Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

L1v*i /~1 rj tt November 2,2001 ♦ Vol. 95, No. 34 J. 1L4.CI V University of South Carolina ♦ www.dailygamecock.com Suspension bridges , might be next target BY LEON DROUIN KEITH ASSOCIATED I'llKSS LOS ANGELES - Gov. Gray Davis said Thursday that law en forcement officials have “credible evidence” that terrorists may be targeting four California bridges, including the Golden Gate Bridge. The FBI, however, said in a statement that authorities had not yet corroborated the infor mation but decided to issue a warning. “Reportedly, unspecified groups are targeting suspension bridges on the West Coast,” the I FBI said in a statement. Six “in cidents” were planned during rush hour between Friday and Nov. 7, the statement said. The bridges identified by Davis as possible targets were the Golden Gate and Bay Bridge, both in San Francisco, the Vincent Thomas Bridge at the Port of Los Angeles and the Coronado Bridge in San Diego. Security around the bridges has been heightened and involves the National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard and California Highway Patrol. “The best preparation is to let terrorists know, we know what “The best preparation is to let terrorists know, we know what you’re up to, we’re ready for you.” GRAY DAVIS CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR you’re up to, we’re ready for you.’ Davis said during a news confer ence in which he also appointee the state’s new terrorism securitj czar. Justice Department spokes woman Mindy Tucker said the in formation that prompted Thursday's warning was “at a lower level” thar the information that led to the FBI’s alert Monday. “We are working to verity the validity” of the informa tion, Tucker said. The Golden Gate, a 4,200-foot long suspension bridge, spans across the Golden Gate Strait at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. It has had more than 1.6 bil ♦ BRIDGES, SEE PAGE 2 HAUTE COUTURE Quincy Black, Molesey Brunson and Anthony Washington participate in a fashion show sponsored by the Association of African-American students on Thursday night at the Russell House, photos by devin Christopher to prepare for budget cuts Cuts will likely force mid-year tuition increase BY ADAM BEAM THE GAMECOCK In response to a 4 percent bud get cut handed down by the Budget Control Board on Tuesday, Provost Jerry Odom said a mid-year tu ition increase is very likely. Odom said the school could have increased tuition by 10.4 per cent this past year “under the con ditions that were imposed on us by the state.” Because Gov. Hodges didn’t cut higher educa tion’s budget, though, the univer sity only raised tuition 5.2 percent. “If we need to, we could in crease that another 5.2 percent,” Odom said. Odom found out about the more than $7 million cut on Tuesday morning when a univer sity representative at the Budget Control Board meeting relayed the message. “It’s funny because my reaction at first was one of a little relief be cause we thought it was going to be 4-and-a-half percent,” Odom said. “So the half-percent less was a little better.” Budget Director Bill Bragdon said he didn’t know what to ex pect. “We had heard all kinds of rumors, anywhere from 3 and zero to 4 and a half,” he said. Bragdon said he anticipated the cut would be 4 and a half percent. With the cuts going into effect immediately, Bragdon expects there to be little effect among the students this semester. “I think the university is in a situation to make recommendations to have as little effect on everybody as pos sible.” But Bragdon said a tuition in crease is an option. “Certainly, it would help this year in that it would absorb some of the cut; it would maybe cover up 3 quarters of a percent that they cut,” he said. “In the long run, it would benefit the univer sity and the student body if we have to face a cut next year be cause we will have funds already in the base so we can face those cuts better.” According to Bragdon, if the tu ition fee were to be increased 5.2 percent, that would translate to a total increase of $1.25 million. The increase per student wasn’t known. “At this point, I think we should be able to pretty much ♦ BUDGET, SEE PAGE 3 ' 'No clues’ to surest NY woman caught anthrax through the mail BY LAURA MECKLER associated press WASHINGTON — Investigators reported “no clues” indicating the mail is to blame for the death of a New York City hospital worker, but said Thursday the anthrax that killed her is indis tinguishable from that found in tainted letters. More than 170 I postal workers in Missouri began * preventive antibiotics after spores were found in Kansas City. Just outside Washington, an thrax was found in yet more gov ernment buildings, with pre liminary positive tests in four Food and Drug Administration mail rooms. Postal authorities began picking through piles of decontaminated mail, searching for a possible unopened tainted letter. In New York, dozens of inves tigators traced Kathy T. Nguyen’s final steps in an at tempt to find out how she was in fected with inhalation anthrax. “We are reviewing the routes • that mail might have traveled to reach her,” said Dr. Julie Gerberding of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “So far, we have found no clues to suggest that the mail or the mail handling was the cause of her exposure.” Still, Gerberding said, the in vestigation suggests Nguyen wasn’t exposed in a public place because additional patients haven’t turned up. “It’s some what reassuring that this was not something that posed a broader threat,” she said. Investigators in New York have determined that the an thrax that killed her is “basically indistinguishable” from that in letters sent to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, to NBC and to the New York Post, said Dr. Steven Ostroff of the CDC. Investigators found that the anthrax involved responds to antibiotics, Gerberding added, and officials suspect that Nguyen might have sought treatment too late for the drugs to work. Disease detectives were studying Nguyen’s life after she fell victim to inhalation anthrax on Wednesday, making her the “We are reviewing the routes that mail might have traveled to reach her. So far, we have found no clues to suggest that the mail or the mail handling was the cause of her exposure.” DR. JULIE GERBERDING CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION fourth person to die since the an thrax-by-mail attack was dis covered nearly a month ago. Her death had officials worried that the anthrax attack, so far con centrated among postal and me dia employees, could be spread ing to a new group of Americans. “We need to find out how she was infected,” Surgeon General David Satcher said. “It’s very strange.” ♦ ANTHRAX, SEE PAGE 3 Athletics Department gives USC $3.2 million to ease budget crisis BY ADAM BEAM THE GAMECOCK The USC Athletics Department transferred about $3.2 million to the university, including an extra $1 million to support USC’s General Fund, to help the univer sity cope with its financial crisis. “I wouldn’t portray it as a gift; 1 would as an increased level of sup port of the various means that we have in our disposal,” USC Athletics Director Mike McGee said. Past financial support from the athletics department have been kept private, but Provost Jerry Odom said this year’s transfer was made public because of ques tions about the Athletics Department’s support of acade mics. “It’s not that we were trying to keep this from anybody,” Odom said. “There are a number of things that they have done for some time.” One of those things is an annu al payment of $250,000 from ath letics to the university as part of a five-year commitment to fund university scholarships. The Athletics Department funding The Athletics Department provides the university financial support for the following programs, via university transfer. PROGRAM AMOUNT 5 year commitment to fund university scholarships $250,000 Scholarships funded via the Host/USA Revenues $100,000 Annual payment for indirect cost recovery $500,000 Annual contribution to the Student Affairs/SG $47,000 Biannual contribution to the University Scholarship Fund from Clemson home football game ticket sales_ _ $311,000 Additional portion of the additional $5.00 ticket surcharge on the 2001 Clemson football ticket set aside to be transferred to the university in fiscal year 2002/2003 $93,534 Annual support to the university band_ _____ $145,000 Full out-of-state tuition for nonresident student athletes. (Will increase in porportion to USC’s tuition/fee increase for fiscal year 2001/2002 $700,000 One time transfer to the University General Fund $1,000,000 TOTAL TRANSFERS AND UNIVERSITY SUPPORT $3,146,534 Athletics Department also trans ferred $404,534 from the $5 ticket surcharge on the 2001 Carolina Clemson football game. “This is what we asked them to do last year because times were so tough,” Odom said. “We just asked them to give a million dollars, but that’s what we needed it for; we needed it for scholarships.” The Athletics Department is to tally self-supporting. McGee de scribes the relationship between athletics and academics as a “broad two-way avenue.” “We are expected to play a ma jor role in the lives of the young people who are student athletes ♦ ATHLETICS, SEE PAGE 3 USC’S PAST Nov. 3,1894 Carolina played its first regularly scheduled intercollegiate home football game against Georgia, but lost 40-0. ■■■■■■■■■■■■ WEATHER Today Tomorrow Partly cloudy. Partly cloudy, 79/54 75/54 INSIDE TODAY’S ISSUE Time after time — again Relive the '80swith WUSC. ♦ PAGE 5 < Gamecocks renew in-state rivalry USC to take on Wofford in re scheduled game. ♦ PAGE 8 > ONLINE POLL Questionable calls Do you think the officials at the Tennessee game were fair? YES 8% NO 72% STOP WHINING! 20%