University of South Carolina Libraries
USC trustees raise bar on funding goals This is the third article in a series by The Gamecock examining the goals the USC board of trustees recently agreed to try to achieve by 2005. by Charles Prashaw The Gamecock With USC’s bicentennial approaching, admin istrators, students, professors, alumni and govern ment officials have given a lot of talk lately about the state of the university. USC’s prestige among Southern universities is often in question, as evidenced by US. News mid World Report 's2000 rankings of national univer sities. Out of some of the biggest publicly supported universities in the Southeast, USC received the lowest grade of all. USC received a grade of 2.9, the University of Geoigia a 3.4, the University of North Carolina a 4.2, Clemson a 3.0, Tennessee a 3.2, Kentucky a 3.0 and Virginia a 4.4. One the biggest factors in why USC is so far behind neighboring universities is money, ac cording to USC administrators. Trustees want to increase USC funding through a $500 million increase in endowment. Current ly, the school’s endowment stands at $275 million. 2005 Goals Another goal calls for the increase in total do nations by $75 million annually. Currently, that number is between $15 and $20 million. The board has also set the goal of raising $500 million by 2003 in the bicentennial campaign, which has so far raised about $350 million. Finally, trustees hope to receive 100 percent of money requested from the South Carolina Gen eral Assembly. USC is currently only getting 70 percent. Board members have said the school also needs an additional $100 million a year from public sources to increase its $500 billion budget by 20 percent. When endowments get to the size of UNC’s $975 million, or Virginia’s $1.3 billion, the mon ey could be used for special projects like building a new law school, which USC is looking to do in the future. Concerning donations, USC is dependent on gifts from alumni for a bulk of its take. USC re ceived $77 million in gifts and pledges last year. However, Darla Moore School of Business Di rector of Alumni Relations Ellen Moore said there is definite room for improvement in terms of USC graduate donations. “It isn’t like alumni here aren’t rich, it is just they aren’t used to giving like at other universi ties,” Moore said. “We need to cultivate our alum ni.” Moore credits the recent push for alumni dol lars to President Palms. “Palm’s 2001 campaign has been just wonder ful for us,” she said. The third of the Board’s goals, receiving more slate funds, depends on the General Assembly and on former USC football captain John Gregory. Gregory is USC’s lobbyist inside the statehouse. His job is to get state funds for the university and convince suite legislators of the importance of USC Money see page 2 Service 101 College backs SG proposal for course ■ 'Service 101' class could begin by summer 2001 by Brandon Larrabee Tin: Gamhcock Student Government's proposal “Ser vice 101” course will take place during the summer or fall 2001 semester, SG of ficials said. SG Gmimunity Affairs Director Man ;isi Sinha said the Gil lege of Social Work lias given the project approval, and a meet 'ng will be held in November to nail the mal details of the proposal. The college’s approval was seen as cruci;d to the project, David Berube, chair man of Faculty Senate's University Cours es mid Curricula Committee, told SG rep resentatives at a September meeting. "As long as they back it up, it’s a sure tiling,” Sinha said. Sinha said she would prefer starting the class in the fall. "I think we'll have more participation in the fall," Sinha said. She said the initial class would prob ably consist of one section with 15 to 20 students. Another step tow;ird ollenng the class h;ts been completed by finding service sites that would fall under the stale's "Good ‘ramaritan" laws, which are intended to protect volunteers. Sinlia said the Office of Community Service Programs has contacted 150 pos sible sites that fall under the stale laws. Those sites would be checked to find out how many students and hours of work were needed by each. One formal question remaining is wliether llie class would operate as a course or ;ui independent study, Sinlta said. SG President Jotaka Eaddy said she thought the backing of the College of So cial Work brought the propositi closer to becoming reality. "I think it pretty much utkes us to the 1 tint of having everything completed and finished and ready to hike to Faculty Sen ate," Eaddy said. According to Eaddy, Tint Miller, co ordinator of community service programs Service 101 see page 2 use LOSES HEARTBREAKER ON SENIOR DAY DLAN ia ATI UNU MIL UAMLCOLK South Carolina native Dominique Stevenson (No. 28) parades around Wllllams-BHce Stadium with a Tennessee Volunteer flag, taunting USC fans. The Gamecocks suffered their second loss of the season Saturday, but remain In the hunt for their first SEC championship. Carolina will make a trip to Gainesville to face the Florida Gators In two weeks. Lottery foes aim to get the vote out by John Bailey Tin: Gami.ciick As election day draws near, the-anli lottery campaign has turned its focus to simply encour.iging more people to vote. “We’re in the process of getting our people out to vote. That’s the mode we’re in right now,” said Joe. Mack, the direc tor of Christian Life Concerns for the South Carolina Southern Baptist Con vention. Mack said the “No Lottery 2000” campaign has focused its efforts to swing voles against the legalization of a South Carolina lottery through “reams of liter ature” to educate would-be voters. Also, anti-lottery;advocates have used programs such as Lottery Sundays, phone banks, transportation committees and ;ibsentee ballots to increase voter turnout. "1 think it’s not good for education. It’s unstable income,” Mack said. “It’s a lesson we shouldn't be leach ing our kids,” Mack said. "You shouldn’t gamble in some cases, but in some cases it’s OK. This is the first generation ofyoiuig people we tell ‘don’t do tlnigs, don’t drink, but go out and gamble.’” Lottery opponents recently pulled a television advertisement because of alle gations that it was inaccurate, according Lottery see page 2 Hodges proposes using Internet filters in public schools by Maggie Stewart Tig; Gamecock Gov. Hodges has proposed a plan to initiate In ternet filters lobe used in public institutions statewide, but it isn’t known how the plan will affect USC. The Internet filters would be used to block on ly obscene materials that could be disturbing or in appropriate to the general public, according to Hodges’ spokeswoman Corlney Owings. The proposal consists of introducing three vol untary pilot programs to test the Internet filtering soltware. Hodges signed the proposal Oct. 10. However, die pilot testing won’t begin undl June 29 and will finish on Dec. 1, 2001, Owings said. The three programs will be tested in three li braries and Uiree public schools. The sites won t be specifically chosen but rather v/itl volunteer for the testing. So far, there is no an swer as to which libraries and schools are current ly participating, Owings said. The pilots are cho sen based upon how well the schools and libraries vote on them. The goal of the plan is to filler obscene mater ial but still iillow essenliitl information to be recessed, according to Wyeth Rulhven, a spokesman for the governor. The way the testing would begin, Owings said, is by the Budget and Control Board initialing the pi lot. Then, after testing is complete in December, it would be up to the board to report its findings to the South Carolina General Assembly. After the pilots have been run and tested, it’s up to Hie General Assembly and the public to choose when the new software goes into effect, said Bud get and Control Board spokesman Michael Spon hour. “The date is unknown as to when the bill might pass,” Sponhour said. “All is left up to the South Carolina General Assembly in December to decide if the bill passes and how it is run.” When asked why the plan was going into effect, Sponhour said his office’s only job was to follow or ders. “Our only job is to do what the law tells us to do,” Sponhour said. “We are just staff, and we have been instructed to test these systenis. It is up to the General Assembly and the public to decide if this bill will pass.” On a broader scale, the reason for the filters is to protect today’s society from the obscene mater ial being viewed on the Internet, Owings said. George Terry, vice provost and dean ofThomas Cooper Library, said the.system might be useful. The library has more than 6 million books and li brary materials to monitor, and use of the new fil tering devices would greatly help control access to Web sites not allowed by the university. However, Terry said, although the plan has good intentions, it’s a direct violation of the First Amend ment. Terry said lie’s not favorably inclined to the new system because he believes it’s a violation of students’ freedom of speech. “There are things on the Internet I do not per sonally care for,” Terry said, but not allowing the public to access all the information would be a vi olation. Terry acknowledged he fell the filter could be beneficial, but, "I feel the students are able to make the right decisions on their own as to what they view while in the library.” Bree Jitcobs, a Ireshntan will) an undeclared ma jor, agrees with Terry that she’s concerned with the potential blocking of free software on the Internet. But the final plan would only prevent obscene material from being viewed while in a public insti tution, and all downloadable software would still be accessible, Sponhour said. “I agree half and half,” said Avis Brabhan, a psy chology freshman. However, she added she also doesn’t fully agree with the new plan. “I support it for the younger children, but this wouldn’t be a problem if the Internet was more se cure," she s;tid. “You never know who is on the oili er end.” The plan doesn’t have a set date to start, ac cording to the Budget and Control Board, but pilot testing is scheduled to begin next year. The university ilesk can be reached at gamecockudesk@hotmall.com. Weather j,,_£ Quote a Datebook.' Today 70 47 Tuesday 81 57 Weekend Excursion does well in contest Page 5 “The art of life is the art of avoiding pain.” — Thomas Jefferson Monday -, ^AS Black Cultural October Wcck 4% 4% • Safely, Alcohol and W!* jL*. Violence Education Week i ■ Tuesday • Halloween • AAAS Black Cultural Week • Safety, Alcohol and Violence Education Week