Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THF MTY Page 10 B B n i B JL » B B ^ Wednesday, Nov. 9,2005 IS A(|TS !I80*62. S. C. COL! £££ 1882-87 S Tim McManus/'mV. GAMECOCK The Maxcy Monument, above, honors USC’s first president. The marker at the end of the Horseshoe, above right, recounts the university’s history as a whole. Walk around Horseshoe reveals various .. monuments, markers exploring different , . aspects of university s two-century-long past Tim IDcITlanus FOR THE GAMECOCK A stroll around USC can . offer the casual observer many things. Not only can you soak up the Horseshoe’s lush greenery and gaze at young women with the word “cocks” printed across the back of their exercise shorts, but if you know where to look, you can soak up quite a bit of history. Obviously, one place to look for history is the historical markers — but the markers themselves have a history all their own. The most common type of historical marker on campus is type that honors someone’s memory. The most prominent one of these would be the monument to Jonathan Maxcy, the first president of the 'university. Completed in the fall of 1827 by Robert Mills — the architect behind the Washington Monument — Maxcy’s monument is a 9 foot granite cube pedestal, on top of which rests an obelisk like column supporting a tripod (which Mill called “the classic symbol of immortality”) holding a shining copper ball. The pedestal’s sides feature engravings — in Latin — of Maxcy s many accomplishments. But for history buffs who don’t speak Latin, there are plaques with English translations on the ground below. One rather surprising historical marker can be found inside the South Caroliniana Library — a library that specializes in information on the university as well as the state — is an engraving honoring Preston Brooks, a USC graduate who fought in the Mexican American War and represented South Carolina in the U.S. Congress. He is most famous, however, for assaulting Massachusetts Sen. Charles Sumner after a speech in which Sumner said Brooks’ uncle, South Carolina Sen. A.P. Butler, was in love with a “harlot” named “slavery.” Two days later, Brooks tapped Sumner on the shoulder, said Sumner had “libeled” his state and “slandered” his “white haired old relative,” then hit Sumner repeatedly with his cane until it broke — after which he continued attacking Sumner with his bare hands. South Carolinians sent Brooks praises and presents — typically new canes. Although Republicans failed to get the two-thirds majority vote they needed to expel him from Congress, he resigned shortly thereafter. However, less than three months later he ran for Congress, and South Carolina promptly reelected him. His memorial reads “Gallantly has he borne himself upon the Battle Field and in the Chambers of the Nation won the applause of his constituents The State has lost one of her most gifted and cherished Sons.” (sic) Henry Fulmer, manuscript curator at the South Caroliniana Library, said the memorial was not commissioned by USC, but was donated to the library in the 1920s from Brook’s family after the chapel that housed the memorial in Ninety Six, S.C., had fallen into a state of disrepair. “It’s really not like the other markers,” he said. University Archivist Elizabeth West, also an employee of the library, said the Brooks memorial “draws people’s attention,” and Brooks was “a really interesting historical figure in the state’s history.” Another marker with quite a bit of historical background is one on Sumter Street at the end of the Horseshoe. Erected in 1938, this marker shows changes in name of the university from the university’s founding in 1801 to the time the date of the marker’s creation. Generally, it shows that throughout the 19th century, the university alternated between “South Carolina College” and “The University of South Carolina.” One time that it doesn’t mention the name of the college is when it says “Radical control 1873-77.” During this time, one of the more radical phases of reconstruction, the legislature made segregation at the university illegal — after which the university closed and reopened in 1880 as an all-white college. Historical markers at USC are storytellers of the university, but upon closer inspection, these markers have quite a story of their own. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu Tim McManus/'im. GAMECOCK In addition to information about the university and the state, the South Caroliniana Library houses a memorial to Preston Brooks. Hello, my name is: Meghan Cole, first-year undecided student Jaren Hayes FOR THE OAMECOCK WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY AND WHY? “Easter, because I love the Easter egg hunts.” WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE OF THE SEVEN DWARVES AND WHY? “Dopey, because he makes me feel better about myself.” COKE OR PEPSI? “Coke, because it’s classier.” HOW MANY LICKS DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO THE CENTER OF A TOOTSIE ROLL POP? “More than three like that annoying owl from the commercial said. IF YOU COULD HAVE DINNER WITH ONE PERSON, DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY? “Derek Jeter, because he’s got good game.” WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPORT? “Beer pong, because it’s the only thing I can beat my brother at.” IF YOU COULD BE ANY ANIMAL, WHAT WOULD YOU BE AND WHY? “A koala bear, because they are cute and cuddly.” IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? “To fly, because the price of gas is so outrageous.” IF YOU COULD TEACH ANY CLASS AT CAROLINA, WHAT WOULD IT BE? ‘“Family Guy’ Analysis 101.” WHAT DO YOU WANT EVERYONE THAT IS READING THIS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? “I’m single and ready to mingle. Facebook me.” Rejection Hotline offers new way to say ‘no thanks’ Business student’s company aids heartbreak by giving out fake digits to would-be suitors dime dlendelsnhn KRT CAMPUS It’s an age-old mating ritual, not unlike a courtship ceremony you might see on the Discovery Channel. The male species puffs out his chest, struts over to the female, fumbles through some conversation, perhaps buys her an appletini, and, if all goes well, scores her cell-phone number. After the respectable three days have passed (remember the movie “Swingers”?), the male calls the female. But if she has given him the number 407 970-8278, he is in for a surprise. “You’ve reached the Rejection Hotline!” a cheerful voice says. “ ... Unfortunately, the person who gave you this number did not want you to have their real number.” Then the voice rattles off a host of possible reasons for the rejection — arrogance, body odor, a “psycho-stalker vibe.” The man behind the voice, Jeff Goldblatt, originated the Rejection Hotline four years ago. He was at an Atlanta bar and observed a man flirting with an uninterested woman, , who ultimately told the man to get away from her. Even the man’s friends were laughing at him. There had to be a less humiliating way of rejecting someone, Goldblatt figured. So he recorded a Rejection Hotline message, first as a joke, but then word spread. Today, about 1.6 million callers dial thfe number each month, seriously, “we like to think it’s a public service,” Goldblatt said. (By “we,” Goldblatt is referring to himself and his unpaid interns.) He said the line is a service to Goldblatt said. Local numbers are available for about 30 cities. Goldblatt, an MBA “We like to think (the Rejection Hotline) is a public service.” JEFF GOLDBLATT Rejection Hotline creator both sides, particularly the reject, who saves face instead of enduring a public rejection. student at tmory University, also runs rejectionhotline.com, a site that makes a profit through advertisements, , sponsorships and products for sale such as Rejection Hotline underwear. Goldblatt estimates that 98 percent of callers dial for fun. As for those who take it Receiving the number could be crushing, said Elayne Savage, author of “Don’t Take it Personally! The Art of Dealing with Rejection.” “You don’t know someone’s history, and you don’t know how they may have been hurt in the past,” Savage says. “You don’t know what kind of r www.dailygamecock.com reaction someone might have.” She adds that the hotline could dredge up painful memories, perhaps childhood traumas. “There are classier ways to do a decline,” Savage says. John Fuhrman, author of “Reject Me — I Love It!: 21 Secrets for Turning Rejection into Direction,” recommends offering a reason for rejecting someone. Constructive criticism, if you will. You could tell a person “What I’m really looking for is X, and you are not that.” There’s always. “It’s not you, • » » its me. But when faced with a particularly obnoxious person, Fuhrman doesn’t rule out a direct “You know what? It is )> you. r “There is definitely a need for it (the hotline),” says Fuhrman, who is known in some circles as “Mr. Rejection.” “If you’ve got someone you can’t shake off, absolutely, use the number.” Allison Cox has done so several times. Cox, a bartender at Universal Orlando’s CityWalk, once was pursued by a man wearing a shirt that read “Hi. You’ll Do.” Charming. He wouldn’t take the hint, so she gave him the number. “I thought f would never see him again,” Cox says. She thought wrong. He came to the bar again and told her that giving the rejection number was really mean. It hurt his feelings. And then he asked for her number again. I *