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Rally CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 power. “I not only1 support our troops, but I support their Commander in Chief George W. Bush,” said Sen. John Hawkins, R Spartanburg. Hawkins, an Army National Guard captain, said many of the soldiers risking their lives are young men and women in their late teens and early 20s fighting for the freedoms we have today. “These young people have giv en their all for you and their coun try,” he said. The event featured a reading of the names of the men and wom en who have given their lives in the war, followed by the playing of “Taps” and a moment of si lence. “We can never realize the sac rifice” these troops have made for their country, Knotts said. “They did it, not for themselves, but for you, me, the people of America and around the world,” he said. Other featured speakers in cluded Sen. John Courson, R Richland, and Army Capt. Ron Thomas, a USC Law School stu dent. Thomas said there are three things citizens can do to show the troops they are thinking about them. , . He said people should write the soldiers letters, “adopt afam ily” who has loved ones in the Middle East, and “when our sol diers get home, welcome them home.” Rally attendees could sign a banner to be sent to Shaw Airforce Base to show appreciation for the troops stationed there. Colleen Dixon, a first-year law student, said she came because her dad, who is in the National Guard, has just been called to ac tive duty. “I know it’s important to our troops that they know we support them,” she said. Jill Gaspi, a USC graduate, said she has a cousin in Kuwait and two friends who are in war train ing. “I came so that they know we support them, and I think it’s im portant that we come together dur ing times like these,” she said. Jon Miller, a first-year business student, said he has one message for the troops in Iraq: “Good luck. We’re supporting you.” Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Michelle Paulus, front, a first-year sociology student, and Lizzie Sheehan, an undecided first-year student, Join Cocky in showing support for U.S. troops abroad at the pro-troops rally on Davis Field yesterday. About 100 students and Columbia residents attended. PHOTO BY DAVID STAGG/THE GAMECOCK Housing CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 housing had increased, but tha no fewer were going to be living on campus next year. “It's not as simple as putting freshmen in the hotels and putting the upper-class students in the other spaces — it’s more complicated than that,” Coley said. “We’re just short on spaces for seniors, and we’re short on spaces for juniors.” “If you’re a senior and you want to live in South Quad,” but didn’t get in for fall 2003, “it’s not because there’s a freshman in South Quad,” Coley said. Coley said he thinks the hous ing problems students face are caused by large freshmen classes now becoming upperclassmen and wanting to live on campus. “The key is that we’ve been crowded for two years — we’ve had large freshmen classes the past two years,” Coley said. “I think it’s that cumulative effect that’s just built up so that our entire housing system is just in a shortage.” Although USC has tried to duplicate the residence hall ex perience in the hotels they have used for the past two years, re assigning students to new resi dence halls in December in hibits that experience. “No matter how great a job we do in the fall, we know that that community is going to be broken up, and the friends you make freshman year are important,” Coley said. “We try to duplicate he residence hall experience, >ut when you live in a tradition 1 residence hall, you don’t pick p and move in December.” Katherine Miller, a first-year iblic relations student, lived i Holiday Inn last fall and was Assigned to South Quad for t: spring semester. ‘I didn’t mind hotel housing; ibas being moved out of it af tethe first semester that I mtded,” Miller said. “After swelling out second semester, likl honestly felt like I was be infipped away from all my fritds.” ‘actually think it would be betv if they stuck the upper clasnen in the hotels because I missi out on all the fun things,” like jver having resident ad viseiaround, Miller said. “We had hically free reign,” which Millesaid did not necessarily help vth her transition. By laranteeing freshmen on campchousing, both Coley and Luna s.d that housing hopes to promoia more structured com munity^r first-year students. “Geirally, first-year stu dents a: just more successful when t.?y live on campus,” Coley Scl. “I think it’s a little bit of a ise of who needs the structurnore.” Luna eiphasized that the de cision Wcmade for the benefit of the firsyear students. “It’s np-eally a financial de cision,” Lia said. “The hotels are a conurable experience, but we jushink, as an institu tion, of onl joing that in emer gency situsons.” Comments orhis story?E-mail gamecockucKz@hotmail.com I---—— & l5£®im& Wf&te §J trek SPBMJM AfUiSlV _METAL WOEES 'fh-z BPa/rds y ou WuM* Th z Sgp/lo*; / you &%mTm ^J ^I ■ IK---— [ -hmCi fyx ■ l_jy I J tiioo ^Vcmiel J Vtinbn JZMt — fotffan VJUlQtf — The Leadership team assists with the coordination, implementation and execution of programs and services originating out of the office of Multicultural Student Affairs.