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News__ Hodges praised for speech against domestic violence Staff Reports Associated Press Advocates for battered women are ap plauding Gov. Jim Hodges’ proposal that a commission be formed to address do mestic violence in the state. In his State of the State speech, Hodges said South Carolina doesn’t do enough to protect its citizens from domestic vio lence. “We’re tough on crime in South Car olina,” the governor said as hi neared the end of his speech. “But when it comes to fighting the crime of domestic violence, we’ve got to intensify our efforts.” Vicki Bourns, executive director of the South Carolina Coalition Against Do mestic Violence and Sexual Assault, said Hodges was the first to address family vi olence during his speech, which was tele vised live and published in full. “To publicly take a stand and say, ‘This is not OK. It’s not acceptable, it’s a shame in our state and we need to do something about it,’ is a giant step,” Bourns said. According to the State Law Enforce ment Division, some 20,500 South Car olinians were victims of domestic vio lence in 1998. Using 1996 murder statistics, a na tional gun control group ranked South Carolina third in the nation in number of women shot and killed by their hus bands or boyfriends. Fifty-eight South Car olina women were killed by their partners that year. “If we are third in the nation, we are not doing something right,” said Laura Hudson, executive director of the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network. Rep. Joel Lourie, D-Columbia, planned to introduce a bill this week that would require police to devote a portion of their continuing-education hours to extra training in domestic violence. Now, those classes are optional. Other issues on which advocates say the state should focus include: • increasing domestic violence train ing forjudges; • • breaking family cycles of abuse by helping kids who see their parents harmed; • setting up local review boards to find out where the system failed each time ‘ ... When it comes to fight ing the crime of domestic vio lence, we've got to intensify our efforts.' Jim Hodges S.C. governor somebody is killed by a spouse. Hodges’ spokeswoman, Nina Brook, said the governor had not decided yet who would serve on the commission. Autonomy from page A1 ic Wfestem culture,” he said “All that they mean is the appreciation, celebration and deep study of those Western or Western ized intellectuals who think exactly as they do about the nature and causes of op pression.” Kors said the disappearance of self definition on college campuses prevents various personal freedoms. “Universities’ agendas are purely po litical and are based upon group, not in dividual identity,” he said “The mania of group identity denied only authentic mean ing of human liberation, the right to indi viduate, to define yourself free of exter nal coercions and impositions.” Kors said such “speech codes” should be a “national scandal” and are “manifestly unconstitutional” and “part of a ferocious assault on free speech.” He went on to la bel such “codes” as “fraud” “false adver tising,” “double standards” and a “breach of contract.” He further cited the results of with holding derogatory intentions. “Prejudice, ignorance, bigotry don’t disappear when their expression is suppressed they sim ply go deeper into people’s souls, and no one has the chance to know how people think and to respond in appropriate form.” Kors went on to say just how prob lematic university efforts are. “Universities are teaching the worst imaginable lesson - that one’s freedom should depend upon one’s local power.” Kors said students choose universities primarily for “discovery,” not to be par ents, “intrusive therapists” or a “political belief selectively enforcing restrictive rules governing voluntarily relationships outside the classroom.” Finally, Kors shared solutions for the American university. “Universities desperately need what they don’t have - men and women of all, for all seasons, who beat witness the be liefs that are antithetical to the new tyran ny to the universalism of legal equality over the crude official division by race, sex and sexuality,” he said. “It is our liberty and legal equality that define us in this world as human beings with dignity capable of morals and of choic es.” After the discussion, Kors took sev eral questions from the audience and signed copies of his book in the USC Bookstore. The lecture took place in the Rus sell House Theater and was sponsored by the S.C. Association of Scholars in asso ciation with the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Federal judge to reconsider evidence after flag protests Staff Reports Associated Press Houston —Recent protests in South Carolina have forced a federal court jucjge in Houston to reconsider her rul ing allowing a Confederate flag tattoo into evidence in a discrimination law suit. Two black Public Works em ployees sued the city, saying their su pervisor, Dan Petrash, passed them over for promotions two years ago. Pe trash has a Confederate flag tattooed on his forearm. Louella Henderson Jones and Her bert Williams 1U say the tattoo sym bolizes Petrash’s racism and negative attitude toward blacks, according to court documents. They say Petrash, who had hiring authority, made racist remarks and told other employees that he wanted to hire a white man for a senior supervisory job because the Public Wirks Depart ment already had three black senior inspectors, according to the Houston Chronicle. A white employee got the job. U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas reportedly is concerned that the tat too will heighten tensions because of the recent protests in South Caroli na, where the flag flies over the State house. Atlas allowed the tattoo to be ad mitted into evidence in an earlier tri al, which ended last week in a hung ju ry. Because of the publicity surrounding the flag in South Carolina, the judge is reconsidering its admissibility. The new trial is scheduled to be gin Monday. A decision on the flag is expected this week. Petrash has denied making racial remarks or saying that he didn’t want to hire a black employee, ac cording to court documents. Clinton proposes tax cut for college tuition Staff Reports College Press Exchange WashmGTON —President Clinton has proposed a tax credit designed to make college more affordable. Clinton unveiled the proposed plan Thursday. It’s a$30 billion, 10-year ini tiative that would make higher educa tion more affordable for millions. When the credit is folly phased in, a family could receive a tax credit of up to $10,000 for tuition, fees and training. The maximum credit would be $2,800 a year. Congress rejected a similar plan last year proposed by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. That plan, narrowly defeated as an amendment to last year’s tax-cut package, would have allowed families to deduct up to $12,000 for college tu ition. The deduction would have saved the average family as much as $3,360 per student. Schumer’s plan was more expen sive titan Clinton's proposal: $45 billion to $50 billion over 10 years. The president also called for a $1 billion increase in Pell Grants and oth er federal education assistance. Thefts from page A1 damn shame. Who would be bold enough to walk into someone’s room, especially when they’re sleeping?” USC police officers have questioned several residents and have a description of a possible suspect. “We investigate each case, but our biggest couCeSm is trying to prevent these things before they happen,” said Ellis, of Law Enforcement and Safety. “Wfe try our best to cooperate and work with student organizations on campus to get the word out about campus safety.” Accounting and finance sophomore Miriam Coyne said, “It needs to get around that this is happening. If we had only known earlier that this was going on, we could have started locking our doors more.” There were mixed feelings about safe ty among the students in Capstone. “I’m more careful now about locking my door at night or when I’m gone,” Cain said. “I leave it unlocked if I’m just going down the hall.” Chow said: “I still feel safe, but I feel pretty violated.” Prescott said: “I’m not worried about my physical safety, but about my person al property.” “Make sure your door is locked even if you’re going out for a second or sleep ing,” Douglass said. English sophomore Susan Swartz said, “I’m paranoid about locking my door now. Every time I go anywhere, I think, ‘Should I lock it or not?”’ Lecture from page A1 arts, will speak on Wednesday. The topic of his lecture is a secret. Miller, 78, has extensive experience teaching — he has taught fifth-graders, college-age students and FBI candidates. Miller teaches a seminars for the South Carolina Honors College. He’s preparing courses on verbal thinking and docu mentary production. Other scheduled lecturers include physics professor Chaden Djalali on Feb. 22 and African-American studies profes sor Cleveland Sellers on March 29. The lectures are in Russell House room 303. They begin at 7 p.m. \ >, 3 0 ~ a a a 1 * <5 p Z. 3 2 -• W O <U P ^ o £ ^ >> 31 0 ■ C— ca n> a % 6 P 1 * **- BISilL •= 8 fi * * V y* *n o 3: eg ft TJ g e 2. « n U 63 . 3 O CL 5: E January 24-p8,8:30 am-5:00 pm 5 I I I Student Government Office 1 I | ussell House 110 2 [ . \f 0 a | Executive Offices J0i SenatorsE A , S President Positions available 2 Vice President in all colleges f k '-A Treasurer B Bl, > A wSK ■ j. « > v .Jr HB • pj *Other Important Dates* ,V V January 31 Candidates Information Meeting February 10 Debate for Executive Candidates w* H Filing Fees February 16-17 Elections For more information :;B Senatorial Candidates - $5.00 February 23-24 $$ Run-Off Elections® (if necessary) and updates, visit our website at HBB Executive Offices - $25.00 March 22 Inauguration www.sa.sc.edu/sga/sg.htm ISB File for Candidacy File for Candidacy File for Candidacy File for Candidacy File for Candidacy File for Candidacy File for Candidacy File for Candidacy wjMm.___■_'___$-<*---1— ■ -4