Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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_CAROLINA NEWS_ Senate from page A1 by law,” Hubbard said. “The board is the policy-mak ing body of the university.” He said he supported the resolution because he be lieves that the flag should come down. “It does not represent any existing sovereign gov ernment of the state of South Carolina,” Hubbard said. “And it has become a symbol of conflict and division that is harmful to the state.” Hubbard also said the flag has hurt recruiting, fund raising and other university efforts. He said he has been told of students who lost interest in USC because of the banner. “It is hurting our reputation and inhibiting our abil ity to raise funds nationally, to recruit faculty national ly and to attract students nationally,” Hubbard said. “I have heard reports of university fund-raisers get ting a cold shoulder from foundations they’re seeking funds from because of the flag,” he said. “It has be come a distraction.” Hubbard also said the university’s rankings in lists like U.S. News and World Report’s annual list of col leges, and even the university’s drive to enter the As sociation of American Universities, would probably be affected by the flag. “A large component of those rankings are people’s opinion of your institution,” he said. “When they have a negative reaction about the Confederate flag, it is bound to clear their perception about our university in a neg ative way.” He said the flag issue could particularly influence people, because it’s one of the only ways people in other parts of the nation hear about South Carolina. “It certainly follows that they are thinking about the Confederate flag and about the turmoil of the state over the flag,” Hubbard said. Hubbard mentioned the effects of the flag on African American students. “It has a chilling effect on our African-American students and faculty,” he said. “This university is proud of our ability to attract African-American students and graduate African-American students.” Like Dawkins, Hubbard invoked the Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. He said he respect ed the courage that supporters say the flag represents. ' “The fact of the matter is, we are now 135 years from the end of the Civil War,” Hubbard said. “And it is time that we looked forward.” He said the soldiers never attempted to raise the flag again in their lifetimes. “They accepted defeat with grace and dignity and moved on,” Hubbard said, “and that’s what South Car olina should do today.” Hubbard said although the board decided to act, it shouldn’t keep those with different views from expressing their opinions. “That doesn’t mean that people who disagree with us can’t articulate their disagreements,” he said. The faculty senate has also passed a resolution that op poses flying the banner on the Capital dome. Faculty senate Chairwoman Caroline Strobel, who said she would normally oppose the faculty getting in volved in political matters, said the senate took up the resolution because the flag was interfering with meet ings the university was trying to hold, in addition to in terfering with recruiting. “It is too bad that it has become a political issue in the state,” Strobel said, adding that it would’ve been “simple” to resolve the issue by taking the flag down. “The fact of the matter is, it has affected the uni versity in a negative way,” she said. Strobel said she supported the resolution for reasons besides those affecting the university. “I think that [the Confederate flag] represents, to many people in this state, a time when they were not treated as equals,,rshe said. “I think it has no business flying over our state Capital.” She rebutted supporters’ claims that the flag is a sym bol of heritage. “I would say that it is time for them to start mov ing forward into the future and let the past be the past,” Strobel said. And in a letter made public in November, USC Pres ident John Palms encouraged the General Assembly to remove the flag. However, Palms wrote that he wasn’t speaking on behalf of the university. “By sharing my own personal view of the Confed erate flag’s position above the State House,” Palms wrote, “I hope to stress that whatever our individual opinions, we must take every precaution to ensure that we are not perceived to be speaking for the university.” In the letter, Palms recounted his past, including his family’s decision to flee the Netherlands after World Whr II and the beginning of the Cold War. He traced his ca reer from his position as a professor at Emory Univer sity to his 18-month tenure as president of Georgia State University. “In all these experiences, I have had the chance to see the power of particular language and symbolism over people,” Palms wrote. “The profound symbolic importance of the flag is obvious by the conviction both sides have brought to the discussion,” he wrote. “For both sides, the flag symbol izes tremendous pain and suffering. For both sides, for different reasons, it is a reminder of principles and his tories that must not be forgotten.” However, Palms argued that the flag shouldn’t fly because it isn’t a sovereign flag. “Flying anything except the official flags above the State House can only inspire a debate that cannot be resolved since any symbol that is not an official one is especially subject to personal interpretation,” he wrote. “The Confederate flag has very different meanings to people.” Elections from page A1 ter. “The codes don’t even make it completely mandatory that they [the can didates] stay within that limit,” she said. “There’s no real way to enforce it.” The limits for executive candidates - those running for president, vice presi dent and treasurer - are $500 in a gener al election and $300 in a runoff. The spend ing limit for senate candidates is $75. To qualify to run, candidates have to pay a filing fee of $25 if they want to run for an executive office and $5 if they want to run for the senate. Students must run for the senate in the college of their major. To run for president, a student must be a junior in class standing at inaugura tion March 22 and have earned 30 hours of credit at USC-Columbia. Vice presi dential candidates must have 45 credit hours at inauguration and also must have 30 hours of credit at the Columbia cam pus. Those wanting to run for treasurer have to be sophomores at inauguration and must have earned 15 credit hours at the Columbia campus. All candidates must be full-time stu dents. Politics from page A1 His poll results mirror those released Tuesday by Campaign Media Group for Northwestern University’s Medill News Service, which trains graduate students in political journalism. The Medill poll sur veyed people ages 18 to 24. Ellen Shearer, co-director of the Medill News Service, said the findings are en couraging, because they show young peo ple are not cynical about government. They ’re just getting involved in their own way, steering clear of more traditional paths. “They’re saying, ‘If we’re being ig nored by the politicians, we’ll ignore you right back and go volunteer somewhere,”’ Shearer said. “Right now, they don’t think there is a reason for them to vote.” Educators and politicians have lament ed low voter turnout among young peo ple for years. As Ken Bode, Medill’s dean, put it Tuesday: “I have grown old, wait ing for young people to start voting and paying attention to politics.” To engage more young adults in pol itics, graduate students in the Medill News Service will cover this year’s presidential campaign from the point of view of their peers. teaching manners in the classroom mandatory. He also called for $1 mil lion more to be spent to recrait African American teachers to the state. Hodges also asked again for a lot tery to pay for higher education. “It’s time we do something to re lieve the crushing financial burden imposed on South Carolina families by the cost of higher education,” he said Hurricane Floyd which hit Horry County with floods late last year, was also a topic of discussion. Hodges said the communication be tween state agencies during the storm didn’t work well enough! He promised that next time, the evacuation of the S.C. coast would move more swiftly, smoothly and safely. Depending generally on the party, lawmakers had different opinions on Hodges’ speech. Sen. Mckinley Washington Jr., D Colleton, said “The governor was coura geous for taking the stances he has on such hot issues.” Also praising the governor was the President Pro Tem Sen. John Drum mond. D-Greenville. “The governor has stayed focused as the education governor of South Car olina,” he said. I The GOP response after the address was given by Minority Leader Hugh Leatherman, R-Darlington-Florence, who said nothing of the Confederate flag issue but lambasted the governor and Democrats for not cutting taxes enough and not going far enough to bet ter the state’s educational system. Other GOP lawmakers spoke about their stances on the flag issue after the address. Rep. Me Knotts, R-Lexington, said “(The assembly] should not let a boy cott determine its decision.” On the Democrats’ side of the is sue, Drummond, a 35-year member of the Legislature, spoke out. < “It is time to put it in the right place with the Daughters of the Confedera cy Monument where it should be be cause it has caused such a division in our state, “ he said File for Candidacy File for Candidacy File for Candidacy File for Candidacy • r' 5■ 3 3 z T3 O § o u £ i- 3 0 Ou S g-' E 1 s .1 2, ■g R u O w po E I 5 f E S' . 3 ■o •3 o’ c -i O P <- 3 <2 & g" E »S Student Government Positions >» ’-r] I Executive Offices Senators | | President Positions available p | Vice President in all colleges | Treasurer 5 g *Other Important Dates* & •g January 31 Candidates Information Meeting J February 10 Debate for Executive Candidates o g February 16-17 Elections ^ February 23-24 Run-Off Elections (if necessary) g-’ £ March 22 Inauguration >5 >> Tj _g Filing Fees W ■5 Senatorial Candidates - $5.00 o' £ Executive Offices - $25.00 p * 2 ^ a! jv £r E For more information and updates, visit our website at www. sa. sc. edu/sga/sg. htm File for Candidacy File for Candidacy File for Candidacy File for Candidacy i t a APPLY TO BE A RESIDENT ADVISOR and Work With Some Cool Characters! 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