Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Sharpton CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 too many donkeys that are run ning around here that are ele phants with donkey clothes on.” Sharpton also said that under current leadership, the Democrats have lost their soul. “Clearly, those that have sat andi allowed us to get here shouldn’t brag about their medi ocrity.” After addressing the war, Sharpton turned to such issues as unemployment and the current deficit. He said he wanted to crack down on exploitation of blue-col lar workers. “There needs to be federal laws to protect workers’ rights,” Sharpton said. Sharpton said he would invest in job creation if elected presi dent. Sharpton also said he was op posed to the death penalty be cause, he said, it has not proven to be a deterrent to crime. Sharpton then addressed some people’s doubts about his winning the Democratic primary. “There are nine people run ning. Eight of them are going to lose,” he said. “Don’t act like there’ll be eight winners and Sharpton/’ Sharpton said he believed he could win by the numbers that support him. “I also believe we can’t lose because we’re right,” he said, and cited his heading a na tional institution, the National Action Network, as something that qualifies him above other state leaders. Sharpton also answered ques tions on issues such as minimum wage and big business, trade agreements, the legalization of marijuana, foreign policy, his uniqueness from other candi dates, immigration policy, his ministerial credentials and the Confederate flag. Aaron Polkey, vice president of USC Law School Democrats, ar ranged Sharpton’s appearance, and said his organization is try ing to arrange for each Democratic primary candidate to speak at the Law School. Second-year law student Van Anderson said he enjoyed hear ing Sharpton speak. “I have respect for him, and I think he’s a product and sign of the democratic process here.” Third-year law student Terri Vincent said she admired Sharpton’s firm stance on is sues. “It’s just refreshing to hear an swers to questions and strong opinions on issues,” she said. “There are too many wishy washy candidates.” Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Palmetto CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Alpha Delta Pi, says the organi zation is running on two plat forms: budget redistribution and Student Senate reform. “With the budget, we want to continue fiscal responsibility,” Cubbage said. “Our goal is to have a $20,000 plus surplus in Student Government that can be given to the student organiza tions.” According to SG President Ankit Patel, this budget surplus would originate from a combina 4-v.~ ;*-> creased student activity fee and a decrease in SG spending. “We’ve cut out some things like the Homecoming parade,” Patel said. “From my perspective, there is going to be a large amount of rev enue coming in next year from the student ac tivity fee in crease.” The second part of the palmetto party piattorm, senate reform, would, entail some changes in the structure of the Student Senate. “Our second proposal is to have each senator serve on two Senate committees and not just one, and we want to make sure that we hold our senators ac countable,” Cubbage said. “By having the senators serve on two committees, this would enable us to make sure that our Senate is continuously working hard to better serve the stu dents,” she said. In addition to having student senators serve on an additional committee, the Palmetto Party would like to see some changes in the overall committee structure, Patel said. “They want to have new com mittees,” Patel said. “In my opin ion, the current committees don’t really reflect what the students need. The Powers and Responsibilities Committee, for example, isn’t really relevant to what students need. The Palmetto Party wants to create a housing committee, a parking and safety committee, and an en vironmental committee, among others.” The Palmetto Party is current ly endorsing Tyler Odom for SG president and Patrick Norton for vice-president. “We’re campaigning for them,” Cubbage said. “Basically they have campaign staff, and then we have the Palmetto Party staff, and ♦ Via iMAViAr combines to gether.” Both Cubbage and Patel ex pressed hope that the for mation of a party inside SG would spark the creation of other par ties. “I’m hope ful that some other stu dents will start their own parties to spur more aeDate aDout me is sues on our campus,” Patel said. The Palmetto Party is made up of a diverse group of students, ac cording to Patel. "There are people from all dif ferent political affiliations in volved in this,” Patel said. “They want to make sure the party remains diverse, and I think they are doing a good job of that. International students and people frpm all different religions and cultures are involved,” he said. “I guess we’re bipartisan,” Cubbage said. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com “There are people from all different political affiliations involved in this. They want to make sure the party remains diverse, and I think they are doing a good job of that. International students and people from ail different religions and cultures are involved.” ANKIT PATEL STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT BRIEFLY Sites say what to do if S.C. attacked USC’s Division of Law Enforcement and Safety is urg ing students, faculty and staff of the university to visit its Web site and President Andrew Sorensen’s Web site to familiarize themselves with important information that might help them if a terrorist attack were to happen. “Of course, we don’t want to unduly alarm the USC commu nity,” Ernie Ellis, director of Law Enforcement and Safety at USC, said in a news release. ‘•‘But we know from past expe rience that knowledge and a plan for responding to emer gencies are critical in dealing with a crisis, especially one that threatens our safety and well-being.” The law enforcement web site is www.les.sc.edu, and the emergency preparedness web site is www.sc.edu/emergency. There are links on both sites to information concerning what to do in the event of a chemical or biological attack, how to spot suspicious packages and how evacuation procedures will be conducted. Registration begins for walking event Registration for the Walking for Wellness Initiative, which will take place during April, be gins today and lasts through Friday. The event is sponsored by the Multi-Cultural Health Council and under the guid ance of USC’s Health and Wellness Office. According to the news re lease, the overall purpose of the program is “to increase physi cal activity and nutritional knowledge in women.” ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ uovs junior cnusen for Goldwater award Andy Frassetto, a junior geo physics student at USC, has been selected as a 2003 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar. Frassetto, a South Carolina Honors College student, has done research in USC’s Department of Geological Sciences with Alicia Wilson and Tom Owens. During the sum mer of 2002, he participated in a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates. Frassetto is a member of First Mentors USC Volunteers and the Geology Club. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in geo physics, and hopes to teach and do research at a major univer sity. Jae Jun Kim, a sophomore physics and mathematics stu dent, received an honorable mention in the competition. The Goldwater Scholarship is awarded nationally to sopho mores or juniors pursuing bachelor’s degrees in the natu ral sciences, mathematics and engineering with an intention of pursuing a career in re search or college-level teach ing. Only four students from each college or university can be nominated, and students must be nominated by a uni versity faculty committee to ap ply. Students interested in ap plying for the award should at tend the Goldwater Scholarship workshop April 7 at 4 p.m. in the Gressette Room. STATE USC, black colleges join to study health COLUMBIA (AP) - Higher ed uction officials hope a new part nership to study health could represent a watershed moment in relations between the University of South Carolina and the state’s historically black colleges. Leaders from South Carolina State, Allen and Claflin univer sities and Benedict, Morris and Voorhees colleges announced last week they would partner with USC in the $2.75 million W.K. Kellogg Foundation health disparities project. “With this, we’re involved on the front end and not the back end,” said Leroy Davis, former president of South Carolina State University and now head of Voorhees College’s Center for Excellence In Rural and Minority Health. “We’re very excited about it and we see our participation at the very maximum level.” The project, designed to get more minorities in public health careers, was viewed by some as the latest in a long line of empty promises from USC to include the black colleges as partners. Catawba tribe owes $1 million in fees YORK (AP) - A Circuit Court judge has ordered the Catawba Indian Nation to pay the Rock Hill School District for back fees. The school district sued the tribe in June 1999, claiming it owes about $1,400 per year for each student who lives on the tribe’s York County reservation. The district says a 1993 agree ment with the state requires the Catawba to pay out-of-district fees. Families who live on the reservation are exempt from res idential property taxes, a major source of funding for public ed ucation. When the lawsuit was first filed, it meant to recover at least $280,490 in fees. The Catawbas agreed to pay the money to com pensate for revenue lost due to the tax-exempt status of the tribe’s land and portions of prop erty on the reservation, accord ing to the suit. That amount has increased to almost $1 million, said school district attorney Don Harper. Judge Lee Alford signed the 17 page order last week, ruling that the Catawbas owe the district fees for educating their children. Budget cuts might hurt state’s defense CHARLESTON (AP) - Some fear the state’s first line of de fense could be weakened be cause of budget cuts to South Carolina’s National Guard. A loss of nearly $6 million be cause of the state budget crisis has resulted in the South Carolina Military Department losing up to $12 million in feder al matching money during the last three years. During that time, the Guard has closed 10 of the state’s 76 ar mories. Officials with the state’s military say closing the armories, which serve as train ing facilities and staging areas during hurricanes and other disasters, likely has cost the Guard some troops and new re cruits. The Guard’s remaining facili ties are suffering from $16 million in deferred maintenance that of ficials say they cannot afford. NATION Air Force helicopter crashes, killing six WASHINGTON (AP) - A U.S. Air Force helicopter crashed in Afghanistan Sunday, killing all six people on board, the U.S. mil itary said. The HH-60G Pave Hawk heli copter was on a medical evacu ation mission when it crashed at about 11:20 a.m. EST, about 18 miles north of Ghazni, Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. The helicopter was not shot down, the statement said. The precise cause of the crash is under investigation. U.S. Military officials in Washington and Afghanistan said The medical emergency and the helicopter flight was not in connection with Operation Valiant Strike, a mission in volving members of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division in south eastern Afghanistan. That mission, which began earlier this month, is meant to root out remnants of the al Qaida and Taliban believed to be operating in the area.' The last helicopter crash in Afghanistan was Jan. 30, when an Army Black Hawk helicopter — the Army’s version of the Pave Hawk—on a training mis sion crashed near the Bagram air base, killing four. Owners of N.C. plant sued after explosion KINSTON, N.C. (AP) - Three people have sued the owners of the Kinston plant that exploded in January, alleging the blast ex posed them to dangerous chem icals and damaged their proper ty. The lawsuit is the first stem ming from the explosion that killed six people and destroyed West Pharmaceutical Services’ medical supply plant Jan. 29. Plaintiffs Terry Ellis, Rosalie Whitley and Gloria Young want a Superior Court judge to classi fy the case a class-action lawsuit, which would allow others with similar claims to join as plain tiffs. The three, who did not work at West Pharmaceuticals, live within a mile of the plant. “It was a community harm,” said New Bern attorney Donald ■ J. Dunn, one of seven attorneys handling the complaint. The other lawyers are from Louisiana. The lawsuit alleges West Pharmaceuticals, based in Lionville, Pa., failed to keep its plant safe and didn’t carefully handle dangerous chemicals. Plant manager Thomas Clagon is accused of failing to properly supervise employees. The plaintiffs also say the company should be held liable for damages even if negligence isn’t proven because the nature of its work was so hazardous. Army soldier hangs himself in jail cell FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - An Army Special Forces soldier charged with killing his wife af ter returning from Afghanistan nine months ago hanged himself in a jail cell this weekend, offi cials said. Lt. Glen Mobley of the Cumberland County Sheriff s Department said Master Sgt. William Wright was found dead in his cell about 2 a.m. Sunday. Wright was one of four sol diers at Fort Bragg suspected of killing their spouses in a six week stretch last summer. The deadly spree forced the Army to re-evaluate how it pro vided support for soldiers with strained marriages and those readjusting after combat ser vice. WORLD Fighting in Nigeria forces oil giant out LAGOS, NIGERIA (AP) - Oil giant ChevronTexaco on Sunday evacuated staff and shut down most of its installations in Nigeria amid weeks of fighting between ethnic militants and government forces that has killed scores of people. The development came as the militants’ leaders accused the army of attacking the Niger Delta village of Okpelama, near the company’s main Escravos oil export terminal. Ethnic militants have threat- *• ened to blow up 11 multinational oil installations they claimed to have captured in retaliation for government military raids. In a communique, Jay Pryor, chairman and managing direc tor of ChevronTexaco’s Nigerian subsidiary, said the company was evacuating its remaining workers from the Escravos ter minal and offshore rigs “to pro tect them from harm.” “The safety of people is our ab solute priority,” Prior said. The company earlier evacuated most of its staff at onshore oil sites. Battles between rival Ijaw and Itsekiri militants have drawn a massive armed re sponse. Villagers accuse the | armed forces of indiscriminate ly pouring gunfire into their towns, killing and injuring resi dents and causing others to flee their homes. U.S. military prison releases 18 Afghans KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AP) - Several Afghans who had been held at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay were re leased because they were no longer considered a terrorist threat, officials said Sunday. A Pentagon spokeswoman, Lt. Cmdr. Barbara Burfeind, said 18 prisoners had left the base at Guantanamo on Friday g to be released. About 30 new prisoners were taken to America’s high-security island prison in Cuba on Sunday, bringing to about 660 the number of inmates there, Burfeind said. Afgan presidential spokesman Sayed Fazel Akbar said earlier that U.S. authorities handed over 19 prisoners to Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry on Saturday. There was no im mediate explanation for the dis crepancy in numbers. “According to the Americans who investigated them, they no longer posed a terrorist threat to the international coalition,” - Akbar said. * Akbar gave no other details and it was unclear if the prison ers were still in custody. Interior Ministry officials were not im mediately available for. New barrier would give Israel more land JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is considering two plans to extend a barrier separating Israelis from Palestinians, officials said Sunday. Both would likely claim more land for Israel and muddy progress on a U.S.-backed plan for Palestinian statehood. Israel says the electronic fences and cement blocks that ^ Israelis have been calling a “sep aration fence” are meant to pro tect Israel proper and Jewish set tlements from attacks by Palestinian militants. The barriers do not run strict ly along the border of undisput ed Israeli territory; instead they bite in several areas into the West Bank, which the Palestinians claim as the heart land of a future state, incorpo rating thousands of Jewish set tlers — and Palestinians. Tuesday, March 25«6:30p.m www.joshlamkin.com PRESBYTERIAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION 1702 Greene Street • 799-0212 http://web.sa.sc.edu/psa ^ ~S "S, ] f » — i [jru f- :0 =jYp _ Cr—e» Strxt , |rr]| ipgAii »«■*•» \_/ . .. .a. *»•** o/otn^ __ Summer 200 Financial ^Applicatian0^ available on-line www.sc.edu/fin Application Deadline: April X 2003 at 5:00PM _ Office of Student Financial \ J Aid & Scholarships 1714 College Street ‘S' w * ** t