Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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_VOL, 94, No. 46 Friday January 26, 2001_ Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08 WWW.DAlLYGAMBCOCK.COM UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA • COLUMBIA, S.C. Exodus When Melissa Martin's questionskvent unanswered, she left the Columbia Church of Christ Third in a three-part series by Brandon Larrabee The Gamecock Melissa Martin’s mother wasn’t going to be silent anymore. Melissa had joined the Cotam-gH 1 bia Church of Christ during her freshman year HI ! in college. At Melissa’s Oct 1 baptism, her mother hadn't told Melissa about the doubts she had about the church. It was the Wednesday before M break, and Melissa’s H ^ mother and brother were helping her get home. On Wednesdays, Melissa needed to go to church. That Wednesday night, her mother and brother went with her. 1 # jj That service would start a chain of events that would J lead to Melissa’s leaving the church and becoming an ad- ' js| vocate for banning it from campus. The week of M break, Melissa didn’t have the mon- x f ey to give her $5 tithe to the church. It would be the sec-^*^gj| ond week Melissa didn’t have the money. When she told the female leader of her group, she got || criticized in front of everyone, she said. “Well, you could have asked me to give you money, . ‘ M and you could’ve have reimbursed me, but this is two ,| weeks in a row,” her group leader replied. “You wanna W tallr The sermon that night mirrored Melissa’s situation, she said. The leader of the church preached that not tithing indicated spiritual trouble, and those who didn’t tithe would suffer. For her mother, who had been to the services of sev eral denominations, something was wrong about the church leader’s words. „ ^ “What he is saying is not right,” she told her daughter on the way home. She said Christians should give money with a cheerful heart “That started me thinking, you know, what’s going on here?” Melissa said. “And then the word ‘legalistic’ came into my mind.... ‘Why does it have to be a certain amount each week, why are they writing down the amount each week, why are they writing down when I don’t give each week, why are they writing down when I come to church, why are they writing down when I don’t come to church, why are they checking off how many people I bring to church, why does my discipling partner want to know if I thought any negative thoughts?”’ When she returned from the break, she started pepper Exodus see page z Proposed Budget Cuts / Palms pleads USC’s case to legislature by Brandon Larrabee The Gamecock Boasting about USC’s progress in the past decade and emphasizing the university’s impact on South Carolina’s economy, USC President John Palms Thursday asked the S.C. House Higher Ed ucation Subcommittee to exempt higher educa tion from budget cuts. “(T]he university is in no position to absorb either a reduction in state appropriations'or ad ditional unfunded mandates,” Palms told the sub committee. “As a result, we ask Ural higher edu cation be exempted from any budget cut.” During his comments, Palms stressed the im pact USC has on the state’s economy. He high lighted a recent report from the Darla MoOre School of Business, which found that the univer sity and its alumni contribute $3.8 billion and more than 54,000 jobs to South Carolina. “In the midst of a current budget crisis... we remind you that higher education alone provides the key to long-term financial and economic growth,” Palms said. INSIDE ■ Palms tells faculty that administration will fight cuts — Page 2 ■ Student senate passes resolution opposing cuts — Page 2 Palms also referred to the university’s bond rating and several accreditation reviews that are under way at USC. All of those, he said, take stale support into account when they assess a univer sity. “A budget cut would threaten this financial and academic stability, interrupt our current momentum and immediately impair our ability to serve the state and our students,” he said. And Palms said the level of funding the uni versity has received over the past few years — which falls below the amount the university should be allocated under the state’s performance-based funding—already amounts to a budget cut. Budget see page 2 Senator proposes closing Med School ■ Assembly member says state can't support two medical institutions by Valerie Matchette Tiie Gamecock S.C. Sen. William Mescher, R-Berkeley, in troduced Wednesday a bill that would close the USC School of Medicine. If enacted, the bill would set measures to close the college at the end of the 2004-2005 school year. According to the bill, “the enrollment by class at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston may not increase above existing au thorized levels.” The bill also provided that this change would be carried out by USC’s board of trustees. According to Mescher, the bill, which would make MUSC in Charleston the state’s only medical university, would be financially benefi cial to the entire state. He said the state cannot af ford to support two medical universities. Conse quently, he said, Columbia’s school, where 291 students are enrolled, would be merged with Charleston’s campus, which boasts an enrollment of 2,300. Though Gov. Jim Hodges announced earlier this year a plan to slash state funding, Mescher said this had nothing to do with his decision to pre MEDICINE SEE page 2 Riley to join education faculty by Brandon Larrabee The Gamecock Dick Riley has had many lilies, including governor and secretary of education. Add professor to that list. Dick Riley, whose record-breaking eight year tenure as secretary of education ended this Riley past week, has been named Distinguished University Professor at the university’s College of Education. Riley, a graduate of USC’s School of Law, said he was glad to be back. “I am excited to be returning home and being involved with [USC],” he said. Les Sternberg, dean of the College of Ed ucation, called Riley’s coming to the uni versity “a wonderful opportunity for the uni versity, but especially for our college.” “What Dick Riley brings to the table is overall reputation,” Sternberg said. “He has a knowledge base about what’s been tried all over the United States.” Riley’s non-salaried position will not in volve teaching, though Stenberg said the for mer South Carolina governor might do some guest lecturing. Riley will become an adviser to the South Carolina Network for Educational Renewal. He will work with the network — a part nership among USC, Benedict and Colum bia colleges, and Furman and Winthrop uni versities — to design new ways to train teachers. The university desk can be reached at gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Animal activists protest outside Coliseum by Kristin von Karowsky The Gamecock Ringling Bros, and Bamum & Bailey Circus isn’t the only group causing a commotion in Co lumbia. About a dozen animal activists surrounded the Carolina Coliseum Wfednesday night in protest against the opening night of the circus. The activists, who will be protesting through Sunday, believe there is something inherently wrong and unnatural about using animals for en tertainment purposes. They also seek to raise public awareness of the U.S. Department of Agri culture’s citations against circuses regarding the federal Animal Welfare Act. Activists were armed with leaflets and protest signs reading “Ringling’s Animals Are Dying To Entertain You” and “You Choose — They Can’t: Boycott Animal Circuses.” Protestor Shirin Modaresi, co-president of the Palmetto Animal Welfare Society and a third year Honors College student, said, “We’re try ing to raise awareness about the cruelty involved in the circus. The animals are forced to per form unnatural acts — like jumping through hoops of fire and riding unicycles. They’re whipped. Bull hooks are used on elephants.” Modaresi said USC had tire circus at the Col iseum every year “purely for money.” “These animals are not being treated in a proper manner. As a student, I pay tuition, and it contributes to keeping up the Coliseum,” she said. Modaresi doesn’t want her “school to rep resent me in this fashion. This is animal abuse.” Activist Matt Wells, a Richland County res ident with JAWS, said he’s in favor of animal-free circuses. “There’s more humane ways for peo ple to get the entertainment they desire, such Activists seepages Anahtta Modaresl holds a sign while protesting the circus, which began Wednesday. The protests will run through Sunday. According to protestors, the circus Is cruel to I the animals Involved. Some USC students are upset because the universly allows the circus to use the Coliseum. H Travit Lynn/The §§ Gamecock . ... Weather Coming Up Quote of the Day Online Poll Today 50 31 Saturday 65 33 What SLED is doing to fight ' crime in Columbia Next Week “Ambition breaks the ties of blood, and forgets the obligations of gratitude.” — Walter Scott Are the police doing a good job patrolling the Five Points area? No: 73% Yes: 27% ~-lt Look for next week’s question ^ Monday in The Gamecock.