Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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USC Exchange lets students buy online BY JACKIE FAYE BURTON THE GAMECOCK There’s a new online market place right here at USC. The USC Exchange is a free Web site independently owned and operated by Sinex, LLC, a company that organizes similar •feb sites around the nation for trious universities. Sinex, LLC actually has no affiliation with any of the universities, but stu dents run each Web site at the par ticular schools. Leon Middleton, a second-year business administration student, started up the USC Exchange Web site during the fall 2003 semester. “I just wanted to make a way for students to sell what they want to other students in hopes of mak ing the lives of all students a little bit easier,” Middleton said. By next fall he will also have a teacher review section up and run ning on the site. Middleton said he wants to help students get a better deal when shopping online. Students can even list books they ^^3 currently using to notify oth ^ffs what will be available in the future. Students must become mem bers to use the site, which will give unlimited and free access to buy or sell CDs, cars, computers, books or football tickets, and can even search for roommates or apart ments. Because the site is based in Columbia, no USC students have to pay shipping charges. All the transactions can be done in per son or however the students wish. Chad Hendrix, a second-year fi said. Many options are available to both the consumer and the sup plier. Searching can be as specif ic or as broad as the buyer would like, and the site includes se lectable options such as viewing items with pictures only. Sellers choose from PayPal, check, cash and money order. Only the most current items are shown and after a year all the old items are removed from the site. The Sinex, LLC will not sell, rent or share any information about its customers. Kirsten Schoster, a third-year management student who put her books on USC Exchange, said more people should start taking advantage of the site. “It’s a great idea that thev nance student, has attempted to sell every thing from a 2000 Ford Mustang to a Sony PlayStation on the Web site. “If the word would get around, it would be bene ficial for every body.” Hendrix “I just wanted to make a way for students to sell what they want to other students in hopes of making the lives of all students a little bit easier” LEON MIDDLETON SECOND-YEAR BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION STUDENT have it, just a lot of people don’t know about it,” Schoster said. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu SURFYOURSELF * : To visit the USC Exchange Web site, visit www.uscexchange.com Dance Marathon to help raise money for children BY MARIA CHARLES THE (iAMECOCK For 24 hours on Feb. 20, USC students will take part in Dance Marathon, the largest student run philanthropic event in the United States. The annual event raises money for the Children’s up 24 hours to basically have a great time,” Dance Marathon di rector and fourth-year public re lations student Katie Page said. Participants usually represent a campus organization such as Student Government or Greek Life and are asked to raise $150 of sponsorship money and stay on their feet for the entire 24 hour period. This year the executive com mittee introduced a letter-writ ing campaign to help volunteers obtain money. Executive com mittee members asked dancers to identify 15 people to whom the committee sent a letter about •nee Marathon on the dancer’s __ half. “The letter campaign made it really easy for me to raise the money I heeded,” first-year edu cation student and new partici pant Jamie Harrison said. Dancers were encouraged to sign their letters and add a personal note at the end to stress the im portance of Dance Marathon. “We got a great re sponse this year,” Page said. “We are very excited about it.” Since its in ception, Dance Marathon has raised more than $300,000 to aid the 82,000 children who seek medical attention in South Carolma each year. During the event, which will take place in the Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center starting 7 p.m., dancers will listen to bands, eat food and play games. Morale cap tains will work to ensure every one stays awake and participates. They will also teach dancers a line dance to a 12-minute musical collage containing snippets of 24 different songs. Morale captains will also don the appropriate cos tumes for each hourly theme, such as ‘80s hour or country hour. Dancers are informed about the themes and compete to win best costume. This year each dancer will wear a hospital bracelet identify mg a child who has benefited from the services of the children’s hos pital, and during the marathon families with children who have been helped by the hospital will stop in. “Some of the kids are the most precious kids ever,” said Meredith Werntz, a fourth-year finance stu dent who has participated as a morale captain for the past two years. “It’s the best and most mem orable thing I have done in college. Later down the road when people ask, Dance Marathon will be at the top of the list.” Page agrees that Dance Marathon provides some great memories. Her favorite was dur ing her sophomore year. “It was my first year on executive com mittee, and the moment we found out we raised $75,000,1 felt like I really had a hands-on way of con tributing to that amo.unt,” Page said. Even if 24 hours of dancing seems daunting, past participants agree it is time well spent. “A lot of people don’t want to give up a weekend to participate, but once you are a part of Dance Marathon you will never think that way again. It is not some thing you will ever forget,” Werntz said. Interested students are encour aged to stop by the Dance Marathon office in the lower lev el of the Russell House West Wing for more information. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu Miracle Network. Locally, the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital re ceives proceeds from the event. “Dance Marathon is a great way for people to do something big ^^r than them ^Bives. You give “Dance Marathon is a great way for people to do something bigger than themselves. You give up 24 hours to basically have a great time.” KATIE PAGE FOURTH-YEAR PUBLIC RELATIONS STUDENT SG CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 have different responsibilities, but no matter who gets elected, all three executive officers have to work together to present sort of a solid front.” He said that the vice president had to be able to deal with a vari ety of characters’ bents and biases as well as with the responsibility of dealing with the senate. “You have to be able mold your self into different personality styles,” Scott said. “You’ve got 30 some odd senators each with their own leadership style, and you have to be able to engage that and sort of energize them and point them in the right direction. You don’t tell them what to do, but you kind of grease the wheels.” SG elections are Feb. 23 and Feb. 24. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu t°J humfo FR€C I mm man s©rr me© «use sTu&fisr ip# SUS.MaM MOB ROS FNllJOi m wm 2/2004, usn eas n mm w*m<m r""“.""""i