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_ Vol. 93, No. 61 Frid February 11, 2000_ ^ ^ ^ Serv _ ^ ina Community since 1008 Senate amends financial codes by Brandon Larrabee Associate News Editor An amendment changing the way the College of Pharmacy’s student organizations are funded passed the student senate Wednes day. The amendment reserves 38 percent of 11 the $42 of tuition and fees paid by fifth- and sixth-year students in the college for use by the college’s organizations. The amendment sets up a committee made up of the college’s dean and student senators; the president, vice president, and treasurer of the college; and the school’s stu dent government adviser. oupiAJiieib ui uie uui tugueu 11 w<u> nee essary to put the college on equal funding with the other professional schools, such as the School of Law and the School of Medi cine. Supporters said the college is technical ly a professional college, since students grad uate with a doctoral degree alter six and a half years of education. After two years of general education, stu dents must apply to the college for another four and a half years. “It is a professional program,” said Sen. Kevin Cogsdill. “We receive a terminal de gree in our field.” According to supporters, the college needs the funds to send delegates to national con ventions, bring speakers to campus and run service projects. The amendment would add about $2,000 to the budgets of the college’s organizations. Senators from USC’s professional pro grams supported the bill. Sen. Christian Stegmaier, who represents the School of Law, described how profes sional schools affect a student, saying a stu dent’s entire academic and social lives “re volve around the Law School.” He said it was reasonable to fund the Col lege of Pharmacy the same way as other pro fessional schools. “I Chink it’s inherently lair, he said. Sen. William Frick, also a law student, agreed the debate was about fairness. “We’re asking for fairness and justice,” Frick said. “That’s what we’re talking about.” He also suggested the $2,000 in in creases tlie school would need could be found elsewhere. “We’re going to end up with more than we need” in the New Clubs Fund, he said. “Believe me, we can handle a $2,000 in crease,” Frick said. But those against the bill disagreed. Sen. Jessica Lentini said the pharmacy organizations should have to go through the same funding process undergraduate student organizations go through. _ “I think that the same rules should apply ® all student organizations,” Lentini said. She also disputed the fact that the phar macy college was similar to the School of Law, saying students had to apply to a new school to attend the latter. “It’s not applying for an upper division or an upper level,” she said. Senate Finance Committee Chairwoman Sally Ballentine also opposed the amendment. “This is not a mystical amount of mon ey that’s out there,” Ballentine said. “Two Senate see pace a2 Candidates share their platforms Travis Lynn Photo Editor Student Government candidates debated on Greene Street Thursday afternoon. Students who missed the event can view It on the RHA channel. R will be aired next week. Trustees to vote on Vista arena Proposal would keep Coliseum by Patrick Rathbun Assistant News Editor USC’s Board of Trustees’ Buildings and Grounds Committee on Thursday presented the final ver sion of its plan for a $54 million university arena to be built in the Vista. According to USC President John Palms, the plan includes keeping the Carolina Coliseum af * __• i_• IC1 uiCTUCiia is uum, “Our proposal is based up on the existing Carolina Col iseum remaining available for university use for the forsee able future,” he said. The board will await the internal and external archi tects’ review of the universi ty’s Facilities Master Plan be fore presenting a final recommendation for the fu turp nf thp Cnlkpnm Palme said. The arena plans will next be presented to-the full board on Feb. 24. Upon approval by the en tire board, the project will be presented to the Commission on Higher Education and the Budget and Control Board this summer. Palms spoke of the proposed facility with high regard. “It is a modem, first-class venue,” he said. “(The arena] can draw both significant athletic and en tertainment events. The arena will provide bas ketball with its best possible venue, which is our primary objective.” Funding for the arena will come from various sources, including $28 million in Athletics De partment bonds. $12.5 million will come from state appropriations, including $2.5 million in state cap ital reserves, $2.5 million in state supplemental funds and $7.5 million in capital improvement bonds. $7.5 million will come from tax revenues incurred by the City of Columbia, Richland Coun ty and Lexington County, and $6 million will come from up-front arena suite sales and service con tracts secured by the Athletics Department. Trustees’ plans are for a 33,000-square-foot structure that will hold more than 18,000 specta tors for USC basketball games. The facility is al so planned to include a permanent ice rink for mi nor league hockey events, with seating for more than 12,000 spectators. The build ing will be capable of host ing other major events, in cluding various university activities, family shows, con certs, ice shows, figure-skat ing competitions, rodeos, dirt based events, wrestling and most other activities, with seating capacities ranging from 12,000 to 19,000.' rauns also saw sui ficient space will also be provided for building man agement, ticket offices, basketball and hockey lock er rooms, storage and concession areas, and a USC Hall of Fame, as well as other facilities. The are na will be constructed to include 90,000 square feet of space on the mezzanine level for the Col lege of Hospitality, Retail and Sports Management. The space will require an additional $11.25 mil lion. Athletics Director Mike McGee and Rosser International Inc., the arena’s architecture firm, made presentations at the Thursday committee meeting. The arena’s final recommended appearance will be presented to the full board for approval lat er this spring. During the next 45 days, architects will continue to work with USC’s Architectural Design and Review Committee and the city’s Vista Design Guidelines Committee. 'Our proposal is based upon the existing ... Coliseum remaining available for university use in the forseeable future.’ John Palms University President Candidate Alan Keyes stops at USC by Brandon Larrabee Associate News Editor Confronting students who disagreed with his takes on history and abortion, Republican presidential can didate Alan Keyes came to USC with a message of moral leadership and liberty. Keyes often combined the two ideas, arguing that morality and liberty are intertwined. “The very idea of rights is a moral concept,” Keyes said. “We ascribe our claim of rights to the authority of the Creator, God.” Keyes based his aiguments largely on historical precedent. He invoked slavery, the Roman Empire and other historical events in defense of his points. One student took issue with Keyes on, among oth er historical interpretations, the candidate’s contention that abortion was one of the reasons African-Ameri cans would no longer be the largest minority group in America. Keyes said that change would take place by the second decade of the 21st century. The student challenged Keyes’ assertion, claim ing the immigration of Hispanics and other groups played a larger role. Keyes questioned that argu ment. “How do you magically know that?” Keyes asked. “We can’t conduct that particular experiment, can we?” Eventually, the student shot back, “As a student of this university, I would ask you please show a little more respect to us when you’re visiting.” The student then left the event. Another student challenged Keyes on abortion. Keyes gave his reasoning for not accepting the premise that a fetus is not “an actual person.” “There was a time in this country when I was not an actual person,” Keyes boomed. He also spoke of the founding fathers in his aigu ment. “What they said was, we are created equal,” he said. “The equality doesn’t begin when you decide. It begins when God decides.” Keyes also talked about the Confederate flag is sue. “As a black American, I understand ...what black Americans are saying about the flag,” Keyes said. “People need to listen to that, understand that this is for real,” he said. However, Keyes said he also respected the sacri fice of soldiers who fought for the Confederacy. “I have to respect that sincerity of the sacrifice and that virtue which they showed,” he said. Keyes didn’t take a stand on whether the flag should come down, though he admitted his comments showed a preference. “I think that preference ought to be pretty clear anyway,” Keyes said. However, Keyes also said the issue wouldn’t be resolved until South Carolinians sat down and talked about it. “That’s something nobody can do for you,” Keyes said. Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Arizona Sen. John McCain, who lead Keyes by a large margin in South Carolina, have declined to take a position on the flag, saying it’s a state issue. Keyes’ speech focused on liberty and morality, claiming that Americans were surrendering their rights to the government. “We’re already on the way to a totalitarian state,” Keyes sard. Keyes said the loss of American rights includes fi nancial rights, which Keyes said were taken away by Keye* SEE PAGE A2 Amy Goulding Photo Editor Republican hopeful Alan Keyes speaks to students In the Russell House Theater on Thursday. Keyes took time to answer questions from members of the audiance. SHARE educates students about sex by Betsy Baugh AND Phil Watson Staff Writer Sex was the topic of choice on Greene Street this week as part of a student or ganization’s promotion of Sexual Re sponsibility Week. Sexual Responsibility Week, spon sored by the Sexual Health Awareness and Rape Education group, was aimed at sup porting values like abstinence, safe sex, and the naturalness of sexuality and its role as a healthy part of life. Although the event was sponsored by SHARE, other campus organizations took part. STARRS, a sorority organization, the Association of African-American Stu dents, the W'omen’s Student Organiza tion, Omega Phi Alpha and the Associa tion of Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Students all helped with the event. “Sexual Responsibility Week is about promoting healthy choices about sex, in cluding abstinence,” said SHARE mem ber Regina Wragg, a chemistry freshman. According to SHARE, one of its main goals is to promote the prevention of sex ually transmitted diseases. This goal di rected the focus for the week, which em SHARE SEE PAGE A2 Weather Inside Datebook Online Poll Today 70 49 Saturday 65 44 Columnist expresses delusions of grandeur Page A6 Friday • Track at Va. Tech Invi tational Saturday • Women’s tennis vs. Arkansas, 2:30 p.m. • Baseball at Old Domin ion, 1:30 p.m. Should professors be required to post their class syllabuses online? 87%-Yes 13%-No Look for next week’s question in Monday’s edition of The Gamecock.