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VIEWPOINTS Page 8 f —I B Jk f f B _B 1 B. rN_/ Wednesday, March 29,2006 * TH#%AMEGOGK 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 Giving cash to grads requires reciprocity ■** . . It was a case of finders-keepers one week ago at a Student Government Senate meeting as some members of the finance committee proposed a bill to keep undergraduates’ money in undergraduates’ hands. Sen. Scott Spivey’s bill, a response to last session’s allocation of $40,000 of undergraduates’ student activity fee money to the graduate schools, would not eliminate such allocations but would require graduate programs’ expenditures to not exclude undergrads. constituents w ui i c i c; in d i ii i ii g generous to a largely ignored portion of the student body. But even more should be done to level the playing field — namely, lowering student activity fees for rprrt rlurt far D-- — All USC students pay the same activity fees. Undergrads, by far the largest chunk of the student body, reap the most rewards through campus events such as concerts, lectures and forums — functions that many grads miss out on because they live off campus. Cutting grads’ activity fee charges would balance the system; the less they get back, the less they should have to pay. Most undergraduates would not have a problem throwing money the graduates’ way. It’s not that undergraduates and graduates don’t get along; it’s that most undergraduates don’t think of their lab TA’s and professors’ assistants as fellow students — sad, but true. Grads pay tuition just like the rest of us and deserve the same benefits. But if we scratch their backs, they should scratch ours. If graduate students use undergraduates’ money to bring a guest speaker to campus, those in charge should consider whether undergrads will be at least slightly interested in attending. When using large bundles of someone else’s cash, a little accommodation is in order. Grads pay tuition just like the rest of us and deserve the same benefits. IT’S YOUR RIGHT Voice your opinion on message boards at www.dailygamecock.com or send letters to the editor at gamecockopinions@gurm.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 STEPHEN FASTENAU Assistant Sports Editor ALEX RILEY Photo Editor NICK ESARES Assistant Photo Editor KATY BIAIOCK 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 DESANCTIS, BETHANY NICHOLS, ELIZABETH PARHAM, KATIE THOMPSON, JAMISON TINSLEY, KRYSTAL WEBBER, LIZ WHITE CONTACT INFORMATION Offices located on the third floor of the Russell House Editor’s office hours are from 2-3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays Editor: gamecockeditorQgwm.sc.edu News: gamecocknewsQgwm.sc.edu Viewpoints: gamecockopinionsQgwm.sc.edu The Mix: gamecockflraturesQgwm.sc.edu Sports: gamecocksportsQgwm.sc.edu Public Affairs: gamecockPRQyahoo.com Online: www. dailygamecock. com Newsroom: 777-7726 ; Sports: 777-7182 Editor’s Office: 777-3914 Fax: 777-6482 siuucni mcum 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, DEIORE MERRICK, MCKENZIE WELSH I rm UAJMMAJliA. is we 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 o/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 $1 each from the Department of Student Media. HlU,ACY V0W5 To ftUXJc 4f2lAiM(oAUTlH& [IxeoAL- [ I/MWiCfRANTS r-- ~T —^ Courtesy KRT Campus Courage isnt only for ballsy men in movies Politicians, students need to be more like fearless superheroes Backbone, guts, testicular fortitude — these are all euphemisms for courage, a word that you can’t say nowadays without sounding like you’re in a movie where Mel Gibson is naked and painted blue. And often, it seems having courage nowadays is just as out-of-date. A couple weeks ago, a friend and I were “jamming” on the front porch of our dorm. My friend was on acoustic guitar, and I was on accordion. After about 45 minutes of singing three-chord songs, many referencing “Brokeback Mountain,” a police officer came by. He liked our music, but that wasn’t why he stopped. He said he received noise complaints, and if we wanted to continue, we would have to go across the street. We decided to go inside, where my partner in crime and music wrote an angry e-mail to the dorm’s listserv. He got a response from the concerned citizen, who after calling our music s—t, said, “third parties exist so I don’t have to kick your ass.” This shows a stunning lack of testicular fortitude. A more courageous Gamecock would have the backbone to confront us, ask or tell us to shut up, and if we’re unreasonable about it, kick our ass, hopefully without breaking my accordion. And it’s not only college students who lack such testicular fortitude. Let us look at Sen. John Kerry. When he was running for president, one of the most overused criticisms of him was that he quickly changed his opinion. His critics pointed to how he voted to give the president the right to declare war in Iraq, but Tim mcmonus Fifth-year print journalism student didn’t vote for giving the war more funding. Did John Kerry have an opinion as flexible as a Cirque Voila performer? Of course not, but it was extremely politically incorrect in 2003 for a senator to speak against going to war in Iraq. In 2003, we all heard perfectly reasonable claims that Iraq had no ties to al Qaida or weapons of mass destruction. But for one to make such criticisms in front of all the other senators, apparently took the courage Kerry lacked. And so, the next time you’re faced with something that requires a backbone, guts or testicular fortitude, show you have what it takes. It may be difficult, but if you face what you fear, whether it’s an accordion or looking different in front of your peers, you may keep your country from starting an unjust war. But if you must lack courage, do yourself a favor and make sure you don’t prove it in front of a journalist. Commitment stereotypes falsely classify sexes Modern women want to have fun in college, not find future spouse Unable to decide what to write about this week, I started a conversation among friends about commitment. The word had been circling around the dramatic newsroom for a little while and everyone had something to say. Most girls were quick to say guys are scared of the word and, like Chandler from “Friends,” run away. A few guys chimed in, opposing this stereotype. What about girls who just want to have fun? This made me think, not about commitment but about stereotypes. Our media has brainwashed us into believing certain ideas about people before we know them. Blondes are dumb, redheads are feisty and brunettes are sensible; men only want sex. I’ve met people who discredit all of these “truths.” I wrote this column in class while we watched a movie about the “blood thirsty” and godless Japanese, and I don’t think that’s an accurate stereotype either. What does this have to do with sex? Can you really assume a _ 5 LIZ (UHITC Second-year print journalism student makes them better in bed? Not all beautiful people have what it takes to be a good significant other. Look at Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Just because she makes you stop and stare doesn’t mean once all that make up comes off that she’ll make your knees weak. Basing our attractions by our preconceptions could make ,us miss out on something wonderful. I’ve known several guys that say, “I really like you, but I want to get to know you first.” If that doesn’t discredit half of the male perceptions, I’ll concede that I’m a dumb blonde. And what do stereotypes have to do with commitment? If guys are the only ones running at Jackie Joyner-Kersee speeds, then why do guys complain about girls? You can’t assume men always want to play the field while the women cling to their arms. It’s modern America, and with that comes modern women. For most girls, college isn’t about finding a spouse. We don’t scour our class to find the guy we could see ourselves “settling down” with. No, college is a time to have fun, meet new people and figure out what kind of significant other, if any, we do see in the future picture. Girls come to college to find themselves and to find where they want to be when “growing-up” is finally over. If love is really in the air and she feels like she’s ready to say, “To hell with being foolish, you’re the one I want,” then great. But until then, guys and girls all need to learn the big-C word is a little scary for college kids. If I’m wrong, just call me a dumb blonde. Winners & Sinners ' ; •' ' * . ; : '>' \ . ■ •" ! Scarlett Johansson tops FHM’s “100 Sexiest - Women in the World” X reader survey. Christopher McEneaney and Andre Mark were charged in the slaying of Martin Malone after Malone mooned them. Like, language shouldn't be so inconclusive, conventional Word options are not strictly monosyllabic, everyday expressions Call me anything but a nice girl. You better not call me “hot” or “cool” either, assuming you have reason. Herein lies my pet peeve: the intentional crouching behind everyday use of ambiguous, two-cent words. English is a precise 1 a n er u a e e . TECLfl mflRHOSHV Second year public relations student It’s our primary tool for communication. Like any tool, it’s best when sharp. Language shapes our world. But it’s also a war zone; loaded with minefields in the meanings, “nice” could easily mean “dull.” “Sweet” could be “saccharine,” “gentle” as “half-dead,” “spirited” as “annoying” and a “great personality” usually always means “dog-ugly.” Get it? Good. There’s more to it. My best childhood friend had very particular (attentive) parents. Whenever I went over to play, it was all-natural (bland as barley) everything — no beef hormones for us. More than anything else, however, her parents were really anal (selective) about our vocabularies. The words “like,” “but,” “kinda” and “really” were outlawed. This made life, like, really hard. In the era of middle school, using the word “like” while telling a story is akin to breathing. Additionally, they implored us to use very specific vocabulary. Instead of a dish or a party being “good” we were forced into describing it as “fanciful” or “delicious” or “fun but exhausting.” So that may’ve been extreme. But for the most part, we’re all in accord. To repeat the world “like” ten thousand times in a ten second story is ridiculous. Nobody wants to sound like Cher from “Clueless.” However, I’m noticing in college the existence of a distinct pattern. When a peer describes a colleague or friend favorably, the same four words seem to surface. Hot. Cool. Smart. Nice. These four words are the haziest adjectives in modem English. Not only are the words temporal, but they are also essentially lubes of everyday language. They glide off the tongue and provide little information. How do we fix this terrible problem plaguing discourse in bars, cars and lecture halls alike? Demand a command of the English language. Descriptions don’t have to be sugary-sweet. But I’d rather be called reptilian than “cool.” Be specific! Tens of thousands of tiny injustices are woven absentmindedly into our use of language. Calling people “nice” and stopping there is doing them a grave disservice. In all, I’m actively seeking a wordsmith-wunderkind. And it shouldn’t be too hard to find, even at USC. In the age of infinite adjectives and thesaurus.com, anything is possible.