Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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_VOL. 94, No. 50 Monday February 5, 2001 v _ K Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08 kk.com University of South Carolina Columbia, s.c: *• I ■hkb^hibhhhbibhh * ; .!nnniHi ■ Contribution comes as WIS-TV seeks to win state's lottery contract by Charles Prashaw The Gamecock The parent company of the state’s largest television station, which is seeking to win a valuable lottery contract from the state, contributed $ 1,500 to the campaign to re-elect Gov. Jim Hodges. Cosmos Broadcasting Inc, which made the contribution, is based in Greenville and owns WIS-TV. The donation, though legal under state election laws, raises serious ethical questions about whether news-gathering organizations should contribute money to candidates’ campaigns when they’re supposed to be objective in reporting about elections. The contribution was made to the campaign on Dec. 9, around the time WIS announced it was vying to become the sole television station to produce and air drawings for the South Carolina lottery. If WIS-TV wins the contract, they stand to make substantial profits through increased ratings, advertising dollars and fees from the state lottery. Allegedly, the contribution was specifically tied to a fund-raiser Hodges held at the Carolina Coliseum in December for his 2002 re-election campaign. Almost all South Carolina newspapers and television stations have policies or traditions barring political donations in order to avoid appearing biased. But Cosmos Broaicasting President James Keelor donated $100 to the campaign to re-elect David Beasley in 1998. General Manager of W1S-TV John Cottingham was unavailable for comment as of press time. In The State, which broke the story, Cottingham said, “We try to stay out of all political campaigns and not give the impression we support one candidate.” Cottingham also told The State that the contribution to Hodges’ campaign most likely came from Hayne Hipp, the CEO of Liberty Corp., the company that owns Cosmos Broadcasting. Hipp was also unavailable for comment as of press time. But The State had some of its own ethical questions to answer when it was reported last year that the newspaper’s parent company, Knight Ridder, flew Gov. David Beasley to Washington, _ D.C. on a private company jet to attend a National Press Club dinner. Some local journalists are critical of the WIS-TV contribution because the company acted wrongly according to guidelines established by The Society of Professional Journalists. The SPJ Code of Ethics, which both broadcasters and print journalists follow, says, “journalists should avoid all conflicts of interest, real or perceived.” WOLO-TV General Manager David Dodds said Hodges see page 2 Sigma Chi to kick off weeklong Derby Days by Cristy Infinger The Gamecock Sigma Chi Demy Days, a week ot events held to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network, begins today. The week is packed with activities, such as a cookout, “silver sabotage” and skits. The events aren’t just for friendly competition, though — the proceeds from the week will go to the Children’s Miracle Network. “Sigma Chi Deiby Days is a nationally run event with competition between sororities to have fun, all benefiting our chosen philanthropy, the Children’s Mir acle Network,” Sigma Chi president Michael Beiger said. Today, there will be a kickoff cookout and derby decorating contest in the Sigma Chi lounge from 6-8 p.m. The deibies, stiff felt hats with round crowns, will be displayed tomorrow on Greene Street during the Silver Sabotage. Silver Sabotage is an event to raise money while getting rid of loose change. Each sorority is assigned a bucket where people are invited to drop pennies that count toward a score. Sororities put silver change, checks and bills into other groups’ buckets, and this money counts against them. Each event of the week will earn points for the sororities. Points are earned through participation, money raised by silver sabotage, balloon sales and individual contests. Besides the planned events, sororities will be asked to sell balloons printed with the Children’s Miracle Network logo for a dollar each. Members of Sigma Chi are expected to sell at least $50 worth of balloons and to “coach” the participants through the week’s events and about the point system. Last year, Kappa Delta sorority won Deiby Days. This year they’re out to defend their title. “We are really excited and know that winning for the third year in a row will be hard, but we are putting up a unified front and the chapter is really getting involved,” Kappa Delta president Katie Gomez said. “Hopefully, we will be able to defend our title.” As the week goes by, other events will lake place, such as a derby hunt Wednesday on the Horseshoe. The week’s festivities will culminate Thursday at Airband with a combination concert, skit show and award presentation. The winners will be announced, and the band Gran Torino will perform. The university desk can be reached at gamecockudesk@hotmaiLcom RIVERBANKS ZOO EXPANSION PROJECT Special to The Gamecock The first component of the Rlverbanks Zoo expansion project Is a 12,000-square foot birdhouse, which Includes the Aslan Trek (above). The giant homblll and the Ball mynah, both endangered species, are featured at the Aslan Trek. Birds of a Feather BY MARUXA RELANO The Gamecock As a crowd of parents and children gathered in front of the penguin tank to watch the Saturday morning feeding, it was clear that Riverbanks Zoo’s new penguin exhibit was popular with visitors. Penguin Coast is part of the zoo’s new 12,000-square foot birdhouse, which is the first major component of the zoo’s $19 million expansion project. This summer, the project will bring gorillas to Columbia for the first time. The new birdhouse also includes Asian Trek, featuring birds such as the giant hombill and the Bali mynah, both endangered species. Savanna Camp showcases birds of the^rid African and South American savannas. At Conservation Crossroads, visitors can leant about several conservation programs and make on-the-spot donations to the program of their choice. Riverbanks Zoo leads the Bali mynah species survival plan, a nationwide program that man ages mynahs in American zoos as a single pop ulation and aims to re-introduce them to their natural habitat. Saturday, the animal keepers answered questions and taught the audience about the birds through a headset from the other side of the glass. Parents seemed to listen more than their chil dren, but the children stared through the glass wall separating them from the penguins and watched without losing interest. Penguin Coast is a multisensory home of two kinds of warm-water penguins: South African penguins and rock-hopper penguins from the Falkland Islands, off the coast of Argentina. The penguins are showcased behind a 65 foot-long glass pane that allows visitors to see the birds “fly” underwater and hop on land. Riverbanks Zoo spokeswoman Sharon Sossamon said they’re training the penguins to respond to certain orders, such as to get out of the water for feeding when the keepers blow a whistle. “We have one penguin that is better ‘humanized’ than others,” Sossamon said. “We are hoping the rest follow her example.” Larry Forsyth works as an education volunteer at the zoo. He said he finds his work a rewarding experience. “1 really enjoy volunteering here,” Forsyth said, “I come twice a week and do dif ferent jobs.” Saturday, Forsyth demonstrated penguins’ insulation system with two double-layered plastic bags: one with fat in it, one empty. Visitors put one hand in each bag before submerging the bags in iced water and found that their hands kept warmer in the fat-lined bag. The remaining components of the zoo’s expansion project — the botanical garden entrance, the elephant and gorilla exhibits and the African village—will open to the public in spring and summer. The city desk can be reached at gamecockcrtydesk@hotmail.com USC Funding Cuts Budget forecast remains cloudy by Brandon Larrabee The Gamecock Those involved in USC’s budget process say the university administration hasn’t decided what programs to cut if the state legislature approves a plan that would slash the university’s appropriations by as much as 15 percent. While USC President John Palms and Provost Jeny Odom have the ultimate say about the university’s budget, interviews with advisers to Palms and Odom give an idea of what the university might trim if cuts become necessary. However, advisers said upiversity cuts would be based on the size of the reductions the legislature makes in the budget. They also cautioned that any talk of what might be done if the budget is cut is premature. Associate Provost John Olsgaard said the provost’s office had asked all departments of the university to budget for a 5 and a 10 percent cut in their strate gic plans. Tire strategic plans include each unit’s request fof funding. No other definite steps have been tak en to plan for possible cuts, Olsgaard said. “Otherwise, it’s very difficult to plan on a number you don’t know,” he said. Olsgaard said it was difficult to think about the size of the possible cuts. A 15 percent cut would mean the university would get $23 million less in state funding next year. “It’s hard to get your arms Budget see page 2 Committee denounces budget cut proposal by Valerie Matchette The Gamecock The state’s pending budget cuts and their effect on state-funded colleges was the topic of discussion at the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education’s meeting Thursday. At the beginning of the year, the governor proposed drastic budget cuts to make up for financial deficits stemming from a nationwide economic slowdown. USC President John Palms lias said the 15 percent across-the-board cuts would be devastating to USC and other state supported institutions. Dalton Floyd Jr., the chairman of the Higher Education Commission, spoke about the potential cutbacks. “Once again, higher education in South Carolina finds itself in a difficult position relative to state funding, which makes it even more important for us to speak with a common voice on critical issues,” Floyd said. He compared South Carolina’s budget woes to those in neighboring states and pointed to North Carolina’s policy, which compensated for budget deficits without significantly impacting higher Colleges seepages Weather Today 63 36 Tuesday 61 43 Coming Up & A look at 1 USC’s use of information technology Wednesday Quote of the Day “Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned. ” — Mark Twain Online Poll ■HHHIIIHHHHI Should USC include sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination policy? Vote at www.dailygamecock.com. Results will be publish d Friday.