Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

_vol. 94. no. 55 Friday February 16, 2001_ e Carolina Community since 1Q08 WWW.DAlLYGAMBCOCK.COM UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA ~ COLUMBIA, S.C. Three indicted in USC investigation by Brandon Larrabee The Gamecock Three university officials have been indicted following a state grand jury investigation into USC’s Institute of Public Affairs. Douglas Dobson, the Institute’s former executive director, and two ' subordinates, Sara Grayson and Betty Sue Branham, have been charged with one count each of official misconduct. Dobson and Grayson have also been indicted for criminal conspiracy. Dobson and Grayson face up to 15 years in prison; Branham faces up to ten. “Without commenting on this case in any way, let me say that officials who cheat or abuse the public must be held accountable for their actions,” S.C. Attorney General Charlie Condon said. “The taxpayers of South Carolina must always come first.” USC spokesman Russ McKinney said the indictment “certainly doesn’t reflect well on the university.” “It’s a black eye,” McKinney said. According to the indictment, the three employees submitted false travel and expense vouchers over a period beginning in 1996. The three submitted the vouchers to the USC Controller’s Office and Purchasing Department, then converted the funds for their own use, prosecutors said. Under the scheme, “Dobson and Grayson did conspire to willfully, unlawfully and feloniously embezzle, transfer, disburse, utilize, steal and convert, either wholly or partially, to their own use approximately ninety thousand dollars ... in public funds of the University of South Carolina,” according to the indictment. “In short, the indictment alleges a criminal scheme to share the wealth provided by the false vouchers,” Condon said. “The public trust is a sacred trust and cannot be violated,” 5th Circuit Solicitor Barney Giese said. Giese said his office would prosecute the case, which he said he hopes will go to trial in six to nine months. “I can say that I’m very pleased with the investigation that was done,” he told The Gamecock. But Giese said he wasn’t pleased with the indictments. “You’re never pleased when you get in a situation like this,” he said. “We do look forward to prosecuting the cases.” John Harvey, Dobson’s attorney, said his client was considering his choices. “Dr. Dobson wants to assess the facts and circumstances and wants to make a knowing assessment about the legal course,” Harvey said. Dobson is a tenured faculty member who is currently on sick leave. Grayson, who served as Dobson’s executive assistant, is under suspension. Branham, now retired, was program director of the Hazardous Waste Management Research Fund. Giese stressed that the three haven’t been convicted yet. “These are obviously just allegations,” he said. “These people are presumed innocent until we prove them guilty.” In August, five employees were suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. However, other indictments in the case are expected, said Jon Ozmint, chief prosecutor for the state grand jury. The story of a SLED investigation into the Institute broke in August. The Gamecock, in an Aug. 24 story, revealed Grayson’s name in connection with the allegations. Giese announced Sept. 21 that he had requested the state grand jury look into the matter. The Associated Press, Charles Prasha w and Valerie Malchetle contributed to this report. Write the university desk at gamecockudesk@hotmail.com SEXUAL HEALTH AWARENESS FAIR Valerie Matchette/The Gamecock Jennifer Wright buys a condom-gram at Wednesday's Sexual Health Awareness Fair. The fair was sponsored by Sexual Health Awareness and Rape Education, and proceeds were donated to Palmetto AIDS Ufe Support Services. Columbia finds itself as center of gang activity by Brooke Bryenton The Gamecock Gangs in South Carolina want to keep a low profile, and they are succeeding. Columbia police officer Whit Mahoney recently told The State that, unlike in California, gangs here are quietly establishing themselves. J. Mitchell Miller, a USC criminal justice professor and author of the award-w inning book Gangs: A Criminal Justice Approach, said most gang members are either African American or Hispanic. He said white gang activity tends to fall under the label of “quasi-gangs,” and most members are juveniles or students. However, Richland County Sheriff’s Department’s Sgt. Mark McColman said more whites are involved in Columbia gangs, with members from age 6 to 22. It’s unknown how many of those members are college students, but they are distributed throughout the downtown area and Midlands counties, he said. According to McColman, gang activity has existed for at least 10 years in South Carolina, but it has been increasing rapidly in the past five. He said gang leaders tend to be either migrants from the North and West — recruiters who come in and start clubs — or natives who create hybrid, homegrown gangs. Recently, the S.C. Public Safety Department issued a giant for a study, “Gangs in South Carolina,” to analyze gang activity in the state, Miller said. “Serious criminal gangs are concentrated along our major highways, like 95, due to drug route activity. Florence is a hotbed for gang activity since it is near where 20 and 95 join,” Miller said. Gangs seepages BMW gives university $1 million by Brandon Larrabee The Gamecock USC announced Thursday that BMW has donated $1 million to the Darla Moore School of Business to set up an endowmentfor the international business programs and research. “Wfe’re very excited about this endowment and this partnership,” Business Dean Joel Smith said. Smith said the gift's importance is greater than its financial impact. “The money is important, but the fact that BMW decided to make the investment is equally important,” he said. “Any time somebody makes an investment, it’s an endorsement of what we’re doing.” ^ USC President John Palms echoed Smith’s comments. “Naturally, we are delighted to announce BMW’s endowment for the business school,” Palms said. “But we are even more pleased because of its significance well beyond its monetary value. With this gift comes the added opportunity to strengthen our partnership with one of the world’s lop corporations by working together on initiatives that not only will beneGt BMW and the university, but also the economy and the people of South CaroGna.” The gift is an endowment, meaning the university will invest the money and spend the interest instead of the original capital. BMW President Helmut Leube said the gift was an investment in educating business leaders his company will need. “BMW’s future growth rests upon an ever competidve educational system, and that will be made possible only by greater investments in education,” Leube said. “Our gift is evidence of our conGdence that this state and this university can and will meet the challenges of the future.” He said USC’s reputation brought the money to the school. “This university is known for its business excellence,” Leube said. Smith said the endowment could also be used to fund fellowships, scholarships and academic programs, as well as other areas of shared interest between USC and the company. Each year, the university and BMW will decide how to spend the money. “This endowment, because of the way it has been set up, will give BMW and the school flexibility to determine what programs can benefit most from the funds,” Smith said. “For example, one year the resources may be put toward an academic program and then shifted to scholarships the next. This way, the entire school, including faculty and students, as well as BMW, will benefit from this generous gift.” USC’s MIBS program has provided BMW with interns for 15 years. Four students are headed to Germany this year to intern with the company. BMW began building a plant in the Upstate in 1993, and the plant shipped its fust car to customers in 1995. The plant, near Greer, employs 4,000 people. The university desk can be reached at gamecockudesk©hotmaiLcom —— m —_^ 1WTT if —H—1^1 Special to The Gamecock A BMW employee works on a car at the company’s Greer plant BMW donated $1 million to set up an endowment for the Darla Moore School of Business. The endowment will go toward the school’s International programs. Weather Coming Up Quote of the Day Online Poll HHH Will the Search for Six be successful? Next Week “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson Do you care about SG elections? Yes: 31% No: 69% Look for next week’s question at www.dailygamecock.com.