Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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_ Vol. 93, No. 77 Mon1 March 27, 2000 _ mu Community since 1Q08 Napster service won’t face restrictions at USC USC still watching for copyright violators by Brad Walters Manacinc Editor USC won’t restrict students’ use of Napster, a software program allowing students to download Mjusic free from the Internet, despite how the pro gram is starting to clog campus computer networks nationwide. “Computer Services, as a central oiganization, does not have any plans at the present to block Napster,” said Bill Mowery, computer systems di rector. “We haven’t yet performed any particular network studies to see how [Napster] has had an effect on the system.” Even though USC doesn’t plan on banning Nap ster, Mowery says Computer Services is monitor ing students’ accounts to see who’s violating copy right laws. Copyright infringement becomes an issue when a student downloads a music fde that has been cre ated from a recording sold commercially. According to USC’s computer usage rules, downloading com mercial music is in violation of university policy and punishable through disciplinary action. Napster software lets users search for music on the computers of everyone else who is linked to Napster at the same time, which can cause prob lems because high student usage blocks many schools’ primary Internet roadways to the outside world. Studies at other universities have shown Napster users to take up more than 80 percent of traffic on university networks. The technology’s abilities haven’t endeared Napster to the Recording Industry of America, which accuses the company of encouraging peo ple to break the law by pirating commercially recorded music from the Internet. According to Mowery, the RIA has also scanned USC’s networks looking for illegal usage. Napster announced last week that it is chang ing the way its program works in an effort to please the dozens of universities that had banned it be cause students were clogging up the schools’ com puter networks. The changes will mean search requests will first be handled locally — on the special, high speed network shared only by universities and oth er research-based institutions. Only if a request can’t be satisfied that way will it cross the school’s pipeline to the laiger Internet, greatly reducing the traffic on those roads. Indiana University, which had banned the software, has decided to allow it again on a trial basis now that Napster has agreed to change the way the program works. “It’s a pretty viable resource,” said Ryan Bruner, a freshman at Indiana, as he listened to a Keith Sweat recording. “When they took it away, we were really pissed off.” Bfuner set up a petition drive and a Web site called “Students Against University Censorship” for students at universities that he says have banned Napster. The site, www.savenapster.com, listed 195 universities that were continuing to ban Napster. Students whQ use Napster say paying between $15 and $20 for a CD can make downloading the same songs off the Internet — and the legal risk Napster see page A2 Some schools that have banned Napster: • Furman University • University of Tennessee • East Tennessee State • University of Alabama • Alabama State • University of Connecticut • University of Minnesota • New York University • Arizona State University • University of Texas Source: www savanapster oom Bike trip will raise money for cancer society by Amanda Silva Staff Writer A USC exercise science graduate stu dent will embark on a cross-country bike trip this summer to benefit the American Cancer Society. Deidre Watson will lead the Relay for Life Team, which includes one of Ol son’s friends and a professor from East Tennessee State University. ■» The trip begins in Charleston and ends in San Diego. Watson said it’s hard to tell exactly how long the trip will lake, but estimated its length at 45 days. In order to make it in that lime, the team must ride 75 to 80 miles a day. “It all depends on the terrain,” Wat son said. “I rode 40 miles today, and it look about two-and-a-half hours.” Watson began training for the event about two months ago and is presently riding about 40 to 50 miles a day. According to Watson, the team will follow a route on a pre-ordered map from Calilomia, outlining easier lerrain. Another of Watson’s friends will fol low the team on its journey, driving a van loaded with camping supplies. Watson said the team will be camping the entire way to reduce costs. Watson and friends decided months ago that they wanted to ride cross-coun try. However, it was the loss of a friend to brain cancer in Januaiy that fueled their ambition and led them to dedicate their journey to the American Cancer Society. The team has received more than $2,000 from friends and family so far and has set a minimum fund-raising goal of £6,0<*1, to go to llie American Cancer So ciety. In order to raise more money, Wat son has tentatively scheduled a bike raf fle for May 1, and the team plans to or ganize a fund-raiser at a bar in Virginia. The team has pledged to pay the dif ference if it doesn’t reach its fund-raising goal. Watson is scheduled to appear from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday on 90.5 WUSC-FM’s Girl Show. | Event celebrates Indian culture Amt Goulding Photo Editor Members of the Indian Cultural Exchange on Saturday participate in India Night, an event intended to raise awareness of Indian cul ture. The second annual event featured traditional and modem Indian dancing and fashions. Eaddy creates new Cabinet positions by Brandon Larrabee Associate News Editor Forty-two people have applied for the 25 Cabinet positions that will be filled one week from today, Jotaka Ead dy said. Eaddy said the number of appli cations exceeded her expectations. “That’s more than I expected, giv en that there are only 25 Cabinet po sitions,” Eaddy said. Applications were due Friday. In terviews begin today and are scheduled through Friday. However, Eaddy said she might have to hold interviews through Saturday because of the number of applications. Eaddy said she had reviewed ap plications and was checking references. “I have done the preliminary work,” she said. Eaddy said she’s looking for peo ple who have “the betterment of the university in mind” to serve on the Stu dent Government’s 2000-01 Cabinet. “I’m looking for people who are dedicated and motivated, who are ready to serve the university,” Eaddy said. However, Eaddy said she hasn T made any decisions on who she will ap point. “You always have people in mind for Cabinet positions,’’ Eaddy said, but she added that she couldn’t make a fair decision until the selection process is over. Eaddy said she has changed the re sponsibilities of the Cabinet members. “1 had to go and re-evaluate what each position is,” Eaddy said. She has also created several new positions: director of international stu dent affairs, director of graduate stu dent affairs, director of financial affairs and director of research and develop ment. The director of international stu dent affairs will serve as a liason be tween USC’s international students and SG, Eaddy said. “They work with fostering rela tions between Student Government and international students,” Eaddy said. She said that sometimes the issues of international students on campus are not addressed. “That position will serve as that voice for that community within Stu dent Government,” Eaddy said. The director of graduate affaire will serve as the liason between USC grad uate students and SG, Eaddy said. “They are just as much a part of the university as undergraduate students,” she said. She said some graduate students didn’t even know they could vole in SG elections. “We need more involvement from graduate students in Student Govern ment,” Eaddy said. The director of financial affairs would serve as an assistant to the SG treasurer and as a non-voting member of the Senate Finance Committee, and would report to the Cabinet on issues related to SG finances. The director of research and de velopment would research SG pro posals, including whether the ideas have been tried at any other schools and how successful those efforts have been. “In order for Student Government to effectively be heard ... we have to do our homework,” Eaddy said. “We have to know what it is that we’re doing.” Eaddy also combined several Cab inet positions, freeing up some of the 25 maximum Cabinet positions to work on student projects. “It was not necessarily efficient having two separate positions” in some cases, Eaddy said. The parking and dining services po sitions will be combined into one di CABINET see page A2 Amt Goulding Photo Editor Student body President Jotaka Eaddy, left, Is sworn Into office by SG Chief Justice Camber Cauthen last Wednesday. NAACP targets rebel flag on Texas courthouse by Susan Parrott The Associated Press Fort Worth, Texas — Gov. George W. Bush should remove an image of the Con federate battle flag from inside the Texas Supreme Court building, the national presi dent of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said Friday. But Kweisi Mfume, who has led the NAACP’s economic boycott against South Carolina for flying the banner atop its stale capitol, said Bush should push for the removal because it’s the morally right thing to do — not because the civil rights gToup threatens a Texas boycott. “1 would hope the governor does not need the NAACP to appeal to him, but that his heart would appeal to him,” Mfume said. ‘ ’The intolerance the flag represents should not be condoned in any public building.” Mfume spoke at a regional conference of the NAACP in Fort Worth. The NAACP’s economic boycott of South Carolina apparently has gained momentum since it began in January. Mfume said 92 oiganizations have withdrawn from region al and district meetings that were scheduled for the state. He said South Carolina will set the stage for how other states deal with the flag issue. “If we are successful in South Carolina, more states will be inclined to do the same thing,” Mfume said. On Friday, Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas chapter of the NAACP, reissued his call for Bush to remove the Texas plaque, calling it “a symbol of racism, division and hatred.” Flag supporters say it represents Southern history and heritage. Bush has said he is studying the request. When the presumptive Republican presi dential nominee was asked in South Caroli na about the state’s use of the battle flag, he said voters there should decide the issue. A spokeswoman for Bush’s office did not re turn phone calls made by The Associated Press seeking comment. Bledsoe said many blacks might not sup port Bush for president if he does not take action in Texas. “It’s clear if you are trying to reach out for the African-American vote, this is a sig nificant issue,” Bledsoe said. “You can’t say you are conservative and compassionate on one hand, but on the other hand, stand with people who are racist. ” The Texas plaque is located in the en NAACP SEE PAGE A2 Weather Inside Datebook Online Poll Tod\y 71 50 Tuesday 66 45 Baseball loses two of three at LSU Page B1 Monday • The Gamecock, 4 p.m., RH 333 • Fraternity Council, 4 p.m., RH 322/326 • Sorority Council, 5 p.m., RH 322/326 • CP, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday • AAAS, 6 p.m., RH The ater • S.C. Student Legisla ture, 9 p.m. • RHA, 7 p.m., RH 307 • Spring Board, 5:30 p.m. •FOCUS, 8:15 p.m., ' Women’s Club Should universities regulate students’ Internet surfing? f/ Vote at www.giimccock.sc.edu. Results will be published Friday.