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«_VIEWPOINTS AMECOCK ' EDITORIAL BOARD Editor Sports Editor MICHAEL LaFORGIA JONATHAN HILLYARD News Editor Viewpoints Editor STEPHEN FASTENAU BRINOY McNAIR Asst. News Editor Copy Desk Chief JUSTIN CHAPURA STEVEN VAN HAREN The Mix Editor Design Director ALEXIS ARNONE CHAS MCCARTHY IN OUR OPINION Disaster-heavy times shouldn’t deter giving Americans can’t let the recent glut of disaster and suffering at home and abroad outstrip their desire to help out. Federal officials fear that donor fatigue might set in following such widespread suffering. With the country seemingly beset by hardship at every turn, it’s critically important that everyone contributes to relief efforts somehow. This goes for USC students,'especially. The need is tremendous. The Gulf coast is still reeling from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. California wildfires recently raged out of control, threaten ing hundreds of homes. Floodwaters have risen in the northeast, causing more damage there. Hurricane Wilma is gaining steam off the coast of Jamaica, and storm-trackers say it might hit the Florida coast. Internationally, freezing weatn Doll t let the glut Of er js creeping up on earthquake recent disasters ravage(j Pakistan, where thou outstrip your desire . . to help out. , , . 1 even have tents to keep out the cold. First, kudos to those 105 students who traded in their fall breaks to help recovery efforts in Biloxi, Miss. We hope it’s the first of many service trips USC students make in the coming months. But what else can students do? You can give blood — and not just when the big multicol ored trailer pulls up for the Carolina/Clemson blood drive. You can donate canned or nonperishable food, as food banks nationwide have been hit hard while accommodating the needs on the Gulf. On Oct. 29, students can volunteer to work during the Heroes Halloween 5k Run and Walk, which will benefit the American Red Cross of Central South Carolina. Or you can find your own way to help out, it doesn’t matter: Just don’t from the comfort of your dorm room turn a blind eye to the extraordinary amount of suffering still going on. 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 MICHAEL LaFORGIA CONTACT INFORMATION Offices on thirdfloor of the Russell House. cSjg MqQAP'THY ^ Editor’s office hours are Monday and Wednesday from 1-3 p.m. Copy Desk Chief Editor: gamecockeditor@gwm.sc.edu STEVEN 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.se. edu Asst. News Editor Public Affairs: gamecockPR@yahoo.com JUSTIN CHAPURA Online: www.dailygamecock.com Viewpoints Editor ' Newsroom: 777-7726: Sports: 777-7182 BRINDY McNAIR Editor’, Office: 777-3914_ ALEXIS ARNONE STUDENT MEDIA THE GAMECOCK is the Sport, Edttor Director editorially independent JONATHAN HILLYARD SCOTT LINDENBERG } student newspaper of the A,„. Sport,Editor Faculty Adviser University of South ALEX RILEY ERIK COLLINS Carolina. It is published pl pj Monday, Wednesday and NICK ESARES SUSAN WNlT’' 1 Friday durtng the fall and . SUSAN AINU | spring semesters and nine Sports Photo Editor r. . . . |(ATIE KIRKLAND Business Manager times during the summer, CAROLYN GRIFFIN with the exception of Page Designers . . , . MIKE CONWAY, JESSICA Advertising Manager j university holidays and ANN NIELSEN, MEGAN SARAH exam periods. Opinions SINCLAIR SCARBOROUGH expressed in THE Graphic Designer Classified Manager uAMELULK are those of the LAURA-JOYCE GOUGH SHERRY F. 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C. 29208 Fax: 777-6482 Cartoon courtesy of KRT Campus -.---===___ - I Support NASA, you unambitious Earthlings This columnist’s sick of conspiracy theorists, space travel detractors We should go back to the moon. Screw earthbound whiners. With its recently announced goal of getting back to the moon by 2015, NASA is looking ahead, despite death and failure, despite insipid, unimaginative idiots screaming “Who cares about the moon? We have too many problems here on earth! Boo frickin’ hoo!” My God. Going to the moon is the single greatest human accomplishment ever. It’s better than pet rocks and sea monkeys and the Pocket Fisherman. It’s in our nature to explore the unknown, learn about the universe and shoot really smart people into the stratosphere. The moon and all its delicious cheese are rightfully America’s. Even the reeking French will get on board with us when they realize we have a monopoly on the stinky cosmo-cheese market. Despite our country being the only one with a stock-still flag jammed into the lunar surface, we could fall behind in the new space race. The Chinese are scratching the surface, with two of their guys returning Sunday from five days in space. But that’s not what worries me. In the name of science, we all win anyway. (Geeks unite.) It’s the aforementioned n whiners that make me sweat — and the conspiracy theorists who say we never blCUCII went to the uRnHRRen °"a rox I V special a Fourth-year fgw back mechanical . J . engineering t“at has been student consistently debunked by really, really smart people. Oy ve. People are so desperate to believe something unbelievable. You want unbelievable? How about three guys flying . up to another heavenly body in a ship that future generations will probably smirk at as a rickety pile of crap? I smell trouble. Hippies. And not enough moon cheese. Yes, we all care about what’s going on down here. Sometimes it’s a real mess. But space is the future. Don’t laugh at me, but our great-great great-grandchildren will be living out there after earth has turned into a toxic prison for only the vilest “Real World” cast members. We’ll have our share of problems, no doubt. You think Katrina was bad? Try living on Jupiter. They’ve had a hurricane there for 70 gajillion years. It’s in our nature to mess up. As an engineer, I cannot fathom how NASA didn’t convert metric and English units while building one of its. Mars probes, causing a multi million-dollar explosion. I could rant for hours about how the English unit system is a smutty disease, worthy of only the foulest streetwalker, but I digress. (Geeks unite again.) Two shuttle crews and one trio of Apollo astronauts have died because of NASA’s screw ups. When we begin this next push into the unknown, many more people will die. Just set your watch on it, ya big babies. But I promise that if we cut NASA’s budget to the point of crippling it, the ghosts of those crewmembers would kick all the asses of the visionless cowards who see space as a ho hum, boring, black hole of nothingness. Exploration requires sacrifice. Droves of ultra-cool super-nerds check and re check and re-double-check every part of those shuttles, but problems arise. Hindsight is 20/20 when looking at the same problem, but blurred vision persists elsewhere — the strength and sickness of human nature. After Challenger, O-rings were the hot-button issue, not seemingly insignificant pieces of foam. As usual, I’ve delivered a porous argument — heavy on ethnic slurs, light on substance. But in the name of discovery and our own human nature, it would be an utter shame to shaft NASA. IN YOUR OPINION Dargan should think about how blacks feel As a rebuttal to the letter “Blacks straddle fence with Facebook views” (Oct. 12), I found some aspects within it very disturbing, which triggered me to write this letter. Well, I will not stress the word “rebuttal.” If I may contradict myself, I do agree with two things Mr. Dargan mentions in his article. I agree with his statement “I also know that not all blacks dress alike ...” which is very true. Also, dressing differently is what makes the American society so great and diverse, and that’s why it is an honor and a privilege to be an American. Let me begin at the first thing that grasps my attention. Mr. Dargan makes the statement “... or a NASCAR jacket without ever attending.” Now, I will not say I have ever attended a NASCAR race because I haven’t, but who’s to say that a person who wears a NASCAR jacket has never attended a race? Or, does not attending a race make me or anyone else unworthy of wearing a NASCAR jacket? Besides, it is noted as a fashion trend, and why can’t individuals be fashionable? Unlike Mr. Dargan’s comment of saying blacks are showing criticism toward those who point out “we” dress distinctively, I personally do not show criticism toward those who think “we” have a certain look. However, 1 do show concern toward the overall situation. What concerns me about this matter most is that it was on a public Web site. Being a part of a minority race that has been inferior and discriminated against many years by a dominating race, an issue like this would only naturally bring about some questions, concerns and pent-up emotions. In conclusion, I want to make it clear that the intent of this letter is not to create any more controversy than has already erupted or to criticize Mr. Dargan. In fact, I compliment him for bringing his views on the matter to the public. Personally, it lets me know how an individual from another race feels about the subject. My only request is that Mr. Dargan place himself into the position of African Americans. How exactly would he feel if he was on “our side of the fence?” Would you, Mr. Dargan, share “our” views, or would you just act as if it never happened? DEMOND ELLIOT Second-year psychology 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. Check out the full version of Professor John Herr's column and his reworked version of USC's alma mater on dailygamecock.com. www. dailygamecock. com End dreaded chicken curse by jazzing up alma mater School song’s melody needs more pep to aid USC athletic program When on occasion I travel 0 outside of South Carolina and contact people I know on a n professional basis, inevitably someone will say, “South Carolinians are, more than other folb, Hblln uH. bound by Professor tradition.” To my Protests’ their retort is that this bondage is especially noticeable in our major universities. How not true! ^ Change is the hallmark of" these institutions. Take note. The University of South Carolina used to be South Carolina College. In the early part of the 20th century, USC athletic teams were called the Carolina Jaguars, later changed to the Game Cocks and still later to the Gamecocks. From 1971 through 1973, a student wore a rooster costume he himself made and walked around the field during football eames. When my daughter was an undergraduate, she announced ^ she was going to try out for the role of “Big Spur.” During that year, “Cocky” was introduced at halftime toward the close of the season. Fans immediately expressed a dislike of Cocky. Cocky’s identity was never revealed, but very soon he was overwhelmingly accepted by USC fans, and, as you know, on more than one occasion he has been recognized as the No. 1 mascot of American universities. In 1911, professor George A. Wauchope wrote a beautiful poem set to the music of “Flow Gently Sweet Afton,” and, among other entries in a contest, Wauchope’s piece was selected as USC’s official alma mater. We sing it at athletic events, graduation exercises and special convocations. 1 he words ot our alma mater are beautiful, stately, and stirring, but the tune? “Flow Gently Sweet Afton”— George! What were you thinking? I have concluded that this tune is at the very heart of the “Chicken Curse.” Note that the “Chicken Curse” is usually applied after athletic events where our teams fail to meet success. You might point out that successful universities have alma maters far less poetic and meaningful than ours sung to borrowed tunes. Consider, for example, the alma mater of the University of Virginia. “The good ole song of wahoo wah, we’ll sing it o’er and o’er ...”; this sung to the tune of Auld Lang Syne. What or who is wahoo wah anyway? Bad words set to an old tune. Our athletics department has a top-notch staff, with members who work hard to ^ produce successful teams. And team members work hard on their off hours to improve their skills. My point is that we have sincere, talented and well-trained athletes. But we send our teams, all pumped up to be physical and aggressive, with the tune “Flow Gently Sweet Afton” lingering in the recesses of their minds. Are linesmen supposed to break down and hit hard, or should they instead flow gently? i