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p.1 _ Vol. 93, No. 26 _lT1 October 8, 1999 * Ca rolina Community since 1Q08 www.gamecock.sc.edu UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH Carolina Columbia, s.c. Nursing College receives grant by Clayton Kale Associate News Editor The College of Nursing announced Thesday it has received a grant to start a nursing research center from the Nation al Institutes of Health. The grant makes the USC’s College of Nursing one of only seven nursing research centers fund ed by the NIH. “The College of Nursing is proud to be recognized by the National Institute of Nursing Research as having demon strated leadership in nursing research,” College of Nursing Dean Mary Ann Par sons said. The five-year grant, which totals near ly $1.5 million, is intended to set up the research center and to fund health pro motion programs and health risk reduc tion for certain South Carolina popula tions. The at-risk populations in South Car olina include teens, the elderly, minori ties, men and women with HIV and AIDS, and others who have limited access to proper health care. USC President John Palms said the research center is a key step in helping the university reach its goal of being a top research university, which will allow the university to bene fit South Carolinians. “Our faculty’s research skills offer the opportunity to provide direct benefits to our citizens and the quality of their lives,” Palms said. The NIH grant will enable USC’s re search center to develop a team of re searchers to study health problems among those at greatest risk for disease while pro moting interdisciplinary studies with USC faculty from outside the College of Nurs ina The center will also share the findings of USC nursing re search with sci entists, health care profession als and policy makers, and it will provide an nual grants of $10,000 to USC nursing faculty so they can develop pilot studies that will lead to larg er research pro jects. The first study to be con dueled under me NIH funding will be a study on Geoigia women infected with HIV, according to USC spokeswoman Karen Tanl. Another project funded by the NIH will study depression in rural South Carolina. “The center will draw upon the ex pertise of our faculty who study the health problems of South Carolinians, including substance abuse, HIV and AIDS, and Alzheimer’s disease,” Parsons said. Other universities that have nursing research centers are the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Uni versity of Washington, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Iowa. UCLA and the University of Texas at Austin also received grants from the NIH to start nursing research centers. ‘Our faculty's research skills offer the oppor tunity to provide direct benefits to our citizens and the quality of their lives.’ John Palms USC president j Annual autumn tradition returns .r?r ■ mg -■ Travis Lt m The Gamecock The Ferris wheel at the South Carolina State Fair, as well as all of the other rides, is inspected twice. State law requires that each ride be inspected at least once. Workers assure safety of S.C. State Fair rides by Kevin Langston News Editor The recent accidents at amusement parks na tionwide have suite and fair officials trying to as sure people that South Carolina State Fair rides are safe; students; however, have their doubts. Sociology sophomore Jacqueline Greene is taking her 3-year-old daughter to the fair, but she said she won’t be riding any of the rides. “T iViinl/ tknw’m (lonomnMir '* Greene said. “There’s some- ■ thing about the speed and the way they work.” Journalism junior Joey Schrage is going to the fair with his girlfriend. “I have to be romantic,” he said. “She wants me to win her a stuffed animal.” Schrage said he has no plans to ride the rides. “I’m scared of those rides,” he said. “When you combine heights with things that go really fast, 1 really don’t like it.” Greene and Schrage are aware of the recent accidents that have gained national exposure. Schrage said the accidents, like the one where a 12-year-old was killed on the Drop Zone at Paramount’s Great America Park in Santa Clara, Calif., have cemented his decision to stay off the rides at the fair. “I saw those rides when they were halfway built,” he said. “I just don’t trust the rednecks that put them together.” Jim Knight, spokesman for the S.C. Depart ment of Labor and Licensing, wants people to know the rides at the state fair are indeed safe. He said his department is required by law to inspect the amusement rides on an annual basis. They have been inspecting the Stale Fair’s rides for the past two weeks. “The rides at the state fair get a good inspec tion by our agency,” Knight said. Gary Goodman, manager of (he South Car olina Stale Fair, said the fair lakes several steps to ensure the safety of the rides. He said that in addition to the inspection by the stale, it hires a private inspector to look at the rides, as well. “We take ride safe ty very seriously,” Goodman said. “We’re very proactive with ensuring the safety of U1C3C I1UC5. According to Knight, the inspectors check for the mechanical integrity, the welding, the setup, the storage of electrical wires, blocking (the fenc ing around the ride) and the training of the ride op erators. In the past, rides that haven’t met the proper safety requirements have been closed down, he said. “That’s always the case,” Knight said. Pair SEE PAGE 2 ‘We take ride safety very seriously. We’re very proactive with ensuring the safety of these rides.’ Gary Goodman S.C. State Fair manager Students attend anti-death penalty rally by Patrick Rathbun Senior Writer Eight USC students attended a recent anti-death penalty conference in Philadelphia, P.A. The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penal ty put on the annual event that boasted David Kazin ski, brother of the unabomber, as the keynote speak er. A diverse group of people attended the conference, including attorneys, relatives of death row inmates, relatives of murder victims, activists and people who just wanted to know more about the issue, according to government and international studies junior Jota ka Eaddy. Eaddy spoke at a rally outside Philadelphia Dis trict Attorney Lynn Abraham’s office. Eaddy said Abra ham is considered controversial because of the racial disparity in the executions of Philadelphia criminals. African Americans make up only 40 percent of the city’s population, yet 85 percent of Philadelphia res idents who are executed are African American, ac cording to Eaddy. Eaddy was also elected to the national board of di rectors of the coalition. She said she feels the event was worthwhile, calling it a “wonderful learning ex perience.” ruiuuici ancnuee leu me same way. “The whole experience was enlightening," eng lish/linance junior Dante Tyus said. “It was a power ful experience in general.” Eaddy is in the process of forming a slate-wide stu dent organization for abolishing the death penalty, and she’s also involved in forming a national alliance with anthropology sophomore Rachel Helwig. The conference featured several workshops and discussed ways for activists and attorneys to work to gether to pass death penally legislation. The student activists cited several reasons for their opposition to the death penalty. “1 want to abolish [the death penally] in practice and in theory,” Eaddy said. “It is arbitrarily adminis tered, and there are economic, social and racial dis parities with the death penalty.” Tyus opposed the penalty for similar reasons. “If we turn our backs on small injustices, then we won’t recognize major injustices,” he said. “It’s not fair. Who is to say [death row inmates] are devoid of the natural right of humanity?” Nursing freshman Talwanna President said the death penalty affects minorities. “[The death penally] affects minorities very much,” she said. “It’s not only racist, but it has to do with eco nomics.” Eaddy also cited other flaws in the penalty as reasons for her opposition toward it. “[The death penalty] is lull of kinks and flaws,” she said. “You can’t have a system where you execute people without 100 percent accuracy. Our criminal justice needs to check itself.” Since 1976,80 people punished by death have been found innocent, Eaddy said In having the penalty, Ead dy said she thinks the United Stales is in violation of United Nations law. Tyus said, in the end, individuals’ efforts do pay off. “If we {at USCJ, collectively, wanted to achieve something, it would get done, or at least get major at tention,” he said. Eaddy said the efforts will not stop until the flaws of the system are improved. "Wfe will continue to rally and march until human rights violations in this country are corrected” Eaddy said. 1999 has been the biggest year for the death penal ty in almost 50 years, and 76 killers have been put to death in 18 states, according to an Oct. 3 New York Times article. Rachel Helwig The Gamecock Students from Swarthmore College demonstrate Oct.1 in front of the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Lynn Abraham, known in the city as ‘Vie deadliest DA” Carolina leads in false fire alarms by John Huiett Assistant News Editor USC dorms are the leading offenders of false fire alarms in Columbia, Assistant Fire Chief Bradley Anderson said. The number of false lire alarms in the city nearly doubled between 1991 and 1998 to almost 4,000. Anderson said false alarms at USC dorms account for a laige part of the recent increase, costing tax payers an estimated $321 per false alarm. The total cost for false fire alarms in 1998 was more than $1 million, accord ing to the most recent fire-report figures published on the City of Columbia Web site. Anderson said because repeat offenders are charged $100 per alarm after three false alarms within a 12-month period, USC dorms have paid a considerable amount of money. Between July 1, 1998, and June 30, 1999, eight domis cost USC nearly $9,000 in false-alarm servicing fees. The biggest offender was South Quad, with $3,100. Other repeat offenders include the Cap stone and Bales dorms and the Swearin gen engineering building, all with $900 in Fire Alarm SEE PAGE 2 L i v __ 10DAY ~k 69 r 49 Saturday \ Inside *" & - - && i _ Gamecocks prepare to take on Kentucky Page 8 Datebook Today Student Organization Renewal Deadline, 5 p.m., Gtmpus Activities Center Saturday Football vs. Kentucky, 1 p.m. Great Gamecock Tailgate Party Round Table Gaming Society, noon to 11:45 p.m., Russell House Online Poll Are you going home for fall break? Go to www.gamecock.sc.edu to vote in this week’s poll.