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"Che (Samccock Seat from page 1 and the luring of new teachers. She also stressed the importance of ed ucation. “Education is key,” she said. “It’s very important that every child is able to learn. We need a well-trained and educated citizenry for South Carolina.” Hammond said Spence’s ap proach to education would be to continue to give schools as much local control as possible. “The best way to raise money for schools is on the local level,” Hammond said. The current crisis in the Mid dle East and a bill that would in vigorate the peace process and con demn the encouragement of violence and terrorism there was also a hot topic with the crowd. Although Hammond said he didn’t know Spence’s view on that specific bill, he assured the audi ence that “Congressman Spence is doing everything he can to stop the bloodshed in the Middle East.” Frederick said she would sup port the bill, and “would work to rebuild the trust between all the countries involved.” Although asked to comment on their personal feelings about the lottery, Hammond and Fred erick refused. Frederick ran unsuccessfully against Spence in the fall of 1997. Spence has served in Congress since 1971. The city/state desk can be reached at gamecockcitydesk@hotniail.com. Shots from page 1 last year there were four, raising the question of whether there will be enough flu shots when the or ders arrive. “That is less of a concern for us,” Carnesale said. “It’s impor tant to put this in perspective.” She said the delay should not cause people to worry, as the state’s llu season stru ts later compared to other states. According to Carne sale, South Carolina flu season reaches its peak during January and February, when most flu cases are reported. She also said that im provements in vaccine manufac turing have made it possible for the vaccine to become effective after only two weeks, as opposed to six. “Our schedule is more flexi ble, so we can afford this delay,” she said. In addition to flu shots, Car nesale said there are good flu med ications available as well as pre ventative practices that can be used —to avoid the flu bug. “It is important to realize that the severity of the upcoming winter flu season is unknown and cannot be predicted,” said a spokesperson for the CDC in At lanta. Suggested preventative tips re leased by the TSHC and the CDC include eating properly, get ting plenty of sleep, maintaining fitness and avoiding getting “run down.” Hill said students should be on the lookout for announcements of flu shot arrivals. The shots will be given Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The university desk can be reached at gamecockudesk@hotmail.com. Morals, money at heart of lottery debate by Jim Davenport Associated Press PAXVILLE, S.C. (AP)— In the sandy hills along Interstate 95, where South Car olina’s closely watched lottery referen dum will likely turn, both sides are uig ing voters to make the right moral choice. Churches want to strike a blow against gambling. Gov. Jim Hodges believes vot ers have a moral obligation to improve education in a state that consistently ranks at the bottom of the nation, and he sees the lottery as the way to bankroll it. Some swing voters here are reason ing that a lottery may be a small vice to pay to improve the state’s lagging schools. “What’s a dollar a week?” asked Ce cile Haley, who sells peach cider and Con federate flags along with the gas at a ser vice station in Santee. “We’ve got a lot of money going across state lines to lot teries. The school system definitely needs some help.” Hodges, a Democrat who benefited from millions of gambling industry dol lars in his 1998 election, has long lament ed the $115 million a year South Car olinians spend across the border on Georgia lottery tickets. That money has helped Geoigia pump $4 billion into its public schools since 1993 and pay for its successful Hope schol arship program, which gives every high school student with a B average free tu ition to state colleges and universities. “Come on, South Carolina, don’t ru in it for us by getting your own lottery,” a fictional Geoigia convenience store own er named Bubba says in pro-lottery ads. “Just remember, here in Georgia we luuuv South Carolinians buying our lot tery tickets,” he says. If voters decide Nov. 7 to lift a con stitutional ban on the games, Hodges plans to spend $105 million a year in lottery money for college scholarships, $40 mil lion for public school technology upgrades and about $5 million for teacher training. Republicans contend much of what Hodges wants can be paid for without a lottery. Whether South Carolina becomes the 38th state with a lottery could depend on a swath of land stretching from the state’s Pee Dee to the Midlands along 1-95. It is an area sandwiched between the Republican and religiously conserva tive Upstate, which is almost sure to vote against a lottery, and the more live-and let-live Lowcountry, which is more like ly to be for it. It’s also an area where 70 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced price lunches, less than tliird of them head to college and their average SAT score of 875 is 100 points below the state’s last in-the-nation average. It boils down to towns like Paxville, and people like Scott Merriweather and Wide McLeod. “I’m totally against it,” McLeod de clared as he leans against his truck. • “You’ve got your morality reasons first,” he said, adding that he also doesn’t care much for one state competing against another for gambling dollars. Merriwehther figures people who want to gamble are going to do it some where. He admits he sometimes plays lot teries in Geoigia and Florida. “Why not? You ain’t going to hell for it,” he said. Senate Majority Leader John Land, a Manning Democrat and'one of Hodges’ biggest lottery supporters, figures the Up state will go so heavily anti-lottery that voters here and in the Lowcountry must approve it by a 70 percent margin. But Hodges has reason to be worried. Another first-term Democratic governor, Don Siegelman of Alabama, saw his lot tery plans go down to defeat in October amid heavy religious opposition. And there is evidence of a changing mood in South Carolina, which through years of polling has been heavily pro-lot tery. A recent Mason-Dixon poll found 48 percent of registered voters questioned supported a lottery and 41 percent op posed it, a narrower margin than before. Eleven percent of the 625 regis tered voters remained undecided with less than a month to go to the election. The poll had a 4 percent margin of error. Kevin Geddings. who runs the South Carolina Education Lottery Coalition for Hodges, said he expected the polls to tight en before the vote. He believes for the lottery to win it must turn out large numbers of black vot ers and earn 70 percent of their votes. That makes the nine Pee Dee and Low country counties that have black votin, majorities critical. Yet leaders of the African Methodis Episcopal Church, who supported Hodge two years ago, oppose a lottery. So doe the National Association for the Ad vancement of Colored People. The NAACP, still angry the Confed erate flag was moved front atop the State house but not off the grounds, said thi month that it can’t trust legislators to ge lottery money to poor, largely black schoc districts. AME leaders also say Hodges tried t meddle in church affairs after the gover nor called meetings with various religiou leaders earlier this year to try and get ther to back down. At an anti-gambling meeting in Sumte one evening, former Republican Go\ David Beasley reminds about 75 peopl of his 1998 defeat. “I gave up my caree fighting for what I believe to be righi standing against the gambling industry, he said. But the parking lot also is filling at !• Bingo near Sumter Air Force Base a cou pie of miles away. Bingo has been legs here for years. Mickey Gale, taking a smoke brea before a $ 1,500 jackpot game, says h won’t vote for the lottery or anything els in November because he just doesn’t vott But if there’s a lottery, “I’ll buy tick ets,” he says. “Whatever the people want to d with their money, they worked for it, le them do it.” Board from page 1 to 2002. “It would be unfair to be as active if you’re not chairman,” he said, adding that he would support Whittle as chair man. “I don’t want to interfere with his goals and his efforts, but I’ll be there to support him in every way I can.” Campus improvements like new residence halls, the graduate science research center, the groundbreaking ^-1 for the Strom Thurmond Fitness and Wellness Center and the adoption of the board’s plan to build crosswalks leading to the fitness and wellness cen ter are among the accomplishments Hubbard said made the job gratifying. Hubbard also cited the raising of $300 million through the bicentennial cam paign, despite critics who doubted the university could reach the initial $200 million goal, as one of his fondest memories. “All of these things are accom plishments that really give me the greatest amount of satisfaction,” Hub bard said. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it,” Hub bard said of his time as cliairman. “I’ve really enjoyed the contact with stu dents. I’ve really enjoyed the contact with faculty.” The board also agreed to a list of 24 goals at the meeting. The list cov ers eight areas: values, resources, stu dents, faculty, campus, athletics, service and public awareness. They include achieving an endowment of $600 million, achieving an average SAT score of 1175 for incoming fresh men, increasing Honors College en rollment to 1,200 “while maintaining or improving current academic quality,” making USC one of the to five undeigraduate programs in th South and being annually ranked i the top 25 “in all sports.” “I think we have a real road ma] in place,” Hubbard said of the goal; which he said were of equal impor tance. “We did not number them,” Hub bard said. “We’re going to try to el feet progress in all of these areas. The university desk can be reached at gamecockudesk@hotmail.com. 1MJ 1 I H H 1 Til I ■■■■■■■■Mm Drop By. 1tine In. Ihrn It Up! 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