Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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. _VOL. 93, No. 46 Wednesd December 1, 1999__ !► ^ e Carolina Community since 1Q08 Bookstores to pay more during buyback by John Huiett Assistant News Editor Students selling back textbooks this semester might want to consider all of their buyback options before choosing a book store. P The Russell House Bookst ore, Addams and the South Car olina Bookstore are till offering incentives to attract students wishing to turn books into cash after final exams. Russell House Bookstore manager Mike McLauchlin said dial in addidon to extending store hours after exams, satellite locations will be set up to make selling books more conve nient for students. Locations will include the Darla Moore School of Business and outside the Towers, as well as the comer of Greene and Main streets. The store will stay open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for die next two Saturdays and from noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 12. But some would say the most attracdve incentive die Rus sell House Bookstore is offering is a guaranteed 66 percent buy back price on all textbooks being used again for the spring se mester. McLauchlin said tliat even if a book was bought at the used price, the bookstore will pay 66 percent of the book’s new price, provided the store hasn’t met its supply quota for the book. For example, if a book cost $50 new, but a student bought it for the used price of $37.50, the buyback price would still be $33. But once the store reaches its supply limit for the book, the buyback price will drop to the book’s wholesale worth. McLauchlin said the store offers 66 percent because he wants to ensure that students will continue to be customers in the fu ture, coming back to buy items other than textbooks. He added that if the supply and purchasing of books is kept within USC instead of among book wholesalers, all students would eventually benefit. “You want your students to be your main supplier,” McLauch lin said. “We are able to pass .the savings on to the next student taking a class in the spring,” And he dismissed criticism that the Russell House Book store is trying to comer the textbook market at USC. “I have dealt with multiple stores throughout this nation,” McLauchlin said. “1 have consulted on a national level with stores. This is what you need to be doing for the students. I didn’t realize the other stores did not do this until after I was here.” He said that the current buyback policy has been in place since he became the store’s manager in 1998. However, Addams textbook manager Michael Oliver said a 66 percent buyback policy isn't exclusive to the Russell House Bookstore. “We give 66 percent back,” Oliver said. “That's nothing spe cial. We’ve advertised that for years.” Oliver said that even though a 50 percent buyback price is guaranteed for books bought at Addams, the store will pay the extra percentage if the book is picked up for next semester’s use. But Oliver said Addams doesn't want to be seen as merely a place to sell back books. “It’s not like we want your books,” Oliver said. “We want you as a customer overall.” Regardless, to make the buyback process as convenient as possible for students, Oliver said Addams isn’t selling specific business hours during final exams. “If we’re still busy, we’ll stay open,” Oliver said. “We’re very flexible.” Although the S.C. Bookstore isn’t offering price guarantees or providing satellite buyback locations, manager Bruce Wyn dham said the store has its own method of-attracting students. Wyndham said the S.C. Bookstore will be allowing students to register to win free textbooks for the spring semester, a prac tice it began last spring. And he warned that students should be careful not to sell their books back to just any store. Books sec page 2 .| Getting ready for the new P.E. center Sean Rayford photo editor Men work at the building site for the new Strom Thurmond Fitness and Wellness Center on Assembly Street across from the Coliseum. The tfeenter, which will replace the Blatt P.E. Center, Is scheduled to start construction In the next few years. Second Serving gives more food to homeless by Charles Prashaw Staff Writer. A program to help feed the homeless lias made some changes in its delivery sys tem. Beginning last week, Second Serving started picking up and delivering left-over food from USC eateries every day instead of three times a week, as it used to. Marriot Dining Service officials have al so given the program permission to take leftovers from the Grand Marketplace more often. In addition, the program has ex panded-to handle the more frequent de liveries. “The company as a whole is trying to do all it can, and we are committed to do ing community-related tilings,” Marriot Director of Marketing Brad Masteller said. Second Serving is a program in which left-over food from campus restaurants is donated to a local homeless shelter. Marriot takes part in other projects like Second Serving at other colleges and corporations it serves not to save money or reduce waste, but to feed the hungry, Masteller said. “It is the right thing to do,” he said. “Winter is coming, and it is the time of year when the need is the most.” The food is delivered to the Oliver Gospel Mission. The mission, at 1100 Tay lor St„ is one of die hugest homeless shel ters in the Midlands. According to Second Serving Presi dent Blakely Hallman, the project saves the Oliver Gospel Mission $300 a week and Feeds 100 to 150 people every time leftovers are donated. “We have the dual purpose of feeding the homeless and not wasting food,” Hall man said. Members of Second Serving meet the first Wednesday of each month in the Rus sell House, room 304. The group lias 40 to 50 members, Hall man said. Hallman said she believes that stu dents should be aware of the program and try to serve the Columbia community even though they’re part of a university Community. “USC students make up roughly 10 percent of the Columbia population,” she said. “We live here for four years or more, and we should give back to the commu nity.” The idea for Second Serving came from former student body Vice President Chris Dorsel, who used the project as part of his campaign platfomi for Student Gov ernment elections in 1998. Second Serving started as a Student Government project in September of that year. It became an independent organiza tion in January, but is financed through Student Government special projects fund ing. For more information about Second Serving, call 777-3860 or e-mail at sec ondserving@hotmail.com. Dept. merger causes concerns 0 by Gray Stevenson Staff Writer The transition team for a departmen tal merger at USC is encountering prob lems. Tlie team said space, hirings and course listings are the primary concerns it’s fac ing as the departments of computer engi neering and computer science begin to merge. Frrst, neither Sumwalt nor Swearin gen has a space large enough to house the Merger seepages SHARE sponsors events for World AIDS Day by Kelly Haggerty Senior Writer According to the American Associ ation for World Health Web site, 8,500 people worldwide under the age of 25 be came infected with the human immun odeficiency virus each day in 1998. It’s facts like this that USC’s Student Health Awareness and Rape Education organization said it would like to make known to students. In order to raise such awareness, SHARE is sponsoring a number of dif ferent awareness events today in obser vance of World AIDS Day. SHARE will hand out red ribbons and offer free, confidential HIV testing from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the Rus sell House. It will also hold a canned food drive in front of the Russell House to benefit the Palmetto Aids Life Support Services. At 5 p.m., a quilt panel assembly will be held in conjunction with a brief cer emony on the Russell House patio. SHARE and other individuals and or ganizations will take part in the Midlands Candlelight Event at 6 p.m. on the steps of the Statehouse. Program Director for Sexual Health Programs and Sexual Assault Services Kim Sheffield said the events are edu cational. “We hope students will become more aware about the impact HIV has on our community,” Sheffield said. “We want them to feel empowered to make clianges in their life that would hopefully lead to eliminating this epidemic.” Students can show their support by wearing a red ribbon. The ribbon is the national symbol for AIDS awareness, and it symbolizes hope, courage and love. The ribbons are traditionally worn close to the heart to show commitment to finding a cure for HIV and AIDS and to honor those affected by the epidemics. SHARE Peer World AIDS Day Co ordinator Danielle Novakowski said she has worked since September to orga nize these events. It’s the second of four major events sponsored by SHARE and the only one related to HIV and AIDS. “This is just one way for us to help promote the idea of AIDS awareness throughout the community,” Novakowski said. “This year, we are doing something different. We’re actually having an as sembly.” At the quilt panel assembly, brief speeches will be given, but most of the lime will be devoted to the joining of 55 quilt panels made by student organi zations, residence halls, Greek organiza tions and University 101 classes. Earlier in the semester, each group received 3-by-3 feet of muslin cloth pan el, paint, felt, glue and other craft deco rations from SHARE. Tire organizations had to design a quill panel based around the theme “AIDS — End the Silence. Listen, Leam, Love.” The Women Students’ Association and the Graduate Women Students’ As sociation worked together on the project. WSA Co-President Martha Wright said that the two organizations had simi lar designs. Wright said the WSA’s panel shows half of a woman’s face, illustrating that heterosexual females outnumber het erosexual males 2 to 1 in the number of AIDS cases. She said the GWA’s panel also shows half of a woman’s face, demonstrating that African-American women are the population with the fastest growing con traction rate of HIV. Golden Key Secretary Caroline Hill said Golden Key took a different approach and used its motto on its panel of blue, gold and red. “We incorporated the World AIDS Day 1999 theme and our motto,” Hill said. “We put red ribbons, gold keys and blue ribbons on it, as well. Some of our members know HIV victims, and their names will be on there, too.” The different quilt panels will be joined using a quilt gun. Novakowski said the panels will first form a long banner for the walk over to the Statehouse. Once there, they’ll be made into a quilt. Last year’s panels have been kept at the SHARE office after liaving been loaned out for displays. Sheffield said she doesn’t know what will be done with this year’s panels. “I think it would be a neat idea if the organizations kept them,” she said. “If they participate every year, then they can join their panels together to make their own quilts.” At the Statehouse, members of the community will gallier for a candlelighting ceremony. The ceremony will include a speech by Jesse Washington, director of com munications for the Community Rela tions Council. Aids see page 2 Weather Inside Datebook Online Poll Today 48 21 Thursday 62 ,19 Women’s basketball falls to 2 Clemson | \ Page 12 Today • World AIDS Day • GAMMA, 4 p.m., RH 303 • Student senate, 5 p.m., RH Theater • NAACP, 6 p.m. • SALA, 7:30 p.m. • “A Bug’s Life,” 9 p.m., RH Theater 4 \\ / X \ Should professors be '| iTy I allowed to give exams lILsssss^^the final week of class? Go lo www.gamecock.sc.etlu to vole in this wetk’s poll. *