University of South Carolina Libraries
www.dailygamecock.com _WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2002_ **£&£ Vt. governor affirms presidential candidacy s i Vermont Gov. Howard Dean 1 visited USC’s r Law School on Tuesday • afternoon. Dean is the first 1 Democrat to ■ announce his I candidacy for I the 2004 I presidential I election. I PHOTO BY ROY I DOLLAR/THE ■ GAMECOCK H Candidate speaks to USC Law Democrats about election issues BY COREY GARRIOTT THE GAMECOCK The first Democratic candi date for president in 2004, Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, af firmed his candidacy at a USC Law Democrats meeting Tuesday. Dean explained his positions and election strategy, focusing on education, health care and fis cal responsibility. But Charles Duncan, president of USC Republicans, was skeptical of his stances. Dean explained to the group why he was running for presi dent. “I think the country’s funda mentally going in the wrong di rection,” he said. “I want a coun try with a balanced budget, a country strong in defense and a country where everyone has health insurance.” Dean said the Democrats did poorly in the midterm elections Nov. 5 “because the president di verted attention to Iraq and away from issues the Democrats are strong on.” ♦ CANDIDATE, SEE PAGE 2 Lunch with the president PHOTO BY CANDI HAUGLUM/THE GAMECOCK USC President Sorensen meets with students Monday afternoon In the Grand Marketplace to discuss topics affecting student life. Sorensen talks with David Jenkins, a second-year German student, second from left, about his studies. Security bill moves forward in Senate BY JIM ABRAMS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — The Senate de feated an attempt by Democrats to kill what they called special in terests measures in a homeland security bill, bringing a lame-duck Congress close to granting President Bush’s demand for a new Cabinet agency to protect Americans from terrorists. The Senate voted 52-47 to reject an amendment that would have removed from the bill seven pro visions that Democrats said were favors to friends of Republicans. The president and his key advis ers actively lobbied wavering sen ators to defeat the amendment, saying its approval could doom passage of the bill this year. With the amendment out of the way, the Senate was set to finish work on the legislation Tuesday, ending five months of contentious debate on how to carry out the most monumental reorganization of the federal government in over half a century. The Senate fol lowed immediately with several ♦ SECURITY BILL, SEE PAGE 6 17th-floor Senate Plaza apartment catches fire Firefighters contained the blaze in one living room BY KIMBERLY HUNT THE GAMECOCK An apartment on the 17th floor of the 20-floor Senate Plaza residential complex caught on fire Tuesday afternoon. Assistant Fire Chief Joseph Floyd said the Columbia Fire Department received a call about the fire at 2:37 p.m., the first unit arrived at 2:40, and the blaze was out by 2:55. The six engines, three of them equipped with ladders, that reported to the scene con tained the fire to one apart ment’s living room. The fire’s cause is still being investigated. Senate Plaza is lo cated at 1520 Senate St. “The couch and loveseat is burnt out,” Floyd said. “The whole room is totaled with black smoke. The whole apart ment is blacked out with smoke.” The residents of that apart ment were not at home. No one was injured. PHOTO BY TRISHA SHADWELL/THE GAMECOCK Jenny Honeycutt, a law student living in Senate Plaza, had to study for her law exam outside as the building was evacuated during a fire Tuesday. The apartment below on the 16th floor has water damage, and the apartment above on the 18th has smoke damage, Floyd said. Part of the parking lot in front of the building was taped off because of falling glass from windows on the 17th floor. After the investigation was ♦ FIRE, SEE PAGE 5 PHQTO BY ROY DOLLAR/THE GAMECOCK Greek Village residents were confused about whether the $100 parking fee covered a year or only a semester. Greek parking mix-up leads to fee refunds BY WENDY JEFFCOAT THE GAMECOCK Confusion over whether resi dents have to pay $100 per semester or $100 per year to park in the Greek Village has left Parking Services no choice but to refund the amount to some students who had to pay for parking next semester. “There was a lot of indecision,” said Caroline Wooten, a third year biology stu dent from Johns Island and a resident of the Village. “First, parking was for a semester, then for a year.” Wooten, and others who paid another $100 for parking permits “There was a lot of indecision. First, parking was for a semester, then for a year.” CAROLINE WOOTEN THIRD-YEAR BIOLOGY STUDENT for the spring semester, will be, or have already been, reimbursed, said Derrick Huggins, director of Vehicle Management and Parking Services. Parking Services sent two let ters to the residents of the Greek Village. The first one, dated July 17. introduced the permit and said, “The cost for this permit is $100 per semester.” But the second letter, dated Aug. 15, which accompa nied the permit, said, “Enclosed is voiir new barkine permit for the 2002/2003 semester.” Huggins said that when the per ♦ GREEK PARKING, SEE PAGE 5 USC biologist aids research into marine life BY KEVIN FELLNER THE GAMECOCK The results of three years of a USC biologist’s research on global climate changes have been pub lished in a national journal of sci entific breakthroughs, sparking international acclaim. Brian Helmuth’s study on body temperature changes in marine intertidal organisms — creatures that live between the regions of high and low tide on the world’s coastlines — was featured in the Nov. 1 issue of Science. The study suggests that mea suring only air or water tempera tures cannot predict how the cli mate affects intertidal communi ties. Helmuth decided to chart the body temperatures of organisms, themselves, as they were alter nately exposed to land and water because of the tide. The organ isms, such as oysters and mussels, have no internal heat source, so their body temperatures respond strongly to such elements as sun and wind during low tide. Helmuth thinks the research findings will “change how and where we look for climate changes.” He said studying intertidal or ganisms provides a good indica tor of global climate changes be cause the organisms’ tempera tures change with the tempera tures of their environments. Helmuth studied intertidal en vironments from Southern California to Alaska and is apply ing for funding that would allow ♦ BIOLOGIST, SEE PAGE 2 Index Comics and Crossword _11 Classifieds 14 Horoscopes 11 Letters to the Editor 7 Online Poll_ 7 Police Report 4 TOMORROW lQ Low 45 Low 39 Today ♦VIEWPOINTS Phil Watson gets his house ready for Saddam’s invasion. Page 7 ♦ THE MIX With “Kid A,” Radiohead produced a masterpiece no one expected. Page 8 ♦ SPORTS Coach Holtz and the football team have their sights set on the Clemson game. Page 12 ♦ SPORTS EXTRA Get an inside look at the new Carolina Center. Special Insert