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; ; _ ; ' " - . www.dailygamecock.com FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4,2 005 m2££ ==_=^— Hopefuls voice goals, platforms ■ Potential executives sound off on campus safety, parking, fees By ALLYSON BIRO THE GAMECOCK The race to the Russell House has begun, with Student Government presidential candidates coming out in droves. Whereas last year’s race had only three candidates, nine students have hied for the top executive office this year. As expected, SG has its eye on its own. Chief of Staff Betsy Curry and S.C. State Student Association Vice President Meghan Hughes both said the buzz around the SG office is for candidate Ben Havird, current president pro tem and Business senator. “The experience factor is coming into play, and for those of us in Student Government, that is our biggest concern,” Hughes said. Vice President Yvonne Miller and Liberal Arts Sen. Steven Byrd are the other two SG insiders vying for the job. Before the election and even the debate, The Gamecock took a first brush look at the candidates’ platforms: ♦ Please see PRESIDENT, page 3 STUDENT GOVERNMENT JASON STEELMAN/THE GAMECOCK Andrew Kolb, fourth-year criminal justice student, studies Student Government campaign posters in Gambrell between classes. Volunteers assist SG campaigns ■ Willing students don T-shirts, post fliers for candidates By KELLY CAVANAUGH ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR With Student Government campaign signs on every wall, bulletin board and crevasse around campus, student helpers — not candidates — are doing much of the campaign legwork in this year’s election. Student campaign helpers are vital to a successful campaign, candidates say. Helpers get out the candidate’s name and platform to other students on campus. Erica McDaniel, campaign manager for treasurer candidate Tommy Preston, said the elections are an important pan of the college experience. “I think everyone should get involved even if it’s just to vote,” McDaniel, a third-year political science student, said. McDaniel said her favorite pan of working on the campaign is being able to be a pan of SG and “meeting a lot of people.” ♦ Please see HELPERS, page 3 CRYSTAL L. LAUDERDALE/THE TAMPA TRIBUNE William Bergen (left) watches as his Middleton High School teammate OJ Murdock covers his Tigers jersey with a new Gamecocks jersey after announcing his intention to attend and play football for the University of South Carolina. Spurrier bags high-caliber skill players By ALEX RILEY STAFF WRITER Before he has even coached a game in Williams-Brice Stadium, USC coach Steve Spurrier has something to crow about. Spurrier, along with recruiting coordinator Rick Stockstill, landed a top-25 recruiting class according to many of the nations recruiting experts, such as Scout.com. "Normally I don’t brag too much about my recruiting classes,” Spurrier said. “But I. think this is an excellent group of guys we’ve signed today.” Those excellent guys included three very recent additions during the past few days. Columbia’s Mike Davis finally made his decision to stay in town Feb. 1. Davis, a three-star back, finally signed with the Gamecocks after pondering offers from the likes of Auburn, Clemson and Florida. Davis was listed as the 11 th-best back in the nation by Scout.com and the 67th best overall prospect by Rivals.com. Spurrier said Davis could challenge incumbent tailback Demetris Summers for playing time next season. Davis recorded back-to back 2,000-yard rushing seasons his final two years in high school, including 2,226 rhis season with 27 touchdowns. The surprise of the day came from North Carolina native Jonathan Hannah. Hannah, the fifth best defensive end and fourth best tight end in the nation according to Rivals.com, was left for dead by most in the Carolina community after committing to Virginia Tech. However, Hannah changed his commitment and has decided to come to Columbia. During his senior campaign, Hannah recorded 106 tackles and 12 sacks on the defensive side of the ball, while having 36 receptions for four scores on offense. “(Hannah) felt he made a mistake. He corrected it today,” Spurrier jokingly told the media. The other big late pickup came from Florida native O.J. Murdock. Murdock, “Normally I don’t brag too much about my recruiting classes. But I think this is an excellent group of guys we’ve signed today.” STEVE SPURRIER use FOOTBALL COACH rated the 10th best wide receiver in the country by Rivals.com and seventh best by Prep Star, chose the Gamecocks over Spurrier’s alma mater Florida. Murdock combined for 1,780 yards and 18 touchdowns during his junior and senior seasons in high school. He was a selection to the US Army All-Star Game but was unable to participate. USC’s recruiting class features a large demographic, as the class of 2005 features eight in-state recruits, with the rest coming from Florida (8), Georgia (5), North Carolina (3), New Jersey (2), Tennessee (1) and as far away as ♦ Please see RECRUIT, page 8 USC Fact Book shows imbalance among sexes By LIZ SKELLY THE GAMECOCK The College of Engineering and Information Technology was 85 percent male and 15 percent female in the fall 2004 semester, according to the USC Fact Book, but that gender imbalance doesn’t seem to bother many female engineering students. The change in classroom makeup can be invigorating for some women in the engineering program. The imbalance has not always been so severe. The 1996 USC Fact Book lists the percentages at 78 percent male and 22 percent female. And the College of Engineering and Information Technology is not the only USC school to lean heavily toward one gender. The College of Nursing is 93 percent female and 7 percent male. The Arnold School of Public Health; the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies; and the colleges of pharmacy, music and education are all mostly female. Second-year mechanical engineering student Victoria Bigham said the College of Engineering and Information Technology worked to include women among its student population. “The college is worried about their ratios of men to women so they are really oriented toward including female students," Bigham said. She pointed out that USC plays host to a local chapter of the national Society ofWomen Engineers. “It’s really new to USC,” Bigham said. “It’s just them putting the word out that there are women engineers, and they try to recruit girls to come into the program.” Other students in the engineering program were equally enthusiastic about how the engineering department is working hard for diversity. Justin Smith, a second-year structural engineering ♦ Please see IMBALANCE, page 3 Undergraduate enrollment in USC colleges A A : Nursing >__v. Pharmacy_______ ■ Arnold School of Public Health _ | Science & Math x_ _ Hosp, Retail & Sport Mgmt Liberal Arts Music _. Moore School of Business Education E?igineering & Info Technology ...* ;> Mass Communications & Info Studies H Male H Female -^56 7 S3 131 2S3 98_280 7S9 1,03,6 887 672 .. 2,381 2,985 124 . 142 1,524 1,325 114 477 1,163 211 436 1,067 IN THIS ISSUE ♦ NEWS Police respond to animals in need While such incidents are rare, USC police say they have a policy for dealing with animals on campus. Page 3 ♦ THE MIX All the cool kids are doing it New author Curtis Sittenfield shares an angst-filled story of a high school girl enrolled in a New England boarding school. Page 7 prep WEATHER ♦ TODAY High 55 Low 3 5 ♦ SAT. High 6i Low 3 5 I , FOR EXTENDED FORECAST, SEE PAt* 2. INDEX Comics and Crossword..7 Classifieds.10 Horoscopes.7 Letters to the Editor..4 Online Poll..4 Police Report..2