The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 01, 2004, Page 5, Image 5
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Wednesday September 1,2004 1U H 1 \J. J 1 U vTS^
THBfeAMECOCK
EDITORIAL BOARD
EDITOR
Adam Beam
DESIGN DIRECTOR
David Stagg
NEWS EDITOR
Michael LaForgia
THE MIX EDITOR
Meg Moore
COPY DESK CHIEF
Gabrielle Sinclair
VIEWPOINTS EDITOR
Wes Wolfe
SENIOR WRITER
Kevin Fellner
IN OUR OPINION
USC admissions
must aim higher
After back-to-back years of record-breaking freshman
class sizes, USC’s prospective class of 2008 has scaled
down. It’s still large, about 3,400 students, but is a couple
of hundred students less than last year’s total. USC
administrators plan to scale back further, setting the goal
for freshman enrollment at 3,300. At the same time,
administrators plan to increase the average SAT score and
average GPA of the freshman class. As a result, admis
tne patns or exceuence.
There is, of course, the issue of diversity. Some argue that
by increasing admission standards, USC would hurt minority
students because, on average, minorities don’t do as well on
the SAT or have as high GPAs. But we feel this is a slap in
the face of the minority community by presupposing that
they cannot do as well as other students on standardized
tests.
However, USC should not neglect its mission to educate
South Carolinians and work for the betterment of the state.
For this reason USC needs to keep its system of satellite
campuses so that those who can’t make it into the main cam
pus, be it black or white, can still get a quality education at a
USC institution.
USC should
increase
standards while
seeking to
maintain its
status as a
flagship
university.
IT’S YOUR RIGHT
Exercise your right to voice your opinion
Create message boards at
www.dailygamecock.com
or send letters to the editor to
gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu
GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS
In Monday’s News, the student advocacy initiative should have been
attributed to Student Government and should not have been referred to
as a bill.
In Friday’s Sports, the countdown to kickoff story should have been
credited to Stephen Fastenau.
In Monday’s Sports, in the countdown to kickoff story, the
Vanderbilt secondary should have received a Gamecock Grade of B+.
The Gamecock regrets the errors.
If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us at
gamecockopinions@gwm.5c.edu.
ABOUT THE GAMECOCK
EDITOR
Adam Beam
DESIGN DIRECTOR
David Stagg
COPY DESK CHIEF
Gabrielle Sinclair
NEWS EDITOR
Michael LaForgia
ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Jon Turner
VIEWPOINTS EDITOR
Wes Wolfe
THE MIX EDITOR
Meg Moore
SPORTS EDITOR
Jonathan Hillyard
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
Daniel Kerr
SENIOR WRITER
Kevin Fellner
PHOTO EDITOR
Jason Steelman
SPORTS PHOTO EDITOF
Katie Kirkland
PAGE DESIGNERS
Erin Cline, Staci
Jordan, Jennifer Loj
Chaz McCarthy,
Jessica Nielsen
COPY EDITORS
Jennifer Freeman,
Anna Huntley, Stevt
v/an Haren, Jennifei
Sitkowski Joey Wall;
ONLINE EDITOR
Brian Cope
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Katie Miles, Jane
Fielden
CONTACT INFORMATION
Offices on third floor of the Russell House.
The Editor in Chief’s office hours are Monday
and Wednesday from 3-5 p.m.
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News: gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu
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sions standards are going to
increase as well.
It’s safe to say that USC is at a
crossroads: Either go the way of an
elite university with high admissions
standards or go the way of a public,
flagship institution whose mission is
to provide education to the masses.
We feel USC should continue down
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1400 Greene St. Classified: 777-1184
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MIKE, A OSC'meHfOi SCHOOL GdAWfiTg ASS I SwrT
CARTOON BY MARY PINCKNEY WATERS/THE GAMECOCK
Tillman legacy part of dark past
■ Former S.C. senator
and governor reminds
us of the bad old days
“The action of President
Roosevelt in entertaining that n—
will necessitate our killing a
thousand n— in the South before
they will learn their place again.”
Shocking, isn’t it? Oh, I can
assure you those are not my words.
I should hope that the days of the
mainstream media printing such
garbage are behind us for good.
So whose words are they, you
might ask? Well, if you have had the
chance to learn much South
Carolina history, you might have
heard of him. His name is
“Pitchfork” Ben Tillman, and his
statue stands prominently in front of
the State House on Gervais Street.
At the time of the quotation
above, “Pitchfork” Ben was
representing South Carolina in the
U.S. Senate. What on earth would
have prompted such a response
from a U.S. Senator? Well, it seems
that then-President Theodore
Roosevelt had committed an
unpardonable sin: He had dined
with Booker T. Washington in the
White House on the evening of
October 16, 1901. He didn’t
appoint him to his cabinet or make
him an ambassador. No, despite his
talent, his color would not permit
that.
But according to “Pitchfork”
Ben, not only
should
Washington’s
color block his
ability to serve
his country’s
government, it
should block
his way into
JUSTIN r,hc President’s
SIMMONS l7™mas
FOURTH-YEAR It’s not that
cr'iVvJ-fA1' this attitude
SCIENCE
STUDENT surprises me.
It’s an attitude
that we find all
throughout the post-reconstruction
South. What really shocks me is that
a leader, a person with whom was
entrusted decision-making ability,
would not only express such hatred,
but also such intended violence
against some of the people that he
was charged with representing.
Some of you might think that I
am just taking one quote out of
context. I mean, we all make
mistakes, right?
Of course, 1 can see where you
might think that, especially if you
have visited Tillman’s life-size
statue on the State House grounds.
It lauds him as a “patriot” and
“statesman.” And it sums up his
populist attitude in a very flattering
way: “Loving them, he was the
friend and leader of the common
people. He taught them their
political power and made possible
for the education of their sons and
daughters.”
I can assure you that access to
these political empowerment
seminars was not granted to blacks,
especially if they were conducted on
the President’s dining room table.
And something tells me that
“Pitchfork” Ben Tillman is not on
the short list of people responsible
for the creation of institutions of
higher learning for African
Americans, and if he is, it was simply
to ensure that they know “then
place.”
Some might still ask if it could
be that I am just highlighting one
blip on the radar screen. As much
as I wish that were the case, it is
not. Here’s Tillman again
professing his love for some of the
“common people” he championed:
“We have done our level best. We
have scratched our heads to find
out how we could eliminate every
last one of them. We stuffed ballot
boxes. We shot them. We are not
ashamed of it.”
Oh, my mistake. That was
Tillman on African-Americans, not
the “common people” he loved so
dearly.
Until we can agree that men like
Tillman were not only governors
and senators, but racists as well, we
will be subject to the famous quote
about history: “Those who cannot
remember the past are condemned
to repeat it.”
IN YOUR OPINION
Iraqi citizens living
in terror after war
I have seldom seen so sickening
a case of Bush-worship as Ryan
Holt's Monday column,
"President's war-time legislation is
justified." 1 almost expected Mr.
Holt to be overcome with the
vapors just speaking of Mr. Bush's
Godliness, decency (at least to rich
supporters), and rugged outdoor
life. He probably eats a well
balanced diet, too. But leaving
aside for the moment the fart that
these are ridiculous reasons to
support a candidate, Mr. Holt
makes an egregiously wrong
statement in his column. He
writes, "while the naysayers
continue to lambaste the Bush
administration, more than 25
million people are living in
freedom."
1 assume he is referring to the
population of Iraq. They are not
living in freedom — they are living
in terror. Their homes and
businesses are destroyed by
American bombs and by fighting.
Thousands of them have died,
again at the hands of our army.
Their infrastructure is in tatters,
their economy is non-existent, and
they live in fear of being killed in
insurgent bombings or being taken
by the United States to another
Abu Ghraib, where they will be
held summarily without trial. But
hey — they may be starving and
missing half their family thanks to
Uncle Sam, but they can still start
an opposition newspaper.
Mr. Bush's Iraq war has cost
this nation over $150 billion and
973 American lives, to date. It has
helped recruit legions of terrorists,
destabilize oil prices, and, as Mr.
Holt points out, discovered a
dozen stale shells full of pre-first
Gulf War mustard gas. This was
not a good idea. It was idiotic,
arrogant, American pseudo
imperialism of the worst sort.
‘ ROGER KEANE
Third-year music student
Bush tax cuts have
advanced economy
I am writing in response to
Patrick Augustine’s opinion
piece, “Bush out of touch with
economy” in the Monday
edition. While Mr. Augustine is
correct in noting that a few
economic indicators are yielding
low numbers, he fails to grasp
the larger picture of the state of
our economy.
The economy is advancing at
a very positive rate under the
president. 'Unemployment is at
5.5 percent, the same rate it was
at when Bill Clinton ran for
reelection in 1996.
Unemployment is down in 49
states. The GDP growth is at 4.8
percent, the best in 20 years. Real
after-tax incomes have increased
10 percent, consumer confidence is
at a two year high, homeownership
is at an all time high of 69.2
percent, and minority
homeownership is at 51 percent, a
new record. Monday, the
Commerce Department released
personal spending numbers
showing an increase of 0.8 percent.
Considering that the stock
market began its decline 'into
recession during September of
2000, before Rush took office,
combined with the technology
bubble burst, corporate scandals,
and the terrorist attacks of
September 11th, the American
economy is doing incredibly well.
The tax cuts have stimulated the
economy.
While there is still work to be
done, George W. Bush has shown
that he is capable of managing the
economy and putting it on the fast
track to success.
BRAD LEAKE
First-year political science
student
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Education
can work
through
incentives
■ Fla. school board’s
decision runs counter
to sensible judgement
Viva Los Doughnuts!
Palm Beach, Fla. Krispy Kreme
franchises have developed a new
academic incentive for children: Kids
nin grades K-6
can receive one
free doughnut
for every A they
receive on their
report card,
limit six. It is a
simple reward
system that a
business offered
KRI^TPN to enconwge
GILMORE S,rhgJ
THIRD-YEAR study habits.
THEATRE The school
STUDENT , ,
board is,
naturally,
incensed.
inese days aDout zu percent ot
kids are overweight. In response, the
government has decided to mandate a
modification of what schoolchildren
eat by giving them healthier options at
lunch. Palm Beach County schools
have received a $1.4 million grant to
pioneer change — they have removed
French fries from their hot menu and
replaced fatty, starchy items with
meal-sized salads and fresh fruit. Soda
dispensers have been replaced with
vending machines containing bottled
water, shelf-safe milk and healthy
snack items.
They’ve done a great deal to
improve the quality of food they
provide to their students, and for that
I applaud them. But they stepped over
the line when they publicly whined
about Krispy Kreme’s offering free
doughnuts to children in light of their
nutritional overhaul.
In its ire, the school board has
made a number of ignorant-sounding,
ungrateful comments to the press and
to Krispy Kreme itself.
These children have been boxed
into a strict diet of indigestible plant
matter and watered-down dairy
products. Yet according to the school
board, six doughnuts will ruin every
effort to help them lose weight:
Candy rewards generate lifelong
positive associations with sweets, and
sweet equals fat.
They didn t ask Krispy Kreme to
offer free doughnuts, just like
customers don’t ask bank tellers to put
Saf-T-Pops in receipt envelopes when
they have lads in the car. Krispy
Kreme, Pizza Hut, Baskin-Robbins,
General Mills and every other business
offering scholarships, classroom
materials and even free food do so of
their own accord. And they do it to
keep their customers happy. It isn’t the
school’s problem or even business to
decide who can give what.
Because of our nation’s low-carb
diet fad, pastry shops and bakeries
have received a series of painful blows
to profits and general self-image.
Krispy Kreme in particular has taken a
hit; it was making good headway into
an enormous expansion program
when tragedy struck in the form of
“Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution.”
Now shunned for that same sweet,
yeasty scent that used to lure
customers in, franchises nationwide
are being forced into bankruptcy.
What then? 1 hope other business
owners in that area will take heed:
Don’t offer to support the schools.
Don’t contribute to the community —
They don’t want it.
It would bring me a sense of
closure to see that school district on
its knees, burned out from wrapping
paper fund-raisers, typing on Apple
lies because they had to sell their
iMacs to afford chalk, begging anyone
for some form of monetary
contribution. Maybe then they would
learn that only an idiot rejects
generosity. Maybe then they would
learn not to mess with my doughnuts.
WINNERS AND SINNERS
FOOTBALL USC takes the field against Vandy for
the first game of the 2004 season on Saturday.
S0N0C0 S.C .-based company makes AARP’s list
of best employers.
MOORE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Retains No. 1
spot with the best undergraduate international
business program.
TROPICAL STORM GASTON Heavy rains cause
flooding and deaths from South Carolina to Virginia.
PARKING SERVICES Is it too much to ask to have
one open spot behind the Coliseum at 9:30 a.m.?
WILLIAMSBURG, VA. Local registrar refuses to
allow William 8c Mary students to register to vote,
calling $orms “temporary addresses.” ,