The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 14, 2003, Image 1
gsgsag**_FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14,2003_ * Since 1908
. USC breaks ground for new inn
Sorensen celebrates public-private
partnerships during ceremony
BY MICHAEL LAFORGIA
THE GAMECOCK
In a cooperative effort between
public and private entities, USC
and IMIC Hotels broke ground on
a 75,000-square-foot, 117-room ho
tel Wednesday on Pendleton
Street across from the National
Advocacy Center.
Plans for the inn were recently
allowed to move forward after uni
versity officials negotiated a deal
on Oct. 7 with local hoteliers, who
feared the new hotel might hurt
^ their businesses and were pre
• pared to file a lawsuit against USC.
The terms of that compromise
include a gradually phased-in oc
cupancy rate for the new hotel, a
seven-year moratorium on new
university hotel development
and the inclusion of links to area
hotel Web sites on the USC Web
site.
In addition, the Black House on
Pendleton Street, a historic build
ing some complained might be
harmed by construction, will be
incorporated into the university’s
hotel, while the Kirkland
Apartment building will be refur
bished to provide housing for
National Advocacy Center staff
members on long-term assign
ments in Columbia.
The Inn at USC marks the third
conspicuous instance of a part
nership between the university
and a private business in 2003. In
late September, the university
teamed up with Gateway
Academy to open a new child de
velopment center on Wheat Street,
and in October, USC entered into a
12-year, $5.5 million naming-rights
sponsorship agreement with
Colonial Life to rename the
Carolina Center.
USC President Andrew
Sorensen said when he first took
office in July 2002 that the univer
sity’s budget was cut nearly 20 per
cent by state legislators.
Sorensen said the Inn at USC is
a sign of things to come.
“This is a wonderful example
of what can happen when the pub
lic entities and the private entities
come together,” he said.
He said public-private partner
ships are one partial solution to
the problems caused by budget
cuts.
Equally enthusiastic about the
inn’s implications was Susie
VanHuss, director of USC
Foundations, an organization that
played a major role in securing
private funding for the project.
“Today is a truly exciting day
for all of us,” VanHuss said at the
ground-breaking ceremony. “It’s
a day that we share the tremen
dous benefits of a synergy created
by a group of committed people.”
VanHuss commended Bert
Pooser, president and CEO of
IMIC Hotels.
“Now the work has really be
gun,” Pooser said. “I can tell you
this project is going to move along
♦ INN, SEE PAGE 2
GRAPHIC SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
This image shows what the USC Inn will look like when it Is
completed in January, 2005.
USC readership program
big success, survey shows
BY Z’ANNE COVELL
.THE GAMECOCK
Student Government has al
ways said students love the news
paper readership program—now,
that statement is official.
In a survey conducted by USA
Today before and after the pro
gram’s four-week free trial, 75 per
cent of the 3,870 students surveyed
said they would pick up a paper
three or more days a week. Ninety
one percent said they believe read
ing newspapers is extremely
important. - ---
The survey backs up an SG de
cision to sign a $45,000, two-year
contract with USA Today to con
tinue the USA Today Collegiate
Readership Program for two
years.
SG President Katie Dreiling
said SG decided to extend the pro
gram without financial support
from the administration or other
sponsors because it is committed
to the program.
“I personally thought it was a
great program, and we’ve seen
that the students really like it.
We’ll do everything to keep it
here,” Dreiling said.
Dreiling also said the two-year
period will give SG the opportuni
ty to think about other funding
options for the program in the
future.
SG has enough money to sup
port theprogram at 1,000 papers a
day for two years. Then, if neces
sary, SG could continue to solely
sifpport the program by downsiz
ing to 500 papers a day. But
Dreiling said SG hopes the down
sizing will be unnecessary.
“There are several options such
as an activity-fee increase, or the
different colleges could help to
fund the program,” Dreiling said.
The surveys also showed stu
dents picked up USA Today most
frequently, and there was little dif
ference between The New York
Times and The State. With these
findings in mind, the new contract
calls for a larger number of USA
Today papers. The number of The
New York Times will also in
crease, while The State’s distribu
tion will decrease because stu
dents reported they already had
access to it.
The Russell House, the
Coliseum and the Business .
Administration building will be
the permanent stand locations in
order to reach the main areas of
campus. The stands have USA
Today, The New York Times and
♦ READERSHIP, SEE PAGE 2
WUSC to lift Top 40 ban during
'Moolah for Music’ fund-raiser
BY ALEXIS STRATTON
THE GAMECOCK
Playing Top 40 songs by request
all weekend, WUSC will start its
annual “Moolah for Music” fund
raiser today at noon, and the fund
raising events and promotions
will continue through midnight
Sunday.
Money from the fund-raiser is
used to support the radio station’s
annual budget. The event begins
today in front of the Russell House
with a kickoff that runs from 11
a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes Papa
John’s pizza, live music from for
mer Courage Riley singer David
Adedokun and giveaways from
WUSC.
WUSC also will hold a party
tonight at the New Brookland
Tavern to help publicize “Moolah
for Music” and raise money. The
party will start at 7 p.m. and fea
ture three bands — Curse Go
PHOTO BY MORGAN FORD/THE GAMECOCK
Pat McQuinn, left, a second-year civil engineering student, and
Alex Grinton, a second-year advertising student work as DJs at
USC’s campus radio station, WUSC.
Back, Beat Junction Project and
From Safety to Where — which
will begin playing at 9 p.m.
The goal of the fundraiser is
♦ WUSC, SEE PAGE 2
USC library offers free Lewis and Clark exhibit
BY IRA KLEIN
THE GAMECOCK
An exhibit commemorating
the 200-year anniversary of Lewis
and Clark’s western expedition is
being presented through the
Thomas Cooper Library’s Rare
Books and Special Collections
Department.
“Discovering the American
West: The Lewis and Clark
Expedition” opened two weeks
ago and can be found in the
Mezzanine of the Thomas Cooper
Library until mid-January.
On display at the exhibit are
several of the original reports
Lewis and Clark wrote about
their findings in the West as well
as a number of maps they drew
and used on their expedition. The
exhibit includes a message to
Congress from President Thomas
Jefferson announcing the expe
dition’s success and features sev
eral sketches, including drawings
of 19th-century Native Americans
and their villages by some of
Lewis and Clark’s companions
and original sketches of new
plant and animal species that
were encountered.
Commissioned by Jefferson,
the exploratory expedition was
dispatched westward to find an
all-water route across the North
American continent by making
use of the Missouri and Columbia
river complexes, said Brian
Beltman, a USC adjunct professor
who teaches a course on
America’s westward expansion.
Lewis and Clark were also sup
posed to learn all they could
about the West’s land, topogra
phy, plants and Native American
tribes, facilitate the advancement
of the fur trade and explore the
massive piece of land that
Jefferson had bought through the
Louisiana Purchase.
According to Patrick Scott, di
rector of special collections at the
library and head of the exhibit’s
compilation, the Lewis and Clark
exhibit is particularly interesting
because the first students came to
USC while Lewis and Clark were
still exploring.’Now, 200 years lat
er, the exhibit highlights the im
pact of the expedition on
America.
Much of the material came to
USC brand-new in the early 19th
century, immediately following
♦ EXHIBIT, SEE PAGE 2
' PHOTO BY MARK SCHILLING/THE GAMECOCK
Cocky, shown here at a USC home football game, has fallen to third place In voting for the
Capital One Mascot of the Year. Cocky trails Auburn’s ‘Auble’ and Ohio State's ‘Brutus.’
Cocky knocked to 3rd
in mascot award voting
% BY NICOLE JOHNSON
THE GAMECOCK
USC’s beloved mascot has fall
en to third place in voting for the
Capital One Bowl Mascot of the
Year, according to the 2003 mas
cot-challenge online poll.
After a long reign at number
two, behind Ohio State’s Brutus
Buckeye, Cocky has fallen to
third, trailing Brutus and
Auburn’s Aubie the Tiger.
Student Government Vice
President Zachery Scott said
Wednesday SG had just received
word of the news at the office.
“It’s very disappointing, espe-'
cially since we heard Clemson
students are voting against
Cocky by voting for Brutus,” he
said. “Now we need to find a dif
ferent strategy to motivate our
students — as well as other stu
dents around the country who
don’t like Brutus — to vote.”
SG plans to contact other uni
versities that are rivals of Brutus
to see if they will advertise to vote
for Cocky, according to SG presi
dent Katie Dreiling.
“We are also going to contact
local media to see what they can
do to advertise,” Dreiling said.
Advertisements to get people
to vote are everywhere.
“I’ve been announcing it on
♦ COCKY, SEE PAGE 2
Index
Comics and Crossword 6
Classifieds 8
Horoscopes_ 6
Letters to the Editor 4
A Online Poll _ 4
™ Police Report 3
Weather
TODAY
SATURDAY
High 65
Low 41
In Tins Issue
♦ NEWS Look for state, nation,
and world briefs online.
www.dailygamecock.com
♦ VIEWPOINTS Steven Van
Haren tells how students vie for
who’s the most tired. Page 4
♦ THE MIX Trilogies prove the
first, second and third times
can charm. Page 5
♦ SPORTS The USC football
team is hoping to defeat
Florida for the first time since
1939. Page 7