Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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MLK marchers head to capitol BY LADONNA BEEPER THE GAMECOCK Marchers gathered to chant outside the State House Monday during King Day at the Dome 2004, the South Carolina NAACP’s annual salute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event brought people from all over the state together to address issues concerning equal funding for public schools, removal of the Confederate flag and the need for citizens to vote. The NAACP has been con ducting King Day at the Dome since January 2000. Celebrators of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth day said this day should be spent honoring him by speaking up about issues in today’s society, just as he did about segregation. “King would be against the war and want equity in education," said Natalie Kaufman, political science professor and a member of Women in Black. The main focus of the march was to remove the Confederate flag because “it exhibits a sense of sovereignty... when it has no sovereignty," saidH.H. Singleton, a member of the National Boafd of Directors of the NAACP. Democratic presidential candi dates A1 Sharpton and Wesley Clark attended the march and said the flag should be taken down and put into a museum where it can still fyave its histori cal value. The majority of partic ipants in the march seemed to agree that only one flag should be flown near the State House — the American flag. “We serve for the American flag because it is what we brought this country togeth er under, and I gave blood for," Clark said. Many of the protesters believe inner-city schools do not receive the same funding as suburban schools. Funding has decreased by about $300 per child, and schools that do well are getting more money. “The school board and city council members need to sit in classrooms to understand that the schools need more mon ey to provide good education for the children," Kaufman said. Many marchers believe that money should be taken from prisons and bonds to provide bet ter supplies for the children in the schools. “I believe that fund ing for the schools should be fed eralized, because this is a prob lem in all states," said Camille Toney, a second-year finance stu dent. Voter registration was a fre quent challenge from the speak ers to the attendees, touted as a crucial step to gej funding for healthcare and Medicaid, to stop blacks from receiving low-paying jobs and to get respect for black businesses in South Carolina. “One person’s vote can be used to bring the right person in or take the wrong person out," said L. Zimmerman Keitt of the NAACP. Rachiem Monroe, a fourth-year criminal justice student and planned voter, said, “The state needs more funding from the fed eral economy." “One person, one vote is not a reality in America, and we will overcome," said Clark. The marchers met at Zion Baptist Church on Monday morn ing for a prayer service, then marched from the Washington Street church to the State House. Select students led the marchers from Stratford High School in Goose Creek, S.C. These students also had a chance to sing and give speeches about current issues and the recent drug raid at their school. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu I Potential hijacker kept out of Orlando airport in weeks prior to 9-11 BY CURT ANDERSON THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - A Saudi man who was prevented from entering the United States a few weeks be fore the Sept. 11 terror attacks may have been the plot’s intend ed 20th hijacker, federal officials said Tuesday. A U.S. immigration agent at Orlando International Airport turned away the man, identified only as al-Qahtani, in late August 2001, according to two senior law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday. The'agent became suspicious when al-Qahtani provided only vague answers to questions about what he was doing in the United States and could not provide names of people meeting him at the airport or describe where he was staying, one official said. Al-Qahtani was stopped and questioned at about the same time that Mohamed Atta, a ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks, was using a pay phone at the Orlando air port, according to surveillance camera tapes. Atta had called a number in the Middle East, the of- ^ ficials said. W So far, investigators have not proven a link between Atta and al Qahtani. The FBI has long sus pected that one of the planes — Flight 93, which crashed in a Pennsylvania field after a passen ger uprising — was supposed to have a team of five instead of only four hijackers. The other three planes taken over that day had five hijackers. National Student Exchange The National Student Exchange (NSE) Program allows students from USC to study at one of over 175 universities and colleges within the United States, the U.S. territories and Canada for up to one calendar year while still paying tuition at USC. Currently there are USC Students studying at the following NSE universities/colleges: Arkansas State Univ. Bali State Univ. Bishop’s Univ. (Canada) California State Univ., North ridge California State Univ.. San Bernandino Grambling State Univ. Humbokft State Univ. Hunter College, City Univ. of New York IHinios State Univ. Kent State Univ. Louisiana State Univ. Marshall Univ. Montana State Univ. New Mexico State Univ. Northeastern Illinois Univ. Oregon State Univ. Portland State Univ. Rhode Island Coliege Sonoma State Univ. Southwest Texas State Univ. SUNY College of Buffalo Univ. of Virgin Is. St Croix Univ of Alaska Fairbanks Univ. of Arizona Univ. of Connecticut Univ. of Massachusetts at Amherst Univ. of Massachusetts at Boston Univ. of Memphis Univ. of Montana Univ. of North Texas Univ. of Northern Colorado Univ. of Tennessee Univ. of Washington Univ of West Florida Western Washington Univ. William Peterson Univ. of New Jersey Attend one of the following sessions for more information: Monday, January 26th Wednesday, January 28th Monday, February 2nd Wednesday, February 4th 5:00pm 5:00pm 5:00pm 5:00pm Russell House 304 Russell House 304 Russell House 304 Russell House 304 If you have questions, please call 777-4333 For more information and an application, visit our website at http://web. sa. sc. edu/nse/ USC Navy ROIC holds annual drill meet for high schoolers BY ALEXIS STRATTON THE CAMECOCK USC’s Navy ROTC played host to 18 groups of high school students from South Carolina and North Carolina Saturday for a NJROTC drill meet that emphasized Esprit de Corps and introduced the visit ing students to USC life. The annual competition, which began at 9 a.m. and took place at Eugene E. Stone III Stadium, is the largest drill meet for high school ROTC students in South Carolina. It features NJROTC units in competing drill activities in eight categories, such as a pla toon with weapons and an exhi bition drill. Gunnery Sergeant Joseph Gray, assistant marine officer in structor for USCNROTC, said the event helps promote competition and camaraderie simultaneously “It’s a venue for high schoolers to actually perform as a team against their peers," he said. Gray, who said the competition has been held at USC since 1988, said the drill meet is also impor tant for encouraging students to attend college. “It just so happens that we have quite a few members of ROTC that competed here in the past," and the meet was a decisive moment in determining to attend school here, he said. “It’s important because it really shows that USC goes the extra mile to assist at the high school level.” The high school groups’ par ticipation was up this year from last year. Gray said it’s grown over the past five years and spread out of South Carolina to Georgia and North Carolina. He said for many years the average number of schools was around seven or eight, but two years ago the number was at 13, and last year it was up to 17. A Sergeant Keeton Easley, a ^ fourth-year criminal justice student and officer in charge of the drill meet, said that the competition is important because “it keeps new faces coming into USC.” He said the best part was the re action of the winners, the students of Silver Bluff High School. “It was like little kids on Christmas," he said. Midshipman Third Class Laura Fisher, a second-year political sci ence student, acted as a liaison for USC at the competition. “It was a good experience for the high school kids to be able to interact with college kids in ROTC," she said. “As far as for us doing it, it was kind of a bonding experience for everyone else in the battalion." 0 Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknewsCdgwm. sc. edu A Great Apartment Shouldn't Cost The Shirt Off Your Back ^ _A_ § Prices Starting at $345 An SUH Community. 5™!^' SUH is a Trademark of SUH Inc. STERLING UNIVERSITY 215 Spencer Place • 739-0899 www.sterlinghousing.com