The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 07, 2002, Image 1
www.dailygamecock.com MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2002
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Fixing science
building could
cost $100,000
BY WENDY JEFFCOAT
Tin; (iamk<:oi;k
According to USC’s architect,
the wait is almost over for the ge
olog}' department, which has been
— holding on for more than six
W months for funds to reinforce the
structure of the Earth and Water
Sciences building.
“As of Monday, they’re not go
ing to be waiting on the money,”
Charlie Jeffcoat, director of
Facilities Planning and
Construction, said Friday. “The
money will be there next week.”
The Geological Sciences
Department has been waiting
since February for $9,000 to finish
fireproofing a steel beam installed
to reinforce the fourth floor of the
west end of the EWS building and
to close up holes, left by construc
tion, in the walls of laboratories
and classrooms.
Structural support became an
issue when a new faculty member
I
requested some laboratory reno
vations on the fourth floor of the
building. The renovations in
cluded using lead bricks that were
so heavy, Jeffcoat said he couldn’t
pick one up. When Facilities
checked the floor-load design, it
found that the floor would not sup
port the new bricks, so the steel
beam was installed.
Jeffcoat said the building is
weak according to today’s codes,
though it was designed according
to code when it was built in the
1960s. Now, buildings have to be re
inforced to protect against earth
quakes and other natural disasters.
“We will formally notify the de
partment that they should not
make any changes to the floor
loads of this building without con
sulting us first,” Jeffcoat said.
He said that, since the begin
ning of the project, Facilities lias
had a few delays, some caused by
insufficient funds. Jeffcoat said
the project’s overall cost is esti
mated at more than $100,000.
The beam reaches from the
basement to the fourth floor.
The exposed beam and the
holes in the walls have raised con
cerns about security and safety
among those who work in the
building. Feelings of frustration
have risen among faculty and stu
dents because of the delays.
“You can look into people’s re
search areas,’’ said Heather Aceves,
a laboratory technician in the ge
ology department. “It’s October,
and we still have these holes in all
the walls through the lab.”
Aceves said there have been
several problems with the EWS
building in the past, including
floods from busted waterlines and
power outages.
“If the building is not safe, then
why are so many people working
in the building?” Aceves said. “I
♦ CONSTRUCTION, SEE PAGE 4
A beam
stands
exposed in
the Earth
and Water
Sciences
building.
The geology
department
has been
waiting for
money to
complete
repairs on
the building
since
February.
PHOTO BY
CANDI
HAUGLUM/THE
GAMECOCK
Housing to
fight mold
problems
South Tower
residents might
soon see relief
BY HOLLY BOUNDS
THE RAMECOCK
University Housing is trying
to alleviate South Tower’s mold
problem, which the department
blames on high humidity caused
by air-conditioning malfunc
tions, that has contributed to stu
dent health problems.
In September, Housing began
receiving complaints from South
Tower residents about an un
usual amount of mold found in
their rooms, according to
Housing Director Gene Luna.
“I felt like I was constantly
sick due to the mold,” said
Allyson Hudgins, a third-year
public relations student who
lives in South Tower. Hudgins’
room had to be cleaned twice be
fore she began to feel better *
After an investigation,
Housing finally found some an
swers. In a Sept. 30 letter to the
parents of South Tower resi
dents, Luna said two malfunc
tions in the heating, ventilation
and air-conditioning system in
South Tower have caused hu
midity to rise in the building.
The first malfunction was
with the pumps that take chilled
water around the building and
the fan coil units, which circu
late cold air. Luna said the fan
coil units failed in each room
and had to be repaired or re
placed. The second malfunction
was with the ventilation motors,
which also had to be replaced.
Luna said that humidity ide
ally should be less than 50 per
cent, but in this case, Housing’s
aim is less than 60 percent. Luna
said that, because of the
Southeast’s hot. humid climate,
mold will persist in this area.
Luna thinks things are set
♦ MOLD, SEE PAGE 2
Groups discuss
court choices
NAACP voices
concerns about
selection process
for Showcase
* BY KATHERINE HALLORAN
^ THE GAMECOCK
Members of the Homecoming
Commission and the USC chap
ter of the NAACP agreed that
Thursday’s meeting to discuss
changes in the selection process
for Homecoming king and queen
was productive.
Members of USC’s chapter of
the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
met with Homecoming
Commissioner Sarah Grove and
Student Government President
Ankit Patel, who is also a mem
ber of the NAACP. Patel invited
members to meet Sunday to dis
cuss and organize ideas to bring
to the Student Senate floor on
W Wednesday.
NAACP member Kaleta
Brown, a fourth-year marketing
and management student, said
the NAACP did not intend to at
tack the Homecoming
Committee or the Student Senate
but that it did want to attack the
process of Homecoming selec
tion.
USC’s NAACP president,
Jerome Bryant, said the meeting
was “what we wanted.”
“Hopefully,
we’ll see results
and move on to
other issues,” he
said.
Grove agreed
that the meeting
was a step in the
right direction Bfyant
and said now is the time to begin
modifying the current system to
adhere with USC’s growing di
versity.
“There were a lot of good
ideas from NAACP members
that I was happy to hear,” she
said.
One of the main suggestions
NAACP members stressed was
modifying the judging system for
Showcase, the event during
Homecoming week in which the
king and queen are chosen.
Some members think students
should vote democratically for a
king and queen, while others
think there should be a formal
nomination from students to
choose the judges.
Brown suggested that stu
dents be incorporated in the pro
cess of formally nominating a
king or queen, and then contes
tants could continue through the
three-step process with the
judges making the final decision
at Showcase.
“I think it’s fine the way it is;
♦ JUDGING, SEE PAGE 2
Index
Comics and Crossword 9
Classifieds 12
Horoscopes_9
Letters to the Editor 6
Online Poll _ 6
Police Report 5
Weather
TODAY
TOMORROW
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High 71
Low 55
Inside
•
♦ THE MIX A new book
describes the wild college life
through the tales of a recent
college graduate. Page 7
♦THE MIX Anthony Hopkins
returns as Hannibal in “Red
Dragon,” the prequel to
“Silence of the Lambs” and
“Hannibal.” Page 8
♦ SPORTS Clemson extends
its winning streak over USC to
eight games in men’s soccer.
Page 10
School spirit shines for Homecoming
PHOTO BY JASON STEELMAN/THE GAMECOCK
PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAYNES/THE GAMECOCK
PHOTO BY TRISHA SHADWELL/THE GAMECOCK
The Homecoming competition continued throughout last week, and the winners were announced at the football game against
Mississippi State on Saturday. Top left: Casey Lemond of Delta Tau Delta performed Friday night in Cockfest, along with members
of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. The two organizations won Cockfest. Top right: The Mississippi State Bulldog falls to his knees,
crushed, when he realizes the Gamecocks will win Saturday’s game. Above: Members of PI Kappa Phi and Chi Omega carry their
letters down Greene Street in the Homecoming Parade on Friday. The pair of organizations won the overall competition.
Bush chief of staff honored at USC
BY JESSICA CLANTON
THE GAMECOCK
White House Chief of Staff
Andrew Card was one of three
USC alumni honored with the
Distinguished Alumni Award
Friday night at the annual
Homecoming alumni award win
ner’s dinner at the Sheraton Hotel
in Columbia.
Also receiving the award were
U.S. Army Adjutant Gen. Kathryn
Frost of Arlington, Texas, and
Texas Supreme Court Justice
Harriet S. O’Neill of Austin.
“I didn’t think I would ever be a
distinguished alumni because I
was not a distinguished student,”
Card said. “But I credit USC for
giving me the confidence to go for
ward.”
Card received a bachelor’s de
gree in civil engineering from
1
USC in 1971 and has maintained a
close relationship with the school
ever since.
“I still follow the university’s
sports and academics,” he said. “I
was rooting for the (USC) baseball
team in the nationals last year
when President Bush was rooting
for Texas. I have paid attention to
women’s track, the soccer teams
and most of the other sports.”
Card has also been following
USC’s reorganization with the ar
rival of new President Andrew
Sorensen and the merging of col
leges such as the College of
Journalism and Mass
Communications with the College
of Library and Information
Science.
“I still keep in touch with many
of my professors and advisers in
♦ CARD, SEE PAGE 4