The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 29, 2003, Page 3, Image 3
Observatory
CONTINUED ROM PAGE 1
South Carolina” that the observa
tory fell into disrepair in the years
after the war, prompting one pro
fessor to refer to the building as
“an unsightly ruin” in a complaint
to the Board of Trustees.
The building was subsequent
ly surrendered to students as a
fraternity hall in 1884 and re
mained so until 1897, when fra
ternities were banned from
Carolina, according to “The
Faithful Index,” which was pub
lished by the university during
Founder’s Week in 1976.
From 1900 to 1902, the Old
Observatory housed the School of
the Pedagogical Department and,
after a brief interlude during
which it served as a golf club
storehouse, the building served as
an office building before being
converted into the U.S.
Entomological Laboratory. The
building is now empty and tagged
as a historic landmark.
Finally, in 1928, a new observa
tory was constructed off Greene
Street in honor of former presi
dent William Melton. According
to the observatory’s Web site,
Melton died in 1926 after an un
successful attempt to secure fund
ing for the structure. A year later,
Melton’s friend and USC alumnus
Edwin Seibels gave the universi
ty $15,000 to go toward the con
struction of a new observatory.
Professor Christina Lacey of the
Physics and Astronomy
Department often works with the
Melton Observatory, which hous
es a 16-inch telescope and is oper
ational.
“Currently, it does not con
tribute to our research,” Lacey
said. “However, it is used as a lab
oratory experience for our under
graduate students.”
Lacey said that although the
telescope is subject to ongoing im
provements, it will not contribute
to university research.
“Columbia is a lousy place to
put a telescope,” she said, citing
humidity and light pollution as
stargazing inhibitors.
Despite these preventive con
ditions, Lacey said the observato
ry is still a valuable learning tool.
“It’s a very useful telescope,”
she said. “Our students very much
enjoy looking through the tele
scope and seeing objects that can
not be seen with the naked eye.”
Public viewing hours are held
on most clear Monday nights from
8:30 to 10:30 p.m. October to April,
and from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. May to
September.
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Patel
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
and sought authorization for a bill
that would increase the student
activity fee.
Tyler Odom, a Liberal Arts
College senator, said he does not
think these actions are warranted.
“I don’t think issuing the sub
poena was the proper course of ac
tion at all,” Odom said. “In re
searching this, I found a resolu
tion that, in my opinion, gave
Patel full authorization to go to
the Board of Trustees.”
Odom says a resolution passed
Feb. 26, 2001, gave former SG
President Corey Ford the right to
approach the Board about the is
sue of raising the student-activi
ty fee. Because Ford didn’t have
time to act on this resolution,
Odom said, that right passed on to
Patel.
“I found it highly ironic that
J.D. said this wasn’t a media ploy,
and then in Friday’s paper he an
nounced that he was running for
president,” Odom said. “I think he
was taking advantage of the situ
ation to get his name in the paper.”
Shipman has repeatedly denied
accusations that the subpoena
was a media ploy.
On Oct. 16, the Student Senate
approved raising the fee. Oct. 17,
the matter was brought before the
Board of Trustees, which also ap
proved the measure.
Shipman said, “If we don’t ex
amine this, then it raises a dan
gerous question of whether or not
one person can just raise the ac
tivity fee.”
ratei said the statements he
made June 27 were part of a rou
tine report to the Board of Trustees.
“If you look at the minutes
from that Board of Trustees meet
ing, what I said was a part of the
executive committee meeting re
port,” Patel said. “I think the min
utes are going to reveal that what
J.D. and Adam are saying is com
pletely incorrect.”
Shipman said Patel told the
Student Senate on Oct. 16 that the
Board of Trustees had already ap
proved the measure to increase
the student-activity fee.
“We are concerned about the
fact that Mr. Patel lied when ques
tioned about whether he had ap
proached the Board of Trustees pri
or to the meeting,” Shipman said.
Patel said the entire issue is
more about politics than about his
conduct.
“I stood up before the Senate last
Wednesday and offered myself to
answer any question, and they vot
ed for me to leave. And right after
they forced me to leave, they vot
ed for me to be subpoenaed so I
would return. The whole reason
was so the word ‘subpoena’ would
appear in the paper,” Patel said.
Hark says the reason for the
subpoena wasn’t political in na
ture but that it serves to ensure
that the senators have control of
the questioning.
“When subpoenaed, he has to
directly answer our questions. By
allowing him to deal with it in his
report, he can selectively tell us
whatever he wants to. It’s not that
we do not want to hear him; we
just want to hear him on our
terms,” Hark said.
“I think we really ought to
know what went on,” said Amy
Buchanan-Feinberg, an SG sena
tor from the College of Science
and Mathematics. “I don’t know
that we did it in the right way, but
I do think the subpoena was well
thought out, and we need to know
if there was a possible violation of
the student body codes.”
Both Patel and Hark expressed
a desire to see these matters con
cluded so SG can return to busi
ness as usual.
“Everybody thinks that
Student Government is an isolat
ed and worthless organization,”
Patel said. “I ran to change that,
but I can’t do that for the Senate.
At every hearing, we have many
issues that students want answers
to. You can’t address those issues
when the only thing you’re wor
ried about is getting your name in
the paper.”
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PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAYNES/THE GAMECOCK
The Melton Observatory on Greene Street serves as a
laboratory for students and Is also open for public viewing.
Iraq
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“I don’t think weapons in
spections will turn up anything
conclusive. I don’t think we’ll
find any weapons, but I didn’t
say that they’re not there,” he
said.
Dickson thinks the anti-war
movement on campus is at a
minimum.
“Student support against the
war is kind of minimal at USC.
People who tend to lead these
protests are kind of radical, and
that tends to scare people off,”
he said.
But last night’s anti-war
protest in front of the Thomas
Cooper Library before and after
Bush’s State of the Union ad
dress is promised to be one of
many at USC this year.
Oppermann was a leader in the
demonstration.
Food Not Bombs is one group
taking action and voicing opin
ions. First-year history student
Matt Smith and fourth-year
English student Mariann
Grantham are members of the
group.
•
“I think that Bush has gotten
himself into this thing where if
he doesn’t attack he’ll look
stupid. He’s worked himself into
that little hole,” Smith said.
Grantham said that war
couldn’t be founded on “empty
weapons casings, the first
they’ve found in months.”
The months ahead will only
continue to raise controversy
and concern, internationally
and on campus, as the political
plot thickens.
. According to Oppermann:
“It’s being handled too simply
by saying ‘let’s just kill the bas
tards.’ We’re ignoring the will of
most of our allies, using war like
rhetoric.”
Students who disagree think
action that will cost lives now
will save more in the long run.
“I think the president is try
ing to be pro-active. A pre-emp
tive military strike will prevent
possible civilian casualties in
the future,” first-year chemical
engineering student Richard
Crapps said.
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