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] www.dailygamecock.com WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1,2004 VoLx£°im Conferences suspend players for brawl ■ 6 USC players will sit out opener against Central Florida next season By STEPHEN FASTENAU STAFF WRITER The ACC and the SEC levied penalties against Clemson and USC players Monday for their roles in a brawl at the schools’ annual rivalry game. Six players from each school were suspended for one game next season. Clemson has the option of which • game it suspends its players for, while the six Gamecocks will sit out their season opener against Central Florida. “These suspensions are intended to send a clear and unequivocal message to all student-athletes in the Southeastern Conference that this conduct will not be tolerated now or in the future,” SEC Commissioner Mike Slivc said Monday. Daccus Turman, Jermaine Sims, Freddy Saint-Preux, Woody Telfort, Moe Thompson and Charles Silas will all be on the sidelines when USC opens its season Sept. 3, 2004. The SEC said Taqiy Muhammad, Matthew Thomas and Jamacia Jackson would have been suspended as well had they retained eligibility next season. “I’d like to apologize to the university, to my teammates, coaches and to our fans for my involvement in the incident at Clemson,” Thompson said Monday. “There is no place for something like that in college athletics.” Clemson suspended Duane Coleman, Nathan Bennett, Brandon Cannon, Anthony Waters, Roman Fry and Maurice Nelson. In addition to the suspensions, Cory Groover, Tommy Sharpe, Nick Watkins and Bobby Williamson will be handed letters of reprimand. The schools’ presidents have already withdrawn their respective teams from bowl consideration following the brawl. USC was bowl eligible for the first time in three seasons, while the Tigers will not go to a bowl for the first time under head coach Tommy Bowden. The brawl began late in the fourth quarter after Williamson apparently punched USC quarterback Syvelle Newton in the facemask following a failed fourth-down attempt. USC offensive lineman Chris White defended Newton. Both teams rushed midfield in a sideline-clearing rampage that stretched 60 yards. Clemson tailback Yusef Kelly was under scrutiny after pictures were published showing him preparing to kick a bareheaded Gamecock player. Kelly eventually emerged from the fray with a USC helmet, which he waved triumphantly before tossing it into the stands. ACC officials noted that Kelly would have been suspended but does not have any remaining eligibility. “What took place in the South Carolina-Clemson game has no place in college football or any other sporting event,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said Monday. The suspensions bring an end to what was an up-and-down season for both teams. Clemson started just 1-4 but clawed its way back. A win against nationally ranked Miami was the Tigers’ fourth straight. Clemson followed that performance by becoming the Duke Blue Devils’ first and only conference victim of the season. USC started the season strong but dropped three of its last four games. Head coach Lou Holtz then stepped down, and Steve Spurrier was named' his replacement. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocbieTvs@giV7n.se, edit KEN RUINARD/THE ANDERSON INDEPENDENT-MAIL Clemson running back Yusef Kelly kicks an unidentified USC player during a fourth-quarter brawl Nov. 20 in Clemson. STUDENT GOVERNMENT USC seeks support for research campus By KEVIN FELLNER THE GAMECOCK University administrators briefed faculty members and the public Tuesday on their plan for a research campus initiative and articulated a vision of interdisciplinary - cooperation combined with the financial backing of corporations prepared to invest in groundbreaking research. . USC President Andrew Sorensen and Vice President for Research Harris Pastides told a gathering that nearly filled the Russell House Theater that the extension of the campus with a combination of high tech research buildings and urban commercial development would be possible from the Horseshoe to the Congaree River and Williams-Brice Stadium. “The entire university family will be able to participate in and benefit from this new initiative,” Sorensen ♦ Please see CAMPUS, page 9 NICK ESARES/THE GAMECOCK Mack Whittle, former chairman of the USC Board of Trustees, unveils plans for the Research Campus Initiative at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. 2 students named Rotary scholars ■ Henderson, Atkinson will serves as ambassadors overseas next school year By SHANA TILL THE GAMECOCK , Two USC students have been awarded Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarships, according to the Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs. The winners are the latest to join 52 recipients who were assisted by the Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs, which was developed in 1994. As scholarship recipients, fourth-year international studies student Katie Atkinson and fourth year political science student Karen Henderson will study abroad during the 2005-2006 academic year. They will serve as unofficial ambassadors and work to encourage empathetic relations between involved countries. HENDERSON ATKINSON The scholarships are divided into two categories. The Ambassadorial Academic Year Scholarship is valued at $25,000 for each of its nine months of study. The Cultural Scholarship is valued at $12,500 for each of its three months of study. According to the news release, Henderson, winner of the Ambassadorial Academic Year Scholarship, will travel to England ♦ Please see SCHOLARS, page 4 PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JASON STEELMAN/THE GAMECOCK With three seats still vacant in the Student Senate, more than 8,000 students do not have full representation. SG struggles with participation With 3 open seats as election draws near officials seek campus presence By TAYLOR SMITH STAFF WRITER The Student Government Senate has passed a number of ; resolutions this year, but with three vacant seats in the Senate, almost half of all undergraduate students have not had full representation. This has been a concern since the election in February, but SG Vice President Yvonne Miller said she is looking for a solution. “We all pay tuition and we all have a vested interest, so we should all have a say in what goes on. It is not a privilege — it is right,” Miller said. “And if they can’t fulfill obligation, that is a problem.” Ul The three colleges lacking full representation — Liberal Arts; Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management; and the Arnold School of Public Health — are comprised of 8,685 students. “We are actually able to run smoothly. It is just that those colleges don’t really have representation,” Miller said. The problem, Miller says, is lack of communication between Student Government and the colleges needing representation, and the schedule commitment that a senator-elect must consider. “You can’t be in the senate if you can’t come,” Miller said. “It is tricky. I feel that I am friendly person, and if I can put on friendly face then they will want to come, but if you can’t make the meeting then it is pretty pointless.” Miller said SG is using advertising in The Gamecock and on the SG Web site, as well as word-of-mouth promotion to the prospective colleges, to fill the position. “I know we are missing three people, and of course I would love it if every seat was filled,” Miller said. “It is December, but hopefully people will come forward with the new semester.” Hal Mooty, president of the University of Alabama’s student government association, said he also deals with some of the same problems, just not on such a “large scale.” “I have traveled across the South meeting SGAs, and everyone at some of the campuses deals with apathy,” Mooty said. “But we do have, and have always had, an active student government.” Mooty said the problem he faces at Alabama is getting graduate students involved with the student government and sacrificing their time for the service. The Alabama Student Senate has four vacant seats. “Occasionally, we have a problem getting publicity from graduate students or something, but usually we don’t have a problem filling seats,” Mooty said. Mooty said Alabama’s student government has taken proactive approaches to get exposure, such as providing an interactive list of restaurants, menus and delivery options in the Tuscaloosa area on their Web site to attract students to the site and get them to check out government news. “We have found that when we advertise a service more effectively, it also brings attention to not just that service but SGA as well,” Mooty said. “Simple stuff that gets their interest.” USC’s Student Government interviews students for open seats in the senate and has been trying to appoint for some time. Mooty said Alabama has a similar process, but they also hold a second election for any open seats during homecoming voting every fall. Students must be in good standing with their colleges, have a 2.5 GPA and have no previous experience to be part of the senate, Miller said. “The GPA is hardly ever a factor in not getting chosen from what I know,” Miller said. “But it is usually a schedule conflict because Senate may not be the most convenient for ♦ Please see SEATS, page 6 INDEX Comics and Crossword.13 Classifieds.17 Horoscopes... 13 Letters to the Editor.10 Online Poll.10 Police Report.2 ) i IN THIS ISSUE ♦NEWS Bush travels to Canada The president met with Canada’s opposition leader Tuesday. Page 4 1 ♦ THE MIX History does repeat itself Historical films more often likely to flop than soon-to-be classic features. Page 11 WEATHER High 65 High 60 Low 36 Low 35 FOR EXTENDED FORECAST. SEE PAGE 2.