The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 28, 2001, Image 1
_ Vol, 94, No. 69 .Wednesday March 28, 2001_
^ a Carolina Community since 1Q08
www.DAitYGAMEC0CK.coM University of South Carolina . Columbia, s.c.
State delays action on new budget cuts
■ Plan would slash
$1.8M from USC
in next 3 months
by Brandon Larrabee
a The Gamecock
A decision on a plan to slash the 2000
2001 budgets of all state agencies was
delayed Tuesday as members of the S.C.
Budget and Control Board considered
shielding public education and higher
education from the cuts.
The proposal, which would take 1
percent from the budgets of all state
agencies, isn’t related to the budget being
debated at the State House, which
would make much deeper cuts in state
agencies’ budgets for the 2001-2002
fiscal year.
The 1 percent cut wouldn’t likely
change students’ tuition, because it would
have to be made between now and the end
of the fiscal year on June 30.
The Budget and Control Board was
expected to vote on the cuts Tuesday. The
boand was also expected to pass a resolution
asking the legislature to exempt education
from the cuts, The Associated Press
reported.
But Gov. Jim Hodges, who supports
exempting education from the cuts,
announced he would use his power as chair
of the body to postpone action.
Hodges said the move was made to
give concerned board members time to
consider the exemption.
“The action that we took today, 1 think,
gives us some extra time,” Hodges said
after the meeting.
INSIDE
■ Delay also gives exemption
supporters more time — Page 3
University spokesman Russ McKinney
said the university appreciated Hodges’
and House Ways and Means Committee
Chairman Bobby Harrell’s support for the
exemption.
“I think we’re pleased that some of
the state leadership recognizes the
importance of higher education to the
state’s economic future,” McKinney said.
The cuts would mean slashing USC
Columbia’s budget by $ 1.8 million before
the end of the current fiscal year. The
entire system would suffer a cut of more
than $2 million.
All the state’s colleges and universities
I
would have a combined cut of nearly $7.3
million.
The Commission on Higher Education
and the Higher Education Tuition Grants
would also face cuts. The Department of
Education would face an almost $18.7
million reduction.
Harrell, who serves on the board,
introduced legislation Tuesday to shield
education from the cuts. While the
exemption for education would make the
cuts harder on other agencies—pushing
those agencies’ cuts up to 1.5 to 2 percent
— Harrell said one of state’s priorities
should be education.
“It does make it harder on other
agencies,” he said. “There’s no way to
avoid that.”
One of the concerned board members,
Senate Finance Committee Chairman
Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, said he
wanted time to weigh the exemption and
what it would mean to other state agencies.
“I am an advocate of education, but
you have to look at the big picture,”
Leatherman said.
Current law would prohibit the board
from sparing education without the
legislature’s approval because any cuts
“shall be applied as uniformly as may be
practicable.”
The State Buciget Office recommended
the cuts because of lagging revenues and
programs that could come up short this
fiscal year. Those funds could later be
released to the agencies for the 2001-2002
fiscal year if they aren’t needed, the office
said.
The university desk can be reached at
gamecockudesk@hotmaiLcom
More budget
cuts proposed
The university might have to
endure budget cuts for the rest of
this fiscal year. These cuts are
unrelated to budget cuts proposed
for the next fiscal year.
i| " :|^S ^ j|
Columbia $1,813,000
Spartanburg $126,000
Aiken $106,000
Sumter $43,000
Lancaster $29,000
Beaufort $24,000
Salkehatchie $23,000
Union $11,000
TOTAL $2,175,000
Sanford announces
run for governor
* Crowded race
Former U.S. Rep. Mark
Sanford has joined the held of
Republicans vying for governor.
■ Charlie
Condon,
attorney
general
■ Jim
Miles,
secretary
of state
■ Bob
Peeler,
lieutenant
governor
■ Mark
Sanford,
former U.S.
representative
by Charles Prashaw
The Gamecock
Former Lowcountry congressman Mark
Sanford officially entered the governor’s race
Monday, making an already packed race for the
Republican gubernatorial nomination even more
crowded.
Early in the race, Sanford, who served three
terms as U.S. Representative, said he wouldn’t
run because he wanted to spend more time with
his family.
“I know it’s a 180-degree turn from where
I thought my life was headed,” Sanford said. “But
after thinking about it, I think it’s the right step.”
Sanford toured the state Monday with his
wife and children to announce his candidacy.
Sanford’s family and supporters made stops in
Columbia, Aiken, Greer, Hilton Head Island,
Myrtle Beach and Rock Hill after starting in
Charleston.
Speaking in Columbia, Sanford promised
to concentrate on economic development,
education and “lifestyle issues” such as
transportation and the environment.
Sanford told a small crowd of supporters in
Columbia that he felt compelled to run after
thinking about the future of his four sons.
Sanford seepages
Buck-A-Ciip event
will raise money
* to benefit charity
by Mark Hiner
The Gamecock
Students will have the opportunity
this week to buy $1 buttons entitling them
to a cup of coffee in the Easter Seals 50th
annual Buck-A-Cup, an event to raise
money for disabled children and adults.
This is USC’s first year of involvement
with Buck-A-Cup, which has been the
Easter Seals of South Carolina’s largest
fund-raising event for 50 years. The event
is being sponsored on campus by fraternities
Alpha Phi Alpha and Alpha Tau Omega,
^ as well as sorority Zeta Tau Alpha.
Proceeds go to Easter Seals South
Carolina, wltich provides service to disabled
South Carolina residents.
Easier Seals Program Director Tracy
Manders said all money raised through the
campaign is used locally.
“Our mission is to help all South
Carolinians live more independently. Any
South Carolinian can benefit from our
services,” she said.
Zeta Tau Alpha President Jessica Hood
sold buttons Monday at a table on Greene
Street outside Russell House. About $60
was raised the first day.
Though many people ignored the stand
as they walked by, she said, many stopped
to make a donation.
“It really went well, and we expect it
to get better and better,” she said, “We
expect it to be a success.”
The button donators receive can be
redeemed at numerous local stores and
restaurants for a cup of coffee on Good
Friday, April 13. The buttons will also be
redeemable for medium Coca-Colas at all
University Dining locations next week on
a day yet to be decided. Many passers
Buck-A-Cup SEE PAGE 2
ROCK THE HOUSE: Hootie and the Blowfish want support for music classes
Aaron Hark/The Gamecock
(Left to right) Jim Sonefeld, Dean Felber, Darius Rucker and Mark Bryan, members of Hootie and the Blowflsh, play “Hold My Hand”
Tuesday on the south steps of the State House. Hootie helped spearhead efforts to bring VHi’s Save the Music campaign to the state.
VHi’s Save the Music visits S.C.
■ Program will
benefit musical
education in schools
by Valerie Matchette
The Gamecock
South Carolina’s children will soon
learn the value of an education complete
with musical enrichment under a
partnership between VHl’s Save the
Music, Time Warner Cable and state
schools.
Gov. Jim Hodges, flanked by VH1
and Time Warner executives, announced
the collaboration Tuesday at the State
House. A jazz band composed of
members of Spring Valley High and
Summit Parkway Middle schools
entertained the crowd before the
presentation. Also in attendance was
Columbia’s Hootie and the Blowfish,
who helped spearhead efforts to bring
the Save the Music campaign to the
Palmetto State.
Gov. Hodges praised the band for
its involvement.
“This band is a great example of
South Carolinians who care about and
invest in our education system and care
about children, and who don’t foiget
their roots, because they continually
work to make life better in South
Carolina,” Hodges said.
Guitarist Mark Bryan said Hootie
and the Blowfish has always looked for
ways to improve the state’s schools.
“For a long time, we as a band
wanted to do something about the
educational situation in South Gtrolina,”
Bryan said. He said this was a way to get
directly involved in the system and make
a difference.
Bob Morrison of VH1 lauded the
value of the Save the Music program,
outlining ways in which music programs
are beneficial to students.
“The reason why we do this is there
is a growing body of research that shows
that kids that are involved in music
programs and kids that are involved in
arts programs... do better in school,”
Morrison said. “They score higher on
. theirSATs, they do better in their reading
proficiency and math proficiency exams,
they ’re more likely to stay in school and
go on to college and they’re less likely
to be involved in things like gangs, drugs
and alcohol abuse.”
“1 would argue that if you give a
child a musical instrument and they have
a musical instrument in their hand,
they’re less likely to have something
damaging, whether it’s a pipe, a gun or
a drug, and I think that’s one of the
reasons why we do the programs,”
Morrison said. “Not only [does it]
provide academic improvement for our
ciiildren, but it also gives them some tiling
to look up towards, something to aim
for.”
According to Morrison, VH1 is
contributing $250,000 toward the
beginning of the program in South
Carolina.
VHl’s Bridgit Gelderman explained
how the funds will be allocated.
“We do three kinds of programs,”
Gelderman said. “We either do guitar
programs, keyboard programs or strings
programs, just depending on the school’s
needs.”
She said each participating school
normally receives about $25,000 worth
of musical instruments.
The city desk can be reached at
gamecockc'rtydesk@hotmaiLcom
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“It is not worth an intelligent
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majority. By definition, there
are already enough people
to do that.”
— G. H. Hardy
Will you be going to the
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4 Vote at www.dailygamecock.com.
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