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TjV.1 r| rj xt November 30,2001 ♦ Vol. 95, No. 44 J.1 J_ ItlCl V University of South Carolina ♦ www.dailygamecock.com I PATCHWORK USC students display quilt patches at an AIDS vigil on the State House steps Thursday night. The sewn-together patches will be sent to Washington, D.e. photo by aaron hark aiuo ceremony honors victims BY JESSICA FOY THE GAMECOCK In honor of World AIDS Day, Co lumbia citizens and USC students participated in the National Quilt Project and an AIDS vigil in front of the State House on Thursday night. Organizing the event was Co lumbia’s World AIDS Day Com mittee, composed of people from TEAM (The Ecumenical AIDS Ministry), South Carolina HIV Network, Midlands HIV Preven tion Collaboration, USC and oth er groups. World AIDS Day, which began in 1989, is Dec. 1. Because it will fall on a weekend this year, the committee decided to hold the event on Thursday night so more people could attend. Various groups walked up the State House steps, displaying quilt patches that would become part of the National Quilt Project. All of the patches from Thursday night were joined together and will be sent to Washington. D.C., where they will be sewed together with other patches from throughout the nation. The finished quilt will travel throughout America in recognition of the struggle with HIV and in remembrance of the many lost to the disease. Onlookers sat on the State House steps as the ceremony be gan. People from the community World AIDS Day is Dec. 1. photo by michelle dosson offered music and inspirational words in remembrance of those who’ve lost their lives to HIV. The Rev. Patricia Voelker of the Metropolitan Community Church described how, 20 years ago. AIDS patients could be treated only if their doctors wore disposable gowns and gloves. “Fear of the disease and fear of the person were one and the same,” Voelker said. She said the treatment of AIDS patients has improved since that time but that much more still needs to change. “We have come a long way; yet we have just begun,” she said. Zenethia Brown, a Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services com munity resource coordinator, emphasized the event’s signifi cance. “I think that it’s important be cause we need to remember the struggle and the people we lost to the struggle. We need to remem ber that the struggle continues. Each day, there are people that are newly diagnosed with HIV; so the epidemic continues,” Brown said. She has been involved with the AIDS vigil since 1998. Brown said HIV is becoming more prevalent in the United States. According to her, 2 percent of people who rushed to give blood after the Sept. 11 attacks found out they were HIV positive. ♦ AIDS DAY, SEE PAGE 2 FANS NEEDED Odom wants full support from students BY CHRIS FOY THE GAMECOCK Coach Dave Odom came here in the spring with the aspira tions to bring national promi nence to South Carolina’s men’s basketball team. His name alone has given the university atten tion, and people are expecting him to live up to his reputation. And while Odom wants that, he wants his success to come with the help of what he says is the most important part of USC: the students. “The most important thing 1 wanted to do is get in touch with students,” Odom said. “I have long heard about the home court advantage in Carolina Coliseum provided by the students. I haven’t seen that yet.” Odom attributes the sluggish start in attendance to the overlap ping football and basketball sea sons, which typically gives basket ball a limited fan base until Janu ary. But Odom, who has scheduled top-notch programs for his team to compete against, knows his play Coach Odom thinks that large student turnout Is key for a successful program, photo by aaron hark ers will need student support for the tough road ahead. “I want this year to be an awakening for our student body,” said Odom, who is aware this university isn’t used to see ing the Gamecocks face such tough competition so early. “I think we can get them excited about basketball in December.” The veteran coach wants the students to show the players that they are behind them. He thinks it’s important for the players to receive that kind of support. “It’s human nature for all of us to want to gain approval from our peers,” Odom said. “Our bas ketball players are students who happen to be athletes. They want approval'. Everyone wants ap proval from their peers.” To Odom, the atmosphere at a basketball game is nothing with out the student body. In his mind, of all the fans who attend the games, nothing compares to the student section. “While I have the utmost ap preciation for the alumni and the longtime Gamecock fan, in truth 'the atmosphere in any coliseum ♦ BASKETBALL, SEE PAGE 2 GMP rating fluctuates BY KEVIN FELLNER THE GAMECOCK USC’s Grand Marketplace re ceived its first-ever B rating from the Department of Health and En vironmental Control during an unannounced inspection on Tuesday, but the A rating was re instated Thursday after a follow up inspection. The dining facility inside the Russell House received 80 of 100 points on Tuesday and was up graded to 98 on Thursday. A B is a score between 78 and 87. Random inspections like Tues day’s are conducted about three to four times a year. The B was mostly the result of failure to meet maintenance re quirements, including a freezer’s missing light bulb, a leak in a mop sink and incorrectly stacked items on shelves. The only sec tion requiring “immediate ac tion,” according to DHEC, was meat not stored at a temperature that met health standards — some meat was at 50 degrees in stead of the required 45 degrees. “That stuff was taken care of right away, and the food was dis carded,” Carolina Dining Services representative Liz Bohlke said. She said temperature is usually closely monitored during the day to ensure safety and quality in the meats that are served. Bohlke didn’t consider any part of Tuesday’s infraction crit ical. “For example, a man was The Grand Marketplace received a B rating Tuesday, but it was changed to an A on Thursday, photo by martha wright just taking his delivery into the store room and put his freezer coat down in there, and person al belongings are not allowed in the store room,” Bohlke said. She said that wasn’t related to food handling and that food safety wasn’t a problem in that case. “I don’t like having a B, but there’s nothing major that we have to worry about,” she said. GMP Unit Manager George, Gover said the GMP lost two points in Thursday’s inspection because of maintenance infrac tions and that the management had already placed work orders for those. Gover said, “We work very hard to not miss any details, but occasionally, we do miss a detail.” First-year business student Ryan Young was surprised the GMP had received a B. “I love the dining services here at USC, and it seems to be quality food for me all the time,” he said. “I have nev er had any complaints.” First-year business major Brian Mallomian said: “The dining ser vices here are all right I never seem to have a problem with them.” Bohlke said Carolina Dining Services would work with DHEC in training and information pro grams to make sure a USC location wouldn’t receive a B rating again. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com. U.S. claims two Afghan airfields BY MATT KELLEY ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - Small teams of Army soldiers are providing security at two airfields in northern Afghanistan, the Pen tagon confirmed Thursday, while the number of Marines at a southern base climbed to more than 1,000. Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem, deputy director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told re porters that the soldiers are from the Army’s 10th Mountain Divi sion. “They are there for security operations, and they are in two lo cations in the north.” he said with out providing details. Other officials said the soldiers number at least two dozen at Bagram airfield north of the Afghan capital and a similar number are at an airfield near the city of Mazar-e Sharif. Stufflebeem said similar se curity teams will be moved around northern Afghanistan to “increase the size of the footprint in one loca tion and shrink it in others.” Meanwhile, U.S. officials said anti-Taliban forces captured an Osama bin Laden follower who is a son of Egyptian cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman. The elder Abdel Rahman is jailed in the United States for plotting to blow up New York City landmarks. Ahmed Abdel-Rahman was be ing held in Mazar-e-Sharif and his ♦ AFGHANISTAN, SEE PAGE 2 USG’S PAST Nov. 30,1968 The Gamecock basketball team won its inaugural game in the Carolina Coliseum, beating Auburn 51-49. WEATHER Today Tomorrow Showers, Sunny, 79/44 76/46 V INSIDE TODAY’S ISSUE Spartanburg band releases third CD Immune showcases emotion of Dezeray’s Hammer. ♦ PAGE 4 gt < Volleyball brought down to ’Heels Loss in NCAA tournament ends USC season. ♦ PAGE 6 j ONLINE POLL Human cloning Is human cloning a good idea? ♦ Yes, benefits outweigh any risks 39% ♦ No, science cannot be trusted 58% ♦ Huh? 4% ' ,V