The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, June 11, 2003, Page 5, Image 5
THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, June 11, 2003 5
VIEWPOINTS
IN OUR OPINION
USC should get
funding waiver
The state legislature has cut USC’s funding again,
this time by 2.54 percent. USC now receives 10 percent
less from the state than it did four years ago - a
difference of almost $20 million.
Next year, state appropriated funds will comprise
only $127.6 million of the university’s $289 million
budget.
Even though the state provides only 44 percent of
USC’s budget, it still regulates the university’s affairs
through the Commission on Higher Education.
Last week, the Senate failed to pass Bill 3899, which
would have allowed USC to pursue funding from
private businesses and relaxed other regulations.
As USC alumna and benefactor Darla Moore
observed, if USC is to be privately funded, it might as
well be privately directed.
If the state continues to decrease university funding,
the university should be allowed in turn to seek its own
funding. The state’s level of funding for USC should
match the level of regulation it imposes on USC.
President Sorensen has proposed that USC obtain
waivers which would let it solicit funds from private
businesses. The university needs them if it is to keep its
head above water.
ABOUT THE GAMECOCK
STAFF
Editor in Chief
Corey Garriott
Managing Editor
Julia Knetzer
News Editor
Gabrielle Sinclair
Viewpoints Editor
Josh Hanley
The Mix Editor
Brian Ray
Sports Editor
Brad Senkiw
Photo Editor
Patricia Shadwell
Page Designers
Rachel Edwards,
Patricia Shadwell
Copy Editors
Amy Genoble,
Parul Joshi
STUDENT MEDIA
Faculty Advisor
Erik Collins
Advertising Manager
Sarah Scarborough
Creative Director
Susan King
Production Manager
Patrick Bergen
Business Manager
Carolyn Griffin
Classified Manager
Sherry F. Holmes
Advertising Staff
John Blackshire
TO PLACE AN AD
The Gamecock
1400 Greene St.
Columbia, S.C. 29208
Advertising: 777-3888
Classified: 777-1184
Fax: 777-6482
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: gamecockmixedrtor@hotmail.com
Sports: gamecocksports@hotmail.com
Online: www.dailygamecock.com
Newsroom: 777-7726
The Gamecock 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.
Vfz. p£<bi vei-fTo(j
psycrtot-OG/sr
ci? i 5 eg
^ (?ocr<?f2T X'm A v,s. ~=
OertocfZAXic SPa/AToA
AMO Something in5u?£ j?
Me Keeps wanting to I
5av Nice Things Ag^r/f
P£eSi<?£NT
Our nation has loose morals
TYLERJONES
GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM
Some cheaters prosper
A recent rash of
unadulterated, in-your-face
cheating has sent many
journalists and bat-corkers into
a panicked rush to cover then
tracks now that Jayson Blair
and "Smiling” Sammy Sosa are
waiting the firing squad that is
public opinion. It seems the New
York Times' young reporter and
the future President of the
Dominican Republic both
thought they needed a healthy
dose of dishonesty to stay on top
of their respective fields.
This type of myopic thinking
is what makes America such an
entertaining carnival. This
country was founded on
cheating, from the time our good
friends the Native Americans
were run off their land to John
Hancock cutting Ben Franklin
in line to sign the Declaration of
Independence - cheating is as
American as apple pie.
One of the only good things
about this 24-hour news cycle we
live in is that there is always
room for a new cheater in the
headlines, and lately we've seen
some big names. These are no
small fry; we’re talking about
The New York Times, the great
purveyor of honesty, justice,
and All The News That’s Fit to
Print.
The problem with all this
rampant dishonesty is that there
seems to be a prevailing
philosophy in America today
that it is only cheating if you get
caught. Which leads me to my
ultimate question: what is going
on that is not being exposed?
If history has any validity
then it shows us that beneath the
surface are dark and murky
waters. Dark enough to hide the
lies that swim around us
everyday, from grade school
cheat sheets to insider trading
on Wall Street to perjury in the
White House. Cheating is the
universal enabler, the way to get
to the top or stay on top and,
despite its stigmatism, most
everyone will bend the rules to
get ahead. That frightening fact
is the "American Way,” a result
of the hypersensitive free
market economy we have
embraced in both our financial
and emotional world-views
So can someone with hard
wore ana nonesty maite it on
this bizarre planet we live on?
Perhaps, but it is becoming less
and less likely. But look on the
bright side, I'm guilty of being
honest, maybe too honest, and so
far all it has gotten me is a
crummy bimonthly rant in a
college newspaper that no one
reads. Now that I think about it,
maybe I should give The New
York Times a call.
Tyler Jones is a graduate student
studying journalism