University of South Carolina Libraries
gsgsag**_FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14,2003_ * Since 1908 . USC breaks ground for new inn Sorensen celebrates public-private partnerships during ceremony BY MICHAEL LAFORGIA THE GAMECOCK In a cooperative effort between public and private entities, USC and IMIC Hotels broke ground on a 75,000-square-foot, 117-room ho tel Wednesday on Pendleton Street across from the National Advocacy Center. Plans for the inn were recently allowed to move forward after uni versity officials negotiated a deal on Oct. 7 with local hoteliers, who feared the new hotel might hurt ^ their businesses and were pre • pared to file a lawsuit against USC. The terms of that compromise include a gradually phased-in oc cupancy rate for the new hotel, a seven-year moratorium on new university hotel development and the inclusion of links to area hotel Web sites on the USC Web site. In addition, the Black House on Pendleton Street, a historic build ing some complained might be harmed by construction, will be incorporated into the university’s hotel, while the Kirkland Apartment building will be refur bished to provide housing for National Advocacy Center staff members on long-term assign ments in Columbia. The Inn at USC marks the third conspicuous instance of a part nership between the university and a private business in 2003. In late September, the university teamed up with Gateway Academy to open a new child de velopment center on Wheat Street, and in October, USC entered into a 12-year, $5.5 million naming-rights sponsorship agreement with Colonial Life to rename the Carolina Center. USC President Andrew Sorensen said when he first took office in July 2002 that the univer sity’s budget was cut nearly 20 per cent by state legislators. Sorensen said the Inn at USC is a sign of things to come. “This is a wonderful example of what can happen when the pub lic entities and the private entities come together,” he said. He said public-private partner ships are one partial solution to the problems caused by budget cuts. Equally enthusiastic about the inn’s implications was Susie VanHuss, director of USC Foundations, an organization that played a major role in securing private funding for the project. “Today is a truly exciting day for all of us,” VanHuss said at the ground-breaking ceremony. “It’s a day that we share the tremen dous benefits of a synergy created by a group of committed people.” VanHuss commended Bert Pooser, president and CEO of IMIC Hotels. “Now the work has really be gun,” Pooser said. “I can tell you this project is going to move along ♦ INN, SEE PAGE 2 GRAPHIC SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK This image shows what the USC Inn will look like when it Is completed in January, 2005. USC readership program big success, survey shows BY Z’ANNE COVELL .THE GAMECOCK Student Government has al ways said students love the news paper readership program—now, that statement is official. In a survey conducted by USA Today before and after the pro gram’s four-week free trial, 75 per cent of the 3,870 students surveyed said they would pick up a paper three or more days a week. Ninety one percent said they believe read ing newspapers is extremely important. - --- The survey backs up an SG de cision to sign a $45,000, two-year contract with USA Today to con tinue the USA Today Collegiate Readership Program for two years. SG President Katie Dreiling said SG decided to extend the pro gram without financial support from the administration or other sponsors because it is committed to the program. “I personally thought it was a great program, and we’ve seen that the students really like it. We’ll do everything to keep it here,” Dreiling said. Dreiling also said the two-year period will give SG the opportuni ty to think about other funding options for the program in the future. SG has enough money to sup port theprogram at 1,000 papers a day for two years. Then, if neces sary, SG could continue to solely sifpport the program by downsiz ing to 500 papers a day. But Dreiling said SG hopes the down sizing will be unnecessary. “There are several options such as an activity-fee increase, or the different colleges could help to fund the program,” Dreiling said. The surveys also showed stu dents picked up USA Today most frequently, and there was little dif ference between The New York Times and The State. With these findings in mind, the new contract calls for a larger number of USA Today papers. The number of The New York Times will also in crease, while The State’s distribu tion will decrease because stu dents reported they already had access to it. The Russell House, the Coliseum and the Business . Administration building will be the permanent stand locations in order to reach the main areas of campus. The stands have USA Today, The New York Times and ♦ READERSHIP, SEE PAGE 2 WUSC to lift Top 40 ban during 'Moolah for Music’ fund-raiser BY ALEXIS STRATTON THE GAMECOCK Playing Top 40 songs by request all weekend, WUSC will start its annual “Moolah for Music” fund raiser today at noon, and the fund raising events and promotions will continue through midnight Sunday. Money from the fund-raiser is used to support the radio station’s annual budget. The event begins today in front of the Russell House with a kickoff that runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes Papa John’s pizza, live music from for mer Courage Riley singer David Adedokun and giveaways from WUSC. WUSC also will hold a party tonight at the New Brookland Tavern to help publicize “Moolah for Music” and raise money. The party will start at 7 p.m. and fea ture three bands — Curse Go PHOTO BY MORGAN FORD/THE GAMECOCK Pat McQuinn, left, a second-year civil engineering student, and Alex Grinton, a second-year advertising student work as DJs at USC’s campus radio station, WUSC. Back, Beat Junction Project and From Safety to Where — which will begin playing at 9 p.m. The goal of the fundraiser is ♦ WUSC, SEE PAGE 2 USC library offers free Lewis and Clark exhibit BY IRA KLEIN THE GAMECOCK An exhibit commemorating the 200-year anniversary of Lewis and Clark’s western expedition is being presented through the Thomas Cooper Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections Department. “Discovering the American West: The Lewis and Clark Expedition” opened two weeks ago and can be found in the Mezzanine of the Thomas Cooper Library until mid-January. On display at the exhibit are several of the original reports Lewis and Clark wrote about their findings in the West as well as a number of maps they drew and used on their expedition. The exhibit includes a message to Congress from President Thomas Jefferson announcing the expe dition’s success and features sev eral sketches, including drawings of 19th-century Native Americans and their villages by some of Lewis and Clark’s companions and original sketches of new plant and animal species that were encountered. Commissioned by Jefferson, the exploratory expedition was dispatched westward to find an all-water route across the North American continent by making use of the Missouri and Columbia river complexes, said Brian Beltman, a USC adjunct professor who teaches a course on America’s westward expansion. Lewis and Clark were also sup posed to learn all they could about the West’s land, topogra phy, plants and Native American tribes, facilitate the advancement of the fur trade and explore the massive piece of land that Jefferson had bought through the Louisiana Purchase. According to Patrick Scott, di rector of special collections at the library and head of the exhibit’s compilation, the Lewis and Clark exhibit is particularly interesting because the first students came to USC while Lewis and Clark were still exploring.’Now, 200 years lat er, the exhibit highlights the im pact of the expedition on America. Much of the material came to USC brand-new in the early 19th century, immediately following ♦ EXHIBIT, SEE PAGE 2 ' PHOTO BY MARK SCHILLING/THE GAMECOCK Cocky, shown here at a USC home football game, has fallen to third place In voting for the Capital One Mascot of the Year. Cocky trails Auburn’s ‘Auble’ and Ohio State's ‘Brutus.’ Cocky knocked to 3rd in mascot award voting % BY NICOLE JOHNSON THE GAMECOCK USC’s beloved mascot has fall en to third place in voting for the Capital One Bowl Mascot of the Year, according to the 2003 mas cot-challenge online poll. After a long reign at number two, behind Ohio State’s Brutus Buckeye, Cocky has fallen to third, trailing Brutus and Auburn’s Aubie the Tiger. Student Government Vice President Zachery Scott said Wednesday SG had just received word of the news at the office. “It’s very disappointing, espe-' cially since we heard Clemson students are voting against Cocky by voting for Brutus,” he said. “Now we need to find a dif ferent strategy to motivate our students — as well as other stu dents around the country who don’t like Brutus — to vote.” SG plans to contact other uni versities that are rivals of Brutus to see if they will advertise to vote for Cocky, according to SG presi dent Katie Dreiling. “We are also going to contact local media to see what they can do to advertise,” Dreiling said. Advertisements to get people to vote are everywhere. “I’ve been announcing it on ♦ COCKY, SEE PAGE 2 Index Comics and Crossword 6 Classifieds 8 Horoscopes_ 6 Letters to the Editor 4 A Online Poll _ 4 ™ Police Report 3 Weather TODAY SATURDAY High 65 Low 41 In Tins Issue ♦ NEWS Look for state, nation, and world briefs online. www.dailygamecock.com ♦ VIEWPOINTS Steven Van Haren tells how students vie for who’s the most tired. Page 4 ♦ THE MIX Trilogies prove the first, second and third times can charm. Page 5 ♦ SPORTS The USC football team is hoping to defeat Florida for the first time since 1939. Page 7