*r
Four teens charged in shooting
BY GREG HAMBRICK
THE GAMECOCK
Four high school students have
been charged with the murder of
one federal prosecutor and the in
jury of another, both visiting the
National Advocacy Center at USC.
Michael Messer, 49, and
Richard Ferguson, 52, both from
the U.S. Attorney's office in Chica
go, were assaulted while return
ing to the campus Monday night
at 9:55 p.m. after having dinner in
Five Points.
The students have been
charged with murder, assault and
battery with intent to kill and mul
tiple counts of armed robbery and
attempted armed robbery, as well
as other charges, a spokesman for
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott
said.
Lott broke the case when he
hit a gray Volvo while pursuing
another vehicle in a high-speed
chase involving an unrelated rob
bery. The Volvo, used in the as
sault, belonged to the mother of
one of the suspects. The mother re
ported the damage to the sheriffs
department.
The four suspects arrested in
Messer’s murder are Abram Dou
glas Braveboy, 18, of 2113 Tammy
Drive; Cichey Levar Mayo, 17, of
8308 Old Percival Road; Bryan
Murray, 17 of 7920 Spring Flower
Road; and Willie James Murphy
Jr., 16, of 125 Leeside Circle.
Braveboy was arrested Tues
day at his home. Authorities ar
rested Mayo, Murray and Murphy
at each of their homes Wednesday
morning.
“We were able to solve this
case through what I call divine in
tervention,” Lott said. “The
chances of me running into the
murder suspect during the pursuit
of another suspect are a million to
AAAS WELCOME BACK COOKOUT
Turnout to many of this year’s Welcome Week has been low, according to
Carmella Carr, director of the Russell House University Union. In contrast,
nearly 750 students attended Tuesday’s Welcome Back Cookout,
sponsored by the Association of African-American Students, above.
PHOTO BY MACKENZIE CLEMENTS
“Multicultural events have a tradition of attracting a large number of
students at their events,” said Carl Wells, director of Multicultural Student
Affairs. At Thursday’s event, many multicultural student organizations were
introduced, including traditionally black fraternities and sororities. Cedric
Jenkins, surrounded by Jonathan and Joe Coe and Mike Scott, attended to
represent Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, photo by sherry holmes
TO OUR
READERS
OK. so this paper looks a
little different than the one you
might have picked up when you
first came to campus. But we
hope that it’s different in a
good way.
This summer, The Gamecock
\ went through a massive
redesign following a reduction
in its width. We decided to
slim it down in other ways, too,
cutting down on loopy
typefaces, thick lines and
cluttery clip art. That makes it
easy to get the news you need.
We’ve also added features
important to you. Among them
is a locator map with the crime
report and a higher number of
state, nation and world briefs.
The "It Happened" section
following briefs catches you up
on news you might have
missed. And, yes, there are
more comics.
We hope this semester's run
of The Gamecock serves you
well. Write and tell us what
you like, what we can do
better. This is your campus,
and it’s your paper. We’ve got
USC covered.
Send comments on The
Gamecock's redesign to
gamecockeditor@hotmail.com.
USC employees sue
for race discrimination
BY MACKENZIE CLEMENTS
THE GAMECOCK
Twenty-six black mainte
nance workers are suing USC for
systematic discrimination,
claiming they have been passed
over for promotions and paid less
than white workers for the same
work.
The complaint was filed in
U.S. District Court earlier this
month. Defendants included the
university, President John
Palms and director of Building
Modification and Maintenance
Services Department, Gerald Go
ings.
The workers also claim that
the university has repeatedly ig
nored and dismissed their com
plaints about discriminatory
conditions. USC “has met years
and years of complaints from
black employees regarding their
unlawful treatment with con
scious indifference, intolerance,
and affirmative endorsement of
their treatment,” the complaint
read.
According to the plaintiffs’
attorney, Dennis Bolt, the em
ployees eventually took their
grievances to the Equal Employ
ment Opportunity Commission,
which found that in all 26 cases,
they were victims of racial dis
crimination.
The findings gave the work
ers the right to sue, and because
the judgment wasn’t binding on
the university, the employees
headed to court.
“They tried and tried within
the university framework before
they even came to see me,” Bolt
said, “and they felt the university
has just stalled their efforts from
the very beginning.”
Bolt said the individuals in
volved in the suit are seeking
monetary compensation for eco
nomic benefits lost because of
past discrimination. They’re also
seeking punitive damages.
Though USC spokesman
Russ McKinney could not com
ment on the specifics of the case,
he said the lawsuit was ground
less.
There are 137 maintenance
workers employed at USC - who
are black. No black employee
holds a management position.
Only 26 of the 34 black em
♦ LAWSUIT, SEE PAGE A14
USG’S PAST
AUGUST 24,1875: USC students
played one of the first
intercollegiate athletic contests
in South Carolina — a baseball
game with Claflin College, which
USC won, 41-10.
} j'
WEATHER
Tomorrow
Scattered T
storms, 94/72
INSIDE TODAY’S ISf
Gavin Floyd to join
Gamecocks?
Prized recruit likely to shun
professional baseball for USO.
♦ PAGE B5
\f
one.”
* Conviction for the murder of
a federal employee carries a sen
tence of death or life imprison
ment.
Investigators canvassed the
neighborhood around the 800
block of Laurens Street Tuesday
where Messer and Ferguson were
assaulted.
According to the police report,
two men passed Messer and Fer
guson and then turned around and
ran toward them. One of the men
told Messer and Ferguson to lie on
the ground and hand over their
money, the report said.
Instead, Messer and.Ferguson
began to run. At least one of the
would-be robbers began shooting
at the two men. A witness reported
hearing five shots.
Messer fell after he was shot
in the back and the leg. Fatally
wounded by the shot that pierced
his lungs and heart, Messer was
pronounced dead on arrival at Pal
metto Richland Memorial Hospi
tal.
After being shot in the arm,
Ferguson ran back to the Advoca
cy Center before phoning police.
He was treated at the hospital and
returned home Tuesday.
A witness reported seeing men
run down Laurens Street and turn
♦ SHOOTING, SEE PAGE A14
CHANGING
THE WAY
WE EAT
Name was first
thing to change
at USC’s Dining
Services.
BY CHARLES PRASHAW
.THE GAMECOCK
USC’s Dining Services made
a few changes while students were
away this summer, starting with a
change in name.
The name change to Carolina
Dining was prompted by changes
inside the Sodexho-Marriot cor
porations, despite some students’
belief that the switch meant the
company was no longer running
campus dining.
Around mid-summer, Sodex
ho-Marriot spun off some of its op
erations into separate companies,
according to Carolina Dining Ser
vices Marketing Manager Sheila
Derrick. One of the spin-offs is
Sodexho Alliance, which will now
oversee the operations of Caroli
na Dining Services.
Aside from the new name,
changes include new uniforms
and menus, remodeling of some of
the 15 dining facilities, firing of
some dining facilities managers,
pay increases and better employee
training.
Barbara Black, 41, who works
at the Carolina Grill, and Mildred
Scott, 44, a food service worker for
eight years, said they had so far
enjoyed working under the new
management. Black said she liked
being able to work more hours,
and Scott appreciated the new
team environment.
According to Elizabeth
Bohlke, Sodexho Alliance district
manager of USC operations, din
ing services tries to do something
new every year for returning stu
dents. Last year, dining services
added Veggie Street in the Caroli
na Mall; this year, she said stu
dents should notice some changes
in most of the dining faculties.
Bohlke said USC maintenance
personnel and dining services em
ployees did most of the remodel
ing to keep costs down. Most of the
remodeling consisted of re-tiling,
painting antHianging new signs.
The
SbbTcour! “Even though
in Capstone m0st Of the
House in- .
elude a new changes are
paint job, tile Subtle,
work, new
signs, the re hopefully the
movai of sub changes will
City and a
new menu making
with rotis eating on
sene chicken, ,
baguettes and C3HipUS just
panini sand- that more
wiches.
The Pa enjoyable”
tio, inside
Patterson ELIZABETH
Hall, now fea- BOHLKE
turps an px- SODEXHO ALLIANCE
lutes dll ex DISTRICT MANAGER
tended salad
bar. Dining
services also plans to serve health
ier food to improve students’ eat
ing habits.
The Grand Marketplace
(GMP) has benefited from the
changes as well. Starbucks will
now start serving sandwiches so
♦ DINING, SEE PAGE A14
Darryl Jones
and Mildred
Scott,
employees of
Carolina
Dining, show
off their new
uniforms in
the renovated
Grand
Marketplace.
Carolina
Dining made
several
changes over
the summer.
PHOTO BY AARON
HARK
SUE
< The young and the
restless
The first installment of The
Gamecock’s look at the lives of
five freshmen. ♦ PAGE B1
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