Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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_ Vol. 94, No. 16 Monday October 2, 2000_ ina Community since 1Q08 WWW.GAMECOCK.SC.EDU UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA COLUMBIA, S.C. UNDERGROUND COLUMBIA Travis Lynn The Gamecock Underground Columbia was a popular night spot during the early 1970s on Main and Washington streets. It closed In 1975. Once-popular night spot on Main Street sits empty by Valerie Matchette The Gamecock While the Vista is a rapidly growing Columbia night spot today, in the not-too-distant past there was another hot spot in the downtown area, beneath the street. Columbia’s Undeiground was home to several restaurants and pubs during the 1970s. According to Edward Barnes, who now co-owns the build ing beneath which the Underground was constructed, it was the brainchild of three businessmen who had always dreamed of owning their own bar. \ “Basically, three gentlemen here in Columbia approached my uncle and had this idea that they thought they could open up some restaurants and some bars,” Barnes said. The entrepreneurs were Jack Upchurch, Joe Gentry and Gene Collins. They constructed the Undeiground in the late ’60s and ear ly ’70s beneath the Equitable Arcade Building on Washington and Main Streets. This building, which was named to the Na tional Historic Registry in 1982, was modeled after the Galleria arcade in Milan, Italy, and was built in 1912. When the Undeiground was completed in 1971, its fust ten ants were restaurants and pubs, and it was a popular hangout when Main Street saw its most prosperous limes. However, trouble en sued when the ownership of the businesses in the Undeiground continually changed hands. “It was a great concept, but they were not in the full-time Underground see page 2 % Travis Lynn The Gamecock Underground Columbia’s reputation soured as tattoo parlors and massage parlors began to move In. The area, now com pletely empty, might be redeveloped under the streetsc ap ing and redevelopment plan the city says It will undertake for Main Street Residents walk by Lyndsey Marshall The Gamecock. The Alzheimer’s Association headed the Co lumbia Memory Walk Saturday at Riverfront Park. South Carolina first lady Rachel Hodges served as the honorary chair of the event. J. Spector, the president of Insurall Casualty Group, was the main chair of the event. % A $25 registration fee required to participate is earmarked for use in the Midlands area for people affected by Alzheimer’s, a degenerative brain dis ease mostly affecting the elderly. There are more than 6,000 in the Midlands af fected by the disease. USC alumna and current talk-show host Leeza : at Riverfront ft Gibbons was scheduled to appear at the event, but was unable to participate because of complications arising from her father’s battle with the disease. However, Gibbons is an active member of the Alzheimer’s Association. The event’s goal was to raise at least $35,000 to “provide money and educational training and add more caregiver support groups,” said Paul Jeter, ex ecutive director of the Mid-State South Carolina chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. In late 1983, the association was granted riiitional chapter status. The chapter employs three full-time employees and maintains 30 caregiver support groups. The chapter, especially in the Columbia/Rich land County area, is “very active on a state and na >r Alzheimer’s tional level,” Jeter said. The chapter also works to affect public policy and make a difference in the lives of those affected with Alzheimer’s and those close to those patients themselves, Jeter said. The chapter oiganizes a number of annual events, as well as some one-time events, throughout the Midlands. On Aug. 25, die eighth-annual Educadonal Symposium - “Touching the Human Spirit” - was held at Seawell’s Convention Center. The chapter serves 19 South Carolina coun ties. The city/stale desk can be reached at gamecockcttydesk@hotmaU.com. Police continue investigation into VCR thefts by Charles Prashaw The Gamecock - University officials are not commenting on the string of VCR thefts that started around the end of August and have continued through September. More than 30 VCRs worth almost $3,000 have been stolen from USC classrooms in the past month, according to numerous crime reports filed with the USC Police Department. Distance education employees, USC tech nology employees and USCPD investigators are working together to solve the string of VCR thefts. USC Director of Law Enforcement Ernie Ellis is refusing to comment on the matter and directed all question in the case to USC spokesman Jason Snyder. Snyder would not officially say whether the police had a suspect in the case, but did confirm early in September that USCPD was conducting a complete investigation into the matter. Campus police are also keeping quiet on whether they believe the person or persons in volved in the case are students, non-students or USC employees. The possible crime spree started on Aug. 31 with two Zenith VCRs that were discov ered missing from McMaster College. The next day, 14 different VCRs were found missing from Gambrell Hall, the School of Law, Hamil ton College, the Darla Moore School of Business, the Jones Physical Science Building and the School of Public Health. Through September, at least 15 additional VCRs came up missing in theCollege of Jour VCR SEE PAGE 2 Stolen VCRs In the past month, a total of 30 VCRs have been stolen or lost from the following locations: • McMaster College • Carolina Coliseum • Humanities Classroom Building • Davis College « Barnwell College • Gambrell Hall • School of Law • Jones Physical Science Building • School of Public Health * • Russell House Election 2000 Green Party targets USC students’ votes ■ Local supporters say Nader's message more important than whether he wins race by John Bailey The Gamecock The Green Party is hoping to provide an alternative in the upcoming presidential elec tion, attempting to make a political statement by luring a significant percentage of voters to their candidate, environmentally focused Ralph Nader. However, Nader doesn’t have to be elected as president for the Green Party to “win,” said Alex Zwerdling, constituency field oiganizer for the party. “We want to continue to build a progres sive third-party movement,” Zwerdling said. “We’re a party for the voters that are fed up with reckless globalization.” Zwerdling said the party’s campaign must take place at a grass-roots level. The party’s main strategy is reaching out to youth, and stu dents specifically, in hopes that young voters will make a long-term investment in the par ty with their votes, he said. Contrary to public perception, Zw erdling said the party, known for its strong stances on environmental issues, is not a one issue party. “The environment ties into a bigger problem: corporate control over the political system,” Zwerdling said. “Today, profit comes before environmental standards.” Of the major issues, Nader and the party are working toward what Zwerdling called “true campaign finance reform” to take the big mon ey out of politics. Their platform also includes “fair trade over free trade,” easier unionization of workers, universal health care for all citi zens and a woman’s right to choose. “Ralph [Nader] would put people first,” Zwerdling said about what Nader would do if elected. “He would put human needs before corporate greed.” According to USC’s campus organizer for the Nader campaign, Malt Ciscel, one of Nad er’s strongest selling points for young voters is his position of moving faster on some histori cally Democratic issues, such as health care and civil rights. “Gore has talked about universal health care,” Ciscel said. “Nader wants to push it though a lot faster than that to make sure every body has access to health care in the U.S.” According to Ciscel, civil rights and di versity are also at the forefront of the Green platform - but these issues haven’t been sig nificantly addressed by the other parties, he said. Ciscel also said gay and lesbian rights’ is sues have been completely ignored by the De mocrats and Republicans. “We’re really trying to catch a more di verse population and the people who are more tolerant across the board,” Ciscel said. Green see page 2 ‘We know that Nader doesn’t' have a real chance of winning. That’s not really what it’s about. It’s about voting for someone we believe in.’ Matt Ciscel Campus organizer for Ralph Nader campaign ffWEATHER^B^pjNS®Egf . Today 82 62 Tuesday 88 63 Last week’s hero unable to guide ^ USC to victory at Alabama k Rage 9 “One pound of learning requires ten pounds of common sense to apply it.” — Persian proverb Monday • CP, 3 p.m., RH theater • Fraternity Council, 4 p.m., RH 322/326 • Sorority Council, 5 p.m., RH 322/326 ' • Amnesty International, 8:30 p.m., RH 302 Tuesday • AAAS, 6 p.m., RH theater • RHA, 7 p.m., RH 303 • Ian Hobson, “200 Years of Piano,” Roger Center