UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
VOL. 110, NO. 06 ● SINCE 1908
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018
#UofSCImpact Carolina Day shifts university advocacy efforts to social media Larissa Johnson @LALARISSAJ
For the fi rst time, the annual USC effort to lobby the legislature wasn’t actually held in the Statehouse. It wasn’t even held in a building at all — instead, thousands of tweets, Facebook posts and Instagram pictures were shared with #UofSCImpact. “Last year, I was following groups around, just seeing their story,” said Ore Oluwole, My Carolina director of alumni relations. “But this year, I’m not following any group around; I’m following everyone on Twitter.” The university called for students, alumni and Sout h Carolinians to share stories about t he impact of USC. While Carolina Day in 2017 focused on advocating a bond bill for a new medical school campus and saw around 100 advocates at booths in the Statehouse, the message this year was much broader. “It’s t ime for higher educat ion refor m i n S out h Ca rol i n a ,” My Carolina execut ive director Jack Claypoole said. Oluwole, a 2016 public relations g r adu at e of USC , r u n s t he My Carol i na A lu m n i A ssociat ion s o c i a l me d i a ac c ou nt s . A r ou nd 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, the hashtag #UofSCImpact was trending No. 1 in the region on Twitter. “My mentions were blowing up,” he said.
Alumni like 2015 graduate Ashley Pullen embraced the new social media effort. “I was able to stay at work and still participate and also come down [to the Alumni Center] and participate as opposed to just having to just go to the Statehouse to participate,” Pullen said. Pullen’s Tw it ter feed ment ions Carolina Day or #UofSCImpact over 20 times, with tweets ranging from personal anecdotes about her experience at USC to memes celebrat ing t he university’s economic cont r ibut ions. A Nort h Carolina transplant, she now work s a s d i rec tor of m a rket i ng a nd development for the South Carolina Bar Foundation. “Being here and loving everything about the state of South Carolina, I chose to stay ... giving back my talents and my money to the state of South Carolina,” she said. “And so I think it is really important that the state provides more money and funding for the university.” The growing percentage of outof-state students has been a concern for some in the legislature, who take issue with a freshman class now more
than half from beyond the Palmetto State and large scholarships from USC to draw top national talent. The Advocacy Briefing Book created by the university for this year’s Carolina Day has four full pages on out-of-state students, with graphs of growing nonresident tuition revenue and declining state appropriations. According to Claypoole, the outo f- s t a t e s t u d e nt s are necessar y to subsidize low in-state tuition. “ W i t h o u t [ leg islators’] help, we can’t keep tuition low,” Claypoole said. “They have offloaded the weight of tuition onto t he t u it ion payer.” T he leg i s l at u re hasn’t passed a higher education bond bill since before most current USC students were born. But according to Student Body President Ross Lordo, that will be changing soon. “This year establishes I think a new era in our state advocacy,” he said. With the bond bill more of a “when than an if” and the proposal to add a student vote at the university board of trustees past the reading stage in the legislature, he said, student involvement is on an up-swing. With
“It’s time for higher education reform in South Carolina.” — Jack Claypoole, My Carolina Executive Director
almost 35,000 students, USC is just about the size of the average house district in South Carolina. “This year, for really the first time, we have had a pretty robust dialogue with members of the legislature both in the house and senate on a variety of different issues,” Student Government secretary of governmental affairs Nick Santamaria said. For example, Santamaria worked with USC-Lancaster alumnus Rep. Brandon Newton to get the trustee bill onto the house floor. Administrators want to encourage that kind of involvement and direct advocacy to legislators. Strong social media campaigns like Carolina Day’s #UofSCImpact can be more effective than in-person efforts, according to university social media strategist CJ Lake. #UofSCImpact has received almost 7 m illion impressions on Twitter alone, according to a Tweet Binder analysis of the hashtag. “More importantly, we’re hoping legislators will hop into the hashtag later and just kind of see the story,” she said. University President Harris Pastides was introduced in both the House and Senate chambers during Wednesday morning and spoke individually with several legislators, but said he was more pleased with the response online. Social med ia is “not simply fashionable,” he said. “I think it’s actually more effective that way.”
— information courtesy of USC
Legislators hear advocates for SG Board of Trustees vote Hannah Dear @THEGAMECOCK
Student Government officials testified at the South Carolina Statehouse on Tuesday to advocate for a student vote on the USC Board of Trustees. Fourth-year public health student and Student Body President Ross Lordo spoke before the Higher Education Subcommittee of the South Carolina House Education and Public Works Committee along with his Secretary of Government Relations, fourth-year political science student Nick Santamaria. “The reasoning behind this bill is to give the 50,000 students that are in the USC system a vote at the table. So, right now the student body president can go and sit at board meetings, they can give their input, but when they … make motions, they don’t have a say,” Santamaria said. “They have to rely that all of the board members are going to present their interests in their entirety, and I don’t think that’s probably always the case.” This push has been a priorit y for St udent Government since Lordo began his term as student body president. Santamaria has been instrumental in finding all of the minute details to strengthen their case and persuade state legislatures to pass the bill. “I think data’s the most powerful tool that we can have,” Lordo said when discussing the next steps for this bill after the hearing. “I think we need to go back and talk to more universities and continue to try to put facts in front of the narrative.” Passing this bill through state legislature has been a complex process from the beginning. Nevertheless, Lordo is encouraging current and future Student Government members to remain persistent. “Never give up on an idea,” Lordo said. “You face a lot of red tape, not just in the institution, but across the state. You’re empowered in your position to really be a voice for everyone.” A big part of the hearing revolved around Lordo SEEBOTPAGE2
Sara Yang / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
USCDM finance director Alex St. Pierre charting donations on DonorDrive in the hype room.
USCDM leads 24-hour fundraiser Larissa Johnson @LALARISSAJ
Starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday, USC Dance Marathon led a 24-hour fundraising push. The organization aims to raise $100,000, one tenth of its total goal, by 10 a.m. Thursday with Forever to Thee Kids Day. “It’s really exciting to see people hit their goals and get super excited about it, because then I can see how they’re sharing the passion for the kids,” USCDM vice president of fi nance Sarah Maples said. Miracle kids played on Greene Street, with games and merchandise for students. Online,
Dance Marathon members ask for donations on social media and through platforms like Venmo and DonorDrive. The $1 million goal, announced Oct. 4, is the largest ever set by USCDM — last year, $703,289 was raised. At the March 3 main event, more than 1,500 students and alumni will dance from 10 a.m. to midnight. All proceeds raised by USCDM go to Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital, first to fund the Child Life program for more accommodating hospital visits and then to support the construction of a playground on hospital grounds. — Senior news writer Hannah Dear contributed to this report
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Monday, February 1, 2018
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“My duty, and the sacred duty of every elected official in this chamber, is to defend Americans — to protect their safety, their families, their communities, and their right to the American Dream. Because Americans are dreamers too.” — President Donald Trump in his first State of the Union address to Congress
SC Lawmakers consider proposal for increased texting-and-driving fines, tickets The current fi ne in South Carolina for texting and driving is just $25. That could soon increase up to $100, according to The State. Legislators began considering a proposal that includes the fi ne increase and would make texting while stopped at a red light or stop sign illegal. Only about 1,500 tickets are issued annually for texting while driving in South Carolina because officers have to prove the offender was texting, while the new proposal would include fi nes for talking on the phone or using a phone’s GPS. — Compiled by Larissa Johnson, news editor
BOTPAGE1 a nd Sa nt a m a r ia conv i nc i ng t he subcommittee of the bill’s necessity. The pair was adamant that giving Lordo voting rights on the Board would be extremely benef icial in communicating the student point of view. “It gives students the abilit y to express themselves in a tangible way ... While one vote’s not going to change t he whole outcome it showcases students’ opinions and shows at the end of the day what was the students’ perspective on this,” Lordo said. I n L o r d o’s m i n d , S t u d e n t Government is an important part of student life at USC whose purpose is to cultivate student involvement and leadership skills while simultaneously accomplishing major goals for students. “The only way to guarantee that the student voice will be heard, not just for today, but for years to come, is to codif y student participation through permanent trusteeship,” he said in his testimony in front of the subcommittee. To showcase the difference between USC and other universities, Lordo shared that “at least 31 states and the
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District of Columbia give a student trustee the right to vote on their respective boards.” Without a voting student trustee on the Board, Student Government executives believe there is a large d i s p a r it y b e t w e e n t he s t u d e nt population and the representatives on the Board. “When we talk about representatives on the Board of Trustees, on average it has been 38 years since a member of the current University of South Carolina Board of Trustees was an undergraduate student,” Lordo said. “For a point of reference, 38 years ago today Jimmy Carter was the president of the United States, we were in the midst of the Cold War and I was not born for another 16 years.” When Lordo was asked about the future of Student Government and the legacy he was leaving behind, he said that he is hoping this will set a foundation for students as this bill is pushed forward in the next five years. “I think that this issue is more than just a Student Government thing. I hope the legacy of this is that future students continue to push and ask why they aren’t a part of the conversation,” he said.
Monday, February 1, 2018
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Thursday, February 1, 2018
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Courtesy of Allison Terracio
Terracio looks forward to seeing what artistic approaches other women involved in the photography exhibition have taken to showcase their lives to the community.
Exhibit to show personal lives of local women Brad Dountz @BRADDOUNTZ
Midlands women are getting ready to give the city of Columbia and beyond a closer look at their daily lives. Tapp’s Art Center collaborated with Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network, WREN, to showcase the “Seen and Heard Exhibit,” where photography by a diverse group of area women will be on display for the first time this Thursday night. Different groups of women came together last year, cameras in hand, with a specific message that they wished to convey with their photography. “We all got these disposable cameras, like film cameras, and what we were instructed to do was just record our life as women in Columbia and the Midlands,” W R EN volunteer and advocate Allison Terracio said. They spent numerous sessions going over each other’s pictures and tended to pick the ones that had the most
meaning behind them. In the end, 80 original works from 40 different artists will be a part of the exhibit. Terracio says women can relate to the intimacy within the content of the photographs, which gives people a view into their lives that can often get ignored, especially by men. “You get this view into a woman’s life that maybe you don’t often see, you know? My husband gets up, takes my son to school, goes to work, does his thing all day long, doesn’t see a whole lot of my day,” she said. “I think that’s something that men will get to partake in.” Terracio t hink s photog raphy is the perfect medium to capture each woman’s reality. It’s not just because of the technology or the convenience, it’s how social media has saturated our process of absorbing photographs. She’s confident that she and the other artists can remind people of the power of the picture. “This is a printed photograph, it is
something you are not just scrolling past, so it takes that instant thing that we’re used to and makes it more permanent or a longer engagement — you can stand there be with it,” she said. Ter r ac io h a s not l i ve d i n t he Columbia area for even a year and a half, but she has taken advantage of the countless ways to become a part of Columbia and make an impact. “It’s just a really big tapestr y of people working together, organizations working together and I got to be a part of that,” she said. “I got to weave my little thread into a piece of that.” The press release for the exhibit says it is “a means of bringing to light the opportunities and barriers they’ve faced w it hin t heir commu nit ies.” The opportunities may have already presented themselves for the artists involved. “Many of the women in my group were women at a point in their life where they can make choices about
careers, where they can make choices about family, they can make choices. So the empowerment of choice … I mean opportunity is really just like ‘Do you get to choose it or not? Do you get to open that door and go through it or not?’” Terracio said. For women, the fight to get a foot in the door is one of the most constant, but unwelcomed problems they face today. “I think the barriers that we see ... it’s just about, do we have extra services available to us? Do we have extra care? Do we have a place to take our child, or someone to pick our child up?” she said. On Thursday night, Terracio is ready to get past all those barriers and see her and so many other people’s work come together to create something unique and special for the community. “I want to get to k now women’s stories,” she said “I’m curious about if my story resonates with the other stories and if t hey, and how t hey, resonate with each other.”
Column: Award shows should be less divisive Caitlin Burnham @CAITYBURNHAM
Courtesy of Tribune News Service / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Attendees of the 60th Grammys used the award show as a platform to push controversial political messages.
Last year we heard about “President Agent Orange” from A Tribe Called Quest, and this year we saw the Grammys take it up a notch with a dramatic “Fire and Fur y” reading from Hillary Clinton. Award shows have always been political, but since the 2016 election they seem to have become even more so. And with the polarization their remarks cause, the increasing concern is: Are award shows becoming too politically involved, and should the celebrities just stay out of it? The a nswer t hat im med iately comes to my mind is no, of course not. Those with platforms should use them, but use them well. The problem comes from the pointed, somewhat aggressive political remarks which only create divisiveness; they don’t make the bridges for conversation that we need the most. Su nday n ight we saw possibly the most politically charged award show yet – with Kendrick Lamar setting the tone for the entire night in his opening performance, which he entitled “This is a satire.” Featuring SEEAWARDSPAGE5
Shreyas Saboo / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
‘The Crucible’ ties USC’s past to its present Genna Contino @GENNAC07
Longstreet Theatre will be home to lying, hysteria a nd deceit t h i s week a s USC’s theatre department prepa res for it s ma i n stage production of “The Crucible.” Undergraduate st udents as well as g uest actors — alumni from the university — will perform
t h e s h o w f r o m Fe b . 2 t h r o u g h Fe b . 10 u n d e r t he d i rec t ion of Rober t Richmond. Richmond sees the show as timeless in its relevance and its social commentary. “Here we are living in an age of accusation and fake news and this play is only about false accusations and SEETHEATERPAGE5
Thursday, February 1, 2018
AWARDSPAGE4 the American flag, black soldiers who end up being gunned down and appearances from U2 and Dave Chappelle, Lamar’s performance was one of the most memorable of the night. And for those who didn’t fully understand his intent, Chappelle laid it out clearly for them. “I just wanted to remind the audience that the only thing more frightening than watching a black man be honest in America is being an honest black man in America,” he said. “It looks like he’s singing and dancing; this brother’s taking enormous chances.” But even w it h h is charged intent, Lamar’s performance was far from being the most overtly political message. It actually wasn’t even the first one made – singer Joy Villa can take the credit for that. Known for her fashion risks on the Grammys red carpet, Villa stole the light last year by wearing a “Make America Great Again” flag as a dress. This year, she came back with a new message. Villa’s white gown had a hand-painted fetus at the bottom and her purse was painted with the words “Choose Life.” “I’m a pro-life woman,” she told Fox News. “This year I chose to make a statement on the red carpet like I always do.” THEATERPAGE4 fake news, and how the smallest of rumors can snowball into something that destroys and entire village,” Richmond said. As for the cast, the excitement of the show is in the performance itself. Olivia Hensley, a fi rst-year theatre student, and William Hollerung, a f i r s t-y e a r t he at re a nd v i s u a l communications student, are among the few actors starring in their fi rst main stage show. The two were cast together in “Black Comedy” last fall and now get to work together again in “The Crucible.” “ It wa s rea l ly e xc it i ng b ei ng f resh ma n, bei ng able to be cast in our first main stage show that quickly,” Hollerung said. In the show Hensley plays Susanna Wa l c o t t a n d H o l l e r u n g p l a y s Marshal Herrick. Hollerung is also Thomas Putnam’s understudy, a role played by USC alumnus Terrance Henderson. Both Hensley and Hollerung are figuring out the transition from high school theater to college theater. Hensley explained that in college, actors have more creative freedom. The director isn’t holding your hand every step of the way. It hasn’t been a hard transition though — Hollerung
Blue Dogs February 2
Magic Mike Tour February 9
Villa’s was the only conservative statement seen at the award show, however, and it mainly served as a glimpse into the half of the political spectrum largely left out of award shows. And her statement was even still dimmed by the white roses that took over the red-carpet fashion of the night in support of the Time’s Up movement. The conser vative perspective, though, is an important look into why award show ratings seem to drop as the political content goes up. A large part of award shows’ audiences are Republican, and they do agree with Trump’s policies. And they don’t appreciate the intentional — at times hostile — remarks consistently made about him. But with that said, and while award show hosts can do with a few less presidential jokes, the audience should also stay considerate. The moment at t h is year’s Gram mys most seemed to have problems with was the pretend audition for a spoken word album of “Fire and Fury,” the controversial tell-all book about the Trump administration. Host James Corden organized for various celebrities, including Cardi B, Snoop Dogg and most notably, Hillary Clinton, to read excerpts from the book. This bit received a lot of backfire from conservative politicians, including a tweet from
dove into a show early on in the fall semester so he wouldn’t get bored. As director of the play, Richmond thought bringing in alumni as guest artists created a positive experience for the undergraduate actors. “I think that they raise the stakes,” Richmond said, “If you want to be a better tennis player, you play with someone that’s better than you.” The theatre program has changed a lot since Henderson graduated from USC in 2001. He discussed how USC u ndergoes so ma ny changes constantly that it doesn’t feel the same each time he returns. “ I ’ve b een here i n C olu mbia since graduating. I’ve started my professional career here in Columbia as well so I’ve been here all this time, but when I come here it’s ... weird, you k now, I don’t really get that nostalgic, because it’s so different,” Henderson said. Some t h i ng s haven’t cha nged t hou g h . For o ne , t he p h y s ic a l performance space con nects Henderson to h is t ime as a n undergraduate here. Henderson’s fi rst role at USC was in “Androcles and the Lion” at Longstreet Theatre, where he now prepares for opening night of “The Crucible.” A s a st udent , Henderson a lso worked with Richmond when he was
ColaJazz Festival February 3
Cosmic Charlie: Grateful Dead Tribute February 17
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Trump’s ambassador to the UN and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. “I have always loved the Grammys but to have artists read the Fire and Fury book killed it. Don’t ruin great music with trash,” she said. “Some of us love music without the politics thrown in it.” Sure, she makes a good point that an audience should be able to enjoy music’s biggest night without having their beliefs attacked, but she invites criticism, not reform, by calling the video segment trash and adopting an aggressive tone towards the award show. It really all comes down to the intent of the statement – some, such as the white roses displayed last night, or wearing black at the Golden Globes, are meant to be a display of unity and togetherness. Others, such as the pointed remarks by some celebrities at the show and Haley’s tweet, are meant to divide. And as a country that has already seen the damage of political division, I would say we don’t need any more of it. The barbed jokes only lead to unnecessary social media posts and argument. Celebrities should continue to show efforts for unity, but the hate-filled comments should stop. We need to show that united messages make more pathways than divisive ones.
Shreyas Saboo / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
a guest artist rather than a director. “Rob er t wa s one of t he f i r s t d i rec tors to sor t of look at t he wholeness of what I brought as a performer and not just my acting but my movement skills, my dance, my musicality and those things and put those things to use for the play,” Henderson said. As for the future of USC’s theater department after “The Crucible?”
Hensley wants more musicals and Hollerung loves Shakespeare. But Richmond has his own plans for the future of the program. “I’m hopi ng i n t he f ut u re we will be able to find a professional comp a ny a nd re sidenc e w it h i n the theatre department that will be able to sustain and bring people through undergraduate to graduate to professional level.”
Thursday, February 1, 2018
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Resolving our differences on reasonable gun control When it comes to guns per capita, gun homicides, gun suicides and mass shootings, America outdoes every high-income country in the world multiple times over. We own the most guns and shoot the most people. And, as anyone who reads
the news can attest, we fight about gun control often and at length. We’re familiar with Republicans and Democrats duk ing it out on the issue, despite having adopted t heir relat ive posit ions w it hout any real mooring in t heir part y
ideology. With that in mind, the opinion section has decided to host a product ive discussion on g u n control that attempts to come to a reasonable, achievable conclusion rat her t ha n merely pa r t isa n bickering. Linden Atelsek, who
PRO GUN Dan Nelson THIRD-YEAR PUBLIC HEALTH STUDENT
Like many, my relationship with guns began at a young age. I still have fond memories of going hunting and shooting with my dad and cousins on my uncle’s property in the middle of Georgia. Such an upbringing during these formative years is not uncommon among gun owners and, in many ways, it influences how many of us view guns when we grow older. We view guns as tools that, if used safely and with respect, can be both useful and fun. I was always taught to follow the golden rules of gun safety and that gun ownership, even as a constitutionally protected right, came with a responsibility to be a good citizen. With age, however, I came to see guns in a different light. No longer were they exclusive to fond family memories, rather they were ubiquitous in much of the crime and violence we see in America today. Few gun owners — despite what many who don’t like guns believe — are callous to the reality of gun violence in America. We see the same news you do and are
feels negatively about the presence of guns in our societ y, and Dan Nelson, who feels positively about it, critically examined their own v iews a nd t hen disc ussed t hem together to create a resolution they could both agree to.
ANTI GUN
not impassive to the staggering toll, but we believe that gun rights and gun crime can be reconciled without the all too common knee-jerk reaction of banning or severely limiting gun ownership. Gu ns, af ter all, have mult iple purposes in America. We use them when hunting both for food and for conservation purposes. We use them in a variety of sports. We rely on them for self-defense. Legal gun owners are not the problem, criminals and other ineligible parties are. A quick look at other countries with high gun ownership, like Canada, Finland and Switzerland, clearly shows that high legal gun ownership doesn’t necessarily result in higher homicide rates. With that in mind, we must consider guns as what they are — tools. A crowbar can be used in a number of harmless ways, but it can also be used by criminals to break into your car. In much the same way, guns can be used for good or for bad. Getting guns out of the hands of criminals should be the goal, not taking them from the large number of responsible, legal gun owners.
Linden Atelsek FOURTH-YEAR PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT
The idea that fewer guns mean fewer deaths seems simple to me. Statistics back me up, for the most part — studies show higher rates of gun ownership correlate to higher rates of gun death. Countries that aren’t us just don’t have the same kind of gun violence we do. Japan virtually outlawing gun ownership has led to t hem ex per ienci ng as few as six incidents of g unrelated deaths in 2014, whereas America had 33,594. Australia’s gun restrictions have given the country over two decades free of mass shootings, whereas the U.S. in the same amount of time has had hundreds. It feels obvious that t hose stat ist ics would improve if we could severely restrict gun ownership and use the way other countries have. I’m not ignorant of the practical considerations stacked against my argument — namely, that the U.S. isn’t Japan or Australia. I know gun rights are enshrined in our
constitution and our culture in a way they aren’t other places in the world, so we’re unlikely to be able to pass the sort of sweeping gun control that those countries d id. I a l so ac k nowledge t h at there are people in America (like farmers and subsistence hunters) who need to be able to own and use guns. But disregarding those factors, I’d be in favor of the idea of outlawing as much unnecessary gun ownership as possible. I don’t see how A merica can be surprised by our high rates of gun homicide, suicide and mass shoot ings when we’re keeping guns so available. There are a few demographic factors (being male, for instance) t hat predict g u n violence, but none of them are really practical to keep guns out of the hands of people who are going to hurt other people with them. If we don’t know what generates violent incidents, I think it’s best to believe the worst of everyone.
RESOLUTION Most Americans want some kind of gun control. We’re no different. What kind of gun control, however, is a debated issue. We spent about an hour and a half arguing about what kind would be reasonable, practical and able to pass in a sane government. We agreed at the outset — some of the conventional wisdom about how gun control should work is more hysterical panic than rational precaution. As much as semi-automatic rifles, or “assault rifles,” are often demonized, banning them wouldn’t substantially reduce gun violence, since the grand majority of incidents involve handguns. The effort of fighting for a ban would probably be better expended on provisions that would save more lives. Likewise, while banning the mentally ill from owning guns would take more guns off the streets, it would be similarly useless at substantially reducing gun violence and discriminatory to boot. We also have to assume that in a sane world, no Congress members would put in extra provisions that would sink these restrictions and that no Congress members are so far into the pocket of the NRA that no gun control at all would be allowed to pass. Human incompetence and corruption aside, these are the few measures we could agree on that would reduce gun suicides, homicides and mass shootings. First, closing the private sale loophole. That is a piece of conventional wisdom on gun control that has merit. Currently, only sellers licensed by the federal government to sell guns, FFLs, are required to conduct background checks before selling guns. There’s a clear problem with that — it allows people an easy, obvious way to circumvent a system meant to make gun ownership safer for the general public. We believe that background checks should be required for all gun purchases, even it does make private sales a tad more inconvenient. However, the background check system itself needs reform. There are a number of ways people slip through — the military doesn’t communicate well enough with the FBI, for example, to prevent service members with disqualifying information in their background to be excluded, and the whole system is underfunded, leading to processing holdups, false negatives, and, more concerningly, false positives. Simply put, we need the system to function. We must increase funding for this database, as well as set up a quick and efficient channel of communication between the relevant agencies to be sure nothing slips through the cracks. That’s mostly bureaucratic wheel-greasing. We also believe that red flags in a background check — an arrest for domestic violence, for example — should trigger harsher scrutiny than they currently do. The FBI clearly doesn’t have the time or manpower to perform in-depth, interview-heavy background checks on everyone who tries to buy a gun, but in cases where there are reasons to believe that there
might be a problem, it seems only reasonable to introduce more checks if preventing gun violence is truly the goal. We know that it’s a risky proposition to suggest an arrest with no conviction should be a discriminating factor, but domestic violence is a unique crime. For one, it is strongly linked to mass shootings. It is also frequently difficult to get battered significant others to press charges due to fear or a misplaced sense of loyalty, a tendency which we have acknowledged with other laws, like warrantless arrest for domestic violence cases. However, to prevent taking away someone’s rights based on a crime they have not been convicted of, a robust appeals process must be built into the system to lower false positives due to the method we’re proposing. Once someone has legally bought a gun, when and where should they be allowed to have it? We agreed almost instantly that constitutional carry should be abolished. There’s no good reason to need permit-less, limitless carry, and the danger of allowing anyone to carry a gun anywhere without training far exceeds the small burden of requiring licensure and training. However, the training currently required by concealed carry laws is basically a joke in many states. It must be longer and more rigorous than the current set of classes to ensure that licensed, armed people know how to carry, use, store and maintain their guns safely and reduce the number of deaths and injuries due to accidental discharge. One restriction that might have easily passed after the Las Vegas shooting was an outlawing of bump stocks. But that law hasn’t really come to fruition nationally. Bump stocks — and other modifications
that violate the spirit of the law against fully automatic weapons — should be outlawed. One of the biggest issues with gun violence in America is the prevalence of trafficked, illegal firearms. About 50,000 guns are trafficked illegally across state lines, generally from states with laxer gun laws to those with tougher ones. These guns are used in a variety of crimes across the country, from armed robbery to murder. The majority are stolen, and others come from what is known as “straw purchases” Because of this, we think that mandatory reporting of firearm loss must be a part of reasonable gun control. Plenty of states happen to have this type of law, and it gives law enforcement a better chance at recovering and returning the firearm. Furthermore, tougher penalties are needed to even begin to tackle this issue. Most of all, we agreed that one of the reasons it was so difficult to us to find reliable scientific information on gun control to support our respective arguments is that gun control research in this country has been stifled since 1996 by the Dickey Amendment. The NRA at that time accused the CDC of promoting gun control and Congress threatened them with funding loss if it continued its research, which has essentially put the kibosh on all gun control research for the last 21 years. Partisan politics should never be allowed to shut down scientific study. If we have to remain ignorant of facts to support our positions, our positions are not worth defending. The most important measure to take to keep Americans safe from guns without violating Second Amendment rights is to allow research into how to make that possible.
Courtesy of Tribune Media
Thursday, February 1, 2018
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HOROSCOPES
Aries
Don’t take action yet. Finish preparations first. Gua rd t i me for you r health and well-being. There’s plenty of work today a nd tomor row. Recharge your batteries.
Taurus
PHD • JORGE CHAM
Leo
There’s profit potential today a nd tomor row, although obstacles could seem intimidating. Stick to you r budget. Take a creative tack. Revise pla n s for u n fore seen circumstances.
Virgo
Sagittarius
Work takes priority over the next few days. Put in more time planning before initiating action. Someone important is paying attention. Take extra care.
Capricorn
Rela x. Ta ke t i me for fun, family and romance. Don’t make important decisions now; strengthen bonds with people you love. Listen, share and consider.
Slow dow n to avoid accidents or breakage. Energ y surges are predictable for t he next t wo days. Overcommitting can lead to burnout. Listen to your intuition.
Pl a n y o u r it i n e r a r y for an upcoming trip. Today a nd tomorrow favor travel, studies and education. Extra effort su r pa sse s old l i m it s. Rules bend. Don’t break them.
Gemini
Libra
Aquarius
Stick close to home over the next few days. Organize, sort and clear out clutter. Establish order somewhere chaotic. Clean up a mess.
Cancer
Consider t he histor y. Silence is better than damaging outbursts. If you don’t know what to say, keep your peace. Fo c u s o n p r a c t i c a l priorit ies despite distractions.
Settle into your warm c o c o o n . S i le n c e a nd peaceful pursuits soothe you r spi r it t h rough tomorrow. Consider the c o n s e q ue nc e s b e f or e taking action. Meditate on the possibilities.
Scorpio
Fr i e n d s h i p m a k e s a dif ference. Of fer and receive support. Lend a helping hand to one w h o n e e d s it . S h o w up for you r tea m or community.
TDG
Wa i t t o s e e w h a t develops. Cha nges require budget re v i s ion s . Fo c u s on st rateg ic objec t ive s, a nd avoid i mpu lsive spending. Join forces w it h a not her to get funding.
Pisces
@thegamecock
Work out details with you r p a r t ner b efore leapi ng i nto mot ion. C om mu n ic at ion c a n save time, money and hassle. Listen, share and support each other.
2/01/18
1 2 3 4
Solutions to today’s puzzle
Š 2018 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
ACROSS 1 Rankles 5 Go higher 10 Burgoo or ragout 14 Harvest 15 Speeder spotter 16 Dance for a lei person 17 Cornstarch brand in a yellow-and-blue container 6WULQJ LQ D NLGV¡ song 19 African antelope 20 Really cheap %DOWLPRUH¡V BB Harbor 24 Enjoy Vail 25 Podded plant 28 Fountain output 32 Sully 34 Rest area freebie 37 Precisely 0RWKHU 1DWXUH¡V balm 42 “The Glass Lakeâ€? writer Binchy 43 Trillion: Pref. 44 Worthless item 47 “Mamma Mia!â€? number 48 Slow movement 49 Move through muck 51 Kennedy twins? 52 Luthor of the comics 55 Infield fly 59 Economic factor that affects three puzzle answers 64 Naan relative 66 Demand and obtain, as vengeance 67 Adopt-a-Pet pet 68 “Dilbertâ€? intern 69 Comparatively friendly 70 Geek Squad client 71 LGBT Pride Month 72 2017 A.L. MVP JosĂŠ Altuve, for one 73 Zip
DOWN 1 Kirkuk native 2 “Seinfeldâ€? episode, now 3 See 53-Down 4 Reproductive bodies 5 Hudson Bay nation %HDU¡V KRPH 7 One may be called bright ZKHQ LW LVQ¡W 8 “Downton Abbeyâ€? figures 9 Forest babbler 10 Christian Louboutin creation 11 Tolls are taken on them 12 Bridge expert Culbertson 13 Candle stuff 21 Easy gait 22 Tubular pasta 26 Summer month in Uruguay 27 Book with 11-Down 6W 3DXO¡V feature 30 Minimally 31 Drops, as pounds 33 Part of ACA 6FRWW -RSOLQ¡V ´BB /HDI 5DJÂľ
35 Literary middle name 36 Goes all out 38 Downright nasty 39 “Finding Dory� character BB VDODG 45 Club sport 46 “Around the Horn� channel 6WUDLW RI BB Persian Gulf outlet 53 With 3-Down, justice since 2010 54 Graph line 56 Hesitation 57 Unmitigated 58 Chemical prefix?
2/01/2018
60 Maker of LeBron 15 basketball shoes 61 Delicate handling 62 Pastry prettifier 63 Other, in EspaĂąa 64 British rule in India 65 The Cowboys of the Big 12 Conf.
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Thursday, February 1, 2018
Sports staff makes Super Bowl picks
Former Gamecock teammates face each other for Super Bowl title
Shelby Beckler @SBECKLER13
File photo: Sam Bennett / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
In 2009 and 2010, Stephon Gilmore threw his only two collegiate touchdowns to Alshon Jeffery.
Claudia Chakamian @C_CHAKAMIAN
This year’s Patriots-Eagles Super Bowl matchup is the second consecutive year college teammates will face each other in the Super Bowl. Last year, a pair of players from Rutgers suited up for their respective teams for the big game, and the Patriots emerged victorious. This year, it’s t wo former Gamecocks. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery will see each other at the line of scrimmage this Sunday as the Patriots and Eagles battle for the title. Both have been pivotal parts to their teams making it this far in the NFL Playoffs, and Gamecock fans know that these two players can step up when they need to. Both Gilmore and Jeffer y made huge plays during Championship weekend to advance their teams. Gilmore broke up the Jaguars’ fi nal pass to send the Patriots to the Super Bowl. Jeffery had five receptions and two touchdowns to hold on to his promise and send the Eagles to the Super Bowl. Now, it appears the cornerback and wide
8
receiver will get even more acquainted, as they will line up and play directly against each other. Not only did Gilmore and Jeffery play with each other at South Carolina, but they were also roommates during their time here. They also share a special connection on the field, as Gilmore’s only two collegiate passes were caught by Jeffery. Gilmore was a quarterback in high school and as him and Jef fer y were bot h t r ue freshmen, former Sout h Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier played Gilmore a few times at quarterback. Once their freshmen year against Clemson, and another time a year later in the Chick-fi l-A Bowl against Florida State. The Gamecocks will also see one of their other former players in Minneapolis, but not playing, as 1997 graduate Duce Staley is the Philadelphia Eagles’ running backs coach. This Sunday will be a much different feel than it was in Williams-Brice Stadium in 2009, but it will surely be a special moment for both of them.
The NFL season is coming to a close with the 2018 Super Bowl taking place on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. The New England Patriots will look to win their second Super Bowl in a row, as they made the ultimate comeback last year to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28. They’ll still have a challenge to overcome, as the Philadelphia Eagles look to win with backup quarterback Nick Foles. The Daily Gamecock sports staff made its predictions for the big game in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Claudia Chakamian — Sports editor The Patriots will beat the Eagles 28-24. Former Gamecock Alshon Jeffery will once again show why he’s Carolina Made and have two touchdown receptions, but I think the experience of Tom Brady and company will overpower. Brady will win his sixth Super Bowl and (hopefully) retire on top. Shelby Beckler — Assistant sports editor The Patriots will beat the Eagles 31-28. There will be much anticipation as both teams continue to put points on the board hoping to claim the title of champions, but New England will secure their win with an interception in the final minutes. Noah Patheja — Sports writer The Patriots will beat the Eagles 24-20. The game will finish with Nick Foles throwing a game winning touchdown pass on fourth down to Alshon Jeffery, but the play will be overturned on an offensive pass interference. Danny Waller — Sports writer The Patriots will beat the Eagles 27-23. Gamecock alumnus Alshon Jeffery will keep the Eagles close, but ultimately the experience and talent of the New England Patriots will lead them to their second straight Super Bowl victory and give former South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore his first ring. Logan Jennes — Sports writer The Eagles will beat the Patriots 24-21. The Eagles’ defense ranks second and the Patriots’ offense ranks third. The offensive scheme wins games, but the defense wins championships. Birds on top.
Courtesy of Tribune News Service
Tanner, Staley respond to Mizzou issue Shelby Beckler @SBECKLER13
The South Carolina women’s basketball game against Missouri on Sunday featured a scuffle in the second quarter, but that was only the start of what would stem from it. Recently there has been a lot of confusion and concern as to why Missouri’s athletic director, Jim Sterk, made derogatory accusations on the fan environment that Dawn Staley helped to create against Missouri. Sterk alleged that USC fans used racial slurs and spit at players. “The accusations are serious and false and they will be handled in a manner reflective of those facts,” Staley said. According to athletic director Ray Tanner, he was very confused as to why Sterk targeted Staley and still is unsure of what his exact intent was. “I felt very strongly about what we stand for here at this university for women’s basketball,” Tanner said. “Our fan base, our head coach and the way we handle our business and have handled our business over the years, and some things were said that were very confusing ... we did not find any evidence or confirmation.” According to Staley, not only has this incident resulted in her losing sleep, but lately she has been on edge because of this distraction. “Anytime that you have to deal with distractions, ... you prioritize and the priority right now is UConn and that has been my focus,” Staley expressed. “There’s another game to be played and I’m responsible for 12 individuals that want to beat UConn.” Staley made it clear to the media on Wednesday just how much she backs each of her fans and supports their loyalty to her program. Tanner has nothing but positivity to push towards Staley for building a tremendous program and a passionate fan base while they have been faced with these statements. There is a strong hope from Tanner that there will be a resolution coming in some form or fashion that will at least calm down this rivalry and make it less intense. The Gamecock community has shown their support for Staley and her team along with head basketball coach Frank Martin and the University of South Carolina’s president Harris Pastides. Pastides tweeted Wednesday night: “Coach Staley, we support you 100%. You are a unifier not a divider. We “got your back.’”’ “They’re going to be handled. They’re not going to be handled right here, and they’re not going to handled in a manner that they were dealt,” Staley said regarding how the university plans to handle this issue. “They’re going to be handled in the right manner.”
A new opportunity: McCaskill drafted second by Sky Blue FC Allen Marcus Harter @ALLENMHARTER
After being drafted second overall less than two weeks ago by the Boston Breakers, former Gamecock forward Savannah McCaskill has again been drafted second overall, but this time to Sky Blue FC in the National Women’s Soccer League dispersal draft after the Boston Breakers folded. A lthough McCask ill was initially drafted by the Breakers in the NWSL College Draft on Jan. 18, 10 days later the Breakers officially announced the club was folding due to the process of fi nding a new owner stalling out. “Discussions with an active buyer who had signed a letter of intent were ongoing since November of 2017,” Michael Stoller, Boston Breakers managing partner, said in the official statement from the club. “Unfortunately, due to certain factors that process was halted on short notice. Since that point a number of potential buyers were spoken with, but nothing could be completed within the short timeline.” After the announcement, the NWSL set up a dispersal draft for Tuesday where Breakers players, including McCaskill, could be drafted by the remaining nine teams in the NWSL.
McCaskill didn’t have to wait long to fi nd out which new club she would play for, as Sky Blue FC selected the only three-time All-American in South Carolina histor y with the second overall pick in the NWSL Dispersal Draft. McCask ill will now get to play alongside t wo-t ime FI FA World Player of t he Year, Carli Lloyd, who was acquired in a trade with Chicago Red Stars to send the World Cup champion back home to New Jersey to play for Sky Blue FC. McCaskill fi nished her illustrious career at South Carolina with the third most points (114), goals (40) and was second in assists with 34. She was also named two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Year. This past season, McCaskill led the Gamecocks to the College Cup for the first time in program history and was named a fi nalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy. On top of that, she recently notched her fi rst career appearance with the United States women’s national team, debuting in an exhibition against Denmark. Sk y Blue FC finished last season in sixth place in the N WSL with a 10-11-3 record, but with the club’s offseason additions, which now include McCaskill, the team is looking to compete for a title in the 2018 NWSL season.
Logan Zahner / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Savannah McCaskill’s original team folded ten days after she was drafted, causing her to be drafted again.