Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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_ Friday September 1, 2000 ina Community since 1Q08 ^* WWW.CAMECOCK.SC.EDU " UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA COLUMBIA, S.C. USC vs. New Mexico State Fans plan potential on-field celebration ■ If USC beats New Mexico State on Saturday, students say they'll take down the goalposts by Brock Vergakis The Gamecock More than 80,000 screaming Gamecock fans will fill Williams-Brice Stadium Saturday night in hopes of witnessing USC’s first victory in nearly two years. If the Gamecocks win against New Mexico State, I they will have ended the longest losing streak in the nation. What they will have created is a new found excitement in USC athletics that some stu dents believe will result in the collegiate tradition of tearing down the goalposts. The athletics department has been trying to build excitement for the game all week, but it’s trying to make clear its policy regarding the post-game tradi tion. Assistant Athletics Director Kerry Tharp said the university’s main concern in trying to keep stu dents from tearing down the goalposts is the safety of the players. “For the safety of the teams and the student athletes involved, our policy is that fans are not per mitted on the field at any time, either before, during or after the game,” Tharp said. Our main concern is the safety of the players. The last thing we would want is someone to get hurt.” However, many students say they’re planning on having an on-field celebration that will result in both goalposts being taken down. “Definitely, I’m taking down some goalposts,” said Student Body Vice President Corey Ford. “There will be a lot of students with the same goal in mind. It’ll take all of Columbia’s finest to stop the students from taking down the goalposts.” USC’s director of public safety, Emie Ellis, said USCPD won’t have any more officers at the. New Mexico State game than the force has had for any previous game. Goalpost seepages --1 South Carouna vs. New Mexico State WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday UNE: USC by 8 TV: None INSIDE: More coverage, including an 8-page football preview special THE SEARCH FOR AN APARTMENT Rent for new Vista complex out of most students’ reach by John Huiett The Gamecock Students on a tight budget who are pricing off campus housing options for the next few semesters can scratch one apartment community off the list: Vista Commons, the new luxury apartment devel opment being built in the Vista. With monthly rental rates starting at $700 and lopping out at $1000, Vista Commons would be fi nancially out of reach for most students, even though it’s only a few miles from the USC campus. “It out-prices the average student, wouldn’t you say?” said Fred Delk, executive director for Columbia Development Corporation, the non-profit, city owned company building the community. The $13.5 million project wasn’t designed with students in mind, Delk said. In fact, the all-brick community that Delk describes as “very old-Co lumbia looking” will be marketed to a specific de mographic. “With die rental rates and the type of project dris is, it’s targeted towards young professionals and emp * ty nesters,” Delk said. More in line with the average student’s budget might be popular off-campus housing communities such as Whaley’s Mill or University Commons. Rent at Whaley’s Mill starts at $490 a month for a one-bedroom apartment and goes up to $ 1,100 for a four-bedroom residence. While die rent might sound steep to some, properly manager Miyon Moore said it’s well worth the cost because the apartments are fully furnished. “It’s a little bit different here because not many people are offering furnished apartments,” Moore said. University Commons, however, also offers fur nished apartments. But the rental rates are set up dif ferently than most complexes. Each tenant rents a room in a four-bedroom dwelling instead of an en tire apartment. Amy Goulding The Gamecock Construction is In progress at Gervals and Wayne streets. For rooms on the first and second floors, rent is $2% per month. Rooms on the lliird door with vault ed ceilings go for slightly more, $301 per month. The rates for University Commons are based on what the property’s home office in Birmingham, Ala. determines to be the average market rate for off-cam pus college housing, said property manager Diane Taylor. Capstone Development, a company that pro vides off-campus housing communities similar to University Commons across the country, contacts other off-campus housing communities regularly be fore raising or lowering its rates. Monthly rent is never more than the average col lege-student market can bear, and rates are decided well before a new tenant might be considering the complex, Taylor said. “They (Capstone) usually have it planned a year in advance,” Taylor said. “I think our leases for next year are being printed now.” However, having three roommates in a com munity filled with college students might not be the optimum environment for those seeking a quiet cor ner to do homework, said criminal justice junior Joshua Norris. According to Norris, who lived in University Commons for nine months, living in that Apartments set page 2 Amy Goulding The Gamecock Construction Is In progress on Gervais Street at the comer of Lincoln Street, next to Billy G.’s. Hodges works different jobs in celebration of Labor Day I Travis Bell Special to The Gamecock Gov. Hodges listens to Orange Grove Elementary student Reilly Lovingood as he talks on the front porch of the governor's mansion about his class' vis it to Charles Towne Landing Wednesday afternoon. by Charles Prashaw The Gamecock Call it a political stunt or a sincere effect to connect with South Carolinians. Gov. Jim Hodges has worked all week at various jobs around the suite to observe Labor Day. Today, he is scheduled to work at the South Carolina Wel come Center in Spartanbuig County. The governor, who came up with the idea, worked his first “job” on Aug. 28 at Springs Industries Mill in Lancaster. Springs Mill is a large textile mill where raw cotton is spun into yam. Hodges picked the spot because 25 years ago, when he was in high school, he worked at the plant trying to save up mon ey to go to college. Hodges worked for about an hour in the card room of the plant on a machine that turned out more than 600 feet of thin yard every minute on dozens of spools. The machine was similar lo the one he used to work on back in his high school days. The governor recalled working at the 104-year-old plant in 1972, earning about $2.10 an hour. Now, plant employees earn about $10 an hour. Back then the plant employed more than 3,000 employ ees. Now, because of more efficient machinery, only about 430 workers are employed. Along with woiking about an hour in the card room, Hodges met with plant workers and supervisors. When the plant’s management and owners presented the governor with a large basket of fruits, the governor said, “You never had this for me when I was working hourly.” On Wednesday, Hodges worked at the Charles Towne Land ing in Charleston. While there, he fueled boats and helped a mechanic fix an engine. Hodges see page 2 BSU to get new union ■ The $1 million building should be ready by 2002 by Charles Prashaw The Gamecock The more than 30-year-old Baptist Student Union at USC is boarded up, and its members will have to meet on the Horse shoe for the time being. But many BSU members say they couldn’t be happier. If all goes as planned, by the middle of 2002 they will move into a new $1 million building. “I will miss the old building, but I feel as a oiganization that this will really help us out in the long run,” said junior BSU member Mandy Sizemore. “I think it will be good for us to go out to people on campus, right now, instead of peo ple coming to us in the old union.” Until the new union is built, the BSU will have its weekly meeting on the Horseshoe at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday nights, and their offices will be temporarily located at 112 Wayne Street, behind the Soulhside Baptist Church. The new building will be located at the same site as the old one and an artist’s rendering of what the new BSU will look like will be unveiled at a BSU reunion on Sept. 23. The Architects B.C. firm of Lexington is handling the de sign of the new building. The million-dollar price tag will include demolition, site construction, various building permits, furniture and a new air condition unit. Demolition of the old BSU should take -BSU SEE PAGE 2 State Legislature Marriage age raised to 16 for females by Valerie Matchette The Gamecock Governor Hodges has signed inlo law a bill that raises the minimum age at which females in South Carolina can get married to 16 years old, rather than 14 years of age. The minimum age for boys remains 16 years old. In South Carolina, a girl under 18 must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian. The law, which went into effect immediately, is an amend ment to a section of South Carolina law that was established in 1976. The new legislation originated in the state House of Representatives in early 1999, and was written by Judicia ry Committee member Michael Easterday. He believes that the two-year increase is a small but im portant step forward. “Sometimes, you only lake what you can get, so if you have dramatic changes in legislation, most people react very cautiously, and probably rightly so,” Easterday said. “So I think 16 is a lot more appropriate than 14, but still in my opinion would be too young.” Marriage seepage: Weather Inside Datebook Online Poll Today 84 71 Saturday 88 73 * Fling plays the Village Idiot Page 7 Friday • NAACP, 6 p.m., RH 205 • ODK, 6 p.m., RH 315 •SALA, 7:30 p.m.,RH 305 • Men’s soccer vs. UMass • Volleyball: Carolina Classic t Saturday SeptembSI ’ Foolbil11 vs- New Mexico State, 7 p.m. II • Great Gamecock Tailgate Parly je If the Gamecocks win, will you help tear down the goalposts? Vote online at www.gamecock.sc.edu. Results will be published each Friday.