Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Serving the Carolina Community since 1Q08 ■^www.DA,lycamecock.com University of South Carolina . columb.a! s.c. University, city and county officials broke ground Wednesday for the university's new arena. Officials say the facility, which will a be able to accommodate 18,000 basketball 01 fans, will open November 2002. File Photo/The Gamecock Ground broken on sports arena ■ 18,000-seat venue expected to open in November 2002 by Brandon Larrabee ^ The Gamecock University and community officials gathered Wednesday for die grounchreaking of the university’s new arena. “This new arena will provide the opportunity for people from all across this great state to come together,” USC president John Palms said, standing in what will eventually be midcourt. “It’s a great day for the university, for our basketball program, for the hockey team and for the Midlands rommunitv.” The project will be paid for by a combination of state, county, city and university money, including the following: ■ $28 million in athletics department bonds ■ $12.5 million from the General Assembly ■ $7.5 million in taxes from Lexington ♦and Richland counties and Columbia ■ $6 million from the sale of suites, the building’s naming rights and service contracts The new arena will include 41 12-seal suites, which the university will lease at $50,000 a year for 10 years. The university has already made agreements with 11 suiteholders. When completed, the arena will seat 18,000 basketball fans or 12,000 hockey fans; there will be room for 19,000 concert goers. After paying for the land, concession stands, scoreboards, construction and oilier costs, the university and various governments will have to come up with $70 million for the arena. “It will be one of the finest facilities of its kind in the country,” Athletics Director Mike McGee said. “The USC arena will be a crown jewel of Columbia, the state of South Carolina and the Southeastern region of the United States,” McGee said. Columbia Mayor Bob Coble said the arena would benefit the city’s economy and provide a space for “those common memories, those cherished memories” for Gamecock fans. “This new arena will be a huge economic boost to this community, and that’s extremely important,” Coble said. Both of USC’s basketball coaches — newly lured men’s coach Dave Odom and women’s coach Susan Walvius — were present for the groundbreaking. Each took one of the first shots at a Arena see page 2 Students to march to fight budget cuts by Brandon Larrabee The Gamecock A group of USC students will march to the State House Friday to protest proposals that would make deep cuts in higher education funding and could slash USC’s budget by as much as 15 percent. Kristen Hard, a third-year student in the College of Liberal Arts and an oiganizer of the protest, said the demonstration will begin at noon in front of McMaster College, which is at the corner of Pendleton and Senate streets. From there, students will march down Senate Street toward the State House. Hard said she hopes to have between 50 and 100 students march. ( “A lot of people seemed really excited about it,” she said. Hard and some friends have been putting up fliers and petitions about the event. The march was prompted because of the impact the possibility of deep cuts is already having on the university. Hard said in Ihe art department, where she is a student, about 30 classes have been eliminated. “Most of the students are completely irritated because they can’t even finish their majors,” Hard said. There could be other consequences of the budget cuts. In a recent memo to faculty, USC President John Palms wrote that in addition to other methods of compensating for the cuts, “a maximum tuition increase at this time is crucial to reducing the overall cut to the university.” Hard said the state should cut from other places than higher education. “It’s hard enough to recruit students to this school right now,” she said. The professors in the art department have been cooperative, Hard said, some of them passing around petitions during classes, mentioning the protests and, in some cases, canceling classes so students Budget seepages Budget Cuts Committee restores funding ■ Late adjustment by Senate panel adds $33.5 million to higher education budget by Valerie Matchette The Gamecock The Senate Finance Committee made an adjustment to its budget and was able to restore $33.5 million to the state’s higher education funding. Under Gov. Hodges’ original budget, the state’s universities and technical colleges stood to lose millions in funding with 15 percent across-the-board cuts. Hodges later revised these figures to soften the blow for higher education, reducing the cuts to 12 percent. Under the Senate’s latest plan, however, higher education funding cuts would amount to only 8.7 percent. “That’s good,” USC spokesman Russ McKinney said of the change. “Still, the 8 percent cut will be very significant, but it is better than 12 percent.” McKinney added that once the bill goes to the full Senate floor, the situation might improve even more. The Senate used a suggestion from Hodges’ second plan to change the budget, borrowing money from the Barnwell fund, which was set up for maintenance of the nuclear waste site. The fund contains $90 million, so ‘The 8 percent cut will be very significant, but it is better than 12 percent.’ Russ McKinney USC spokesman there will still be enough money left over to maintain the facility. Senate Minority Leader John Land, D-Manning, said there is still enough money left in the Barnwell fund, but even if there wasn’t, all the money could be removed from it because the state is responsible for cleaning of the site. Hodges wanted to add $46 million to the higher education budget, about $12 million more than wliat the Senate Finance Committee approved. “We have not given up on that $12 million,” Land said. “We will fight that on the floor.” The Associated Press contributed to this report. E-mail the university desk at gamecockudesk@hotmaiLcom STAMP OF APPROVAL: Postal service honors bicentennial Aaron Hark/The Gamecock USC President John Palms signs postcards commemorating the university’s 200th anniversary at a ceremony Thursday held to dedicate the new card. USPS unveils bicentennial postcard by Brandon Larrabee The Gamecock It had been 22 yean since Joyce Carrier had last been at USC. But as she walked down to the “honeycombs” — now more commonly known as the Towers — the number of dorms wasn’t the same. She saw only four dorm buildings, not the six she remembered. “Where’s my dorm?” Carrier wondered. But Carrier, the director of public affairs for the U.S. Postal Service, was relieved to find that her memory wasn’t faulty; someone told her the dorm had been tom down. Carrier was returning to a changed USC now to dedicate a stamp celebrating the college’s bicentennial. The stamped 20-cent postcard, which features a detail of a T. Ulor painting of the Horseshoe circa 1820, is available only at Columbia post offices until Friday, when the card will be available nationwide. It is the 52nd card issued in the service’s Historic Preservation Series. Aaron Hark/The Gamecock Thursday’s ceremony marked the first time South Carolina Fourth-year public relations major Mark Tlbshrany buys a post card honoring -_ the bicentennial after the card was unveiled Thursday. Postcard see page 2 Weather Coming Up Quote of the Day Online Poll Today 81 57 Saturday 85 1 53 4 A very special issue of The Gamecock Monday < 4 “There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but only one view.” — Harry Millner > Should USC increase freshman enrollment to save money? Yes, if tuition will decrease: 52% No: 39% I don’t care: 9% l i