_VOL. 93, No. Sl^TcdneS January 19, 2000_
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WWW.GAMECOCK.SC.EDU UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA COLUMBIA.' S.C.
Citizens, students rally against flag
Ella Epps, left, participated In the King Day at the Dome rally on Monday by being
an “NAACP voter getter.” Epps had registered 20 voters at the time of the photo
graph. She said her goal was to register 25 new or change-of-address voters.
by Clayton Kale
News Editor
About 46,000 people marched to the State
house on Monday in hopes of convincing lawmakers
to remove the Confederate flag from the Statehouse
dome.
Students, church groups, activist groups like
the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People and concerned citizens came to
the Capitol as part of King Day at the Dome to hon
or Martin Luther King Jr. and protest the flag.
Demonstrators were bused to Columbia in large
numbers. Three lines of buses parked bumper to
bumper caused the closing of Sumter Street from
Greene Street to Pendleton Street.
Many of the demonstrators said they want Mar
tin Luther King Day to be considered a stale holi
day, but the rally’s focus stayed on the Confeder
ate flag.
Some demonstrators brought flags of their own,
depicting a black fist gripping the Confederate flag.
Others carried signs that read: “Your heritage is my
slavery.”
Many of the demonstrators were wearing “Nu
South” clothing. The logo for “Nu South” is a Con
federate flag in black, red and green, colors often
associated with Africa.
Jonathan Bailey, a journalism sophomore, came
to the rally to support the flag’s removal.
“I’m here [at the rally] because I’m ashamed
to call myself a South Carolinian as long as it’s [the
Confederate flag] above the Statehouse,” Bailey
said.
Some flag op
ponents say the
flag represents
racism and divi
siveness, while
some say the flag
should be re
moved from the
dome because it
aoesn i represent
a sovereign entity.
“It [the Confederate flag] is a relic, a memento
of the past that people are hanging on to,” politi
cal science sophomore Matthew Brady said. “It no
longer has any real meaning because it doesn’t rep
resent a-sovereign state or nation.”
Many supporters of the Confederate flag say it
honors ancestors who fought and died for what the
flag stands for. But people like Donald Griggs don’t
agree with that idea.
“My great-grandfather fought in the Civil War
and lost a leg,” said Griggs, of Columbia, “but
that flag doesn’t honor him.”
Griggs attended the rally with his church, the
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Columbia.
Monday wasn’t the first time Griggs has demon
strated against the Confederate flag’s position on
the Statehouse.
“I marched a few yean ago in Myrtle Beach
for the same reason,” Griggs said.
Bishop John Hurst Adams told the crowd
that it was time to “bring an end to the Civil
War.”
“It’s been over for a long time,” he said.
Not everyone in attendance of the King Day
at the Dome rally was in favor of removing the (lag.
One man, surrounded by State Law Enforce
ment Division officers, carried a sign that read,
“How do you spell racist? NAACP.”
And The Associated Press reported that an
other man, who was carrying a large Confederate
flag and a sign that said “I love you,” was arrested
for disorderly conduct after he exchanged words
with demonstrators and ignored police officers’ re
quests to back off.
Student body President Malik Husser said he
attended the rally and that it achieved what it was
supposed to.
“The voices of the community that support tak
ing down the flag were heard,” Husser said.
“It shows that we can come together and gel
things done,” he said.
Husser said he supports USC President John
Palms’ letter urging lawmakers to remove the
flag from the Statehouse dome.
“I think USC needs to be one of the leaders
calling for the [Confederate] flag to come down,”
Rally see page *2
l
‘I think USC needs to be one of the leaders calling
for the [Confederate] flag to come down.’
Malik Husser
USC student body president
USC mainframe
avoids Y2K glitches
by Patrick Rathbun
Assistant News Editor
USC survived Y2K without any se
rious problems, according to Comput
er Services.
“[Wfe experienced] nothing we didn’t
expect,” Stan Yarbrough, director of
university information systems, said. “I
couldn’t have been more pleased.”
Yarbrough attributes the success to
the communication and teamwork
among those involved.
“Wfe planned for tlie worst and hoped
\ for the best,” he said.
I “The communication between peo
ple couldn’t have been better. We fixed
0 a lot of things a lot of different ways.”
j On New Year’s Eve, 100 people
were working in the Computer Services
office.,—_
\, That’s 90 more people than usual
Tor that night, according to Yarbrough.
From11p.m. Dec. 31 until 1 a.m.
Jan. 1, systems programmers worked to
make sure the transition went well.
Other precautions included taking
down the USC mainframe for several
hours, advising against turning on per
sonal computers and shutting down In
ternet access Jan. 1 because of the con
cern of hackers, he said.
Computer Services started to work
again on Jan. 3, using the entire week
^ to check for computer viruses.
According to Yarbrough, those in
volved with USC’s Y2K effort have
been working since late 1995.
**’ USC’s Y2K programmers worked
on 7 million lines of computer codes
and analyzed hardware and software
to assure Y2K compliance, he said.
Only 10 percent of USC’s person
al computers were not compliant, and
90 percent of those had no reason to
change, he said.
The university also had various con
tingency plans, Yarbrough said.
The programmers had contact with
all hardware and software vendors, in
eluding Microsoft, Novell and Dell,
he said.
“We knew who to get in touch with
[if something failed],” he said. “Every
body was cooperative.”
All of the vendors’ Web sites were
“inundated with information,” he said.
Yarbrough also said Y2K isn’t over,
the next big date is Feb. 29.
“Everyone is keeping their eye out”
because of the unusual date and leap
year, he said.
A few minor problems occurred at
some area businesses, but several oth
ers, including Affinity Technology Group
Inc. of Columbia, Springs Industries Inc.
of Fort Mill, AFX Corp. of Myrtle
Beach and Honeywell’s fibers near Ir
mo reported no Y2K-related problems,
officials at those companies reported.
USC’s Computer Services are also
on alert through the fiscal year to check
calculations and month-end and year
end accounting programs.
‘[We experienced]
nothing we didn’t
expect. I couldn’t have
been more pleased.'
Stan Yarbrough
director of university
information systems
| Dr. Palms presents the bicentennial logo
Amt Goulding Photo Editor
USC President John Palms unveils the logo for USCs bicentennial celebration. Palms said USC Is
the only university celebrating Its bicentennial In 2001. "The eyes of the academic world will be on
the University of South Carolina,” Palms said.
College of Liberal Arts names new
director of African-American Studies
by Phil Watson
Staff Writer
USC’s African-American Studies Department has named
Dr. John Michael Spencer as its new director.
Spencer will begin his duties with the African-American
Studies department, part of the College of Liberal Arts, on Ju
ly 1.
Spencer earned a bachelor’s degree in music from
Hampton University. He earned his master’s and doctoral
degrees in music composition from Washington University and
a master of theological studies from Duke Divinity School.
Spencer is the author of 12 academic books, one book of
poetry and two novels. He is working on a third novel, as well.
Beyond teaching African-American studies, Spencer
will also be a professor of religion and an adjunct professor of
English.
Spencer said he has experience in teaching a wide array of
subjects. In the past five years, Spencer has taught classes on
Rastafarians and reggae, rap music, religion, music in Ameri
can culture, the music of African Americans, Frederick
Douglass and slavery, Martin Luther King Jr., African
American intellectual leadership of the 20th century, and race
in South Africa.
Spencer is the Tyler and Alice Haynes Professor of Amer
ican Studies at Richmond University, where he also teaches in
the religion department, the music department, the interna
tional studies department and the School of Leadership.
“I hope to help the [African-American Studies] program
develop and mature, by building upon the program’s best at
tributes, whose foundations have been laid by the directors and
affiliated staff that preceded me,” Spencer said.
African-American see page «
Carolina
For Kids
to hold
Kickoff 2000
by Kelly Haggerty
Assistant News Editor
Students can sign up starling today to
volunteer at local elementary and middle
schools.
Carolina For Kids will hold its bian
nual kickoff from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today
and Thursday outside the Russell
House.
CFK President Tom Winslow said
Kickoff 2000 serves as the Tint chance
for interested students to register with the
organization to serve as tutors or lunch
buddies at the schools.
“As of right now we have no tutors,
but we normally have 250 tutors after reg
istration,” Winslow said.
At the kickoff, CFK officers will pass
out informational fliers and registration
forms to any interested USC students or
their spouses. Free food and drinks will
also be available.
According to Winslow, CFK is a ser
vice organization dedicated to tutoring
children in local elementary and middle
schools. Tutors often spend one hour a
week working with a class of students for
one semester.
Sometimes, CFK members become
lunch buddies instead. They eat lunch
with students and try to befriend them.
“Schools always give us positive com
ments about our oigani/.alion,” Winslow
said. “We also always hear good things
from tutors.”
Broadcast journalism freshman Leigh
Lane tutored special-education students
at BC Grammar last semester. She said
she hopes to be able to tutor again this
spring.
“I’m definitely going to try to teach
again, but it depends on my schedule,”
Lane said. “It was so much' fun, though.
The fact that it was my choice to help
Kickoff see page A3
Gamecocks
fall to
Kentucky
64-48
Page B1
Datebo
Wednesday
• The Gamecock, 4 p.m.,
RH 333
• Student Senate, 5 p.m.,
RH Theater
• University Ambas
sadors, 8 p.m.
• Circle K International,
8 D.m.. RH MS
Thursday
• NAACP, 6 p.m.
•SALA, 7:30 p.m.
• Muslim Students Asso
ciation, 7:30 p.m., RH
305
• Poster sale, 9 a.m. to 5
p.m., RH Ballroom C
Should the Student
Gamecock Club have
lost its block seating?
i
Vote at www.gamecock.sc.edu.
_ Results will be published Friday.