University of South Carolina Libraries
Elevators CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 an article on Sunday that read that the state has 8,642 elevators and the like for public use, or, as The State pointed out, a 27 percent in crease in the last six years. At USC, Otis elevators are rampant. According to Steve Dempsey, the regional manager of Southern Elevator Company Inc. — a com pany that services most of USC’s elevators — 60 out of 157 total ele vators at USC are Otis. Coming in second and third place are Dover and Westinghouse elevators, re spectively. | “Traditionally, Otis equipment is the most durable," Dempsey said. But he quickly added that about 20 percent of Otis’ elevators are usually low-market products and fail regularly. Capstone House is one of the tallest buildings on campus, and three Otis elevators service its res idents. But it appears that these el evators might be some of the low er-market Otis products. “If someone gets off on the 14th floor, the elevator automatically starts going back down," said Rachel Nolley, an undeclared sec ond-year student and resident on the 15th floor. “They kind of decide when they are going to work." Three Otis elevators also ser vice Bates House. “They’re really slow when you wait on any floor other than the ground floor," said Garrison Neely, a first-year computer in formation systems student and Bates House resident. In Bates West, there are three unmarked elevators that, accord ing to fourth-year economics stu dent Ashlyn Broderick, require a special trick. “If you’re on the ground floor, you have to stand in the far comer and jump up and down for the doors to close," Broderick said about the elevator on the far left. But it wasn’t flawless elevator operation that Elisha Graves Otis invented — it was a safety feature that made plunging elevators un likely. Dempsey said he couldn’t recall an incident of an elevator ever falling out of control. “Falling is typically a mis nomer," Dempsey said. “If any thing, it would fall upward if it was overloaded." Despite the occasional elevator that appears to need servicing, the elevator industry and Otis contin ue to move upward as new build ings are erected. Even now, as the new West Quad building project nears com pletion, Housing Director Gene Luna said plans to install Otis ele vators have already been made. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews(a)gwm.sc.edu Lou and Beth Holtz to take part in endowment benefit at library BY JULIE LEDBETTER THE (iAMECOCK The Thomas Cooper Library ■ will hold an “Evening with Lou ' and Beth Holtz” on Friday, Jan. 23 to benefit the Lou and Beth Holtz Library Endowment for Undergraduate Resources. Cocktail hour for the black-tie event will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Graniteville Room on the second floor of the library, followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. University Catering will serve dinner to about 60 people, followed by speeches from Lou Holtz and John Jakes, author of the acclaimed se ries of historical novels, “North and South." Jakes will be introducing Holtz, who will speak about his and his wife’s endowment for the library as well as about the upcoming football season. Tickets for the event, which is I being sponsored by Wachovia, R.C. McEntire & Co., Metropolitan Laboratories Inc. and Russell House Bookstores/Barnes and Noble, run $250 a person. Proceeds from the event will go toward the Lou and Beth Holtz Library Endowment for Undergraduate Resources, which was established in 2001 with a gift from the Holtzes. The endowment funds the purchase of books, jour nals and audiovisual material, as well as enhancing collections and providing access to Web-based re sources used by undergraduate students. “The endowment is for under graduate resources, so we try to specifically purchase things that would be of significance to under graduates," said Tom McNally, di rector of the Thomas Cooper Library. So far the endowment has raised around $100,000 for un dergraduate resources, and last year the library purchased a sub scription to Project Muse, a database resource that allows students to access full text jour nals published by John Hopkins University Press and other uni versity presses. The database provides students access to over 200 texts in the arts and humani ties, social sciences and mathe matics. “The reason we picked that par ticular one as we do in most cases is that these are resources that have a full text which we know that the undergraduates really want," McNally said. This year the library purchased an electronic database called Readers’ Guide Retrospective, which allows students to access full text articles from over 300 gen eral interest journals from 1890 to 1982. McNally said the endowment has been of great significance to the library. “We’re very grateful to the coach and Mrs. Holtz for tak ing the initiative to support the li brary in this fashion, but this is exactly the kind of endowment that is so important to the library," he said. Comments on this story?E-mail gamemcknews@gwm.sc.edu LEGOs CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Many teams spent at least two afternoons a week during the school year working on their machines and giving them test runs. “In the last few weeks, the teams were frantically trying to get everything to come together," Weidner said. As for a future career in engi neering, Payne said the experi ence with LEGO robotics doesn’t necessarily make her want to make a living out of it. “I’m actually leaning toward either acting or law," she said. By day’s end, students were awarded with trophies and medals for everything from over all achievement to team spirit. The trophies were made out of LEGOs. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm. sc. edu Bush CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ly divided over the nation’s direc tion. Americans are evenly split on his handling of domestic issues such as education, health care and energy, and just over half approve of his handling of the economy, polls suggest. His strong suit re mains foreign policy, especially his handling of terrorism. Bush said his administration was confronting nations that har bor and support terrorists and can supply them with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. He said the United States has captured or killed two-thirds of the leadership of the al-Qaida net work — although Osama bin Laden remains at large. He called on Congress to renew key por tions of the Patriot Act that the administration says has given law enforcement officials the tools they need to combat terror ists. The president defended his decisions to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. “We are dealing with these thugs in Iraq just as surely as we dealt with Saddam Hussein’s evil regime,” Bush said. Bush acknowledged that some Americans opposed his decision to go to war in Iraq. But he said. “Had we failed to act, the dictator’s weapons of mass destruction pro grams would continue to this day." With more than 500 American troops killed in Iraq, Bush said, “The work of building a new Iraq is hard, and it is right. And America has always been willing to do what it takes for what is right." On the domestic front, Bush said America’s economy was be ing transformed by technology that makes workers more produc tive but requires new skills. He called for new job-training grants totaling $250 million channeled through community colleges. Join Air Force ROTC at the University of South Carolina GREAT careers GREAT benefits Pilot Travel N u rse Full Medical ft Dental Care Enainppr Build ft Management Skills i Starting Salary ft Allowances: $35,000 L , Yer 30 Days Vacation with Pay Navigator Tuition Assistance for Graduate Degrees More Job Security ... and you may be eligible i for one of our scholarships! For more information, call 777-3450 or visit the Air Force ROTC web site www.afrotc.com Students and Advisors Join Us! For the 18th Annual Student Leadership Training Conference USC Russell House Saturday, February 7th, 2004 8:30am - 4:00pm USC Students $25 Non-USC $35 ■ Over Itoenty Educational Workshops offered ■ Workshops for all Leadership levels and Interests ■ The opportunity for leaders to Interact with and learn from each other and experienced Student Affairs professionals ■ A good time and new friendsl _Leadership Programs • Russell House #235 * (803) 777-7130_ to- *** Z • , FREE ROUND-TRIP PLANE TICKET TO I NVliHEFi IN THE U.S. (Offer Ends, MARCH 31, 2004) WHY YOU SHOULD LAND AT UNIVERSITY COMMONS Washer/Dryers in each unit Individual Leases Fully Equipped Kitchen Fully Furnished 2 & 4 Bedrooms Apartments Swimming Pool & Hot Tub Lighted Tennis Courts Clubhouse with recreation & weight rooms One Mile from USC Many more Amenities! 800 Alexander Rd. ■ 939-0444 Office HoursiMon-Fri: 9-6iSat: 10-4iSun: closed www.Universitycommons.com fir