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BID DAY ON THE HORSESHOE INVITATION, CELEBRATION , BY ADAM BEAM THE GAMECOCK The Horseshoe, usually peaceful, came to life Sunday as screaming sorority women in multi-colored t shirts welcomed their new mem bers on Sorority Bid Day. About 700 girls participated in rush this year, one of the largest turnouts in 10 years, according to Delta Gamma president Kristen Silvernail. Each pledge class will have around 20 more than last year, said Kacey Wood, vice president of Chi Qmega. “There were so many wonderful women that came through,” Silvernail said. “One of the things that we as Greeks always tell every girl that comes through is that they will be in the place that they belong. I think that every girl finds their place in rush. It was a hard time in choosing, but I think that every girl will ultimately go where they are supposed to be.” After participating in a week of rush, the pledges were finally hand ed their bids on Sunday afternoon and rushed across the Horseshoe to cheers from their awaiting sorori ty. “It’s definitely relieving that it’s ♦ KAPPA ALPHA THETA PULLS OUT OF RUSH IN ROUND THREE. PAGE 4 all over with and that everybody knows where they’re going,” said Lindsey Warren, who received a bid for Alpha Delta Pi. “It’s awe some because it is a whole new be ginning, and you start all over and make new friends.” Warren is one of 60 girls hand ed invitations for Alpha Delta Pi, the sorority’s president, Heath Martin, said. She said Alpha Delta Pi was the largest sorority going into rush, with 93 members. “Well, it was a change [having so many girls], but I think every body was able to adjust to it, and it’s actually great for this cam pus,” Martin said. “I think it’ll be great for the chapter, and one of the first things we’re going to do is plan a lot of things for our new girls to get to know each other bet ter.” She said the sorority would now work on its philanthropy. Greek Life director Gena Runnion said the department had “anticipated, based on enrollment figures, that we could have as many as'700 [women], which we did.” Because the large number of girls caused “a few difficulities” I , ^ I Kappa Deltas prepare to welcome the women they hope will be their new pledge class, top. PHOTO BY MACKENZIE CLEMENTS Third-year student Laurie Ward, of Zeta Tau Alpha, hugs fourth-year student Tara Bisacco, a member of Alpha Chi Omega, above. PHOTO BY AARON HARK with transportation, many girls had to wait several hours after rush week events before they could get back to their residence halls. “Just because of the sheer num ♦ BID DAY, SEE PAGE 4 1 Alicia Beard, a Preston resident, works in her room, which is part of the newly named Gryffindor house. ) Preston took house names from the Harry Potter books. PHOTO BY AARON HARK Preston splits into ‘houses’ New system to encourage involvement BY GINNY THORNTON THE OAMECOCK Residents and faculty associ ates of Preston Residential College have developed a “house" system, which has been in effect since students moved in last Saturday, to encourage resident involvement this year. All 240 Preston residents have been divided into “houses” of 25 30 students and two or three fac ulty associates. Each house has a separate weekly meeting, as well as its own social activities. Students and faculty have al ready noted a positive response to the house system among both new and returning Preston resi dents. “People have already been much more involved than last year,” said junior Elizabeth Catanese, a Preston resident and co-creator of the house system. Each of Preston’s eight hous es has one or two house heads who inform their houses about college activities and informa tion. “It’s been wonderful so far,” said Margaret Perkins, Preston co-principal. “It’s helped tremen dously with integrating new res idents.” This year, integration will be more important for Preston than ever before. The residential col lege now houses 150 freshmen, in addition to the upperclassmen who are new to Preston. Alex Barnette, house system co-creator, cited “phantoms” as a major reason for inventing the system. “We call them phantoms,” he said. “By that, I mean the stu dents who live here and never be ► PRESTON, SEE PAGE 5 use’s past AUGUST 27, 1979: The use Women’s Studies program began. r J WEATHER . Tomorrow Isolated T storms, 90/72 INSIDE TODAY’S ISSUE Highly touted < Return of the recruit goes pro Jersey Boys Baseball’s Floyd brothers Jay and Silent Bob are back for sign with the Phillies in a late- an orgiastic film filled with night deal. ♦ PAGE 12 raunchy jokes. ♦ PAGE 8 * 4 $inger Aaliyah, whose song “Try Again” was nominated for a Grammy, was killed Saturday in a plane crash in the Bahamas, photo special to THE GAMECOCK The Boat” this month in Miami, according to her Web site. It was not clear whether she filmed that video while in the Bahamas. Her song “Try Again” earned her a Grammy nomination this year for best female R&B vocalist. Her second album, released in 1996 when she was just 17, and the sin gle “If Your Girl Only Knew” went double platinum. Aaliyah made her feature act ing debut in last year’s film Romeo Must Die, and also was signed on to appear in two sequels to the high-tech thriller The Matrix. She was born Aaliyah Haughton on January 16,1979, in Brooklyn, N.Y. She made her stage debut as an orphan in a produc tion of Annie at the age of six. Her uncle was married to the soul singer Gladys Knight, who invit ed Aaliyah to perform with her during a five-night stint in Las Vegas when Aaliyah was 11. ♦ AALIYAH, SEE PAGE 2 BY TIM AYLEN ASSOCIATED PRESS MARSH HARBOUR, BAHAMAS - R&B singer and actress Aaliyah and eight others died when their small plane crashed in perfect . weather after taking off in the Bahamas. The engines of the Cessna failed, authorities said. The 22-year-old singer had gone to the Bahamas to shoot a music video and was headed back to Florida, officials said. The pilot and all eight passengers were killed. The twin-engine Cessna went down in clear skies.with little wind about 6:50 p.m. Saturday, roughly 200 feet from the end of the runway at Marsh Harbour air port, about 100 miles north of Nassau. Some of the brush was still smoldering Sunday morning as investigators searched the man gled wreckage. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash on Abaco Island. But Bahamian police Superintendent Basil Rahming said one of the Cessna’s engines “apparently failed.” Six people, including Aaliyah, died instantly. The three others later died of their injuries, he said. USC students were shocked to learn the news of Aaliyah’s death. “I couldn’t believe that a person so young and so talented could die so soon. I am just extremely shocked right now,” said Demarick Thomas, a first-year print journalism major. “It’s a very tragic time for the music world right now. There isn’t much to say. My prayers go out to her family,” said Venus Johnston, a senior biology major. Aaliyah, of Detroit, was to be gin shooting the video for “Rock Aaliyah dies in plane crash Saturday that ballistic tests by au thorities have confirmed that two handguns linked to the suspects were used in the fatal shooting of Michael C. Messer, a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, and the injury of his co-worker, Richard S. Ferguson. The victims, both from Chicago, were visiting the National Advocacy Center. At 9:55 p.m. Aug. 20, two men waited in a gray Volvo on Laurens Street while two others attempted to rob Messer and Ferguson, po lice report. The victims were in structed to lay on the ground, but ran instead. Johnny Gasser, the lead local prosecutor in the case, told the Tribune that the two weapons, a .25-caliber semiautomatic hand gun and a .380-caliber semiauto matic, were fired at Messer and Ferguson. Autopsy results show bullets fired from both weapons hit Messer, but the fatal wound came from the .380-caliber, which fired a ♦ SHOOTING, SEE PAGE 6 Bond hearing to be held today for four teenagers charged with shooting BY GREG HAMBRICK THE GAMECOCK The four teenagers charged in the shooting death of an assistant U.S. attorney will face bond hear ings at the Richland County Courthouse today. The four will be tried as adults and are eligible for the death penalty under South Carolina law, Fifth Circuit Solicitor Barney Giese said. The four suspects are Abram Douglas Braveboy, 18, of 2113 Tammy Drive; Cichey Levar Mayo, 17, of 8308 Old Percival Road; Bryan Murray, 17, of 7920 Spring Flower Road; and Willie James Murphy Jr., 16, of 125 Leeside Circle. The Chicago Tribune reported Teenagers to be tried as adults ONLINE POLL Do you think Derek Watson was given the correct punishment? Vote at www.dailygamecock.com. Results are published on Fridays. 4