Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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__ Vol. 93, No. 58 Fri February 4, 2000_ Serf _ ina Community since 1 QOS McCain makes campaign stop at Swearingen by Brandon Larrabee Associate News Editor In front of hundreds of cheering supporters at USC’s Swearingen Engineering Center, Republi can presidential hopeful and Arizona Sen. John McCain boasted Wfednesday about his 19-point win in the New Hampshire primary and promised to reform the government if elected. % “A terrible thing happened on the way to the coronation,” McCain said, referring to Texas Gov. Geoige W. Bush’s strong support inside the Re publican Party’s establishment and the maverick senator’s shocking win in New Hampshire. “We derailed it.” While McCain was leading or tied with Bush in many polls, few predicted the size of his victo ry. McCain gave thousands of young voters who registered the day of the vote credit for his large margin. “I’m so grateful for that, I can’t tell you,” he said. McCain told those at the rally his message of reforming the government had attracted the younger voters. “I gave them something they could believe in again,” he said. He compared his win with polls taken six months ago, he said showed him at 3 percent, but the poll had a margin of error of 5 percent. “I could’ve been at minus two,” he quipped. McCain has made South Carolina one of the centerpieces of his presidential campaign. His strat egy calls for turning his New Hampshire win into a South Carolina victory, and then defeating Bush in Michigan and his home state of Arizona. This would give him a wave of momentum, heading into the crucial Super Tuesday primary, in which several states vote, including delegate-heavy New York and California. McCain talked extensively about military is sues and veterans. He is counting on support from South Carolina’s 400,000 veterans, though recent polls show only 10 percent saying they plan on voting in the primaries this election, and a quarter of those plan on voting Democrat. He said the government is not delivering the health care and other benefits it has promised vet erans, calling the problem “the national disgrace.” “I promise you — I will fix that problem as president,” McCain said. He decried the Clinton administration’s “feck less photo-op foreign policy.” He said neither the current president, the secretary of state, nor the secretary of defense had ever served in the mili tary. “That’s going to change, my friends,” he said. McCain also said the military was half the size it was during Desert Storm, and he attacked the spending on military equipment. “We buy things the military doesn’t need or want,” he said. “There’s going to be a C-130 in every school yard by the time we’re done.” ' McCain also said he would change the fact that 12,000 military families are on food stamps. “There will be no food-stamp army when I’m president,” he said. “Those young people deserve better.” McCain also touted his tax cut plan, which % calls for extending the minimum 15 percent tax rate and eliminating the marriage penalty. He con trasted his plan, which he said helps working families, to Bush’s, which McCain said gives 38 percent to the wealthiest 1 percent of taxpayers. “Working families — that should be what it’s all about,” he said. McCain said his'tax cuts would come from closing loopholes in the current tax code and from the national sutplus. He said the surplus could al so be used to shore up Social Security, which he called “a ticking time bomb” and paying the na tional debt. “Don’t you think we ought to pay down that debt?” he said. “It’s conservative and family-oriented to take - McCain set page a2 Student Organization Fair returns to campus by Charles Prashaw Senior Writer The student organization fair was held Wednesday on the Russell House Patio to get students involved in various USC stu dent organizations. There are 287 student organizations at USC that serve the various needs and interests of students. Many different types of student or ganizations had tables set up at the event, which ran from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Par ticipants included sports clubs, political groups, minority groups, religious orga nizations, Greek organizations, housing associations, honor societies, profession al societies and student media clubs. • The fair, held at the beginning of every semester, was postponed from its original date of Jan. 26 because of inclement weath pr Although the fall student organization fair is usually larger and more widely at tended, the spring version drew many peo ple passing on their way to class. “The student organization fair helps get your group name recognition, but today there hasn’t been good foot traffic,” said Jimmy Gahagan, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship staff member. Despite the average turnout, mem bers of student organizations had plenty of views on why getting involved at USC was important. A “Getting involved in organizations is What college is all about,” said marketing and finance junior Tim Sinclair. “The more you get involved, the more you will enjoy college, and that really reflects in your grades.” Others at tire event pointed to the fact that students experience a lot more through college organizations. “I wouldn’t have done half the things I have done in college if it wasn’t for the clubs I was in,” advertising junior Jane Johnson said. Many professional societies said stu dents should get involved in their groups because it can help them later in their ca reers. “It is helpful to get involved because i^n make contacts in the field you are interested in,” said Heather Keever, se nior Psi Chi member. Douglas Wilson, president of the USC chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, also encouraged students to get involved in many different groups, not just those that have a direct link to their future ca reers. “People shouldn’t get stuck with one Fajr see PAGE A2 | McCain campaigns at USC Travis Lynn Photo Editor Arizona Sen. John McCain, his wife Cindy and other supporters held a rally Wednesday at the Swearingen Engineering Center. McCain is campaigning before the Feb. 19 primary in South Carolina i Students urged to take part in sacred right by Charles Prashaw Senior Writer Tired of seeing MTV’s “Choose or Lose” for the eightieth lime this week? Have a problem with something wrong in America today? Well, vote! “Everybody should vote, because it is such a sacred right,” Richland Coun ty Voter Registration Chairperson Glo ria Wilson said. Voter turnout in the 18- to 20-year old group has gone down ever since the 1972 election when 18 year olds first voted. “Letting your voice be heard through voting is important, because it makes you an active member of a de mocratic society,” said advertising se nior Ben Muldrow, who said he intends to vote for John McCain. The upcoming Republican Presi dential Primary is Feb. 19 in South Car olina, and the Democratic Presidential Caucus is March 9. The purpose of the primaries is to narrow the field of presidential candi dates in each major political party to one who will get the official nomina tion of his or her respective party through the national conventions. The Republican National Conven tion will be held July 31 in Philadel phia, and the Democratic Conven tion will be held Aqg. 14 in Los Angeles. Depending on who wins the most primaries, either Arizona Sen. John McCain, Texas Gov. Geoige Bush Jr., Steve Forbes or Alan Keyes will win the Republican nomination and will face the winner from the Democratic party, either Vice President A1 Gore or former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley. The winners from each party will run against each other in the general election Nov. 3. The presidential race this year is expected to bring out more than a mil lion South Carolinians to vote, with an other 45,000 expected to register be tween now and the election, according to Wilson. But South Carolina is 47th in the nation when comparing the percent age of voters to its total population. South Carolina’s population is slightly more than 3.5 million, while only 1.2 million people voted in the last presi dential race in 1996. To vote in the upcoming primary or caucus, one must be 18 years old by the general election in November and must be a U.S. citizen. Other qualifications include being a resident in the district in which you plan to vote, not being imprisoned and not being judged mentally incompe tent. Registered USC students can vote in either primary, caucus or the gener al election at the Capital Senior Cen ter at 1650 Park Circle, just off Pick ens Street. According to Wilson, voters can only vote in either the Republican Pri mary or the Democratic Caucus, but voting in either one doesn’t mean you have to vote for that party in the general election. Also, during the general election one can split their vote for local offices, because in South Carolina one doesn’t register by party affiliation. To vote in any primary or caucus, one must be registered three days be forehand, and to vote in the general election in November one has to be Voters see page m Senate discusses pharmacy funding by Amanda Silva Staff Writer A bill that addresses the funding for the College of Pharmacy’s professional graduate department was introduced at the Student Government senate meeting Wednesday night According to the college, its funds are significantly lower than those of other pro fessional programs like medicine and law. “We have had declining funding for years, and we need stability to carry on our profes sional obligations, just like the medical and law schools,” College of Pharmacy Sens. Bree Goldberg and Kevin Cogsdill said. The bill was suggested by Student Gov ernment Adviser Woody Carothers and pro poses that pharmacy students receive “38 percent of $42 of tuition and fees paid per semester by each full-time student” for the last two years of their program. . The pharmacy program lasts for 6 1-2 years, as opposed to the four-year programs of the Schools of Medicine and Law. Therefore, pharmacy students are paying ac tivity fees for an additional 2 1-2 years, de spite their low funding. The College of Pharmacy offers a pro gram leading to a doctorate of pharmacy degree, as do the Schools of Medicine and Law. All three of these degrees are terminal degrees, which means that they differ great ly from bachelor’s degrees. “The doctorate of medicine, jurispru dence and pharmacy degrees are all profes sional degrees with extended duration,” Col lege of Pharmacy professor Farid Sadik said. However, the College of Pharmacy is the only college that requires two years of 600 level courses in order to graduate with a bach elor’s degree. “We are unique in that we receive a ter minal doctorate degree in our field; there fore, we also should receive special consid eration and autonomy in allocating our funds,” Goldberg said. Senate see page a2 ' ' £''■ 'r"l " ”'w; "^'v ■" ■ ,^"v w VV” -r '-^V 4W'7f''7..... The Gamecock asked 200 students their opinions on the Confederate flag. Want to know what they had to say? Check it out Monday. „r ... """ 1 T .—. . .-!. ..■■■. .We-ather Inside Datebook -Poll Results Today 54 31 Saturday 55 31 Sports previews Gamecock baseball Special Section Friday • Baseball vs. Charleston Southern, 3 p.m. (home) * Saturday • Student Leadership Training Conference • Racquetball doubles be gin • Round Table Gaming Society, noon to 11:45 p.m., RH 4 Should USC tear down the Coliseum after the new arena opens? 62%-Yes 38%-No J||s> 1^/ Vole at www.gamecock.sc.edu. Results will be published Friday.