University of South Carolina Libraries
_ •» - - - - — SS^ffSSSS" FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26,2003 _ .New children’s center opens PHOTO BY KEITH MCGRAW/THE GAMECOCK Provost Jerry Odom, far left, looks on as children use safety scissors to cut the ceremonial ribbon at Thursday's opening of the USC/Gateway Academy Childhood Development and Research Center. Before Jerry Odom steps down as provost in August, he witnesses completion of project he helped begin BY MICHAEL LAFORGIA THE GAMECOCK > The sight broke Jerry Odom’s heart. On the Horseshoe in front of the provost’s office that Odom had just moved into, he watched the 4-year-olds march. They car ried brightly colored placards and chanted “save our school” in tinny voices. “Their little signs were as big as they were,” Odom said. “That’s when I decided, ‘OK, I’m going to help save their school.’” Just weeks before, university officials had announced that the USC Children’s Center on Blossom Street would be demol ished to make way for a new res idence hall. In the meantime, the children’s center was to be moved into mobile homes until a permanent solution could be found, officials said. That was 1997. On Thursday, a cloudless morning more than six years lat er, Odom stood quietly on a podi um in a parking lot. Behind him were the bright white columns and coral-colored walls of a new ly finished building. To his right were several important South Carolina educators, among them USC President Andrew Sorensen and South Carolina Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum. To his left was a group of gig gling four-year-olds sitting on a multi-colored nylon sheet. Shifting his attention from the children to the crowd before him, Odom welcomed everyone to the new USC/Gateway Academy Child Development and Research Center. “There were times that I had my doubts whether this was go ing to happen or not, but it did,” he said. The new children’s center, a $4.1 million joint effort by USC, Gateway Academy, South Carolina Educational Television and the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, has been open since Sept. 17. The 28,000-square foot, two-story facility can ac commodate 200 children ages six weeks to 12 years. The center’s staff members have been com municating with interested par ents for months, and 125 children are enrolled. The center is di- . rected by Robin Snipes, a 28-year veteran of early-childhood edu cation. When Sorensen took his turn on the podium, he praised Odom, who announced Sept. 3 that he will be stepping down as univer sity provost. “Jerry played a pivotal role in this entire enterprise,” Sorensen said. When David Jacobs, president of Gateway Academy and Child Development Centers, rose to spefik, he brought attention to Odom’s dedication. . “His unwavering support has been critical in making this ♦ CENTER, SEE PAGE 2 USC graduate’s ’book gives tips for life success BY JESSICA FOSTER thkoamSCock A USC graduate’s motivational book, released in August, explores strategies and tips for becoming a successful person in both profes sional and personal life. David Shabazz, who graduated in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in ^journalism, authored “Discover PYour Gold Mind” with the belief that everyone has the ability and the need to become successful, re gardless of any obstacles that may manifest themselves along the way. The book includes a definition of success and how everyone can achieve it, the value and power of the mind, success stories from those who overcame adversity, quotes and advice from well known personalities, the impor tance of goal-setting, and the char acteristics of a champion. Shabazz said the strategies he outlines in his book could be used by people of any age, race, and so >cial or economic status, provided they are willing to stop and exam ine their lives. “The book is designed to show a no-nonsense approach to be coming successful,” Shabazz said. “The concepts I talk about in there are designed for anyone.” ' The book portrays the concepts through individual case studies. Shabazz did research on a variety of individuals, from professional wrestlers to politicians, in order to show that if a person really wants to be successful, there is no hardship or barrier that can serve as an excuse for not doing so. Bill Clinton, Tom Densy, Lance Armstrong, Abraham Lincoln, and Maya Angelou are just a few of the people Shabazz wrote about to illustrate the point. “It was just phenomenal to find out that all of these people, re gardless of their position in life, were able to overcome their ob stacles and become successful,” Shabazz said. Shabazz identifies happiness with oneself as the most important characteristic of success. According to a news release, USA Today reports that 63 percent of the country’s top earners say suc cess comes from being happy with yourself. “I think success is a state of mind; it is not about any particu lar profession,” Shabazz said. “It’s about you doing what you want to do and being happy with your self.” Shabazz acknowledged that the book is an extension of his moti vational speaking, enabling him to examine the path to success in more detail than he otherwise would and giving his audience something they can take with them. “The book is an outgrowth of my speeches,” Shabazz said. “I gave a lot of speeches around the country and just thought it would be a good idea to put that in book form.” Before going to USC, Shabazz ♦SHABAZZ, SEE PAGE 2 Course allows experts to teach writing BY ALEXIS STRATTON THE GAMECOCK With today’s proliferation of book clubs, discussion groups and Barnes-and-Noble junkies, it’s not surprising that the course “Caught in the Creative Act” has caught on at USC. In the course, advertised by the English department, writers talk about their writing. It’s a course for book-lovers, writers and intellectuals alike, and many hope it will keep growing. SURFYOURSELF For more information on the course visit www.cla.sc.edu/clca Andy Graves, owner of The Happy Bookseller in Columbia, says it will, “as long as they can find an auditorium big enough to hold it.” Thirty-two seats in the English class are reserved for USC stu dents of any major; the other 300 plus attendees who come to lec tures two evenings a week are members of the community. The class, formed by Janette Turner Hospital in spring 2001, invites renowned authors to speak about their works and the writing process to students and community members, who read their novels, poetry and other writings before each seminar. Included on the invitation list this semester are Derek Walcott, winner of the 1992 Nobel Prize for Literature, and Thomas L. Friedman, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times columnist. Offered each fall since its start, the course has gained so much popularity that to fit everyone, its ♦ CLASS, SEE PAGE 2 Garden to be dedicated to cancer survivors BY ALEXIS BASS THE GAMECOCK The Cultural Council is set to dedicate the Cancer Survivors Garden in Maxcy Gregg Park this Sunday at 1 p.m., making it the first of its kind in South Carolina and the 19th in the na tion. In a prominent location on Blossom Street right before Five Points, the garden has the po tential to become another jewel for state tourism. The garden serves as the be ginning of long-range plans for beautification in Maxcy Gregg Park. The garden will feature fountains, sculptures, arbor swings, a wishing well, a labyrinth, a children’s playing area and increased lighting. Susan Benech, Cultural Council interim executive di rector, said Maxcy Gregg Park was chosen because it meets grant requirements that the park be located on a busy street. Its location on a main thorough fare will allow many to see the garden and stop by during and after its completion. Richard Block, a co-founder of H & R Block and cancer sur vivor, is funding the project. Block’s idea for this garden came after his cancer diagnosis 25 years ago, at which time he was told he had only 90 days to live. To many, nature itself is a healer, and the Cancer Survivors Garden represents na ture’s therapeutic benefits. With projects such as the gar den, communities across America are recognizing that there is hope in the fight against cancer. Anita Crosby, senior public relations specialist for the Columbia Parks and Recreation department, said that this gar den would become a great at traction for locals and visitors alike. She said many people across the country know about Finlay Park, and that the Cancer Survivors Garden will make Maxcy Gregg Park just as recog nizable. ♦ GARDEN, SEE PAGE 2 PHOTO BY MORGAN FORD/THE GAMECOCK The Cancer Survivors Garden will be dedicated Sunday at 1 p.m. and will be the first of its kind in South Carolina. McKissick displays WWI propaganda posters BY CAITLIN COKER THE GAMECOCK In 1917, the popular slogans weren’t from Coca-Cola or Nike, but from the U.S. government. Full-color posters carrying such World War I propaganda as, “Everyone should do his bit,” “Must children die and mothers plead in vain? Buy more liberty bonds,” and “Remember Belgium” were distributed in many antagonistic countries; the U.S. government used them to raise funds and physical support v as well as, generally, for mass communication. The posters are a rare find nowadays, and 36 of them are on display at USC’s McKissick Museum, on the Horseshoe. “It was well before television, and radio was just being devel oped in its infancy — posters and newspapers were the main forces of mass communication,” said Jason Shaiman, curator of traveling and temporary exhi bitions at the McKissick Museum. The striking color of the lithographs is the first superficial aspect that catches the eye. But these posters are more than pret ty pictures; they roused nation alistic sentiments to encourage citizens to support their country in the war. “War posters were art with a purpose. They helped counter the shortages of enlistees, war mate rials and cash in the central banks,” said Jay Williams, an ex hibit curator, in the exhibit book let. The patriotism supported by these posters was widespread % within the student body of USC, and the ennobling aspect of war was often dramatized. The students “filled campus publications with articles, art work, and poetry' espousing duty, honor and service to God and country,” according to informa tion available at the World War I symposium in Thomas Cooper Library. During World War I, USC had a smaller curriculum. Its main professional schools were ♦ POSTERS, SEE PAGE 3 Index Comics and Crossword 7 Classifieds 10 Horoscopes 7 M Letters to the Editor 4 Online Poll 4 Police Report 2 Weather TODAY TOMORROW High 86 High 84 Low 64 Low 64 "V -► In this issue ♦ NEWS Second federal judge strikes down “do-not-call” list. Page 3 ♦ VIEWPOINTS Julie Cook offers advice to the bottom three Democratic candidates. Page 4 ♦ THE MIX BookCrossing.com connects literature lovers with its read-it-and-leave-it program. Page 5 ♦ SPORTS The USC football team will travel to Tennessee to take on the No. 8 Vols. Page 8 5