Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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VIEWPOINTS __ L .-amecock! EDITORIAL BOARD t - Editor Sports Editor MICHAEL LaFORGIA JONATHAN HILLYARD News Editor Viewpoints Editor STEPHEN FASTENAU BRINDY McNAIR Asst. News Editor Copy Desk Chief JUSTIN CHAPURA STEVEN VAN HAREN The Mix Editor Design Director ALEXIS ARNONE CHAS MCCARTHY IN OUR OPINION | Early-season defeat does not a loser make While things didn’t go our way on the gridiron Saturday against Georgia, don’t give up on the Gamecocks yet. Carolina played the No.9 Bulldogs tough the entire contest, trailing by no more than a handful of points until the very end. The offense made a couple critical misstep, the defense allowed a key third-down conversion in the fourth quarter and that’s it. Georgia fans the world over were no doubt disappointed by the 2-point outcome. After all, they had spent the whole week drawing big fluores cent circles around their national ranking, practically salivating at the notion of hanging 50 points on a Spurrier team — just like the Gators did when Spurrier last met the Bulldogs in 1995. So take comfort in that their At lesst we kept it satisfaction was constricted, and close ’til the end only enjoyed after four tense this time around. quarters of play. And keep in mind that this USC team — minus a few notable thugs and felons — was the same group that looked so deflated in the second half of last year’s 20-16 loss to Georgia. At least we kept it close ‘til the end this time around. Most importandy, keep in mind that the ol’ ball coach wears a visor, not one of those pointy wizard hats. Fans expecting a team’s over-night turnaround in a conference such as the SEC are bound to be disappointed, especially after last year’s mediocre 6-5 showing. But the SEC’s toughness also spells opportunity for a Carolina team on the mend: When Spurrier’s newly installed offense hits its stride, the Gamecocks will have no shortage of perennial powerhouse opponents to put to shame. If we lose to Alabama next week, or to Tennessee, or — God forbid — to Florida, then you can start to hang your heads. Until that happens, give our new coach a chance to work a little magic. 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 CORRECTIONS If you see an error in todays paper, we want to know. E-mail us at gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK Editor MICHAEL LaFORGIA contact information ~. Offices on thirdfloor of the Russell House. CHi^S MCCARTHY T'AeEditor's office hours are Monday and Wednesday from 1-3 p.m. Copy Desk Chief Editor: gamecockeditor@gwm.sc.edu Si EVEN VAN HAREN News:gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu News Editor Viewpoints: gamecockopinions@gwm.sc. edu STEPHEN FASTENAU The Mix: gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu Sports: gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu Asst. News Editor Public Affairs: gamecockPR@yahoo. com JUSTIN CHAPURA Online: www.dailygamecock.com Viewpoints Editor Newsroom: 777-7726; Sports: 777-7182 6RINDY McNAIR Editor's Office: 777-3914 ALEXIS ARNONE STUDENT MEDIA THE GAMECOCK is the Sports Editor Director editorially independent JONATHAN HILLYARD SCOTT LINDENBERG student newspaper of the Ass,. Sports Edssor Fatal* Adviser University of South ALEX RILEY ERIK COLLINS Carolina. It ,spublished Photo Editor _ . Monday, Wednesday and NICKESARES SUSAN KING Friday during the fall and Sports Photo Editor ‘P™* ,eme,,ers and nine KATIE KIRKLAND Business Manager times during the summer, Page Designers CAROLYN GRIFFIN with the exception of MIKE CONWAY, JESSICA Advertising Manager university holidays and ANN NIELSEN, MEGAN SARAH exam periods. Opinions SINCLAIR SCARBOROUGH expressed in THE Graphic Designer Classified Manager G.VM E (. OG K are those of the LAURA-JOYCE GOUGH SHERRY F. HOLMES editors or author and not Copy Editors Advertisinv Staff those of the University of CHELSEA HADAWAY, APRYL ALEXANDER South Carolina. The Board KRISTY LAUBE, KATIE CUPPIA of Student Publications and mtTwhT|t?MPS0N' BREANNA EVANS, Communications is the 1 MARY RACHEL publisher o/THE £uurn.ic FREEMAN, RYAN GAMECOCK. The RYAN SIMMONS GORMAN, DEIDRE Department of Smdent Creative Service, MERRICK, MCKENZIE Media is the newspaper’s JOSEPH DANNELLY, WELSH . ,p p LAURA-JOYCE GOUGH, ^ MARGARET LAW, GAMECOCK is supported in MEGHAN WHITMAN part by student-activity fee,. ---- One free copy per reader. TO PLACE AN AD Additional copies may be The Gamecock Adverting: 777-3888 purchased for $ l each from 1400 Greene St. Classified: 777-1184 the Department of Student Columbia, S.C. 29208 Fax:777-6482 Media. . A . ■ J ', < Bottled water: treating thirst, testing trends ‘Marketing miracle’ quenches dry mouth, filters out uncool folks I’m really not that uncool. It’s not like I have a mullet, wear cutoff shorts or attend the annual Star Wars Action Figure convention. Still, I freely admit that I am somewhat less cool than most people. I’ve come to accept that reality after several significant events in my life. For example, I remember my fifth-grade class going to Williamsburg, Va., on a field trip. Half of us rode in a big white van, and the driver had turned on the radio to a cool station. My parents were (and still are) die-hard Oldies 103.1 listeners, so I didn’t know any of the songs on the cool stations. Sometime on the way to Virginia, a certain song started playing. Every single kid on that bus began to sing along — every kid, of course, except me. I caught certain phrases, something about “stop, collaborate and listen,” “rollin’ in my 5.0” and “word to your mother.” I quickly learned that in fifth grade, nothing said “uncool” more than not knowing who Vanilla Ice was. (By the way, I bet that although some of you reading this column were only in kindergarten then, even you know the words to “Ice, Ice nBaby”). So it came as no surprise when I recently discovered SHHU1II another cool CRLLIHRn trend passing Graduate me UP: bottled student in water. 111 admit geography up front that I have never in my life purchased bottled water. By deduction, you’ve probably already figured out that if I don’t drink bottled water, then I must drink tap water. Two conversations with two different friends in the past week opened my eyes to the urtcoolness of tap water. One friend said she filters all tap water, while the other drinks bottled water only. In my naivete, I asked why. Their reasons included better taste and health concerns. Now, I never dreamed of questioning the coolness of Vanilla Ice. Some things are indisputable. But bottled water? OK, better tasting I understand. I can think of lots of things I consume regularly for no other reason than I like how it tastes. Personally, I taste nothing when I drink bottled water or tap water, but maybe I have dysfunctional taste buds. Is bottled water healthier? One group, the Natural Resources Defense Council, tested more than 1,000 bottles of various brands of bottled water for contamination levels higher than current federal standards (tested substances included bacteria, arsenic and synthetic organic compounds). About one-third of the bottles failed the test. In general, bottled water actually receives less rigorous testing than uncool tap water. While the EPA ensures tap water is tested frequently for Cryptosporidium, giardia, E. coli, fecal coliforms and viruses, bottled water is not tested for these organisms. Plus, tap water generally has fluoride added, which strengthens teeth. None of this means bottled water is unsafe, but tap water (at least in this country) is at least as safe, if not more so. Bottled water drinkers spend anywhere between 240 to 10,000 times more money on water than tap water drinkers. Nevertheless, sales of bottled water have tripled in the past 10 years, according to the study. Truly, bottled water represents a marketing miracle. Unfortunately, all my research amounts to a hill of beans because, for whatever reason, bottled water is cool and I am uncool. I guess some things just don’t change. Ice, ice baby. IN YOUR OPINION USC upperclassmen deserve parking first In his letter “Freshmen shouldn’t be denied parking” (Friday), Travis' Hays takes issue with the arguments in Steven Van Haren’s column “You freshmen need parking like campus needs orange” (Wednesday). Although Mr. Van Haren did not articulate his arguments well, he does make some good points. You might not realize this, Mr. Hays, but a large percentage of colleges and universities do not allow freshmen to have vehicles on campus. The main reason is because of parking shortages and the need to accommodate commuter students. This works on the seniority system. Some universities don’t even allow sophomores to have cars. It might not be fair to people in their freshman year, but the seniority system is the easiest and fairest way to decide who gets parking and who doesn’t. The second reason is that if freshmen don’t have vehicles, they are more likely to stay on campus and study (there is a dirty word for you). This results in higher GPAs and fewer freshmen flunking out of college their first year. I do not advocate the exclusion of freshmen from having cars on campus; I don’t think the situation has gotten that bad — yet. But I do think parking should be allotted first to seniors, then juniors and sophomores, with a reasonable number of spaces reserved for commuter students. What is left after that should be left for freshmen. BRANDON 0. EUBANKS Third-year physics student Freshman experience better without cars I would like to thank Mr. Van Haren for finally making public what I have believed to be USC’s answer to parking since my first year here (“You freshmen need parking like campus needs orange,” Wednesday). Let it be known that I am a survivor. During my freshman year at N.C. State, I was denied, along with all the other freshmen, campus parking. This allowed me to greatly expand my horizons. I broke away from my parents’ rule and became a more mature and independent adult. I met and became friends with people I never would have otherwise. I joined a sorority, got plugged in at Campus Crusade and became (gasp!) involved. Sure, I once ate Easy Mac for one straight week. I might have slept overnight huddled in the library alongside the bums a few times to make my 8 a.m. class. And I was also a part of a campus-wide riot after a triumphant victory against Duke that had to be dispelled with a police blockade. But one thing my freshman year was not is lame, which is what it would have been if I would have had a car and had driven home to mommy twice a month. Freshmen, you need to experience college life in all its glory! And, while you get busy doing that without a car, I can finally go park mine. HOLLY ALDEMAN Fourth-year biology student 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. 1 www.dailygamecock.com BA building name game baffles, irks student body Whatever you call it, administrative prattle makes life confusing First, I want to take up a little space in the paper and say thank you to the university’s administration on behalf of the students. Allowing students ■« ftt.Z BEBTZ Katrina to Third-year attend USC is international truJ a(]mirable studies-mustc . student and Proves y°u care about education. Thanlr vnn for pyrpndinfr South Carolina’s helping hand to these victims, and thank you for representing students in such a venerable way. Now, on to less important issues: There is obviously an imbalance at USC when it comes to the donor-to building ratio. Why else would the BA have 5,000 names? Someone in the administration has a wonderful sense of humor, and because I can’t figure out who exactly it is, I’m going to call this person “Clever.” Clever, who gave the building all those names, must have operated a massive cover-up so donors would not find out they were in fact sharing the naming rights for the building. Clever had to tell Ms. Darla Moore that it was her building and no one else’s. Clever had to cover up all the Hipp signs when Willy Close’s family came to tour his building. In turn, Clever had to cover up Willy’s portraits when Frank’s family came to the Hipp building. So, for the record, let’s review all the names Clever has given to this lovely building, shall we? The building is called BA, H. William Close, Francis C. Hipp, Darla Moore School of Business, Business Administration and Flag building. Clever has also made the process of finding the building take all day. You ask upperclassmen, and they, having been through the situation a few years ago, laugh at you and say good luck. Then you go to one of the handy-dandy maps on campus to locate the building. Unfortunately, the font is too small to read, and the directory only lists one of the building’s six names. So, with no other course of action, you wander aimlessly around Columbia. You journey until you see all the flags and suddenly you think you’ve walked all the way to the UN in New York. Maybe they can help. Surely, someone in the UN will know where one can find the Close/Hipp/Moore/ Business Administration building. You walk inside and see all the different names on the walls and say to yourself, “Oh, this isn’t the UN. It’s the Close/Hipp/Moore/Business Administration building.” I guess in a way it makes me glad that I don’t have enough money to donate to the university so I don’t have to worry about sharing a building. I can rest assured that I will never be the backside of Gambrell. Perhaps we should call Gambrell Hall the Andrew building too.