University of South Carolina Libraries
The Gamecock Founded 1908 Friday Volume 79, No. 53 University of South Carolina February 6, 1987 Jury decid guilty durii By SHERRI BERRY Assistant news editor A Columbia man was found guilty of the 1984 murder of a ^ USC nursing student and W sentenced to life in prison. Benjamin Anthony Joyner, after rejecting his courtappointed attorneys and putting up no defense in his retrial, was convicted Wednesday of kidnapping, sexually assaulting and murdering 20-year-old Barbara Lynn 'Bobbi' Rossi. Joyner immediately announced his appeal, but he gave no response when Circuit Judge William Traxler asked him if he would like a court-appointed at QP torney to handle his appeal. Traxler scntenccd Joyner to consecutive terms of 30 years for first-degree criminal sexual conduct, 10 years for grand larceny and five years for conspiracy, The Associated Press said. Traxler said according to law, when a person is sentenced to life for a murder that also involves kidnapping, no additional sentence for the kidnapping is imposed. Ray Rossi, the victim's father and founder/president of ^ Citizens Against Violent Crimes, said he was satisfied with the sentence ana aian t ieei tne dismissal of Joyner's courtappointed attorney's had any bearing on the decision. Joyner received a life sentence during his first trial. Senate inv By TODD HINES Senior reporter A resolution protesting an ap student activity fees is being cons dent Senate, though one senatoi was simply a misprint in the unde Sen. Michael Hogue, chairrm Committee, presented the resol after discovering what appeared crease in the fee for the past sen Hogue said the activities fee v Wzf * gr klMj/'MzamSBA fm mrnmm Blast off! Leroy Samund of the Assurance paint before repainting. ft ? Senioritis ^ es Joyner ig retrial "As the judge told him, he was A just trying to manipulate the ff court so that he could appeal," Rossi said. Rossi said he thought Joyner's decision to appeal is groundless. "I don't know what he's appealing on," he said. It took about an hour for the six-man, six-woman jury to reach a verdict. Joyner's sentence constitutes 20 years in prison before he can be paroled. "He's already served two years so in 18 years, in the year of 2005, h#? will hp plioihlp fr?r mmlc " ' ..-W ..... ~ I Rossi said. * "We'll be up there opposing the parole in 18 years." Joyner and Marccllus Pierce, both originally convicted in 1984, won new trials because of errors in their first trial. Pierce received the death penalty at his first trial, but his sentence was reduced to life imprisonment after his retrial in i December. ! Rossi said he felt the death j penalty is justifiable in certain crimes such as violent, aggravated crimes. This is one in which it should have been imposed, he said. " I was naturally disappointed | when he did not get the death penalty," Rossi said in regard to Pierce. Willie Nesmith, the third codefendant, was also convicted in 1984 but did not appeal. A? j ' _ resugaimg af $98.50 to $109 I semesters. parent increase in But Sen. Stanley ;idered by the Stu- saying the increase said the increase the budget. The ch ^graduate catalog. concur with legal re in of the Finance of the way the unive lution Wednesday Williams-Brice Stac to him as an in- Davis said puttin icster's tuition. fee was the best pi: /as increased from the stadium debt, a Hp * .v v*# fi^BnB m -v ; ifig |gV <BM HHn ; W> JjMm m m . Br Amj| mi *'/V ? ISS5 - :':v Wik-S'j f&Plfe i Water Proofing Co. sandblasts the front of Pr Two 18-year-old seniors who will graduate this ye say they're nothing specif See pag i.lw m,^ / Ukuj?f Hnr jf V \-*r ?. ; . jfl A'jpB?L ;^SIM1?3iHHfflH ?m iiiwiiiiii i ii i'hi in wi STACY YARBOROUGHfThs Gumtc All tired out Joe Biggs struggles to climb through one of the tires at the Kampus Kidc Daycare Center at Cliff Apartments. iparent increase in 5 between the fall and spring activities fees without any act said. Davis objected to the proposal, "Those students who have was only a line-item change in tivity fee are being reimburse ange mas made, Davis said, to higher fee was just a misprin rcommendations in a state audit Hoguc said the controversy :rsity financed debt payments on ting reports from school ol lium. USC's financial director, sai g the money under the activities the Athletic Department to ace to retain legality for paying But Dennis Pruitt, vice presic nd the money was shifted under told Hogue the money did n< ! Uy TODD lllfJLS Senior reporter A recommendation to re< was postponed by the Studei in renovation money can be At their meeting Wednes ment Vice President Robei ^I Finance and Judicial commil so the report can be presenu tion at the next meeting. In the fall of 1985, $60,(X Student Government gener. the club, Sen. Harry Sharp passed a finance bill to give t Life Committee to handle tl Sharp said the money wa I Senior reporter The USC administrator made a commitment not to tuition next year, USC Pre; James Holderman said We day at a Faculty Senate me Holderman told the seiu sent a message to the I Ways and Means Commit hopes of receiving tull-fo funding for USC next year Full-formula funding i minimum amount of fui state university needs to fui KEITH JONESfThe Gamecock at a levcl determined by th< Commission on Hi Education. 63ton Residence Hall to strip off old Holderman pi csc economic studies that sho consistent difference be Inside? ? ? i Classifieds ,.8 US( ? Comics 5 Crossword . 4 ar Datebook 4 j| Features 3 IJi Sports 7 je 3 Viewpoint 6 il House not USC to op f j By AMY DELPO en I Managing editor $5 A bill that would change the tic state's Freedom of Information gn Act would not force USC to th disclose how $1.7 million in a presidential discretionary fund Sc was spent prior to Jan. 20, 1987. tit The bill is not retroactive o\ because USC has already promis- pc ed to disclose the information m sometime next week, said qi Thomas Li mehou.se, R- sa Dorchester. "We want to wait and see," sa Limehouse said. "There's no ar need to beat a dead horse." si If USC doesn't release the in- di formation. Limehouse said the I I House could recall the bill and j; change it. "This is not something we r should go on a witch-hunt about," said Rep. John Felder, jj D-Calhoun. "Why should we change the rules? They abided by t the rules." j The bill was tentatively ap- a proved by the South Carolina House Wednesday with a 109-1 c vote. The only "nay" vote was , ^ cast by Rep. Crosby Lewis, D- s Fairfield, who said he objected to f | the House's refusal to force USC c ' to disclose how the money was i spent, The Associated Press ? ^ reported Thursday. t The bill would also make | salaries of all part-time ( lie employees public as well as the salaries of full-time unclassified , state employees. All salaries of [_ student activit ual tuition increase, he University nubli? no student input w : paid $109 for the ac- "If we students ' ;d," Davis said. "The must show strong t in the catalog." fees are spent," Hi / also involves conflic- The resolution rt fficials. Pete Denton, fees, notification ol d the increase went to tion of where the i pay the stadium debt. athletics. lent of student affairs, Sen. Patrick Sn ot go to athletics. ing for 'missing' $ me student uovt frozen there when 3pen the Golden Spur the club space ini nt Senate until $60,000 Government creat< located. renovations, whi< iday, Student Govern- Nightclub Commil rt Beall requested the According to ar tees to locate the funds the finance bill \ id with all the informa- Government offic money in the gene 00 was allocated to the Beall asked the ll fund for renovating the renovation fu said. The senate then were used for any he funds to the Student "The money stil le renovations. "It was allocated ,s then transferred into iate talks about t what USC requested in state funds and what it received from 1 has 1980 through 1985. raise I he legislature said UbC needs iident to plan a "conservative" budget :dnes- at the beginning of the semester cting. so it won't have to make midite he semester program reductions and Hlouse tuition increases, Holderman tec in said. rmula "We will have to be taking," he said, "in consort with the s the deans and other adminstrative ids a and academic officers of the [Ktion university, some very serious ; state steps if this process continues gher along these lines." Holderman also told the senate nted he thinks the shortfall in state wed a funds will continue year after tween year. The administration is con^ kcaclrofknll amecocks wi forcing en files mlovces who earn more than 0,(XK) would be public informa?n, and salary ranges would be /en for people who earn less an $50,000. Glenn I uekcr, president of the >uth Carolina Press Associa>n, said he was pleased with the erall vote, but he was disap)inted with the $50,000 inimuin on the disclosure relirement for state workers' laries. "I think it's too high," Tucker id. "The association feels that lybody paid with state money ionic have their salaries sclosed." .aw revision repeals irevious restrictions ly Tho Associated Press Among the major features of he bill that would change the rreedom of Information Act ire: ? Repeal of a section of the urrent law that allowed public >odies to withhold information imply because they felt it was lot in the public interest to lisclose it. ? Automatic disclosure of mv information reauested inder the FOIA if a public >ody fails to respond within 15 lays. ? All formal action must be /oted on in public. ies fees :ations indicate the increase and as involved, Hogue said. want our fees to not increase, we concern and examine how our ogue said. . quested an othcial statement ot f future changes, and an cxplana ncrease went, if it did not go to lith of the Finance Committee See "Increase/' page 2 60,000 jrnment general fund and was the administration tried to make to offices, in response, Student ;d a task force to investigate the :h became the Non-Alcoholic ttee. i investigation by the committee, vas overlooked by the Student :ers earlier this year, and the ral fund was forgotten. senate committees to find out if nds frozen in the general fund other purpose. II has to be released," Sharp said, within the budget, so therefore See "Senate," page 2 mdget cuts sidering whether to freeze new positions and vacancies as they occur, as well as close down some USC institutions and centers. Holderman attributed the money problems to a new governor who doesn't want to start off with an embarrassing financial record and a new House speaker and chairman of the Ways and Means Committee who are determined to do away with shortfalls and mid-year reductions. Representatives from USC's nine branch campuses attended the Ways and Means Committee meeting Wednesday to voice their concerns, Holderman said. The original state appropriation for USC for fiscal 1987 was See "Faculty," page 2 in 76-46 See page 7