Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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_VOL. 94, No. 44 Monday January 22, 2001__ Serving the Carolina Community since iy(JS www.oailygambI&ck.com University of S o u t & V * Columbia, s.c. Student Government Eaddy to announce grant on Tuesday by Brandon Larrabee The Gamecock USC students will have the chance to start their own businesses at a Student Incubator Center, which will be funded by a grant Student Government plans to announce Tuesday. The announce - ment will take place at 12:15 p.nt. on Greene Street, SG President Jotaka Ead dy said. It will be attended by Eaddy, USC Provost Jerry Odom, USC Vice President for Research William Harris, Columbia Mayor Bob Coble, USC faculty member Richard Robertson t *nd Columbia incubator project Director Joel Stevenson. While Eaddy wouldn’t announce the size of the grant, which comes from the South Carolina Research Institute, she did say it was big. “It’s the largest amount any Student Grant seepages Billboard falls onto interstate by Charles Prashaw The Gamecock Several motorists on 1-77 narrowly avoided disaster Saturday afternoon when a 100-loot billboard fell across the southbound lane near the Ridgeway ex it. Columbia police believe the sign, wliich was 100-feet long and 75 feet from the interstate, was blown onto the road by high winds that reached up to 30 mph. No one was hurt in the accident, and an investigation will continue. According to a witness, the sign, which weighed about a ton, fell on the roadway with a laige crash and bounced several times. The biI Iboard fell around 5 p.m. and narrowly missed two cars. C Ferguson told The Stale, “We ob served the sign blowing in the wind,” when he was riding with his wife in their pick-up truck. “It leaned 20 degrees and then 40 degrees. We realized it was falling, and 1 slowed down or we would have been crushed. “There were two cars in front of us, and they just cleared it by what looked like about 10 feet.” Police said they couldn’t tell who the sign belonged to because it was heavily damaged. A wrecker service was called but was unable to move the sign, which at one point backed up traffic for two miles. * However, a welding crew that was stuck in traflic volunteered to help cut tire sign off its large pole. The pole was then pushed off the road, and both it and the sign were loaded The city desk can be reached at gamecockcttydesk@hotmail.com ^ ^ I'd boon praying for a church family ^ ^ ond good spiritual friends ... Melissa Martin, first-year USC student BiKo'A I i ■.. Bgfflgg K B8B8Bj B V". ""Tl-.1.B '.g. B *■'. BBBBB88BH!1 ‘ ' ■ ■ ■ ' 11 B BBS ' 1 ■ ' . ' ■ ■ ■ BB B B BBBBa 1SSSS ■ V V1. Columbia Church of Christ gathers for a religious service at Rnlay Park on Sunday, Oct 8. Members of the church are diverse - a variety of ages, races and ethnicities. Genesis Melissa Martin thought the Columbia Church of Christ would answer her prayers. Part One in a series There she was—surrounded by a diverse group of people, all of them worshipping God with fervor. It was something Melissa Martin had been looking for since the summer of 1999. “I’d been praying over the summer for a church family and good spiritual friends because I had left my old church home ... because the youth group was hypocritical,” said Melissa, a first-year student in the College of Liberal Arts. But here was a group that appeared to be, “from a distance, very on fire for God,” Melissa said. “And I like that.” What Melissa didn’t know was how her life would be affected by the Columbia Church of Christ. Melissa’s story is a glimpse into the church during her nearly three-month membership. It all began a couple of weeks after Melissa began attending USC in the fall of 2000. On her way to lunch at the Grand Marketplace, she was approached by three members of the church. One asked her to attend a meeting at the Russell House Theater at 2 p.m. Church seepages i_u .....i . ...... i»r i■■■■ A baptism of a member of the Columbia Church of Christ also took place at the Oct 8 service. Before being sumberged In the baptismal tank of water, members meet repeatedly with church leaders, formermember Melissa Martin said. Story by Brandon Larrabee ♦ Photos by Arif Kidwai Economy USC adds jobs, cash to state ■ University contributes $3.8 billion, 54,000 jobs to economy, report says by Mary Hartney The Gamecock USC contributed $3.8 billion and 54,000 jobs to the state from 1998 to 1999 through the university’s eight cam puses and its alumni, according to a report released by The Darla Moore ^rhnnl nf Rncinpcc’ division of research. “The University of South Carolina and Its Economic Impact on the State of South Carolina,” authored by Douglas Wood ward and Sandra Teel, also indicates that col leges in the American Association of Uni versities typically gen erate more money for their communities than nonmembers do. USC has long as pired to become a member of the AAU, which includes some of the most prestigious universities in the nation. Woodward said USC’s progress toward AAU status has impacted the state’s economy through athletics, construc tion and research. “In the process of trying to get there, we have raised visibility in terms of sports and sponsored research here at USC,” he said. The increased visibility brings in new money from out of state and the process starts to snowball, which attracts additional funding and research, Woodward said. Studies estimating the university’s impact on the econ omy have been done before, but not of this magnitude or complexity, Teel said. “In my opinion, what was most significant was how the numbers added up to such a laige figure,” she said. “I nev er imagined they would add up to quite so laige an amount. But you have to keep in mind that this is a laige universi ty.” USC’s eight campuses contribute $ 1.4 billion and 22,400 jobs to the state’s economy both directly and indirectly, the study says. The direct contributions range from athletics purcliases to construction contracted by the university. This direct spending causes a “multiplier effect,” where the lo cal economy benefits and, in turn, increases its spending. Economy seepage: What USC gives to the state: ■ ALUMNI contributed $2.4 billion and filled 31,600 jobs in S.C. ■ CAMPUSES contributed $1.4 billion and supplied 22,400 jobs in S.C. ■ IN ALL, the university contributed $3.8 million and 54,000 jobs to the state from 1998-1999. Task force to investigate state election procedures by Charles Prashaw The Gamecock In the aftermath of the long, strange post-election confusion of the 2000 pres idential race, Gov. Jim Hodges is form ing a task force to look into the election process in South Carolina. According to Hodges, the task force is needed to prevent a Florida like situation from happening in future South Carolina elections. “The task force will ensure that all votes are counted fairly and accurately so that South Carolinians will have the utmost confidence in the integrity of our elections,” Hodges said. The task force will review state and local laws, ordinances and procedures pertaining to elections. The committee will also examine voter registration, vot ing methods and vote counting proce dures. “Tlie right to vote is the building block of our democracy,” Hodges said. “We don’t want what happened in Florida to happen here.” One of the members of the elections task force, State Rep. Mark Kelley, R Horry County, said he didn’t know much about the task force yet because he was wailing for the first meeting to be called. He said he feels the state needs stan dardized changes. “We should vole the same way throughout the state,” he said. Kelley said some counties use punch hole ballots or paper ballots while others use electronic machines. “My hope is the whole state goes electronic. I think it is more accurate,” he said. “We don’t want to sit around and debate hanging chads.” Republican Party Executive State Di rector J. Sam Daniels echoed feelings about standardizing voting technology rules in South Carolina. “It’s not so much the machines, but the rules in place in different parts of the stale concerning the machines,” Daniels said. He pointed to an example in Jasper County, where officials in the mostly Democratic county publicly admitted they were in violation of at least 10 slate statutes concerning (he elections process. “They didn’t even check die machines in Jasper to see if they were working,” Daniels said. “We need to change tilings so that won’t happen again.” Daniels wants to allow the state elec tions commission to have more authori ty and power. Election see past 2 ‘My hope is the whole state goes electronic. We don’t want to sit around and debate hanging chads.’ Rep. Mark Kelley R-Horry County ..............4— 1 ' ji ... Weather Coming Up Quote of the Day Online Poll Today 49 33 Tuesday 57 37 How state’s proposed budget cuts might ) affect students Wednesday “Love is the idler's occupation, the warrior's relaxation and the sovereign's ruination. ” — Napoleon Are the police doing a good job patrolling the Five Points area? Vote at www.dailygamecock.com. Results will be published Friday.