The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 30, 2005, Image 1
—-WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2005-" w
Body donors
enable study
of anatomy
By MARK SIECKMAN
FOR THE GAMECOCK
Almost 1,800 people have donated their
bodies to USC’s Gift of Body Program
during the last 30 years for medical
students to dissect.
The Department of Developmental
Biology and Anatomy manages the
program, through which individuals may
donate their remains to the School of
Medicine for scientific study.
The Gift of Body Program began in the
1970s and received its first donation in
1977- The program has received about
1,740 donations to date, and donations
vary from year to year.
“Some years, we’ve received as many as
70 donations, but we average about 50 per
year,” said Lisa Buchanan, program
coordinator, who has worked for the Gift
of Body Program for the last 10 years and
handles each donor’s case.
Interested donors must meet certain
requirements and complete an application.
Requirements include an intact body that
has not had any organs donated, is at least
18 years old and lacks any contagious
diseases that might be spread post-mortem.
Upon the donor’s death, immediate
family members or legal representatives
contact the program, which arranges to
pick up all in-state cadavers at no cost to
the donor.
The bodies are used to teach anatomy
to first-year medical students in the Gross
Anatomy Lab.
“Students work in teams of six and
rotate from body to body in teams of two,”
Buchanan said. “During the fall semester,
we usually keep up to 20 bodies.”
The bodies are stored, fully embalmed,
in a refrigerated morgue in the lower levels
of the School of Medicine. Depending on
the amount of recent donations, the
morgue might contain as few as three
bodies or as many as 40.
The cadavers are used stricdy for
teaching the students anatomy, but some
donors have greater hopes.
“Unfortunately, we do have some
♦ DONORS, page 4
New fraternity
working toward
Greek approval
By TAYLOR SMITH
STAFF WRITER
USC’s first Jewish fraternity is getting
closer to becoming an official Greek life
organization while planning to participate
in the Relay for Life on April 22.
Confirmed as an official USC Greek
colony in November, the local chapter of
Sigma Alpha Mu has helped with several
local Jewish synagogues, but is planning to
start its philanthropy this semester and
student activities this fall.
Chapter President Ira Klein said the
colony has not received its letter of
designation, but the 12 members of the
group are enjoying study sessions and
other group-building opportunities like
intramural dodgeball and softball. Despite
being a new Greek life organization, he
said Sigma Alpha Mu is unlike other
fraternities that participate in initiation
exercises.
“An education period is nothing too
major. We are learning more and more
about the fraternity,” Klein said. “If we
were already a functioning member of the
Greek community then new members
would just have to learn the about the
chapter, but because we are new, we are all
basically new pledges.”
To gain full recognition as a fraternity
at the university level, the colony must
gain 20 or 25 members, maintain a certain
level of academic excellence, organize a
philanthropic event and be able to keep a
bank account.
President-elect Daniel Chassen will talk
as president of the chapter Friday and said
JESSICA ANN NIELSEN/THE GAMECOCK
Bates House representatives voice their opinion during RHA elections Tuesday
night. Terrill Wilkins was elected president, the first new leader in two years.
Crown Fits
Greek Womens Day features former Miss America
By KELLY CAVANAUGH
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
USC’s Sorority Council played host to
Kate Shindle, Miss America 1998, Monday
night at Greek Women’s Day in the BA
Belk Auditorium. Shindle spoke on the
topic of “Exploitation or Empowerment”
and her perspective of the role the Miss
America pageant plays in society.
A self-proclaimed “Recovering Miss
America,” Shindle is anything but the
stereotypical pageant girl. Shindle describes
herself as a “misfit” and “outsider” who was
suddenly thrust into a world that she never
thought she would be a part of.
“The Miss America organization, it’s kind
of a world full of misfits. It’s generally not
the Homecoming Queens who become Miss
America. It’s sort of like the geeky girls from
high school, like me, who learn how to do
their hair,” Shindle said.
Shindle explained that “once upon a
time” former Miss Americas and newly
crowned Miss Americas enjoyed instant
stardom But now, she said, the Miss
America organization is having something of
an “identity crisis.”
“Miss America is kind of an ‘also-ran’ in
the public consciousness because now the
normal girls on TV aren’t wearing evening
gowns and answering questions. They’re
like, eating maggots and making out in hot
tubs,” Shindle said.
Shindle said the swimsuit competition is
really the “lightning rod” of the pageant,
even though it is worth only a small
percentage of a contestant’s final score.
“I never really loved spray gluing a I
swimsuit on and walking around on a stage :
in front of an audience full
of people, but I didn’t really
hate it. It wasn’t a deal- ££
breaker for me. I never felt
like someone was dangling the
carrot of scholarships in order
to get me to take my clothes . ||
off,” she said.
Shindle said she met many
women who thought she was
being exploited by the Miss
America program.
“I never really felt that
way,” she said,
“Frankly, once I got
over insecurity and
body image issues to
walk around on
stage in
♦ SHINDLE. page 8
NICK ESARES/THE GAMECOCK
:ormer Miss America Kate Shindle spoke Monday at Greek Women's Day. Iri her
peech, she confronted the empowerment and exploitation of the beauty pageant.
Wilkins elected
RHA president
By TAYLOR SMITH
STAFF WRITER
USC’s Residence Hall Association voted
Terrill Wilkins president-elect Tuesday,
marking the organization’s first new leader
in two years.
Although the inauguration isn’t until
April 19, Wilkins vows students will hear a
louder sound coming from the organization,
which manages all university residence halls.
“We have been tweaking hall
government for years now,” Wilkins said.
“But RHA is going to become more
involved with that process in terms of
getting our name out.”
Wilkins, a second-year political science
and history student, became an RHA
member when he became Maxcy residence
hall president as a freshman. He said he
knew he wanted to be involved the first
day he walked on to campus, but he never
thought he would become RHA president.
“I wanted to keep my options open,”
Wilkins said. “But when I was a Housing
and Campus Concerns (committee)
chairman, I kind of realized there was
potential for me to take my leadership to
the next level.”
RHA has jurisdiction over all residence
halls and residents on campus, which
represents approximately 6,500 students,
but RHA President Adam Hark said the
pressure is only as large as one makes it.
“There is not a lot of pressure,” Hark
said of his two years in office. “I think that
if a president is secure in his decisions then
he will sleep well at night.”
Wilkins said he is not intimidated by
the office, but does have big shoes to fill.
Although he is eager to start serving, he
will miss Hark, who he said has done
much for the organization.
“Adam Hark has done a lot in terms of
making the organization more
representative,” Wilkins said. “The
groundwork he has laid in terms of running
♦ RHA, page 4
USC scholars
among elite
award winners
By JENNIFER ROBINSON
FOR THE GAMECOCK
Three USC students have received the
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for the
upcoming school year.
Third-year psychology student Alisha
Epps, second-year biology student Rita
Czako and third-year sports and
entertainment management student Chris
Mitchell received the award, the premier
undergraduate scholarship of its kind in
mathematics, natural sciences and
engineering.
The Barry M. Goldwater Excellence in
Education Foundation, chaired by Peggy
Goldwater Clay, awarded 320 scholarships
for the upcoming school year. Faculty
members nominated more than 1,000
mathematics, science and engineering
students nationwide for the scholarship.
This marks the 12th consecutive year USC
students were among the award’s
recipients.
USC students have won 247 national
awards, totaling more than $6.4 million
for advanced academic study since 1994.
USC nominates students, who are
invited to complete an application. The
nominees are narrowed down, and
remaining applicants are interviewed.
Based on the interviews, the students
found to be most applicable become
officially nominated to represent the
school in this nationally competitive
scholarship program.
1 m really pleased and honored by this
award. I’m proud to represent our school
in that way,” Epps said.
For her part, Epps said she plans to
pursue a doctorate with a focus on
neuroscience. She hopes to concentrate her
efforts on research of depression and
anxiety.
Czako said she is interested in public
health and would like to pursue a career in
epidemiology. Mitchell could not be
reached for comment.
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and
Excellence in Education Program was
established in 1986 to honor U.S. Sen. Barry
M. Goldwater, who served for 30 years.
The Foundation’s purpose is to provide a
long-lasting source of highly qualified
scientists, mathematicians and engineers by
♦ SCHOLARS, page 4
NICK ESARES/THE GAMECOCK
Sigma Alpha Mu, USC’s first Jewish fraternity, is close to becoming an official
Greek Life organization. The fraternity looks to meet the criteria by spring 2006.
he is excited about serving as head of the
colony, which is well on its way to meeting
the criteria set for it.
“I am ready to grab the organization by
the reigns and bring it to great heights,”
Chassen said of the need to grow the
colony. “We have the quality members we
want to have, but we don’t have quantity.”
After several meetings as a colony,
Chassen said the group is taking all the
necessary steps toward becoming a genuine
fraternity, including naming their large
philanthropy the Elizabeth Glaser
Pediatric Aids Foundation.
“The morale is getting higher and
higher as our ideas become a reality,” Klein
said. “It sounds like everyone is pretty
hyped to become a fraternity.”
Chassen said he hopes to meet the
necessary criteria for becoming a fraternity
by spring 2006.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocknews@gwm.sc. edu
Students visit
friend abroad,
help remedy
homesickness
By MEGAN MOXIE
FOR THE GAMECOCK
GRENOBLE, France — One of the
hardest parts of studying abroad is leaving
friends and family, students say.
But, they add, one of the most exciting
parts is sharing their experiences with
them. For second-year history and
economics student Austin Ber'singer,
USC’s spring break offered the chance for
his friends from home to cross the Atlantic
and visit him. Some of his closest friends
from USC — third-year management
student David Youst, first-year business
student Vanessa Cuadra, third-year
international business student Thad
Crenshaw, first-year pharmacy student
Catherine McAbee and Laura
Killingsworth — flew to Paris to meet
Bersinger.
“How many people can say that five of
♦ FRANCE, page 7
IN THIS ISSUE
♦ VIEWPOINTS
Here’s what we
really need ...
The Gamecock staff editorial
takes you back to the days
when a USC monorail seemed
like a good idea.
Page 9
■■ ■■ —
♦THE MIX
Inspiration
from the family
Read how one woman’s
experiences caring for her
autistic brother might
result in a career.
Page 10
♦ SPORTS
Basketball only
one game away |f§
The Gamecocks defeated
Maryland on Thursday to - ^
advance to the finals of the w
2005 NIT. ■
Page 13 P
INDEX
Comics & Crossword..12
Classifieds..15
Horoscopes...12
Online Poll..9
Police Report..2
■ |
- www.dailygamecock.com