Garnet & Black Fall 2011

www.gandbmagazine.com

STORE WARS

18

SAVE & SPLURGE

What’s the best way to get around—campus, anyway?

How does a true football fan show his or her school colors?

Read more about the musical artist formerly known as Toucans

QUIZ

What college food are you?

STUDENT MAGAZINE of the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

ART DIRECTOR

ARTICLES EDITOR

PHOTO EDITOR

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR ONLINE EDITOR

PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR STYLE EDITOR VIDEOGRAPHERS

EVENTS MANAGER

Blake Welch

Malia Griggs

Elizabeth Howell

Anna Westbury

Hannah Lathan

Sarah Kobos

Stephanie Pope

Jordan Osborne

Olivia Hill

Melissa Brown

Joshua Rainwater

Adam Siler

Christian Barker

WRITERS

Riley Carithers, Taylor Cheney, Jerry Friedman, Julia Hienz, Nichole Jeffords, Max Lasser, Chris Rosa, Molly Ruggere, Chris Stanley, Mikelle Street, Emily Supil, Jack Tisdall, Thomasin Holly, Shenay Turner, Samantha Webb

COPY EDITORS

Katie Campbell, Elizabeth Farry, Katie West, Haley Willard

DESIGNERS

Jason Chau

Ashley McGarry

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jeremy Aaron, Lauren Creel, Alayna Dunkerly, TJ Maynes, Alli Quattlebaum, Thomas Woodson

ONLINE

Amber Daniels, Xavier Edwards, Hallie Lipsmeyer, Zack Mattioni, Anna Hodgson, Dylan Knight

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Amber Daniels, Jacqueline Lip, Jacquetta Murray, Lindsey Nichols, Devon Page, Rachel Petagna, Claire Richard, Stephanie Rusher, Emily Sapier

DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MEDIA ADVERTISING MANAGER

CREATIVE MANAGER

PRODUCTION MANAGER FACULTY ADVISER

Scott Lindenberg

Sarah Scarborough

Edgar Santana

C. Neil Scott

Cecile Holmes

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES

Christopher Beauregard, Adam Harms, Dana Jennings, Philip Kiselick, Chris Lemmetti, Casey McClary, Rebecca Popp, Quincy Robinson

CREATIVE SERVICES

Jemimah Ekeh, Kathryn Lewis, Maddie McDowell, Amber Sowell, Gabe Will

ADVERTISING (803) 777-3888

TO CONTACT G&B, EMAIL GANDBE@SC.EDU AND VISIT WWW.GANDBMAGAZINE.COM

Garnet & Black magazine is produced four times a year by students of the University of South Carolina and is distributed free to members of the University community. All editors and staff members can be contacted at (803) 777-1149. The office is located in Russell House room 339. Email letters to the editor to gandbe@sc.edu or to Garnet & Black magazine, Student Media, 1400 Greene Street, Columbia, SC 29208. Letters should be 250-400 words and must include name, address, phone number and academic information (if applicable). Garnet & Black reserves the right to edit for libel, style and space. Anonymous letters will not be published.

CONTRIBUTORS

Julia, a third-year business student, says of her experience writing about Michael Roth: “I love that I’m able to give readers a different perspective on someone most commonly known for just one facet of his life.” Check out her “Man of the Moment” story (pg. 8) and her mad makeup skills in our style spread (pg. 32).

RILEY CARITHERS

Riley, a third-year IB and finance student, is co-writer of our cover story, “Stripped” (pg. 24). This is her first time working on a major article for G&B. “I’ve learned so much about writing and the process of creating an interesting article,” she says.

10.12-23

SC State Fair

@ SC STATE FAIRGROUNDS

A first-year studio art student, Emily is a big fan of illustration. She says, “I have always loved to doodle and hope to one day become a graphic designer.” Take a look at her doodles in our “Save & Splurge” story (p. 18).

Jeremy has photographed everything from protests at Westboro Baptist Church to Big Boi, but shooting food was a first. The third-year visual communications student and photo editor for The Daily Gamecock says the process “definitely brought its challenges but turned out really well.” Hungry? Peek at his “Quiz” pics (pg. 45).

11.01 CP Presents USC’s Got Talent

@ RUSSELL HOUSE BALLROOM, 8 P.M.

The SC State Fair is a great thing if you take the time to indulge in the treats that come with it. This year’s concert lineup features Styx, The Roots and Trace Adkins. Prices vary from $1 to $10 with additional costs for concerts, rides and food.

10.22

Fourth Annual Italian Festival

@ MAIN STREET, 10 A.M.-10 P.M.

A true celebration of culture, the Italian Festival features everything from food and art vendors to a bocce ball tournament and live music. Free admission. Ciao, ciao!

Jazz hands, breakdancing and covers of “Glee” songs? Sign us up. Free admission to students with a CarolinaCard.

11.04 Arts & Draughts

@ COLUMBIA MUSEUM OF ART, 7-11 P.M.

Don’t miss this jam-packed evening of food, music, art and brews! Tickets are free if you become a member of the museum that night.

EMILY MULDROW

JEREMY AARON JULIA HIENZ

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH KOBOS

If you don’t know me well, you may not know that I’ve been through seven different majors in the last three years nor that I’m an avid fan of country music.

Even my closest friends may not be aware that I battled with the decision to attend college after high school. I would’ve never guessed that I’d find myself writing my first Letter from the Editor as editor-in-chief of Garnet & Black.

Everyone has a backstage story to his or her life, and that’s what makes our cover story, “Stripped,” (pg. 24) stand out. Often, we polarize ourselves into two extremes—who we are and what we let people know about us. But through this student stripper’s story, you can find that her voice isn’t so far removed from yours, mine or G&B’s in some ways.

Behind the scenes at G&B, we’ve been hard at work putting together this issue. Whereas you might just see a word filled in with a teal color, we see a 30-minute debate on how the color should be a darker shade and bolder and spaced further from the headline. These arguments sound crazy, but we all have our own stories to tell and our own way of looking at things. From articles about freshmen who think they’re on top of the world—and perhaps really are (pg. 28)— to interviews with students like baseball star Michael Roth (pg. 8), this issue helps peel away that top layer to take a deeper look at the Carolina you think you know.

Because at the end of the day, these stories are yours, Carolina. These are students just like you. I hope the stories in this issue are as interesting to you as they are to me and to my staff. If you can’t wait until our next issue to read more, check out our blogs at GandBMagazine.com, or Dish! about your own issues.

BY JULIA HIENZ PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH KOBOS

Think you know Michael Roth? If your first thought is, “Um, yeah, the Carolina pitcher,” read on. Baseball season may be over, but Michael is getting back to business on campus.

For starters, this pitcher’s cultured. The Greer, SC, native spent a month in Alicante, Spain, this past summer working on his Spanish (go ahead and melt now, ladies), bringing him one step closer to earning a B.A. in international business and marketing.

Michael was originally a biomedical engineering student but switched to business because the latter better fit with his athletic schedule. He breezed into the IB program with his 3.8 GPA and says he quickly realized this change in major was a serendipitous one, given his passion for business and travel. He has dreams of learning many languages and imagines himself working in Spain, London or another big city or country.

“Every student I see, I’m like, ‘You need to go abroad!” he says. Michael’s academic discipline stems mainly from his upbringing. “It’s something my parents have always stressed, and if I didn’t make a good grade, there was definitely a punishment,” he says. No matter how high his grades are, his dad still calls and asks, “How’s your school work coming? Got any tests this week?”

Outside of class, Michael attends Fellowship of Christian Athletes meetings and cites religion as a big influence in his life. He balances a seriousness for his studies with a sense of humor and positivity. He remembers his most embarrassing moment in college, which happened before the Arkansas game.

“I was warming up, and the zipper on my pants popped, and I couldn’t fix it,” he says. Team managers weren’t able to bring him a new pair in time. “I had fans yelling at me, ‘Your fly’s down!’ trying to help me out.”

Michael spreads goodwill by mentoring an A.C. Moore Elementary School student, Zach, once a week.

“I’ve been blessed with the platform that I’ve been given—to help other people, and as athletes, I think that’s what we should do with our notoriety,” he reasons.

This stellar student is clearly more than just a star on the field.

“A lot of people define what they do as who they are, but to me, there’s a separation,” he says. “Baseball doesn’t define who I am.”

BET

Mike...

5

6

1 Watches “The Bachelor” on Monday nights

2 Loves noshing on DunkAroos (which he says can be bought at the Dollar General on Bluff Rd.)

3 Hates when toilet paper rolls are upside down

4 Votes Pauly D as his favorite “Jersey Shore” cast member

Has a thing for watches, sunglasses and shoes

Is currently obsessed with Tiesto (so, somebody hook the boy up with tickets?)

YOU DIDN’T

KNOW THAT

Rachael Holmes

BY MIKELLE STREET

PHOTOGRAPHY BY THOMAS WOODSON

When Rachael Holmes shops at Walmart wearing booty shorts and fishnet tights, it’s not that she’s looking for attention. The bruises on her legs aren’t the product of a rough night out, and if she doesn’t seem intimidated by the cashier’s glare and hulking size, it’s not because she has no perception of danger.

Rachael is a derby girl. Roller derby, that is, and the track has taught her toughness.

“I used to be a doormat, but when you’re playing derby, you get the physical idea that, ‘I could kick your ass,’” Rachael says.

This fourth-year anthropology student has led a packed college life. She spent her first two years at Bowling Green State University, and while there, embarked on a 14,500-mile road trip to 48 states and camped for nine weeks as part of the school’s GeoJourney program. This experience inspired her to transfer to Carolina because of its anthropology program. At USC, she’s a member of the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, is a Safe Zone Ally and works for the Center for Disability Resources by taking class notes for a vision-impaired student. She fell in love with roller derby after watching a bout (the derby term for a game) while studying abroad in New Zealand during her third year.

“I like fast-paced sports, and the fan base for derby is loud and crazy. The sport’s all girls, and it’s been underground for so long, but it’s different from anything you see nowadays,” she says.

Today, Rachael plays as a blocker for the Columbia QuadSquad Rollergirls, which got its start in 2007. Bouts are made up of a series of 2-minute matchups (called “jams”) in which four blockers and one scoring player (the “jammer”) are designated for each team. The jammer scores by lapping players of the opposing team.

“Roller derby is brutal, but it’s not like girls punching each other in the face,” Rachael says. “The teams are competitive on the track, but once they get off, it’s an after-party.”

CQS gives back to the community by donating the money raised from bouts to organizations such as Girl Scouts and causes like breast cancer awareness.

Rachael emphasizes that this up-and-coming sport celebrates everyone.

“When people think of derby, they picture big, burly girls with tattoos and lots of black hair, but derby’s evolved,” she says. “This has become a sport where girls from all walks of life can play.”

Watch Rachael and CQS’ bout on Oct. 16 against the Blue Ridge Roller girls at Jamil Temple, and check them out at ColumbiaQuadSquad.com.

jalavender with

BY EMILY SUPIL PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALLI QUATTLEBAUM

Meet J. Clowney. No, not the football player but Jalavender Clowney, fourth-year biology and pre-med student with a psychology minor from Rock Hill, SC. She’s a member of Alpha Phi Omega and the Leadership Team under Leadership Programs and Women’s Student Services in Student Life. She has also been a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters for three years, an EMPOWER diversity peer educator for four years and is its current team leader. With a zany history and a great name to boot, this super student tackles any new project that comes her way.

Q: What can you tell us about your name?

A: It is 35 letters long: Jalavender Jivinity Zinquerica Clowney. And that’s Jalavender with an “-er,” not an “-ar.”

Q: Why were you named Jalavender?

A: Lavender is my mom’s favorite color. My house is entirely lavender on the inside—lavender walls, hardwood floors, etc. At one point, the outside of the house was lavender. The only room that isn’t lavender is my older brother’s room. He has blue carpet. I love the color, and it’s not because of my mom. Lavender is all I know. I grew up with the color and was dressed in it. I incorporate lavender into what I wear every day.

Q: What has been your favorite college class?

A: Dr. Cussac’s 8 a.m. human sexual behavior class (PSYC 300).

Q: If you visit USC in 10 years, what would you like to see changed?

A: More intermixing, especially in the Russell House dining area, and more student diversity in different organizations.

Q: What are your postgrad plans? Will you stay in SC?

A: I was looking into medical school, but I’m going to explore my options. I want to travel, maybe study abroad. I would like to go to Central America or Africa. I’m also looking into working for Teach for America.

Q: You have the same last name as Jadeveon Clowney. Are you related?

A: Yes, I’m his cousin. I’m not his sister, as some people think. Around campus, if people hear my last name, there are often whispers of whether I know him or not. I grew up with Jadeveon. Our families and relatives have lived on the same street our whole lives even though he, his sister and I all went to different high schools.

Q: Were you a part of the college decision process for Jadeveon?

A: I knew he was coming to USC way before the decision was televised. I never pressured him to come here, but I believe I was a part of the reason why he chose this school. Jadeveon is a very familyoriented person. When he announced he was coming to Carolina, around 20 people per day were adding me on Facebook because of my last name.

Q: Your family seems tight-knit. What were some of your traditions growing up?

A: My grandparents gave their kids names starting with the letter “J,” and it carried on to the grandkids. All of my cousins have the same initials and have four legal names. Our family also speaks Pig Latin, and we always eat together. My grandfather cooks all meals—breakfast, lunch and dinner—for the 13 relatives who live on our street.

(As a testament to the family’s closeness, even during our Q&A, Jalavender’s aunt, Jadeveon’s mom, called to talk to her.)

Q: Do you play any sports?

A: I played basketball, track, volleyball and softball before college. If I was good enough, I would have considered playing in college—but I did set a track and field sports record in middle school.

Our family also speaks Pig Latin, and we always eat together.

A rhythm clock was the first item purchased for the store, and a team member jokingly sang this jingle: “Tic, toc, candy shop!” And so the space was named.

One team member suggested the store offer school-specific colored candies, and now the garnet and black M&Ms and Jelly Bellies are among the store’s best sellers.

The multicolored sucker is Lauren’s favorite Tic Toc candy and comes from the store’s lollipop tree.

“They were so willing to listen to us, and they implemented everything we gave them.”

The phrase “tick tock” might conjure up an image of a scraggly-haired blond chick, glitter on her face, a bottle of Jack in one hand and a toothbrush in the other. The image that wouldn’t immediately come to mind, however, is that of Columbia’s newest specialty candy store, Tic Toc Candy Shoppe. Store owner Dee Dailey was inspired into business by an episode of the Food Network’s “Everyday Italian,” in which chef Giada DeLaurentiis visits a candy shop. The whimsical shop was custom designed by USC students in professor Phil Bartlett’s management course. The team was led by fourth-year international business and marketing student Lauren Davis, who is proud of the team’s work. “My favorite part was being able to walk into the store and see what a class can do for you,” she says.

BY THOMASIN HOLLY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LIZ HOWELL

spotlight on:

RESTAURANT REGULARS

BY MOLLY RUGGERE PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNA WESTBURY

Bone-In Artisan Barbecue On Wheels

The location and menu changes, but one thing about Bone-In Artisan Barbeque truck is always the same: its mouthwatering fare, including everything from bacon and brown butter mushroom mac and cheese to St. Louis-style ribs in hoisin sauce with cole slaw, loaded baked potato salad and a scallion-lime muffin. “The nice thing about Bone-In is it feels like a group picnic, so people are always smiling,” local shopping and dining blogger and Bone-In regular, Anne Postic (aka “The Shop Tart”), says. “Because the truck moves around, it always feels special.”

The Shop Tart recommends: Pulled pork sandwich on homemade focaccia bread, $9.

For hours and sites, follow the truck on Twitter @artisanbbqtruck.

Drip

Drip has only been open since June, but with customers who linger all afternoon chatting with baristas, you’d think this coffee shop had been on the scene for years. Drip offers made-to-order coffee, beer, wine, breakfast and seasonal lunch sandwiches—like its turkey, brie and raspberry jam sandwich on sourdough bread. Fourth-year international studies student Courtney Ruble goes to Drip every day for coffee and a chocolate croissant. She says the environment is what keeps her coming back. “It’s a really unique and wonderful place that makes you feel like you’re in a small, close-knit community,” Courtney says.

Courtney recommends: Mocha espresso milkshake, $4.95.

729 Saluda Ave. in Five Points Mon.-Sat., 7 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun., 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Lambs Bread Vegan Café

To some people, “vegan” is a dirty word. These people probably haven’t been to Lambs Bread, which puts a meatless spin on soul food. Virgil Conklin, a fourth-year anthropology student, discovered the vegan café one day on his way to work. “I’m definitely not a vegan, but I don’t miss meat at Lambs Bread,” Virgil says. The restaurant has a tribal atmosphere with carved masks covering the walls and the smell of incense in the air. Each dish is prepared with locally-grown ingredients and cooked with spring water.

Virgil recommends:

Reuben sandwich on wheat, $11.

2338 Main St. Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Hear what these regulars have to say about their favorite off-the-wall food spots in Columbia.

BY ANNA WESTBURY

SOAPBO

Should you go all out tailgating, or save yourself for the game?

In the South, football is religion, and we treat it with due respect. We dress up for games in our Sunday best, all bow ties and pearls, and get together to celebrate our time at the university as football fans and die-hard Gamecocks. Tailgating is as much a part of the sport’s long tradition as the coin toss and opening kickoff. It’s here that we warm up our voices and fill our flasks in order to cheer our team on, and win or lose, we’ll always have our pre-game memories.

Just going to the game with none of the festivities beforehand is like being that lame person on New Year’s Eve who only turns on the TV at 11:59 to watch the ball drop. You’re missing out on one of football’s longestrunning traditions, not to mention the opportunity to make new friends. Tailgating’s not just about sitting around drinking. That’s an element of it, but it’s not essential. Mainly, this is a great time to catch up with friends, consume a ton of dip and to peoplewatch as bros drive by in their garnet painted hearses. Yeah, you may have to shell out a few bucks for parking and potato chips, but the experience is— as the MasterCard commercial says— priceless.

In arguably the biggest season in the history of South Carolina football, it’s more important now than ever to preserve the tailgating tradition. It’s our duty as fans to build up the game and to make as much rambunctious, foot-stomping noise as possible both inside and outside Williams-Brice.

Here on Gameday outside WilliamsBrice Stadium, you can’t miss pickups everywhere decked out in garnet and black with grills and flags and blaring whatever time-of-our-lives Black Eyed Peas song is on the charts. Everyone’s playing cornhole and drinking, and sure, partying can be fun, but the point of tailgating—to celebrate the game—gets lost in the fanfare. Here’s why you should save your game for the game:

For starters, tailgating burns you out. For a day game, people wake at the crack of dawn in order to dress up and lug a thousand things down to their tailgating spots. They toss back mimosas followed by beer after beer, and by kickoff, they’re so plastered they can’t tell the difference between Stephen Garcia and a pint of Cherry Garcia. Why would you want to be the zombie kid who gets carted out of the student section while “Sandstorm” is pumping, his pregame turned into a postgame all too soon?

Second, tailgating can be rough on your wallet. Let’s face it: We’re broke college kids, and the real money we make is precious. Take the cost of a tailgating spot, factor in the gas your SUV will burn waiting in traffic and add in the costs of a grill, finger food, drinks, decorations, fold-up chairs and a generator and, well, the sky’s the limit on your tab. Since you don’t have racks on racks of cash, save your money so you can buy bowl game tickets later.

Above all, get your head in the game. Sleep well, share a couple drinks with friends, then hop on the shuttle down to the stadium to get a prime seat. Your job as a devoted Gamecock is to be a #1 fan (foam finger and all) and to cheer on your team, especially in a season like this. So, quit stressing about your outfit and what to eat and where. Just go to the gridiron, and have fun!

DON’T DO IT \\ BY CHRIS STANLEY GO ALL OUT \\ BY BLAKE WELCH

STORE WARS:

BY SAMANTHA WEBB / PHOTOGRAPHY BY THOMAS WOODSON

It’s time to plan that outdoors trip with your closest friends (or maybe a mountain weekend). If you’re lacking the right gear, don’t fret! Check out these three stores, and even the most amateur will be sure to find everything he or she needs to be prepared for the great outdoors.

The Backpacker

The Backpacker has been a Columbia staple since 1973 and is the consistent winner of The Free Times’ Best Outdoors Store title. Throughout the store hang pictures and postcards from loyal customers and employees on their various outdoor escapades. This is the place to go for your Black Diamond climbing gear, Nitro sleeping bags and intensive camping equipment. Oh, and those Vibram Fivefinger shoes.

Half-Moon Outfitters

Half-Moon has a ton of gear, especially if you want to look good on the trail (or maybe impress that Outdoor Recreations guy who runs the rock wall at the Strom). Whether you’re a beginner to nature or have been hiking for years, you’ll find a variety of clothes here—from Mountain Hardware fleeces to Prana yoga pants. Things they have that the others don’t? You can rent or buy paddleboards and kayaks. Be sure to check out Half-Moon’s new store and its hard-to-miss funky solar panel tree outside.

Mast General Store

Mast opened this past May and is already making a name for itself with its fun, Cracker-Barrel feel. If you go downstairs to the lower level, you will find a range of outdoor clothing and shoes with popular brands such as Patagonia and Camelbak. Upstairs is what makes this place really special. Here, you’ll find a variety of home goods, soaps, lotions, jewelry and gifts. While picking out a new pair of Chacos, grab some Burt’s Bees chapstick for your sister, a Brighton belt for your brother and candy for $5.99/lb. for your roomies.

If you’re the extreme outdoors enthusiast,

planning a whitewater rafting trip down Snake River, The Backpacker’s the place for you. To travel in style, check out Half-Moon Outfitters, and if you’re looking for a good time with friends (or to up your candy ante), head to Mast General Store. But with comparable prices and a range of items, you can’t go wrong shopping at any of these three stores. Our advice? Go inside, so you can get outside.

1215 Wayne St. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

2912 Devine St. Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., 12-6 p.m.

1601 Main St. | Mon.-Wed., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thurs.-Sat., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun., 12-6 p.m.

BY JACK TISDALL

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALAYNA DUNKERLY

Looking to pimp your ride and driving, biking and walking aren’t doing it for you?

Longboarding

Longboards are sort of the lovechild of a surfboard and a skateboard. They allow higher speeds, increased maneuverability and a smoother ride than skateboards do. They’re light and easily placed under desks, and campus is primo for this mode of transportation due to a multitude of even roads and gradually sloping hills. But be wary of picking up too much speed. “People are hesitant to get out of your way, especially compared to if you are a biker. The key is to ride so aggressively that they know you’re going for the gap in the crowd whether it’s a sure shot or not. Then they have to get out of your way,” Thomas Beam, a first-year pre-pharmacy student and longboarder, says. Invest in an air horn or steal your sister’s bike bell if you plan on shredding the streets at class change.

Save: Sector 9 OG Series Joel Tudor Complete Longboard 38.3”, $169 (from Salty’s Surf Shop).

Splurge: Loaded Tan Tien Complete Longboard 39”, $321 (from Salty’s Surf Shop).

Skating

Skating isn’t just for John Travolta. Rollerskating/blading is both efficient and enjoyable, but what really distinguishes this mode of transportation is the retro factor. If only your grandparents could see you now! Zoom down Greene Street like it’s a roller derby, and keep a change of flip-flops in your backpack for class (or just high-five slowpokes as you whiz by). Skating will give you ultra-defined calves and save you bundles of time. Slap on some old-school elbow pads, and be on your way.

Save: Wheelies—those shoes you really, really wanted in fourth grade. Heely Jazzy HX2 Two-Wheeled Shoes, $49.99 (www. InLineWarehouse.com/AggHeelys).

Splurge: LandRollers with large, highly efficient wheels, $200 (www.Landroller.com).

Segway-ing

This method of transportation is so new and unexplored that it barely has a corresponding verb yet. Segways are mainly used by forward-thinking engineering profs right now, but you could be the trendsetter for this green machine. Once your friends see you leanin’ and rollin’ at 12.5 mph, they’ll invest too, and then you can start your Segway gang, the East Side Rollers. You’ll have races around the Horseshoe not unlike ancient Greek chariot races, and if you install a subwoofer, who could deny you a vertical dance?

Save: Foam Maverick Pogo Stick, $30 (www.Amazon.com). There’s really no way to obtain a knockoff Segway, so if you’re tight on cash, consider America’s favorite (and somewhat aesthetically similar) driveway toy. Bust this baby out as you leap across heavy traffic on Assembly Street, but be warned: Columbia drivers do not appreciate hood dents.

Splurge: Segway i2 Commuter, $6,200 (www.Segway.com). Consider it an investment in your future.

Don’t settle for never-ending treks from Swearingen to the BA. Upgrade your gear, and you’ll marvel at how you ever got to class on time without these sweet rides!

COLLEGIATE THE DIET a week of free food

BY MAX LASSER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH KOBOS

Ever the cheap college student, I set out to see how long someone could live off only the free food served at campus organizational meetings. I searched around the university’s website and DailyGamecock.com for options, but it’s tough to figure out which organizations serve food based on websites, so it all comes down to guesswork and word-of-mouth. I got a little excited when I saw Student Media interest meetings, but judging by the skimpy schmucks who run Garnet & Black, I knew there wouldn’t be luck there. I started out feeling lost and hungry in a vague, phantom-like way; how I imagine indigenous Eskimos feel before the frost sets in. Pre-hungry. It would’ve been a long and barren winter, but friends, strangers and a student body treasurer came to my rescue.

DAY 1

I walked around Russell House having just gotten out of “beginning weightlifting” class looking for something that resembled the Hillel group’s “Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Leah.” I figured this was a good way to take advantage of my Jewish heritage, but I’d forgotten the room number for the event, so I was basically walking around in search of bagels. No luck, so I didn’t eat lunch that day. I did stumble upon some sort of sewing club, but the closer I got to them, the more self-conscious I was that I wasn’t wearing anything pastel or handknit, and by the time I was 20 feet away, I lost all courage and left.

So then it was 7 p.m., and since I hadn’t eaten anything all day, I gave Hillel another try. Hillel is a group of people who have the most relaxed atmosphere of any religious group on campus. “Ice Cream Social,” however, is a pretty inaccurate description of the event I attended because there isn’t really anything social about not leaving enough sprinkles for everyone else. I sat in a middle row alone and tried to sneak up to the ice cream buffet enough times to get my full day’s worth of vitamins.

DAY 2

I went to the Muslim Student Association’s Eid Festival in Green Quad. It was the celebration of the end of Ramadan and a presentation on the importance of multiculturalism. Since I spent most of the previous night worried I was going to throw up a sundae like the girl from “The Exorcist,” I was excited for new food. They served yellow chicken and basmati rice from Al-Amir’s, which was undeniably the best organizational food I had and highlighted the most important pillar of diversity and acceptance, which is that vegetarians can go eat at some other presentation, the jerks.

DAY 3

I went to a “Free Wings and Fries” event at McCutchen House, which showcased

ORGANIZATIONS I WISHED SERVED FOOD:

• News From Last Thursday

• The Pan-African Student Organization

• TOAST Improv

culinary student cooking. I was greeted at the door by a very pleasant man who slowly deduced that I was there only for free food, but who, bless him, let me in anyway. The generosity of the USC HRTM program is unmatched (the food itself was amazing: wings with a sweet twinge, fries, cookies and drinks), and while we were eating, two freshman girls carrying fruit plates came and sat with us, so I felt guilty for pouring ranch on everything and accordingly switched to fruit and water. I never told anyone about my food challenge, but if I had somehow died of proper, balanced nutrition, it would have been because of these girls.

DAY 4

I tried to attend the Vietnamese Student Association meeting, but again, I wandered around Russell House and couldn’t find them. This time I did have the right room number, but they weren’t there. Then I accidentally wandered in to the Pan-African Student Association meeting and had to politely explain to a room of 40 racially diverse people that I was looking for the Vietnamese.

The Pan-African Student Association didn’t appear to have any free food, which is unfortunate because I’m not about to learn about another culture without the enticement of a cupcake or a plastic cup of Diet Coke.

DAY 5

On Day 5, I went to a Baptist Campus Ministry (BCM) meeting. BCM is sort of a conglomerate, low-key worship service. They served something called “taco in a bag” in which you filled a Doritos bag with meat, cheese and vegetables. Despite making me feel intensely American, it was cute and quite good. The service itself was interesting, especially since I’m the poster child for atheism. It opened with a Beatles song and then moved to some very singalong-able praise music. My Christian persona (essentially still me, except that I

ORGANIZATIONS I SHOULD HAVE VISITED:

• USC College Republicans (meeting too far off campus)

• C.S. Lewis Book Club (worried I wouldn’t be able to restrain myself from jokes about “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” while talking about Christ)

• Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity (no clean clothes)

keep my eyebrows raised in an attempt to look earnest) sang along and had a great time.

DAY 6

Today, I went to the Carolina Investment Club meeting, which was the absolute best club to go to if you want not just free food but lots of it. Unlike every other student organization meeting I’d been to, these kids were there to do real work—leaving eight boxes of pizza all to me. That’s a slight exaggeration, but I think I ate an entire box. This club is led by a group of individuals so suave and charismatic that I had an undeniable urge to leave and get coffee for them and to do their dry cleaning. I was able to loosely follow the stock pitch of the day (Apple; an example for the newer analysts), although by the time the members were up to four anagrams per sentence, I was lost. (“You see, AAPL’s P/E look really good compared to their GPD, and compared to weakening IPO’s, a longstanding company like Apple enjoys a high EBT. Any questions? Yes, you with the cheap watch, eating all the pizza?”)

DAY 7

On the seventh day, I rested.

So, how long can you survive? The answer is “not very long” if you have class from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. like I do and enjoy eating lunch. But I admit, I’m a cheater. Some events appear out of order, and gum or a small steak may have found their way into my mouth at some point in this experiment. I make no apologies, but hey, from my experience, during the week you almost never have to pay for dinner if you know the right people, want to learn more about your classmates and willing to always eat like you’re at a fifth grade homeroom party.

ORGANIZATIONS I WISH EXISTED:

• USC Food Appreciation

• USC Narcotics-influenced Passion Pit Listeners

• Gamecocks Who Talk About Wanting to Go Skydiving but Never Make any Effort to Actually Do it Because it’s Terrifying

BY MALIA GRIGGS & RILEY CARITHERS PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH KOBOS

“It was hard going out with people I met in class or in my dorm,” Emily* recalls. “We’d go somewhere, and I’d pull out a stack of cash. It wouldn’t be more than $60, but it’d be all in wrinkled $1 bills, and it was kind of obvious where I got them.”

Emily is an average fourth-year student at USC from a white, upper middle-class Southern family, but she has an icebreaker fact she doesn’t pull out at parties: For her first two years of school, Emily covered the costs of textbooks, food, housing and gas by stripping at a local Platinum Plus.

“I never had a horrific experience as a child,” she says, “but my parents and I aren’t close. They don’t pay for me, and when I started dancing, it paid for pretty much everything.”

A friend, Beth, who stripped, introduced Emily to the profession.

“You have guys who come in with wedding bands on, people wearing nicer clothes than I would wear out of there, guys spending their last dollar to see a girl dance and guys who come in with wads of hundreds just because they’re bored,” she says.

She saw girls, too.

“At 2 or 3 in the morning, a group of drunk girls would show up from Five Points, and they would get on stage and dance. It was kind of funny, but I always felt like it was bad for them in the morning,” she says.

During down time, Emily developed friendships with other strippers, despite their constant nightly and weekly rotation. Many obtained their jobs by participating in amateur contests first, and a good number were also students. Emily was particularly close with another dancer, Jessica, who paid for her entire tuition with money made in the club.

“I had to drive Beth to work because her car was in the shop,” Emily remembers. “There was a room booked for a private party, and I ended up staying and watching and liking it.”

She started out only dancing at private parties with Beth, and a couple parties turned into a few more. Later, she would strip alone on stage, but she was never a “main call girl,” the club’s term for a performer with set hours. Emily chose her own schedule.

“People think it’s this horrible business where the club takes over you, but you’re as involved as you want to be,” she says. “I would dance for two weeks straight, make a couple thousand dollars and then wouldn’t dance for months.”

On a typical weeknight, Emily would drive to Platinum Plus after 10 wearing a favorite necklace and heels—always heels. In the parking lot, she’d call for an escort into the club.

“You’re probably safer as a girl stripping than as a girl walking down the street downtown,” she says. “I know that sounds crazy and ironic, but you are. There are cameras everywhere, and guys get drunk and yell, but that’s no different than Five Points or a football game. At least you have a bodyguard.”

Inside, three stages wrap around the club. Emily would sign up for a private party, a 30-minute dancing slot or to walk around selling shots to customers. Sometimes, she’d wait hours to dance. Once on stage, she would concentrate on a particular spot or person so as not to lose focus and undressed down to her bra and underwear—and then to almost nothing else. She likens the customer’s experience of watching her strip to being served by a waitress.

“You focus on your waitress when she’s there, but you won’t remember the girl who served you food two nights ago. It’s not something you fixate on forever,” she says. “My job was a momentary satisfaction for them.”

Customers ranged from 18-year-old boys to men in their 70s, and Emily danced for rite-of-passage birthday parties, fraternities, bachelor parties and more.

“A lot of these girls were smarter than most people I know in college, and when you see how they start from nothing and work their way up, you have a lot more respect,” she says.

Private parties paid the most; guests put down a flat fee of $200 to $300 toward the club. Additional tips went to Emily, and the house took another 20 percent off that sum. At the end of a normal night, she left with $80 to $175 in her pocket, drove home after 3 a.m. and had to wake up for her 8 a.m. class.

“It was really difficult to balance work and school,” Emily says. “I’d go to class and hadn’t studied. I’d have exams and hadn’t done homework or a project or anything.”

Stripping impacted her school and social life in subtle ways. She quit a job at an Italian restaurant because strip club shifts provided her with enough financial support. She told some of her friends about her new job, and they were mostly concerned for her safety.

“People ask me all the time, ‘Did you see things that scarred you?’ but stripping’s nothing more than you see in a movie,” she says. “It’s not a brothel.”

Emily makes it clear that sex was never a central factor to her job, nor did it play a prominent role in her personal life. She hasn’t been seriously involved with anyone since high school. She started talking to a guy her freshman year, but she didn’t tell him about her stripping outright. When he found out, he didn’t understand her rationale.

“His problem was that, on the surface, I came from a pretty normal family, drove a new car and my parents lived in a nice house,” she says. “I told him I stripped because I needed the money for school, but he thought I was past the point of need. He thought I was just too used to doing it—like it was a drug.”

The two never dated, and her experiences as a stripper have made her skeptical about trust in relationships.

“You see guys outside the club on their phones to their girlfriends saying, ‘Yeah, babe, we’re watching the game at so-and-so’s house.’ How easy is it for them to lie, and would you have any idea at all?” she wonders.

“People ask me all the time, ‘Did you see things that scarred you?’ but stripping’s nothing more than you see in a movie,” she says. “It’s not a brothel.”

At the end of Emily’s second year, she found a better-paying position at a restaurant, and she stripped less and less and eventually gave up. Now, she runs into former customers occasionally in her classes or at her workplace; they do double takes but stay quiet. Since she’s considering teaching as a long-term career, Emily worries that because of technology and camera phones, evidence of her dancing might surface one day and create trouble.

“I don’t want to risk my degree and ruin my whole life,” she says. “The reason I stripped to begin with would just be completely pointless.”

Despite her concerns, at the end of the day (or night), Emily doesn’t regret her decision to strip, and if the need arose, she would do it again in a heartbeat.

“People sometimes think it’s contradictory that I want to be a high school teacher. They ask me, ‘What if this was your daughter?’ and ‘How would your father feel if he knew?’ and I tell them I don’t have a problem with it. There are so many worse things I could have done to make money,” she says. “Stripping was what I needed to do at the time.”

And while she stands behind her decision to strip, she does not readily recommend the profession to others.

“There are long nights and scumbags, and you’re exposed to a lot more drugs. If you could make it any other way—waitressing or working for the university—it would be so much better. But if it meant going hungry or buying a book for your chemistry class, do it—only while you need to, and then get out,” she advises.

She understands that people are uncomfortable with the idea of stripping, but she wishes they could experience the job from her perspective.

“I had never gone to a strip club before I danced at one,” she says. “So, when I went for the first time, I was in the dressing room. I was with the girls, and some of them are the most normal girls in the world. And, of course, there are exceptions to every rule—and every person and every place—and there are stereotypes about strip clubs for a reason. But at the same time, these are people who are just there to make money like anyone else.”

*Names changed to protect identities.

RISE OF THE NINETIES

BY HANNAH LATHAN | EDITED BY MALIA GRIGGS PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH KOBOS

I like what I’m seeing around campus this year: rollerblading in front of Russell, boys in neon windbreakers and girls with floral tights and scrunchies. On TV, there are reminders of childhood with the reairing of classics including “Doug,” “Kenan & Kel” and “Clarissa Explains It All.” Facebook groups with names like “The ’90s Are All That” have hundreds of thousands of followers, and #MarkMcGwire and #BFFnecklaces are trending on Twitter. The 1990s are back in a big way, both in popular culture and at USC. With the graduation of the class of 2012, the last of the ’80s babies will move on, and this new generation of children born in the ’90s will officially rule the school (and, very soon, the world). These are what adults call “the best years of your life,” and given the breadth of technology and social networking at the ’90s generation’s disposal, it’s hard to argue this sentiment. And yet—what is it about Bel-Air, snapback caps and dreams of orange soda that inspire the students of tomorrow to turn to the past?

I was born at the end of 1989 and just made the ’80s cut-off. I’ve always thought, Thank God. I felt like I earned some sort of medal of coolness for being born into a time where people still learned cursive. And, hey, I did basically live through Hurricane Hugo. Our lives are defined by the decade into which we were born, and even if they only miss the ’80s/’90s divide by months, the children born in the ’90s often receive a negative rap from older generations.

Visual communications professor Scott Farrand has taught at the university for over 10 years and says that this is the first year as an instructor that every student in his class owns a computer. He notes the difference in attitude toward technology that he has seen in his classes during the past decade.

“The ’80s kids wanted to have more and more technology,” he says. “The ’90s people added that you had to have it. And then students became spoiled a lot.”

When I hear my ’80s friends discussing my classmates of the ’90s, they describe squeamish, Twitter-talking kids swimming in an overload of iEverything. It seems ridiculous to the ’80s kids that these tech-savvy millennials can claim nostalgia over pogs and The Oregon Trail when their memories are built around Internet memes.

Lauren Koch, a fourth-year theater student born in 1990, weighs in on this stigma.

“My boyfriend was born in the late ’80s, and when we discuss things like TV shows from the ’90s, he’ll say, ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about. You were still an infant.’ And I’m thinking, You’re all of—what? Two years older than me?” she says.

She maintains that she has every right to her longing for the 1990s.

“I do have nostalgia for a time when not everyone had so much technology,” she says. “People expect you to respond to things immediately, and if you don’t, they have the right to get mad at you about it. It’s not healthy to be on call all the time—to have more meaningless conversations.”

In actuality, these students of the early 1990s are not the millennial babies. They fall somewhere in between a generation of paper books and a generation of Kindles, and their childhoods are the last remaining still somewhat untouched by technology. They are what Farrand terms the “adaptors.”

“The decades before the adaptors weren’t exposed to technology early. They don’t understand some of it, and a lot of them don’t want to,” he says. “Those born after the adaptors have it so that they’re just expecting life to always be this way. But these students came up when technology was in its infancy, so they were constantly adapting.”

I spoke with a group of students born in the 1990s to determine their take on their “adaptor” status—and what it means for them when they reflect on their childhoods.

Paulina Olivares, a fourth-year visual communications student born in 1991, remembers the ’90s as the optimistic precursor to a decade marked by 9/11 and the downturn of the economy.

“There was promise,” she says. “The age of the Internet was just starting, and anybody could get a piece of the pie.”

Her nostalgia for the simplicity of childhood is embedded in nostalgia for the simplicity of life uncomplicated by ever-changing technology—and for the

sense of wonder that she associates with the beginning of the tech boom.

“When I was little, I remember thinking that in the distant future, you’d be able to call someone on the phone and see his face. People do that on iPhones now, and it’s freaky that you can have this conversation through space and time,” Paulina says.

She misses the days when she wasn’t so concerned with the “what’s next?” question demanded after technological advances.

“We were the last generation to have a childhood in the traditional sense,” she says. “Now, a 9-year-old who asks questions can find out anything by turning to Google. Information is disposable.”

The students of the ’90s are plugged in, but unlike the real millennials, they are still conscious of their dependence on devices and social networks.

Candler Matthews, a first-year exercise science student born in 1992, observes the disconnecting effects of technology on interactions between his friends still in high school.

“Two of them are dating,” he says, “and they text up until when she gets there to hang out with him, and then when they’re actually together, they hardly talk. They’ve already said it all.”

He worries he, too, will lose sight of his life before gadgets.

“Sometimes, somebody calls, and I just cut my phone off and cut my music off and think about what I want to think about,” he says. “I try and focus.”

These students recognize that they are locked into a grid of never-ending Facebook facelifts and iPhone upgrades, for better or worse.

“We didn’t grow up watching ‘Teen Mom’ or typing on iPads, so I feel like I’m half-nostalgic and half-thankful that we grew up when we did because we got the best of both worlds,” Hayley Towle, a second-year fashion merchandising student born in 1991, says.

Paulina accredits this resurgence of ’90s culture to a societal scrambling to rediscover innocence.

“Shows like ‘The Rugrats,’ ‘The Adventures of Pete & Pete’ and ‘Family Matters’ were all about exploration, shenanigans and values,” she says. “It was a time of no worries. I want it back.”

Who knows? As long as they retain an awareness of their beginning—an enchantment, even—these ’90s “adaptors” may be poised for all that.

[AVERAGE AGE WHEN FIRST CELL PHONE BOUGHT] Born in:

50 USC students polled in survey.

I feel like I’m halfnostalgic and halfthankful that we grew up when we did because we got the best of both worlds.

TO GO WEAR

As days get shorter, turn to an evening out with good friends to showcase your style. No matter where the night takes you, dress accordingly with cool-toned layers and statement accessories.

Production Assistants: Stephanie Pope, Hallie Lipsmeyer, Christian Barker, Malia Griggs & Molly Mcnutt

Models: Malia Schofield, Ashley McClary & Lee Garrett

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH KOBOS // CREATIVE DIRECTION BY ELIZABETH HOWELL

STYLED BY MELISSA BROWN // HAIR & MAKEUP BY JULIA HIENZ

Videography: Anna Hodgson & Dylan Knight

Previous Page

On Malia: Leather jacket, Van Jean; Top, Sid & Nancy; Jeans, M Boutique; Ring, Bohemian; flats, Van Jean.

On Ashley: Crochet sweater, Sid & Nancy; Polka-dot skirt, Van Jean.

On Lee: Cardigan, Bohemian; Plaid shirt, Gentleman’s Closet; Shoes, Salty’s Surf Shop.

Nickelodeon Theatre

On Malia: Maxi skirt, Bohemian; Peeptoe wedges, Van Jean; Gray jacket, M Boutique.

On Ashley: Wool coat, M Boutique; Sheer blouse, Sid & Nancy; Skirt, Van Jean; Wedges, Salty’s Surf Shop.

On Lee: Collared shirt and T-shirt, Sid & Nancy; Jeans, Salty’s Surf Shop; Leather cuff, Sid & Nancy.

Goatfeathers Restaurant

On Lee: Collared shirt and jeans, Sid & Nancy.

On Malia: Coat and leather belt (worn as a necklace) 2 G’s; Dress, Salty’s Surf Shop; Bead bracelets and Stud earrings, Sid & Nancy; Loafers, Van Jean; Clutch bag, 2 G’s.

On Ashley: Turtleneck, Van Jean; wool shorts and watch, Bohemian; Earrings, Sid & Nancy; Heels, Van Jean.

New Brookland Tavern

On Malia: Maxi skirt (worn as a dess), Bohemian; Sweater and bracelet, Sid & Nancy; Chain necklace and shoes, Van Jean.

On Ashley: top, Bohemian; leather cuff, M Boutique; Earrings, Sid & Nancy; Bracelet, 2 G’s.

On Lee: Plaid shirt, Gentleman’s Closet; V-neck t-shirt, Salty’s Surf Shop; Leather cuff, Sid & Nancy.

On Ashley: Sweater and vintage purse, 2 G’s; Skinny jeans, M Boutique; Boots, Van Jean. On Malia: Sweater and leather belt, 2 G’s; Dress (worn as a skirt), Salty’s Surf Shop; Wrap-around watch, Bohemian. On Lee: Zip-up sweater, corduroy pants and dress shoes, Gentleman’s Closet; V-neck T-shirt, Salty’s; Watch, Bohemian.

BY NICHOLE JEFFORDS

Set the scene for Halloween by checking out these spooky thrills in the 803, and be sure to bring friends who aren’t faint of heart along for the ride!

1. OLD STATE ROAD

This winding dirt road is choked by trees. We’ve heard a story about the landowners who were killed and burned by Union troops during the Civil War. On certain nights, you can see fire flickering in the trees and silhouettes darting through the woods. They say a bus full of school kids was hit by a train in the 1970s, and if you put your car in neutral near the tracks, and unseen force will move it. If you dare visit, baby powder your back bumper to later reveal the tiny hands of children that pushed you.

2.

CATACOMBS OF USC

Rumor has it there are over 10 miles of maze-like tunnels running under campus, there are even hidden tunnels to the State House and Governor’s Mansion. These catacombs are allegedly haunted by the “Third-Eye Man.” A student sighted the creature in 1949. In 1950, a university police officer claims to have seen the same man with an eye in the middle of his forehead crouched over mutilated chicken parts. The catacombs begin beneath Capstone residence hall, and many of the tunnels have been sealed off, but you can still get down there. Some entrances may include the basement of Columbia Hall and a manhole in the middle of the walkway between the National Advocacy Center and the Humanities building. You’ll probably get in trouble if you’re caught down there, but if you happen to fall into the catacombs, please watch out for the Third-Eye Man. He has three eyes—he will see you.

3. CONGAREE RIVER BRIDGE

On campus ghost tours, you might hear the tale about how the bridge that runs across Gervais Street is haunted by a young woman who was killed in an accident when it was first built. If you’re on the West Columbia side and see a girl hitchhiking, offer her a ride. She’ll accept and instruct you to take her to her sick mother’s house on Pickens Street. Once the car reaches the other side, the girl mysteriously vanishes. If you go to her house, you may meet the girl’s sister, who claims this happens frequently. So, guys, if you see a pretty girl on the side of the road, don’t get your hopes up.

If you’ve passed the intersection of Bull Street and Elmwood Street, you might have noticed an imposing gathering of buildings and a faded, red bell tower rising out of the trees. This National Historic Landmark dates back to the early 1820s and was known as the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum. The deep grounds are now empty and unkempt, and according to students who have ventured inside, the main building is pitch black with forgotten Christmas ornaments strewn about, menacing graffiti and dark chairs facing empty corners. We do not advise you go inside; drive by once, and you won’t want to linger. And make haste—soon, the property will be apartments and shops, but the stories will remain.

4. SOUTH CAROLINA STATE HOSPITAL

// PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTIAN BARKER

HOW TO FEEL LIKE A KID AGAIN IN COLLEGE

\\BY CHRISTOPHER ROSA

1. Try to log in to your first AIM account—if you can remember it. Use this formula if you can’t: Name of high school + chick/dude + date of birth in numbers.

2. Set up a (hard) lemonade stand, and bring your first taste of entrepreneurship back to your collegiate life.

3. Play “light as a feather, stiff as a board” with your roommates. I’m not exactly sure how this will go over with 20-year-olds, but...

4. Read a classic bedtime story to your roommate, but give it a spin of your own (i.e., “The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe” could now be “The Psych Major Who Lived in Bates”).

5. Play a pick-up game of Red Rover on the Horseshoe. You’ll be surprised how many Gamecocks will send themselves right over.

Gabe Crawford

BY JERRY FRIEDMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAITLIN MOORE

Show name & time: The Cool Station; Mondays, 8-10 p.m.

DJ name: DJ Celsius

Favorite band/artist: Horace Silver

Guilty pleasure: Death metal

Least favorite genre of music: Modern popular country What song defines your life?

“Ain’t Gonna Give You None of My Jellyroll”Leon Redbone

Dream concert: Herbie Hancock during the ’70s

Set list sample: “Chicago” - Bob Scobey

“Serenade to a Soul Sister” - Horace Silver “Last Night in Manhattan”The Corey Christiansen Quartet

“Surfboard” - Tom Jobim

WHAT FOOTBALL PLAYERS WOULD TWEET IF THEY COULD

\\BY MAX LASSER

1. 2nd saxophone is flat. Don’t feel inspired to perform anymore.

2. @Spurrier I wish u wouldn’t yell at me so much...I left USC in early 2003. How did u even get this #?

3. Anyone see my block in the second quarter? #OnlySmallGuysGetOnESPN

WISDOM LEARNED FROM RAP SONGS

\\BY JOSH RAINWATER

1. “I came to this world with nothing. And I leave with nothing but love. Everything else is just borrowed.” - “Everything is Borrowed” - The Streets

2. “I know you’d like to think your sh!t don’t stank, but lean a little bit closer, see roses really smell like poo-poo-poo.” - “Roses”OutKast

3. “I was rollin’ around. In my mind it occurred: What if God was a her? Would I treat her the same? Would I still be runnin’ game on her?” - “Faithful” - Common

4. “An umbrella can stop the fiercest rain. Flip it upside down, and you’ve got a cane.” - “RedUmbrella” - EleCtriSiZe

5. “Ladies is pimps, too—go and brush your shoulders off.”

-“Dirt Off Your Shoulders” - Jay-Z

Ramphastos Ramphastos Ramphastos

If you organized Will Flourance’s iTunes playlists, it would be as expansive and complicated as the lower levels of Thomas Cooper Library.

Will, a fourth-year mass communications student and Virginia native, has been producing music since 2006 and made a name for himself on the Columbia music scene as co-founder of several local bands, including the satirical Sweet Vans. The experienced station manager of WUSC’s latest project and first solo act, Ramphastos, focuses on making beats based on soul music from the ’60s and ’70s.

Ramphastos was originally called Toucans, but the name received negative feedback from an attorney who claimed he stole the name of a client’s group, Toucans Steel Drum band. Heard of ’em? Neither have we.

“When I got the email, the attorney was pretty rude to me, but I thought I might as well just change it,” Will says.

He changed the name to the toucan’s scientific name— naturally.

A fan of Tokyo Police Club, Will draws inspiration from the chillwave movement (think Toro Y Moi and Washed Out, also Columbia-based) and U.K. base music, combined with the witch house genre, which he describes as “crunk hiphop beats interpreted by Goth kids.”

So far, Ramphastos has performed at New Brookland Tavern, opening for the Michigan-based electric pop

BY TAYLOR CHENEY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHANIE POPE

band Stepdad. His first album, “Black,” received positive reviews from various music blogs and was described by The Free Times as having a “human, emotional quality in its deepsoul samples…that balances its dark undercurrents and makes it a rewarding listen.”

Will has completed a second album, and he is excited to see where Ramphastos will lead him.

“It’s taken me a while to get where I am,” the aspiring lawyer says. “After I graduate, there will be times when I’m not working or studying law, and I’m glad I’ll always have this.”

To listen to Ramphastos, visit Ramphastos.bandcamp. com, check out Facebook. com/Toucansss and follow @ TookyTooky on Twitter.

15 WAYS TO [NOT] ACT LIKE A FRESHMAN

/ BY SHENAY TURNER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHANIE POPE

I notice a lot of things that bring me back to those first few months of school—and in particular, I notice freshmen. Yes, you—schedule in hand, sporting a Carolina hoodie with a Carolina fitted and Carolina gym shorts, cashing in your 16-meal plan at Chick-fil-A. Here are the freshest 15 tips and tricks from a student who’s been in your Rainbows to help you break the first-year stereotype and fool us all.

Don’t be afraid of the squirrels; they run this town.

Hold off on buying your books until you’ve gone to classes first. The bookstore is a feeding frenzy, and that Barnes & Noble book box screams: “Freshman!” Skip the line, and use Amazon or Chegg—they’re cheaper and easier.

Lose vocabulary like “period,” “grade” and “teacher.” Opt for “class,” “year” and “professor.”

Save your high school “SENIOR ’11” shirts and bookstore hand-out shirts that read: “I survived the first week of classes” until you can nostalgically wear them as upperclassmen. And leave behind the CarolinaCard on a lanyard; it looks like a dog collar.

Avoid clapping your hands in the Russell Patio clap circle and saying, “OMG, it echoes!” (And if you don’t know what this is, you may be in the demographic for this story.)

Take all the free stuff you can get—frisbees, sunglasses, burritos, events you’ve paid for in your student fees. Pick up a Carolina Productions (or G&B social events) calendar for ideas.

Avoid the late-night munchies as much as you can (Pop’s Pizza, Grilled Teriyaki, Sonic). It’s tough, but your pants size will thank you.

Make new friends, especially if you came to college with half your high school. This is a time for experiences and stories, not intense cliques. I often see groups of chatty girls who probably met the first week and instantly started getting every meal together and going to the Strom in packs, but be open to opportunities when they come your way.

Try dinner somewhere that isn’t GMP for a change of scenery and palette. Bates has an awesome buffet!

We know you’ll end up in Five Points, but please, try to look older. Guys, play up the facial hair (if you’ve got a lot of it, that is; Patchy the Pirate is a giveaway). Girls, well, you get away with everything, but guys and girls, be careful to not act like it’s your 21st birthday every Thursday night.

If the professor is about to let class out early, don’t be the obnoxious guy who says anything that makes everyone stay longer. Save your questions for after.

Get involved with an organization, even if you’re not sure it’s the one for you. You’ll meet people and go places. It’s pretty lame to be the kid who plays Xbox 24/7 in his dorm room.

Make sure to wear garnet to games, not red. We’re not Georgia.

When making casual convo, don’t tell other students: “This class seems so hard! I’ve never taken anything above a 200-level course before. Have you?” Giveaway.

When you trip over a brick on the Horseshoe, just walk it off. Learning to laugh at yourself is one of the most important things you can take away from college.

Once you’ve mastered university life, share these hints with future freshmen so they will look like college pros, too!

When I find time to eat at Russell House these days,

Really Bad Advice from an Upperclassman:

BY G&CKB

Never buy a single textbook. Just Google stuff.

I mean, it’s not really necessary to go to class, if they don’t take attendance.

Never take notes. Just make friends with people who do.

The only time I go inside Thomas Cooper is to pee. What? They have a website.

The weekend starts on Thursday.

It’s true that things you learn have value. Like term papers. Sell them.

BY JORDAN OSBORNE PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY AARON

1. What are you sporting for Halloween this year?

a. Girl: A bumblebee; Guy: Beer of choice

b. Girl/Guy: Steve Urkel (and it’s cute on both of you)

c. Girl: Katy Perry; Guy: Alan from “The Hangover”

d. Girl: Whatever you could find laying around—bra, “full-coverage” panties, some animal ears; Guy: A knock-off toga because there weren’t sheets clean enough for a ghost look.

2. When signing up for classes, you:

a. Take whatever your friends are taking so you’ll have a class buddy.

b. Extensively search RateMyProfessor. com because you want instructors who are challenging but “really know what they’re talking about.”

c. Craftily figure out which professors give out A’s like candy. And yes, there is a way.

d. Build your schedule to only have Tuesday/ Thursday classes—and ones you probably won’t go to anyway.

3. What do you carry your books around campus in?

a. A North Face backpack.

b. Vera Bradley’s freshest seasonal printed bag.

c. A bottomless Mary Poppins tote.

d. Books? A pencil and paper will do.

4. Where and when do you exercise?

a. Strom, somewhere in the 5:30-8 p.m. window; you really don’t mind waiting 30 minutes for an elliptical.

b. Outside, 6 a.m. You love to get your metabolism going with an invigorating, pre-class jog around the Woodlands.

c. Strom, whenever you wake up. You hit the gym then hurry to your 2:30.

d. Sorry, what now? Does Wii count?

5. Why are you reading this issue of G&B?

a. You heard your friends talking about how awesome it was in class so you made sure to grab one. Too bad there’s no sudoku.

b. You got it the day it came out—duh. The magazine is so hot off the presses it’s literally steaming.

c. Someone left a copy in a bush near Russell House.

d. You’re hiding your hungover face in class with this issue (wait, you bothered going?) and happened to open to the quiz, and the words “college food” caught your eye.

TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU ARE...

There’s that old mantra that says, “You are what you eat.” So, what collegiate pantry staple are you?

“What is up with the Starbucks in the Russell House? They are SO SLOW in the morning. Don’t they realize we need to get to class on time?” -Needs Coffee, Senior/Journalism

“Sooooo my roommate’s completely crazy..pretty sure she’s showing signs of schiz..anyway, are there any other normal freshman girls out there willing to get me away from my creepy roomie? I’m having a hard time avoiding her and don’t know anyone...ugh!” -Creepedout in SoTo, Freshman/undecided

“If you’re looking for a good time go hang out with the guy in the blue polo with the sick dance moves at The Big Ugly in the Vista. He may get denied by

We here at G&B spend hours upon hours in a tiny office, which leads to hours upon hours of raving, bitching and bragging about the outside world. So, we’ve created this column to give you the opportunity to do the same. Think of it as a Rant & Rave meets Missed Connections meets Overheard at South Carolina.

girls left and right, even THAT doesn’t stop his swag. hahaha” -Sean, 4th/Finance

“Is there a greater feeling than sleeping in on a saturday after a long night downtown only to find leftovers in your fridge you forgot you had? I think not.” -Jen, Junior/Pharmacy

“Defending College World Series National Champs coming through!”

-ASHLEY, Graphic Design

“

No one likes bikers. Car drivers don’t like you. Walkers don’t like you. That goes the same for skaters, roller bladers, pogo stickers, even MOPED drivers don’t like you. What about the idiots on long

boards? Nope. They hate you too. Let’s face it, you probably don’t even like yourself. Get off your bike. Chain it up somewhere and let it rust. Find a new mode of transportation.” -a completely objective third party observer, freshie/photography

“@completely objective: You’re a meanie.” -Nice person, also freshman

“Is it just me or is Stephen Garcia awesome.” -Elle, soph/SPTE

“I wish professors would stop thinking we have nothing else to do but THEIR assignments and why do they schedule everything THE SAME WEEK??” -Want Life, sophomore

TO READ MORE AND TO ADD YOUR OWN DISH, VISIT GANDBMAGAZINE.COM OR TWEET @GARNETANDBLACK.

I know life doesn’t come with a schedule. That’s why at State Farm you can always count on me for whatever you need – 24 / 7, 365.