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THURSDAY, AUGUST 19,2004 V0l‘Since 1908 — IN THIS ISSUE ♦ NEWS Rush events kick off new Greek year Fraternities and sororities scout out new members during annual rush week. Hundreds of USC women will find their Greek home Sunday on Bid Day on the Horseshoe. Page A5 ♦VIEWPOINTS Conservatives can keep the peace better than liberals Corey Garriott argues that George W. Bush is the better choice for foreign policy than John Kerry and that conservatives are better at securing America’s policies abroad. Page All ♦ THE MIX ‘Super Size’ bites back at fast food Maria Charles delves into the controversial film by Morgan Spurlock and the changing views society has toward the fast food industry. Page B1 ♦ SPORTS Football fever welcomed back in Cola. The Gamecock goes one-on-one with starting quarterback Dondrial Pinkins and reviews this season’s summer practice and preseason workouts, PageC1 WEATHER ♦TODAY ♦SAT. High 92 High 71 Low 72 Low for extended forecast, SEE PAGE 2. INDEX Comics and Crossword... B9 Classifieds. C9 Horoscopes.B9 Letters to the Editor.A11 Online Poll.All Poflce Report.,V<2 THE PRICES OF CAMPUS LIVING USC ups costs for food, parking ■ GMP charging off-campus prices for campus food By LaDONNA BEEKER THE GAMECOCK Prices have jumped 3 percent at The Grand Market Place at USC based on wholesale cost, labor fees and competitive prices. Dining services is open year round, but are only allowed to raise their prices once a year, said Michael Scheffres, general manager of Grand Market Place. The prices * have raised about 3 percent overall each year for the past few years, Scheffres said. Elaine Belesky, an administrative assistant in the registrar’s office, said she noticed her usual vegetable wrap, which used to cost $1.95, increased to $3.59 overnight. “This seems ridiculous,” Belesky said. “The prices were not posted, so I did not know how much it was until I paid for it.” A co-worker of Belesky’s e mailed Steve Tuchten, the USC Controller from Sodexho, the company in charge of campus food services. In his reply, Tuchten wrote that the prices were raised to stay competitive with off-campus restaurants. “In the beginning of August, we completed a competitive analysis of our pricing with at least four other local competitors. Our pricing increases reflect the increased cost of food, labor, insurance rates and our competition’s pricing. All of our deli and sub options took a substantial increase this week based on the factors outlined above,” Tuchten wrote. “It was not an error in the price of the Veggie Wrap.” He explained that the changes have to be made when the units ♦ Please see GMP, page A7 Parking sticker price increases to $40 By GREG WEBSTER THE GAMECOCK With approval by the Board of Trustees, USC Vehicle Management and Parking Services doubled the price of student parking stickers for the first time in 15 years. Regular parking stickers increased to $40 from $20, and garage prices rose to $180 a semester. Parking Services Director Derrick Huggins defended the increases, saying they were necessary to improve the safety and quality of service to students. Huggins expressed concern about the series of vandalism and ♦ Please see PARKING, page A5 WEST QUAD PHOTOS BY JASON STEELMAN/THE GAMECOCK Above: Blake Clancy, a third-year electronic journalism student, gets ready for the day in West Quad as construction workers continue to finish the new energy efficient dorm. Below: professor Kristin Down, left, and Tim Coley, director of residence life, discuss the advantages to the new energy efficient dorm. New dorm keeps it green ■ Eco-friendly West Quad opens before completion By ALEXIS STRATTON THE GAMECOCK With paint still drying on the walls, carpet being laid and wiring hanging from the ceiling, West Quad is greener around the gills than even the newest of students. In fact, it’s not even done. Despite rain delays and unfinished business, however, West Quad opened its doors to students Friday just like all other on-campus housing. And for most, that was good enough. “I didn’t think it was going to be finished,” said Etai Eshel, West Quad resident and third-year nursing student. Eshel said he was in Columbia for the summer sessions and that “it looked like they would have to do a lot of overtime to get it completed by the start of school.” Although his roommate, William Perkins, said it’s a “long haul” to get to mid-campus, the amenities, which include a kitchen, bathroom, common area and four bedrooms, are attractive. But it doesn’t stop the •construction from being a hassle. Construction workers were still working in Perkins and Eshel’s hallway yesterday, and the paint on the door jams was still a little wet. Neither Perkins nor any of his roommates have Internet access, and their phones weren’t connected until Sunday. Perkins was told they would have Internet by Thursday, but he remains ■ skeptical. “They say Thursday, but does that mean the Thursday before Christmas or the Thursday after Easter?” the third-year criminal ♦ Please see WEST QUAD, page A3 SG to expand free newspaper program By MICHAEL LaFORGIA THE GAMECOCK Student Government has secured funding from USC deans for the popular readership program that makes copies of The New York Times and USA Today available to students for free. SG is also expanding the program,^ adding the USC law school library and Gambrell Hall to the list of campus news stand locations, which includes the Russell House, Coliseum and BA building. SG originally brought the program to campus last October after former Treasurer Ben Edwards discovered nearly $190,000 in surplus money from student organizations. Left over money from\tudent organizations at the end of the year rolled over into a bank account that incoming SG officers didn’t know about. The money was also put toward installing Global Positioning System equipment on USC shuttle buses and setting up more bike racks around campus, among other projects. SG President Zachery Scott said one of his goals this yea1- was to expand the program and f 'bsidize its cost. “We achieved these goals and we’re ecstatic,” Scott said. “We’re just happy that it’s all coming together.” SG Treasurer Cameron Burnette said SG is receiving a total of $48,168 for the program from the deans and USC administrators: about $16,000 ♦ Please see READERSHIP, page A4 Research campus project delayed By KEVIN FELLNER THE GAMECOCK A court battle is halting at least $220 million in bonding authority that could be used toward building facilities for public-private research partnerships between corporations and USC. The controversial Life Sciences Act, passed in March during this year’s state legislative session, is in front of the S.C. Supreme Court to determine whether certain provisions were bobtailed to the bill unconstitutionally as plaintiff Henry McMaster, the state’s attorney general, is contending. “That’s thrown some of our plans into a cocked hat,” said USC President Andrew Sorensen. “That’s out of my hands. There’s nothing I can do about that.” Director of Research and Economic Development Tony Buccanfuso said final plans for this phase would be worked out with contractor Craig Davis in the coming months once occupancy specifications are finalized. Planners say the waylaid bond A court battle halting money is “out of my hands. There’s nothing I can do about that.” ANDREW SORENSEN USC PRESIDENT money would be crucial toward realizing the full potential of a new research campus. USC administrators have set the date for the groundbreaking of the second phase of a research campus initiative that could double the size of the Columbia campus amid news of a record high year for research funding. Although planners can’t divulge exact details just yet, the Nov. 16 start of construction on two new facilities — most likely on the so called Hardee’s block, where an abandoned restaurant building sits across Assembly Street from the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center — will come months later than original projections of Spring 2004. Planners made those estimates at the initiative’s proposal stage before hitting snags with state legislation. Sorensen said the potential is being recognized nationally among other research universities and respected for its achievements. USC announced earlier this month that research funding last fiscal year topped $150 million. When Sorensen arrived two years ago, the same funding was only $109 million for the previous year. “That news bodes well for successfully recruiting corporations that rely heavily on research to produce revenue,” he ♦ Please see RESEARCH, page A4