Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

'tChe Gamecock Rogers from page A1 But Assistant Attorney General David Rigler said Rogers never admitted he was responsible for the misuse of the funds. “In light of the court’s findings, he's never once said, 'Yes, I did that. I'm sor ry,' '” Rigler said. “He blames everyone else.’” On Monday, university spokesman Jason Snyder confirmed Rogers' resigna tion. He said there was no official reac tion from USC. Snyder said he believed the resigna tion was timed to come before the year began. “I don't think he was planning on teaching this semester,” Snyder said. Rogers, who came to USC in 1996, resigned his position as dean of the Col lege of Engineering before the 1999-2000 school year began following his indict ment by a grand jury. But he continued to teach as a professor. Rogers was scheduled to teach one course last year, an engineering course of fered during the spring semester. As of Ju ly 1, Rogers had an annual salary of $ 111,866, according to state records. Rogers was also scheduled to teach one course this fall. That course has been removed from the Internet version of the master schedule. Rogers went to trial in April on two counts of embezzling mon ey from his former employer, Virginia Tech. The court and prosecutors dropped or dismissed six other charges alleging the misuse of public funds. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The university desk can be reached at gamecockudesk@hotmail.com. Poll from page A1 when voters were asked the same ques tion concerning the Texas governor. The Post-ABC poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent, and the CBS News-Times poll has a margin of error of plus or minus four percent. Eskew admitted it would be foolish to completely disregard Gore’s current lead, but said polling data represents on ly “right now,” and that many voters won’t begin paying attention to the presidential race until a couple of months before the Nov. 7 election. “I suggest we take a look back at the polls after Labor Day,” Eskew said. For those who insist on interpreting the latest polls as indicative of election results, Eskew pointed out a national Gallup Poll taken over the weekend. He said the results of that poll, along with results im mediately following the Republican Na tional Convention in July, show a famil iar scenario. “In 1984, Ronald Reagan finished his Republican convention with a 16-point lead in the Gallup Poll,” Eskew said. “Af ter the Democratic convention, Walter Mondale had a one-point lead. In 2000, Bush and Gore are in the same situation. We all know that Mr. Mondale was trounced in one of the most over whelming landslides in history.” Eskew said he is in no way predicting a landslide victory for Bush, but argued the coincidence is hard to ignore. The Gore camp, on the other hand, dis missed Eskew’s comments as little more than nervous bravado. South Carolina De mocratic Party Press Secretary Danielle Clermont said to predict this election based on what happened in 1984 is absurd and shows the Bush campaign already fears defeat. “History doesn’t always repeat it self,” Clermont said. “That kind of talk is from people who are scared.” She added that the Bush campaign’s stance on the polls is also evidence of Re publican hypocrisy. “They want to dis credit and discount all those polls," Cler mont said. “Do they also want to discredit the polls they took over the past few weeks that put Bush in the lead?” Clermont said Democrats are confi dent that Gore’s current lead could car ry him all the way to the White House. “Gore’s time will come,” Clermont said. “His time has come.” The city/state desk can be reached at ganiecockcitydesk@hotmail.com. Funds from page A1 of the Osborne Building is given. The Os borne building houses the President’s Of fice, Office of the Provost and the Board of Trustees. The institute is a research arm of the university and has an annual budget of nearly $5 million. The institute is con sidered one of the most prestigious think tanks in the state and primarily advises lo cal governments on environmental issues. A majority of the institute’s funding, about $3.7 million, comes from state and fed eral grants, and contracts with local governments. The university is conducting a com plete audit of the institution to determine whether there are any irregularities in the institute’s budget. Joe McCulloch, ■ Grayson’s attorney, would not give any new information about the case, but said his client hopes that the case will end in misuse of funds involved personal travel expenses. Snyder said the investigation could take several months to complete, and as soon as the university believed it has con firmed the guilt or innocence of those in volved, it will release the names of the suspended employees. The director of the institute, Dr. Doug Dobson, was unavail able for comment on the incident. The city/state desk can be reached at gamecockcitydesk@hotmail.com. Drug busts are bonuses for traffic safety program* by John Huiett The Gamecock The second-hugest methampheta mine bust in U.S. history was the unex pected result of a statewide crackdown on reckless driving. Troopers seized $45 million in methamphetamine, sometimes called speed, during a traffic stop Aug. 9. on I 85 near Greenville. The stop was spurred by the South Carolina Highway Patrol’s State Trooper Operation Plan, or STOP. Troopers pulled over the driver of a 1997 Toyota van for speeding and following too closely. But after being alerted by a police dog, troopers searched the van, found the drugs and arrested the driver, Hector Sal vador Dalmasi. While the focus of STOP isn’t to tar get drug traffickers, Gov. Jim Hodges nonetheless praised the arrest, "it has once again shown that we mean business in the war on drugs," Hodges said. Hodges’ spokeswoman Cortney Ow ings admitted the drug arrest during a STOP operation was coincidental, but pointed out that it was the third liighway drug bust in a year, following a $45 mil lion cocaine arrest on 1-85 in April. Owings said the STOP program has enabled the state to reach beyond the op eration’s original intent, what Hodges called, "our comprehensive initiative to improve highway safety." "As a result, we’ve also been able to do things such as crack down on drug traffickers and other delinquent behav ior," Owings said. "The governor is very pleased with the results. The results have been phenomenal." Other than the drug arrests, those re sults include 4,000 citations in the last month for speeding, reckless driving, im proper lane changes, child restraint vi olations, seatbelt violations and follow ing too closely. More than 600 citations have been issued in Richland and Lexington Coun ties alone. A ltigli number of highway collisions prompted the Department of Public Safe ty to reinstate the STOP program, hav ing utilized it briefly last year. Twenty-five fatalities and 340 in juries occurred on 1-85 in 1999, mak ing it the state’s second-most-dangerous highway, after 1-26. Because of those sta tistics, the Highway Patrol targeted 1-85 to begin implement two of STOP in late June. 'lire drug arrests might not have been made if troopers weren’t making a con certed effort to focus on traffic safety, according to Department of Public Safe ty spokeswoman Joan Beardsley. "STOP is designed to try and stop traffic collisions," Beardsley said. "As a result, they just happened to find drugs." However, Beardsley points out that all drivers, not just drug traffickers, need to be more alert. Having assessed the leading causes of highway collisions, such as speeding and driving under the influence, and de termining that many accidents occur on state second;iry roads such as U.S. and S.C. rural routes, she said the STOP pro gram isn’tabout to let up. "People might find themselves get ting pulled over more often," Beards ley said. But the point of the program isn’t simply to hand out traffic tickets, she said. STOP’s ultimate purpose is to de crease the risk of traveling on South Ca® ; olina highways. - "It can have a deterrent effect," Beard sley said. "If we tell people we are stepping up enforcement, but not tell them exactly where, they might modify their driving behavior." 1 Phase two of STOP will continue ' at least until the end of the year, with a strong emphasis on highway safety dur ing the Thanksgiving and Christmas hol idays to match that of enforcement dur ing summer months. According to the Department of Public Safety’s 1999 Fact Book, the laigest num ber of traffic fatalities takes place during the summer months, with an average of 101 traffic deaths. The months of Oc tober through December come in sec ond, with an average of 93 traffic-relat™ ed fatalities. The city/state desk can be reached at gamecockcitydesk@hotmail.com. — --—| ‘STOP is designed to try and stop traffic collisions. As a result, they just happened to find drugs.’ Joan Beardsley Department of Public Safety spokeswoman • ____— 1,1 " -----—- ~ Back Forward Reload Home Print BookmarksLocation:__. • '% -jfcfe Office of the University Registrar FAQ — __ _: Where can I chanqe my USC PIN (Personal Identification Number)? Your PIN is initially set to your birthdate (MMDD), but you must change it to your own four-digit secret code using VIP or TIPS the first time you register or use the system. This code, along with your nine-digit student number, will allow full access to your record, so keep it a secret, y u forget your PIN, go to the Office of the University Registrar with a picture ID or call 777-5555. How do I reqister for classes and change my schedule? _ ., You may do this using VIP or TIPS. You'll need your student number, PIN, and the schedule codes of the course sections you want. See Office of the University Registrar’s website (http://argo.regs.sc.edu), or the Master Schedule of Classes for more information. { Where can I find USC class offering information? . t In addition to the published Master Schedule of Classes (printed immediately prior to advisement), courses offered at USC are also on the Registrar's office website. These listings are constantly updated and include open and closed sections, new courses, and additional sections of previously-listed courses. The USC Bulletin (containing course descriptions) is also available on the Registrars Office website by selecting "Other USC Links.” How do i change my address in the USC directory? „ Addresses can be changed via VIP, or at the Office of the University Registrar. If you want to withhold the display of your address and phone number in the campus directory, you may complete a form for that purpose at the Office of the University Registrar. ■% Where can I get a "full-time" letter for insurance or loan purposes? . To get a letterof enrollment verification for your insurance company or for other reasons, go to the Office of the University Registrar with your student ID card. j Where can I qet a copy of my grades for my parents, employers, or myself? You may viewed print your grade report on VIP, or you may hear your grades on TIPS. The only students who will automatically receive a grade report in the mail are those who are scholastically deficient or ineligible to continue. If you need an official copy of your grades, go to the Office of the University Registrar with your student ID card. A complete transcript may also be released for a $5.00 fee. How do I replace a lost USC ID card? . ., Replacement ID cards can be obtained, with proper identification, for $10 at the Carolina Mall ID station in the Russell House. Where can I find more information about privacy and the release of student records? , Your records are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Information about your rights is published n Master Schedule of Classes, the Undergraduate Studies Bulletin, on the Registrar's Office website, and in the Carolina Community Student Handbook. Where can I aet information about important semester deadlines and dates? Information on deadlines and dates for all sessions is available on the Registrar's Office website, in the Master Schedule of C asses and on other USC websites. The Office of the University Registrar is available to answer questions or direct you to other resources. Visit the USC homepage (http://www.sc.edu) for other USC information. ft « ' f . #; ■