Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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AMECOCK The University of South Carolina FRIDAY, MARCH 18,2005 Vol. 98, No. 77 · Since 1908 Scholar says biblical study should avoid particulars By JON TURNER THE GAMECOCK Leading female Catholic New Testament scholar Pheme Perkins spoke to a small audience Thursday night in the Russell House Ballroom about the importance of perspective in biblical study. Perkins characterized the New Testament as much fuzzier than historians tend to paint it. "Luke says, ΌΚ, so Jesus kind of shows up at Easter, so they've got 40 days to muddle around.'" Perkins said Christians today are prone to fixation on the exact words of scripture, but she pointed out that for many years after Christ's death there was no specific, authoritative body of Christian literature. "That has such a hold on the minds of students and scholars that it's hard for them to imagine a time before such a canon," she said, adding that academics should be wary of taking "rewritten scripture" too literally. 1'erkins discussed differing interpretations among scholars of Q, the orally circulating source of Jesus' sayings, and the Gospel of Thomas, citing one passage of Thomas that could be read in three different ways. "It's wrong to think you've got to have one key to all these sayings," she said. She mentioned that Thomas, like other books of the Bible, had undergone "normal" growth during the second century, but she emphasized that such editing was hardly a "Vatican plot," explaining that she felt the "biological model" of a constantly evolving, oral history was more accurate than the "repression model" of dictatorial censorship. "We keep making up more as we try to fill it out," she said. Perkins also addressed divisions among adherents of different apostolic philosophies, taking what she described as a more British approach, urging her audience to take a more expansive view of the period. "It's first of all important to realize the great diversity of early Christian writing," ♦ SCHOLAR, page 4 PINTS IN THE POINTS. NICK ESARES/THE GAMECOCK Pedestrians stroll past Delaney's on Thursday night. Five Points will celebrate St. Patrick's Day on Saturday. Study shows professors don't trust test-takers By MARIA CHARLES THE GAMECOCK USC journalism students are more honest than their professors think, according to one doctoral student's study. "Faculty think students are more dishonest than they actually are," said James Christian, a third-year doctoral student in the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies who replicated a study conducted at Mississippi State University. His study sampled 79 journalism students' responses to 10 questions involving ethical decisions. • The same questions were distributed to journalism faculty members, who were asked how they felt students would respond. As an instructor in Research Methods in Mass Communication, Christian was "naturally interested" in students' academic ethics. Christian said he thought the study was unique because of similar results obtained in the Philippines and in Mississippi. "It was cross-cultural, which you wouldn't expect," Christian said. He conducted the same study in the journalism school as a research project for his 800-level ethics class. Results from USC, Mississippi and the Philippines showed "faculty perception was way off," Christian said. The USC study found professors' perceptions were noticeably different than student responses on four of 10 questions. The faculty had little faith in students' honesty and skewed perceptions about students' willingness to cheat. For example, students were asked whether they would be willing to turn in a paper written by a classmate. The faculty thought "almost all students" would use the paper, whereas Christian's study showed that 83 percent of students surveyed said they would not use a friend's work. Christian also said the faculty "overwhelmingly" thought students copy test answers from one another. While the study is not conclusive, it might suggest opinion trends. ♦ STUDY, page 4 DEAN DIALOGUE NIUK tbAKtb/1 πt UAMtUUUK Arts and Sciences Dean Mary Anne Fitzpatrick said few physical changes have accompanied the newly merged mega-college. Arts and Sciences chief sees power in numbers By TAYLOR SMITH STAFF WRITER The merger of the first- and fourth-largest colleges at USC is official, and while the dean of the new college has taken her post, she isn't worried about leading the College of Arts and Sciences, now the largest college in South Carolina. Dean Mary Anne Fitzpatrick isn't bothered by her college's 7,000 undergraduate students, she said, because the college she used to head - Wisconsin's College of Letters and Sciences — serves as many undergraduates as attend USC. She said the school's population can be used as an advantage for USC, not a handicap. "The faculty in this college are predominantly visible in a student's first two years of college here. Your basic English, your basic math, we are preparing you for your professional schools elsewhere on campus," Fitzpatrick said. USC's Ôoard of Trustees approved the merger in December 2003, but the consolidation came despite concerns from faculty members and students who felt the new mega college would be too impersonal. Faculty members of each school were worried the new college's massive size would dilute their departments' achievements. Students were worried they wouldn't have the chance to interact with administrators and faculty members. Despite changes that have accompanied the merger, Fitzpatrick said faculty advisers, who assist students, will keep ♦ Please see DEAN, page 4 Latinos garner new S.C. recognition through Walker Institute consortium By MARIA CHARLES THE GAMECOCK Elaine Lacy has become a voice for about 400,000 South Carolinians, and the number is growing. As director of the Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies, a newly developed research entity, Lacy helps Latino immigrants receive recognition as a social and economic force. The consortium, a program within the Walker Institute for International and Area Studies, was initiated in July. Since then, the consortium has conducted research, played host to speakers, and sponsored workshops and symposia to educate South Carolina legislators and citizens about the needs and influence of Latinos, who constitute about 10 percent of South Carolina's population, according to Lacy. Lacy is interviewing about 200 immigrants and conducting research to try to estimate the number of Latinos in South Carolina. "The state undercounts Latinos," she said. The official number of Latinos in the state is 95,076, but a consortium study estimates there are between 400,000 and 500,000 in South Carolina. The consortium has also started an economic impact study. The Web site www.schispanicoutreach.org reported that Latinos living in South Carolina- have an estimated purchasing power of almost $1.6 billion a year. "We're interested in economic and cultural and societal issues like education and health care. All will be impacted by this new population group," Lacy said, saying it is "vital we know more about them and their needs so we can meet those needs." "We need more interpreters. We need more Spanish speakers everywhere, in law enforcement and in education. We need more programs to help Latinos speak English," she said. Transportation is another necessity for Latino immigrants. Of those Lacy has interviewed, an overwhelming majority cited access to transportation as its greatest need. Undocumented immigrants cannot obtain driver's ♦ LATINOS, page 4 Assembly Street energy facility construction obstructs parking, forces faculty relocation By KEVIN FELLNER SENIOR WRITER A project to build a new USC energy facility has kept crews working all semester to finish on schedule, while street closures from the construction have blocked valuable parking spaces and created traffic tie-ups during major campus events. Crews drilling on streets surrounding the Koger Center are in the first phase of building USC's fourth energy facility on the Greene Street side of the Carolina Coliseum and integrating its pipes and wiring with the new Arnold School of Public Health building under construction at the corner of Assembly and College streets. A four-month campus energy audit last year by Johnson Controls Inc. confirmed the university's estimate that USC needed a new generator to meet its growing energy needs as an expanding campus. "Giving the public-health building a stand-alone system would not be the most efficient way to provide for utility needs,' said Helen Zeigler, director of USC business affairs. The construction has forced the relocation of 75 faculty and staff parking spaces to a lot at the corner of Assembly and Blossom streets. But administrators estimate the streets will reopen by April 1, assuming there are no weather delays, and that construction will have no effect on May's commencement ceremonies. People attending recent basketball games and concerts at the Colonial Center and performances at the Koger Center have faced redirection to and from events this year. Deputy Parking Services Director Derrick Huggins said the university worked with the City of Columbia to monitor the traffic changes and provide additional help in directing it. "When we were forced to re route cars because of Greene Street .closing, we saw a delay of maybe ♦ PROJECT, page 4 — wvjw. dailygamecock.com THIS ISSUE ♦ THE MIX Coming to the big screen The Fifth Annual Columbia Jewish Film Festival will be playing at the Nick beginning Saturday. Page 8 ♦ SPORTS Spring is here — so is football Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks take the field for the first time under a new coaching staff. Page 10 INDEX Comics & Crossword. 9 Classifieds. 12 Horoscopes 9 Letters to the Editor. 6 Online Poll. 6 Police Report. 2 '