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ONLINE POLL Are you worried that Social Security p o might not be there when you retire? Let rage o us know at www.dailygamecock.com. Wednesday, March 2, 2005 Results posted Friday. TH] AMECOCK FDTTORTAT. RftARD • EDITOR Michael LaFo^rgia NEWS EDITOR Jon Turner VIEWPOINTS EDITOR Wes Wolfe * THE MIX EDITOR Jennifer Freeman ASST. VIEWPOINTS EDITOR Patrick Augustine SPORTS EDITOR Jonathan Hillyard DESIGN DIRECTOR Chas McCarthy COPY DESK CHIEF Steven Van Haren IN OUR OPINION USC should develop enforceable honor code Despite USC’s attempt to raise its profile as a leading public university, our school still lacks a unified response to academic dishonesty. Honor codes have long been the hallmark of schools like the University of Virginia and West Point, and so it makes sense for Dennis Pruitt, the vice president for Student Affairs, to push for USC to adopt a replacement for the Carolinian Creed. A change this significant would require the approval of the The Carolinian Creed presents no deterrent to students bent on violating university policy. Board of Trustees, the Faculty Senate, and Student Government, which in itself is a significant hurdle to clear. However, with enough backing from each group, the passage of an enforceable code of conduct for students is possible. However, unlike the existing creed, which is largely symbolic and lacks any kind or punitive sanctions for violators, any new code must clearly define the offenses it seeks to prohibit and set up clear penalties for each one. Although the Carolinian Creed is promoted on a yearly basis at USC, few students have any idea about its contents, and even fewer about its purpose. Simply updating the creed would not sufficiently address these concerns, as the existing system lacks even a consistent, university-wide definition for plagiarism. With an existing, student-run system for dealing with student violations, the job of the Carolina Student Judicial Council could simply be expanded to handle violations of the new code. Pruitt has stat ed publicly that part of any new system would include the ability to address off-campus infractions such as the use of fake IDs by underage students, which is a proactive step by USC to address its impacts on the greater Columbia community. The Carolinian Creed presents no deterrent to students bent on violating USC rules other than a weight on their con science. Instead of installing an “honor” code, USC should simply create an enforceable code that makes students think twice before committing an academic offense. 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 A photograph of USC basketball player Josh Gonner was titled with an incorrect score in Monday’s edition. The title should have read Florida 66, Carolina 65. The Gamecock regrets the error. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK EDITOR Michael LaForgia • DESIGN DIRECTOR Chas McCarthy COPY DESK CHIEF Steven Van Haren NEWS EDITOR Jon Turner ASST. NEWS EDITOR Kelly Cavanaugh VIEWPOINTS EDITOR Wes Wolfe THE MIX EDITOR Jennifer Freeman ASST. THE MIX EDITOR Carrie Givens SPORTS EDITOR Jonathan Hillyard ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Stephen Fastenau SENIOR WRITER Kevin Fellner PHOTO EDITOR Jason Steelman SPORTS PHOTO EDITOR Katie Kirkland PAGE DESIGNERS Jillian Garis, Staci Jordan, Jessica Ann Nielsen, Megan Sinclair COPY EDITORS Jessica Foster, Brindy McNair, Daniel Regenscheit, Jason Reynolds, Katie Thompson, Shana Till ONLINE EDITOR Ryan Simmons PUBLIC AFFAIRS Jane Fielden, Katie Miles CONTACT INFORMATION Offices on third floor of the Russell House. The Editor’s office hours are Monday and Wednesday from 1 to 3 p.m. Editor: gamecockeditor@gwm.sc.edu News: gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu Viewpoints: gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu The Mix: gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu Sports: gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu Public Affairs: gamecockPR@yahoo.com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Newsroom: 777-7726; Sports: 777-7182 Editor’s Office: 777-3914 STUDENT MEDIA DIRECTOR Scott Linden berg FACULTY ADVISER Erik Collins CREATIVE DIRECTOR Susan King BUSINESS MANAGER Carolyn Griffin ADVERTISING MANAGER Sarah Scarborough CLASSIFIED MANAGER Sherry F. Holmes PRODUCTION MANAGER Garen Cansler CREATIVE SERVICES Burke Lauderdale, Chelsea Felder, Laura Gough, Joseph Dannelly ADVERTISING STAFF Robert Carli, Breanna Evans, Ryan Gorman, Caroline Love, Katie Stephens, McKenzie Welsh The Gamecock is the editorially independent student newspaper of the University of South Carolina. 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S.C. 29208 Fax: 777-6482 '.! • I CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Justices take step in right direction ■ The Supreme Court merits praise for nixing teen death sentences I was ecstatic yesterday when I heard the news that the U.S. Supreme Court had finally placed a ban on the death penalty for those younger than 18 at the time of their crimes. Instandy, I thought of Damien Echols, who’s been sitting on death row in Arkansas since 1994 for a crime that many people think he didn’t commit. As one of those people, I was thrilled at the possi bility that Damien could be freed from the death penalty since he was still a teen at the time of his conviction. Damien’s case has been the subject of two HBO documentaries and numerous true crime novels, but here’s some back ground information for those unfamiliar with it: Three 8-year old boys were found mu tilated in West Memphis, After weeks with no arrests or leads on the case, po lice followed up on rumors that a local teen who dressed in black and listened to heavy metal music killed the boys as pan of a Satanic ritual. Rather than question Damien himself, police intenogated Jessie Misskelley Jr., a mentally handicapped teen who had an IQ of 72, for 12 hours without parental permission. During the course of the ques tioning, Misskelley implicated Damien, his friend Jason Baldwin and himself in the murders. Jessie recanted his confes sion, which was later determined to have been coerced in the opinion of an expert on that subject, but by that time it was too late. All three were swiftly convicted. • Jessie and Jason got life in prison. Damien received the death penal AARON * |/||-vpa 1 here was no solid physical ev THIRD-YEAR idence, murder PRINT JOURNALISM weapon or mo STUDENT tive. The only thing that prose cutors had going for them was Damien’s black hair and Metallica t-shirts and the occult-themed novels he read to prove that he was part of a satanic cult. Today, the three teens, known as the West Memphis Three, are waiting for DNA evidence that will hopefully exon erate them. Sadly, Damien was already 18 when he was convicted, so yesterday’s Supreme Court decision doesn’t apply to him. My hopes that he could at least be freed from the fear of being put to death for a crime 1 don’t think he had anything to do with were short lived. However, the Supreme Court’s deci sion is still a triumph for civilized society. The United States was one of only a few countries that permitted the executions of minors. Among those other countries are Iran, Pakistan, China and Saudi Arabia. About 70 juveniles convicted of mur der have had their death sentences thrown out thanks to the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justices Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia and Sandra Day O’Connor chose to uphold the executions. Justices Anthony Kennedy, John Paul Stevens, David H. Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer were those who voted to ban the death penalty for minors. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote: “The age of 18 is the point where society draws the line for many purposes between child hood and adulthood. It is, we conclude, the age at which the line for death eligi bility ought to rest.” According to the court’s decision, the executions violated the eighth amend ment, which bans cruel and unusual pun ishment. The case ruled in yesterday’s decision concerned a man named Christopher Simmons who received the death penalty at 17 for kidnapping a neighbor, hog-tying her and dumping her body off a bridge. Prosecutors said Simmons bragged about the killing to his friends and claimed that he would get away with it because he was a minor. Nineteen states, including South Carolina, allowed executions for people under the age of 18 prior to yesterday’s ruling. Thankfully, we no longer live in a state where underage, undeveloped mi nors are can be made to pay the ultimate price for their mistakes. Now, when will we get around to ban ning the barbaric practice of executions all together? IN YOUR OPINION Food Not Bombs invites volunteers I was so encouraged by your article about the homeless (“Students raising awareness for homeless,”) Tuesday and was reminded that college students are concerned about their situation and are anxious to volunteer. Many of them volunteer at the shelters and in other ways. 1 want to make people aware of one more volunteer opportunity. Every Sunday at 1 p.m. volunteers gather at Finlay Park, up above the fountain at the Laurel Street entrance, to feed the homeless. This effort, called Food Not Bombs, was started by two USC students and has been taking place every Sunday for more than two years. Food Not Bombs is based on the idea that America has an abundance of food — much of which we waste — and that this excess could be used for those who go hungry. There is more than enough food for everyone. Grocery stores and sometimes restaurants donate good food scheduled for disposal, which some of the volunteers'cook. Other volunteers bring their own dishes to share. We can always use more help feeding the 200 homeless who come every Sunday. We invite you to join us. JUDITH D. TURNIPSEED Columbia, S.C. Gay marriage denies kids good families The United States provides equal protection and equal rights to all of its citizens. In response to the recent column, (“All people ought to have right to marry,” Monday) I would just like to say that all people do have the right to marry, as long as it is to one person of the opposite sex. The column claims that religious groups and conservatives are responsible for not letting gays wed, but it was President Clinton who signed the “Defense of Marriage Act” into law in 1996. This law defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman. That definition protects families Jld the institution of marriage from being abused by, say, letting a man marry three women at once, letting a person marry their favorite pet canary or letting someone marry a person of their same sex. Today marriage is not taken as seriously as it should be; that is why almost 50 percent of marriages end in divorce. There are too many single parents out there today raising children in poverty. Children raised in a two-parent household are more likely to get a good education and escape the threats of poverty. Society needs to respect and protect this institution, which brings a man and a woman together to produce a family and to provide those children with a productive upbringing. The current definition of marriage needs to stay where it is: One man and one woman. We need to concentrate more on the support of family values and creating a productive environment for raising children, and worry less about allowing bearded brides. GREG FOSTER Fourth-year business student WWW. daily game cock .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@gwm.sc.edu. Letters will be edited. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newsroom at 777 7726 for more information. Don’t voice stereotypes, or I’ll eat your cats ■ Often-heard remarks range from annoying and silly to offensive After many an awkward conversation, I’ve arrived at the conclusion that the Asian must be an elusive and rare species to elicit the awkward comments that we encounter. I’m generally not offended; I understand that there is a certain degree of mystery involved when encountering other cultures. What do “they” CURTIS eat? What kind of CHOW things do “they” like to do, and do FOURTH-YEAR •, , ECONOMICS sald thmgs STUDENT involve sacrifices? Are “they” a carbon- or silicon-based life form? However, this isn’t to say that there aren’t some continents that are just plain dumb. Today, I’m sharing with you a list that has been long in the making: “Things Not to Say to an Asian.” I hope this list comes in handy for encouraging interaction with and answering common questions about Asians. “Are you Chinese or Japanese?” Occasionally the more cultured of our would-be diplomats will add “Korean” to this exhaustive selection. I’m afraid the Laotians are out of luck — you have to pick one. I suppose “Japanese” is close enough. Would you walk up to a black person and ask, “Are you Nigerian or Tanzanian?” Since when has it been appropriate to assume that people sharing similar phenotypes are of the same cultural and ethnic backgrounds? “Where are you from, really?” This one always comes up after I have answered the incredulous idiot’s previous question of, “Where are you from?” Occasionally, they’ll even specify what they really mean: “Where are you from, really? Are you Chinese or Japanese?” I promise I’m not trying to pull a fast one on you — I’m really from Columbia. Why is that not OK or believable? “Do you know kung fu?” Sometimes I wonder what people envision when they think of Asian countries. I’d imagine their —.--—---- “ lot of flying aerial combat. I know I wake up every morning to the gentle trill of a bamboo flute, eat a breakfast of seaweed and Crunch berries and fly out the window looking for evil foes to vanquish. Occasionally my trusty Caucasian colleague, Justin Amburgey, will make an exclusively “white” comment ensuring subsequent multi-cultural hilarity. (Before I get hate mail from those of you who are too dense to get it, let me explain that I’m making fun of movies like “Rush Hour” that exploit and proliferate minority stereotypes, not “white” people). “Do your people really eat cats?” Hmm — do your people really eat pickled pigs’ feet? The bottom line is, in every culture, you’re bound to have some people who eat things that seem odd by other cultural standards. It’s a contemptible and pretentious question, as the underlying attitude is “I can’t believe real people would eat that stuff!” Wow, way to dehumanize other cultures. “Are you two twins?” This one wouldn’t be so bad, except the question is sometimes referencing another Asian in the room with whom I am not even acquainted let alone related. “Say something in 'insert appropriate language*.” This one is annoying because it will invariably result in me responding with “What do you want me to say?” To which you will invariably respond, “Oh, just say anything." So now it’s up to me to perform my magic trick of talking funny talk so that you can clap your hands and laugh. If you want me to say something, then ask me to say it, but I refuse to just make funny noises for you to gawk at. OK, I’m out of space for this week; but trust me when I say that this list runs on for a while yet. I [winners and sinners COLUMBIA CITY COUNCIL Sets in motion plans j ■W * for a publicly funded $150,000 wireless Internet | network for downtown. LEBANON Government resigns, creating the opportunity for a government free of foreign influence. ‘MILLION DOLLAR BABY’ Clint Eastwood film rakes four major awards at the-77th Academy Awards. ■f f- ' STROM THURMOND Used his close relationship with the FBI to look at FBI files of his political enemies. DEMETRIS SUMMERS Dismissed from the football team for violating athletics department policy. ERNST ZUNDEL White supremacist deported from Canada to Germany to face charges of denying the Holocaust and inciting hatred through the Internet.