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University of South Carolina FRIDAY APRII 9R 9009 Vol.96.No.84 www.dailygamecock.com rr\IL/MI, nilvIL Z.VJVJO Since 1908 USC plans 4-year education degree BY KEITA ALSTON TIIE GAMECOOK The College of Education is of fering new bachelor’s degree pro grams to enhance teacher re cruitment and retention in South Carolina. The programs have not been of ficially approved by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, but Les Sternberg, dean of the College of Education, said he hopes the programs will be approved at a meeting on May 1 or May 2. Three programs will be offered and will focus on early-childhood education, elementary education and middle-level education. Sternberg said that, while most of the teacher-education programs at USC are at the graduate level, the programs are geared toward undergraduates, as well. “These are all undergraduate programs,” Sternberg said. “Students who begin studying these programs will be able to get their initial certification within four years.” The proposed programs were developed by faculty in the College of Education, with input from the state Education Department, teachers and faculty in colleges at other campus. “It was a massive collaborative approach between a whole host of people that put these programs to gether,” he said. Now, students are required to complete a bachelor’s degree in another major, such as liberal arts or science and mathematics. Then, during their fifth year, they get a master of arts in teaching that provides them with neces sary education ceursework and student internships to get their initial teacher certification. “Now, students will not have to get a master’s degree in order to get their initial certification,” Sternberg said. “They will only have to get a bachelor’s degree.” The program will be used to re cruit more teachers in South ♦ EDUCATION, SEE PAGE 2 Carolina Center ranked for sales Magazine lists venue among highest sellers in industry BY WENDY JEFFCOAT THE GAMECOCK Pollstar magazine has ranked the Carolina Center the 16th highest-selling venue in the en tertainment industry for the first quarter of 2003 in its April 21 is sue. According to Pollstar, the cen ter, which opened in late November, sold 53,308 tickets to events between Jan. 1 and March 31. “I think the one thing it does is, being a new building, it tells everybody in the industry we’re a busy building and we’ve been selling tickets,” said Tom Paquette, general manager of the Carolina Center. “If you sell tick ets, events will come.” ♦ POLLSTAR, SEE PAGE 2 Workin’ the mic for MTV PHOTO BY CANDI HAUGLUM/THE GAMECOCK MTV’s Campus Invasion’s “Two Turntables and a Microphone," held Wednesday, drew large crowds eager to watch students face off With their lyrical skills. Ben Fagan, a first-year business student, won the competition several times. * Students struggle for job experience Don't panic over internships, say professors as students explore options BY ADAM BEAM THE GAMECOCK Fourth-year computer-engi neering student Tarun Aggarwal has spent the last two years of his college career unsuccessfully look ing for an internship — but USC professors say there is no need to panic. Aggarwal’s frustrations mirror those of many USC students who, during these turbulent economic times, have contemplated graduate school to escape the shrinking job market. “I’m graduating with honors, and I still haven’t had any experi ence,” Aggarwal said. “It’s hard for me to get a job, even with a high GPA.” But students shouldn’t bank their career hopes only on intern ships, said Ralph White, dean of the College of Engineering and Information Studies. “Internships help, but they don’t exclude,” he said. “Often times, em ployers will hire students that they perceive to be potential outstand ing employees, whether they have had any internships or not.” While students are busy earning their degrees during the fall and spring semesters, the summer lets them fine-tune those skills learned ♦ INTERNSHIPS, SEE PAGE 2 USC hands out official university rings BY MICHAEL LAFORGIA THE GAMECOCK USC handed out rings to up perclassmen this week, contin uing a tradition that’s not as old as you might think. Cami Best, member pro grams coordinator for the Carolina. “It’s just something the uni versity does because it just feels the ring is that important of a tradition,” Best said. The ring, a gold signet, fea tures the USC school seal and motto by Ovid, “Emollit Mores Nec Sinit Esse Feros” / 4 4 T nnnninn Alumni Association, said about 160 students attended the ring ceremo ny last May, but only about half that number oil Aiirnfl im “It’s just something the university does because it just feels the ring is that important of a tradition.” CAMI BEST MEMBER PROGRAMS COORDINATOR FOR THE CAROLINA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION \ ..o humanizes character and does not per mit it to be cruel”). Beneath the motto is an image of Minerva, Roman god fl/ice /if uric. “““w " ““ **r Tuesday. Even so, ring orders have averaged about 1,200 dur ing the past few years. Best said the ring ceremony is a respected custom at dom, and the American icon, Liberty. Kim Dickerson of the Carolina Alumni Association Programs and Events Team PHOTO BY KATIE SMITH/THE GAMECOCK Fourth-year finance student Katie Koerner models her class ring. USC recently switched to one official ring design. said the university has always issued class rings, but has only recently switched to one official USC ring. several varieties of class rings, but university officials chose to establish one official ring in Best said there used to be ♦RING, SEE PAGE 2 U.S. forces capture visible Iraqi leader Tariq Aziz BY ROBERT BURNS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — U.S. forces in Iraq have taken custody of Tariq Aziz, the former deputy prime minister and the most visible Iraqi leader other than Saddam Hussein. Officials at the Pentagon and at Central Command headquar ters in Qatar said Thursday they did not know whether Aziz was captured or whether he turned himself in. On the U.S. list of the 55 most wanted members of the former government, Aziz was No. 43, the eight of spades in the military’s card deck of top Iraqi leaders. His prominence in the regime could make Aziz a source for the best information yet on the fate of Saddam and his two sons, as well as the location of any hidden weapons of mass destruction. “We can confirm Tariq Aziz is now under coalition control,” said Central Command spokeswoman Capt. Dani Burrows. Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla„ for mer chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Thursday night the arrest of an other top Iraq official, in Syria, would be announced shortly. Graham, at a session of the Council on Foreign Relations, de clined to identify the Iraqi, say ing only that he held one of the most sensitive positions in the Iraqi government and was ar rested in the past 24 hours. Aziz was often the public face of Iraq when responding to accu sations by the United States and United Nations. In other developments Thursday: — President Bush raised the possibility that any Iraqi weapons of mass destruction were destroyed before or during the U.S.-led war, suggesting for the first time that coalition troops may come up empty in their search. — In an interview with The Associated Press, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said that the United States will not allow an Iran-style religious ♦ AZIZ, SEE PAGE 2 Index Comics and Crossword6 Classifieds 9 HoroscopesJ> Letters to the Editor 3 Online Poll_ 3 Police Report 2 Weather TODAY TOMORROW -r -r High 75 High 67 Low 55 Low 61 ' ' ‘ ■ ' it In This Issue ♦ ONLINE State, nation and worid briefs. www.dallygamecock.com ♦ VIEWPOINTS Rob Seal shows off his four-year education. Page 3 ♦ THE MIX For $5,000, you can get doughnuts and join Silvio Kohs’ fraternity. Page 4 ♦ SPORTS The Gamecock baseball team routs Davidson 13-4 on Wednesday. Page 7