Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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■BIDE US MEL Verbal Banana appeals to WUSC listeners Granting a thousand wishes PHOTO BY CANDI HAUGLUM/THE GAMECOCK Taylor, right, the l,OOOth child to have her wish granted by the by the Make-A-Wlsh Foundation of South Carolina, greets Gov. Jim Hodges on the State House steps Tuesday morning. The foundation hopes to launch an initiative soon to grant the next 1,000 wishes. USC binge-drinking , rates buck U.S. trend Alcohol and drug office says USC unscathed BY ADAM BEAM THE GAMECOCK • It’s been more than 20 years since the world first saw Bluto Blutarsky in his infamous college sweatshirt, tipping back a beer in the Delta House at Faber College and sending the message that drinking is a part of college cul ture. l But colleges and communities across the country are starting to take drastic measures to curb col lege drinking, with new govern ment statistics to justify their cause. In a massive three-year study, a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism task force found that 1,400 college students die annually as a result of alcohol related accidents or injuries. The task force also found that nearly 600,000 students each year are as saulted by another student who has bnen drinking In a statement released last Tuesday, U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige said, “The statistics are sobering, and we must work to change the culture of acceptance of high-risk behavior as a rite of passage.” It’s a message that’s al ready being heeded in some states. According to an editorial in the April 5 edition of The Tampa Tribune, Florida’s Hillsborough County has had 321 alcohol-related fatalities over the past five years, along with 2,100 alcohol-related traffic accidents. In response, the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance’s Alcohol Prevention Task Force is calling for Tampa to ban 18- to 20-year-olds from bars and nightclubs. “Including all students from zero to five drinks per week really isn’t very informative.” MICHELE NICHOLS ~ use STATISTICAL CONSULTING LAB EMPLOYEE The editorial said the ban is al ready in place in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, and it cites Fort Lauderdale’s 21 percent decrease in crime after the ban was instituted. In March, the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at the University of Georgia banned al cohol at its on-campus functions after alumni showed concern over the fraternity house’s poor condi tion. But according to Rick Gantt of the USC Student Life Department, these problems aren’t new. ♦ DRINKING, SEE PAGE 2 Lieberman visits campus Senator speaks on education, politics to law school audience BY KEVIN FELLNER THE GAMECOCK U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman spoke to the USC Law School Democrats on Monday afternoon about his political platform and potential education legislation, and he offered the students an op portunity to ask him a variety of political questions. Lieberman, D-Conn., spoke about 30 minutes to the crowd, which overflowed a law school classroom. He had announced his plans earlier in the day for a higher education reform bill at Allen University. The bill seeks to make higher education more accessible to those who would not ordinarily be able to afford it. Lieberman said his legislation would in crease federal tax deductions on tuition to cover up to $10,000 and increase the Pell Grant from $4,000 to $5,800. mguer euucauon is me sou in which we plant the seeds of three of our most precious ideals: freedom, opportunity and equal ity,” Lieberman said. He later said the bill is a “bigger investment in our schools in return for better academic results.” , He said that his main goal for higher education was to have what he called “90-90 by 20-20.” He said his goal was to see 90 per cent of high school graduates go on to either a university, a tech nical school or a military pro gram, and have 90 percent com pletion of those programs by 2020. Lieberman said the number of students entering universities in recent years is increasing but the number of students completing that education is “shockingly low.” He also criticized President Bush for “majoring in talk and minoring in action” when it comes to education reform. He ♦ LIEBERMAN, SEE PAGE 3 PHOTO BY TABITHA LEWIS/THE GAMECOCK Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., spoke to USC’s Law School Democrats on Monday as part of a swing through Columbia. The Lieberman File Sen. Joseph Lieberman, who visited USC on Monday, has served in several positions during his more than 30 years in public service. He was the first Jewish vice presidential nominee from a major party. 1942 Born in Stamford, Conn. 1970-80 Served in Connecticut state Senate 1982-88 Served as Connecticut attorney general 989-current U.S. senator 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee More S.C. residents are physically active, says university report BY MEGHAN MCNAIR THE CAMECOCK South Carolinians are be coming more physically active, according to a report from USC’s Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The study shows that 25 per cent of South Carolina residents reported being regularly physi cally active. This number is up more than 3 percent since 1998, and more than 8 percent in 1996. “Any increase in physical ac tivity by South Carolinians is welcome,” said Dr. Harris ^ Pastides, Public Health School dean. “ The Palmetto State has a high incidence of serious health problems associated with physi cal inactivity, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer and osteoporosis. Physical inactivity is linked to being overweight and obesity, which are major public health problems throughout the United States.” About 3,300 South Carolinians, ages 18 and older, participated in the survey. Being regularly active is defined as participating in moderate ac tivity for at least 30 minutes five or more days a week, or participating in vigorous activity at least 20 min utes three or more days a week. The most active age group was the 35-44 age group; the second most active was the 45-54 age group. “I think that a lot has to do with the beaches in South Carolina,” said Sarah Leon, a second-year nursing student. “Exercise should be fun, that’s why I think it is improving here — so many people are picking up sports outside, like soccer or surfing, because of the great weather here. I think it is better do get physical activity outside instead of inside because it is less boring.” ♦ ACTIVITY, SEE PAGE 2 Powell pushes Israel to withdraw BY BARRY SCHWEID THE ASSOCIATED PRESS JERUSALEM — Secretary of State Colin Powell, struggling for progress at the end of a frustrating trip to the Middle East, pushed Israel on Tuesday to expand its withdrawal from the West Bank and sought fresh assurances from the Palestinians to stop violence. Powell also raised prospects of a peace conference in the United States that would accelerate the political process, one President Bush and Powell have said must produce a Palestinian state. “I think we are making progress and are looking forward to mak ing more progress in the next 24 hours,” Powell said. But Israeli forces moved into a West Bank town and three villages near Jerusalem and imposed cur fews as part of a high security alert timed to Israel’s Independence Day. Palestinians condemned the new incursions. But Powell has tempered his public calls for a total and quick military departure now that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel ♦ MIDEAST, SEE PAGE 2 PHOTO BY BOAZ OPPENHEIM/KRT CAMPUS An Israeli sniper keeps watch near the Mount Hertzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on Tuesday prior to the official memorial day ceremony for fallen soldiers. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is in the region for talks with Israelis and Palestinians, met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Tuesday. He will meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat today. TODAY’S WEATHER: Isolated thunderstorms. High 89, Low 68. TOMORROW'S WEATHER: Scattered thunderstorms. High 87, Low 67.