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► — University of South Carolina FRIHAV FFRRI IARV Ofi 0C\C\A Vol.97.No.67 www.dailygamecock.com irVIL/Ml, rLDiVUniA I ZU, ZUut Since 1908 , Council seeks to link SG presidents BY ASHLEE RICKARD TilK UAMBCOCK Student government presidents from USC satellite campuses all over the state are meeting to dis cuss student issues and encourage direct involvement with the ad ministration. SG President Katie Dreiling ini tiated the Presidential Council, which is a group of representa tives from all seven satellite schools, after President Andrew Sorensen challenged her to get stu dent government presidents from all of the campuses to work di rectly with the administration. According to Dreiling, the goals of the Presidential Council are to “form a strong alliance with USC satellite campuses and use that al liance to work with the adminis tration” and to strive for support of higher education around the state. Most importantly, she said, the council will give students a stronger voice. Traditionally, the Columbia campus SG president has been the only student representative al lowed to attend the university’s Student-Trustee Liaison Committee meetings. Dreiling said she thought all students should be able to voice their con cerns to the administration. “I wanted to make sure other people were involved,” she said. Now, when the Board of Trustees liaison meetings occur, student government presidents from all of USC’s campuses will have already discussed issues that need to be addressed, she said. “We can now talk as a stronger body.” Dreiling said she hopes the council will improve each campus overtime. The new council met for the first time on Feb. 6. Representatives were present from each satellite school except Lancaster. Dreiling said the meeting was very positive and focused on im proving student involvement. A USC lobbyist spoke at the meeting. Upcoming student events were also discussed at the meeting so that the presidents can communi cate to the students what is hap pening at other campuses. The council will continue to discuss major issues, including budget cuts, at each meeting throughout the year. Dreiling said the council will let the Legislature know students don’t want higher education funding cut. USC-Aiken student government president Jason Holt agrees that the council is a great way to solve problems. “After the first meeting, I left with valuable information and tac tics that I took back to Aiken to help resolve certain issues. I could see this council being a catalyst for ideas to be generated,” he said. Even though her term as presi dent is drawing to a close, Dreiling ■ is confident the Presidential Council will continue. Legislation has recently been passed to the USC student senate that will ensure the council’s con tinuation throughout the years. If the amendment is approved, SG presidents will be responsible for planning and organizing the meet ' ings as well as fostering a part nership between campuses. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu ► Lawsuit supports same-sex marriage BY LISA LEFF THE ASSOCIATED I'HE.SK SAN FRANCISCO — After sanc tioning more than 2,800 gay mar riages in the past week, the city said Thursday it is suing the state of California, challenging its ban on same-sex marriages on consti * tutional grounds. City Attorney Dennis Herrera planned to file the suit in the af ternoon, said his spokesman, Matt Dorsey. Two judges already are consid ering challenges from conserva tive groups seeking to halt the marriage spree that began last Thursday. The city’s lawsuit asks that those cases be consolidated into one. A lawyer for a group trying to halt the gay marriages described the city’s move as a delaying tac tic. “This is as much a maneuver to keep this in court and keep the is sue alive as it is anything else,” said Benjamin Bull, an attorney ™ with the Alliance Defense Fund. Democratic Mayor Gavin Newsom has said he was obliged to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples to avoid violat ing the equal protection clause of ♦ MARRIAGE, SEE PAGE 3 Great Debate PHOTO BY MORGAN FORD/THE GAMECOCK Katie Drolling gives the State of the School Address to students on the Russell House Patio on Wednesday before the SG candidate debate. A Cultural Experience i i ivy iv u ' jnuun jiLLLmnn/ i ni_ From left, Florence Soroses and Olga Mama Yari, public health graduate students, serve food at the International Food Festival In front of Russell House on Thursday. Campaigning on the Web SG candidates stump online in attempt to reach more students BY GABRIELLE SINCLAIR tiie(.'amkc(k:k Student Government candidates are moving away from the traditional strategies of canvassing hallways with posters and are taking their campaigns to the Web. Almost all of the executive candidates have Web sites, which feature platforms, pictures, contact imormation ana personal goals. Kenyatta Frazier's cam paign manager Stephen Smith said the traditional campaigns of flyers and de bating have their limits in that it's difficult to reach ev _i_1_i cij aiuuuin. “The Web site facilitates every student the opportunity to let them know what Kenyatta's about,” said the fourth-year sports and enter tainment management student. Web sites allow potential voters to read through candidates' ideas and make educated decisions, Smith said. A campaign Web site costs about $20 to set up and then $10 a month to maintain, said third-year physics student Brett Nolan, who designed two sites, one for treasurer candi date Cameron Burnette and one for vice pres idential candidate Yvonne Miller. Most can didates, however, won't need to maintain sites after the intitial month. Nolan said navigability is crucial for a suc cessful online campaign. “If the average person can’t get through it, then it's pointless,” he said. He also stressed avoiding clutter because “if the site is too flashy people will get lost.” Nolan used the same basic set-up for the two sites, with the color scheme (Burnette's is gold and blue, Miller's is purple) and content set ting them apart. Vice presidential candidate Mark McLawhom asked family friend Yoma Edwin, of Tren Media in Columbia, to design his Web site for about $50. He said he chose to create a site because “it’s impossible to speak with all of the student organizations on campus in two weeks.” “I think that people who aren’t involved in student organizations and commuter students, it’s the best way to reach them,” he said. ^residential candidate Zachery Scott said he paid $15 to secure the domain name. “You have to visit 300 or ganizations in two weeks, and you can’t go through your entire platform in de Id 11, OUUll SdlU. To be effective, Scott said the Web site has to be concise and as to the point as possible. Ryan Holt, a first-year political science student, who has started a campaign Web site for his senatorial run, said the benefits of be ing online come with more questions. Namely, the problem of getting people to vis it the site. “This is a first campaign for me and the first taste for elections,” he said. Holt, whose Web site is at www.ryan holt.org, is one of the few senate candidates with a Web site. The Web site is a good learning experience, Holt said, even if he isn’t running for a major office. “I thought better to overshoot than miss the mark,” he said. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu iFavontes Tools Wmi Candidates use the Web to connect with students at use. President: ZACHERY SCOTT: www.scottforpresident.com JUSTIN WILLIAMS: willi588@mailbox.sc.edu ADAM SCHAFFER: adam-schaffer@sc.edu Vice President: MARK MCLAWHORN: www.Makeyourmark2004 .com YVONNE MILLER: www.votediva.com BRIAN WAYNE: www.brianwayne.com Treasurer: CAMERON BURNETTE: www.cameronbumette.com KENYATTA FRAZIER: www.lnKenyattaWeTrust.com GRAPHIC BY SHAWN ROURK/ THE GAMECOCK Student groups hold SG debate " BY JACOB DAVIS THE GAMECOCK Savvy and the USC NAACP played host to a debate for Student Government candidates running in next week’s election Thursday in the Russell House. Candidates for president, vice president and treasurer all spoke. The candidates shared their platforms and addressed key is sues. Presidential candidate . Justin Williams received applause with his support of Gov. Sanford’s plan to cap college tuitions. Presidential candidate Zachery Scott’s SG experience impressed others. Mark McLawhom earned the most vocal reaction of the night with his proposal to work for an extension of the drop/add date. Bryan Wayne proposed creating a trophy for the Clemson/ Carolina game. Yvonne Miller’s plan to get student organizations joined under an umbrella system in the form of her SOLVE (Student Organization Leaders who Value Excellence) Network also drew postive reac tions. Treasurer candidate Kenyatta Frasier said he was motivated to run after witnessing the prob lems organizations were having filing funding proposals, and he pledged to do his best to allevi ate that problem. The other trea surer candidate, Cameron Burnette, was unable to attend, but his campaign manager, Paul Gerrard, spoke of Burnette’s plans for the budget. Tiffany Stewart, an officer with Savvy, said she was “excited to see so many qualified candidates in the field,” and she was “sure that whoever was elected would have the skills to do a great job.” Tamika Sumpter, president of the USC National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said she “was excited to learn about the candidates’ excel lent plans,” but she was looking forward to seeing the plans im plemented. The “Savvy Sister of the Week,” Tanisha Gonzalez, said, “Savvy and the NAACP felt very good that the candidates were able to take the time to come and ♦ NAACP, SEE PAGE 3 ♦ PIRATING PROBLEMS The FBI has a plan to discourage piracy. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 3 ♦ HAITIAN CONFLICT Haiti’s president vows to defend his country. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 3 ♦ BURNING QUESTIONS David Stagg solves the world’s great debates. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 4 ♦ DRIED UP S.C. Legislature fails to seal the deal on tattooing bill. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 4 ♦ GONE TO CAROLINA Top selling concert tours make their way to Columbia. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 5 ♦ HOLD THE PHONE Cell phone users must practice good manners, too. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 5 ♦ BAD FIRST DATES' Sandler, Barrymore film doesn’t deserve a second chance. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 6 ♦ PIGS IN A BLANKET Men's basketball to face Arkansas. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 8 ♦ BEAUTIFUL LOSERS Women’s basketball loses 10th SEC game. FOR MORE SEE PAGE 8 Index Comics and Crossword 7 Classifieds 10 Horoscopes 7 Letters to the Editor 4 Online Poll 4 Police Report2 Entertainment News 2 USC Calendar 2 Weather TODAY SATURDAY 71 High 68 Low 50 low 34 Sunny and warm, AM showers, showers late winds 13 mph II.if If I.I.III! Visit us online at: www.dailygamecock.com The Gamecock Is printed on recycled paper.