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PETA vows pressure RLTOTO COURTESY GARNET S BLACK Palms responds to letter; PET A not happy with USC’s stance BY ADAM BEAM THE (JAHECOCK USC President John Palms says the game 9B cock is here to stay, but People for the Ethical W Treatment of Animals * promised continued pres sure, including public protest, on the university to drop the nickname. “We always start off on writ ing letters and opening a dialogue like we are asking Dr. Palms to do,” said Jay Kelly, PETA cam paign coordinator. “We don’t have any concrete plans right now, but in the future, I wouldn’t rule out any public protest.” Kelly said PETA will contin ue to pressure the administra tion by posting an “action alert to alert all of our members in South Carolina and encourage animal protection advocates all over the country to contact the university and voice their con cern over the mascot name.” Kristie Phelps, PETA campaign coordinator who first contacted the university about dropping the mascot name, said in a statement, “people expect more from a uni versity. They expect a reasoned re sponse over time... not some dis missive thoughtless ‘we’ve always done it that way’ reply.” The current Cocky mascot says PETA is just “looking for someone to bother.” “I just don’t see Cocky as someone who’s going to kill something,” said the student who wears the Cocky costume. The school mascot’s identity usually is not revealed. In his letter of response, Palms stressed the history of the gamecock and tried to distance the ♦ PETA, SEE PAGE 3 HOMECOMING 2001 Residence Hall Association president Brad Dawgert, left, and Raiessa de’Weln take a break from float building Wednesday night. The floats will be part of the Homecoming Parade at 3 p.m. today, photo by annie lee All-inclusive Homecoming Committee tries to get more non Greeks involved BY GINNY THORNTON THE (IAMEC0CK Though use Homecoming activities are open to all stu dent organizations, Greek or ganizations have traditionally been the main ones involved. Third-year student Emily Ol son says she thinks of Greek or ganizations when she thinks of Homecoming. “Especially the Homecoming king and queen,” she said. “I think of them as be ing in a fraternity and sorority.” But according to Meena Dhokai, assistant sponsorship chair for Homecoming, the committee has tried to free the activities from their Greek-ori ented image. “I don’t think I’ve seen any bias toward Greeks. The committee has handled things well.” ELISABETH MAGURA HOMECOMING LIAISON FOR THE CAROLINA CLASSICS “It was one of our goals to get more non-Greek organizations involved,” Dhokai said. “Of course, we wish we could have had more.” Twenty-one Greek organiza tions registered to participate in Homecoming activities this year, while eight organizations involved are non-Greek. Dhokai said the Homecoming committee went to extra lengths ♦ HOMECOMING, SEE PAGE 2 U.S. attacks hit Afghan capital Civilians might have been killed in air strikes BY KATHY GANNON AND AMIR SHAH ASSOCIATED press KABUL, AFGHANISTAN -U S jets attacked targets in the hean of Afghanistan’s capital on Thurs day. Residents said at least fivt civilians — including four mem hers of one family — were killec when bombs crashed into resi dential areas in Kabul. With the air campaign in its 12th day came the first report tha the bombing had killed a promi nent figure in Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network. A London-based Islamic group said an Egyptian who was a veteran al-Qaida fighter died in a U.S. strike on Sunday. In Washington, defense sources said U.S. special forces were now in place aboard the USS Kitty Hawk in the Indian Ocean — ready for any search-and-destroy missions ordered against bin Laden and his Taliban allies. Two houses were destroyed in Kabul’s Quilazaman Khan neigh borhood, located near a Taliban tank unit. Neighbors said the four family members were killed when a bomb hit the area. Rescuers were digging through the rubble looking for a fifth family member. A 16-year-old girl was also killed in a nearby housing complex. The number of casualties couldn’t be immediately con firmed. The United States said it’s only targeting Taliban and al-Qai da installations and has expressed regret for any unintended casual ties. The London-based Islamic Ob servation Center said an Egyptian known by the nom de guerre Abu Baseer al-Masri was killed by a U.S. strike near the northeastern city of Jalalabad. Al-Masri, a member of the Egyptian radical group al Gamaa al-Islamiya, had been in Afghanistan for 10 years with al Qaida and was close to bin Laden’s top lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahri, ♦ AFGHANISTAN, SEE PAGE 2 USC prepares for possible threats University adds police presence, event security BY GREG WHITT THE GAMECOCK Since the Sept. 11 terrorist at tacks, students have been living in unprecedented fear. In consid eration of these fears, the univer sity has made efforts to increase security, some less obvious than others, to ensure the safety of its students, faculty and staff. According to USC spokesman Russ McKinney, one change is the heightened awareness of USC’s law enforcement. He said the university “has not done any thing of great significance that is not already evident to the stu dents on campus.” But not all of the changes, how ever, are being revealed to the public. McKinney said there are more police in some campus ar eas, but wouldn’t name them for security reasons. Some students, however, have noticed changes. Graduate student Katie Lorentz said she’s seen “a lot more patrol cars around. I feel very safe.” The most obvious changes af fecting USC students are new secu rity procedures at sporting events, especially football games. Security has been checking the bags of every one entering Williams-Brice Stadi um. McKinney said the new proce dures will continue, “so, if you want “The university has done enough to ensure our safety.” WILLIAM COPELAND USC POSTAL WORKER to get to your seat on time and not miss kickoff, don’t bring any bags because they will be searched.” Another campus concern is the threat of anthrax in mailed packages and letters. Materials laced with the bacterium bacil lus anthracis have been mailed to locations in Washington, D.C., New York, Nevada, Florida and Kenya. Anthrax can be trans ♦ SECURITY, SEE PAGE 2 USG’S PAST Oct. 24,1981 The Gamecock football team defeated third-ranked North Carolina 31-13 in Chapel Hill. m Today Tomorrow Sunny, Sunny, 75/49 79/49 INSIDE TODAY’S ISSUE Hootie and the Blowfish are home The band will play Saturday at the Fairgrounds. ♦ PAGE 5 wmmmmmmmmmmmmm I< Gamecocks to take on Vanderbilt USC looks to rebound after first loss of the season. ♦ PAGE 8 ONLINE POLL Mascot change Do you think USC should change its mascot? YES 2% NO 94% WHO CARES 4% WKKtHKMHtKKUKMRKMKRM Capitol Hill staffers wait In line to be tested for anthrax exposure In the Hart Senate Office Building, Wednesday morning, Oct. 17. photo by chuck kennedy/krt campus' 2 new anthrax cases reported BY JESSE J. HOLLAND * ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - Two new cas es of the skin form of anthrax were reported Thursday, one involving an assistant to CBS anchorman Dan Rather and the other a postal worker in New Jersey. That brought to six the total number of confirmed cases of infection. In addition, up to three more suspected cases were being inves tigated, according to Dr. Julie Ger berding of the Atlanta-based Cen ters for Disease Control and Pre vention. The additional cases “are in large part linked to Florida and New York situations,” she said. “We do have other individuals who are reporting skin lesions or exposure circumstances that are under active investigation.” Ger berding said in a telephone con ference with reporters. “We are working around the clock to con firm or rule out” anthrax infection. The new cases were reported as the FBI and the Postal Service of fered a $1 million reward for infor mation leading to the arrest and conviction of perpetrators of an thrax attacks, the House of Repre sentatives remained dark and six congressional office buildings were closed for further germ tests. The Senate remained in business. Overseas, a letter containing a suspicious substance was found at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Em ployees who handled it were being given appropriate tests, said Philip Reeker, the deputy State De partment spokesman. Seeking to calm an anxious na tion, Homeland Defense Director Tom Ridge said that despite the new case, “thousands and thou sands and thousands” of people hacTbeen tested for anthrax expo sure - and had come up negative. “We are more vigilant today and continue to get more vigilant every day as we assess different risks that might present them selves in this country,” Ridge said in his first news conference since taking the job last week. “I think our antennae are up for all conceivable risks, and you ought to be reassured of that,” he added. On Capitol Hill, the number of those who tested positive to exposure stood at 31, with no cases of infection reported, Kenneth Moritsugu, deputy surgeon general, told an af ternoon news conference. All appear to have been exposed to an anthrax-laden letter ad dressed to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., that was opened Monday, Moritsugu said. Moritsueu said that a sweeD throughout the sprawling Capitol complex will continue over the next several days to check for an thrax spores. “At this time there is no evi dence of contamination in the ven tilation system,” Moritsugu added. Moritsugu added that analysis of 600 of the 1,400 nasal swab tests performed Tuesday had revealed no additional positive results in preliminary tests. “We continue to see good news,” he told re porters at a briefing. Both the CBS employee and the New Jersey postal worker con tracted the skin form of anthrax, officials said. The postal worker may have handled letters to NBC and to Daschle, acting New Jersey Gov. Donald DiFrancesco said in Tren ton. Test results for a second postal employee who may have ♦ ANTHRAX, SEE PAGE 2