Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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VIEWPOINTS _ AMECOCK EDITORIAL BOARD Editor STEVEN VAN HAREN News Editor JUSTIN CHAPURA Assistant News Editor JACKIE ALEXANDER The Mix Editor ALEXIS ARNONE Design Director chas McCarthy Sports Editor STEPHEN FASTENAU Viewpoints Editor BRINDY McNAIR Assistant Viewpoints Editor AARON BRAZIER IN OUR OPINION Gamecocks SEC run made for nice ending After &n erratic, achingly average season, USC’s men’s basketball team almost got it right during spring break. Coach Dave Odom’s squad became brilliantly consistent during this past week’s SEC Tournament — nearly winning an SEC championship and with it an NCAA Tournament bid. The Gamecocks’ 49-47 loss to the Florida Gators on Sunday was the harshest heartbreaker in a season full of heartbreakers. USC was the lowest seed ever to play for the SEC crown, according to The Associated Press; they vanquished Mississippi .... . . State, No. 14 Tennessee Will Or l0S6, CI0S6 and Kentucky to get games are what ^ere- Surprised but elated, Gamecock tans sports are all everywhere had laced up ohnut their dancing shoes. dUUUl. Kudos to Odom and the gang for what almost was. “Almost” has been the operative word this season, as a smattering of 1-, 2- and 3-point losses almost overshadowed two wins against Florida and Renaldo Balkman’s Herculean performance against Alabama on Valentine’s Day. But what a ride this week — and what an effort. If anything, fans can’t say they were bored this season. Win or lose, close games are what sports are all about — your blood pumps faster, your happiness ebbs and flows with Dick Vitale’s voice, your world can end with one measly blocked shot. And the season’s not done yet. The boys are set to defend their NIT title, and with red-hot momentum and an underdog label on their side, they might be cutting down the nets in Madison Square Garden once more. Thanks, Dave — the memory of such a valiant run in the SEC’s upper echelon will surely replace the bitter taste of close defeat that has become so familiar this season. The NIT isn’t as glamorous as the Big Dance, but Gamecock fans will be lined up in droves to see how much more magic can be squeezed from this lemon of a season. IT’S YOUR RIGHT Voice your opinion on message boards at unow.dailygamecock.com or send letters to the editor at gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu CORRECTIONS If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know about it. E-mail us at gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu ABOUT THE GAMECOCK Editor STEVEN VAN HAREN Design Director chas McCarthy Copy Desk Chief AARON KIDD News Editor JUSTIN CHAPURA Assistant News Editor JACKIE ALEXANDER Viewpoints Editor BRINDY McNAIR Assistant Viewpoints Editor AARON BRAZIER The Mix Editor ALEXIS ARNONE Assistant Mix Editor KRISTEN TRUESDALE Sports Editor oicrntn moiuimu Assistant Sports Editor ALEX RILEY Photo Editor NICK ESARES Assistant Photo Editor KATY BLALOCK Public Relations Director ROSE GREENE Page Designers MIKE CONWAY, KATE FENWICK, MEGAN SINCLAIR StaffWriters A.J. BEMBRY, TOM BENNING, JESS DAVIS, TIM McMANUS, MARJORIE RIDDLE, GINA VASSELLI Copy Editors CAROLINE OESANCTIS, BETHANY NICHOLS, ELIZABETH PARHAM, KATIE THOMPSON, JAMISON TINSLEY, KRYSTAL WEBBER, LIZ WHITE CONTACT INFORMATION Offices located on the thirdfloor of the Russell House Editor's office hours are from 2-3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays Editor: gamecoclteditor@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 Fax: 777-6482_ STUDENT MEDIA Director SCOn LINDENBERG Faculty Adviser ERIK COLLINS Creative Director SUSAN KING Business Manager CAROLYN GRIFFIN Advertising Manager SARAH SCARBOROUGH Classifieds Manager SHERRY F. HOLMES Production Manager C. NEIL scon Advertising APRYL ALEXANDER, KATIE CUPPIA, BREANNA EVANS, MARY RACHEL FREEMAN, DEIDRE MERRICK, MCKENZIE WELSH 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 ofTWY, 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 $1 each from the Department of Student Media. - V THE SURGEON GENERAL SAYS OBESITY WILL GET US BEFORE THE TERRORISTS DO] ^-7 /ybU KNCw\ / wwsr5rm.Es \ _/ me down \ | WHEN I \ HEARStUFE \ UKE THATP V V DONUTS'. J High schoolers don’t have to consider college Continuing education ruins job market, isn’t only choice for youth There’s a real problem lurking in high school guidance counselor offices across the nation. It’s about as thick as a brick and weighs as much as a fat baby. It’s the dreaded college catalog handbook! And it’s as responsible for America’s unhappiness and expensive mechanics , as anything else. The false belief that everyone, if they are able, should go to college has become public enemy No. 1. . So many people think that going to college is like taking too much Vitamin C — it doesn’t cause any harm and could do some good. I have a little brother who doesn’t know what to do after high school. He’s 18 and a senior. He’ll graduate in June. As a chronic underachiever, college was never in the cards. A young man without a plan? The guidance counselors at his school are freaking out. My parents are freaking out. My whole family is freaking out. I don’t know about my brother, but I do recognize the problem. Guidance counselors have brainwashed America’s TEElfl y°uth for mRRKOSKV t°° .lonf- 1 c , think they Second-year 1 public have a COvert relations deal with student admissions offices across the nation. Using that handbook as a bible, they ruthlessly push until they get their way. It’s time for the reckoning. There is too much pressure on America’s youth to be annexed into the world of college. But why even mention it? We are all here happily pursuing higher education. Why even bother thinking about whether it’s wrong or right to coax every teenager in America to go to college? Because our future jobs rely on it. The last thing we want is a job market like the one we presently have. It is flooded with eager college grads. I’m going to be making beans for the first few years after graduation because of the influx of people with my degree. And if I want any chance of standing out in the crowd, I’ll have to pursue a master’s degree. Furthermore, I have questioned the motives of plenty of my peers at use. I really love the nitwits in my classes that think they know what they are going to do for a living and view college as the only way to get there. “I’m going to start out in a publicity and marketing firm working specifically in the areas of gadget and moisturizer promotion,” they chime. Bad news girlies, college is not going to teach you an ounce about any of that. Learning does not mean studying for tests. If you’re in it for the grades and the credits, college is the wrong place for you. Look at time as a precious commodity. It’s the currency of youth, and its abundance tapers over time. With all this time on our hands, we can do anything we want. Could you be using your time in a better way to position yourself to get what you really want out of life? I challenge you to look at your education holistically and not just as a pathway to a job someday. Reassess. Reflect on whether or not college is the best possible use of your time. And if it isn’t, then leave. We’ll all thank you for it when we graduate. IN YOUR OPINION Sanford’s gab shows caring for students Because of the lack of balance in the March 3 Gamecock article “Student leaders gab with gov’nah,” I can’t help but wonder why the article wasn’t on the editorial page instead of the front page. A more objective report that corrected some of the false claims of the students who met with Gov. Sanford would have served the students who read this newspaper much better. One of the claims was that the governor doesn’t spend time listening to the concerns of the students or any other constituents. You would think that by the very nature of a news story about the governor meeting with students, this claim would be self defeating. But if that isn’t enough for you, I’ve had personal experience with Sanford that is entirely incompatible with the idea that he doesn’t listen to the concerns of students. About a month ago, I was in attendance at the Newberry County Republican Convention. For about three and a half hours, I was standing in the back of the room listening to various speeches given by candidates in the most obscure races. There was no food served at this convention, and toward the end I think my stomach might have started eating itself. After the crowd was gone and the party faithful had left, Sanford gave me a homemade loaf of bread. I can’t imagine that he was hoping for a generous campaign contribution from this poor college student in return. Nor can I imagine what he had to gain by going to Charleston to speak to a group of teenage republicans Thursday or by staying late and talking to the many constituents, including students that come to many of the events at which he speaks, except, of course, for the betterment of this state. CONNER TAPP Second-year political science 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. Online Do you think college is the only viable jp option for high school graduates? - ' ' % ■ ' f§g Relationships require lovey commitment, plenty of air Constant phone calls, possessive mannerisms kill passionate feelings “I missed you.” “I, uh, missed you too.” “I really, really missed you more honey bunny!” “I love you, but I can’t breathe.” We’ve all probably been there and _ know that it’s ALEXIS a very scary RRnonc Place to s° Fourth- Some PeoPle year print are heard to ■journalism have died student there. Relationships are a great thing that can quickly turn into a relationsh-t (props to comedian Dane Cook for that nifty term) with too much TLC. But how much, is too much? Too much is making your lover call you every two hours and then getting pissed off when they are 30 minutes late. Once. 100 mucn is wnen every single picture you have with this person is of you two kissing, or holding hands, or staring into each other’s eyes, or even scarier, all of the above. Too much is when you tell them you miss them when they live in the same town and you haven’t seen them for a day. When you first meet someone, it’s always nice to talk to them a little bit everyday. That’s how you really get to know the person and find out if this is someone you want to get serious with. If you instantly feel that connection, great! A good way to keep it going is to keep at the pace you’re going and not reveal too much too soon. A good way to send your potential relationship down in flames is to be talking to this person about their plans for the summer and then come spilling out that you’re in love with them and can’t wait to spend every waking moment with them because now you have no classes holding you back. If this applies to you, there’s your answer as to why they’re no longer calling you back. Relationships are fun and exciting, and the only way to keep them that way is to hilly commit. To yourself. And your friends. And your new lover. Don’t get wrapped up in the Hollywood image of a perfect love. Perfect love is mesSy and complicated and NOT a 24/7 job. In fact, it snouldn t resemDie a jod at all. Love is not something you should be putting so much work into that your beau of two and a half years stops returning your phone calls, text messages, e-mails and smoke signals. It’s just like when you were five years old running around your front yard catching lightning bugs. When you put them in a jar and closed the lid, you had to poke holes in it to let them breathe. Do the same thing with your relationship; poke holes in it. Let air in, and don’t let it get to be too much so that your boyfriend/girlfriend is breaking up with you or ignoring you because they feel suffocated.