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Bonn Room CARPET Cheap! -ar OPEN MON-SAT 9 AM TO 6 PM JESSICA ANN NIELSEN/THE GAMECOCK In addition to daily bike rides and walks on the historic Horseshoe, USC President Andrew Sorensen is drawing inspiration from the campus refuge for the research campus. Sorensen jokingly touted his close relationship with the university architect. s«en • conTinucD PRom m with faculty encouraging students to not only think about but engage in a particular research area. “I don’t want you to come her and be sequestered with just journalism or physics students,” Sorensen said. “Unfortunately a lot of that goes on at a university because once people figure out what they want to do, they zero in on it. That throng of people from different backgrounds getting together is what makes the university great.” Despite leaps and bounds in the “town-gown relationship,” the S.C. legislature provided USC with decreasing amounts of annual funding up until Sorensen took his post. After being named Ambassador of tbe Year by the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce he succeeded locally, but as The State newspaper reported July 25, USC is gaining national prestige from winning far more national dollars than peer institutions. Even if the legislature is reluctant to increase funding, Sorensen said he has no problem with asking them for more or for attempting to get funds from the U.S. legislature. “I don’t feel guilty (to ask for mote money) because I think those of you who are students here and graduate from here are the future of the University of South Carolina and the state of South Carolina,” Sorensen said. “I’m not.” Sorensen said he is urging politicians to take a long-term interest in students for that reason. “The state needs to invest in you collectively,” Sorensen said. “Politicians live in short-term cycles. They think about the next election or the next opinion pole. I don’t think that way.” New initiatives in research and academia are enhancing Sorensen’s credibility as an educator, but his experience in athletics will be called on this fall. The NCAA investigation and resulting penalty recommendations outlined by USC are similar to those seen by Sorensen five years ago when he was president of the University of Alabama. Despite one of the harshest sanctions ever imposed on the athletics program, UA and Sorensen were complimented with how well they handled the investigation and penalties. Sorensen said his attitude toward this investigation will not differ. “In the fall of 1990, it was the responsibility of the provost of the University of Florida to explain to the new coach, Steve Spurrier, that the football team would not be going to a bowl game because the problems that his predecessor created,” Sorensen said. “So this is not a new situation for coach Spurrier and Andrew Sorensen.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknetvs@gwm.sc.edu IGroucho's Delil in 5-Points since 1941 I Welcoming Back USC for 65 Vfears! I Home of the Famous Apollo Dipper and 45 SauceMf! I ® | Groucho's ■ ! *>eli j ■ FREE SWEET TEA ! | with the purchase of I ■ any specialty sandwich I ' mm valid at Groucho's 5-Points only 611 Harden Street • 5-R»ints • Call 799 5708 for fake Out Go to www.grouchos.com for menu/ history^ and location maps.