The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 15, 2000, Image 1
_VOL. 94, Friday September 15, 2000__
ina Community since 1Q08
* www.camecock.sc.edu UNIVERSITY of South Carolina Columbia, s.C.
City approves USC crosswalk plan
By John.Huiett and
Brandon Larrabee
Tin: Gamecock
A plan to build crosswalks linking
parts of Wheat Street and a parking lot
near the Coliseum to the Strom Thur
mond Fitness and Wellness Center won
final approval Wednesday from the Co
lumbia City Council.
The council also gave approval in con
j! cept to a series of slreelscaping plans af
fecting Green, Bull, Blossom and Sumter
streets.
One of die crosswalks, which will run
parallel to Wheat Street, is intended to
allow students living in Bates, South Quad
and East Quad to access the Fitness and
Wellness Center without crossing As
sembly Street, according to William Hub
bard, chairman of the board of trustees.
The other crosswalk will serve the same
purpose for students parked at the lot
on the corner of Park and Blossom.
Hubbard said the University is seek
ing funding for the $4 million project from
the stale department of transportation.
"We are optimistic that the state de
partment of transportation, through the
assistance of John Hardy ... will supply
the funding," Hubbard said. Hardy is the
member of SCDOT from the Columbia
area.
"All signs point to approval," Hub
bard said. He said the university is pro
ceeding with the plans, as well as changes
to the Fitness and Wellness Center plans,
under the assumption that the funding will
be approved.
The streetscaping plan would have
two phases, according to Hubbard. The
first phase of the plan would deal with the
Blossom Street Corridor between Lin
coln and Pickens streets; Sumter Street;
and might involve some work on Greene
Street.
Hubbard said the board wanted to
lower speeds on Sumter Street between
Blossom and Pendleton streets and add
more green space between Sumter and
the sidewalks running along that road.
"That will promote student safety,"
he said.
The board’s plan also calls for nar
rowing the street and removing some of
Sumter’s parking spaces.
Ollier changes to campus could in
clude keeping Greene Street open during
some of the hours it is currently closed.
"If we can slow traffic enough, we
may be able to keep it open during
some of the hours it is still closed," Hub
bard said.
The second phase of the board pro
posal would involve similar work on
Wheal Street and would also place a side
walk on that road between Pickens and
Assembly. Work would also be done on
Pendleton Street.
Hubbard said the board had already
approved about $ 1 million for the Sumter
Street plan, but would have to find addi
lional funding for the oilier streelscaping
plans. Tliose plans will total $4-5 million,
Crosswalks see page 2
‘We’re excited about the opportu
nity to do something from the
start that will get students from
the Wellness Center to class safe
ly •’
Jerry Brewer
Director of Student Life
State examines
school bus brakes
by B.etsy Baugh
The Gamecock
The Slate Department of Education
mechanics last week inspected 56 school
^buses designed to carry students with dis
.ibilities that were part of a nationwide
manufacturer’s recall.
North Carolina-based Thomas Built
Buses informed the Slate Department of
Education on Wednesday, Sept. 6 that the
15-seat buses had to be inspected for pos
sible problems with their anti-lock brak
ing systems.
Immediately after receiving the offi
cial recall notice, Superintendent of Ed
ucation Inez Tenenbaum instructed me
chanics at the Department of Education’s
regional nuiinlenance shops to inspect the
braking systems on these buses.
“We have confidence that these bus
es are safe, but obviously we’re not going
to take any chances where the safely of
children is concerned,” Tenenbaum said.
Tenenbaum asked Thomas Built to
transmit instructions to the Slate Depart
ment of Education immediately so the
agency’s mechanics could do the inspec
tions that day.
The inspections began early in the
morning and Tenenbaum authorized over
time pay so that the inspections would be
sure to be complete as soon as possible.
Jim Foster, the education department’s
director of public information, said the
inspections were at a time when children
would not be inconvenienced, adding Uiat,
by last Thursday, the buses were all in
spected and die children could gel to scIkx)]
safely.
“We did the recall ;uid maintenance
when the children were in school and not
in need of the buses,” Foster said. “Thanks
to the fast and wonderful work of our
maintenance we were able to gel die kids
to and from school.”
Gov. Hodges praised the education
department for their swift response to the
recall.
Buses seepages
Office provides free shuttle
Amy Goulding Tuc Gamccocr
i ue omce 01 aicoiioi ana Drug
Programs will provide a free shuttle
to the Great Gamecock Tailgate Par
ly. The bus will transport students
Irom campus to the parly, then return
to campus after the football game.
Those interested can catch the
shuttle at three stops: Russell House,
, the Gipstone area, or Bales House at
12:30 mid 1:30. From there, the shut
tle goes to the Gamecock Tailgate par
ly located at 1125 Rosewood Drive.
The bus will drop students off after
the game at the same three pick-up
locations.
me siiuuie, made possible by a
grant from Soutli Carolina Alcohol
and Other Drug Abuse Services, will
ran only on game days.
The bus is scheduled to operate
for the Homecoming game (Sep
tember 23rd), and the games on the
14th and 28th of October. Addi
tional dates may be added, depending
on driver availability.
Students can find times of pick
up listed in the Gamecock or posted
around campus. For additional infor
mation, contact the Office of Alcohol
and Drug Programs at 777-7130.
Amy Goulding Tut Gamecock
Andy Thomas talks on his radio show with a USC and Columbia College student.
Local radio show
hosts teen forum
■ Program
addresses
teen issues
by Richard Barnes
Tin: Gamecock
Remember when you were in
high school? Ever recall having
something to say, but not being com
fortable saying it?
A new venture from a Colum
bia-based radio talk show hopes to
solve that problem. The. Andy
Thomas Show’s Teen Forum, which
premiered on Wednesday, hopes to
provide an environment in which
teenagers can discuss their opinions,
with other teenagers and adults.
The forum airs every other
Wednesday from 4-5 p.m. on nine
radio stations throughout the slate.
Each show will focus on a different
issue and has a new panel of teens
from across the stale. Kayce Sim
mons, a Florence native, and a 16
year-old freshman at Columbia Col
lege produce the forum.
Simmons feels that, because it
will address issues that affect today’s
teenagers, the forum will “allow
communication between teens and
their parents and teachers.” She
hopes it will provide a new arena
for the discussion of all issues.
The show first aired on Wednes
day, Sept. 13. Two USC students
Byron David, freshman, political
science and John Simpson, fresh
man, Computer Science - were
members of a live-person panel ad
dressing teen sex and abstinence.
Other members of the panel in
cluded students from Columbia Col
lege and Allen University.
Future topics will include school
dress codes, alcohol, drugs, and pol
itics.
Simmons selected the panel
from a number of applicants because
they each helped to bring variety to
the panel.
BoU) USC students were pleased
to have been chosen and felt that
their participation would help
other teens in South Carolina.
“The forum will allow differ
ent views to be expressed by peo
ple in different positions. It’s a good
opportunity to address big issues.
The issues discussed should impact
everyone at some lime,” Simpson
said.
The Teen Forum idea is the
brainchild of Andy Thomas, who
serves as its host.
“The original concept was con
ceived seven to eight years ago and
was tried at another station in Co
lumbia,” he said. “We’re trying to
begin to show teens that they can
be articulate and that they can ex
press their ideas.”
Thomas’s idea appears to be suc
ceeding. David said after the pro
gram that he fell “like we impact
ed teens out there; maybe contiicted
a teen that might have been about
to make a bad decision.”
The Andy Thomas Show airs in
Columbia on WTGH 620AM and
via the Internet.
Teens are selected for the pan
el based on numerous factors, but
diversity is given considerable im
portance. Those interested in po
sitions on the Teen Forum panel
should direct inquiries to the Andy
Thomas Show at 255-8013 or on
the web at www.the
andythomasshow.com.
The university desk can he
reached at
gamecockudesk@hotmail.com.
Street
repaving
delayed
0
by John Bailey
The Gamecock
The city of Columbia has been
resurfacing several streets in an effort
to improve driving conditions around
the city.
Blossom, Harden and Lee Streets
are just a few of the streets being
repaved in part of a month-long pro
ject that is addressing some of the
streets in need of renovation.
“The roads are being repaved as a
result of the standard wear at^d tear
that the streets receive from steady,
and sometimes heavy, city traffic,”
said AssisLtnl Superintendent of Streets
Lee Honeycutt.
According to Honeycutt, recent
rainstorms delayed the repaving for
several days.
Honeycutt said the city expects
the work on Harden and Heyward
Streets to be done within a week. Work
on Blossom and Coleman Streets will
also be completed shortly, Honeycutt
said.
Honeycutt said the roads current
ly being worked on remain sale to dri
ve on, ;ind he doesn’t expect too many
traffic delays or detours.
“It’s been a real pain,” said Tom
Kelalier, a resident of Queen Street,
which runs perpendicular to Lee
Street.
“They close off part of the street,
and now I have to drive a few extra
blocks just to get home. When the
street is open, it’s almost too bumpy
to drive on.”
Residents on Harden Street actu
ally received notices advising them
not to park on the street during the
roadwork.
The notice also stated that the con
struction would be finished by Sept.
5, while the renovations are still in
progress.
“The rain threw a wrench into
everything,” Honeycutt said.
“You can’t resurface in the rain.
We expect to be finished with the work
on Harden by the end of next week.”
“Completing the work depends on
having clear weather,” Honeycutt said.
“1 just want them to finish
soon,” Kelalier said.
“I’m tired of having to drive
around the block to get to my house
on the way home from classes.”
The city/slate desk can he reached at
gamecockcttydesk@hotmail.com.
Weather Inside Quote of the Day Datebook
Friday
85 F
57 F
Saturday
78 F
48 F
Goalposts
for sale on
eBay.
Page 10
“The only sources that are
worth a damn are the confi
dential sources.” '
Jack Anderson
Syndicated columnist, 1998
Friday
•Parent’s Weekend
•USC Wellness Week
•Hispanic Heritage
Month Begins
•Student Organization
Registration Deadline
•Volleyball Carolina
Tournament
Saturday
•Parent’s Weekend
•Football vs. Eastern
Michigan, 7 p.m.
•USC Wellness Week
•Volleyball Carolina
Tournamen