Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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4 THE GAMECOCK ♦ Monday, October 6, 2003 SOUND OFF ONLINE POLL Create message boards at ' Should the College of Liberal Arts and www.dailygamecock.com or the College of Math and Science merge? send letters to the editor to www.dailygamecock.com. gamecockapinions@hotmail.com Results published on Fridays. IN OUR OPINION Amend, the SG plan first With money so scarce, Student Government shouldn’t be hasty to use all of what we have without taking sufficient time and effort to thoroughly research and include all students’ perspectives. The Student Senate will vote Wednesday on whether to pass a plan formed by the executive staff to use money from excess student activity fees. Senators need to take charge and amend plans for this year’s spending. The student Senate must amend this plan before approving it. SG should go back to the drawing board if necessary. The money> which totals about $190,000, can only be spent one time. This is a remarkable and welcome opportunity to SG to finally make a real, lasting difference. But the current plan is not perfect. It is hypocritical for SG to say it will not return funds to student organizations but then proceed to allocate funds to WUSC, the Alpha Phi Omega escort service and the Sexual Health Awareness and Rape Prevention. If the money goes to one organization, it should go back to all. SG must be consistent. The Readership Program is a great investment and needs funding. And lighting on Greene Street has been an issue with students for years and a recurring theme in SG. But $6,000 is way too much to spend on gigantic 14 foot signs with maps of the campus. Those signs will serve more as an eyesore than a lighthouse. That money, along with the money planned to go to the three student organizations, could be given to further extend the readership project or help with the lighting project. The Student Senate must amend this plan before approving it. SG should go back to the drawing board if necessary. SG has an amazing opportunity. They shouldn’t squander it by spreading themselves too thin. . GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS In Wednesday’s The Mix, the review of Dressy Bessy’s self-titled album should have credited Wes Wolfe as the writer. A graphic on Wednesday’s front page should have said Student Government’s activity-fee surplus was $190,000. In an article in Friday’s paper, a quote by provost Jerry Odom should have said, “Any tinie you have a meeting like that, the people opposed to it are the ones who will show up.” A story in Friday’s paper about parking and shuttles should have credited the policy changes to Parking Services. Information in the last paragraph of Friday’s USC inn story should have been attributed to Bob McAlister instead of Toby Ward. Friday’s USC inn story should have specified it was referring to the U.S. Justice Department in the second-to-last paragraph. The Gamecock regrets the errors. If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us at gamecockopinions@hotmail.com. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK Editor in Chief Charles Tomlinson Managing Editor Adam Beam News Editor Michael LaForgia Asst. News Editor Alexis Stratton Viewpoints Editor Gabrielle Sinclair The Mix Editor Meg Moore Sports Editor Brad Senkiw Asst. Sports Editor Wes Wolfe Photo Editor Morgan Ford Head Page Designers Shawn Rourk. David Stagg Page Designers Justin Bajan, Samantha Hall, Staci Jordan, Philip Whitehead Slot Copy Editors Amy Genoble, Alyson Goff, Trie ip Ridgway Copy Editors Jessica Foster, Mary Waters, Steven Van Haren Online Editor James Tolbert Public Affairs Kimberly Dressier CONTACT INFORMATION Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Editor in Chief: gamecockeditor@hotmail.com News: gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Viewpoints: gamecockopinions@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 Director Scott Lindenberg Faculty Adviser Erik Collins Creative Director Susan King Business Manager Carolyn Griffin Advertising Manager Sarah Scarborough Classified Manager Sherry F. Holmes Production Manager Amber Justice Creative Services Whitney Bridges. Robbie Burkett, Sean O’Meara Advertising Staff John Blackshire, Adam Bourgoin, Ben Sinclair, Jesica Johnson, Ryan Gorman, Laytoya Hines 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 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-activity fees. One free copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 each from the Department of Student Media. TO PLACE AN AD The Gamecock , Advertising: 777-3888 1400 Greene St. ' Classified: 777-1184 Columbia, S.C. 29208 Fax:777-6482 -mg?? CARTOON BY HANNAH ANGSTADT/THE GAMECOCK Good riddance to Limbaugh JOHN RAB'ON GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM Some people should keep their mouths shut. You know, when my brother told me about Rush Limbaugh becoming a commentator for ESPN, I wondered how long it was going to last. I didn’t see how it could work. A man who’s written countless books about how conservatives will save the country and how ev erything that’s going wrong is part of some liberal conspiracy was going to be analyzing foot ball games for the nation’s top sports channel. You can proba bly guess that this just didn’t sit well with me, so I figured I’d get a bowl of popcorn and wait for him to stick his foot in his mouth. As soon as I heard the news, I started taking bets about how much time would pass before Rush’s political ideas leaked into his sports commentary. The an swer proved to be not long at all. If you don’t know already, Limbaugh resigned from ESPN following comments he made about Philadelphia Eagles quar terback Donovan McNabb. On the station’s “Sunday NFL Countdown,” the former sports analyst was quoted as saying, “I think what we have here is a lit tle social concern in the NFL. The media has been very de sirous that a black quarterback do well.” This led to a downward spiral of controversy that (hope fully) ended this past Wednesday with Limbaugh’s resignation. Expecting Rush Limbaugh to keep his political opinions to him self on a sports show is like ask ing Dennis Miller to not attempt humor on Monday Night Football. He can’t help it; it’s a part of what he is. Limbaugh is a man who’s made a career out of being vocal about his own ideas, often to a very annoying extent. He can’t keep his mouth shut. Secondly, what kind of thing is that to say on national televi sion? Limbaugh is pretty much saying the only reason McNabb is getting any recognition is be cause he’s black. Hey Rush, ever given any thought to the fact that he might actually have talent? Maybe the reason he’s getting media exposure is because the Eagles had a victory last Sunday and that as quarterback, McNabb is kind of an unelected team rep resentative? Neither one of those reasons is based on his race, but Rush makes it an issue. Finally, we get to hear more crap from the right about how the media is at fault for something or-other. If there’s one thing about Rush Limbaugh, like any other conservative, he likes to jab a finger at the media, saying that they’re all a bunch of bleeding heart liberals, except for him, of course. This is football, for cry ing out loud! Nobody cares if a player is white or black as long as their favorite team is winning. Oh well, good riddance to bad rubbish at any rate. From now on, let’s just keep media personalities in their own respective fields. No more entertainers trying to make us laugh it up while watching the Panthers on television. No more political bigwigs trying to tell me that the only reason a black quar terback is getting attention is be cause of his race and not how his team killed its opponents. A few words to the major networks — when hiring for a commentator’s position, choose people who spe cialize in sports. Just sports. Think about it. Rabon is a second-year English student. IN YOUR OPINION Conservative words distorted by media I grow ever so tired of the lib eral media and the way their opinions dictate the entire scope of what we, as American citizens, are allowed to em brace without threats of racism, fascism, bigotry and ig norance. Sunday morning, I turned on ESPN’s “NFL Countdown” to hear an ever opinionated Rush Limbaugh say that Donovan McNabb is an overrated quarterback by the media whose social concern for the past few years is to see a black quarterback succeed in the NFL, a statement that should have induced debate throughout the sports world. Instead it has erupted into an auction block, with a Limbaugh-hating media calling Rush everything from a racist to a drug addict. Less than a week later, Limbaugh has re signed, the media are still lick ing their chops and I’m left thinking, “Here we go again.” Does anyone think it’s any thing more than a coincidence that days after Limbaugh’s “controversial” comment was made, a story alleging pre scription drug abuse has sur faced? If you don’t know me, I’m the one with both hands raised high in the air. If you pull up the Internet or open your newspaper, 80 percent of all the articles about Rush’s resignation are centered on al legations of drug abuse. Not one article is even attempting to argue against, or spur debate on, the comment in question; whether McNabb is overrated, and if so, why? All that one can read about is how potential presidential candidates are cry ing racism and bigotry and the NAACP is crying boycott and the Enquirer is crying drug ahuser, and it seems more and more that the media’s been waiting for just this opportuni ty. I believe it’s called, “Knock him down, and then kick him while he’s down.” This drug abuse story just gets swept un der the rug if runs by itself, but plug it together with a “racist” comment and let the heads roll. The media has done it again, and they’ve done it by taking out of context a very debatable statement. I m reminded ot Mark Cuban’s comments on how the NBA will profit from the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case, and how the media blew those com ments out of proportion. All of a * sudden, Cuban was saying that the NBA was looking to profit from the case, when in the scope of the conversation, all Mark was trying to say was that because of court and news exposure, many people who would not ordinarily watch the NBA will be tuning in this sea son. Luckily for Cuban, he is well liked in the media; there fore, his evils will stay under wraps for now. Not as much can be said for Limbaugh, who has made his career in going to battle against this leftist-mind ed media. l want to uo nere wnat tne sports media should have done from the beginning. Rush, you are wrong about Donovan McNabb. Yes, he’s had a bad start this 2003 season, but he was able to lead his team to vic tory over a very tough Buffalo Bills squad with a stellar per formance this past week. Time will tell, but I believe that before the end of the sea son, we will see a pl^yoffs bound Eagles team, led by Donovan McNabb, make another strong run for the Super Bowl. As for your suggestion that the me dia has a social concern for a black quarterback to succeed in the NFL: Let the success of the current black quarterbacks speak for themselves. There’s no need for the media to prove Limbaugh right by rushing to McNabb’s de fense and assassinating the char acter of his critic. JONATHAN BUERKERT SECOND-YEAR ENGLISH STUDENT Viewpoints is one-sided without your opinion. Send letters to the editor to gamecockopinions @hotmail.com 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 gamecockopinions@hotmail.com. Letters will be edited. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newr^oom at 777-7726 for more information. Offering some sound advice # RACHAL HATTON GAMECOCKVIEWPQINTS@HOTMAIL.COM Some couples just aren’t meant to be. I’ve always wanted to be an ad vice columnist. In real life, though, I’ve stopped giving any accurate, sound advice and re placed reason with what I know^^ they’ll do anyway. This saves my breath and prevents their guilt when next they speak to me. It’s a happier situation, I assure you. So I’ll use this forum to inform people what they should really do, and before I do so, I’ll adopt the pseudonym “Paige Segundo”: DEAR PAIGE: I’ve realized that I’m aging. To combat this, I’ve had the usual face lifts, re decorated the house, surrounded myself with my children, changed careers, have become less mate rially comfortable and worry about how I’ll pay my bills. Maintaining my lifestyle is be coming a primary matter. I’m considering marriage to someone completely different than myself. I suspect this might be a bad idea.^P given our on-again off-again rela tionship and the conflicting in terests of his family. His political views, personal beliefs, and eco nomic values are the polar oppo site of my own. I fear being over powered by his character, losing my identity and being expected to give up important aspects of my personality. He’s well off, and I know he would provide for me, even helping my youngest com plete school. I just can’t make up my mind. I fear growing old alone, and I don’t wish to do anything that would offend. I only hope I can make a decision that would best benefit all involved parties. Imploringly, Ms. Libby Arts LIBBY: Snap out of it. His sci entific approach will confuse your sensibilities and disrupt your habits, and he will grate on your last nerve. He isn’t interested in your views or your propensity for unusual foods, either. He sounds like a man who sticks to the mode and follows procedure. Trust me, he’s not worth it, so stop wasting my time. You are better off with out him, completely. The primary issue here is your refusal to duke it out on your own, and your unwillingness to take care of yourself. No one else is going to do it for you, Miss Libby. You might be getting old,^^ but your approach to marriage is still immature. Grow up already. You are right to assume that a marriage between you and said man could be fruitful and materi ally beneficial, if the conditions are right. You already know that these are the worst circumstances for union. I take it that this has been a whirlwind courtship, and that you both know very little about each other. Don’t be quick to the draw; focus first learning to take care of yourself, then you won’t have the problem of being weak enough to let other people boss you around. Don t be a burden to society by expecting special treatment. The rest of us have to work — it’s time to join the club. You know it’s a bad idea, so why entertain it?^^ Don’t be stupid; there’s no need to^Bj worry about what every one else wants from you. Take it from me: It’s okay to be self-centered. You know as well as I do that getting hitched is not the answer to your troubles, and I dare say it’s the tip of the iceberg. Don’t do anything in haste that will cause more crises than improvements. Leave ’Em at the Altar, Paige in a Rage Hatton is % third-year women’s 1 studies student.