The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 17, 2000, Page A2, Image 2
Carolina News
False alarm
leads to
Bates West
evacuation
i
by Patrick Rathbun
Assistant News Editor
A false fire alarm around 10:30 p.m.
Wednesday led to an evacuation of the
Bates Wfest residence hall.
The alarm was triggered after a
fifth-floor mechanical room heating unit
began to smoke after overheating, ac
cording to Assistant Director of Resident
Life Andy Fink. Fink said a faulty belt in
the heating unit caused the malfunction.
No injuries or property damage was
reported.
, The Columbia police and fire de
partments responded to the alarm and as
sessed the situation, but found no fire, Fink
said. The smoke was cleared out of the
building quickly and easily, he said.
USC spokesman Jason Snyder said the
incident was “not a big deal.”
' “We evacuate buildings fairly fre
quently [for non-fire reasons],” he said.
Director of Housing and Judicial Ser
vices Gene Luna said he agreed that the
event wasn’t of great importance.
“[This was] one of our most minor in
cidents,” he said.
Fink said he had a positive outlook on
the event.
“I think what happened is good,” he
said. “The fire system went off as it should
have if it were serious.”
Fink said the building was evacuated
and the police and fire departments re
sponded all within half an hour, and the
students only had to wait outside for 20
to 25 minutes.
He said university machinery is rou
tinely checked, but that events like this
sometimes happen.
USC Maintenance Services repaired
the heating unit Thursday.
Health Center
from page A1
ment in clinical practice and health-care management, ac
cording to the AAAHC.
For an organization to be accredited, it must first partici
pate in a thorough, multistep evaluation process that includes
self-assessment and an on-site survey conducted by a group of
volunteer medical surveyors.
The final accreditation decision is made by the AAAHC
Accreditation Committee, also a volunteer group of profes
sionals.
According to the AAAHC, accreditation lasts three years,be
fore the Health Center must be re-evaluated.
The duration of accreditation depends on the oiganiza
tion’s level of compliance with AAAHC standards.
The AAAHC is expected to return in September 2002 to
re-evaluate the health center.
Tab Henderson The Gamecock
The Thomson Student Health Center, adjacent to
the Russell House has been reaccredited by a
national organization. The Health Center has
been accredited since 1982.
Fordham
from page A1
organizations. I served my tenure
with integrity, even after individuals
tried to go against ihe unity of an or
ganization.”
Fordham said she considered the
spring budgeting process her biggest ac
complishment. She said the committee
worked well together and made deci
sions almost unanimously.
One of the challenges Fordham faced
as treasurer was a reduction in under
graduate funds caused by a drop in en
rollment and the student senate’s deci
sion to set aside the School of Pharmacy’s
funds.
“Despite these difficulties, I worked
with the Student Government adviser
Students show dorm rooms on Internet
by Elizabeth Simnacher
College Press Exchange
Carri Brodnax recently was talking long-distance
from her Florida home to her boyfriend Ryan Scott, a
Southern Methodist University senior, when the con
nection suddenly went dead.
Luckily, Brodnax’s brother had already been on
line, so she quickly clicked on Scott’s home page be
cause she knew her boyfriend’s dorm room would be
visible, thanks-to a Web camera that was up and run
ning.
There, Brodnax could see a seconds-old photo of
Scott. “She saw me leaning back in my chair against the
wall,” Scott said.
Scott, who was diagnosed as an epileptic when he
was in high school, had experienced agrand mal seizure.
Brodnax called Scott’s mother, who managed to
get medical attention for him in Dallas by calling 911
in Orlando, Fla. He received help fast, thanks partly to
the Wfeb camera connected to the PC in his dorm room.
College students like Scott are using some of the
millions of inexpensive Wfeb cameras to transmit pic
tures of dorm rooms and apartments on their Wfeb pages,
mostly just because they can.
Three popular sites featuring student home pages
equipped with Wfebcams are Real College Life (www.re
alcollegelife.com), College Cams (www.college
cams.com) and WfebDorm (www.webdorm.com). Many
feature shots of the staples of college life: messy rooms
and dirty dishes in the sink.
A 1999 Logitech-Greenfield Online study of teens
and college students found that 63 percent keep in touch
with their families and friends more now than three
years ago, thanks in part to Webcams. The same study
found that 39 percent either used or were familiar with
Web camera technology.
A study commissioned by Intel estimated that 2.5
million Wfeb cameras were sold in 1999, up from 350,000
in 1997. By 2001, the projected sales will be 10 mil
lion cameras, according to the same study.
Typically, Web cameras capture everyday events
in a student’s life.
Amanda, 19, is a sophomore at the University of
Minnesota and a devoted Webcam user. She asked that
her last name not be used. She said she gets messages
from viewers such as, “I saw you folding your clothes.”
Inevitably, there are long, boring stretches: “I let
DeoDle watch me sleeD.” Amanda said.
“It’s just fun,” she said when asked why she pho
tographs her life and puts it on the Internet. Her friends
generally don’t mind, she said. “We’re a crazy bunch.”
But why broadcast your life?
Lillian Beeson studies communication at the Uni
versity of Pittsbuigh’s Greensbuig campus, where she
is an associate professor and the director of the Hu
manities Academic Village.
“I don’t understand this usage myself,” said Bee
son. “I guess this is the age of exhibitionism for some.
Look at the talk shows.”
Or perhaps students are experiencing the same sense
of community that mass media generated when a good
portion of us watched the same television shows at the
same time, Beeson said. Or, simply put, maybe “they
get a kick out of watching each other.”
For several reasons, college students are a natural
market for Web cameras.
“College students are consummate communica
tors,” said Bruce Friedricks, senior vice president of
worldwide marketing at Logitech, a company that makes
PC peripherals, including a Web camera called Quick
Cam. “You’re looking at a generation that grew up on
the Internet,” he said.
“College students probably are the most Internet
heavy group, and they have good Internet connections
in their dorm rooms,” said Allison Mahoney, a spokes
woman for the college-oriented Web site WebDorm.
The Web cameras are “embraced by popular cul
ture,” said Friedricks. In the last six months, Web cam
eras have appeared on television shows including
“3rd Rock from the Sun,” “Ally McBeal” and “Bev
eny Mins vu/iu ana in tne movie American ne.
These days, a basic Web camera and software cost
about $50 — around the price of a college textbook.
Besides Logitech, makers include Intel, Kodak and Cre
ative Labs. All also offer models in the $80 to $150
range. These offer higher resolution and more features.
Finally, college students are psychologically ripe
for the Web camera phenomenon.
“They’re in a very social part of their lives,” said
Friedricks.
They may be separated from family and friends for .
the first time.
Scott bought his Web camera as a way to keep in
touch with his girlfriend and mother in Florida.
With the increase in geographically separated fam
ilies, Webcams have become a new tool.
“In that sense, I think it could help families get clos
er together,” Beeson said.
and rearranged funds from the Student
Government account and moved $2,000
of our money to the general budgeting
fund,” Fordham said.
- If Fordham had had more time, she
said she would have liked to get a pro
posal for a change in the constitution to
make the treasurer the Finance Com
mittee chairman. She said she doesn’t
think the treasurer has enough power
as an elected official to help with the
allocation process.
“I leave Student Government in the
hands of new leaders. They are all new
executive officers, and I have faith that
they will serve their student body well,”
Fordham said.
Fordham, who will be graduated in
May, said she has thought about apply
ing next year for an open senate seat in
the School of Law if she attends USC
in the fall.
Senate
from page A1
“The whole point of this was to
keep people in senate and not have
open senate seats.”
Fletcher said she didn’t know
whether she would bring the amend
ment up again after the new senate
begins business. She said she would
have to look into some of the ques
tions other senators raised about the
bill.
The senate also approved a bill
that adds the administration of Clean
Carolina to the responsibilities of the
Student Services Committee. The pro
gram will split the campus into 36 sec
tions, and two student organizations
will each be responsible for cleaning
it once a month. A kick-off for the
program is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Thursday on Greene Street.
Wednesday marked the end of the
2000-2001 senate term. New senators
BATES HOUSE
Maria Deligiannidou
Nathan Mitchell
Clayton Jones
Tim Herndon
Lewis Brown
Jason Ambrose
Roshan Armstrong
Tamara Mungin
Shamika Cohen
Katie DeJongh
Teyako Gibbs
Sean Chisolm
Rodney Johnson
Eric Comette
Henry Singleton
Eddie Black
Ra’mon Wideman
Vernon Rogers
Elizabeth Rhoten
BATES WEST
Trenten Prioleau
Karen Oliver
Damian Williams
Funmilayo Eke
CAPSTONE
Adam Humphreys
Natalie Guthrie
Rachana Desai
Carrie McCullough
Chris White
Dwayne Ajieren
Brian McCants
Tony King
John Smith
John Fogarty
Katrina Scott
Mia Brinkley
Markesha Miller
James Young
Antoine Bryd
COLUMBIA HALL
Regina Parker
Kanika Speach
Melissa Morgan
Tyson Ray
Nicole Mayemik
Keyona King
Damion Brown
Shinique Rivers
Ben Wilhelm
Anand Jobanputra
DOUGLAS
Marsden Johnson
Joseph Morris
Lionel Thomas
Ron Wertz
Michael Matthews
Tiran Thomas
Bobby Bellinger
Kris Ancone
Jerry Edwards
HORSESHOE
Eric Davis, CA
Russell Nurick, CA
LaBOBDE
Kelly Caine
Dan Robert
Damien Johnson
Uche Anadu
Armando Martinez
Omni Porter
MAXCY
Ivonne Goodwin
David Smith
Melissa Mortimer
David Young
Aaron Hark
Cara Freije
McBRYDE
Christopher Gardiner
Ellis Cammons
Chad Owens
Chase Colbert
Jason Harvey
James Kmetz
Jess Rapp
Joseph Sobieralski
Mark Thomas
Ryan Foster
Brad Martin
Michael Scott
Trey Duckett
Derrick Sullivan
McCLIIITOCK
Leah Genest
Jennifer Shannon
Katie Schrock
Lisa Edge
Beth Harrill
Elise Whitman
MOORE
Tony Stelzner
Andrew Jones
Ryan Stokes
Grant Wooten
Skip Imgrund
Rob Gruen
Cathy Brown
Jeannie Schumpert
Rcgine Jacobs
Audrey McCall
Adrienne Supemault
Maria Swinton
PATTERSON HALL
Marketa Bullard
Gershona Holmes
Adrien Brown
Hermania Bulluck, CA
Jennifer Gamble
Marcia Seawright
Rochelle Gaymon
Bhavini Patel
Deneshia Graham
Kristin Koch
Malea Johnson
Nikki McClean
Kenya Carver
Genesia Reed
Aisha Taylor
April Freeman
Jessica Thomas
Sherrigan Feaster
Yvette Duckson
Monique Smith
Nerice Lochansky
Kerrin Duggins
La-Tisha Hemingway
Hillary Hueghman
PRESTON
Sarah Murray
Ed Knisley
James Becnel
BOOST
Mark Brown
Henry Thompson
Stacy Mouzon
Natolie Gray
SjMS
Melissa Ford
Phelicia Cooper
M. Kelly Carter
Aimee Britt
Jachelle Garrett
SNOWDEN
Jimmy Dickson
David Jones
Phillip Murray
Gregory Pali
George Cooper
Matthew Luckens
Justin Shearer
SOUTH QUAD
Wendy King, CA
Denise Dunbar, CA
Jason Hinton, CA
Dan Stanik, CA
SOUTH TOWER
Amy Gossett
Liz Galinis
Tracy Bonds
Whitney Shively
Missy Brazzell
Susan Stone
Kim Deason
Jennifer Bennett
Shana Kinard
Katie Taylor
Jennifer Arp
Joann Johnston
Carolyn Brocco
Ginn Haley
Heather McDonald
Rebecca Zimmer
Wendy Lewis
WADE HAMPTON
Lakicha Louden
Alicia Dunson
Sarah Patrick
Tevra Johnson
Ragin King
Beth Bridges
Irisha Scott
Communities Designed for living £ Learning