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Carolina News Students, SG lament senate s slow start by Brandon Larrabee Staff Writer Student senate As the halfway point of the semester passed Thursday, Student Government leaders talked about what they’ve been able to accomplish so far this fall. Some SG leaders admit things have started slowly. “I do admit, things got kind of off to a slow start,” said SG Vice President Brandon Anderson Whitney Shively, chief of staff to SG President Malik Husser, said SG needed more time to fin ish what it’s working on. “Major projects that we try to do, it takes a while to get those going,” she said. Husser pointed out that SG fixed the basket ball courts outside Wxxlrow and painted the Game cock on Greene Street. However, the Gamecock was painted this summer, before SG’s first meet ing this semester. Members of SG recently re freshed it. Husser also said SG had set up a Multicultur al Action Committee and filled almost all stu dent seats on the university committees. “This year has been a record year for univer sity committees,” he said. “They’re empowering us to know what’s going on.” Anderson said he thinks more will be accom plished in the next half of the semester. “People [in the senate] are starting to come up with bills now, come up with resolutions,” he said. “The ball’s starting to roll now.” However, a trial run of one of SG’s most an ticipated programs, Safe Ride, has been postponed. “We’re working every day, but we just can’t set a date,” said Student Services Committee co chairperson Melissa Fletcher. The trial run was to begin this weekend. “ Previously it was said we’d have a definite date, but we’ve come upon other issues,” said Re becca Payne, the other co-chairperson. International Business freshman Smith King said he thinks the postponement was a missed opportunity. '“I would think this weekend would’ve been a good weekend to test it out, with it being break,” he said. Anderson said one of SG’s main accomplish ments this semester has been increased coopera tion within the government. “This is the first time ... that the government has run smoothly,” he said. “We work together every day. “In the past, there’s always been some sort of conflict or controversy,” Anderson said. Mechanical engineering junior Jay Evans said he thinks SG isn’t doing enough. “They’re about worthless,” he said. “A waste of money.” However, Anderson said, SG had raised 1,800 articles of clothing in a clothes drive earlier this year. He said the Gamecock on Greene Street was also a major accomplishment. “Hey, that’s not a lot,” Anderson said. “But it gives them [students] a sense of school pride.” Special Projects Director Timothy Clardy al so pointed to the basketball courts outside Wbodrow as an example of SG’s accomplishments. “Anybody that lives on or around the Horse shoe can play basketball in their backyard,” Clardy said. Beyond the basketball courts and adminis trative actions, Clardy said he didn’t know what SG had done to improve students’ college experi ence. “I’m kind of stumped right now,” he said. Anderson said part of the problem is an apa thetic student body. “We’re not mind-readers,” he said. “I don’t know what a kid walking by me is thinking.” Clardy also talked about meetings between SG and university officials to work on several projects. “Everybody’s meeting with somebody,” he said “I don’t think there’s a department head or anybody in charge of anything that hasn’t met with at least one Student Government member.” Junior Bryan Stockman said that, while SG hadn’t affected his college experience this se mester, “I guess it’s a good thing.” He said that he thought SG was doing enough. “I’m sure there could be more done,” he said, “but there always could be more done.” While some students thought SG had done enough, others disagreed. “I think it’s just their own ‘political club,”’ Evans said. Anderson said he thought more would happen the next half of this semester and in the spring. “Student government is here as a resource. That’s what our job is. That’s what we got elect ed for. We’re here to help the students,” Ander son said. FIRE ALARM from page 1 USC dorms are the leading offenders of false fire alarms in Columbia, Assistant Fire Chief Bradley Anderson said. The number of false fire 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 In ternet 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 dorms cost USC nearly $9,000 in false-alarm servicing fees. The biggest offender was South Quad with $3,100. Other repeat offenders in clude the Capstone and Bates dorms and the Swearingen engineering building, all with $900 in fees. But according to Anderson, the fi nancial repercussions of false alarms are only part of the problem. He said false alarms at USC dorms often tie up fire fighting equipment needed at actual emer gencies. “That happens a lot, but not neces sarily in dramatic ways,” Anderson said. “We do have to juggle fire trucks because of multiple'incidents.” Anderson said the fire department has adopted a new method of dealing with fire alarms at the dorms to curb the prob lem. “On alarm action with no other sign of fire, we only respond with one truck to reduce the risk of accidents,” Ander son said. “An officer can determine [a false alarm] quickly and return.” Capt. James Hott said the department’s new approach was necessary because of the increasing number of alarms at the dorms. Hott recalled having been on fire fighting crews responding to false alarms at Capstone three times in the past six months, as well as multiple dorms on the Horseshoe. “We’ve got so many, I can’t keep up,” Hott said. However, Hott added until an alarm is confirmed to be false, firefighters re spond as if the threat is real before turn ing the building over to USC security. “We treat it like an emeigency,” Hott said. “We go through the same procedure as we would an actual fire.” While Hott estimates 90 percent of the fire alarms at USC turn out to be false, he said the potential for a fire in the dorms should not be ignored. Because of this, Hott warned that the real danger of repeated false alarms is that students could eventually begin dismiss ing the alarms as false before the situation has been assessed. “Students become complacent and don’t take alarms seriously,” Hott said. “This could have disastrous results.” Associate Director for Resident Life Melani Miller said she is well aware of the grief repeated false alarms can cause students, and added that students are not to blame. According to Miller, because of “elec tronic quirks” in new fire alarm systems installed in several dorms over the sum mer, false alarms are triggered often. “When a system is installed it takes a little bit of time to get it working 100 per cent,” Miller said. “During the summer, we only have a couple of months to do the installation. It takes until the end of the fall semester to work the problems out.” Miller pointed out that a sensitive sen sor in the Capstone alarm system often detects heat from the dorm’s kitchen area, causing Capstone’s repeated false alarms. But Miller insisted she is not just mak ing excuses for the problem. Rather, she said the university is working to bring an end to the false alarms. “I know having nuisance alarms is very disturbing for students,” Miller said. “We really do have the fire-alarm system as a high priority. Wfe’re very hopeful that by the end of this semester, if not sooner, we will have these problems worked out. MB Fair aids study abroad by Gray Stevenson Staff Writer Students had the opportunity to investigate study-abroad opportunities Wednes day at the Study Abroad Fair at the Russell House. The booths on the Russell House Patio provided information on individual study abroad programs of which students can be a part. Many of the representa tives offered their personal experiences to help students find a program suited for their needs. During his search to find a study abroad program, French senior Steve Keller said he was looking for a program that would suit his specific needs in a price range he could afford. He said he found such a program that was sponsored by USC’s Department of French Classics in Mulhouse, France, where he studied for a year. USC is a member of the International Student Exchange Program. Students participating in the ISEP program pay tuition, room, board and fees based on USC’s system for the program of their choice. Semester at Sea program recruiter Debbie Rodday said a lot of people from USC have participated in the program. As an undergraduate she partook in the program and brought an album of her travels to display at her table. “The vessel takes you around the world [for] 100 days. It is your floating cam pus where you live, breathe, and eat,” Rodday said Weekdays are spent in a school set on the boat, and weekends are spent in nine ports around the world Another study abroad agency included the Worldwide Classroom, which will send interested students detailed information on their study-abroad interests. The Academic Programs International, which has programs in France, Italy, Mex ico, and Spain, was also represented. API representative Brittany Norman said one key feature of the program is that no language experience is needed to apply. Additionally, representatives from the NADA program at USC had a booth. This program allows American students to live with international students on cam pus in apartment-style housing. When it COfTl0S to the there are two kinds: Those who Those who and stuff that was just put up. nothing captures greek life more completely For a free CD, go to our website, or call 1-888-GREEK5S Fair from page 1 “Every carnival season, we’re going to find a ride that needs repair. Our interest is safety.” Knight said the state fair has had a good safety record, with only minor in juries reported in the past. Goodman said in his 15 years as the manager of the state fair, there have been no ride-related accidents. However, when an accident does oc STARTS FRIDAY, f DUTCH SQUARE CTR) ( CARMIKE14 ]f CoKaMALI 9 llmssESOmoJIij OCTOBER 8! Jl Pa»' mnmm v M cur on a ride, Knight said it usually has little to do with things detected by the in spections. “It’s either a factor of rider miscon duct or error in the operation,” Knight said. Schrage said the operators or the riders could be blamed. “If they (the riders) don’t follow pre cautions, it’s the rider’s fault,” he said. “If the precautions aren’t good enough, it’s the operator’s fault.” Robin Montgomery, manager of Pub lic Relations at Paramount’s Carowinds in Fort Mill, agrees that riders must ex ercise caution. “I cannot stress enough how these guidelines are there for a reason, and to protect them (the riders),” he said. “Fol low the rules.” Goodman wants people to understand that carnival-style rides, rides that are as sembled and taken down several times in a year, are safe, if not safer than amuse ment-park rides. According to Goodman, rides at parks like Carowinds are only re quired by state law to be inspected once a year. Carnival rides must be inspected at every stop, he said. Goodman said one ride could be inspected as many as 20 different times in a year. Montgomery said that although they are only required by law to receive an an nual inspection, they run their own sys tem of tests on each ride before they’re open to the public. “From a park standpoint, we have a responsibility to ensure the mechanical and operational safety of our rides,” Mont gomery said. He said accidents like the one involving the Drop Zone in California always make their inspectors treat their jobs with ex tra precaution.“We’ve always been con fident in what we’re doing,” Montgomery said. “Events like this make you height en your awareness.” Montgomery said they conducted their own inspection of the Drop Zone in Fort Mill and found no errors. The ride, however, is still closed until they hear something more conclusive from Cali fornia. Montgomery said Carowinds hasn’t seen a drop-off in patrons since the acci dents occurred. “People won’t get tired of these rides,” he said. “People feel safe when they come here.” Montgomery said society likes to push the envelope, and it will always want higher and faster rides. “People like the thrill,” he said. Schrage still disagrees. “I think roller coasters are an accident waiting to hap pen,” he said. “Someone’s going to mess up sooner or later.” MEGA TANNING SALONS WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL TANNING BEDS State Of The Art Giant Mega Beds • High/Medium Pressure Beds Super 10 Minute Beds • Giant 20 And 30 Minute Beds Ruva Beds And Stand Up VHR Booths CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE TOP TEN SALONS IN THE COUNTRY! 275 Harbison, next to Columbiana Mall (803) 732-5949 NO APPOINTMENT OPEN 7 DAYS 25 GIANT BEDS [$25 GRAND OPENING ” ~$25j : FREE WEEK j ! ry r one time offer <C o r; i [_4>ZO Exp 10*31*99 1 coupon per customer 4)^.0 i v t. f