The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 25, 1982, Image 1
GAME 000 TC
LXXIV, No. 70 University of South Carolina Monday January 25, 1982
USC Ord*>
By TOM COYNE N
News Editor 1
USC has been ordered by the state to nullify a purchase ,
agreement of a $113 000 Xerox rnnipr thp nnivprsitv hnuoht
without obtaining bids from other companies.
Tony Ellis, a materials management officer for the State ,
Department of General Services, said he ruled Jan. 14 that a j
^ contract between the university and Xerox Corp. violates j
" state procurement codes and therefore is invalid. .
Ellis said the confusion had arisen from a new J
procurement code which went into effect on July 1,1981. This
case is the first to be appealed,so insomeirespects it is a test
case, Ellis said.
mi ; i jlt? A ? ? - a
nie university nas me opuon 01 going 10 a procurement (
appeals board, which would be comprised of a member of the
state Budget and Control Board, a member each from the j
House and Senate Commerce committees, and five members
appointed by the governor. If still dissatisfied, USC may then
move the case into the civil court system. I
Ellis reviewed the contract when a grievance was filed by
the AM International office in Columbia, stating they had not ,
hppn nllowpH to CI ihmi f n hi H f r?r tho nniirorcitir'c nnninr
n .. x>v? w MWMtUlV M K/1VC A VTA VI1V UlilTV&UiVJ O VVfJi/lVl
* purchase.
Chris Vlahoplus, senior vice president of Administration, J
said USC has asked Xerox to nullify the contract and has j
asked the company to remove the equipment from the print
shop. (
Xerox has already received the purchase order and check .
from the university and could decide to ignore the univer- j
sity's request. .
Lyn Hensel of the university legal department said she did
not know what the university will do if the company does not ,
take back the copier. But she did say the university is now r
negotiating with Xerox and thus far things are going
f smoothly.
"We should know iater on this week what Xerox will do," i
Hensel said.
USC Exchange Sti
Of Chinese Culture. I
By JULIE JAMESON " thenwe broke into smaller 1
suff writer groups ? some took art or i
? calligraphy. I took <
Scott Lawson, a junior economics." Although ;
Government and In- Lawson had an interpreter, I
ternational Studies major, is he said having a Chinese 1
happy to be back home at instructor forced him to 1
USC after a memorable but think in Chinese. <
f somewhat lonely trip to "China was very different
China. ? no football games on the 1
The idea for the exchange weekends. There were ;
was introduced two years movies, but they were dif- i
ago when Zemin Shai, an ficult to understand. i
ambassador from China, ]
lectured at USC. "He was "1 here were a lot of lonely 1
very impressed with USC imes? 11 wa? mce
and suggested establishing to come back to people we
an exchange with one of the understood. We were fairly i
local Chinese universities. n ^now
Last year, Dr. Holderman .ine ^"mese waniea us to \
had a very successful have the best studying en- >
w delegation. The rest is vir1?An?1?nVi- *
history," said Lawson. ^ times I d ride my i
Lawson applied last April k'cycle around laiyan. f
and said, "I was very for- Taiyan is between two j
tuna te to be selected " mountain ranges, and Id j
The 10 selected spent the into mountain r
summer together learning villages where they d never
tho(ihinftsplnnp,iu)0c seen a foieignei before. The
villages would be back- 1
Once in China, the wards. It was a unique ex- (
students and faculty perience," said Lawson. ?
researched and studied "The Chinese are curious ?
(A public health, the Chinese and open in spite of the a
language, calligraphy, system," Lawson said. a
pronnmies. archeology, and "Thev didn't know a whole 1
international relations. lot about our culture but h
"The American students wanted to learn." t
basically took Chinese Lawson recalled his final
courses," said Lawson, night at the Shanxi r
red To Accept <
Vlahoplus said if Xerox will not take back the copier the
university would have to deal with the state.
Vlahoplus said the university has decided to begin the
purchasing process from the beginning, this time accepting
bids.
Vlahoplus said the confusion has arisen with the new
single-source procurement law, which sometimes allows
state agencies to make large purchases without going
through the normal competitive bidding process. Comrvntifitrn
Kirlrllr*rt 1-- * *
uiuuuig ^icviuusiy mandatory tor purcnases in
gxcess of $2,500.
In purchasing the Xerox 9500 copier the university used the
single-source clause.
AM International officials filed the grievance stating they
had not been allowed to participate in the bidding procedure, j
Ellis held what he termed an informal hearing on Jan. 14 to
review the purchase and announced his decision the same
iay.
Ellis said his sole concern was to see if the university had
Followed the correct procedure in obtaining the copier and
concluded the university had improperly used the singlesource
clause.
The single-source procedure requires approval from the
agency head, President James B. Holderman, who must also
submit a written justification for the use of the single-source
process.
The clause also states that the agency head may appoint a
iesignee to approve the single-source,process. But this must
also be submitted to the general services department, and
;he designee must hold a title hieher than thp ao^nnv'c
_ ci u
purchasing officer, who in this case is Marion Dantzler.
Ellis said he found no letter justifying the non-competitive
mrchase and the agreement was signed by Dantzler, who did
lot have the authority to sign the agreement.
Vlahoplus said although the state does have the provision,
t is doubtful the university would use it again in the future.
Rhemer Lane, manager of AM International's Devine
ident Ends Study j
.language At Shanxi >
University "About 20 universities and intellectuals |
rihinPSA ctnHontc ?orvm WPrP lookpH Hnwn unnn I
and brought gifts. They were deeply affected the
all poor. I was really education in China. There
:ouched. They all wanted to are many books left by the
earn how to disco. They Russians and technical
mew that much about our books that no one wants to |
culture." read.
On this final two weeks, "The classrooms are dirty i
L.awson had a tour of China. an(* c?ld. Some of the win- I
4I learned more about China dows are broken, Lawson j
n those two weeks. I was on said.
ny own to talk to the people. "There are six students to
[ saw the people and their a room the s'ze USC dorm
listory M rooms. Yet, they feel lucky
Lawson said he had a ^ ^ere. Only one or two
'better education in Shanxi percent of college age people
n learning about the people. actually go to college. You
"If I had gone to a rarely hear them complain,
jniversity in Peking, there t "China needs American
?vouiu nave Deen other wtmiwiugy. urhows misana
oreigners, and the people wants our he,P Il's 8oin^ to
ire accustomed to seeing beakeyareamthefuture.lt
oreigners. In Taiyan the has a quarter of the world's
>eople are rural. Eighty-five people ? we have to
jercent of the Chinese are recognize that," Lawson
uraj " said. "I hope USC students
can see what a treasure we
Lawson commented on the have here."
mrdships of the education in The students and faculty
])hina. "The library at remaining are returning at
>hanxi is the biggest in the the end of this semester.
\TAiflnnn Knf i?/\n 'm/\ A rvr\li/iaf iAnn f
fiuviutc, UIH y\Jll i c lllJl fij/piicanuna lUi JJrtlillowed
to go in the book ticipation in the exchange
irea. The card catalog is are now being prepared.
>ehind the desk, and you Inquiries on participating in
lave to know the author and the USC ? Shanxi Exchange
itle of the book you want." should be directed to I>r. H.
Lawson said the cultural Salomon, Byrnes Involution
of the '60s, where ternational Center.
Uopier Bids
Street Store, said he filed the grievance because he was not
allowed to submit a bid and not because of problems with the
university.
"The university has been one of our best customers and we
were only taking advantage of a new procedure enabling both
sides to be treated fairly," Lane said. "It just so happens we
were the first to take the initiative to file the grievance. If we
hadn't some other company would have."
An anonvmous sonrpp tolH th#>
^ vu.v? vnv \?iumcvv/v/rv Uiv i\Ul UA
company had been trying to sell the copier to USC for five or
six years, but it had always been both uneconomical and
unneeded because the current machinery was adequate.
The source said the university now has th**?e copiers of
similar model throughout the campus, and al. were rented
because it is cheaper. He said he could not understand why
the university could afford the copier at a time when money
is so tight at the university.
The source said the purchase order did not originate in the
pi lining ueparuneni, dui me prini snop was told they would
be receiving a copier.
The source said he suspected the reason the university had
purchased the copier by the single-source method was
because of a grant given to the university research foundation,
although he had no evidence to support the allegation.
Vlahoplus and Lynn Mahaffey, assistant vicc president for
the administration, said the request had originated from the
print shop, and the copier was needed by the shop.
Mahaffey said the claim was "totally inaccurate." The
purchase order came from the printing department.
Shp aHHpH (hp Koon irumKroH in tlin ~
?W>I imum,u ill U1C icaaiuilllj siuuy,
and it had been determined that because of the cost per copy
and other reasons it would be more cost efficient to purchase
the copier. She said there were three other similar model
copiers currently being rented to the university.
Dantzler, who signed the purchase order, refused to
comment.
Shirley Hudson, manager of the print shop, "There is a new
copier in the shop, but I have no knowledge of it."
^|^h^^Bh|^^HMHP|^HR^^HmH ajj"
111 s^^yiM- ^ ^kI^sSh^IIEIW^
Mrs, Feng You and Liu Hai-Liang enjoy a
mild autumn day at the University of South
Carolina. They are exchange students from
Shanxi Province in the People's Republic of
China.