Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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— University of South Carolina ^ A/Tr^\TT^ AV ATT ^T 1 T 'l C\C\A Vol.98,No.l2 www.dailygamecock.com \ lVlWl\UAl, AU* gj^Z J , ZUUt" Since 1908 -IN THIS ISSUE *♦ NEWS Report shows ups, downs USC President Andrew Sorensen highlights this year’s challenges in the 2004 President’s Report. Page 5 ♦ VIEWPOINTS Thoughts on college life Corey Hutchins advises students to not let school get in the way of having a good time. Page 6 O ♦ THE MIX Coming out of the airwaves Local radio stations keep students tuning in with variety of tunes. Also, Will Hoge’s ‘America’ EP serves up social commentary, six string style. Page 7 ♦ SPORTS Newcomers to prove worth Staff writer Stephen Fasteneau breaks down the impact freshmen will have on this year’s football team. Page 12 WEATHER ♦ TODAY ♦ TUES. High 86 High 88 Low 71 Low 68 FOR EXTENDED FORECAST, SEE PAGE 2. INDEX Comics and Crossword.9 Classifieds.13 Horoscopes.9 Letters to the Editor.6 Online Poll.6 Police Report.2 jnouii o i cc.Livim'i/ i nt u«ivic.uuv<r\ Chi Omega members cheer on the Horseshoe during Bid Day, when USC women find out what sorority they were accepted to. Sorority sisters rush Horseshoe By MICHAEL LaFORGIA * F0R M0RE PICTURES OF BID DAY, SEE WWW.DAILYGAMECOCK.COM THEGAMECOCK. .....~.—. In the moments before the envelopes were opened Sunday, first-year electronic journalism student Katie McKinney skittered nervously among the other girls beneath an oak tree in front of the McKissick Museum. Her mother, Erin, hovered nearby with a camcorder in one hand. Mother and daughter were only two faces in the crowd gathered on the Horseshoe over the weekend for Bid Day. The annual event marks the end of Rush Week, seven days of interviews and parties during which sororities select new members. Erin McKinney joined the Kappa Delta sorority when she attended USC years ago. Now a professor in USC’s nursing school, she said she didn’t pressure her daughter to join Kappa Delta, too. “1 told her it didn’t matter what she did as long as she feels comfortable about the group,” Erin McKinney said. Katie touched her mother’s shoulder then moved away, and Erin watched her daughter join the other girls in front of the museum. “As much as I can remember, it was just like this,” she said, looking out at th? pockets of cheering sorority girls in colorful T-shirts. Nearby, Katrina Sorensen, a third-year management and marketing student, stood on the Horseshoe with a neon green banner, ready to greet her sorority’s Rho Chis, disaffiliated members who mentor new recruits. Sorensen has been a member of the Delta Zeta sorority since her freshman year. “It’s gotten bigger and it’s gotten better,” she said of Bid Day. “Sororities have grown over the last three years.” Some on the Horseshoe say they’d prefer the event get smaller or disappear altogether. Liz Keller, a third-year political science, French student and DeSaussure resident, said the ceremony is an annual nuisance. ♦ Please see BID DAY, page 4 JASON STEELMANJTHE GAMECOCK Katie McKinney, left, a first-year electronic journalism student, hugs a fellow rush member after getting accepted to Kappa Delta, the same sorority her mother joined when she was a student at USC. While not a record, freshman class size remains consistent JASON STEELMAN/THE GAMECOCK Potential students get a look at the USC campus on Sumter Street Friday. The intrest generated during these tours helps determine the following year’s freshman class size. By LaDONNA BEEKER THE GAMECOCK While freshmen class sizes reached record highs for the past two years, this year’s incoming class is slightly smaller, officials said. USC had 13,000 applicants for the fall, said Dennis Pruitt, vice president for stiident and alumni services. Of that, about 3,400 are freshmen. Last year’s freshman class totaled 3,522. 24,000 graduate and undergraduate students attend use. “This is preliminary data,” Pruitt said, because some students have not registered or checked-in to their residence hall. “We had applicants from all 50 states and over 100 countries,” Pruitt said. The “freeze date” for the school year will be the end of September to allow for ♦ Please see FRESHMEN, page 4 Move-in plows on despite storm warnings By JON TURNER THE GAMECOCK Few students were greatly inconvenienced by Hurricane Charley, despite USC officials’ announcement of a postponed move-in day. On Aug. 13, a delay was requested on the USC Web site, echoing similar requests from the College of Charleston and the Citadel. The site asked a postponement of one or even two days because of the heavy rains expected to flush from the storm. “It actually ended up that we moved in a few more on Friday than we usually do,” Housing Director Gene Luna said. “About a hundrfcd, and about 200 fewer on Saturday, and then probably about 400 more than last year on Sunday.” Luna said the hurricane might have actually improved conditions for move-in day. “This is probably one of the most smooth move-ins we’ve had in 10 or 20 years,” he said. “Hurricane Charley actually brought us great weather. It was cooler, overcast.TLuna added that the posted delay hadn’t dramatically affected the workloads of the housing staff. “There was some preparation attention given to our hurricane preparation,” he said, “But we have an emergency preparation plan. That’s always the case.” Caitlin Nobles, a second-year business administration student, said she moved in Aug. 15, but she hadn’t taken the threat too seriously. “It wasn’t really doing anything at my house, so I didn’t really worry about it.” Nobles suggested that delay caused by Charley, the consequently smooth traffic and increased availability of helping hands made her move easier. “It was pretty nice,” she said. “There were plenty of people there already moved in, so they could help me move my stuff in.” Alan Walters, a third-year music composition student, lives in Irmo and moved his things over a period of two days. “I only really worried about the rain moving electronics,” he said. Bonnie Coggins, a third-year marine science student, said that while she lives just off campus, she volunteered to help with the parking management for two hours on ♦ Please see HURRICANE, page 5 JASON STEELMAN/THE GAMECOCK Preston students help each other on Aug. 14. Despite warnings from USC officials abou^ Hurricand Charley, many students moved in anyway.