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__________ Patel, Floyd victorious in runoff Patel wins by only 175 votes in a close, high turnout race BY BRANDON LARRABEE THE GAMECOCK Student Government Parlia mentarian Ankit Patel won an up set victory over Moore School of Business Sen. David Bomemann in the presidential runoffThursday. Patel surpassed Bomemann by just 175 votes in a race that again saw high voter turnout. Patel garnered 1,300 votes, or 53.6 percent of the total. Bomemann carried 1,125 votes, or 46.4 percent. Members of Patel’s staff jumped in the air and cheered as the re sults were announced. Patel had been an underdog heading into the race; Bomemann led Patel by 11 percentage points after the first round. Patel seemed unable to believe his victory at first. “Really?” he asked after being told the vote total. “Wow. Wow.” He credited the win to his plat form, which emphasized consti tutionally mandating certain Cabinet positions and decreasing internal SG funding so that more money could be given to student organizations. “We ran on issues that were real, had concrete goals, and we didn’t promise the students things that we really couldn’t get accom plished,” Patel said. “We had real issues, and I think the students were very receptive about that.” Patel said appointing the Cabinet would be his first goal as president. He said work on those selections would begin this week end. “We promised the student body a Cabinet that’s going to be reflec tive, that includes Greek affairs, minority affairs, community ser vice programs, all those things,” Patel said. Patel said he would be willing ♦ PATEL, SEE PAGE 7 PHOTO BY CANDI HAUGLUM After hearing of his victory in the runoff, President-elect Ankit Patel hugs a friend as other supporters look on. Floyd extends previous lead with 178 votes over Beeks BY ADAM BEAM THE GAMECOCK Guitar-playing campaigners wear ing paste up T shirts were not enough for Terrance Beeks in this week’s runoff election, as Becky Floyd extended Floyd her 135 vote lead by 43 votes to win the office of Student Government treasurer. ' “I didn’t really know what to expect because it was so close,” Floyd said. “That’s where most of the attention came from, but there’s only so much you can do.” Leading by only 135 votes after last week’s general election, ♦ FLOYD, SEE PAGE 3 ROAD RULES PHOTO BY CANDI HAUGLUM The MTV Road Rules Winnebago, prominately displaying Its trademark skull, attracted students from around campus while It remained parked In front of Bates House on Tuesday night. ‘Road Rules’ goes to college Cast of MTV show pigs out at Bates House to fulfill mission BY CHARLES TOMLINSON THE GAMECOCK The cast of MTV’s “Road Rules” paid a visit to Bates House on Tuesday and gained quite a few pounds in the process. One of the missions for the MTV program’s upcoming sea son was videotaped on the USC campus. The six cast members were split into two teams and given instructions. The goal was to gain the “freshman 15” in one evening. Whichever team gained a total of 15 pounds by the end of the mission would be de clared the winner. Because of the taping, security was tightened at Bates House on Tuesday. Police officers kept a close eye on all who entered and left the dormitory, and resident advisers checked IDs and keys to verify res idents. Most residents were also given green wristbands the previ ous night so they could be easily identified during the day of the tap ing. The introduction to the mis sion was shot on the lawn behind the Bates cafeteria. Residents watched from the dining hall as the intro was filmed, and they even got a close-up of the stars themselves as they walked by and waved. The cast members went from room to room in Bates House and tried to fill their stomachs with as much food as possible. They took any food that the resi dents offered them. Some resi dents, including first-year stu dent Greg Alia, even cooked hamburgers for them. ♦ ROAD RULES, SEE PAGE 3 Journalism dean search narrowed to 4 finalists BY KEVIN FELLNER THE GAMECOCK USC announced Tuesday the fi nalists for dean of the Journalism and Library and Information Sciences School, which will be a merger of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications and the College of Library and Information Science. The finalists are Jay Bender, a managing partner with the Columbia firm of Baker, Ravenel and Bender; Charles Bierbauer, a former correspondent with CNN; Mary Alice Shaver, a professor and chair of the advertising de partment at Michigan State University; and Hank Gilman, managing editor of Fortune Small Business. The four candidates are ex pected to visit the campus during the next two months for inter views. Bender earned his bachelor’s and law degrees from USC and has taught a media law class at the university. He has since built a strong practice representing and lobbying on behalf of many of the state’s largest media outlets. Bierbauer served as a CNN cor respondent in Washington from 1981 to 2001, when he covered the U.S. Supreme Court, the Pentagon, the White House and presidential campaigns. He earned his degrees in Russian and journalism from Pennsylvania State University. Shaver is president-elect of the American Academy of Advertising and was once the coordinator for the journalism school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned her mas ter’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois and Indiana University. Gilman, like Bender, is also a graduate of USC. He earned his master’s degree at Indiana University and has worked as a se nior editor for Newsweek’s busi ness section. He also has worked for the Boston Globe and Wall Street Journal. USC officials expect to have a dean selected by fall 2002. The new dean will succeed Henry Price, the interim dean since August 2001, and Fred Roper, dean of library and information science since 1986. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Joycelyn Elders raises health care concerns Former surgeon general compares issues affecting students, nation BY KEVIN FELLNER THE OAMECOCK Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders spoke about im portant national health care is sues to students Wednesday night in the Russell House Ballroom. During her speech to about 100 students, Elders warned of malnutrition, poverty, AIDS, binge drinking and smoking as matters of national concern that college students must also face. Elders, who served as surgeon general from September 1993 to December 1994, said college stu dents are the bright young peo ple who will determine what the world will be like in the future. “The faculty at this university and this community want you to B leave this univer things: a voice in your ear so you who are less fortu vision in your Elders eye so you can see farther than I can see; a diploma in your hand, which is a good education; and a song in your heart,” Elders said during her 50-minute speech. Carolina Productions arranged for Elders to speak at USC. First-year political science student and Carolina Productions’ Ideas and Issues Commissioner Chris Maner was instrumental in persuading Elders to speak at USC. “One of the main things I wanted to do was to bring some one who could give a lot of in sight into issues that are impor tant in our society today, such as health care, personal respon sibility and education, and she has done that,” Maner said. “The first thing students can do to improve health care is to take care of themselves. Secondly, they can fight for health education to educate people on how to be healthy.” JOYCELYN ELDERS FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERAL In her speech, Elders briefly addressed her forced resigna tion in 1994 from her position as surgeon general. Elders was forced out after she made public statements about sexual and re productive health issues, to which various political figures reacted unfavorably. Elders also referred to several national health statistics in her speech to express her opinion that universal health care is a much-needed commodity in U.S. ♦ ELDERS, SEE PAGE 2 Senate passes plan for lottery spending BY AMY GEIER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COLUMBIA — The Senate gave final approval Thursday to a lot tery spending plan that seemed to satisfy both Republicans and Democrats. Of the $127 million that the lottery is projected to bring in this year, $48.2 million would fund free tuition at technical schools and two-year colleges under the Senate bill. An additional $46 million would benefit increases in the LIFE scholarships, $7 million would go toward Palmetto Fellows and $8.7 million would fund Hope scholarships. School buses — which have been a major sticking point that led to a marathon filibuster last week—will receive $37 million from total lottery funds this year. That includes $5 million from lottery sales and $7 million in unclaimed prizes guaranteed to buy buses each year. An additional $25 million the lottery earns from the start of the games on Jan. 7 to June 30 also will pay for new school bus es. That money isn’t included in the $127 million estimate for this year’s lottery proceeds. Democrats originally had called for a bond bill to pay for bus es in order to devote more money to scholarships. But most were satisfied because of the first $127 million in recurring funds, more than $112 million goes to scholar ships and need based grants, said Sen. Tommy Moore, D Clearwater. “I think we answered the challenges about money going to higher ed and K-12,” Moore said. Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges also supported a bond bill for buses. ♦ LOTTERY, SEE PAGE 2 Fidler 5K The Fidler 5K Emeritus Paul Fidler and raise awareness. All funds Fidler raised will be contributed to leukemia research and prevention. The event is sponsored by the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and the Student Personnel Association. ♦ Saturday, March 2, at Blatt P.E. Center ♦ 3.1-mile course through the Shandon neighborhood ♦ Registration: 8:30 a.m. ♦ Race starts at 10 a.m. ♦ Runners may register to participate as late as the morning of the race for $15. ♦ Each participant gets a T shirt www.sa.sc.edu/fidler5k TODAY’S WEATHER: Sunny early, then partly cloudy later in the day. High 59, Low 42. TOMORROW’S WEATHER: Mostly cloudy with rain. High 62, Low 55.