The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 06, 2004, Page 6, Image 6
College of Charleston
to debate smoking ban
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLESTON — The College of
Charleston is considering a smoking ban
in residence halls and other places on the
downtown campus.
The new smoking policy would divide
the campus into smoking and
nonsmoking areas. The student
government association is scheduled to
vote on the change later this month, and
if approved, the proposal would move to
the faculty senate and then to president
Lee Higdon for final approval.
Higdon favors the change, but wants
it “to come from the students,” said
Laura Lindroth, health educator with
Counseling and Substance Abuse
Services on campus.
Lindroth said quality-of-life student
surveys in the past few years indicate
most would prefer a smoke-free campus.
The most recent survey found as much as
70 percent of students favor a smoke-free
campus. And 700 students signed a
petition last spring supporting smoke
free residence halls, Lindroth said.
“There’s obviously a desire among the
students,” she said.
The city of Charleston has considered
a smoking ban, and a committee recendy
required restaurants to post their
smoking policies. The committee also
said the city should consider incentives
for restaurants that go smoke-free.
Less than half of the college’s roughly
10,000 students smoke and at least 43
percent have smoked a cigarette in the
past month, Lindroth said.
But some smoking students don’t like
the idea.
“I think that would cause a lot of
controversy on campus, and I think
people would resist it,” said Whitney
Holt, a senior who smokes. “It’s going to
be perceived as a limitation and as a ban.”
The student government association
will vote Tuesday on a temporary
measure to post signs at building
entranceways, asking smokers to puff
elsewhere.
That could clear the cloud of smoke
senior Brandy Drake walks through on
the way to class. “It definitely is
something I have to deal with daily,”
Drake said.
Student welfare committee chairman
Andrew Smeltzer said if the signs aren’t
effective, student leaders have considered
charging a $ 10 to $25 fine to smokers in
restricted areas.
“This is a serious health issue for
nonsmokers,” Smehzer said.
■ SHOWCASE
Continued from page 1
finalist to be asked a question, but
before he went on, Jeffrey and Diana
Marino, Miss Congeniality and a
fourth-year public relations student,
listened carefully to the other
questions in hopes of gaining an edge
over opponents.
“I swim for USC, and I have never
had a huge adrenaline rush like this,”
Marino said. “I am nervous and
excited.”
The Cocktails’ and Coquettes’
performances on stage allowed the
candidates to change clothes. The
finalists socialized and discussed the
event so far.
All of the finalists said Showcase
was an unforgettable experience.
“How often do you get the chance
to be in the spotlight, especially at such
a big school?” said Amy Buchanan
Feinberg, first runner-up for Queen
and a fourth-year Spanish student.
“This is an honor because this is a great
group of people.”
As the time came for the winners to
be announced, the finalists lined up
backstage, waiting to be presented as a
group for the final time.
Then the finalists faced the
audience and judges.
One finalist, Marie Connelly, a
fourth-year biology student, was
nominated by Omicron Delta Kappa
to be in her first pageant.
“This has been really fun and an
opportunity for me to be a girly-girl,”
Connelly said before going' on stage.
Little did Connelly know that
Strickland was about to name her the
next Homecoming Queen.
When she heard the decision,
Connelly struggled to catch her breath,
and tears streamed down her cheeks.
“After hearing everyone tonight, I
feel like there should have been five
Homecoming Queens,” she said.
Comments on this stoiy? E-mail
gamecocknews@gwm.sc. edit
Marie
Connelly and
Tyler Jeffries
pose after
being
crowned
Home
coming King
and Queen
Tuesday
night during
the Carolina
Showcase at
the Koger
Center.
JASON
STEELMAN/THE
GAMECOCK
■ DEMINT
Continued from page 1
Security, it is the people our age who
are worrying about this.”
DeMint talked about Social Security
as something his generation will not be
able to deal with, but rather something
the students’ generation could.
“They (the two politicians) were
very excited,” Dargan said. “Any time
we have had speakers come on campus,
they have been happy with our
enthusiasm and numbers.”
After discussing Social Security,
DeMint relinquished the podium to
Armey, who continued to speak on
Social Security and how DeMint was
preparing to solve the problem with
it.
“We have no body in America
today, who better understands how to
fix this problem right now ... than Jim
DeMint,” Armey said at the news
conference.
Armey emphasized this because he
said the system is* in such disarray that
college-age voters have little hope to
receive any money from Social Security
later in life.
“We had a poll that said of 40
percent of young Americans today,
more believe in UFOs than they will
ever receive a dire amount of social
security,” Armey said.
Franklin Buchanan, co-chairman of
the College Republicans, said the
conference was not very difficult to
schedule because it was DeMint’s
campaign that contacted him.
“I think it was very effective for him
coming to USC,” Buchanan said. “It
just shows how much he cares for
young voters.”
Dargan said the College
Republicans had tried to schedule the
event for the Russell House Ballroom,
but were unable to get it.
“This was very exciting,” Dargan
said. “Whoever wins the senatorial race
has a chance to be there for a long time
because S.C. has a history of electing
incumbent candidates.”
Dargan said with its 1,300
members, the organization has a
presence on campus, but that they are
trying to become more visible to
students.
“If their campaign calls us with
something to do,” Dargan said, “then
we will be there to do it.”
Buchanan said the College
Republicans would probably not hold
another news conference this election
season, but the group might have some
guests at their meetings, such as Gov.
Mark Sanford, who has expressed
interest.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocknetvs@gwm.sc. edu
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