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University of South Carolina FRinAV OfTORFR 1R 9009 - Vol.96,No.28 www.dailygamecock.com * PvI Ur\I, Vy vv lUDLlA 10( Z.\J\JZ. Since 1908 Student activity fee increases * Board raises fee to $66, examines enrollment plan BY KEVIN FELLNER THE GAMECOCK USC’s Board of Trustees raised the student activity fee and dis cussed a controversial enrollment plan for the university at its meet ing Thursday in the Russell House Ballroom. The increase, the first since 1998, raises the student activity fee to $66 and is expected to generate $300,000 annually. Out of every ad ditional $20 collected, $10 will be allocated to Carolina Productions, $5 to Russell House maintenance, $3 to late-night programs and $2 to Student Government. “The distribution in revenue from this increase in fees will be more in line with other SEC schools,” board Chairman Mack Whittle said. The increase came during the second meeting of the Board of Trustees during President Andrew Sorensen’s tenure. At the meeting, Sorensen de livered an enrollment manage ment proposal that would bring USC’s undergraduate enrollment to 14,335 by 2007 and would lower enrollment in graduate and pro fessional programs from 8,174 to 8,000 by fall 2003. His tentative goal is to have a freshman class of 3,300 with an average SAT score of 1145 and an average GP A of 3.5 in core classes. He also wants to have 75 percent in-state students and 15 percent black students. But Sorensen said his proposals were just a “first cut” and that he would present a more detailed re port to the board at its next meeting. The proposals have their draw backs. The first is that lowering freshman enrollment to 3,300 from this year’s 3,500 would mean the university would receive less tu ition money. Sorensen said he worries that scholarship money might bear the brunt of the lost revenue and that, with fewer scholarships, USC might not be able to attract large numbers of quality students. “If we want more highly talent ed students, we have to offer them increased scholarships, introduce academic innovations and pro grams, and we also need to man age college enrollments within the university,” Sorensen said. Provost Jerry Odom praised Sorensen for his effort to manage USC’s enrollment and said keep ing average class size low is vital to the university’s academic fu ture. Odom said USC would still be able to provide a quality public education to the state. But some board members were skeptical of Sorensen’s proposal. Trustee James Shuford said he was worried that the plan might make it harder for students from USC’s regional campuses to trans fer to the Columbia campus for their junior and senior years. Sorensen said he is communicat ing with administrators at the re gional campuses about how those campuses could one day become universities for academically tal ented students who couldn’t meet the increasing standards at the Columbia campus. The president also said lower enrollment would mitigate the de mand overflow in campus housing. Value-centered management Sorensen’s speech came after a presentation from Sorensen, Odom and Chief Financial Officer Rick Kelly gave the board its first look at how the new budgeting ♦ FEES, SEE PAGE 3 Holtz visits campus for live call-in show PHOTOS BY ADAM BEAM/THE GAMECOCK Top: Lou Holtz laughs with the audience at the call-in show Wednesday night. Above: Wearing Lou’s signed hat, David Able, a second-year journalism student, asks him a question. Coach answers questions from students and callers statewide BY MICHAEL LAFORGIA THE GAMECOCK Making his first appearance on campus since “Lou on the ‘Shoe” in 1999, USC football coach Lou Holtz came to the Russell House Ballroom on Wednesday night for a live tap ing of “The Lou Holtz Call-in Show.” “I just love being with the students, and I really mean that,” Holtz said. “Youth are the most exciting group to be around because they have such an exuberance and energy.” This isn’t the first tiipe a prominent USC coach has made a campus visit. Last semester, head basketball coach Dave Odom also had a live call-in show in the Russell House to bolster student support. While Holtz hasn’t been on campus for two years, he plans to make several more visits to the campus. USC officials announced at the show that two hours will be set aside next weekend for Lou Holtz to sign autographs in the Russell House. Students who attended the broadcast were given a card with a num ber on it to reserve their place in line. Others may call the Russell House University Union information center at 777-3196 for more information. With announcer Charlie McAlexander, “the voice of the ♦ HOLTZ, SEE PAGE 3 Family shows, sports planned for new arena BY ADAM BEAM THE GAMEQOCK Elmo, a monster truck and a fire-juggling clown were all on hand Thursday morning to an nounce the upcoming events for the new Carolina Center. University officials said Gamecock basketball will make up 25 percent of the 130 or so events to be held at the arena, so there will be room for a variety of family shows and concerts. Before the highly publicized Bruce Springsteen concert Dec. 9, the arena’s first show will be Nov. 26, when World Wrestling Entertainment will come tape a show to be broadcast later on UPN. “We really want something for everybody,” said Tom Paquette, general manager of the Carolina Center. “We’ve got a wide array there, and we’re going to try to do the same with concerts.” The second concert to come to the new arena will be Dec. 14, when Christian recording artist Michael W. Smith will bring his “Christmastime” show, featuring Point of Grace and Kara. The Carolina Center will com pete with Greenville’s Bi-Lo Center, the North Charleston Coliseum and the Charlotte Coliseum to be what USC Athletics Director Mike McGee calls “the premier sports and en tertainment facility in South Carolina.” Paquette said: “I think all buildings in a media market com pete against each other. Shows aren’t going to play eight or nine shows in each area.” Paquette said the Carolina Center has an advantage because people are more likely to come to a newer venue. “New buildings tend to do very well,” he said. “I think new facili ties definitely have an advantage as far as getting shows because it’s all about selling tickets.” While the USC Athletics Department is the new arena’s pri mary operator, the Philadelphia based sports and entertainment firm Global Spectrum will manage the center, boosting its chances of getting top-rated acts and sporting events. Although the new arena is opening too late to feature NBA and NHL preseason games, Paquette said Columbia residents should expect to see either the NHL’s Philadelphia Fliers or the NBA’s Philadelphia Seventy Sixers to come down next year for preseason games. Global ♦ CENTER, SEE PAGE 3 Carolina Center’s Calendar of Events Nov. 26 WWE Smackdown - Jan. 5 Champions on Ice Dec. 5-8 Sesame Street Live - 1-2-3 Imagine Michael W. Ringling Brothers and Bamum & Bailey Circus Feb. 7-9 Monster Jam ^ Feb. 21-22 IFMA Motorcross March 16 — ' Lipizzaoer Stallions March 27-30 Disney on ice a Index Comics and Crossword 8 Classifieds 10 Horoscopes 8 Letters to the Editor 5 Online Poll Police Report 4 Weather TODAY High 71 Low 48 TOMORROW High 77 Low 55 Inside ♦ NEWS White House reacts to news that North Korea has nuclear weapons. Page 2 ♦ VIEWPOINTS Rob Seal discusses the history and evolution of Halloween. Page 5 ♦ THE MIX Tony-award winning play “Proof will make its Columbia debut Friday night. Page 6 ♦ THE MIX Don’t tell Dick wins USC’s Battle of the Bands. Page 6 Account of sniper a fake, police say Witness’s details about Va. killer don’t hold up under scrutiny BY STEPHEN MANNING TIIK ASSOCIATED PRESS ROCKVILLE, MD. — A witness who described the Washington sniper, his assault rifle and his cream-colored van gave police a phony story, investigators said Thursday in a setback that casts doubt on much of what the public thought it knew about the roving killer. Prosecutors said the witness could face charges. His name was not immediately released. Fairfax County police Lt. Amy Lubas said the inaccurate ac count was exposed by checking it against that of other witnesses to Monday night’s killing of an FBI cyberterrorism analyst in a crowded Virginia parking lot out side a Home Depot. It was the only shooting so far that people actually saw. Asked whether the witness might have intentionally misled investigators, Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose, who is heading the in vestigation, said simply, “Yes.” Investigators had showed a certain optimism after the latest attack seemed to yield the best details yet about the killer. But that gave way to anger Thursday. Moose said there was no cre dence to the witness’ description of the cream-colored van with a burned-out rear taillight. And while Moose did not give the wit ness’ exact description of the shooter, he chastised reporters for running reports that vari ously described the gunman as dark-skinned, olive-skinned, Middle Eastern or Hispanic. ♦ SNIPER, SEE PAGE 2