Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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While you were gone... --- i Miss S.C. returns to college life BY GINNY THORNTON THK GAMECOCK Jeanna Raney never really wanted the crown. “I always thought it was kind of stupid,” Raney says now, after having spent a year as Miss South Carolina. “But the things I’ve been able to do with it, those are my passion.” Raney, a native of Inman, S.C., would have spent this past academic year as a sec ond-year media arts student at USC. Instead, Raney spent the year driving 50,000 miles through each of South Carolina’s 46 counties. By the end of her reign, she made 247 appearances. “Schools, churches, Rotary Clubs, I went everywhere. I gave my speech sometimes three times a day,” Raney said. Raney likens winning the Miss South Carolina crown to applying for a job and being accepted. “I told the girls in one of their meetings, ‘If you don’t feel absolutely passionate about your platform, and you somehow squeak by and win, you will be miserable for a year,”’ Raney said. It was Raney’s drive to speak about her passion-suicide prevention-that kept her Of the year’s accomplishments, Raney is proud of a $10,000 grant she received hum Pfizer Pharmaceutical Co. She says this money enabled many organizations to schedule appearances with Miss South Carolina that would not have normally been able to afford to do so. Raney says she doesn’t plan to give up her work in suicide prevention now that her reign has ended. “Just because I’m giv ing up my crown doesn’t mean I’m giving up my passion,” she said. This fall, Raney returns to USC to be come a student again. “I guess it’s time to put away my busi ness suits and get out my jeans and T shirts,” she said. Raney will return to USC as a media arts student with an emphasis in photography. She says she wants to work as a profes sional photographer, possibly with pageants. “I know the business,” she says. “I’ve been doing it all my life.” Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com PHOTO COURTESY OF GARNET AND BLACK Salon CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 EL and some other Scholastic Profiles stylists to utilize extra space in Carolina Styles, but Davis was soon notified that she had to move out as well. “She was noti fied about two weeks after I was,” Ross-EL said. At the time, both Davis and Ross-EL were told that there is a clause that allowed the universi ty to end their contracts. John Ogle, Assistant Director for Operations in the Russell House, says that the clause in question is a legal provision that USC uses commonly. “In these vendors’ contracts ... there is a clause. With 30 days’ notice, [the university] is allowed to terminate the contract,” Ogle said. The changes were due to take place pri marily because the food selections being introduced into the Russell House required more seating room. For now, a number of the stylists from Scholastic Profiles are working in Carolina Styles. However, Davis says that she still may have to move to another on campus location eventually. “They are renovating this area starting Oct. 1, and we’ll have to move to a new location,” Davis said. Though there has been men tion of moving Carolina Styles to the third floor of the Russell House, nothing is certain as of yet. To Davis, who has worked at USC for over 20 years, her job is more than simply styling hair. She also tries to help students. “I’m not just doing people’s hair,” Davis said, “It’s like I’m a counselor, too.” Although Carolina Styles caters primarily to students, Davis says that her clientele includes many faculty members as well, and that many of her regulars con tinue to come see her after they have graduated. Tonya Berry is one such example. “I started com ing here in 1992 when I started grad school. I’ve since left Carolina, but I’m still a regular client,” Berry said. Like Berry, recent graduate Joel Nesbitt still comes to Carolina Styles. “There’s a lot of people who leave or graduate but still come because they still live in the com munity,” Nesbitt said. Many students come to Carolina Styles not only for the service, but also because of the fa miliar faces and friends they have there. “It’s not just a place to get your hair done,” Nesbitt said. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Joint stadium venture a possibility for Bombers, Gamecock baseball BY ERIC STIDHAM TIIK GAMECOCK The Bombers, an affiliate team of the New York Mets, would like to have a new state of-the-art facility to keep their partnership with the Mets. The Gamecocks, who advanced to the College World Series finals, would like to be rewarded for their spectacular play. Frank Burke, the principle owner of the Bombers, the Chattanooga Lookouts and the Portland (Maine) Seadogs, re-. cently met with USC Athletics Director Mike McGee to talk about a joint stadium. Burke was able to raise funds for a $10 mil lion stadium in Chattanooga, but he doesn’t foresee the same oc curring here in Columbia. The Bombers’ 20-year affili ation with the Mets is in danger, however. Keeping the field con ditions and drainage system up and working properly are two major reasons for a brand new stadium, and the Mets threat ened to remove their affiliation from the Bombers if the field con ditions weren’t improved. USC Senior Associate Athletics Director John Moore said that “there was a prelimi nary meeting between the Athletics department and the new ownership of the Capital City Bombers,” and in this first time meeting both parties dis cussed “investigating the possi blity.” Moore also said so far there have been no meetings scheduled but there may be more later in the year. When asked if there was a time table for these events, Moore replied “No, it’s very pre mature to say that planning has begun outside of the fact that we are exploring the possiblity.” With the Gamecock baseball team reaching the College World Series and many USC sports hav ing successful seasons, the need for adequate facilities is appar ent to sustain a continued rise in athletic success. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com 1 The New Columbia Mall! 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Expires 9/30/02 f> i / ANOTHER GREAT SHOPPING PLACE BY ill (NYSECBL) from being miserable, even during the times she was “physically exhausted and mentally drained.” Although Raney had participated in pageants throughout her life, she didn’t want to enter Miss South Carolina because of the pageant’s strong emphasis on plat forms. Raney wasn’t sure she knew if she believed in anything strongly enough to talk about it for an entire year. But during Raney’s first year at USC, her world changed more dramatically than the average college freshman’s — her mother committed suicide. Although Raney recalls it as a hard time, she said the event taught her that people needed to be educated about the causes of suicide and the means of prevention. Raney now speaks to people of all ages across the state about how to recognize sui cide’s warning signs. Raney says her visits to schools and or ganizations of very different socio-eco nomic backgrounds have confirmed the knowledge that depression is not specific to any certain group of people. “I tell all the high schools I speak to that depression affects 20 percent of Americans, so there’s at great chance that they or some one they know is affected. ”