The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, June 09, 2004, Page 6, Image 6
6THE GAMECOCK Wednesday, June 9, 2004
VIEWPOINTS
IN OUR OPINION
Reagan mourned
Former President Ronald Reagan was considered by
many to be the most popular president since John F.
Kennedy. The nation acknowledged this fact with
nearly 52,000 people paying their respects at Monday’s
casket viewing and also with the declaration of Friday
. as a National Day of Mourning for the former president.
USC acknowledged Reagan when he received an
honorary doctor of laws degree Sept. 20,1983. Around
9,000 people turned out on the Horseshoe for the event.
Reagan’s passing brings accolades for his service to
the nation, even transcending the election year’s
partisan lines. Former President Jimmy Carter
commended Reagan for being very worthy of the
nickname “The Great Communicator.”
On the local level, Attorney General Henry
McMaster feels that Reagan “made us all better
Americans.” Gov. Mark Sanford stated that Reagan
shaped and will continue to shape generations of
American leaders.
The Gipper may be gone, but he is not forgotten.
Gamecock.Corrections
In Wednesday’s News, Chuck Sanders should have been identi
fied as the vice president and chief operating officer at South
Carolina’s Student Loan Corporation.
In Wednesday’s Mix, Alison Martlew’s name was misspelled.
The Gamecock regrets the errors.
If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail
gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu.
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XlL MiSS SeoRSe.
He WAS A SUP0RB
FALX-0UY...OH, IJA6AH
CIA DIRECTOR.
ESpec/ALLY siNce He
FFNAU.Y LEARMeD HOW
To cornecr THe DcTS.
CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS
Choose your level of interest
PAIGE HAGGARD
GAMECOCKOPINIONS@GWM.SC.EDU
as an instructor oi tsngnsn tut
and 102 at USC, I naturally get a
lot of students who aren’t exactly
excited by taking yet another
English course. Some of those
students believe there isn’t any
thing new to learn about English;
others think that I, personally,
as a teacher, have nothing to
teach them. The most quotable of
those students, posted at
TeacherReview.com, says, “Not
only is she ugly, but she’s also a
bitch.”
Granted, ranting about that sort
of student might be cathartic for
me, but it wouldn’t be productive
overall. Why? In a twisted sense,
these malcontents are content —
they enjoy being grouches.
Or I could spend this column
talking about a second group I’ve
encountered. I’ll dub them “slid
ers” since they’ve modified the
“Fight Club” motto: Instead of,
“To let that which truly doesn't
matter slide,” they believe, ‘To let
that which doesn't interest them
slide.” When asked a question,
they like to rely on, “I don’t
know.” When given a chance to
select an essay topic, they choose
something “easy” rather than in
teresting. Consequently, they find
it hard to muster the energy to
work on the topic.
l ve pretty mucn oecome z,en
about them. I figure it’s their
right as Americans to waste their
time and tuition on being bored.
There is a third group, those
that rise to the top. I guess that
makes them the “cream.” They
take up my challenges in class,
not just to write better but also
to have fun with the class—life’s
too short to be bored or to be av
erage. This doesn’t mean they all
write masterpieces, nor do their
sides hurt from laughing.
However, they do try to write
their best, and they can find
things that intrigue them. Upon
reflection, I think I’ve had more
cream than sliders or grouches.
Quite frankly, I don’t think
these groups are just for English
classes; they hold true for all
classes. Since I am an English
teacher. I’ll remind you of two fa
mous quotes that are quite apro
pos. Hamlet affirms, “There is
nothing either good or bad, but
thinking makes it so,” and in
“Paradise Lost,” Satan eloquent
ly echoes those thoughts: “The
mind is its own place, and in it
self can make a Heaven of Hell, a
Hell of Heaven.”
Grouch, slider or cream—the
choice is yours.
Haggard is a third-year MFA
student.
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