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www.dailygamecock.com _WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19,2005_ Since 1908 National chapter disciplines fraternity ■ USC spokesman dismisses rumors of hazing among KAs By TAYLOR SMITH STAFF WRITER Fraternity members and USC administrators have confirmed that the national K.A. office took disciplinary action against USC’s Kappa Alphas after an early December incident but refuse to discuss its extent or the severity of the punishment. While details about the violations remain sketchy, USC spokesman Russ McKinney took issue with rumors that the fraternity has been cited for hazing violations. McKinney, who also serves as faculty advisor for K.A., said he would not describe the misconduct as “hazing,” adding that the fraternity’s national chapter would likely “take exception to that term.” “I don’t think the national organization is characterizing it as hazing,” McKinney said. Larry Weise, executive director of Kappa Alpha’s national office in Lexington, Va., could not be reached for comment Tuesday night. McKinney guessed the incident happened in early December and, because of its private nature, USC has not addressed the violations. “From the university level we are aware of the information and have been in touch,” McKinney said. “We are following it closely, but it appears to be a matter that the fraternity is dealing with.” Thomas Bowen, president of USC’s K.A. fraternity, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. According to S.C. Code of Law Sec. 16-3-530, a conviction of misdemeanor hazing can result in a fine of as much as $500 and imprisonment no longer than 12 months. Student Life Director Jerry Brewer said his office, which oversees Greek Life, has no knowledge of any disciplinary action taken by the school against KA., but the possibility is open. “If I get a report that hazing has occurred, we have a certain procedure ♦ Please see FRATERNITY, page 3 JASON STEELMAN/THE GAMECOCK <Left) Emergency construction crew members work to fix the broken water lines that fill Maxcy resident's rooms. (Right) Alex Winters, first-year undecided student, gathers his belongings to take out of his room flooding from a broken pipe on Tuesday night in Maxcy. Students evacuate Maxcv w First-year residents struggled Tuesday night to limit damage from three burst pipes By THOMAS CHANDLER THE GAMECOCK Steaming brown water pooled in several rooms of Maxcy College last night as pipes burst in three locations, displacing residents concerned for the safety of their property. The breaks occurred above two rooms in the basement and one on the third floor. Similar incidents occurred last semester in November. “I was standing there when it burst. It didn’t even start out slowly. I saw it coming out in two different spots where the wall and the ceiling meet,” first-year English student Aaron Hayes said. “It happened about 5:30,” He and his roommate John McKinney, a first-year accounting student, said the damage could have been worse. “It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. The electronics stuff we all got out, my computer, my TV,” McKinney said. The Tuesday incidents weren’t the first cases of pipe failure at Maxcy. One burst in first-year business student Katie Faulk’s room before Thanksgiving last semester. She and her roommate Diane Montague, a first-year biology student, returned to find repairmen already at work. “Both of our computers, a printer, telephone, the bedding too, had been damaged,” Faulk said. Faulk explained the school’s reimbursement policy. “They’ll give us the current value of the computer as it depreciates. Not even how much we had paid if it was ♦ Please see DAMAGE, page 3 USC cheerleaders to fill in for dancers By JON TURNER NEWS EDITOR While the Coquettes dance team did not perform during Saturday’s basketball game against Tennessee, it was not prohibited from dancing as a result of an overly sexual performance, a USC athletics department spokesman said Tuesday. Some dancers had raised concerns that the decision came because the athletics department perceived the team’s performance as “too sexual,” but Sports Information Director Kerry Tharp suggested the possibility of miscommunication, explaining that the Coquettes were sidelined to make way for USC cheerleaders. “It was not the intent to tell them they couldn’t dance, just to make sure the cheerleaders kind of took the lead,” he said. Coquettes captain and fourth-year exercise science student Erin Widdle had cited a letter from an unidentified athletics administration member warning that the Coquettes’ performance was too suggestive, but Tharp said he “had no knowledge of that.” Widdle said the team had been working hard on its image and that the dancers had been distressed by their perception of the athletics department’s attitude. “They were all pretty upset," she said, “because we worked really, really hard to improve our reputation with the athletic department, because they had a dance team in the past that was really too much. So the athletic department has had a bad taste in its mouth since then.” Coquettes dancer and third-year hospitality, retail and sports management student Kirby Springs said the decision came without explanation. “Our coach just kind of told us we couldn’t dance during time-outs anymore,” she said. Springs said the dancers had been surprised by the announcement, which was passed to their coach, Michele Fields, by cheerleading coach Erika Goodwin. “We’re still allowed to perform around the court before the games,” she said. “Other than that we have to perform on tne sidelines. Tharp said he was sure the intent wasn’t to prevent the team from performing. “We certainly love having the dance team there, they certainly do a fantastic job,” he said. “I think maybe we were just looking at trying to get the cheerleaders out on the floor more than in previous games.” ♦ Please see COQUETTES, page 3 NICK ESARES/THE GAMECOCK The Coquettes rehearse before their performance at the Homecoming Showcase last fall. KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK Mike McGee, who has served as USC athletics director in 1993, announced Tuesday that he will retire this summer. Athletics director McGee to retire ■ USC President Andrew Sorensen says he will select a replacement without a committee By JONATHAN HILLYARD SPORTS EDITOR As USC says hello to head coach Steve Spurrier and a new era, it will say goodbye to Athletics Director Michael B. McGee. USC President Andrew Sorensen announced Tuesday that McGee’s retirement will take effect June 30, 2005. This is not news to Sorensen, however, as he said McGee notified him of this decision in May 2004. With regard to finding a new athletic director, Sorensen had few definite answers. He said that, despite knowing for nearly a year of McGee’s plans, he had interviewed no candidates, formally or informally. McGee said in a news release that he hoped the university would promote from within, and Sorensen confirmed that McGee had recommended a replacement from USC. However, Sorensen said McGee would have no input in the actual hiring of an athletic director. On the process of hiring a new athletics director, Sorensen is keeping an open mind. “It is absolutely imperative for all searches that we have for all positions within the university that the search be wide open,” Sorensen said. “That is so that we do not preclude people from being considered. So I am wide' open to any candidate who is interested in the position.” Sorensen emphasized there would not be a committee appointed to carry on the hiring process, but the decision would be entirely up to him. He did mention that he would consult Chairman of the Board of Trustees Herbert Adams and Chairman of Intercollegiate Activities Committee Samuel Foster about possible candidates. At a news conference Tuesday, Sorensen said he was not aware of any notification given to Spurrier of McGee’s retirement before the coach’s hiring. “This really doesn’t come as a big shock to me. He told me that he was giving strong consideration to retiring in the near future,” Spurrier said in a news release Tuesday. “I can tell you that coach McGee has done an outstanding job of putting our football program in an excellent position to be successful.” Sorensen also noted that he tried on numerous occasions to convince McGee to reconsider, but all attempts were unsuccessful. He said the timing of the announcement was entirely up to McGee and that Tuesday was the time that McGee had chosen. Sorensen said he is sad to see McGee go. ♦ Please see MCGEE, page 3 SG adds Wall Street Journal to camtius readershiti tiro pram JL By MINDY MOORE THE GAMECOCK Student Government has added copies of the Wall Street Journal to campus news stands already carrying USA Today and The New York Times as part of the Collegiate Readership Program. While SG implemented the Collegiate Readership Program with USA Today last year, it had to approach the Wall Street Journal on its own to draw up a one-semester contract. Dean Joel Smith of the Moore School of Business asked SG to add the Journal and make it available in the Business Administration building and around campus. X X “Students need to know that there is more to read about than what they’re required to do. There is a lot going on in our world today, and they ought to know about issues to be able to form opinions about them,” Student Affairs Director Jerry Brewer, a strong supporter of the Readership Program, said. “The Wall Street Journal is the business publication of business publications. We’ve got one of the highest-rated business programs here at USC, so it makes sense that we are now supplying students with it.” Many students are not familiar with the Collegiate Readership Program, but most have seen one of its on-campus ♦ Please see JOURNAL, page 3 IN THIS ISSUE ♦ VIEWPOINTS A modest rebuttal Curtis Chow responds to the backlash from his column last Wednesday, stating his true intentions for the gym and its inhabitants. Page 7 I \ ♦ THE MIX Inaugural beginnings Learn the history of presidential inauguration ceremonies going back to •( the food fight at President Ulysses S. Grant’s inaugural ball. Page 8 £ WEATHER ♦ TODAY ♦ THURS. | High 4 6 High 5 7 Low 27 Low 31 FOR EXTENDED FORECAST, SEE PAGE 2. INDEX Comics and Crossword..9 Classifieds.12 Horoscopes.9 Letters to the Editor..6 Online Poll..6 Police Report..2