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ThoUniomitj of South Cunhtut _ _ _ • VoL 98, No. 86 • Sim 1908 ---FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2005 j FIGHT STOPS fSTEP | SHOW By JON TURNER NEWS EDITOR ■ The Omega Psi Phi step show and induction ceremony was disrupted Thursday night by a brawl involving about 40 fraternity members. The show, held in the Russell House Ballroom, was split by a shoving match that turned into a fight between members of the Phi Beta Sigma and Omega Psi Phi fraternities. A man who identified himself as Corey Felton was recounting the fight, blow-by blow, to some friends outside. He said the “Alphas” had started the fight with the Sigmas. “Because they caught two ‘Kappas’ in i the bathroom f—ing,” one of his friends said. Information desk chief Scotty Kednocker said Russell House employees were not making statements, but one student employee who asked not to be named said he and several of his coworkers had witnessed the fight first hand. The employee described it as between the “Q’s” (of Omega Psi Phi), and some Sigmas, blue and white, estimating the fight involved between 40 and 50 people. “We were here, so we saw it from the beginning. We had to get the police, so it was probably four or five minutes or so,” he said. “The guy in a green shirt had them held back. That’s my boss, Neal,” the employee said. “Then one of the Sigmas pushed one of the Qs, and then all the Qs rushed in, because this was their event. They had all the numbers, and then they rushed in and ♦ FIGHT, page 5 - . .. . , ivimfa t r i I'lvrfruic i vv«icnorwn i n^^nivicuuv/rv Jeff Robertson, a second-year marketing student, step dances with Omega Psi Phi brothers during the fraternity's induction celebration Thursday night. A fight interrupted, the show. NBC SURVEY GENERATES CRITICISM w By chas McCarthy THE GAMECOCK USC professors are questioning the accuracy of a recent NBC News survey that found Americans more commonly supported creation theory than evolution. According to NBC News, 57 percent of Americans responding to the “Faith in America” survey said the biblical account of creation “is more likely to actually be the explanation for the origin of human life on earth.” Only 33 percent said evolution explained life on Earth. Carl Evans, chairman of USC’s Department of Religious Studies, and Christopher Tourney, a professor of anthropology and philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the survey results could be different if the question were phrased differently. ^^k Evans said the principal problem with the survey question’s phrasing was its “either/or” format, which implies a choice between science and religion. Tourney, author of “God’s Own Scientists: Creationists in a Secular World,” an attempt to explain the intricacies of the debate between creationism and evolutionism, said i- ' -~-r-'"i—— to choose between the biblical account of creation, an atheist’s account of evolution and a religious account of evolution. He said those results have usually shown about 47 percent in favor of an evolutionary theory of creation and about 44 percent supporting the biblical creation theory. Some scientists say evidence exists to debunk the biblical creation theory — including biblical scholars’ contentions *that Earth is approximately 10,000 years old. These experts have pointed to fossil discoveries in Africa, which have led anthropologists to estimate the earliest men lived as many as 200,000 years ago. Such evidence has failed to sway some university-educated American Christians, who accuse scientists of fabricating fossils of the dinosaurs to justify evolutionary theories or argued that the six days God took to create the universe as described in ♦ SURVEY, page 5 CHRIS! I in t bUKUbt rOR THE GAMECOCK John Stossel signs autographs after his Wednesday night lecture at the Koger Center. Stossel authored "Give Me a Break.” Stossel calls for legal reform ‘20/20’ co-anchor tells Koger Center crowd drug laws ‘pointless’ By KELLY CAVANAUGH ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR ABC News Correspondent and “20/20” co-anchor John Stossel told USC students Wednesday that making drugs illegal has simply encouraged their spread. Stossel, winner of 19 Emmy awards in his 30 years of reporting, spoke at the Koger Center, describing his transition from consumer reporter to ffee-market advocate. Summarizing his recent bestseller, Give Me a Break,” Stossel said he began reporting with the typical mindset of a young journalist — that “America is a great place to live, and capitalism is OK.” He said government, though, should concentrate more on protecting its citizens than regulating insignificant details of everyday life, to enforce “some pollution rules, and to enforce contracts, and that’s about it.” Stossel argued that illicit drugs should be legalized, saying that drugs were as easy to come by in some places as alcohol, and that the government couldn’t even keep them out of prisons. “Making them illegal makes them more appealing,” he said. Brooke Mosley, a third-year English student, said she thought Stossel’s talk and his stance on drugs were “awesome.” “It sounds bad, because of course you don’t want people doing drugs. But he had a really good point,” Mosley said, adding that it was ridiculous for drug dealers to endure sentences comparable to violent criminals. Stossel said drug laws were pointless, because people are going to “use and abuse” drugs anyway, and that they resulted in unintended consequences. Stossel attributed the majority of drug crimes to laws. “Almost nobody gets high on these drugs and commits crimes,” he said. “Ninety-five percent of (drug crime) is because the product is illegal and sold on the black market.” “It’s the law that causes the drug crime and corrupts police forces,” he said. Stossel said drug regulations teach low income children that entry-level workers are sufferers. “Why work at McDonald’s for minimum wage when your little brother can make much more as a lookout for the drug dealers? And they’re the role models of the neighborhood, the ones with the best cars and the best homes,” he said. Mosley said she agreed with Stossel’s argument. “If you make it legal, you’ll get the drug sellers off the streets. And so what if people are doing it? Because it is their choice,” she said. Stossel said the black market in drugs ♦ STOSSEL, page 4 Officials announce music dean candidates By TAYLOR SMITH STAFF WRITER USC officials announced four finalists for School of Music dean Tuesday. The final candidates are Sara Lynn Baird, associate dean of the School of Music at Louisiana State University; Garry W. Owens, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Texas Tech University; George T. Riordan, director and professor at the Robert W. McLean School of Music at Middle Tennessee [ State University; and C. Tayloe Harding Jr., head of the department of music at Valdosta State University. With Dean Jamal Rossi’s May 31 resignation, the school should have ample time to find a dean before the fall semester, but Rossi said the school might be without a dean during the summer I and summer II semesters, a situation he said he didn’t see as a problem. “This is my own philosophical position: If there is going to be a new dean, they need to have a dean set for the academic year,” Rossi said. “And it is my hope that they can find a person that is the right fit for the school... for the fall semester.” The standard USC dean search process includes the nomination of four final candidates for the position. Rossi called this search a good one. Owens visited the school yesterday and will finish his tour of the university today after meeting with faculty and students around campus. USC will also play host to Baird April 21-22, Riordan April 25-26 and Harding April 28-29. Rossi would not comment about his influence on the dean search or his preference as to who should succeed him, but added that one quality his successor should have is that, of an “exceptional musician.” “1 think they have run some very good research ... and done a good search,” Rossi said. Rossi will become the dean of academic affairs and deputy dean of the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockneTVs@gwm.sc.edu THIS ISSUE ♦ THE MIX All that jazz Carolina Alive, USC’s vocal jazz choir, will perform its spring concert tonight at the School of Music. Page 7 ♦ SPORTS Singh’s masterful performance Vijay Singh takes the lead in round one action of the Masters at Augusta National. Page 10 INDEX Comics & Crossword..9 Classifieds.12 Horoscopes..9 Letters to the Editor..6 Online Poll..6 Police Report..2 www. aailygamecock. com