University of South Carolina Libraries
vol. 93, No. 6 j[ hursday august 19,1999_ Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08 www.gamecock.sc.edu UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH Carolina Columbia, s.c. Bookstores fight for students’ money Comparing prices at Wal-Mart and S.C. Bookstores by Kevin Langston News Editor During die frantic week of buying books for class es, The Gamecock visited die campus bookstores to Compare textbook and school supply prices. ® A common complaint among students is die high prices of lextfxxiks and supplies ollered at die campus btxikstoies. Students also complain about die vast diller ence in prices among die bookstores. To diis complaint, Addam’s University Bookstore Manager Amy Chontos said new book prices usually vary by only a dollar or two. “We don’t set die prices,” Chontos said. “The publishers set new book prices.” For example, a new lexdxxik for English 101 is sold at die University Bookstore for $44. Tlie same new book can be bought at Addams Bookstore for $40 and at die Soudi Carolina Bookstore for $40. South Carolina Bookstore Manager Bruce Wyndalini said students should shop early and get as many used books as possible. He also said tlie dillerence in price among new textbooks can be attributed to die time die order is placed. A one-month dillerence can add up to lour more dollars on die book’s price. “We are left to die mercy of die prolessors,” Wyndahm said. Tlie bookstores can’t order dieir slock unul prolessors tell diem wliat diey need Chontos said diere isn’t much of a compelidon widi new book prices, but slie stud diere is a “liealdiy” competidon when dealing widi used books. “it usually depends on used-book selecdons,” she said “We liave to evaluate prices each semester.” David Harper, assistant text manager of die University Bookstore, explained further. “It depends on how many oilier universides use it and on die condidon of die book,” he said Even widi used prices, students won’t find loo large of a dillerence. A used Chemistry 111 textbook is sold at Addam’s Bookstore for $70.80. Tlie same book can be bought from tlie South Gtrolina Bookstore for $70.75 and lor $76.65 at tlie University Bookstore. When textbook buyback conies around, students are usually confused as to where lliey will gel tlie best buyback deal. They can’t determine where tlieir best oiler will come from, and neillier can die bookstores. Wyndahm said publishers are comiiig out widi new editions more quickly dian diey used to. Tliis cuts down on die used-book market. Bookstores can’t buy back used books if die publislier is releasing new edi tions. “It’s up to tlie professor,” Wyndahm said “If diey want die new edition, we can’t buy hick die old books.” He said dial editions used to be updated every four years or so, but dial now lie sees a trend wliere new editions are coming out every odier year. Students might lose out if tliis becomes a growing trend For now, die bookstores are in fierce competition for textbook buybacks. Addam’s lias, for a couple of years, been guaranteeing at least a 50 percent buyback BOOKSTORES SEE PAGE 2 Brad Walters Gamecock Graphics Sorority lush underway by Brock V erg akis News Editor Sorority rush is halfway over for the nearly 500 girls who are hoping to be accepted into USC's Greek system come Bid Day on Monday. Rushees were given the day off for the first day of classes. On Friday, they’ll visit the four sorori ties they’re most interested in. Rush week kicked off on Monday with philan thropy day. Rushees were broken into small groups and were assigned a Rho Chi as their guide through rush. The rushees participated in an activity to ben #t Sister Care, an organization for battered women. They also were given safety tips on how to avoid getting sexually assaulted. Many freshman girls chose not to rush this year because they weren’t sure whether they had the time to join. Marketing freshman Julie Smith said she would have rushed if it had taken place in spring. “Rush is just too early in the year to know if you really want to join,” Smith said. “You don’t know enough about the sororities or enough about how busy your own life will be.They should have it later in the year.” For those who decided to rush, today will pro vide a much-needed break after two intensive days at Williams-Brice Stadium. On Tuesday, the rushees’ day began at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Russell House and didn’t end until 7:30 p.m. “Standing up all day has been the hardest part about it,” biology freshmen Magan Parker said. ^ While the majority of rushees are freshman, ^ome second- and third-year students are rushing, as well. Biology sophomore Allison Berry is one of those students, and she said she’s glad she waited. RUSH SEE PAGE 2 Capstone Honors Housing | Class of 2003 begins Carolina tradition. nsirunu rnuiu cuiiuk Hundreds of freshmen were taken to Williams Brice Stadium Friday night for First Night festivities. The evening included fire works, snacks and dancing at The Zone. I Upper-class housing sacrificed for Honors College students by Patrick Rath bun Staff Writer Some students’ housing assignments have been allect ed this year by a growing demand lor housing, according to die Department of Housing. • Beciuse of a shortage o f honors housing, and to pre vent the Horseshoe from housing only honors students, cer tain floors in Gipstone have been set aade liir honors sopho mores, cursing other non-tumors sophomores, juniors and seniors to be assigned to LaBorde, traditionally a freshman dorm. There are 20 rooms per floor in Gipstone, and with die exception of the resident adviser's room, two students live in each room. Seventy-SLx students were displaced from Gipstone beciuse of the new housing assignments. Honors Overload Maxcy residence hall was traditionally designated lor honors freshmen. Preslon hits also housed honors students in past years, and honors upperclassmen generally lived on the Horse shoe. But this year, those residence halls weren’t sullicienl to house honors students. "The honors class grew, and the honors students did not want to be the only ones at the Horseshoe, so honors students chose a plan to create a community at Gtp stone,” USC Housing Director Gene Luna said. According to Grelchen Koehler, housing services as signment administrator. Honors Grllege Dean Peter Seder berg didn’t want the Horseshoe to be 100 percent honors, either. So this year, honors students live on the second, third and fourth lloors of Capstone, along with the majority of the lilth lloor. Non-honors students have been scattered around the residence halls. Sophomores are housed in the lop doors ol Capstone, and soplxxixires, juniors and seniors live in sectxxis ofLaBor de. “No one was pul there [at LaBonde) illhey didn't want to be," Koehler said. Move to the towers Upperclassmen at LaBonde were given room-dxinge priority, and visitation was also changed Now, doors one and two can have same-sex visitation 24 hairs a dry and opposite-sex visitation frm 10 am. to 2 am. This policy is in effect sseven days a week. For doors three through seven, same-sex visitation is allowed 24 hours a day, and on Monday through Thurs day, the opposite-sex visitation is from 10 am. to 2 am. On the weekend, these floors can have same-sex and opposite-sex visitation 24hours a diy. , Some honors students supported the Capstone hous ing strategy. “It’s important to attract quality students [to USC] to improve national seinding,'' slid Lome Rotters, an honors biology sophomore and third-lloor resident ol Gipstone. “ll special privileges like housing will do it, then it’s worth it. But seniority also needs to be respected.” Dumien Ware, an honors criminal justice ireshman who lives on Grpstone’s lillh lloor, said honors status should also be respected. "1 leel like the Honors Gillege should have priority over non-honors college students,” he said. “Taking harder classes juslilies it [being closer to campus and having belter housing].” Student Reaction Some non-honors students said they weren ’l displeased with the housing change. “I’m not disappointed," said Gtrlyn Aldrich, a psy chology sophomore who lives on the 16th lloor of Gip stone. HOUSING SEE PAGE 2 Computer services expands assistance hy Mackenzie Craven Senior Writer The Computer Services and Maintenance departments are offer ing new services this’year to ease move-in and help students with their computer and maintenance problems. Volunteers and technicians from Computer Services entered dorm rooms Saturday to help residents install their computer software. Student Support Coordinator Karen Bunch said the program was started because the last thing students want to do is to bring their systems to a setup room after they move in. Seventy volunteers helped stu dents install their Gamecock Resident Information Network software and Ethernet card drivers. Students who pul in .requests before the start of the school year were helped first, but others had until 5 p.m. Wednesday to ask for assis Ittnrp Technicians will slill visit rooms, but only if a student has a problem with a data jack connection. Computer Services has posted green schedules in dorms and at Computer Services that tell where students can bring their computers for setup assistance until Aug. 31. According to Stan Yarbrough of Computer Services, because classes start today, it will be easier for stu dents and technicians if the systems are brought to a setup room. If students slill need help after Aug. 31, they am make an appoint ment with Computer Services and bring their systems there. Yarbrough said he hopes to eventually change the daUi jack acti vation request process. He said he also hopes that more students will bring computers to school and lake advantage of the net work option. In turn, he can keep all of the data connections working all the lime, which will let students plug their computers up to the data jacks and keep them from having to request data jack activation. Usually, data jack connections are turned at the end of spring semester. But in order to make the finan cial commitment to allow that to SERVICES SEE PAGE 2 Weather Inside Datebook Online Poll r Today 98 ► 72 Friday r 88 72 i _W George W. Bush ——————turns to a team of pros, polls & acad einics pAGE A10 Today • First day of classes, (all 1999. • Merchant’s Fair, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ,RH Patio, sponsored by Student Life. • Back to Student Union Kickoff, 7 p.m. Baptist Student Center, 700 Pickens St. 4 How will the Gamecocks do this season? Go to www.gamecock.sc.edu to vote in this week’s poll.