in three drivers charged with drunken driving tests positive for tetrahydrocannabinol, the addic tive chemical found in ganja. So what? The advertisement was mpant tn Hpppivp without lvintr THC stays in your adipose tissue for long periods of time. You can test positive for THC after three months of smoking gapja. Yes, it impairs judgment, but it is nowhere as debilitating as alco hol is. But, as we know, ganja does not fund political campaigns. I suffer anxiety attacks, and I was prescribed Paxil. Although Paxil worked, I would frequently begin to tremble and there were sexual side effects. Since I began smoking marijua na, I haven’t suffered another attack, and I don’t have any more embarrassing side effects. If we are going to fight drug abuse, let’s do it across the board. CLYDE PURCELL FOURTH-YEAR CHEMISTRY STUDENT Americans need to send one message The people of America need to set aside their personal opinions and support our troops and pres ident. We all need to be praying for them and supporting them with our actions. Why should we send a hurtful message to the brave men and women risking their lives for our security? America is help ing the Iraqi people and protect ing our nation. People who protest the war show pictures of Iraqi children as “collateral damage.” Have they forgotten what a terrible person Saddam Hussein is? The women and chil dren of Iraq live in fear of this man. Have they missed the news where the Iraqi men welcome our troops? We say we want peace. Well, before we went into Iraq, there was no peace, but there will be. Even if Saddam has no weapons of mass destruction, our troops should still be fighting for the fact that Saddam kills inno cent people, helps terrorists and builds more palaces for himself instead of feeding his people. In this situation with a dictator such as Saddam, war is the only way to peace. CLAIRE BAKER SECOND-YEAR PSYCHOLOGY 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. Submissions are limited to two per person per semester. Call the newsroom at 777-7726 for more information.