The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 31, 2000, Image 1
_Vol. 93, No. 56 M January 31, 2000_■_
na Community since 1Q08
Professor
finds new
clues to
evolution
by Kelly Haggerty
Assistant News Editor
A USC School of Public Health pro
fessor’s research might lead to impor
tant discoveries about the evolution of
life and the future of the environment.
Department of environmental health
sciences researcher Joan Bernhard con
ducted a study of the Santa Barbara Basin
that yielded unexpected results, which
were published in the Jan. 6 issue of the
scientific journal Nature.
While scientists had long thought
the basin to support only simple bacte
ria, Bernhard found the area to be heav
ily populated with organisms.
Bernhard and her team of researchers
from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Re
search Institute, the University of Geor
gia and the Wadsworth Center at the
New York State Department of Health
will study the new organisms and their
physiology to determine how eukary
otic cells evolved into higher organisms,
such as fungi, plants and animals.
“You can’t recreate the early evo
lution of life,” said Bernhard, a biolog
ical oceanographer whose research fo
cuses mainly on single-celled organisms
that live in the oceans, marshes and salt
water sediments.
“But this part of the deep sea offers
scientists a different perspective on
the study of eukaryotes and their early
evolution.”
Bernhard’s work has led to several
important discoveries, including very
high numbers of eukaryotes in the
Santa Barbara Basin, new microorgan
isms previously unknown in science and
the existence of a symbiotic relation
ship between a vast majority of eukary
otes and bacteria in the Santa Barbara
Basin.
Bernhard said the evolving symbi
otic relationships have fostered dramatic
environmental changes on a global scale.
Thus, the Santa Barbara Basin might
be viewed as a window into Earth’s dis
tant past, she said.
The Gndings of the research team
might be the basis for a better under
standing of what happens when coastal
environments and waters suffer the ef
fects of agricultural, residential and com
mercial development.
The process, called eutrophication,
ultimately can deplete oxygen in coastal
sediments, resulting in the death of most
marine organisms.
“Understanding what is going on in
these naturally eutrophic environments
^iay help scientists predict the onset,
extent and severity of pollution by hu
mans, which could help us prevent or
clean up coastal pollution quicker,” Bern
hard said.
“Human activity is causing more of
our coastal environments to become pol
luted.
Detailed knowledge about the mi
croorganisms of the ocean and their com
munities will help us understand what
bioremediation efforts are need for these
areas,” she said.
1 Winter weather maintains an icy grip.
Travis Lvnn Photo Editor
Trees on the Horseshoe bend beneath the weight of the Ice that accumulated on
their branches Saturday night USC has called off classes until 11 am today.
Columbia escapes
winter storm with
minimal damage
Threat of icy roads leads university
to cancel classes today until 11 a.m.
Associated Press
USC canceled its Monday classes until 11 a.m.
after the threat of subfreezing temperatures prompt
ed fears that standing water would refreeze overnight
on Sunday.
The National Weather Service lifted a winter
storm warning for most of t)v>
state Sunday afternoon, but
not before ice coated trees
and power lines from Co
lumbia across the Midlands
and the Upstate.
Columbia residents
awoke Sunday morning to cars
encrusted with ice and
more freezing drizzle, but the
good news was that power
outages were under control
and car accidents had been
kept to a minimum.
“1 think a lot of people heeded the warnings
and kept off the roads,” said Christie Hamilton,
a spokeswoman for the state’s Emergency Pre
paredness Division. “I don’t think it’s nearly as
bad as expected.”
Hamilton did not have an exact number of car
wrecks.
It was not immediately known if a fatal crash
in Spartanburg County had been caused by the
wintery conditions. A man and a woman died Sat
urday when the van they were in flipped over sev
eral times as it tumbled down an embankment, said
Cpl. Steve Sulligan of the state Highway Patrol.
Another woman in the van survived. The vic
tims’ names had not been released by Sunday af
ternoon.
“The major highways are OK, but the sec
ondary roads and streets are pretty icy and frozen
preuy neavy, said Mine
Bames, who owns Bames
Towing in Greenville. Oth
er area towing companies
reported more calls than
usual, especially to retrieve
ears that had slid into ditch
es because of slick condi
tions.
Roads across the
state were littered with tree
branches that had snapped
under the weight of the ice.
ouiiic luotn in vjiccuviiie weie cuaieu wiui une
to two inches of ice, said Jim Copeland, co-own
er of Copeland Towing. The company received 14
service calls Sunday morning, about triple the
average volume, he said.
This weekend’s storm did not force the shut
down of interstates, as a winter storm earlier in the
week had, Hamilton said
Conditions prompted many churches to delay
or even cancel Sunday services. One exception
IcT SEE PAGE A2
The major highways are
OK, but the, secondary
roads and streets are
pretty icy and frozen
pretty heavy.’
Mike Bames
owner of Barnes Towing
Circus ignites criticism from protesters
by Patrick Rathbun
Assistant News Editor
Protests entered the ring with the arrival of the
Ringling Bros. Circus in Columbia over the weekend.
Protesters concerned with raising awareness of an
imal abuse put up picket signs and distributed infor
mation packets near the Carolina Coliseum, where the
circus was held, at Greene and Assembly streets and
Park and Greene streets for the three days the circus
showed.
The protesters numbered about 30 people and
included USC and Midlands Tech students along with
others from around Columbia. The protesters were
mostly vegan or vegetarian, according to journalism
senior Amanda Presley, the event’s organizer. Many
of the participants were also involved in USC’s Stu
dents for the Ethical Treatment of Animals chapter.
Biology senior and SETA member Carolyn Treuhaft
said the objective of the protest was “to raise aware
ness of the plight animals go through for [humans’] en
tertainment.”
“If we can get one person to understand, that would
make all of us happy, just spreading the word,” she said.
Treuhaft said the group tried to raise awareness of
the abuse of all circus animals, specifically elephants.
Elephants’ large sizes and their difficulty in dealing
with colder temperatures make them a target for abuse,
she said.
Biology sophomore and SETA member Shirin
Modaresi said the use of animals for entertainment is
unnatural.
“Animals can’t speak; they didn’t choose to be
in the circus,” she said.
Presley said the animal rights movement is mis
understood.
“People tend to look at supporting animal rights
as a radical notion,” she said. “But it really is just an
extension of animal welfare. Because it’s for the
people, people think it’s also fun for the animals.”
The protesters held up signs that read, ‘Teach com
passion, not abuse” and “circus = animal abuse.”
Treuhaft questioned the decision for allowing a
circus to us the university’s facilities.
“1 don’t think a university of this stature should be
supporting animal abuse,” she said. “Just because [the
circus] makes money doesn’t make it morally right.”
Modaresi agreed that the university is affected by
the decision to feature the circus.
“It doesn’t reflect well on the school,” she said. “I
understand they have to make decisions based on fi
nancial [issues], but they also have to [consider]
what it makes USC look like.”
Treuhaft said people made positive and negative
comments, “half and half,” to the protesters.
The protesters’ future efforts will include work
ing with Students Allied for a Greener Earth to peti
tion USC to gain more options for vegetarians on cam
pus, as well as to encourage alternatives to vivisection,
Treuhaft said.
Circuses.com, an organization that documents US
D\ complaints of various circuses, says Ringling Bros,
“failed to comply with minimum federal regulations,
including a failure to provide animals with exercise,
a failure to provide sufficient space, and not keeping
the proper veterinary records.”
The site said Ringling Bros, forces wild animals to
perform unnatural acts using “whips, muzzles, elec
tric prods and bullhooks.” The organization cites re
ports of a Ringling trainer shooting a caged tiger five
times with a shotgun after an attack in January 1998.
Also in January 1998, circuses.com reports that an ele
phant was forced to perform in two shows despite be
ing sick, and as a result the elephant died hours later.
Ann Marie Mlanl The Gamecock
A child pets a llama at the RJngllng Bros, and Bamum and Bailey Circus this past week
end. Protesters were on hand to picket alleged animal abuse.
Greek
councils
discuss
plans
by Philip Watson
Staff Writer
As the spring semester gets into full
swing, fraternities and sororities are plan
ning and participating in events that are
both fun and helpful to those in need.
Almost all fraternities and sororities
take part in events that raise money for
charities that help the less fortunate.
One of the events that already hap
pened was Zeta Tau Alpha's fifth annual
Big Man on Campus Pageant.
This event was held on Wednesday,
January 26 in the Russell House Ballroom.
About $5,000 was raised in this event. All
proceeds benefited the Susan G. Komen
Breast Cancer Foundation, which helps
fund breast cancer research, prevention,
screening and education.
More than 650 people attended the
Big Man on Campus Pageant. Twenty-one
contestants from different organizations
competed for the title. The competitors
won points in several different events, in
cluding “silver sabotage,” a banner con
test, and the actual pageant. The 2000 Big
Man on Campus is Bryan Rushing. The
Council see page a2
Weather'
k
Tocvw
, 53
34
Tuesday
The circus
visits the
Carolina
Coliseum.
Page A6
Monday
• The Gamecock, 4 p.m.,
RH333
• Fraternity Council, 4
p.m., RH 322/326
• Sorority Council, 5
p.m., RH 322/326
•CP, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday
'' Dance Marathon^ 8
' p.m.
• Spring Board, 5:30 p.m.
Should USC tear down the
Coliseum after the new
arena opens in 2002?
Vote at www.gamecock.sc.ed’
Results will be Dublished Fm \