Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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_ Vol. 94, dnesday October 25, 2000_ ina Community since 1Q08 ... ... " .—.- —1....— ..... WWW.GAMECOCK.SC.EDU UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA COLUMBIA, S.C. U-Scan arrives at area grocers Valerie Matchette Tiie Gamecock Customers of area grocery stores are finding a new way to make their shop < ping more convenient. Two major grocery store chains in Columbia, Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie, have brought in new systems to allow cus tomers to scan, bag and pay for their own groceries. By touching a computer screen, shoppers begin their sales transaction and are prompted through the process of scan ning their items while experienced store cashiers wait nearby to help. Customers can then select their method of piyment, given a choice among credit card, debit card, ATM card or cash. Winn-Dixie has a system called Self Gieckout in several of its stores, according to Public Relations Director Mickey Clerc. Bi-Lo stores are introducing their “U-Scan” system into the Columbia mar ket. The newly-remodeled USC-themed Bi-Lo on Devine Street is the first and only one in Columbia to use U-Scan, and store employees regard it with mixed re sults. According to a store supervisor, U Scan is a good system for average cus tomers, but only if they are willing to take the lime to learn how to use it. She said that it works best, “if you have patience and you can go in there and figure it out.” Another store associate agreed that U-Scan is of no use to customers who don’t understand how it works, and added that it is easiest to use and most efficient when the customer has about 20 items or fewer to purchase. Unfortunately, she said, some cus tomers shy away from the new system because they have no experience using a bar code scanner and are intimidated by the technology. “Some of them are scared of it,” she said. But while some customers might be afraid of making a mistake on the new system, others have quickly learned to embrace its advantages. Bi-Lo shopper Shallyn Anderson appreciates that U Scan gives tier control over the purchases she makes. “This way I can keep an eye on my prices... I can do it myself,” said An derson, scanning her groceries. While the Bi-Lo on Devine Street is the only one in the area that has U-Scan, the Emanuel Church Road location in West Columbia will be installing the sys tem next month, according ttnls man ager. No other grocery store chains in the area have facilities to let customers check out their own groceries at this time. The city/stale desk can be reached at gamecockcttydesk@hotmall.com. Amy Gouiaing The Gamecock Bi-Lo on Devine Street has the only local U-Scan. Residence halls to open early for bicentennial ■ Doors will open two days in advance by Ann Marcellino Tin: Gamecock In an attempt to get students in volved with USC Bicentennial events, the director of administration for hous ing has decided to open all residence halls two days in advance. Typically, the Roost, Bates and Cliff Apartments are opened two days in ad vance, but for the spring 2001 semester the rest of the residence halls will be open, too. Every residence hall will open Jan. 9. “We are not sure if this will help get students involved, but we want to do what we can to give students opportu nities for participation if they want to,” Director of Administration for Housing Gretchen Kohler said. Bicentennial Office executive di rector Sally McKay said student par ticipation is necessary for a successful Bicentennial celebration. “Students are invited and welcomed to participate, and their participation is very important,” McKay said. The Bicentennial Office is encour aging all students to be involved with activities developed to celebrate the 200-year mark. f One of these is the “Search for Six,” involving students being surveyed to find out what people they admire the most in six different categories. The cat egories include from entertainment to science, politics to religion and alumni to education. The most-admired person from each category will be asked to vis it the campus. The selection will be made in Feb ruary, ;tnd dtere will be a display for e;tch person selected. Another planned event, “Meet in the Middle,” is designed to help students of different ages interact. USC students would be given the chance to volunteer at and travel to local middle school cam puses where they would encourage younger students to attend college, stress ing the importance of education beyond high school. Some students are slow to commit to returning early, while others com plain dial news of the early-opening res idence halls and the subsequent events in January and February didn’t reach them in time. “I don’t know if I’ll be back that early,” freshm;tn Jessica Jackson said. “But since there is now an oppor tunity to come early, I might try and make it for the events.” However, student and on-campus resident Nikki Gtrrea had a more spir ited viewpoint on it. “ Since litis is an event llial will nev er happen again at Gtrolina, I will re turn early for the spring semester so I can experience everything the Bicen tennial has to offer,” Gtrrea said. The university desk cun he reached at gamecockudesk@hotmail.com. -I CAPSTONE ; HOUSE Amy Goulding Thc Gamccock Capstone residence hall will open two days early this spring. —————— .I Weather Inside Quote of the Day Datebook Today 73 54 Thursday 73 54 USC prepares for “Orange Crush” Page 10 “A pint of sweat saves a gallon of blood.” — Gen. George S. Patton Wednesday • Last lectures Series, 7p.m. • SG Senate, 5 p.m. RH House Theater • SG Legislature Gambrell House room 152 J Thursday .1.—eb| • Oxf;im Carolina, Palms OCTOBER Center, 5 p.m. IwSn • NAACP RH 205,6 p.m. •Muslim Student’s Asso ‘ ''0 ciation RH 305, 7 p.m. | j S12005: A LOOK AT use’s VISION Goals * i"' i—-r-m AH*-ns-ian This is the first article in a series by The Gamecock examining the goals the USC board of trustees recently agreed to try to achieve by 2005. by Brandon Larrabee Tiip. Gampcock Maybe the recent success of the Gamecocks went to the board of trustees’ heads. Maybe it’s all that talk about a bowl game. It could also have something to do with the success of the men’s soccer team this sea son. Whatever the reason, USC’s board of trustees has set what Assistant Athletics Director Kerry Tharp called “a lofty goal”: having all USC sports teams rank among the top 25 teams in the nation. That goal is among a list of 24 that the board of trustees agreed to this past Thursday, a list that cov ers key areas such as student quality, funding for the university and faculty quality. The goal of grabbing a top-25 ranking in all sports is the only one on the board’s list dealing with USC’s athletics programs. The Gamecocks have garnered some high-profile rankings recently. The university’s football program has made headlines by jumping from a winless season last year to a 7-1 start and No. 17 ranking in the As sociated Press. The school’s baseball team ended the 2000 regu lar season at No. 1 in the Baseball America poll. According to Tharp, USC’s fortunes have im proved over the past few years. In 1992, three of the university’s sports teams made die lop 25. In 1999, that number improved to 11, Tharp said. Mack Whittle, chairman of the board of trustees, made it clear he considered the sports goal a reach, but one worth aspiring to. “I think that's a goal,” he s;ud. “Obviously, it won’t happen every year.” But Whittle said there was another issue that tied into the university’s aspirations for its sports programs. “There is a correlation between winning athlet ics programs and applications for admission,” he said. Tharp sounded optimistic about the possibility of cracking the top 25 in all sports. 2005 SEE PAGE 2 l__ Photos by Sean Rayford The Gamecock Howell suspended for nine games ■ Player will miss Clemson, UNCC games by Brock Vergakis The Gamecock One of USC’s most liigiily touted bas ketball recruits will have to sit out the first nine games of the season. Freshman Rolando Howell, who was arrested in Columbia this past summer, was suspended after being accepted into a Pre-Trial Intervention program. Of the nine games Howell will miss, only seven of them are regular season games. The biggest game Howell will sit out will be the annual game against arch rival Clemson on Dec. 9. “I am embarrassed by my poor de cisions, and I would like to apologize to all lltose involved,” Howell sttid in a state ment released by the athletics depart ment. “I look forward to representing the university in a proper and positive manner in the years to come.” As part of Howell’s suspension, he will be required to attend counseling ses sions that the athletics department will be scheduling. “The legal process has been put in to place, and I believe Rolando hits learned from his mistakes,” USC Athletics Di rector Mike McGee said. “This was obviously a poor decision on Rolando’s part, and lie seems ready lo move on with his career as a student-athlete here at the University of South Carolina.” Howell had previously been sus pended by McGee from practicing with the team, but this was lifted one day before practice began. The athletics de partment learned from the stale solici tor’s office that the process to get Howell into the PT1 program had begun. Howell, a 6 feel 9 inches, 220-pound freshman forward from Lower Richland High School, is expected lo be a valuable addition this season to USC’s basketball team. Howell was named the No. 10 re cruit in the country by the Bob Gibbons All Star Sports Report and chose USC over traditional basketball powerhous es such as Kentucky, Duke and Con necticut. With the 11 lit best recruiting class in the nation according to Gibbons, USC’s fortunes should take a turn for the bet ter this season. After a disappointing reg ular season where the Gamecocks fin ished 13-16, USC responded in the SEC tournament by making it to the semifi nals before losing to Auburn. The two games Howell will be missed most for will be against UNC-Charlolle and Clemson. Carolina defeated UNC Charlolte by only six points last season and lost a close one to Clemson by three points. The university desk cun he reached at gamecockudesk©hotmail.com.