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(Entertainment Television) 25 TNN (The Nashville Network) 26 DSC (The Discovery Channel) 27 CMDY (Comedy Central) 28 ESPN 2 (Sports) 29 SCffT (The Sci Fi Network) 30 NICK (Nickelodeon) ,31 AMC (American Movie Classics) 32 FAM (Fox Family Channel) 33 Ml .A 34 TOON (CartoonNetwofk) 35INTL (International Television) Summer reading helpful to students by Meg McSherry Breslin College Press Exchange A recent high school graduate, Dennis Lashoff is still recovering from a bad case of senioritis. He flunked physics last year, got a D in math, and watched his grade- point average plunge to 2.1. In the past, students like Lashoff used the summer before their freshman year of college to recover from such setbacks, basking in a sort of last hurrah to youth, with extended curfews, easing of parental rules and hours at the beach. But Lashoff and an increasing number of college bound students are getting a gentle wake-up call from universities. Hoping to launch students into a world of intellectual vigor long before they arrive on cam pus, scores of colleges are requiring incoming fresh men to hit the books over the summer. College officials say summer readings are an ide al way to move the focus away from the social aspects of college that tend to dominate students' minds in the weeks before school. The books give students some thing meatier to think about than whether they’ll make the cut at fraternity or sorority rush or if they'll like their roommate. “I'm hot on these programs because they signal to students a new level of responsibility and the tact that college is about academics, and I think that signal is important,” said Randy Swing, assistant director of the Policy Center on the First Year of College. His North Carolina-based group has been funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts to study the impact of freshman pro grams on dropout rates and other measures of student success. While many liberal arts colleges and agood num ber of high schools have had summer reading programs in place for decades, interest in the programs has grown dramatically in the last several years, said Randy Swing,assistant director of the Policy Center on the First Year of College. The laiger schools adding such programs for fresh men include the USC, Miami University, the Uni versity of Texas at Austin, the University of Penn sylvania, Ball State University in Indiana, the University of Cincinnati, and the Oshkosh and Whitewater cam puses of the University of Wisconsin. While he is encouraged by the interest, Swing said colleges should be careful about how they carry out their reading assignments. “A lot of students don't do the work, and it's not clear that schools hold students accountable,” Swing said. “If done poorly, this could actually signal to stu dents that [following through] is not important.” Much of the interest in summer reading comes out of a renewed focus on the freshman year experi ence. At some schools, reading assignments are just one part of an elaborate summer orientation program in which students and parents spend days meeting class mates, getting acquainted with their surroundings, tak ing placement tests and meeting for discussions. This allows students to start their college careers feeling more connected to a community, college leaders say. A generation ago, the message many freshmen got during orientation was very different. One of the peo ple sitting next to you won't make it to graduation day, students were told, so buckle down, and you won't be the one who fails. Universities started to abandon such scare tactics after receiving pressure to improve their dropout rates, especially when highlighted in college rankings such as those of US. News and World Report. Colleges al so came to realize the crucial importance of the first year, a time when many students are struggling through a major life change. Freshman year is when students are most at risk of dropping out. Nationally, 33 percent of freshmen at four-year public universities drop out before reach ing their sophomore year, according to the most re cent data from the company that administers the ACT. Previously, colleges relied heavily on social ac tivities to help ease students into the first weeks of school. Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., for several years threw a block party for incoming stu dents, closing off streets surrounding the university. The party eventually got rowdy and out of hand, and the university administration decided to shift gears. “We wanted to emphasize that academics is the important part of our institution and not that they should just come to college'for parties,” said Nancy Spann, the university's director of general studies. The school's summer reading program is in its fourth year. Colleges often select books tackling life-change issues because students can relate to the storylines. Themes relating to racial and ethnic diversity also are popular, as are adventures. One popular selection in recent years was Alex Kotlowitz's “There are No Children Here: The Sto ry of Two Boys Growing up in the Other America,” which chronicles life in a Chicago public housing de velopment and touches on race, class and poverty. The Greek classics the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey” also have been popular, as have “Einstein's Dreams” by Alan Lightman, “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, “A Move able Feast” by Ernest Hemingway, and “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albont, which addresses the spe cial relationship Albont developed with a former pro ItJbbUI. Sometimes universities choose spiritual or prac tical books, such as “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” by Harold Kushner or “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. USC’s First Year Reading exerience is the nation al model. This year’s book is Michael Shaara’s “The Killer Angel,” which is about the battle of Gettysbuig. Mary Stuart Hunter, director of the National Re source Center on the First Year Experience at USC, said getting students to read the summer books isn't a challenge, despite some initial grumbling. “It's amaz ing that early in the life of a college student, you tell them to do something, and they do it,” she said. “Lat er on, it's a different story.” At USC, about 600 students are selected. Hon ors college students and selected University 101 class es are sent a book and a letter during the summer. The students are asked to read thebook and attend a dis cussion the Monday after moving in. Editor’s note: The Gamecock contributed to this ar ticle. University deeply rooted in state's history by Phil Watson The Gamecock Since its founding in 1801, USC has built a rich and storied history whose most aged and cherished remnants can still be seen with one look around the historic Horseshoe area of campus. In 1801, South Carolina College was founded. It quickly became known as one of the best academic institutions in the United States. South Carolina Col lege was the first state university to be funded by annual appropriations from the state. Before the Civil War, the college’s campus consisted of the buildings on the Horseshoe and the Longstreet Theatre. The only building now on the Horse shoe that wasn’t part of the original cam pus is the McKissick Museum. The original faculty of South Car olina College was very well known in the early 19th century academic com munity. Francis Lieber, author of “Civil Liberty and Self-Government” and editor of Encyclopedia Americana was a professor at the college. Famous scientists John and Joseph LeConte and William Eller also faculty members. . James H. Hammond and Wade Hamp ton are among South Carolina College’s most distinguished alumni from the antebellum period. South Carolina College went through some major changes during the Civil War. At that time, only males were allowed 4 to attend the college. Virtually all stu dents enlisted in the Confederate Army when the war began. Because of this, the college closed down in 1862. The buildings on the Horseshoe were used as a hospital by the Confederacy. In Feb ruary 1865, Sherman’s troops reached Columbia and turned the Horseshoe buildings into a Union hospital. When Sherman set Columbia ablaze, he ordered his federal troops to save the Horseshoe from destruction. Because of these orders, the buildings that stand on USC’s Horseshoe are some of the old est in Columbia. When the Civil War ended in 1865, the college reopened. In the latter part of the 19th century, the school went through numerous changes. South Carolina College changed its name six times during this period. State legisla tors, school administrators, students and faculty couldn’t agree on how the school should be run. In 1906, the college was rechartered for the last time, and named the University of South Caroli na. Before the Civil War and the re structuring that followed it, usually on ly elitists attended USC. In 1925, USC President William Davis changed all that. He decided that education should be for everyone, not just the rich. With this new philosophy, the university began focusing on professional programs and liberal arts programs equally. The Great Depression hit South Car olina shortly after this philosophy was adopted. Many students had to drop out of school. New students didn’t come to USC due to financial strain. The school couldn’t afford basic repairs to campus, and many classes had to be can celled. At this time, the future of USC didn’t look bright. Things picked up in the 1930s when Roosevelt’s New Deal agencies gave USC much-needed grants. Several years later, World War II began. USC let the Navy use its campus as a training base. In return, the Navy helped the school' out financially and allowed USC to con tinue operating during the war. Once America had recovered from World War II, the philosophy Presi dent Davis had proposed many years ago was finally put into action. Since the 1950s, USC s campus has greatly ex panded and improved to educate the peo ple of South Carolina. The campus has grown exponen tially since 1801, with many more aca demic programs added. Aside from the Columbia campus, there are seven oth er USC campuses throughout South Car olina. The University of South Carolina is ' the kind of place that blends the old with the new. This campus is filled with mem ories from the past and anticipation for the future. tV i Sean Rayford The Gamecock The McKissick Museum is the only building on the Horseshoe not a part of the original campus. lop 5 steps to success for freshmen at USC by Marcia Pearson The Gamecock It’s very important for college students to set goals for themselves. All college students, especially those who also work, have to learn to manage time. Having a predetermined set of goals will remind you what your priorities are when you have a conflict of interests. Goal-setting does not necessarily mean that you must sit down and write everything out. However, it should, at least, become a regular mental exercise. Here are five basic steps to set goals: 1. MAKE SCALE OF PRIORITIES College is the time to look at who you are and who you want to become. You shouldn’t try to become someone you are not, but ytau should leave plenty of room for growth and improvement. By making a scale of what is important to you, you will be ready to set some definite goals. 2: SET MEASURABLE GOALS Just saying you want to “do well” is not enough. Everyone wants to “do well,” but what does that mean to you? Set measurable, specific goals that make sense to you; you should not set your goals too high. If you never got higher than a 2.5 GPA in high school, set ting a goal of a 4.0 GPA is probably unreasonable. Set goals you can obtain. 3. SET SHORT-TERM GOALS Without short-term goals, long-term goals are im possible to achieve. Short-term goals can be set month ly, weekly or, even better, daily. Your short-term goals should directly lead you to obtaining your long-term goals. 4. SET SOCIAL AND PERSONAL GOALS Academics is only one facet of your college edu cation. Your should set social and personal goals as well as academic goals. Social goals may include dating, getting along with your roommate or becoming more culturally aware. Personal goals may include balancing your check book each month or exercising regularly. 5. STRIVE TO MEET YOUR GOALS There is nothing more satisfying than achieving one of your long-term goals. By prioritizing, setting realistic long-term goals and achieving those long-term goals through short term on^s, you will be surprise^ at how much you c;w accomplish.