The Daily Gamecock 9/29/10

dailygamecock.com UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

VOL. 104, NO. 34

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2010

●

SINCE 1908

Education summit leads to few answers University administrators, governor discuss tuition hikes, new capital construction projects in Midlands meeting Josh Dawsey NEWS EDITOR

Parker Jenette/The Daily Gamecock

S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford led a higher education summit at Midlands Tech Tuesday morning.

Commissioner says SC needs fewer regulations State rules skyrocket capital projects on university campuses by 25 percent, according to Ken Wingate Josh Dawsey NEWS EDITOR

Regulatory relief was Ken Wingate’s key phrase Tuesday.

Wingate is chairman of the S.C. Commission of Higher Education, a statewide commission focused on the 34 public universities that call South Carolina home.

Research from the commission and the Budget and Control Board shows 25 percent of all capital expenditures come from universities meeting state regulations, Wingate said.

On a significant project, that can mean tens of millions of dollars. Before a project is constructed, it must go through three separate levels of state approval.

First, the commission must approve

WHAT’S NEXT?

a project. Then, it goes to the Joint Bond Review Committee before finally landing with the Budget and Control Board. This often adds 18 months or more to construction time, Wingate said, pushing up costs and incurring additional ones. That’s after the project ha s been approved by u n iver sit y officials and a Board of Trustees.

W i n g at e w a nt s t h at c h a n g e d , making only one level of statewide approval necessary. He said it would shave years off many projects.

“It’s inef f icient,” Wingate said.

“A nd t he costs to universit ies are staggering.”

Ted Moore, USC’s vice president for fi nance and planning, agrees.

“We have asked as recently as last RELIEF ● 3 Gov. Mark Sanford is encouraging t he General A ssembly to consider higher education reform this spring to stop tuition hikes. From comments made by high-profile legislators in recent months, it seems that will likely happen. He’s also ask ing for more discussion on the issues in upcoming months.

College tuition in South Carolina universities in recent months. He’s has sk y rocketed i n recent years, said they focus too much on out-ofrising to troublesome rates that place state students, waste money on pricey financial hardship on many South capital projects and need to scale back economic development and focus on Carolina families.

In fact, tuition rates have increased basic classroom education.

Those opinions didn’t change much by 143 percent since 1999. Compare that to income growth of 50 percent Tuesday. Wielding chart after chart and an inf lation rate of 29 percent . to a chorus of groans from the room, They’re the highest in the Southeast. he noted universities were asking too Simply put, there are problems that much from the taxpayers.

“We’re at the top of the curve from need solutions.

On those facts, all parties agreed what we’re asking from our taxpayers, during Tuesday’s higher education and we’re at the top of curve of what s u m m it at M id l a nd s Te c h n ic a l we’re asking from parents,” Sanford said.

College.

He picked Rebecca Gunnlaugsson, But how do you fi x it?

That’s t he quest ion Gov. Mark an economist with the Department Sanford, college leaders and others of Commerce , to speak about how in a packed auditorium debated for Sout h Carol i na spends t he most more than two hours. There was no money and charges the most tuition.

Accord i ng to her f ig u res, Sout h shortage of opinions.

Carolina exceeded the national A nd t here was certainly no average by 143 percent s h o r t a g e o f t e n s io n a n d in state appropriations numbers discrepancies as for higher education . leaders readily admitted She cou nted Sout h they were dealing with Carolina Education complex issues without Lottery scholarships a foolproof solution. among those figures.

“I’ll let you in A lmost a l l i n-st ate o n a d i r t y s e c r e t ,” students receive the C ompt rol ler R ic h a rd P a l m e t t o Fe l l o w s , Eckstrom said to Life or t he Hope university administrators scholarship. sitting in the front rows.

Her f ig u res were “The state doesn’t possess d i s p u t e d anywhere near the b y s o m e t a lent you administrators a l l do. We i n t h e want you to audience, who help.” say t he st ate Sanford shouldn’t ca l led t he count Lottery s u m m i t s c h o l a r s h ip s a f t e r a m o n g a mpi ng up t he dollars cr it icisms of public SUMMIT ● 3 USC Provost Michael Amiridis

— Compiled by News Editor Josh Dawsey

Data leads SG to consider closing late-night shuttle Sara Leary

STAFF WRITER

Student Government held a noon press conference inside Russell House to consider eliminating Cocky’s Caravan, a late-night bus that picks up students from downtown hospitality districts.

No one showed up for the press conference.

Hardly anyone is riding the bus. And since so few do, the average cost per rider is now about $50.

Commonly referred to by some as ‘the drunk bus,’ Cocky’s Caravan is in jeopardy of disappearing for good if student interest doesn’t increase. After years of planning and much fanfare, Cocky’s Caravan opened its doors in fall 2008.

But two years later, Cocky’s Caravan has seen a drastic drop in ridership, according to USC Student Body President

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Ebbie Yazdani. Last weekend, just 35 students rode the bus during its 10 hours of operation. Two weekends earlier, 39 students rode. And the program costs almost $60,000 a year.

“The fact that no one is here right now just proves a point.

It shows that students might not be as concerned about keeping Cocky’s Caravan around as we originally thought,” Yazdani said.

The big question SG faces now is what’s next. A student forum will be held Monday, Oct. 11, at 2 p.m. in the Russell House Ballroom to discuss different options and to provide an opportunity for students to speak up.

“If we have another low attendance at the forum, this will show the true opinion students have about the need for Cocky’s Caravan. From that point, we just have to go with the flow and look at the issue of cancellation from our CARAVAN ● 3

2006

St ude nt G o v e r n me nt officials create the idea of Cock y’s Caravan, a latenight shuttle bus ser vice t o p r o t e c t s t u d e nt s i n dow ntow n hospit a l it y districts.

The bus runs its first r out e a f t e r a j o y ou s celebration and ribboncutting ceremony outside Russell House.

FALL 2008

SPRING 2009

E x p r e s s i n g disappoint ment w it h consistently low numbers, SG leaders decide to keep t he ser v ice but upg rade advertisements and change route timing. Numbers still don’t improve.

SG say s it m ight c a n c e l t he p r o g r a m overall, just two years after it started.

FALL 2010

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE SPORTS

Wednesday 73°

“It would be a major harm if there’s a blanket moratorium,” said Ted Moore, USC’s vice president for finance and planning. “However, if it is passed, we are optimistic it will be selective.”

Also, the Budget and Control Board will consider a moratorium on capital spending projects by public universities today. Should that happen, $115 million i n USC projec t s w i l l be stopped immediately. Other projects around the state would be halted as well.

‘Legend’ Doesn’t Fly

Opinion Grab Bag

Garcia Still Top Guy

Carolina Pulls Upset

3-D animated ‘Legend of the Guardians’ excels visually, but lacks the plot depth to make it a classic.

Columnists gossip about whether College ACB is fun, freedom of speech or slanderous sludge.

Stephen Garcia is expected start as quarterback against Alabama.

The USC men’s soccer team upsets No. 19 Wake Forest in Winston-Salem.

See page 5

See page 4

See page 7

www.dailygamecock.com

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LOCAL

The Daily Gamecock â—? WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2010

NATIONAL

INTERNATIONAL

Flooding possible along coast UT student opens fire, kills self Mudslide leaves 11 missing Emergency officials are warning that widespread flooding is possible as another round of heavy rain is expected to move up the coast of the Carolinas over the next few days.

The latest deluge comes on top of a round of heav y rain Monday that caused f looding from Charleston to Jacksonville, N.C. But those storms fell on mostly dry ground. The second batch will fall on areas already drenched, said Michael Colby, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C. “The g rou nd’s already sat u rated,� he said. “There’s still some creeks and streams that are still swollen.�

The rain is associated with a tropical depression expected to move across southern Florida then come ashore again Thu rsday af ter noon near Wilmington.

Flood watches have been issued for today from Charleston to the Outer Banks. Forecasters say areas near the coast could see 3 or more inches of rain, with 10 inches possible around Wilmington.

That would come just a few days after the second rainiest day in Wilmington’s history. The weather ser vice said 10.33 inches of rain fell Monday, trailing only the day in September 1999 when Hurricane Floyd came ashore.

Emergenc y of f icials in sout heastern Nort h Carolina are more worried about the rain than the wind with this storm, said Warren Lee, the director of the New Hanover County Department of Emergency Management. “Tomorrow is defi nitely a concern for us,� Lee said Tuesday. “Anything we get in large volumes is going to pond in those low-lying areas.�

In Charleston, crews spent a dry, sunny Tuesday cleaning out storm drains and making plans to handle the 3 to 5 inches of rain forecast to fall Wednesday into Thursday. “We have the crews ready. The police department is ready,� Charleston Emergency Planner Mark Ruppel said. “We have a pretty good system in place.�

There is st ill a lot of u ncertaint y w it h t he storm. If it tracks 20 to 30 miles west of its current forecast, the coast could see even more heavy rain.

If it moves 30 miles offshore, the rain may not be as intense, said Jonathan Lamb, a meteorologist with the weather service in Charleston. “It is one of t hose s y stem s where a sma l l difference in the track could mean a big difference in the weather,� Lamb said. — Compiled by The Associated Press

AUSTIN, TEXAS— A student wearing a dark suit and a ski mask opened fire Tuesday with an assault rif le on t he Un iversit y of Texas campus before fleeing into a library and fatally shooting himself.

No one else was hurt.

The shooting began near a fountain in front of the UT Tower — the site of one of the nation’s deadliest shooting rampages more t ha n fou r decades ago, when a gunman ascended the clock tower and fired down on dozens of people.

Within hours of Tue sday ’s g u n f i re, t he school issued an all-clear notice, but the university remained closed, and the area around the library was still considered a crime scene. “Our campus is safe,� school Pre sident Bi l l Powers said.

A u s t i n Pol ic e C h ie f Art Acevedo expected the school to be “completely open and back to normal�

by Wednesday morning.

Aut horit ies ident if ied the gunman as 19-yearo l d C o l t o n To o l e y, a sophomore mat h major.

Pol ice decl i ned to speculate on his motive.

Tooley’s parents did not i m med iately respond to a message left by The Associated Press.

T h e 50 , 0 0 0 - s t u d e nt u n iversit y had been on lockdown while officers with bomb-sniffing dogs carried out a building-bybuilding manhunt.

A f ter t he g unf ire, authorities searched for a possible second shooter, but they eventually concluded the gunman acted alone.

Conf usion about t he number of suspects arose because shots were fired i n mu lt ip le lo c at io n s , a nd of f icers received varying descriptions from

witnesses, campus police Chief Robert Dahlstrom said.

B e f o r e r e a c h i n g t he l i b r a r y, t h e g u n m a n app a r e nt l y w a l k e d f or several blocks wearing a mask and dark clothing and carrying an automatic weapon, witnesses said.

Const r uc t ion worker Ruben Cordoba said he was installing a fence on the roof of a three-story building near the library when he looked down and made eye contact with the suspect. “I saw i n h is eyes he didn’t care,� Cordoba said.

The gunman continued dow n t he st reet, f iring t h ree shot s toward a ca mpus chu rch, t hen cha nged d i rec t ion a nd fired three more times into the air, Cordoba said.

A garbage truck driver leaped out of his vehicle a nd ra n away, a s d id a woman carr y ing t wo babies, the construction worker said. “I’m not scared, but I was scared for the people around me,� Cordoba said.

R a nd a l l W i l h it e , a n adjunct law professor, said he was driv ing to class when he saw “st udent s start scrambling behind wastebaskets, t rees and monuments,� and then a young man carr y ing an assault rifle sprinting along the street. “He was running right in front of me ... and he shot what I thought were three more shots ... not at me.

In my direction, but not at me,� Wilhite said.

The professor said t he g u nman had t he oppor t u n it y to shoot several people, but he did not.

Police said it was unclear whether the gunman was targeting anyone with the AK-47.

OA X AC A , Mex ico — A huge mudslide f irst thought to have buried hundreds of people has left only 11 missing and there are no confi rmed dead, authorities said Tuesday night, backing off earlier predictions of a catastrophe in Mexico’s rain-soaked southern state of Oaxaca.

Federal Interior Minister Francisco Blake and Oa xaca G ov. U lises Ru iz bot h conf ir med t he drastically reduced toll from the slide that hit the town of Santa Maria de Tlahuitoltepec early Tuesday. “So far no one is confirmed dead. Eleven are missing,� Ruiz told The Associated Press. “We hope that this type of information will continue and they (the missing) will be found.�

Initial reports from Santa Maria de Tlahuitoltepec, a rural mountain town 373 miles (600 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City, said a hillside collapsed on hundreds of sleeping residents after several days of heavy rains in the aftermath of a hurricane and tropical storm that hit Mexico and Central America.

Civil protection authorities first reported seven people killed and at least 100 missing, but Ruiz later reported casualties as four dead and 12 missing.

Communications with the town were difficult after the pre-dawn slide. Soldiers and civil protection and Red Cross workers couldn’t reach the area for nearly 10 hours because mud and rocks blocked roads and a bridge was damaged, while bad weather prevented helicopters from being used.

President Felipe Calderon reported on his Twitter account Tuesday afternoon that an army commander and 30 soldiers had reached the town by foot and that there was a lot of damage, but “perhaps not of the magnitude initially reported.�

Donato Vargas, an official in Santa Maria de Tlahuitoltepec reached by a satellite telephone, had said as many as 300 homes were believed to buried, and residents who made it out early in the morning said they had no success digging out neighbors. “We have been using a backhoe but there is a lot of mud. We can’t even see the homes, we can’t hear shouts, we can’t hear anything,� Vargas said.

Vargas said the slide dragged houses packed with sleeping families some 1,300 feet (400 meters) down the hillside along with cars, livestock and light poles. “We were all sleeping and all I heard was a loud noise and when I left the house I saw that the hill had fallen,� Vargas said. “We were left without electricity, without telephone and we couldn’t help them. There was no way to move the mud.�

One person was reported killed in a mudslide in anot her Oa xaca commu nit y, Villa H idalgo, and 30 people were k illed Monday in a slide in Colombia. Heavy rains, including some delivered by the remnants of Hurricane Karl and then Tropical Storm Matthew, also have produced deadly floods in southern Mexico and Central America.

Oaxaca Civil Protection operations coordinator Luis Marin said the state had seen three days straight of intense rain. The state government warned residents south of the city of Oaxaca of flooding from overflowing rivers and opened shelters in other parts of the state.

Santa Maria de Tlahuitoltepec, which had 9,000 residents in 2005 according to Mexican census data, is a communit y high in t he Sierra Norte mountains known for maintaining its indigenous culture, especially its music. Residents speak the native language, Mixe, and its youth orchestra plays throughout Mexico.

Vargas said a second hill threatened to give way in another part of town. “We are in a serious risk situation,� he said. “In all of our neighborhoods there are houses and roads cracked and about to fall.�

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The Daily Gamecock ● WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2010

PAGE 3

SUMMIT ● Continued from 1 it appropriates for higher education. USC Provost Michael Amiridis and Clemson trustee member Bill Hendrix vehemently argued those dollars shouldn’t count in state funding. They say that money goes directly to students who pay for college, and while they support the program, the universities still only see those dollars once. That one time is from the students.

Later f igures from the Commission on Higher Education showed drooping figures as those charts didn’t include Lottery scholarships.

Sanford took more shots at Innovista and other economic development projects. And he was echoed by a handful of upset parents in the audience who said they were tired of seeing rising tuition rates.

“I’m not going to be around to decide it,” Sanford said. “Y’all are going to decide it. But I’ve talked to parents all around South Carolina, and rising tuition costs are a huge problem.”

But he was often smiling, nodding and seeming conciliatory after university administrators made their spiels one by one. While university administrators said they were against raising tuition, they’ve been forced

to play the cards they were dealt.

University officials said tuition increases have been approved hesitantly. Statewide funding for education in South Carolina has dropped significantly, said Ken Wingate, chairman of the S.C. Commission on Higher Education . Just 10 years ago, 17 percent of public college funding came from the state. Now, it’s less than nine percent, Wingate said.

Dr. Ted Moore, USC’s vice president for fi nance and planning, said the University’s construction projects were neither ritzy nor taxpayer-reliant. He noted many were maintenance issues, safety concerns and muchneeded upgrades to historic buildings.

Moore used the $90 million Darla Moore School of Business to demonstrate how USC is searching for alternative funding for new projects. None of that $90 million came from taxpayer funds, as it was a mix of loan payments from the federal government, private philanthropy and USC funds.

The strongest criticisms of the day came from M ichael Pol ia kof f, t he pol ic y d i rec tor for t he American Council of Trustees and Alumni. Poliakoff

RELIEF ● Continued from 1 y e a r a n d w i l l a g a i n deregulating legislation.

“We don’t know where ask this year for a s t r e a m l i n i n g o f t h e the money is going, and proce s s,” Moore sa id. that’s why the regulatory “Ideally, we will see the bill is bei ng held up,” number of review levels at said Sen. Kevin Br yant the state reduced to one.” from Anderson .“Higher C o a s t a l C a r o l i n a educat ion i nst it ut ions Un i v e r s it y P r e s i d e nt s hou ld put up on l i ne David DeCenzo echoed how t he y ’re spend i ng M o o r e ’ s c o m m e n t s . their money so a student D e C e n z o s a i d h i s can go online and find u n i v e r s it y i s hold i n g out where t he mone y mone y i n t he ba n k it i s goi ng, but t here i s can’t use yet due to state a host ile resista nce to transparency. We can’t regulations.

L e g i s l a t i o n o n t h e have a discussion about matter will come before taxes and spending if we t he G eneral A ssembly don’t k now where t he t h is spr i ng. One st ate money is going.” senator present at t he su m m it sa id he Comments on this story? would vote against the E-mail gamecocknews@sc.edu CARAVAN ● Continued from 1 on campus. It also created a perspective,” Yazdani said.

Many students might feel Facebook group for the bus.

But October’s st udent it is not necessary because campus is so close to the Five forum is essentially the last Points area, according to chance of survival for this Yazdani. Many off-campus nighttime bus system. apartment complexes provide a bus downtown as well. “ I ’ v e u s e d C o c k y ’s Comments on this story?

Caravan once or t wice,” E-mail gamecocknews@sc.edu “Ultimately, we want to said fourth-year broadcast major Krista Bagley. “If it promote st udent safet y,” was more reliable, I feel like Yazdani said. “If students more students would use the don’t show an interest in system. I never see anyone keeping Cocky’s, we will See itwhat’s in ut theilize Vista. shut downnew and riding Cocky’s anymore.”

Call or check us out online!

Ea rl ier t h is yea r, SG the funding elsewhere for thought it could revitalize alternative safety projects.” t he bus. It updated t he maps, rolled out new 1218 Pulaski Street, Columbia, SC (Across from Publix in the Vista) advertisements and amped 803-787-SKIN(7546) up the service’s presence www.occoskinstudio.com

There will be free burritos at Moe’s next Wednesday.

According to the restaurant’s Columbia Twitter account, the Facebook fan group hit 7,000 followers Tuesday.

The restaurant promised a day of free burritos for USC students, faculty and staff if it accumulated 7,000 followers.

@

admonished leaders for embarking on capital projects, teaching specialty courses instead of focusing on core curriculum requirements and not restructuring their campuses in the midst of an economic downturn.

“As trustees, it doesn’t take courage to pass the buck and raise tuition,” Poliakoff said.

Near the end of the summit, Wingate said the biggest problem is simple: South Carolina isn’t educating enough students.

“We pathetically only have 23 percent hold a fouryear degree,” Wingate said. “Fewer than one in four hold a four-year degree. Of course our unemployment is up, our per capita income is down and we have those other problems.

That brought a loud, boisterous applause from the room and Sanford. And at the end of the meeting, the tense debate seemed to be praised by both sides.

“It was a dialogue and not a monologue,” Moore said.

“I believe it exceeded expectations by far.”

Comments on this story?

E-mail gamecocknews@sc.edu

FREE MOE’S! The burritos will be served Oct. 6 at the Main Street location. You’ll have to show your Carolina Card for a free burrito.

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PAGE 4

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2010

OPINION GRAB BAG

EDITORIAL BOARD KARA APEL

ELLEN MEDER RYAN QUINN Viewpoints Editor

JOSH DAWSEY News Editor

PAULINA OLIVARES Assistant Design Director

Obsession with thinness harmful

Columnists gossip about whether College ACB is merely fun, freedom of speech or slanderous sludge that should be taken down

Editor-in-Chief

Managing Editor

Healthiness more crucial than weight

SHANON GREEN Assistant Copy Desk Chief

COLIN CAMPBELL Assistant Mix Editor

JAMES KRATCH Assistant Sports Editor

KERI GOFF Senior Photographer

Sanford in no place to criticize spending At his education summit Tuesday, Gov. Mark Sanford criticized USC for starting expensive building projects while tuition continues to rise. Perhaps that’s a legitimate complaint, but coming from the mouth of Sanford we can only respond, “Who are you to tell us what to do?”

At first it sounds like a strange question.

Sanford is the governor of our state after all, and USC is a public “We are financially a university. States bear private university — most of the fi nancial burden of their public how we spend should universities, so they should have a say in be a private concern.” how their money is being spent. But USC is a public university only in name.

Only nine percent of our funding comes from the state. At the same time Sanford condemns USC for raising tuition, he continues to slash our funding in the Capitol. We are financially a private university — how we spend our cash should be our private concern.

How about a compromise? Since the state only gives us one-tenth of our budget, for every one opinion we hear from Sanford, we should hear nine from informed persons who aren’t hypocrites.

To say the least, College ACB is a vapid website. Out of curiosity, I went to the website. What I read there was sickeningly dumb. The website has racial slurs and profanity aplenty, and it was only students talking crap about other students. Gossip is a pain. I’ve had parts of my life trashed by gossip, and I wouldn’t wish the same on another person. I was horrified to see that people I’ve seen around campus have been talked about on this website. The website is only trash; there is no reason to pay attention to it.

Let’s just move on from it and continue living our lives.

Steven Kramer First-year anthropology student I, too, had to check this website out.

What I found on it was hilariously bad.

I almost refuse to believe that the board for the University of South Carolina has posts such as “Who’s VIRGIN in USC?” and “Hot girls that don’t put out: who should we not waste our time with?”

From the news article, I halfway expected it to be like the old 4chan website, full of biased and unfiltered rage. Instead, it’s just Facebook but anonymous, used to trash talk people you dislike and make posts glorifying yourself while pretending to be someone else.

So, while I think it’s ‘fun freedom of speech’ and shouldn’t be taken down, I certainly feel sorry for the users of this website. I would tell users to use common sense when looking at this website, but w it h post s l ike “QU EST ION EVERYONE!!!!!! Are there different terms for male and female squirrels??????”

I doubt common sense runs rampant through this website.

In short, at least a website like this keeps t he du mbest r u mors of f of Facebook, where people who matter actually have a chance of seeing them.

invasion lawsuits I have ever heard of.

If College ACB were in print like The Gamecock is, its publisher and editor could be liable for defamation if not invasion of privacy. Here’s a website where you can air out everyone’s dirty laundry — anonymously. If your reputation tanks in past or future due to what’s on that website, you can’t sue the owners because they’re federally protected as interactive website owners. Weird, isn’t it? Then, it’s difficult to track down the IP addresses of the people who did this to you — and even when they do, they can hide behind plausible deniability. It’s a legal mess and there’s no easy way to put these guys out of business for good.

Austin Jackson Third-year political science student I am pretty sure there are a lot of things going on that need plenty more brainstorming from active college minds than a gossip website. This topic should not be worthy of being discussed here.

Keep your integrity and dignity intact, and let the gossipers waste their lives away ogling at computer screens.

Apoorva Srivastava Fourth-year interdisciplinary studies student Let the website stay. Those who actually frequent these dim witted pages deserve to have their IQ points and selfrespect whittled away slowly. For those who have been a victim of this gossip, don’t even think twice about it. Just stop checking the website, move on with your life in a dignified manner and keep in mind that at least you’re not the loser who wasted his/her worthless time typing nasty, anonymous things about someone else.

Alice Chang First-year international business student

Casey Long First-year computer science student

Get a flippin’ life.

College ACB is the most ingenious evasion of defamat ion and privac y

Emily Shipp

Christians should read Bible before preaching it Many Americans know surprisingly little about religion nation was founded on W hat a September. I can’t imagine any other time when it would be more exciting and controversial to be what we are: students. Sanford and USC are bickering like overworked parents, and Obama wants to change the meaning of student debt. This focus on education points to a very real anxiety that has begun to bother Americans anew: Our intelligence, unlike our waistbands, isn’t substantially growing. Now dealing with an economy and a work force in jeopardy, lawmakers worry that the next generation may not have the skills to deal with America’s troubled future.

But public policies and funding shortfalls don’t f u l ly i l lust rate t he rea l problem.

Americans, at the individual level, lack even the basic knowledge to identify their personal and cultural identity. It’s not even a matter of economic viability. It’s about talking the talk while walking the walk, i.e. knowing something about the things you care about. A new Pew study shows that Americans might not even be able to do that. The U.S. Religious Knowledge

Survey published Tuesday found that atheists/ agnostics, Mormons and Jews knew the most about religion in general and that atheists/ agnostics knew more about Christianity — a belief with which most Americans identify — than all Christians except for evangelicals and Mormons. Even after adjusting for factors of race and social class the numbers held true.

As soon as I saw these results, I thought of a single sentence: “A mer ic a wa s fou nded a s a Christian nation.” This phrase, which still makes me wince, now causes me to be genuinely Michael Lambert concerned. There is no doubting Second-year that Christianity plays a vital role comparative in most Americans’ lives, but how literature student you can defend making decisions based on a faith you know so little about? How is it that the minority groups can be better informed than those in the majority?

If this is a Christian nation, then its Christians need to concern themselves less with what’s outside the church than what happens within, defend less the Bible than understanding what’s

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really inside it.

I would say that the root cause for knowing so little about religion is this outward concern, this quickness to apply it to hot button issues like gay marriage, abortion or our engagement with Islam worldwide. We’ve constructed an image of Christian values under attack, and we seem to cling more to that image than the actual doctrines. Respondents to the survey correctly answered that prayer was forbidden in public schools, but many erroneously thought that the Bible could not be used as a literary text in English or religion class. There remains this disconnect between the image of Christianity being marginalized by secularists and the reality today, and this fear drowns out any curiosity about what it means to be a Christian in America.

Amid the continued arguments over the value of an American education this survey should be taken into account. Perhaps not all of us can be surgeons or CEOs, or lead our country into the “Green Age” of environmental technology. But we should all be expected to accurately defend the ideas that shape our inner life and our outer discourse.

The credo concerning body image in societ y i s o ne of el it i s m : I f you’re stout, you’re out.

If you’re t hin, you’re in. This obsession over obesity is creating people who are over concerned w it h t hei r phy sica l appearance.

Women are fi xated on emulating the waif like f i g u r e s o f t o d a y ’s models. Men believe that women hold no sense of attraction for a man who does not have a s i x- p a c k .

People should not be Steven concerned Kramer w i t h First-year hav ing a anthropology student b e aut i f u l body, but a hea lt hy l i f e s t y le . T h i s b o d y image mania only causes people to starve themselves and develop inferiority complexes.

People believe t hat if they are fat they are unwanted and f lawed.

Th is is not t he case.

J u s t b e c a u s e y o u ’r e over weight do e s not mean that society will reject you. America and t he rest of t he world should make t heir mission one of fighting u n healt hy choices instead of being skinny.

Who cares about being stout? Can’t hav ing a stick-thin figure be just as deteriorating to your health?

I have seen a myriad of Internet ads claiming they know the secret to healthy lifestyles: pills, diet shakes or even free gastric bypass surgery.

But the secret to a healthy life is simply eating less fatty foods and moving around more. If you’re concer ned w it h you r body image, don’t worry ab out it . T h i s fo c u s on body image is one of idiocy. Worry more about the life you lead a nd t he p e o p le w ho c a r e ab o u t y o u ; t h e contentment and wellbeing will soon follow.

Since when did being so thin become s o i m p o r t a nt ? W h o is sha l low enough to judge a woman just by her body? Personally, I wouldn’t want to date a woma n who has a fantastic body but has a personality as interesting as a wet carrot.

Happiness comes from within someone, not from the opinions of society.

Editor-in-Chief KARA APEL Managing Editor ELLEN MEDER Copy Desk Chief KRISTYN SANITO Assistant Copy Desk Chief SHANON GREEN Design Director MORGAN REID Assistant Design Director PAULINA OLIVARES Senior Designer CHRIS BROWN News Editor JOSH DAWSEY Assistant News Editors JONATHAN BATTAGLIA SARA HARTLEY Viewpoints Editor RYAN QUINN Assistant Viewpoints Editor KRISTYN WINCH The Mix Editor JIMMY GILMORE Assistant Mix Editor COLIN CAMPBELL Sports Editor CHRIS COX

Assistant Sports Editor JAMES KRATCH Photo Editor SCOTT FOWLER Assistant Photo Editor JEREMY AARON Senior Photographer KERI GOFF Webmaster GEOFFREY MARSI Multimedia Director MILES MILLER Page Designers BRENNAN WARE, EMILY HETZEL, ALLYSON SEITZER Staff Writers TAYLOR CHENEY, SARA LEARY, JAKE FITZGERALD, NEAL HUGHES, CHLOE GOULD, CHRIS BILKO, RYAN VELASQUEZ Copy Editors CASSIE STANTON, SAM EDWARDS, EDDIE MANN, MOLLY RUGGERE, KAYLA CAHILL, ALICE CHANG, SYDNEY PATTERSON Photographers RICHARD PEARCE Graduate Assistant KIOSHA GREGG

Student Media Director SCOTT LINDENBERG Faculty Adviser ERIK COLLINS Creative Director EDGAR SANTANA Business Manager CAROLYN GRIFFIN Advertising Manager SARAH SCARBOROUGH Classifieds Manager SHERRY F. HOLMES Production Manager C. NEIL SCOTT Creative Services MADDY ALFORD, A.J. BIKOWSKI, DEMETRIUS COOPER, LIZ HOWELL, MADDIE MCDOWELL, ALLYSON SEITZER Advertising JULIE CANTER, HANNAH COOK, ELIZABETH GOOD, PHILIP KISELICK, ELYSSA MARKLE, QUINCY ROBINSON, MEGHAN TANKERSLEY

CONTACT INFORMATION

Offices located on the third floor of the Russell House Editor: gamecockeditor@sc.edu News: gamecocknews@sc.edu Viewpoints: gamecockopinions@sc.edu The Mix: gamecockfeatures@sc.edu Sports: gamecocksportspage@sc.edu Online: www.dailygamecock.com Newsroom: 777-7726 Sports: 777-7182 Editor’s Office: 777-3914 Fax: 777-6482 The Daily Gamecock is the editorially independent student newspaper of the University of South Carolina. It is published daily 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 Daily Gamecock are those of the editors or author and not those of the University of South Carolina.

Th e Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher of The Daily Gamecock. Th e Department of Student Media is the newspaper’s parent organization. The Daily Gamecock is supported in part by student-activity fees. One free copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 each from the Department of Student Media.

“I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work.

I want to achieve it through not dying.”

-Woody Allen

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2010

PAGE 5

Comedy night brings amateur acts to Russell ‘Open Mic Night’ features USC talent, draws rude crowd Travis Broussard

THE DAILY GAMECOCK

‘Guardians’ fails to be ‘legendary’ Animated film impresses with visual effects, but plot lacks depth, originality Tyler Simpson

THE DAILY GAMECOCK

‘Legend of the Guardians’ NOW IN THEATERS ★ ★ ★ out of ✩✩✩✩✩

Director: Zack Snyder Voices: Jim Sturgess, Sam Neill, Helen Mirren, David Wenam, Geoffrey Rush Run Time: 90 minutes Rating: PG for some scenes of mild violence From the studio that created “Happy Feet,” and based off Kathryn Lasky’s “Guardians of Ga’Hoole” book series, “Legend of the Guardians” soared into theaters this past Friday in 3-D. Entering animation for the first time, director Zack Snyder (“300,” “Watchmen”) continues to show audiences that he is a visual stylist in movie-making.

Snyder, however, does nothing to enhance the age-old story premise of good versus evil.

While it is admirable that Snyder wanted to make a child- and teen-friendly movie, the film’s dark tone somewhat makes it less childfriendly than it should be. However, Snyder’s experience in dealing with dark stories like “Dawn of the Dead” and “Watchmen” helps to make the dark tone work for the film.

The film follows Soren, a young owl who

becomes fascinated with his father’s stories about a mystic band of owl warriors known as the Guardians of Ga’Hoole, who once defended the owl kingdom from the e v i l Pure Ones. Soren’s brother, Kludd, is more focused on learning to fly, hunt and gain his father’s undivided favor from his brother. This sibling rivalry eventually causes the two to fall from their tree home and into the talons of the evil Pure Ones. Soren soon learns t hat the stories of the Guardians of Ga’hoole are indeed t r ue and escapes the clutches of the Pure Ones to fly off toward the home of the Guardians with some new companions. While Soren strives to find the Guardians, Kludd stays with the Pure Ones and follows a much darker path opposite his brother. It all leads up to an epic battle between good and evil that determines the future of the owl kingdom.

The only real positive attribute of this film, aside from its stellar cast of voice actors ( Jim Sturgess and Ryan Kwanten , among others), is the visual effects exhibited throughout the movie, such as effective use of slow motion. Snyder is no stranger to using such visuals; they are the same as those displayed in previous successes “300” and “Watchmen.” These effects help to portray the detail of the film’s computer animation. The use of 3-D also does well to help complement the computer graphics.

The movie proves to be an aesthetic improvement of its studio’s previous project “Happy Feet.” “Legend of the Guardians”

exhibits a massive quality of detail on the feathers of the owls and other life-like features. This was the strong point of the film, as the writers of the film elected to stay away from an underlined political storyline.

That being said, the movie is prevented from flying to greater heights because of its story, and it lacks the necessary amount of depth and originality to make it a milestone in computer animation. Without the needed detail, viewers may be unable to watch the movie and not question what is happening during some sequences in the film. The lack of story development and futile attempts at comedy serve to lessen what is supposed to be an epic adventure.

The unoriginal nature of the story causes a feeling of unnatural familiarit y while watching t he f ilm. A s a f ict ional f ilm, “Legend of the Guardians” features similar themes and components expressed in past sci-fi and fantasy films, such as the premise of light side versus dark side in “Stars Wars” and “Lord of the Rings.” To its weakness, the story of “Legend of the Guardians,” however, remains straightforward without any clever dialogue to strengthen it.

“Legend of the Guardians” is an artistically dazzling film that is grounded by a story that is unoriginal and predictable even to those who have not read the books. A younger generation of audiences will definitely be entertained, but older audiences will fi nd it to be just another visual treat. Overall, “Use your gizzard” just does not match up to an old-fashioned “Use the force.”

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‘Devil’ of a missed opportunity, B-movie through and through Shyamalan’s elevator murder story creative concept for horror film, poorly executed Aaron Jenkins

THE DAILY GAMECOCK

‘Devil’ NOW IN THEATERS

★ ★ out of ✩✩✩✩✩

Director: John Dowdle Starring: Chris Messina, Carolina Dhavernas Run Time: 80 minutes Rating: PG-13 for violence and disturbing images, thematic material and some language, including sexual references As with most films born from “the mind of M. Night Shyamalan,” “Devil” isn’t afraid to ask big, if somewhat inane, questions, like “What if Satan stepped onto an elevator with a group of strangers?” Although it may attempt to convey a message, “Devil,” directed by John Dowdle (“Quarantine”) and co-written by Brian Nelson and Shyamalan, is a ridiculous B-movie, through and through.

The story begins with a police officer investigating a suicide where someone has jumped from the window of a skyscraper. The plot then cuts to a group of five strangers who board an elevator inside said skyscraper. On its way up, the elevator suddenly stops and its doors jam.

Two security guards watching the event attempt to calm the passengers over a one-way radio while an engineer goes to investigate the issue.

Before long, things begin to take a turn for the absurd. The elevator lights power off for several seconds, and when they return, a young businesswoman aboard notices several bloody gashes on her lower back.

Then begins a mad chase by the police to rescue those left aboard before they are mysteriously killed by the unseen force.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the film is that each murder is preceded by the elevator lights flicking off. It’s a pretty cheesy trick, but having the killings accompanied only by audio can be pretty unnerving.

The problem is it doesn’t really get any more frightening each subsequent time. By the fourth time the lights flick off and the same sound effects of heavy breathing, thudding against metal walls and screaming occur, the film yells “missed opportunity” at its audience. With a premise as supernatural as “devil on an elevator,” having the sound effects of Satan’s killings be realistic noises is just foolish. One has to only watch last year’s “Paranormal Activity” to understand how abstracted sounds unaccompanied by a visible threat can be absolutely terrifying.

But that is a major problem with “Devil”: It doesn’t do a good job at raising its stakes. The entire mystery of the film boils down to a pointless “whodunit” plot. Every time the police officer discovers something about the people on the elevator, the film swiftly resorts back to its simplistic “the devil did it” concept.

Also, as any good film about characters trapped in an enclosed space (see “Cube” or “The Descent”) would illustrate, frequently cutting the camera out of the enclosed space is a poor decision. Instead of feeling trapped inside the elevator with the terrified victims, the audience gets to breathe fresh air almost every minute of the movie. This was done in order to supply the film with more of a plot, but it also has the effect of dispelling most of the tension.

Fortunately, there are some fun moments in “Devil.” Characters saying idiotic lines almost directly into the camera, dying in such foolish ways that they appear suicidal or jumping into the frame to yell one line of exposition make for great laughs. One of the best moments in the entire film involves a religious security guard explaining a spiritual equivalent of Chaos Theory using a piece of jelly-covered toast. These surreal moments redeem the film somewhat, but they also make it nearly impossible to take the film’s dramatic final act seriously.

By its end, “Devil” wants to leave its audience with a message about faith. Unfortunately, it is poorly conveyed and heavy-handed. The film doesn’t earn its final moments either, during which a character’s backstory is introduced and resolved in the same two minutes. It’s never really clear what “Devil” wants to be. Its odd mix of blatantly obvious moral statements smothered in campy horror may be enjoyable in an ironic sense to some, but to most it will simply prove idiotic.

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Courtesy of MCT Campus

M. Night Shyamalan, John Dowdle and producer Drew Dowdle talk on the set.

Becoming a comedian is a risky venture. One never knows how his or her act will be received by a diverse audience or if his or her material is even entertaining enough to hold up i n a stand-up setting.

This uncertainty is why most aspiring comedians and comediennes decide to start at small open mic nights like t he one held in Russell House Theater Monday night . At an open m ic event, t he audience comes in expecting a wide range of talent and ability, and the person onstage has a chance to test the waters and see just where he or she needs improvement. Those who have already found a foothold in comedy often attend these same events to get more exposure in hopes that they can one day “go pro” and walk alongside famous stand-up superstars like Lewis Black or Dane Cook.

M o n d a y n i g ht ’s a c t s ranged from experienced small-time performers to f i r st-t i mer s completely new to the comedic world.

Each performer brought his or her own style to the table, from one student’s provocative Craigslist ad to Micah Wit herspoon’s eerily accurate impression of former G amecock s coach Lou Holt z a nd h is i ncomprehensible, inspirational speeches.

Other performers decided to take a less gimmick y approach and instead opted for the “slice of life” style most professional comedians rely on in their acts. For example, one USC faculty memb er op ened w it h a piece about “haters” and his roommate’s unusual habits and video game addiction, leaving the rest of the night t o a p r i m a r i l y s t ude nt lineup.

A mong these was Carol i na Product ions me mb er a nd f i r s t-y e a r st udent Z oe Tot h , who warned the audience to be careful what they wished for. She told a story from her childhood on living in New Orleans and how her oncewindowless room got an instant, free skylight thanks to Hurricane Katrina. She a lso jok i ngly wondered why Capstone, despite its community’s status in the student hierarchy, rarely has hot water for showers.

Un f o r t u n a t e l y, e v e n these performances were not enough to keep most of t he audience in t heir seats. By the night’s halfway point, more than a third of the original audience had walked out on the remaining performers. This did not discourage the remaining comedians, however, who took t he sma l ler c rowd as an opportunit y to add audience participation to their routines with varying degrees of success.

The decision turned out to be a double-edged sword as some irate or just outright bored audience members saw fit to openly insult the acts. Despite the audience’s rude reactions to many of t he performances, ever y participant performed and did his or her best to laugh off the naysayers. That’s the nature of comedy.

Comments on this story?

E-mail gamecockfeatures@ sc.edu

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2010

PAGE 6

Bunny and Ravy ● By Marlowe Leverette / The Daily Gamecock

The Scene

USC

CALENDAR

WHAT: Omega Psi Phi table W H E N : 10:3 0 a . m .

WHERE: Greene Street W H AT: S p r i n g B r e a k information table WHEN: 11 a.m.

WHERE: Greene Street WHAT: Zeta Phi Beta Day W H E N : 11 a . m .

WHERE: Greene Street WHAT: Senate Meeting WHEN: 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: Russell House 322/326

PICTURE OF THE DAY I AM LOVE 3 AND 5:30 P.M., $6.50 NICKELODEON THEATRE, 937 MAIN ST.

TODAY

TOMORROW

BATTLE OF THE BANDS

7 p.m. doors, $8 New Brookland Tavern, 122 State St. SOUTH CAROLINA BROADCASTERS W/ JOSH MCGILL

6 p.m. doors, $5 The White Mule, 1530 Main St. Parker Jennette / THE DAILY GAMECOCK

An anti-abortion protester exercises his freedom of speech at the corner of Airport Boulevard and Charleston Highway frequently to spread awareness about his cause.

Crossword

GE M I N I S t r e s s i n t he work pl ac e w i l l be compounded by d if ferences i n opi n ion bet ween males and fema les. Dif f use t he situation by listening for what’s missing.

CANCER At least you’re aware today of what others believe they want.

You may not agree, but try to fulfill their desires any way. You w ill learn something by day’s end.

W H AT: N a v i g a t o r Wo m e n’s B i b l e S t u d y WHEN: 8 p.m.

WHERE: RH 348 W H A T : Y o u n g Life College Life WHEN: 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: RH 303

Edited by Wayne Robert Williams

09/29/10

Columbia Charlotte Shuttle

1234567890-=

T AU RUS I f y o u depend on luck, you will actually get great results in the romance department.

Take it all in stride. You’ve earned the good fortune.

TA N G IBL E H I S T O RY: STONE WARE FROM THE H O L C O M B E FA M I LY COLLECTION 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., $7 South Ca rolina State Museum, 301 Gervais St.

W H AT: Wa ke b o a rd i n g C l u b m e e t i n g WHEN: 8 p.m.

WHERE: RH 305

Brought to you by:

HOROSCOPES

A R I E S Te n s i o n s between you and associates muddle a dynamic where awareness can be achieved.

State your positions clearly using basic facts.

SILV ERYA N A : THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF FREDRIC TOBIAS MORRIS 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., Free McKissick Museum

W H AT: H o m e c o m i n g 2010 i nte re st m e eti n g WHEN: 7 p.m.

WHERE: RH 205

LEO Don’t pla n to conquer the world today.

If you can manage your own mind, you’ve made progress. Cleaning up your household environment also helps.

W hatever happens in a social setting will return home with you. Then, you will see the good fortune attached to what seemed quite unpleasant.

SAGITTA RIUS

VIRGO People pair up to accomplish diverse tasks. The cleanup crew w ill need ext ra help in the form of supplies and manpower. Make order a priority.

Somet hing you already k new deep i n side w i l l get confirmed now with documented fact. Try not to lord it over skeptics. You know who they are.

LIBR A W ho’s t hat m a s k e d m a n w ho j u s t walked in? You need to k now in order to make a q u ic k de c i s io n . A s k pointed questions before taking action.

There’s t rouble w it h a public appearance when the star fails to arrive on time. There’s not much you can do about t hat.

Start without them.

S C OR P IO O n e group member is firing on all cylinders. Keeping up may require more effort t ha n you’re w i l l i ng to expend. Speak up if you get tired.

PISCES Yo u w i l l feel especially lucky when your partner falls in step w it h long t i me f r iend s and their plans. Personal conversat ion inspires a new start.

C A PR ICOR N

AQUA RIUS

09/29/10

Solution from 09/28/10

S

The Charlotte Airport Just Got Closer Heyents! tud $49 each way • Pick up/drop off at USC www.ColumbiaCharlotteShuttle.com • (803) 783-5123

Across 1 Minute Maid product 8 John or Paul 14 Hotel option 15 Corsage flower 16 *Tennis legend nicknamed “Rocket” 18 Early hr. to retire 19 Olivia of “The Wonder Years” 20 Resident’s suffix 22 Hebrides tongue 23 *Mighty Mouse’s archenemy 27 Watch 28 Squirrel’s home 29 Put away 30 Claude who played Sheriff Lobo in “B.J. and the Bear” 32 Profs’ aides 33 *1983 film that won the Oscar for Best Music, Original Song 35 Swing __ 37 Granola grain 38 *Stray hunter 44 Call from a crow’s nest 47 Mozart is on some Austrian ones 48 Hefty ref.

49 Pesky yard critter 50 Spot to stop: Abbr.

51 *Deli side 55 Stevie Wonder’s “__ She Lovely” 57 Court cry 58 Partner of void 59 “The Shining” mantra 61 1979 song for which Donna Summer won a Grammy, and a hint to the puzzle theme found in the answers to starred clues 65 Rio Grande city 66 Showed awe over 67 Safari sightings 68 Arachnophobe’s fear Down 1 USPS delivery 2 WWII battle site, briefly 3 Means 4 Intertwine 5 Addis __ 6 Cornwall neighbor 7 Stamp finish?

8 Faux pas 9 Airport north of Pittsburgh, in itineraries 10 Reason to see a dermatologist

11 Legalese Solution for 09/28/10 adverb 12 Mouth the words 13 ‘80s attorney general 17 Gaucho gear 21 Half of seis 23 Giant of a Giant 24 Lyricist Gershwin 25 Difficult computer of film 53 Ready to be drawn 26 “Blah ...”

54 Sashimi cousin 31 “Krazy __” 56 Air__: budget carrier 33 Sprat’s taboo 60 Amer. currency 34 Old TV knob 62 Defense gp. founded 35 “Foucault’s in Bogotá Pendulum” author 63 Way off 36 Farrier’s tool 64 NBA stats 38 Obama’s first social secretary __ Rogers 39 Move more goods than 40 Pop’s pop 41 Pigeon shelter 42 “Macbeth” setting 43 N.J. summer setting 44 Plan a heist (with) 45 Cookbook words 46 Marry 49 Shake alternative 52 “Stand and Deliver” star

The Avett Brothers Are Coming!

scStateFair.org

PAGE 7

Garcia still starting Spurrier concerned with running style

SEC POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 4 James Kratch

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

1. ALABAMA 2. FLORIDA (NO CHANGE) (NO CHANGE)

James Kratch

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Stephen Garcia is South Carolina’s No. 1 quarterback, as long as he can keep his head up.

“We plan on him starting against A labama,” coach Steve Spurrier said after practice on Tuesday. “He actually played three quarters pretty well, and then obviously the two fumbles were really bad plays. Can he stop fumbling? We’re going to give him a chance to stop fumbling.”

Spurrier’s statement came with a catch, though — Garcia has to stop leading with his head down when he runs, or he’ll likely have to leave the lineup.

“I’ve never seen any player in college football duck his head like Stephen does,” Spurrier said. “You can’t do that and avoid injury forever.”

Garcia was pulled from Saturday’s 35-27 loss at Auburn after the second of his two fourth quarter fumbles and replaced by freshman Connor Shaw.

There was some suggestion that the decision to pull Garcia was due to the redshirt junior suffering ill effects from a hard hit, but Spurrier said he didn’t know if Garcia had his bell rung or not at the time.

“I didn’t talk to him at that time,” Spurrier said.

Going forward, Spurrier will focus on breaking Garcia of his habit of running with his head down, and if Garcia does not stop, Spurrier says he’ll likely have to take a seat.

“I told Stephen I’m going to have a tough time letting him play if he continues to duck his head like that, because that’s how serious injuries occur,” Spurrier said. “We tell our guys all the time, you’ve got to see what you hit. You can run low, but you can’t duck your head. He’s going to try not to do that. He tells me he can play without doing that. He must do that, or we’re going to take him out to avoid injury to himself. Heck,

T h i n g s lo o k e d b le a k for the defending national champions, down 13 points on the road to a surging Arkansas team in front of a raucous Fayetteville crowd.

But, the Crimson Tide did what champions do — found a way to survive en route to a 24-20 win.

Th is past Sat u rday i n Gainesville will forever be remembered as the day Trey Burton introduced himself to the conference in a 48-14 win over Kentucky. With six touchdowns on the day, the freshman broke Tim Tebow’s school record and helped continue the Gators’ week-by-week improvement.

3. AUBURN 4. ARKANSAS (NO CHANGE) (UP 1)

Richard Pearce / THE DAILY GAMECOCK

Stephen Garcia is expected to start as quarterback against the Tide Oct. 9.

I’m afraid they can sue me if I let him play like that. That’s a terrible way to play football. Can’t do it like that.”

Howe ver G a rc ia goe s ab out landing when he runs, Spurrier just doesn’t want him to continue to take on tacklers.

“We ask him to get on the ground.

We don’t ask him to take on tacklers.

We don’t ask our quarterbacks to take on tacklers. We ask them to get on the ground.”

But at the same time, Spurrier

doesn’t want to discourage his signal caller from running when necessary.

“Stephen, he’s a pretty good runner with the ball. He made some positive yards at the right time,” Spurrier said.

“He hasn’t thrown a lot of picks this year. Other than the fumbles, he’s played pretty decently.”

Picture this: you graduate from college and the job market you’re interested in doesn’t really have a place for you, or so you think. After taking a year off, you land a job that most people in your profession haven’t even heard of, and the pay is crummy.

You get a better job next, but it’s temporary and you find yourself out of work once again. Finally, you get a shot at the job you’ve always dreamed of, but then you get fired. You’re about ready to start all over and find a new career, but then you get one more chance at the dream job and this time, you’re a star. And when I say star, I mean it, like on the national stage.

Seems a little unrealistic, right? What if I told you we were talking about an NFL wide receiver? Anthony Armstrong of the Washington Redskins, to be exact.

To say that Armstrong’s journey to the NFL was untraditional would be a bit of an understatement, as he is 27 and in his first year in the league.

Let’s start from the beginning. Armstrong played collegiate football at West Texas A&M, which should not be confused with the Texas A&M Aggies. West Texas A&M is a FCS school in Canyon, Texas. Never heard of it? Shocker.

From there, Armstrong continued his career in football with the Odessa Roughnecks, a proud member

of the Intense Football League. Not a joke. The IFL is an indoor league, but not quite as reputable as the Arena Football League.

Armstrong was only making a couple hundred dollars a game with the IFL, and so he continued his trek up the ladder to the AFL, where he became a member of the Dallas Desperados.

Because the AFL was forced to suspend operations in 2008 due to large debts, Armstrong’s stint there was temporary. His next stop was a team that most Americans have actually heard of: the Miami Dolphins.

That’s right, the NFL. Unfortunately for Armstrong, that stop on the long road to becoming a professional football player was a short one, too. He was cut at the end of training camp.

By this point, most people would’ve given up. I mean, how many dead ends can one person go down? Armstrong could’ve resorted to the traditional fallback for an unsuccessful college athlete: become an analyst for a sports network.

Isabelle But like most of us, Armstrong had Khurshudyan First-year print a dream. Unlike most of us, he had the journalism student perseverance and courage to go after it and not give up.

The Redskins added Armstrong to their practice squad, and this time, he didn’t get cut. In fact, Armstrong flourished with a Redskins team that is undergoing countless changes with new head coach Mike Shanahan and quarterback Donovan McNabb.

With no clear-cut pecking order at receiver after Santana Moss, Armstrong has had a chance to get his share of playing time so far this season, hauling in three receptions for 47 yards.

When asked about his bumpy road to the NFL, Armstrong answered, “You need rain to have flowers in the end.”

Whether you’re a football fan or not, it’s refreshing to see someone genuinely work his way to the top in an age where unproven rookies are getting multi-million dollar signing bonuses before they even step onto the field.

So for anyone who claims that some dreams are unattainable, just tell them about Armstrong and all the flowers in his garden after a long season of rain.

Roy Carr/ The Associated Press

Washington Redskins wide receiver Anthony Armstrong has overcome tremendous obstacles to play in the NFL.

The Hogs move up despite the loss because of how game t hey were for A laba ma. T here was a n u nbel ievable a mou nt of hype on Arkansas for the game, and it lived up to it.

5. CAROLINA (DOWN 1)

6. LSU (NO CHANGE)

The G amecock s put toget her t hree g reat quarters, but things just completely fell apart. The we e k of f w i l l d o t he m well before t hey host A labama in t wo weeks at Williams-Brice.

T hey have no of fense really to speak of and they always seem to come out flat, but the Bayou Bengals are 4-0 thanks to a six-point win over West Virginia.

Les Miles has mastered the art of winning ugly — and stupidly.

7. MISS ST (UP 5)

8. KENTUCKY (DOWN 1)

A week after the Bulldogs were proclaimed to have no talent, they delivered what could be a fatal blow to the Mark Richt era in Athens with a 24-12 win over Georgia. On second thought...

T he W i ldc at s lo oke d like they had a prolific and unique offensive attack that would be able to carry them to an upset or two. Then they played an actual team.

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Redskin’s dream comes true Anthony living proof with hard work, one’s dreams can come true

Employing a barrage of play-act ion, r ugged line pl a y a nd one C a mer o n Newton , the AU offense ran roughshod over South Carolina with a 35-27 win and leaped into the national Top 10.

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9. TENNESSEE 10. VANDERBILT (NO CHANGE) (NO CHANGE) T he double over t i me win over UAB wasn’t a very fulfilling win on Rocky Top, but then again, wins will be few and far between for UT this season, so it’ll take it.

The Commodores got a week off to celebrate their first league win since 2008.

Ev e r y G a m e c o c k f a n’s favorite Big East squad, UConn, is up next.

11. OLE MISS 12. GEORGIA (NO CHANGE) (DOWN 4) Ole Miss’ 55-38 win over Fresno State was a musthave for the downtrodden Rebels, and they got it. The defense continues to look shaky, though.

Going 0-3 in t he SEC can’t be sugar-coated. The Dawgs are in freefall. But the load lightens up this week with the return of A.J. Green and a trip to Boulder to take on hapless Colorado.

The Daily Gamecock ● WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2010

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