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_Vol, 94, No, 37 Wednesday November 29, 2000_ e Carolina Community since 1Q08 . t WWW.GAMECOCK.SC.EDU UNIVERSIT Y OF SOUTH CAROLINA COLUMBIA, S.C. W& wmmmM wmm HBiHi II 1 H II -- - i 111111 * Assisting in the making of a better USC % ■ This series takes a look at the role graduate students play in USC's quest for AAU status. This week, a look at the university's graduate assistants. by Brandon Larrabee The Gamecock They shelve books, teach courses and run labs. They serve RAs and RHDs and help professors do research. But the stipends for graduate assistants are low. The assistantships are meant to help students de fer the costs of graduate school, but some are ques tioning whether the university’s stipends are in line with other institutions. However, with cash-starved departments paying the graduate assistants, there seems to be little the graduate school can do about it, university officials say. The university’s tuition for non-health majors runs $209 per credit hour for resident students for the 2000-2001 year, or $2,107 per semester for a full-time student. For a non-resident, it jumps to $443 per credit hour or $4,541 for a full-time stu dent. For health majors, the price tag goes up even further. For resident students, tuition in those ma jors runs $242 per credit hour, or $2,450 for full time students. For non-residents, the lab is $500 per credit hour or $5,089 full-time. However, students with assistantships get their tuition reduced to $750 for non-health majors and $957 for health majors, regardless of residency, in addition to a stipend with a $1,000 minimum. There are four types of graduate assistants: • Graduate Teaching Assistants, or GTAs, serve as teachers for a course. “They are the instructor of record for certain classes,” said Jaime Nolan, coordinator of Interna tional Graduate Admissions, who deals with as sistantships for the university. “They are completely Amy Goulding The Gamecock Graduate assistants teach classes, conduct research and assist In the operation of the university in other ways. However, some complain that stipends aren’t competitive. *1 hear a lot of complaints about the discrepancy in pay.’ Jaime Nolan coordinator of International Graduate Admissions in charge of that class.” • Graduate Instructional Assistants, GIAs, aren’t the instructors of record, but they do help profes sors. “Most often, the GIAs are in the labs,” Nolan said. “They have very limited teaching responsi bilities.” • Graduate Research Assistants, GRAs, usually work with a faculty in their field on a grant. “They are conducting research, usually in their department,” Nolan said. • Graduate Staff Assistants, GSAs, do clerical work, work in the library or serve as Resident As sistants or Residence Hall Directors. Several university officials admit the stipends at the university aren’t up to par. “I don’t think that we offer competitive stipends,” USC Provost Jerry Odom said. Marcia Welsh, dean of the graduate school, agrees. “I think our stipends are on the low side,” she said. So does Nolan. She points to the $1,000 mini mum stipend. “You can’t live on that,” she said. There are differences. Nolan said the average non-science assistantship stipend is between $3,000 and $5,000. For science assistants, the amount jumps to between $6,000 to $9,000. The maximum stipend is $10,000, but those large prizes are few and usually go to engineering students, Nolan said. “I rarely see anything that high,” she said. Not everyone is happy with the differences. “I hear a lot of complaints about the discrep ancy in pay,” Nolan said. But a mandate to increase stipends from the graduate school is hardly an option, according to Welsh. The minimum level can be raised by the graduate school. But the consequences of raising the level of stipends could be devastating to cash strapped programs, slashing the number of gradu ate students able to attend the university. “They only have the money that they are giv en in their budget,” Welsh said. Graduate see pact 4 Program to improve foster care by Kristin von Karowsky The Gamecock Older children who age out of South Carolina’s foster care system could now have services available for mentor ing, tutoring and home bases beyond fos ter homes. Gov. Hodges announced Nov. 16 the creation of the Youth 2K foster care Ini tiative, a public-private partnership be tween slate agencies, the United Way and other private charitable foundations. “The governor is dedicated to im proving die lives of children,” said Hodges spokeswoman Corlney Owings. “Edu cation and children are South Caroli na’s most important resources.” Older children requiring continued foster care create a system of special needs, said Caroline Bivona, Youdi 2K director with the United Way of South Carolina. “It’s more challenging to place old er children, who are lingering in the hopes of adoption,” Bivona said. “But a lot of kids still ended up staying in foster care. That’s where Youth 2K comes in, to pro vide comprehensive services for foster kids, like tutoring and mentoring.” She added the educational aspects of Youth 2K would prove to be an indis pensable aspect of the program. “Providing tutoring services is im portant because it’s hard for foster chil dren to concentrate, coming from a sit uation of abuse and neglect.” Sororities, fraternities and other col lege students could serve as tutors, she said. Besides tutoring, the new program will provide mentors for older foster chil dren. “Foster children need someone to talk to and advise them,” she said. “This would not be a professional relationship, . .. but another support system. 1 want them [foster children] to have somewhere to go for Thanksgiving. To have someone stable to call up later in life, at age 25, 35, or whatever age. We will have adult mentors who can be a friend to a foster child.” The program is also seeking to in volve local businesses. “Wfe’re also looking at how to involve the corporate world in this project,” Bivona continued. “There will be work shops on the benefits of adoption and fos ter care. Some companies have a program where employees can get time off from work when they adopt.” Regardless of who’s involved, Bivona said foster children are everyone’s re sponsibility. “These are all our children in foster care,” she said. “Tliere needs to be a com munity effort.” Most foster children are between the ages of 12 and 17, but the age range ex tends from 10- to 21-year-olds, she said. “At age 18, some become emanci pated, but if they stay connected to the system they can get Medicaid and help with college.” Bivona also said the Youth 2K Ini tiative wants to help foster children de velop educational, social and employ ment skills. “We want to pair children up with professionals for part-time jobs,” Bivona said. “For example, we have a child who is interested in becoming a veterinarian, and another who’s interested in com puters, and an adult could be a mentor and show them the ropes.” The city/slale desk can be reached at gamecockcttydesk@hotmall.com. Body donors’ relatives sue Med School by Brandon Larrabee The Gamecock The USC School of Medicine has been hit with eight lawsuits alleging the . school promised body donors a decent burial, but later dumped their cremated remains in mass graves at prisons and pau per’s fields. University spokesman Jason Sny der refused to comment on the matter, citing the pending legislation. Columbia lawyer Michael Hart filed the lawsuits on behalf of eight plaintiffs, all relatives of donors. He said the relatives of one of the plaintiffs, Amanda Bridges, were led to believe they would be buried in a local cemetery. “They were told... that they would get a decent burial,” Hart said. They didn’t, according to Hart. A lawsuit filed by Arthur Weeden al leges the university promised to give the remains to him after they were done. Ac cording to the lawsuit, that never hap pened. “The ashes weren’t given to him,” Hart said. According to Hart, the mass graves were marked with plastic markers de noting lire year in which die remains were used. “Each year, they would have maybe . 30 to 40 people,” Hart said. Hart said he had requested univer sity documents related to the case and ‘They were told... that they would get a decent burial. ’ Michael Hart Columbia lawyer had sent the university a series of ques tions. He said he didn’t know whether the families were given any written agree ment. “I haven’t seen anything in writing,” Hart said. The success or failure of the lawsuits could hinge on the existence of docu ments. “I guess a lot of it depends upon what exists in writing,” he said. At least one similar suit has been suc cessful, according to Hart. He said a ju ry case against MUSC had resulted in a monetary award to the plaintiffs. Hart said his clients didn’t want to sue USC. “Wfe just really didn’t want to do any thing that was going to be harmful to the university,” he said, pointing to the fact that medical school students needed bod ies for their studies. “I think it’s an un fortunate situation.” But he said a series of negotiations and proposals to the university, includ ing giving USC access to the complaints Sued see page 2 Greek Council elects new representatives ■ Greek Village important issue for new officials by John Huiett Tiie Gamecock Greek Council elected new repre sentatives on Monday to serve until No vember 2001, including fraternity and sorority presidents, vice presidents, Pan hellenic Council members, secretaries and treasurers. Among other duties, the new offi cials will be responsible for issues relat ed to the proposed Greek Village project that has yet to be constructed. Newly elected fraternity president Trey Fadyen said he believed he was the right person for the job because of his previous experiences in leadership. “I enjoy being involved in campus activities and felt qualified for the posi tion of president through prior leader ship experience at USC,” Fadyen said. Fadyen said his elected position is one he is taking very seriously, pledging to make continuing the positive image of Greek Life one of his top priorities. Fadyen, a member of Sigma Nu fra ternity, said while construction has yet to begin on the long-anticipated Greek Village, there are already plans to build housing for four fraternities. He said, however, it will be one of his goals that all fraternities will be represented in the village. “I’ll do my best to see all fraterni ties eventually build houses,” Fadyen said. As for sororities, the amount of hous ing they will have in the new Greek Vil lage is yet to be determined. He said the planned location of the village, behind the yet-to-be construct ed Strom Thurmond Fitness and Well ness Center, could prove to be incon venient for Greek members trying to get to classes. Planned university trans portation accommodations should cir cumvent the anticipated problems. “Between shuttle service and garage spaces, it (the location) won’t make a big difference,” he said. “It will probably turn out to be positive thing since it will be next to the new P.E. cen ter.” Other fraternity officers include Vice President David Schroder of Kappa Greek elections see page 2 WEATHER Today 64 39 Thursday 60 39 Inside USC Volleyball prepares for NCAA tournament Page 11 Quote of the Day “My favorite beer is my next one.” — Dustin Watts *. •> Datebook Wednesday • Paul Taylor Dance Com pany, Roger Center • Alternative Spring Break Meeting, 7 p.m. RH 205 • Garnet & Black Submis sions table, Greene Street Thursday • NAACP, 6 p.m., Russell House 205 • Muslim Students Associ ation, 7 p.m., RH 305 • Students Allied for Latin America, 7:30 p.m., RH 305