Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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INSIDE THE MIX: The Gamecock T^V» 1 f| OTT April 26,2002 ♦ Vol. 95, No. 87 interviews Jump, Little Children -L J- ILICI V University of South Carolina ♦ www.dailygamecock.com Palms to announce SDI ideas Palms to meet with Board of Trustees today BY ADAM BEAM THE GAMECOCK USC President John Palms will announce his recommendations about the Strategic Directions and Intitiatives report to the Board of Trustees today by outlining what he feels are steps to establish the university as “an efficient, na tionally respected, research uni versity within the next five years.” The announcement comes five months after the SDI Committee released its report in January. Since that time, the report has been circulating for discussionin board committee meetings, with Palms present. Palms has said these meetings were “very, very important” in his decision-making process and that he has kept up with all the discussion. “I knew ... when the SDI was moving, what they were talking about and what the impli cations were,” he said. After Palms’ presents his rec ommendations to the board, they will vote on the recommendations wfmsBs: i—■■ -be that require board action, such as the merger between the College of Journalism and Mass Communications and the College of Library and Information Science. Other actions, such as those dealing with administrative is sues, will not require board ac tion, but Palms might ask for its approval. One of the biggest changes out lined in the 91-page report was the recommendation of Value Centered Management. “There were no great objec tions to it,” he said about VCM. “As a matter of fact, [there was] strong support, so I can make” the decision to begin the policy. Implementation of VCM does not require a board action. Among the SDI recommenda tions Palms has been mulling are the consolidation of several col leges and the creation of a CoEege of Health Sciences. The new aca demic unit would combine the School of Medicine, the Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, the College of Social Work, the College of Pharmacy and the CoEege of Nursing. The SDI Committee has re mained silent about how to im ♦ PALMS, SEE PAGE 3 PHOTO BY MARTHA WRIGHT/THE GAMECOCK A film crew from Mad Monkey Productions shot footage In the Graduate Science Research Center for a recruitment video. USC video for recruits: A day in student life’ Mad Monkey to produce video for Visitor Center BY KEVIN FELLNER THE GAMECOCK The USC Visitor Center is working with Columbia-based Mad Monkey Productions this week to produce a video depicting a day in the life of a USC student. Prospective students will view the video in the Visitor Center at the beginning of campus tours. The video, which has not yet been titled, features actual USC students at various campus loca tions, including classrooms, resi dence halls, the Horseshoe and the Russell House. The video’s concept was de signed by the results of student fo <T. .groT’ “We want scribed their this to feel experiences as a$ much 3S students, USC possible 3S Visitor Center jf this wprp Director Denise 11 were Wellman said. shot by ah of the ai- students most 100 ac tors in the w,,u . video are stu- experience dents who au the campus ditionedwith everv(Jav>. Mad Monkey, everyudy. Wellman said. LORIE GARDNER She said Mad mad monkeys , , EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Monkey chose them for their knowledge of the university. Wellman said the video is im portant for the Visitor Center to have because it is the “front door ♦ VIDEO, SEE PAGE 3 GOODBYE, DR. PALMS PHOTO BY CANDI HAUGIUM/THE GAMECOCK President Palms and his wife, Norma, show Carolina how It’s done by starting off the shag contest at Wednesday's farewell party on the Horseshoe. A fond farewell Horseshoe picnic celebrates Palms’ 12-year tenure BY MEGAN TREACY THE GAMECOCK USC president John Palms and his wife, Norma, were giv en a farewell celebration in then own front yard Wednesday. Students, faculty and friends gathered in front of McKissick Museum to say goodbye to the Palms at the Evening Picnic on the ’Shoe. The event included speakers, a shag contest and fireworks. Third-year student Drew Richardson led the festivities, which were sponsored by several student organizations. At the event, Richardson high lighted accomplishments and im provements made at the universi ty during Palms’ 12-year tenure, including raised admissions stan dards, increased research funding, additional student facilities and a long list of national scholars. Palms was joined onstage by former student body presidents who came to say goodbye. Thomas Young, presidentin 1993, spoke about the students’ fear during his term that Palms was anti-fraternity. Young said Palms dismissed that notion by working to create the Greek Village, which is now under construction. Young used this as an example of how Palms was always willing to listen and compromise with students. Ankit Patel and Nithya Bala presented Palms with a Decade of Service—a frame with 12 pictures marking a significant moment within each year he was in office. Patel also announced the cre ation of the John M. Palms Bicentennial Chair. The chair, created by friends and alumni, is an endowment that will reward an outstanding faculty member. Patel presented a $5,000 check to start the endowment. Palms expressed his grati tude to the university. “You have inspired us and energized us to perform,” Palms said. He also stressed the im-' portance of recruiting the best students to USC. “Our faculty is no better than the students they get to teach.” Palms discussed what he be lieves is the formula for making great things happen at a uni versity. “When people come together and don’t care who gets credit and just work together, miracles happen.” JOHN PALMS use PRESIDENT “When people come together and don’t care who gets credit and just work together, miracles happen,” Palms said. Norma Palms took time to say her goodbyes. “You’ll al ways be in our hearts,” she said. The Palmses don’t have any immediate plans beyond June 30 other than “taking some time out of public life.” John Palms said he would miss the students the most. “No question about it,” he said. He also said he was proudest of the university’s academic im provement over the years and said he wanted USC to continue to be academically competitive. He was also very proud of the uni versity’s sense of community. “If everyone takes that into real life, that’s what will im prove this country,” Palms said. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Sorensen says he might replace Palms Officials still seeking new president to succeed Palms BYGINNY THORNTON THE GAMECOCK University of Alabama President Andrew Sorensen visited USC for two days and met with a committee seeking a new president, but he said Thursday he has not been of fered the post. University officials are seeking a replacement for John Palms, who is retiring as president at the end of June. Sorensen, 63, who has been president of the Tuscaloosa cam pus since 1996, visited Columbia Tuesday and Wednesday. He told Birmingham television station WBMA that he met with USC's search committee both days. William Hubbard, a member of the USC Board of Trustees and chairman of USC’s Presidential Search Committee, would not comment. "My policy from the beginning of this search has been not to dis cuss any candidate by name," Hubbard said. University of Alabama spokes woman Kathy Andreen said Sorensen would not be available for an interview Thursday, but confirmed that he did visit USC "He has not been offered a job, • but he has said he is a candidate," Andreen said. several university oi AiaDama trustees told The Tuscaloosa News they were unaware of Sorensen's trip to South Carolina. '1 hope that's not the case," said trustee John England, a Tuscaloosa County circuit judge. "He's just done an outstanding job at the university, and I certainly want him to stay." Hubbard said he thinks the USC committee is in the final stages of the search process. '! am very confident that we will have everything resolved by the time President Palms retires in June," Hubbard said. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Comments on this story? - Eknail gamecockudesk@hotmaU.com Procedural disputes dog SG commission Patel advises Palms not to sign new SG constitution BY BRANDON LARRABEE THE GAMECOCK Student Government President Ankit Patel’s new Judicial Review Commission has become the subject of procedural disputes before all of its members have even been named. Former Student Judicial Council President Aaron Hark visited Student Senate Wednesday to speak about the ' commission. Hark’s comments came before third-year biology student Candi Hauglum was elected to replace him Wednesday. Hark said he is concerned by Patel’s contention that a proposed constitution, which passed a ref erendum in February, isn’t valid. Patel said the constitution won’t come into effect because USC President John Palms hasn’t signed it, and Patel said he has recommended to the university administration that Palms not sign it. Patel said the constitution should have been signed by Palms before it went before the student body for a vote. He also said students didn’t have enough time to review the con stitution online before the vote. “It’s hard for them to vote for constitutional changes when you don’t know what the changes are,” Patel said. The new constitution was passed largely to clear up the po sition of CSJC in relation to SG. Hark, who helped write the new con stitution, said the old document in cludes references to two separate ju dicial bodies that were merged into CSJC several years ago. “They haven’t been in exis tence for four years now,” Hark told Student Senate on Wednesday. Patel has said one of the possi ble changes to the constitution would be to split CSJC into two bodies — one to handle discipli nary issues and one to handle SG related issues. Hark opposes such a plan. Hark has also said the com mission should have an addi tional senator in order to better represent Senate’s interests. Hark said the Senate should be “It’s hard for them to vote for constitutional changes when you don’t know what the changes are.” ANKIT PATEL STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT. better represented because it would have to pass anything that comes out of the commis sion. He also said it would pre vent a tie on the 10-member com mission, which has five CSJC justices, three Cabinet members and two senators. Hark also referenced the exec utive order creating the commis sion, which said the committee will “be dissolved on May November 1,2002." “We’ll need to do two things” ♦ PATEL, SEE PAGE 3 TODAY'S WEATHER: Partly cloudy. High 78, Low 58. .. 11IIIIIIMI ..... TOMORROW’S WEATHER: Thunderstorms. High 76, Low 56.