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University of South Carolina CDIHAV CCRDI IA DV 0 7 OHO A Vol.97,No.70 www.dailygamecock.com • * f\I VJr\ I, rL-DrxUMrV I Z / , ZUvJ'r Since 1908 ,Clemson reeling after fire Blaze destroys Clemson apartments, leaves about 100 students homeless BY MICHAEL LAFORGIA THE GAMECOCK Pi More than 100 Clemson stu dents were left homeless Wednesday night after the University Ridge apartment com plex near campus burned down. Capt. Bill Shiver of the Clemson University Fire Department said firefighters re ceived a'call at 9:34 p.m. Wednesday but were unable to save the structure. “The entire complex was com pletely gutted,” Shiver said. “It was a total loss.” Investigators have yet to de termine the fire’s cause. Shiver said about 100 rescue workers from six departments responded, and it took two hours to get the blaze under control. Crews were still sifting through the debris late Thursday looking for hot spots. Shiver said there is still a possibility that high winds could re-ignite the flames. Temperatures were hovering at or slightly above freezing all night Wednesday. "The weather was a chal lenge,” Shiver said. He added that the property’s location on a hill also hindered firefighting ef forts and that 35-40 mile an hour winds threatened to spread the fire to other structures. Smile.lt's.snowing PHOTO BY PATRICK AUGUSTINE/THE GAMECOCK Snow drapes the tops of cars briefly Thursday night. Snow sprinkles Columbia FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS ^ Students had a massive snowball fight on the Horseshoe Thursday night as Columbia re ceived the remnants of a winter storm that left parts of the up state with as much as 8 inches of snow. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory until midnight Tuesday, with highs expected in the 40s today. At press time, there was no word on whether USC would cancel classes. First-year biology student Mitul Patel said he thinks class es should be canceled today be cause of hazardous conditions. “I just about slipped and busted my ass outside," he said. But for the rest of the state, forecasters expect more ex treme winter weather to devel op through this morning, pos sibly leaving up to a foot of snow in some places between Gaffney and Cheraw. PHOTO BY EMILY CAGGIANO/THE TIGER Clemson students wptch as the University Ridge apartment complex burns Wednesday night. However, firefighters con tained the damage to the apart ment complex. One girl was transported to a local hospital for smoke inhala tion, Shiver said. Emily Manning, a fourth-year economics student at Clemson, lived on the third floor of the apartment complex. She said a police officer pound ed on her door at about 9:45 p.m. and told her and her roommate to get out of the building. The two girls walked out expecting to re turn in an hour or so. Instead, Manning, a Delaware resident, said she lost her entire life when her apartment burned. “I’m starting from scratch,” she said, speaking on a cell phone from a Target in Atlanta where ♦ FIRE, SEE PAGE 3 Professor addresses modern civil rights BY JACOB DAVIS THE GAMECOCK As Black History Month draws to a close this week, Cleveland Sellers Jr., a profes sor of African-American Studies at USC, presented a scholarly perspective on the civil rights movement Tuesday night. At a presentation in the Russell House, the Denmark, S.C., native spoke on the past, present and future of the move ment and its leaders. Bom in 1944 and active in the civil rights struggle since 1960, Sellers describes the pathways blazed by the many teachers in his family - figures who, “being minority teachers in the South at that time, were involved in the civil rights movement whether they wanted to be or not,” Sellers said. He followed their strong example to a life-. time of activism and education on the subject of civil and mi nority rights. Sellers said it is especially gratifying to see the poor being lifted, and he is empowered by the movement for better lives. He is also increasingly pleased with the current politi cal situation, especially the swelling ranks of minority of fice-holders. But he cautions that while the situation is im proving, there is still much work to be done. Speaking on the state of to day’s civil rights movement, Sellers said he sees a need for a “period of education” to bet ter inform everyone on minor ity rights. He also sees the need to organize, so the movement can be a strong and effective body working for positive change. As for those who will con tinue on in the legacy of the great civil rights leaders, Sellers sees promise and po tential. He said he is proud of the youth he encounters, espe cially those beginning to ques tion their roles in society; he cited those youth who took an active interest and spoke out against the war in Iraq. He was also pleased by the progress being made in affir mative action and an increased interest in civil rights and mi nority issues. Sellers stressed the need for the movement to diversify, and that it is crucial for it to grow intellectually and remain vi able. He said he sees this hap pening through diverse groups coming together and “finding common ground” on which the solid base of the movement’s continuing future can be built. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu r Cancer claims life of mentor BY GABRIELLE SINCLAIR THE GAMECOCK Mike Witkoski, a USC public rela tions professor and mentor to stu dents, died of cancer Wednesday af ter a yearlong fight. He was 52. Witkoski was a standout teacher known for his calming presence and dedication to students, said fourth year advertising student Diana Carey, who asked Witkoski to be her inde pendent study adviser for the spring semester. “He challenges you to do things, but he’s so willing to help you out in doing them,” she said. “He’s what ev ery teacher wants to be remembered as.” Witkoski joined the College of Journalism and Mass Communications in 1998, first as an adjunct and then as an assistant pro fessor. He anchored his teaching with ex perience as vice president of Ferillo and Associates, a public relations and advertising firm. witkoski contmuea to teacn throughout his illness. “His spirit was pretty remarkable all the time,” said dean Charles Bierbauer. who spoke with Witkoski Tuesday. “He said that the classes are the easy part; the classes are what he looks forward to. ” PR professor Bruce Konkle said there is a somber atmosphere since the news broke. “He was one of those personal pro fessors who got to know his students really well,” Konkle said. Second-year advertising student Carrie Frondorf said Witkoski used his breadth of PR experience to his class’s benefit. “He wasn’t like a regular lectur er,” she said. “He was very much about getting us involved... He wasn’t one of those teachers who wanted you to memorize everything in the book. He wanted you to be able to apply it in real life situations.” Witkoski didn’t talk much about his cancer and instead tried to focus on the positive. "He was a fairly private person, and really highly thought of at the ♦ PROFESSOR, SEE PAGE 4 Strom sprinkler causes $175,000 damages ^BY GREG WEBSTER THE (iAMECOCK A sprinkler at the Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center caused more than $175,000 in damage last week, jeopardizing Dance Marathon and pushing campus recreation staff to the lim it. Facility Coordinator Michael Hyde received a call at 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 16 that a fire sprinkler was raining down on the gym floor. A stray basketball had struck the sprinkler, pouring water for more than 30 minutes and eventually leaking into two of the racquetball courts. Director of Student Life Jerry Brewer said he hopes the damage will be fixed by the end of March. “This is a situation where the student is a consumer,” he said. “You have paid to use the build ing, and we’re determined to get it back in shape as soon as possi ble.” With water still falling from the ceiling and with the buzz of the fire alarm, Hyde immedi ately contacted the fire depart ment and his supervisors to contain the wa ter. Among those who arrived at the scene to assist in cleaning up was Jerry Brewer. Brewer, Hyde and approxi mately 24 other staff members, worked well into the night to limit the damage. Describing the situa tion as “possibly being much worse,” Brewer said the ability of the staff to contain the damage was “a tribute to their hard work.” Only a few hours after most of the staff went home for the night, the fitness center reopened the next morning for Dance Marathon. But Brewer still considers the damage serious. Basketball courts one and two are closed, laden with new planks of hardwood waiting to be nailed down. Meanwhile, two racquetball courts are closed un derneath the basketball courts with fans airing out the remain ing water. When first-year business stu dent Robert Schultz walked to the fitness center to play racquetball the next day, he was disappoint ed. “There’s nothing you can really say. about something like this,” he said. “It’s kind of limited down there now, but there’s nothing you can do about it.” Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu “You have paid to use the building, and we’re determined to get it back in shape as soon as possible.” JERRY BREWER DIRECTOR OF STUDENT LIFE PHOTO BY JASON STEELMAN/THE GAMECOCK A flood in the Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center has closed several racketball courts. p_— i I pP What’s.lnside ♦ CHARGE! Program offers free credit education in residence halls. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 3 ♦ HATCHING SCHEMES | Seven USC students have f been selected to develop their own businesses. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 4 ♦ BIG SHOES Our advice to SG's new president, Zach Scott. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 5 ♦ GIVING IT UP Allyson Bird suggests things USC can give up for Lent. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 5 ♦ GOING FOR THE GOLD Big names and blockbuster flicks compete for Oscars. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 6 ♦ BEAUTIFUL MUSIC The Pat McGee Band remains true to tunes, fans. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 6 ♦ SWAMPED Men’s basketball loses to Florida again. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 9 ♦ ROCKIN’ ROBIN Baseball plays host to a round-robin tournament. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 9 Index Comics and Crossword8 Classifieds _ 12 Horoscopes^ 8 Letters to the Editor 5 Online Poll _5 Police Report2 Entertainment News 2 USC Calendar 2 Weather TODAY SATURDAY 48 Low 35 Mostly cloudy, 15 mph winds 59 Lew 38 Sunny, 15 mph north winds Visit us, 1 I_II online at: www.dailygamecock.com The Gamecock Is printed on recycled paper.