University of South Carolina Libraries
Campuses CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Plyler said the only duplication the two campuses would have with other public institutions would be with technical colleges, which, he said, serve a different purpose for the state. He added that 17 external studies have con cluded that merger or closure at either of these campuses would not serve the best interests of the state’s educational system or econ omy. Low enrollment has been a problem at the Union campus for more than a decade. It serves about 400 students, compared to neighboring Union High School, which enrolls more than 1,000. The Salkehatchie campus serves about 1,200 students and has seen a 5 per cent enrollment increase in the last five years. Folks said having 79 campuses in the state’s system is inefficient for the state’s needs and has been slowing the state’s higher educa tion success for decades. Sanford said in his State of the State address that the inherent proDiems witn tne state’s higher educa tion system lie with in the Commission on Higher Education and that a restruc turing is imperative for future success. The CHE hears budgetary requests from each institu non ana appropriates state tunas based on the merit of each propos al. With a $350 million budget shortfall expected this year, all state institutions will be dealing with fewer funds than they re quested. In his budget proposal, Sanford calls the CHE oversight system a means for “unnecessary politi cization.” Colleges and universi ties can use public funds to hire lobbyists to help gain the com mission’s favor in allocating funds. Powerful state legislators can propose and garner support ior duis mat enhance in stitutions in their dis tricts. “It is painfully ob vious that the commis sion simply doesn’t have the acuity to ettectiveiy govern our state’s higher education sys tem,” Folks said. USC President Andrew Sorensen has already voiced his support for a bill proposed in January in the state legislature that would free USC from the CHE’s oversight. Administrators argue the amount saved from the campuses’ “I don’t see any sound reasoning for this decision, and we are vehemently opposed to it.” CHRIS PLYLER VICE PROVOST AND EXECUTIVE DEAN FOR REGIONAL CAMPUSES closure would not make signifi cant progress in compensating for the huge losses in state funds that colleges and universities have been coping with for more than four years. Plyler called USC’s regional campuses the primary form of higher education outreach in the state and that the closures would leave huge educational vacancies in parts of the state dealing with high unemployment from the loss of manufacturing and agricultural industries. USC has five four-year campus es and three two-year campuses. Sanford has proposed converting USC Sumter from a two-year to a four-year campus over the next few years. The Union and Salkehatchie campuses both serve a five-coun ty region and were established in 1965. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu Burnette CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Joining the Navy when he was 20, Burnette wanted the oppor tunity to serve his country. His» work led him to become a me chanic aboard the USS Jimmy Carter and the USS San Juan. While on the USS Jimmy Carter, Burnette had the honor of meet ing former President Carter. In May, he will have spent seven years in the Navy on active duty. In 1999, Burnette met his fiance at the College of Charleston. He became engaged to Erica Somerwitz, a graduate student in applied art history at USC, in 2001. Burnette is a nontraditional student in that he has transi tioned from working on sub marines to serving in the student senate at USC. On campus he as sists with both the Student Services Committee and the Powers and Responsibilities Committee. He is also beginning an internship at the State House with Gov. Mark Sanford. It Was participating in SG sen ate that caused Burnette’s inter est in running for treasurer. He said he likes to be involved in the SG process and wants to make. sure that students are aware of the useof funds at USC. He thinks that students ought to know how the university distributes money. Burnette said the treasurer po sition is more service-oriented than political. Because of this, Burnette, with his military expe rience, said he's not only qualified to provide service to the country but to the student body as well. “I would like to create new programs, much like the leader ship program. Next year the money runs out for it, and I want to secure funds so it can contin ue. I think it's one of the best things SG has done so far.” Burnette wants more than to continue programs already es tablished by SG. “We need to find things that . benefit all students, not just cer tain groups,” he said. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu Tuition CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “Obviously we understand ev eryone's desire to hold tuition in creases down,” he said. Kelly said the university's tu ition is well below the average of its 30 peer institutions, universi ties with similar student body pro files and academic programs. He said the university would take great caution in increasing tuition this year. “We have demonstrated that we have done this with a great deal of conservatism in the past,” Kelly said. USC is expected to announce its tuition for the 2004-2005 school year in June. USC President Andrew Sorensen opposed a similar pro posal last March for tuition in creases to be capped at 4 percent. The Legislature never approved the proposal. Sorensen could not be reached for comment because he was on a trip to Panama with alumni guests for more than a week. Sanford's spokesman, Will Folks, said the university's reac tion isn't the governor's greatest concern. “I think the feedback the governor is most concerned with is the feedback from parents who are trying to pay for increasingly exorbitant tuition costs in South Carolina,” he said. Tuition for in-state undergrad uates at USC rose 15 percent last year to $5,778 for an academic year and has risen 48 percent since 1999. Clemson University’s tuition has more than doubled in the last five years. USC administrators have justi fied higher tuition rates over the last two years by pointing to in creases in the availability and dol lar amount awarded in state-fund ed scholarships like the LIFE scholarship. Last fall 25,245 South Carolinians were using LIFE scholarship funds to help pay for tuition compared with 13,114 five years before earlier. Sorensen said in January that he might propose using a portion of a future tuition increase toward faculty salary raises. He has said that state funds are imperative for his goal of building a strong re search focus at USC and that the university can't afford to cap tu ition raises while dealing with an estimated 11 percent cut in-state appropriations this year. Folks said Sanford’s budget keeps the goal of strengthening re search at USC, as well as at Clemson and at the Medical University of South Carolina, without promoting significant tu ition increases. “I think the governor's goal is to empower our research univer sity,” he said. “If you're able to get at unnecessary duplication in any part of the system, you're able to effectively target funds to a cer tain mission. In this case the mis sion is a strong research focus.” Kelly said duplication can be eliminated without limiting state funds spent on its higher education system. He said the university's de creasing reliance on state funds is leaving administrators with no other choice and that every tuition increase makes them more aware of the possibility of sin increasing number of students deciding not to enroll at USC because of its cost. “We realize that nobody has to come here,” Kelly said. “We real ize that every time we increase tu ition we run the risk of becoming non-competitive in the pricing of our education.” He added that higher education has become a much more crucial commodity to the students and the state's econ omy over the past few decades. South Carolina has led the na tion in tuition increases at its two year institutions for the past two years. Last year, four-year state institutions dealt with an average tuition increase of 15 percent, the eighth highest state average in the nation and 5 percent more than the national average. The state's average tuition for in-state undergraduates is 110 per cent of the national average. Georgia's is 82 percent of the na tional average, while North Carolina's is 86 percent. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm. sc. edu 12004 I The 2004 South Carolina Book Festival — the 8th annual celebration of the written word— is just around the comer! This is your invitation to join thousands of readers at the SC State Rtirgiuunds in Columbia to hear from over 70 authors, browse more than 100 vendors and enjoy two days of books writers, shojjping and fun! R>r details please check out our website at www.sclxxikfcsuval.oig or call 803-7711-2477. « .'.i.- ... Saturday. February 28th yam - 6pm FREE"™*** State Fairgrounds'www.sdbookfestival.oig SPONSORED BY The Humanities Council * 'XLV -'VV SaULcStA A*)rcur Lean* Ben Loaded Brio# AUm/le Jo**, AUp/iut Bre*l A\cJ)om& Piidip* AAct\fifijL\au JomL Aided Dam AAinuub Kfdut A^ooeve Jon a IA/u Varhr Triif* Paradt mttp&b Rg**' rod Lad* Pomd 1 *> /tfvw PrcbJth /HiAc Premier A' l/UgMtM, Preifr Rjim JtiL Ttyd* Ggrett Ppush ^ ortt/tito' Tfytehad Dm) 7$/ht gr Jebt Ttjtft/L PatrickSctft Igt/tar Sotustcr doreg Sataretf! Aistia Smith Epm Smitir The University of South Carolina Collegiate Readership Program NOTICE Your papers will be in new displays requiring access with your ID-card. Your card WILL NOT be charged for the newspapers. The new displays will ensure the newspapers are available only for students. Pick up a copy of USA TODAY or New York Times at these convenient campus locations: y Russell House y Business College Lobby Coliseum Please recycle