_Vol. 93, No. 45Monday November 29, 1999_
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.~~| The Christmas spirit arrives in Columbia
Sean Rateord photo editor
Top and bottom left Christmas decorations adorn the Statehouse grounds Sunday afternoon In prepara
m tion for the annual lighting of the Christmas tree. Bottom right A local television news cameraman pre
pares to film the festivities.
Residence Life
Dorm temperatures
cause complaints
by Kelly Haggerty
Senior Writer
Winter is bringing cooler tempera
tures outside — and inside, to the chagrin
of some students, according to the de
partment of Housing.
This time of year, numerous students
call the Department of Housing to com
plain that the temperature in their rooms
is too low or too high, Housing director
Gene Luna said.
He said different residence halls have
different systems, and although housing
tries, it’s hard to please all 6,000 residents.
“The most common concern from
students is about the heat in their rooms.
We invest a tremendous amount of re
sources to respond to these concerns,”
Luna said.
Some residence haUs have thermostats,
which allow residents to individually con
trol room temperature. Other residence
halls let students control airflow in their
rooms, but not the temperature, because
the entire building has to have either heat
or air. Still other residence halls only let
students turn the air or heat on or off.
“Most of the buildings can either have
heat or air conditioning but not at the same
time. It has to do with the mechanics,”
Luna said.
Because students asked to have more
influence over the temperature in their
rooms, residence hall governments now
decide when to turn the heat on and off
for their own buildings.
« “It all depends on what the students
want. It’s not at all related to cost,” Luna
said.
Moore resident Hiten Patel said she
would prefer her room to be warmer than
it is. She said she has to wear jackets in
her room to keep warm.
“It’s too cold. We need some heat. We
never have heat. Everybody I know in
Moore has cold air coming out,” Patel
said.
On the other hand, Douglas resident
Ashton Haynie has had to deal with
constant heat in his room.
“We have to keep our balcony door
open at night because it’s so hot and un
bearable. We always have to keep the heat
Dorms see page 2
USC teacher gets professorship
by John Huiett
Assistant News Editor
A national Revolutionary War soci
ety has awarded a USC history professor
and author with a prestigious professor
ship as a part of its celebration of the life
and ideals of Geoige Washington.
Tire Society of the Cincinnati of the
State of South Carolina named Walter
Edgar as its first Geoige Washington Dis
tinguished Professor on Nov. 12. The so
ciety, with chapters in all original 13 Amer
ican colonies as well as in Ohio and New
Mexico, began the professorship on the
200th anniversary of Geoige Washington’s
death in 1799.
As part of the three-year professor
ship, Edgar will give lectures at various
schools in the state in an effort to educate
and renew South Carolinians’ interest in
George Washington, the Revolutionary
War and the U.S. Constitution.
Society member David Rembert
said Edgar was chosen because of his ex
haustive research efforts into both South
Carolina and Revolutionary War history,
as evidenced by Edgar’s 1998 best-selling
book “South Carolina: A History” and his
new book on the American Revolution to
be published in the summer.
“We selected the most active research
historian,” Rembert said. “It had to be an
active, current researcher in Americana.”
Rembert said Edgar’s work represents
the society’s mission to raise awareness
about the founding of the American Re
public and George Washington’s found
ing principles through publications and
civic leadership. Most of the society’s
chapters have awarded a George Wash
ington professorship this year, and Edgar
said he’s honored to be among the elite
group.
“It’s based on a person’s area of ex
pertise,” Edgar said. “It made me feel pret
ty good. There are only 12 in the coun
PROFESSORSHIP see page 2
Texas A&M students continue to mourn
by Jason King
Knight Ridder News Service
Although we have never met, I feel like I've
known you forever. As we pulled your lifeless
bodies to freedom from the logs, God pulled
your souls to the heavens, where all men, women
and children are free forever.
— Bryan (Texas) firefighter
l College Station, Texas—They say it sound
ed like a roar of thunder when the logs fell last
week, a sickening rumble that will forever haunt
supporters of Texas A&M Uni versity.
After Ute collapse of what was to be the Ag
gies’ 55-foot-liigh bonDre, people saw legs stick
ing out from the pile of oak and cedar. They
heard screams, then they heard cries. Then they
heard nothing.
Since that Nov. 18 day, A&M’s polo fields,
where tire accident occurred, have stayed silent.
Shrines and knee-high crosses have been con
structed to honor the 12 who were killed and
the 28 who were injured. Still, aside from the
steady harmony of sniffles from the daily bar
rage of mourners, all remains quiet here.
“I was speechless when it happened, and I
still am,” junior James Humphreys said. “Every
one is. We all walk around like zombies. It’s just
an awful, awful feeling.”
The Aggies, though, are dealing the best way
they know how - together. On Thursday, while
so many others bowed their heads to say thanks,
about 10,000 A&M followers attended an
evening candlelight vigil at the site. They came
to say goodbye.
Goodbye to Nathan West, who loved noth
ing more than the days he spent tinkering with
his beige Volkswagen Beetle. Goodbye to Tim
Kerlee, an Eagle Scout who once dressed like
Cher for a church youth-group skit. Goodbye
to Chad Powell, who cried as he addressed his
parents during his high school valedictorian
speech. Goodbye to the nine others.
Texas A&M played its most anticipated
game of the season Saturday, a 10 a.m. show
down during which they beat instate rival Texas.
Bowl bids were at stake, recruiting wars
were affected and rankings were altered. Still,
who won and who lost had become secondary.
From the football players to the turf grass sci
ence majors to the cafeteria workers, every
one associated with Texas A&M was still dazed
and grief-stricken from last week’s tragedy.
For now, at least, College Station has lost
its sense of normalcy. No one knows when it
will return.
“This was a college town, a party town,”
Aggies receiver Matt Bumgardner said. “But
things are different now. Everything is so...” He
pauses.
“Everything is so quiet.”
Taken from earth your hand seems unfair
But You have Your reasons, so here is my
prayer God, take our Aggies into your care
For people like these are indeed very rare
— a mourning member of the Class of2001
Texas AIM SEE PAGE 2
Join Or (5nmcock in expressing our
heartfelt sympathies for the 12
Texas A&M students killed Nov. 18.
On Friday, we will be sending letters
and cards to the editors of The
Battalion, Texas A&M’s
daily student newspaper.
Student organizations may send
letters or cards that represent the
as a whole,
sions should be ^ A
km**™? or,^mailed toT
GCKED@sc.edu.
All submissions
must be received
.:|||||| 3 p.m. Thursday,
tFuture of America's children in jeopardy, study claims
by David Mark
Associated Press
Poverty, violent crime and absent parents are
some of the gravest threats facing American chil
dren, according to a new report by children’s advo
cacy groups and civic organizations.
“The problems confronting our children truly
are challenges to all of America,” said Mary Ellen
Maxwell, president of the National School Boards
Association. “Either we meet these challenges or
they will become obstacles to our future.”
The report is the result of combined efforts of
the National School Boards Association, the Na
tional League of Cities, Hollywood, Fla.-based Joe
DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and Youth Crime
Watch of America, a national nonprofit oiganiza
tion.
The report, “Ten Critical Threats To America’s
Children: Warning Signs for the Next Millennium,”
will be presented today at the National Press Club
in Washington during a news conference with rep
resentatives from each of the oiganizations.
Among the most critical threats against the na
tion’s children are abuse and neglect at home, sub
stance abuse, teen pregnancy, inadequate child car,
lack of health care, poor schools and dangers in the
environment.
For each problem detailed in the document,
there’s an accompanying list of solutions.
Some solutions prescribed in the report, like
raising the minimum wage and universal health care,
are potential political hot-button issues.
Ron Sachs, spokesman for the coalition that put
together the report, said the purpose of the report
was to bring awareness to the problems, not to ad
vance specific legislation.
“What these groups have done is to say there
needs to be a national agenda on children’s is
sues,” Sachs said. “These problems are not new.
They are chronic; they are pervasive.”
Universities
could still
face Y2K
problems
by Tiffany Black
The Daily Tar Heel
Chapel Hill, N.C_For the past two
years, universities nationwide have scram
bled to ensure their computer systems
work well into the new millennium.
Now, with only one month to go be
fore the Y2K bug is expected to strike,
the U.S. Department of Education has re
leased a report indicating that all that work
might not pay off for many schools.
The report, based on a survey com
pleted by 1,352 universities nationwide,
indicates that many institutions might not
be prepared to combat the technologi
cal troubles
Y2K is expected to cause. Researchers
estimated that 210 universities wouldn't
be ready to fight the glitch, which start
ed years ago when scientists programmed
the first computers to record years using
only two digits, not four.
According to the survey, only 61 per
cent of universities reported that their
most critical computer systems were Y2K
ready in October.
However, by Jan. 1, 97 percent of
schools reported they would be. Presi
dent Clinton's top Y2K officials aren’t as
confident.
Y2K SEE PAGE 2
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Shootout
Page 10
Today
• Fraternity Council,
4 p.m., RH 322/326
• Sorority Council,
5 p.m., RH 322/326
• Carolina Productions, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday
• AAAS, 6 p.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 do think Student
Government has done
this semester?
Go to www.gamecock.sc.edu to
vote in this week’s poll.