The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 19, 2004, Image 1
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