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Page 2 USC program helps deaf patients hear Over the years, Irene Ellis of Abbeville began to loseber hearing. She needed hearing aids. But a small, non-malignant tumor developed, preventing her hum wearing a hearing aid in her left ear. For the past year, the 78-yearold grandmother couldnt hear at all and had to rely on faxes to communicate with family members. Now, thanks to USC's Cochlear Implant Program, Ellis has new hope. She received a cochlear implant, a medical device surgically implanted behind the ear to stimulate the auditory nerve, earlier in May at Columbia's Palmetto Baptist Hospital and recently received the speech processor, microphone and transmitter necessary to help her hear. Ellis can hear again and has begun rehabilitation at the Speech and Hearing Center of USC's School of Public Health. Researcher receives international award Hanif Chaudhry, chairman of jUSC's civil and environmental engineering department, will receive an honorary Doctor "honoris causa" for science from the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia in Valencia, Spain. Chaudhry will receive the honor for his contributions to civil and environmental engineering and waste resources research. Also receiving the honor June 22 are Ruldolph Marcus, 1992 winner of the Nobel Prize for chemistry; Jose Sarmargo, 1998 winner of the Nobel Prize for literature; and Spanish opera singer Monsterrat Cavalle. Chaudhry joined USC in 1997 as the Mr. & Mrs. Irwin B. Kahn professor and chairman. He specializes in water resources research, including the mathematical modeling of open-channel and closed-conduit flows and hydraulic transients. USC selects nation's best for research Tfen of the brightest undergrad uate psychology students in the country will research the inner workings of the brain at USC's Summer Research Institute in Experimental Psychology that began May 31. The students, each paired with an experimental psychology professor, will conduct experiments involving various aspects of brain function in infants, children and adults. Their research findings ultimately could Drove invaluable for the treat ment of stroke or epilepsy patients. Colleges book on By Cindy Shreuder College Press Exchange BLOUMUN UTON, IIND.-For halt a century, Indiana University has been a residential campus, a place where students have come to live and learn, sharing not only classrooms but also hallways and bedrooms for everything from 4 a.m. exam cramming to impromptu pizza parties. But after students were given permission to live off campus during the political activism of the '60s, a slow, unanticipated transformation began to occur that officials say has finally reached alarming proportions. More than half of IUs students five off campus, a full 93 percent of seniors, and officials worry that it's threatening the character and academic quality of the campus. Officials also worry about a more intangible loss of community among students, the lack of upper-class role models that freshmen have and even the reduced participation of older students in campus activities and cultural opportu- ??? nities. In a trend reflected at oth- Around th< ^universities, universitie IU is trymg to . lure off-campus similar thi students back, students 111 with appealing dorms and oth- more COIYV er amenities to and more ] make on-campus living more enjoyable. Studies show that students who live on campus are more likely to graduate and have significantly higher grades than those who live off campus. "We see ourselves as a residential campus," said Bruce Jacobs, IU's assistant vice chancellor for residential programs and services. "From an academic standpoint, we felt we needed to do something." Students "see education more as a consumer commodity than students did in the past, and this extends to how they live and in their general approach to life," IU President Myles Brand. "If the university does not provide sucn tnings, crana saia 01 me new dorms and other amenities, "students will go someplace else. They'll move off campus, and that inhibits their ability to form communities and makes it harder for them to graduate." Much of the new philosophy is driven by the fierce competition for students that is causing a frantic pace of building and improvements at universities across the country. The centerpiece of the IU plan will be unveiled in the fall: a $28.6 million renovation of Willkie, one of the residence halls. The 1960s-era structure, built to house 1,100 students in CAROLINA NEWS rewriting dorm life long corridors with one bathroom on each floor, was redesigned. Now, 781 people will live in apartments and suites, with no more than two students to eacn Datnroom. But university officials aren't stopping with the living space. They're adding other features, such as computer rooms, ice machines and meeting space. Traditional cafeterias are being converted to food courts. And while Willkie was being renovated, officials began experimenting with new programs, such as offering tutoring in a popular undergraduate math course over a special TV channel that goes into student rooms. What IU is doing is increasingly common. Around the country, universities are doing similar things to give students more space, more conveniences and more luxuries, wrapped in a package that boasts a little more style. Northwestern University will open a new $10.5 million residence hall this fall, featuring suites and views of Lake Michigan. In Wisconsin, tiny Beloit Col lege will begin an $3 7 million x _ reiiuvauuii ui several resie country, dence halls that S are doing will be linked ngs to give w,lth a,large ? ? atrium lounge, LOre Space, complete with eniences fireplaces, . . couches and luxuries. tvs The University of Minneso? ta is building a new residence hall to house 500 students in apartment-style quarters. Northern Illinois University is in the final phase of renovating its least-popular residence hall, a 10-story building with four towers that once held 2,000 students and will now accommodate 1,280. "The impetus is pretty simple," said Jim Curtin, an architect with the Chicago firm of Solomon, Cordwell, Buenz & Associates, which is redesigning residence halls at several Midwestern campuses. "After academics, student housing is a deciding factor for incoming students," Curtin said. IU decided to renovate dorms after more modest efforts to keep students on campus, such as giving free football tickets to students who stayed in dorms, met with limited enthusiasm. In the 1996-97 academic year, only about 29 percent of sophomores, 12 percent of juniors and 7 percent of seniors lived in the residence halls. It's too early to tell whether the new measures at IU are luring students back to campus, but early indicators seem promising. In early May, 2,932 students who had lived off campus during this academic year have applied to return to the residence halls in the fall. /1 rerorvN 1 \ Uwr U ? /fiS CRIME i lTv/^^x/'compiled by )) I I YMT Brad Walters ( June 5 Attempted burglary, Sloan. The complainant arrived at the incident location to hang some paintings for display. She noticed the door to the building was ajar and that a large amount of glass and a large concrete ( block were on the floor. Investigation continues. Illegal use of telephone (ha- < rassing), Bates West The victim said ] she has received numerous hang-ups 1 and obscene phone calls. A 3 a.m.pam- 1 phlet was issued. June 2 ! I Larceny of cassette recorder, ! College of Nursing. The complainant 1 said someone removed a tape recorder from atop a desk at the incident location. Estimated value: $300. Larceny of computer, Swearin- i gen Engineering Center. The complainant said someone removed a : Gateway computer with monitor, mouse and keyboard from the incident location. Hie items were removed from a secure room with a combination lock. Estimated value: $1,799. ; Trespassing after notice, USC i School of Law. An officer on patrol observed someone enter the School of Law after hours. When the officer 1 confronted the subject, she told him her named was Cynthia Smith. She later admitted this was not her real name, and a check came back showState agenck to prepare f( By jennirer nouana Associated Press Most South Carolina state agencies don't have contingency plans for what to do if they're hit with year 2000 computer glitches, the state Budget and Control Board says. However, three-quarters of the state's critical computer systems were on track as of the end of March to meet a July 1 compliance deadline, the board reported Tuesday. Fifteen of 74 agen- c cies said they'd met all requirements 1 to be declared Y2K-ready, the report ( said. 5 fi-i ? i l ?i ? Oiaie agencies nave spent annust $20 million of the $38.7 million they ^ estimated would be needed to beat the Y2K bug, the report said. Computers j with older programs that use just the , last two digits of the year could choke when the calendar rolls over to 2000. c Some might read it as 1900, and oth- " er errors are possible. ^ Critical computer systems ? there are 694 of them ? affect health, safe- T ty or the delivery of state services such Wednesday, June 9,1999 ng she had been asked not to return x) USC property after having been bund asleep in the Douglas lobby, [he subject was arrested and transported to Richland County Detention Center. June 1 Driving under suspension, altered driver's license, 600 Barnwell ?t.. An officer observed someone dri zing on Greene Street without a risible license tag. The officer initiited a traffic stop. The driver told the )fficer he didn't have insurance and :hat his driver's license was susaended. The subject was arrested and Found to have a Georgia driver's license in his possession that his friend tiad made for him. The subject was transported to Richland County Detention Center. Larceny of Wallet, Sumwalt. The complainant said someone entered Sumwalt and stole a watch valued at $60. No signs of forced entry were found. Larceny of purse, Gambrell courtyard. The victim said someone removed her purse, which was left unattended and unsecured, from the incident location. Estimated value: $60. May 28 Autobreaking, larceny of CD player, Coliseum parking lot. The victim said his passenger side window was broken into and that someone tampered with the keyhole on the driver's side of his car. The window on the driver's side also was reported missing. The victim said a CD player, speakers, amplifier and cellular phone were taken. Estimated value: $750. ts continue )r Y2K bug as tax processing. Contingency plans are in place for fewer than 20 percent ot them, said led Ligntie, director 01 the state's information resources office. Department directors must be able to answer "If the computer goes down, how do we do business?" Lightle said. Lightle said he wasn't so concerned about the lack of contingency plans because most of the effort has been fo:used on getting the computers and irograms fixed. "It's not as rigorous to :ome up with a contingency plan," he aid. The report, based on agencies' surrey responses, said the state prison system had completed figuring out its jotential problems and was about lalfway toward correcting them as of March. That now has reached 90 per:ent, Corrections Department spokesman John Barkley said. About 10 percent of the hardware i "i - -ii i_u_ _?r__ ixes ai ine attorney general s omce vere in place, but none were complete Y2K continued on page 3