The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, May 03, 1985, Image 1
The Gomecock
Founded 1908 Friday
Volume 77, No. 89 University of South Carolina May 3, 1985
*Clemson wins
By Ann Farmer
USC lost a battle of symbols yesterday when the state Commission
on Higher Education refused to rename a graduate
engineering program.
i ne umversuy \vaniea 10 cnangc tne name ot an electrical
engineering doctoral program with an emphasis on computers
to computer engineering.
Because Clemson offers a Ph.D in computer engineering,
^ changing the USC name would have been a step toward
duplicating programs, opposing commissioners said.
CLEMSON PRESIDENT Bill Atchley said the commission
needed to stand up and say it supported South Carolina's
master plan on higher education: agriculture and engineering
at Clemson, medicine at the Medical University of South
Carolina and liberal arts and business at USC.
"If I wanted to get in, say, international business, they
General Assembly
*OKs compromise
M M O M J M it m ^ #% I ^
uii ounuay saies
By Associated Prat*
The state Senate dodged budding filibusters Thursday and
went alona with the House on a comnromise hliip law* hill that
would open fctailers' doors for Sunday sales after 1:30 p.m.
The bill, which will exempt tourism counties of Horry,
^ Charleston and probably Beaufort from the 303-year-old closing
restrictions, will be ratified by the officers of the two
chambers early next week and sent to Gov. Dick Riley for
signature.
"He is expected to sign it," said Riley spokesman Russ
Vlrk'innmr "It'c Unciooll.. ...u... ?.?
Mvituiiiv; . it .i uu3ivany wuii.^nitiii Willi wuai IIC
rccommcndcd."
Before the Senate approved the compromise, Charleston
County senators threatened a filibuster to get a hastily drawn
companion bill passed allowing the county to decide in a
public referendum next year whether it should be totally exempt
from the blue laws.
The blue laws compromise passed the House 6H-40 after only
45 minutes of debate and cleared the Senate 29-12 after
more than lour hmirt of wrnnplino
"I think it is a very progressive step," said Sen. John
Mayes, D-York, chairman of the conference committee that
drafted the compromise. "It brings a lot of uniformity to the
law. It probably is a giant step."
Rep. Lloyd Hendricks, D-Kichland, who has advocated
blue law reforms for seven years, said he never gave up on the
legislation.
"That's the one way we've been able to put this bill through
... we've continued to fight," he said.
"I'm happy," said Sen. J.M. "Bud" Long, D-Horry, a
vv/diviviiw wiuiiimvv iiivuiuwi wiiu aiuuvj iar>i uu galling lilt
total exemption for the three tourism-oriented counties. "My
people can grow now."
But Sen. Bill Branton, R-Dorchester, who fought the bill
down the line as a conferee, said he was disappointed.
"I'm not satisified," he said. "I feel we should have kepi
the afternoon closing time cap."
The Senate version of the bill had called for stores to be
open from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., while the House favored a
1:30 p.m. opening with no set closing time.
It "is a recognition that better than 60 nercent of the neonlt
want a change and they want it to be significant ? not the pat
chwork we had in the past," said Rep. Robert Sheheen, a Kershaw
Democrat who served on the committee.
"I think it's fair to say that all of us found out over the
weekend that the people of South Carolina have demanded
some meaningful revision of the blue laws for two reasons:
they are archaic and outmoded and, most importantly, the)
are unenforceable."
Sheheen was referring to the governor's promise to strict^
enforce the blue laws statewide if the General Assembly failec
to approve some sort of reform legislation.
Strict enforcement of the current ban on Sunday sale;
? : -I f
T?wu.u iniiuKL I1UII/ v^viinny 111(U ft ICCCHMUII, SU1U 1.0112$. 3Un
day is one of the heaviest sales days of the week along th<
Grand Strand where the blue laws are generally ignored.
The compromise appeared to be in trouble when Republicar
Sens. Sam Applegaie and Arthur Ravenel of Charleston raiset
objections to the tourism provision, which exempts any coun
ty from the blue laws that produces more than $9(X),0(X) an
d nually in accommodation taxes.
"We arc about to pass legislation that we are not treatinj
everyone uniformly," said Applegate.
computer e
ft Ia*. I1 "pu?
should (ell mc no; that's USC's area, not <
said.
And although the move would have on
of an already existing program, Atchley
was "important on a philosophical level.
m
I HvBr^ ?id^F^
j | PHOTOS BY JENNIFf
I Nursing junior Michelle Anderson fills
Students ov
: By Jeri Rowe
With the semester's end inching
closer, many students will be digging
into their pockets to repay outstanding
: university payments and fines.
' Debts of more than $30,(X)0 in housing
damages and $55,000 in library
' fines and book replacements have been
saddled to USC students this past
academic year.
' However, at this point in the
' semester, several university officials
find themselves scrambling to locate
4 students before they leave for the summer
in order to pay these outstanding
: debts they have incurred throughout
the semester.
1
1 "IT'S PARTICULARLY touchy
ihis time of year because students are
trying to Mudy for exams," said Linda
Saad, university housing director.
I But Saad added that collecting the
money is not the problem. The only
engineering
Commission Chain
proposal, said (he re
inging a name is (ackle duplication at l
y way to start somf. commissi
ijng " taincd, but not cxpan<
decided in the futur
n il a? hi roooucs, lor instance,
? Bill AtChley t^c commission woul
lemson president emphasis.
The proposal didn
equipmenl, but Atch
"lemson's," Atchley later, complicating th
"Wc should work t
ly changed the name said, adding that in%l
said the disapproval then the other wantec
in the circles. L.; J I .
! ?8h
I ||*
pmpjH urauuom siuutiii
~
ve university
problem she f inds is "hassling students
all semester iong to pay."
T his problem may seem to be an unsurmountable
task, but the university
has speeded the collection process
along by tacking these fines to a student's
registration fee for the next
semester. If continuing students ignore
these fines, any university department
can eventually receive these outstan/i;Mn
/inU?A u.. ?
Ulllg UIUIS \jy UIUWMII^ I lit 11 IL'ghllUlion
request until the money is
received.
In effect, the university has a
stranglehold a student's education
because they need to pay all bills
before they can pursue their degree,
Saad said.
"STUI1KNTS ARK here to go to
school to pet their grades. When they
can't register, they have wasted their
time," she said.
This collection process also includes
battle
nan F red Shehcen, who supported the
jcetion signaled that the group would
the highly technical graduate level.
ONKRS wantrri the I JSC nrocram sns
ied. Opponcnls argued that, if the state
e to enlarge the program to include
, and both schools had Ph.D programs,
Id have to choose where to place the
1't involve adding faculty, courses or
ley said USC might decide to expand
e problem of duplicity.
ogether to complement each other," he
le past, if one school adued a program,
I if tnn 4,<stat/?c ran'l affnrH that M hp
JENNIFER STEIB I The Gamecock P
t Charlene Herring checks a
11/r i T nrtiMrtriintr 11
$85,000
graduates and soon-to-be graduates.
Even though Saad said there is a "law
of being fair," she emphasized that
housing can hold back a person from
graduating or refuse lo submit a
former student a transcript until they
pay an outstanding debt.
"We're tightening the reins around
here really tough," Saad said.
Reinforcing Saad's comments, Ken
v^orocu, uirecior 01 ousmess operations,
said all acadcmic records,
registration forms and diploma requests
are held if any student owes the
university $25 or more.
CORBETT SAII) students are billed
once a month, but he found that
(flirlpntc CPlMtl tn u/uit frt ? ho lot# minnlA
to pay their housing fines.
"Many students put off this responsibility
(of paying the fines) until they
reali/c that they have to go home,"
See "Fines," page 6.