The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 25, 2002, Image 1
www.dailygamecock.com _MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2002 * Since1908
.Budget cuts might
mean fewer classes
Spring courses
might be in
short supply,
fill up faster
BY KEVIN FELLNER
TIIKIiAMKCOCK
Second-year pharmacy student
Eric Riffenburg logged on to VIP
last week to register for Biology
9 244, a class that is required for his
major, only to find that all avail
able sections were full.
“I think that if it’s a required
class, they should open more than
enough spots for people to fill,”
~ he said.
It’s common for students not
to get into a class they want to
take as an elective from a college
outside of their majors because
the college’s students tend to fill it
up quickly. But students such as
Riffenburg don’t expect to have
to fight to get a seat in a required
course. Administrators suspect
the spring’s course offerings
might be thinner than usual and
think budget cuts and a large
freshman enrollment might be to
blame.
College deans won’t know ex
actly how different enrollment in
their colleges’ courses will be un
til each department can study the
final numbers after the
semester’s drop/add date.
While colleges vary in how
they choose what classes and how
many sections to offer, Don
Greiner, associate provost and
dean of undergraduate affairs, cit
ed this fall’s freshman enrollment
— the largest in school history—
as a possible reason for fewer sec
tions in introductory courses.
These courses include freshman
level biology, geology, English,
Spanish and French. He said sev
eral departments poured addi
tional money into freshman
courses this semester because of
the growing enrollment.
Deans and their staff members
are closely watching their col
leges’ operating budgets after the
state sustained budget cuts total
ing about 8.5 percent during the
last 12 months, with another re
duction expected to be handed to
the university before the end of
the year.
“We are always concerned
about budget cuts — always,”
said Mary Ann Byrnes, assistant
dean for the College of Liberal
Arts, USC’s largest college. “But I
think what we’ve had to do this
past y.ear has to really focus on
the essentials, and we’ll continue
to do that.”
Budget reductions have de
layed searches for faculty mem
bers to replace those who are re
tiring, while forcing colleges to
downsize overall operations.
“You might not see as many
upper-level courses as you would
in previous years when we had
♦ CLASSES, SEE PAGE 3
Celebrations turn ugly
after football games
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■Bum. .'■■■■■IHHiBBBHBH ■■■■■■■■i
Clemson fans celebrate a 27-20 victory over USC on Saturday night in Death Valley. Fans rushed the field after the game and
tore down a goal post. A sheriff’s officer and a fan were injured in the celebration and were carried off the field on stretchers.
Clemson among
several sites of
injuries to fans
(AP) — Fan celebrations got
out of hand after several college
football games Saturday, as
several people were injured
following victories and Wash
ington players were pelted with
debris.
Most, but not all, of the rowdy
behavior surrounded the usual
goal-post-dismantling parties that
followed big victories:
♦ In Clemson a 67-year-old
sheriffs officer and a female fan
were hurt when fans rushed the
field and tore down a goal post fol
lowing the Tigers’ 27-20 win over
South Carolina. The victims were
taken away by ambulance.
Officer James Booth was in sta
ble condition at a hospital; he was
hurt when 30 fans piled on top of
him. Details on the female fan’s
condition weren’t available, but
her injuries were not life-threat
ening.
♦ In Raleigh, N.C., three peo
ple were injured on the field
when fans tore down goal posts
following North Carolina State’s
17-7 victory over No. 14 Florida
State. One person had a broken
leg and two others had knee in
juries.
There were 21 arrests, but
none was related to the on-field
celebration. Pepper spray was
used on fans to keep the goal
posts standing as police remem
bered a similar episode two years
ago, when car windows were bro
♦ RIOTS, SEE PAGE 3
USC student will lead mock legislature
BY KATHERINE HALLORAN
TIIKIiAMKCOCK
The South Carolina Student
Legislature elected a USC student
as governor of the organization
for the second time in the past 17
years.
Third-year history student
Joey Oppermann was elected
governor at the fall session of the
statewide model legislature pro
gram. Oppermann, the 12th USC
student governor
since Robert
McNair in 1956,
defeated two stu
dents from the
Citadel and Bob
Jones University
lur uie pusiuuu.
Oppermann USC is one of
12 schools that
participate in the organization,
which includes such schools as
Clemson and the College of
Charleston. During the past ses
sion, Oppermann’s platform in
cluded expanding the number of
schools involved with the student
legislature. He said that out of the
31 colleges in the state, only 12
schools participate in SCSL.
Oppennann said he would like
to see the conference made
stronger with the help of schools
such as South Carolina State
University and Benedict College.
He said, however, he knows it
will not happen overnight.
“SCSL is the best organization
that I have ever been involved
with, but currently, only four
public schools are involved,”
Oppermann said. “With limited
resources, we’ll have to work to
slowly expand.”
Fourth-year political science
student Adam Shaw is now USC
chairman of the SCSL. He is re
♦ SCSL, SEE PAGE 3
Uncovering history in S.G.
masMmwtsm- *
PHOTO BY ERIC SUTTON/THE GAMECOCK
Vance McCollum, a volunteer at the Giant Cement Co.,
examines fossils found in Dorchester County. Hundreds of
fossils have been taken to the State Museum for analysis.
MCAT scores
will no longer
be withheld
Results from each test attempt will
now be released to medical schools
BY WENDY JEFFCOAT
THE GAMECOCK
Medical-school applicants will
no longer have the option of with
holding MCAT scores from po
tential schools beginning in 2003,
according to a new regulation set
in motion by the American
Association of Medical Colleges.
“This will try to reduce the
number of people who take it ir
responsibly,”
said Albert Chen,
executive direc
tor of graduate
programs for
Kaplan Inc. “The
ones who aren’t
taking it serious
ly are the ones it
will affect.”
r*.hpn caiH that
up until this year, students had
the option of not releasing scores
if they felt they did not do well on
the test. The date the student took
the Medical College Admission
Test, however, was still released;
he said this would lead some ad
mission committees to think the
student did poorly on the exam.
The AAMC wants “to start
changing the mindset from indi
vidual scores to test history,”
Chen said. Students who took the
test between 1991 and 2002 will
still have the option of not releas
ing their scores.
Richard Hoppmann, associate
dean for medical education at the
University of South Carolina
School of Medicine, said the de
partment encourages students to
take the test twice, once in the
spring of their junior years, then
in the fall of their senior years.
Now he said
students may
be more hesi
tant about
taking the
exam during
their junior
years.
“I think
the biggest
disadvantage
for the students will be... with the
release of all scores, some stu
dents will be reluctant to take the
test in April," he said. “They will
need to be ready to take it in
April.”
Chen said the AAMC does not
want students to take the MCAT
to practice; there are other ways,
such as online tests and study
♦MCAT, SEE PAGE 3
“The ones who aren’t
taking it (the MCAT)
seriously are the ones it
will affect.”
ALBERT CHEN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GRADUATE PROGRAMS
FOR KAPLAN INC.
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Inside
♦ NEWS Catch a glimpse of the
Strom Thurmond Fitness and
; Wellness Center. Page 2
♦ VIEWPOINTS Jason Rapp
shares what he’s learned
! during his years at Carolina.
Page 4
♦ THE MIX A look at the
creative Nickelodeon cartoon
“InvaderZim.” Page 5
♦ SPORTS Jocelyn Penn and
the women’s basketball team
open their season with a pair of
victories. Page 7