The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 29, 2000, Image 1
_Vol, 94, No, 37 Wednesday November 29, 2000_
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WWW.GAMECOCK.SC.EDU UNIVERSIT Y OF SOUTH CAROLINA COLUMBIA, S.C.
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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