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w «% www.dailygamecock.com MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23,2004 - "*£££ — '■■■ -= --= .----- ■ ■ ---- ■ ■ ■ - ■■■=■■ . ■ Vote.today Online SG voting begins today BY ALEXIS STRATTON THE UAMECOCK Voting begins today for Student Government elections and so does the crunch time for candidates. This year’s campaign strategies seem much different from years past. Although executive candi dates have Web sites and can be seen courting votes outside the Russell House, the campaigning efforts lack the ferocity-that marked last year’s competitive races. “It seems like overall the can didates are more conservative in ^terms of not hounding people,” said Rachel Keisler, SG election StudentGoyernment ELECTIONS ®*F > A \^£k_ I commissioner. She said candidates are still en thusiastic but show it in a more subdued manner. “Maybe in the past they were hounded by candidates” and didn’t want to do that them selves, said Keisler, a fourth-year marketing and management stu dent. Despite the change in the elec tion’s timbre, Keisler said the pro cess has been going well. Although a few candidates incurred infrac tions over campaign violations, such as problems with postings and including a USC link on a campaign Web site, no candidates have accumulated enough to be in eligible. “I think it’s going pretty smoothly with its usual bumps and jolts that it gets,” she said. “Everyone’s been pretty coop erative.” Keisler encourages all students to vote at http://vip.sc.edu today or Tuesday. Third-year marketing student Mike Mohrwinkel said he will only vote if it “pops into (his) head.” He said that until this year he didn’t think SG was important at all, but, SG President Katie Dreiling “raised the bar” and made SG’s presence more notice able. Amanda Anderson, a third-year psychology student, said she still doesn’t see SG’s mark that much. “Nothing happens.” she said. “You never really see any difference.” Other students expressed satis faction with SG programs, such as the readership program and the upcoming GPS shuttle system. Jarod Addison, a second-year business management student who rides the shuttle often, said he thinks the GPS will be a great addition. “I think it’ll help,” he said, noting that more shuttles would be beneficial as well. Keisler said students should re search the candidates on the SG Web site, at www.sg.se:edu. Then, if they need more information, they can call the candidates or vis it their Web sites. “I just think everyone should definitely vote this year and defi nitely take a peek and see what the candidates are about,” she said. The link for the elections is in the “personal” menu of VIP. Voting closes at 5 p.m. Tuesday and results will be announced at 7 p.m. on the third floor of the Russell House. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu *|* Surf you rsetf S550S/'rr.f‘" Go online to vote in the elections © Uw Hws» {*$ *«*• • <jj-www.vlp.sc.edu.com Some colleges not represented in Senate BY BETH EWOLDSEN THE GAMECOCK For Student Government senate elec tions, few races feature more can didates than seats available, most having either a equal or fewer can didates running. Only in the Liberal Arts and Science and Math colleges do the elections boast more can didates than seats. There are no candidates running for senate seats in the medical school ^or the colleges of Social Work, Education, PMursing, Pharmacy and Music. Students interested in running can still reg ister in colleges with an insufficient number of candidates by contacting SG Elections Commissioner Rachel Keisler at 777-2654. The SG senate is responsible for passing or failing resolutions and bills meant to address issues relevant to USC students. Senators bring up concerns relevant to their college, and when a college is not represented, little gets done di rected specifically to that, institution. In the past few years, SG has faced similar problems. This past year, according to SG vice president and third-year political science stu dent Zachery Scott: “We were able to fill the seats for the medical school and the colleges of Social Work and Public Health. It was hard work, but we’re proud to have done it.” When there is an inadequate amount of can didates, the senate must find some way to fill the seats. As third-year political science student Cameron Burnette, one of the Liberal Arts senators, said, “If the college isn’t represent ed, it can’t expect to have its say on the is sues.” The senate is divided into committees, mak ing the Powers and Responsibility Committee responsible for filling the empty seats. Burnette served on this committee and ex plained the last year’s procedure regarding empty seats. “The committee contacts the deans of the colleges, then takes applications from stu dents. Then, the committee interviewed the qualified applicants. After that, the appli ♦ SEATS, SEE PAGE 8 PHOTO BY JASON STEELMAN/THE GAMECOCK Students participated in the annual Dance Marathon Friday night. Entertainment included a performance by Maywater. Students dance all night for local charity BY JOCELYN MEYER the (jamroock More than 200 dancers and vol unteers were on their feet for 24 hours to raise more than $83,000 for the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital this weekend at the Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center. USC Dance Marathon raised a record amount of money for the organization, $83,929.29. “Thirty-five morale captains and 25 executive committee mem bers have been working on Dance Marathon since last March, and it turned out to be successful,” said Katie Page, a fourth-year pub lic relations stu dent and mem ber of the Delta Zeta sorority. Throughout the night, bands played, families and doctors gave speeches and a DJ played songs. Because the marathon was held at the Strom, organizers took ad vantage of the indoor pool. “So at 5 a.m., everyone headed to the pool where we had relays and synchronized swimming,” Page said. Tri Delta re ceived the Miracle Cup for raising the most money and for its par ticipation. Greg Foster, a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, received the Will Busbee Award for raising the most money fpr an individual. This year every sorority on campus was represented at the marathon, along with other groups across campus. In addition, the Residence Hall Association had several participants — more than in past years, Page said. Each group was divided into dancers and led by morale cap tains who helped keep the spirit and energy alive all night. Awards were given to the most spirited dancers in each group. “So many people participated this year; it was great,” said Kristy Nix, a fourth-year ac counting student and third-year Alpha Delta Pi member. “The dancers were so enthusi astic, and it made the 24 hours go by so fast.” Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu “The dancers were so enthusiastic, and it made the 24 hours go by so fast.” KRISTY NIX third-year alpha delta pi Searching for senators ■ Business g| Social Work Hhrsm ■ Education Medical P Nursing Engineering ■ Music Pharmacy ■| Public Health ■Journalism The figures in color show the number of senate seats that will be vacant after the elections. GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY SHAWN ROURK/THE GAMECOCK Schaffer seeks voice in crowd BY GABRIELLE SINCLAIR THE (1AMEC0CK Student Government candi dates aren’t receiving an equal share of publicity, says third-year English student and SG presiden tial candidate Adam Schaffer. Schaffer, who is running as a “real USC student” candidate, said his SG-outsider status has left him “blacklisted.” “I’m trying to be a voice for this school, and I can’t even be heard,” he said. Schaffer argues that media cov erage in The Gamecock has been biased toward candidates already in office. He said he should have been told about the Meet and Greet at a USC NAACP chapter and Savvy meeting held Thursday. Every executive candidate but Schaffer was represented by ei ther the candidate or a spokesperson. “I didn’t even know about it un til I read about it in The Gamecock,” he said. “It said ‘all the candidates,’ and I wasn’t 4n Schaffer cluded ... But the meet ing wasn’t a debate, said fourth year Spanish student and Savvy president Tiffany Stewart. Rather, she said, it was a chance for candidates who had already expressed interest to ♦ SCHAFFER, SEE PAGE 8 Gamecock TV coverage lacking on local stations BY JACOB DAVIS THE GAMECOCK The surprise success of Carolina’s men’s basketball team has left some students wondering why most of the games aren’t broadcast on TV. Ranked in the top 25 nationally for the fifth straight week and boasting a 20-5 record (7-4 in con ference), South Carolina is rising to national prominence. Other than an early loss to Temple and a slip against Mississippi, USC’s other losses have all been nail biters, coming at the hands of perennial SEC and NCAA power houses like Florida and Kentucky and heralded teams like Mississippi State. But, despite Carolina’s exciting play and the ♦ BASKETBALL, SEE PAGE 8 ♦ PRESS THE FLESH Meet the 2004 SG presidential candidates. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 3 ♦ SENATE HOPEFULS Senate candidates sound off i on issues. FOR MORE SEE f PAGE 5 ♦ AT YOUR LIBRARY Graham Culbertson warns against using the Thomas Cooper. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 10 ♦ CIVIC DUTY Why everyone should vote in the SG elections. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 10 ♦CALLING ALL CHOCOHOLICS Everyone’s favorite sweet satisfies cravings and boosts moods.. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 11 ♦ TINKLING THE IVORIES USC Symphony concert to feature pianist Richard Ormrod. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 12 ♦ SWEEP Baseball wins three-game series against UNC-Wilmington. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 14 ♦ HOG-TIED Men's basketball falters against Arkansas.. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 14 Index Comics and Crossword 13 Classifieds _ Horoscopes13 Letters to the Editor 10 Online Poll 10 Police Report_ 2 Entertainment News 2 USC Calendar 2 Weather TODAY High 62 Low 47 Winds4mph, Showers late. TUESDAY ' High XX Low XX 60 percent chance of rain. Visit us online at: www.dailygamecock.com The Gamecock is printed on recycled paper.