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'Ihe ©amecock • Fully furnished • Internet capability in bedrooms • Computer lab with internet • Recreation room & fitness center • Indiviual leases/ private bedrooms • Full size washer & dryer • Swimming pool & hot tub • Emergency alarm systems • Free parking Call Now: 939-0444 800 Alexander Road Cayce, SC 29033 (adjacent to Parkland Plaza) Hours: Mon-Fri 9-6; Sat 10-4 www.capstone-dev.com UNIVERSITY Ii . ill IIP ii . ii 1 I TIPS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the value vs. the investment.” According to a student survey, fewer than 5 percent of grade inquiries and registration activities were performed via TIPS. Furthermore, only about 9 percent of students used TIPS for registration transactions in the spring 2001 semester. The investment to upgrade the system would be $200,000 — an investment that comes when the university is already strapped for § cash. The sudden price increase was the result of Epos Corp., which developed the TIPS system, no longer supporting it. TIPS currently runs on the DOS operating system, which is antiquated by today’s the large portion of students who have personal computers, that VIP will be entirely sufficient,” Vaughn said. “If USC can cut funding in this area, then I think the TIPS program should be halted.” But some students are concerned about the loss of alternate access to grades and registration. Stephanie Moore, a fourth-year student in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, said, “What if the computer goes down and you can’t get online to register?” According to Blaney, “We are aware that there are some times when the computer can’t be used ... we are developing a back-up plan.” If there’s a problem with the VIP Web site, students can register for classes on campus through the dean s omce ol each college or at the registrar’s office. Students, who’ll no longer have the ability to do so, can also allow their parents to check financial information via TIPS. Another alternative the registrar’s office is working on is a way for students to check grades through a service provider. If used, this plan would allow students to check their grades through a telephone, but there would be no other registration activities available. This plan is still subject to a cost vs. value analysis and is far from being a definite solution. The news desk can be reached at gamecockudesk© hotmail.com Palms CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Chairman of the board Mack Whittle said the advance warning of Palms’ retirement would give the board more time to conduct a search for someone to fulfill the university’s goals. “We’ll get a national search for someone who can deliver those goals,” Whittle said. Palms took over the university in 1991, after having served as president of Georgia State University for 18 months. Then, USC had been tarnished by the personal and financial shortcomings of Jim Holderman, who had led the university from 1977-1990. Holderman stepped down after facing five years of accusations of lavish spending. Student interns to Holderman later alleged the former USC president had sexually harassed them. After those accusations surfaced, Palms, who had already made public the names of students who received special scholarships from Holderman, began tenure revocation procedures against his predecessor. Holderman later resigned without a fight. Since then, Palms has said, he has made an effort to restore the university’s credibility. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The news desk can be reached at gamecockudesk® hotmail.com software industry standards. To continue supporting TIPS would require updated technology and systems. Many students had no qualms about the loss of TIPS, considering the majority of students already use VIP for registration and checking grades. “It’s about time they got rid of it,” said Leslie Haberacker, a fourth year student in the Darla Moore School of Business. “Nobody used it anyway.” Lauren Vaughn, a third-year student in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, said she supported the retirement of TIPS if it helped to keep tuition prices lower. “I feel that with the abundance of computers on campus, as well as IfsYourC