Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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VIEWPOINTS_ AMECOCK EDITORIAL BOARD I Editor MICHAEL LaFORGIA News Editor STEPHEN FASTENAU Asst. News Editor JUSTIN CHAPURA The Mix Editor ALEXIS ARNONE Sports Editor JONATHAN HILLYARD Viewpoints Editor BRINDY McNAIR Copy Desk Chief STEVEN VAN HAREN Design Director chas McCarthy IN OUR OPINION One week not enough for crucial donations It might seem like small consolation after Saturday’s loss to Clemson at Williams-Brice Stadium, but we hope students take some solace in that our school won the annual Carolina Clemson blood drive. We applaud the students, faculty and staff members who gave blood last week, and we encourage everyone who didn’t to give blood sometime soon. Hurricane Katrina and the other recent disasters have under scored the importance of donating blood to emergency response efforts. • While the sense of competition between Carolina and Clemson during rivalry weekend makes for a great excuse for the Red Cross to stockpile pints of blood, the need exists year round. So give blood, even when the distinction of beating Clemson I • 1 >. <U aUIIlCLlUUg UUC5I1L tUHlt attached. Are you scared of needles or do you feel faint after shots? Suck it up, eat a big breakfast and give anyway. It only hurts for a sec ond, and the thought of doing tremendous good ought to be enough to calm you for the few minutes it takes to donate. One unit of blood can save as many as three peoples lives. This goes especially for students with rare blood types. Is the pain really too great to help a dying man, woman or child? Don’t forget that many people would give their left foot to donate blood bat they can’t for any number of reasons. Students who can give should. And while disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and Sept. 11 have illustrated why giving blood is so important, they shouldn’t be the impetus for donating. People need blood every day of the year, regardless of whether disaster strikes. Besides, they give you free juice and cookies— not to mention various and sundry other free stuff— for donating only a little blood. And from where we’re sitting, that’s not such a bad deal. One unit of blood can save as many as three people’s lives. IT’S VOUR 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 today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us at gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK Editor MICHAEL LaFORGIA Design Director chas McCarthy Copy Desk Chief STEVEN VAN HAREN News Editor STEPHEN FASTENAU Asst. News Editor JUSTIN CHAPURA Viewpoints Editor BRINOY McNAIR The Mix Editor ALEXIS ARNONE Sports Editor JONATHAN HILLYARD Asst. Sports Editor ALEX RILEY Photo Editor NICK ESARES Sports Phoso Editor KATIE KIRKLAND Page Designers NUKE CONWAY, JESSICA ANN NIELSEN, MEGAN SINCLAIR Graphic Designer LAURA-JOYCE GOUGH Copy Editors CHELSEA HADAWAY, KRISTY LAUBE, KATIE THOMPSON, JAMISON TINSLEY LIZ WHITE Online Editor RYAN SIMMONS Creative Services JOSEPH DANNELLY, LAURA-JOYCE GOUGH, MARGARET LAW, MEGHAN WHITMAN STUDENT MEDIA Director SCOn LINDENBERG Faculty Adviser ERIK COLLINS Creative Director SUSAN KING Business Manager CAROLYN GRIFFIN Advertising Manager SARAH SCARBOROUGH Classified Manager SHERRY F. HOLMES Production Manager c. neil Scott Advertising Stiff BREANNA EVANS, RYAN GORMAN, KATIE CUPPIA, APRYL ALEXANDER, MARY RACHEL FREEMAN, MCKENZIE WELSH, OEIDRE MERRICK CONTACT INFORMATION Offices on third floor of the Russell House. The Editor’s office hours are Monday and Wednesday from 1-3 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 THE GAMECOCK is the editorially independent student newspaper of the University of South Carolina. It is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the fall and spring semesters and nine times during the summer, with the exception of university holidays and exam periods. Opinions expressed in THE GAMECOCK are those of the editors or author and not those of the University of South Carolina. The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher 0/THE GAMECOCK. The . Department of Student Media is the newspaper's parent organization. THE GAMECOCK is supported in part by student-activity fees. One free copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchasedfor Si each from the Department of Student Media. \ ^ TO PLACE AN AD The Gamecock Advertising: 777-3888 1400 Greene St. Classified: 777-1184 (Itlumhia. S.C. 29208 ' Fax: 777-6482 AufrflggSAYS WA aftwtfrtofie 50fUoo5 TW le&$o£.\SlS /'■''wArtT? CRAHte<?\ / /v/WMlM?~L6f5 Do \ / R£AU 0AMA6g / C6T*5 o^n/T CARS AWO 5P£*/ I \ eRMAU5T iKtjp / Cartoon courtesy of KRT Campus Stopping racism starts with social education Offensive remarks should hold consistent, harsh punishment for everyone My column this week is personally addressed to USC President Andrew Sorensen. It is in direct response to the recent racial issue of message board remarks. While I realize the issue has been swept to the past and lacks concern, I would like to comment on it nonetheless. My focus is not specifically the latest issue and its handling, but the response to Carolina’s overall racial issues and problems. Week after week at least one article of racial dilemma is published in The Gamecock, everything from the ridiculous Facebook group, to Five Points bar discrimination, to current issues of fraternity comments. Never in my life have I encountered such a large group of educated people, stemming from all types of different racial backgrounds, having so many problems. South Carolina has a predominant, and extremely influential, black population. However, their presence seems to lack the respect it certainly deserves. The recent comments of certain fraternity members are not only appalling but completely unacceptable M behavior of an educated person in this day and age. My main concern is not BRHflDT c^e motivation BOIDV for ** comments Fourth-year themselves but elementary education the student disappointing actions by the university in response to these remarks. In the rest of our nation these type of remarks forfeit jobs, respect and beg for immediate consequences. Racial remarks by Atlanta Braves relief pitcher John Rocker earned him a hefty suspension without pay for 14 games. When Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott made racial remarks condoning segregation, he quickly was forced to resign from his position of Senate Republican Leader. The rest of America refuses to put up with racial comments, mistakes or slips, whatever they might be. They are simply not tolerated. Sadly, at this university, that is not the case. I was in shock after reading that the response of those investigating this matter was that they were seeking a conversation with the individuals who publicly displayed these comments, in an effort to determine their reasons for the remarks. I highly doubt the individuals would step forth for that conversation, and I highly doubt that this response was intimidating, threatening, and at the very least an effective measure to later prevent such inappropriate comments. If this university is going to advance into the educational future, then it must first educate itself on social advancement. Swift action needs to be taken, and it needs to be taken consistently. All racial issues need to be taken seriously and resolved with consequences for those who deserve them. No longer can this university turn its head. If it continues to, the problems will never cease, but rather spawn into new ones with little regard for what will come of the events. I realize this is the South and that carries the burden of a racially conflicted past, but that is not an excuse and the South is not alone with this burden. USC can stand as a model of the old South or as an example of the new, but the decision lies with future action and prevention. IN YOUR OPINION Life abroad changes political perspective For many Americans, the Muslim world is a far-off place where terrorism resides and foreigners are unwelcome. Islam is viewed by many as hostile and fundamentally different from Christianity and Judaism. To some, Arab Muslims are viewed as primitive and unable to adapt to life in the 21st century. For those who believe any of the above stereotypes, as a Christian-American, I couldn’t disagree with you more. In light of the fact that last week was International Education Week, I would like to talk about how my study abroad experience has affected my world view. During summer 2005, I spent two months studying Arabic in Cairo, Egypt, and another two weeks studying terrorism in Israel with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.I arrived with no Arabic and left with the ability to go to a bazaar (marketplace) and buy food or other goods, tell a taxi driver where I needed to go, or simply say hello and ask someone how they were doing. I found the Egyptian people to be extremely hospitable and always willing to help. Many who could speak English expressed their views of the invasion of Iraq and the use of terrorism by fundamentalists to me, condemning both. They did not believe that terrorism was justified, nor did they believe that another conflict in the region was going to solve anything. Previously, a full-fledged supporter of the war, I now see it in a different light, and I am not so sure that the decision to go to Iraq with (prce was the next logical step in fighting the terrorist threat. While abroad, I was exposed to information and experiences that would have never happened here in the States. For example, I climbed Mt. Sinai before sunrise, and when I reached the summit, not only did I find a small church, but a mosque as well. It turns out that the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments is also a holy place for Muslims. I also experienced, first hand, the lack of opportunity that exists for young Egyptians. The amount of poverty in Cairo is staggering, and the difference between the economy in the Western world and in Egypt is a source of frustration for many. Perhaps we should consider problems such as these more often when we talk about the war on terrorism. ANTHONY BUSCH Second-year business 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. United we can register, divided we get confused Multiple advisers make planning ahead for next semester more difficult Well, now that class registration has come and gone, I no longer need to (worry about the hassles of scheduling, advisement and registering. Or do I? Unfortunately, PRIGC because I am in mnRTincflu the S.C. Honors First-year College, I am psychology responsible for stadent s 0 m e h o w combining the needs of my major and the needs of the college. This is marginally accomplished by meeting with my two advisers, one each from the major and the Honors College, and neither knows enough about the other program to allow me to have only one visit. This is understandable, especially for my major adviser, who is responsible for hundreds of students and their individual needs. However, it is also frustrating and ultimately inefficient, since I have had to go back and forth between my major adviser and my honors adviser five times already. I still do not have all the issues resolved. I still do not know if some of my honors courses meet major requirements, and I do not know if major requirements are offered as honors. Four weeks into the process, I have at least one more meeting with each department. Why should advisement between two different departments be so incongruous? Again, each is handling hundreds, maybe thousands of students, each with complex plans and agendas. In the case of the Honors College and other majors — not to mention double majors — there should be meetings or at least communication between the two. The Honors College should provide students with a worksheet that shows ways to combine courses for their major and the Honors College. While I am still only going into my second semester, I have no idea if I will graduate with honors, when I will have my general education requirements out of the way or even when I will graduate. Certainly I might be expecting too much at such an early stage, but at the same time it is wildly difficult to concentrate on classes for this term when it takes a third of the semester setting up classes for the next. College officials say that if students want to study abroad, participate in internships or take alternative paths of study, students need to plan as far ahead as possible. With the disjunction and lack of communication between departments creating such a maze and puzzle of course registration, I don’t ever want to try to plan ahead again. Online Do you think global warming ta is a more serious threat X oil than terrorism? *• _i_____1