Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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sasWednesday, august 2 5,2 004 _ V°1' Since 1908 IN THIS ISSUE ♦ NEWS |Preston dining renovations The Preston dining hall opened Tuesday after nearly two months of renovations. Located in the Russell House, Preston students eat there for free, and other students can pay $7 for a meal. Page 4 ■■■■■Hi ♦ VIEWPOINTS Simmonds wants answers Kevin Simmonds offers fcp list of questions for "USC President Andrew Sorensen that he plans to ask him at a Q&A session with other graduate students. Page 7 ♦ THE MIX Visual media kids finally get their major Maria Charles gets the scoop on the J-School's newest major. For aspiring journalists, ^preparing for ^tomorrow’s news begins today. Page 8 ♦ SPORTS Ten days until football starts Countdown to kick-off begins at 10 as Jonathan Hillyard examines the USC and Vandy backfields. Page 11 WEATHER ♦ TODAY ♦ THURS. o High 87 High 86 Low 69 Low 69 FOR EXTENDED FORECAST. SEE PAGE 2. INDEX Comics and Crossword.J.0 Classifieds.13 Horoscopes.12 Letters to the Editor.7 Online Poll.7 Police Report.2 < i Roost air conditioning malfunctions By LaDONNA BEEKER THE GAMECOCK Some students have been sweating ir out at The Roost residence hall without working air conditioning the first week of classes. About 177 students live in the 15-year-old, five-story building. While there has not been an exact time frame as to how long the South Area • maintenance department has been working on the problem, Roost Residence Hall Director Lyndsey Walther-Thomas said she moved in at the end of July and spoke with the maintenance department a couple of weeks later. She said Maintenance officials knew about the problem and were working on it. Not all rooms are without air conditioning, Thomas said. The part in the faulty air conditioners that stopped working is under warranty, so the maintenance department has ordered the replacement. Until then, the part has been replaced with a temporary one, Thomas said. A delivery date on the part was not given, and neither was an update on repair progress because officials in the maintenance department were unavailable for comment. With weather highs being in the mid-80s to low 90s, some students are finding it hard to deal with hot rooms. “1 don’t think (the air conditioner) is working,” first-year psychology student and second floor Roost resident Trey Delk said. “We have a bunch of fans in the room.” However, while students like “We have a bunch of fans in the room.” TREY DELK FIRST-YEAR PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT Delk are trying to stay cool, other students are having no problems. The air conditioner “is working perfectly,” third-year political science student Alex Cryan said. “But when a lot of people moved in, their air was not working.” At a third-floor hall meeting, about half of the residents said they were having air-conditioner problems or that their air was not working at all, Cryan said. The students have been told to contact the maintenance department if they are having any problems with their air-conditioner, Thomas said. Students moved in Aug. 14 despite a USC advisory to wait because of Hurricane Charley. Comments on this story ? E-mail gamecockneTvs@givm.se. edu WIRELESS WEB I Wireless possibilities ■ USC network to unplug in 2005 for easier Web access By GREG WEBSTER THE GAMECOCK USC is ranked 96th in the country on Intel’s annual 100 Most Unwired College Campuses list, but USC officials plan to change that by installing a wireless network for the campus by early next year. The network would allow wireless-ready computers to access the Internet without being connected through an Ethernet cable. Wireless networks work best with laptop computers because of their mobility. USC officials are also pushing for Columbia to set up a wireless network. Columbia is 79th on Intel’s 100 Most Unwired Cities list, but has already begun investing in turning the metropolitan area into a wireless hot spot. “Ideally, we will not only have a wireless network on campus, but have one throughout the entire metro area,” said Bill Hogue, vice president for information technology at USC. But a wireless network could do more than connect the campus by attracting top students, Hogue said. “The trend in this society is that one should be linked to information in almost no matter what field you are in,” Hogue said. “This means that students will have an advantage when they leave in having more and better experience in accessing information.” Thomas Durkin is known by the receptionist of the Department of Political Science to be a computer expert. He is a computer enthusiast, and he’s especially enthusiastic about the prospect of a wireless Internet. “It’s an excellent idea that we’ve been promised and looking forward to for years,” he said. Only a few areas of the campus — the Horseshoe, the library and Bates House lobby — have wireless capability so far. Durkin said a wireless network could provide better communication between students and teachers. “Any time you have an increase in communication, you will have a better learning experience,” Durkin said. Extramural communication is one of the centerpieces of Durkin’s teaching. He uses several electronic methods to communicate with his students, such as hosting a virtual chat session for last minute questions on Blackboard the night before a test. “I’ll be sitting at a desk ready to answer them,” he said. Durkin predicted that with a wireless campus, this type of interaction between teachers and students would become more common. Not all students and faculty members share Durkin’s and Hogue’s excitement. Second-year graphic design student Karen Williford is one of them. As she sat under an oak tree on the Horseshoe, she couldn’t see any utility in the option. “I personally can’t think I could find much use for it,” she said, and paused. After a moment, she added, “I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who would love to have it.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknens@gwm.se. edu GOP groups unite after brief conflict By JACOB DAVIS THE GAMECOCK The brief schism between two student Republican organizations at USC will be officially resolved today as the two groups unite. The former chapter of the College Republican Confederation of South Carolina at USC had officially broken away at the 2004 state conference. “They basically left the conference, went outside and had a committee meeting at which they decided to secede,” said Thad Wilson, state chairman of the confederation. The confederation officials decided “it was essential that an official branch of confederation be present at the largest university in the state,” Wilson said. The “official” Carolina College Republicans and the USC College J Republicans, the group that had withdrawn from the confederation, briefly coexisted on campus before the merger. Late Tuesday night, representatives from both groups met to “map out a plan for the coming election year, as well as discuss plans for the groups to become one,” said Randy Dargan, president of the USC College Republicans, the original campus Republican organization. Before today’s merger, Carolina College Republicans chairman Franklin Buchanon said, “I have nothing but positive things to say about Randy Dargan and the organization he is a part of. It is just important that in this crucial election year that we have all of our groups on the same page.” Buchanon said it is important for all the chapters to be on the ♦ Please see REPUBLICANS, page 4 i JASON STEELMAN/THE GAMECOCK Franklin Buchanan, left, chairman of the Carolina College Republicans, greets Randy Dargan, hotel restaurant and tourism management student, during a recent meeting Tuesday. * > Cheney speech supports gays ■ Vice president says gay couples deserve freedom DAVENPORT, IOWA — Vice President Dick Cheney, whose daughter Mary is a lesbian, spoke supportively about gay relationships on Tuesday, saying “freedom means freedom for everyone.” At a campaign rally in this Mississippi River town, Cheney was CHARLIE NEIBERGALL/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Vice President Dick Cheney speaks during a town hall meeting, Tuesday. Cheney, whose daughter Mary is a lesbian, gave his support to gay relationships, which could put him at odds with the president. asked about his stand on gay marriage — an issue for which his boss, President Bush, has pushed for a constitutional amendment to ban such unions. “Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it’s an issue our family is very familiar with,” Cheney told ■ an audience that included his daughter. “With the respect to the question of relationships, my general view is freedom means freedom for everyone ... People ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to. “The question that comes up with the issue of marriage is what kind of official sanction or approval is going to be granted by government? Historically, that’s been a relationship that has been handled by the states. The states have made that fundamental decision of what constitutes a marriage,” he said. Bush backs a constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage, a move Cheney says was prompted by various judicial rulings, including the action in Massachusetts that made gay marriage legal. “I think his perception was that the courts, in effect, were beginning to change, without ♦ Please see CHENEY, page 6 i