The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 30, 2000, Image 1
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