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November 8, 1999 Impeachment rules pass student senate Impeachment court to meet again today by Brandon Larrabee Staff Writer _ Student Government’s court of impeachment 'will meet again today to resume deliberations on three articles of impeachment against Student Body Treasurer Elizabeth Fordham. The court, composed of the SG Judiciary Com mittee and the chief justice of the Judicial Coun cil, will meet less than a week after rules govern ing the impeachment of SG officers passed. After a string of amendments and a lengthy debate, the bill containing the new rules was passed at last week’s senate meeting “I’m thrilled,” said the bill’s sponsor, Judicia ry Committee Co-Chairman Adam Dawkins. “I think we can fairly say now that we have a fair and impartial trial.” Dawkins dropped a provision from the bill clos ing court of impeachment hearings to the public after a meeting earlier in the week with The Game cock. Two of the most fiercely debated amend ments, one calling for a secret ballot and another changing the standard of evidence to be used by senators when making their decision in impeach ment cases, failed. Sen. Sally Ballentine offered the amendment calling for a secret ballot. She said it would remove political pressure from senators who might feel pressured by friendships or sorority or fraternity memberships. She also said it would be less em barrassing for impeached officials if they didn’t know who voted against them. “I think that’s very humiliating,” Ballentine said. She also rejected arguments that a secret bal lot might draw scrutiny. “We’re going to be under public scrutiny, I think, anyway,” she said. Sen. William Frick said a secret ballot would remove accountability and cast a shadow over the senate trial. “[A senator is] an elected official of the student body who needs to be accountable to that body,” he said. Dawkins said he was pleased the amendment failed. He said a roll call vote fulfills senators’ re sponsibilities to their constituents. “I think that we were elected to do a job,” Dawkins said “I think if we have something to hide we have no reason to be here.” Also rejected was an amendment changing the standard of evidence used in impeachment trials from preponderance of the evidence to reasonable doubt. “Preponderance of the evidence is ‘more likely than not,’” said Sen. Patrick Gearman, Ju diciary Committee co-chairman. “Reasonable doubt is harder to prove.” Another amendment succeeded in striking a provision that would have reprimanded any offi cial if the senate could only muster a simple ma jority, instead of the two-thirds vote required to remove the official. “I think you should only have one shot,” said Frick, who sponsored the amendment. A provision in the bill calling for the destruc tion of court of impeachment records if the offi cial is acquitted before the case reached the sen ate was also struck. A process for deliberations was also added to the bill. The deliberations wouldn’t specifically be closed to the public, since the senate couldn’t yet determine whether such a move would be legal. But senators said they could call an executive ses sion if they find out such a session would be legal. “That leaves us to make a decision per indi vidual case,” Dawkins said. “Just to say that we’re going to have deliberations is enough.” Dawkins said he was happy to have some rules set in stone. “I’m very happy that we have some rules set in order here,” he said. “Now it’s time to get down to business.” Night Out teaches safety by Denise Levereaux Staff Writer Nineteen students covered campus on Saturday night for Student Govern ment’s Night Out to inform students of the dangers of walking alone at night and to distribute fliers promoting alternatives. Beginning at 11 p.rn. Saturday, Night ^ Out participants broke into three groups and walked around campus. “The program was an extreme suc cess,” said SG Safety Director Jeb Bush. “Wfe ran out of fliers at about 2 am, and we had over 100 fliers.” One group covered the area from Capstone to the Horseshoe. Another took the area surrounding the Women’s Quad and the Russell House and a third group, comprised mostly of Freshman Council members, covered the Bates and Towers areas. we re reaiiy pruiiiuuiig im^ua nu Omega escort services] and the USC Po lice escort,” Bush said. ® Bush went on to say that many stu dents the groups encountered weren’t even aware that programs like APO and the police escort existed. Participants were very pleased with the program as well, he said. Because of the success of Saturday’s Night Out, Bush said that plans will be made for another one some time next se mester. Student Government had cancelled last Friday’s Night Out because of lack of student participation “Only two people signed up,” Bush said. 0 Another upcoming program Bush mentioned to help improve safety on cam pus is the Safety Whlk. Planned for this Wednesday, Safety Whlk will allow students to observe parts of campus and give SG suggestions for increasing the safety of the area. “We really want all the students in volved in this,” Bush said. Students wishing to participate in the Safety Walk can sign up in the SG office in the first floor of the Russell House. [ USC students reach out to area children I . ——Ml—! . —r H " — Matt Iukens The Gamecock College of Applied Professions freshman Paul Mashack participates in the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Midnight Extravaganza. The event took place overnight, beginning midnight Friday and lasting until 8 a.m. Saturday. Circle K begins service awareness week by Denise Levereaux Staff Writer The USC chapter of Circle K In ternational, a worldwide community service organization affiliated with Ki wanis International, is holding its first Community Service and Awareness Week through Saturday. “This is one of the biggest weeks for us during the school year as far as service goes,” Circle K President Re becca Timmins said. According to Circle K International headquarters, Service Wfeek is designed “to provide Circle K clubs one specif ic opportunity, each year, to put forth extra effort to support the projects and programs of the current service ini tiative.” Circle K’s current service initia tive is “Focusing on the Future: Chil dren,” and its purpose is to inform mem bers of the problems facing children ages 6-13 worldwide. The entire Kiwanis family, including Circle K, is dedicated to service and the advancement of international wel fare. The unofficial kickoff to Service Week was Circle K’s participation in the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Mid night Extravaganza on Friday night. On Wednesday, Circle K will make a banner for display at the USC-Flori da football game. The club could pos sibly win $125 for the banner as part of a contest. Any money won would be put into funds for service projects, Timmins said. A third event scheduled as part of Service Week is planned for this Fri day, when Circle K members will work with the Graduate Student Association at the Harvest Hope Food Bank. Par ticipants will help package and dis tribute food donated to the food bank. On Saturday, Circle K will work with the Kiwanis Parking Project at the USC-Florida football game. The Ki wanis club offers parking at the USC football games for $5, and the proceeds go toward funding youth organizations. Service week will conclude Satur day night when Circle K members will be attending the Piedmont Divisional Rally in Aiken. This rally provides mem bers the chance to meet with other Cir cle K chapters and share ideas con cerning projects and other events. Circle K members will also be rais ing money this week as part of a year long, worldwide fight against Iodine Deficiency Disorder. IDD, prevalent in third-world countries where salt pro duction plants can’t afford to iodize their salt, causes mild to severe men tal retardation and can lead to the for mation of goiters. The entire Kiwanis Family is work ing to help decrease the amount of EDD present in the world, and Circle K mem bers saw Service Week as the perfect opportunity to do something with the project, Timmins said. “Wre going to save our water bot tles and milk jugs and decorate them to collect money for IDD,” she said. Aside from Service Week, Circle K has other goals it wants to accom plish. “One thing that we want to do is to become involved with the McMeals program of the Ronald McDonald House,” Timmins said. “We’re going to try to provide a meal for the fami lies slaying at the Ronald McDonald House at least once a month.” Circle K also plans to emphasize involvement with other parts of the Ki wanis Family, most notably with Key Club at the high-school level. “We’re really starting to build bridges with the other families,” Tim mins said. Timmins also said that Circle K would like to have at least 35 members by the end of this year. As part of that goal, they will be holding an open house at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17 in Rus sell House room 305 for anyone in terested in joining. AAAS kicks off cultural week by Desmond Jenkins Staff Writer USC’s Association of African-American Students will hold a variety of activities and events for students of all ethnic backgrounds during its Black Cultural Week “November Experience,” which kicks off today. Jaki Shelton-Green will speak at 7 p.m. tonight in Gambrell 105 as part of the Mi nority Writers Series. On Thesday, a Greek Forum will be held in the Russell House Theater, followed by a time-capsule ceremony. During this event, a time capsule will be filled with items contributed by minority or ganizations and placed somewhere in the Rus sell House. In 10 years, the time capsule will be opened to see how much change has occurred over the decade. ur. j i zv . iL .VTA a wit TTccuic3ua<_y aiici iiuv/n, uic iiaavi will sponsor the Harvest Hope Canned Food Drive at 6 p.m. in the Russell House Ball room. Thursday’s event, the Fashion Show Ex travaganza, will be at 8 p.m. in the Russell House Ballroom. Students not tired from strutting their stuff up and down the runway will find a free after-party in the Golden Spur. Scheduled for Friday is dinner with the executive board of AAAS at Bentley’s Cafe on Main Street, followed by a Phi Beta Sig ma party at Club Millennium. Before the USC-Florida football game on Saturday, AAAS and Kappa Alpha Psi will be tailgating at Williams-Brice Stadium at 11 a.m. Finally, Gospel Fest ‘99 on Sunday, Nov. 14 will bring an end to the AAAS cultural week. Gospel Fest ‘99 will feature gospel groups Chosen, A Touch of Faith, and the Colum bia College Gospel Choir. “Our goal for this week is to enlighten the Carolina community on African-Amer ican heritage and history. We also want to en courage campus-wide participation so that all ethnic backgrounds can come together as one,” AAAS Treasurer Aisha Taylor said Weather Inside Datebook Online Poll Today * 73 48 Tuesday 76 50 1 Walvieball I begins | exhibition | P^y i Page 8 Today • College Bowl Campus Tournament, RH • Entries open for swim meet, 3-on-3 intramurals • Fraternity Council, 4 p.m., RH 322/326 • Sorority Council, 5 p.m., RH 322/326 Tuesday • AAAS, 6p.m.,RH Theater •FOCUS, 8:15 p.m,. Women’s Club • S.C. Student Legislature, 9 p.m. • Dance Marathon, 8 p.m. • Spring Board, 5:30 p.m. • RHA, 7 p.m., RH 307 How often do you attend religious services? Go to www.gamecock.sc.edu to vote in this week’s poll. *