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The University of South Carolina Wednesday, January 18, 2006 Vol. 99, No. 51 • Since 1908 *v Associate Honors College dean to step down ft Special to THE GAMECOCK Douglas Williams is stepping down in June as an associate dean of the S.C. Honors College. Williams will still teach. ‘Dr. Doug to resign in June, stay on as geology professor Jess Dauis STAFF WRITER An associate dean of the Honors College will resign from his position, effective in June, but he will remain at USC as a professor, Honors College Dean Davis Baird said. Douglas Williams, affectionately known to the staff as Dr. Doug, has served as an associate dean for close to a decade but wanted a “change of pace,” Baird said Tuesday night. Williams and Baird have been discussing his resignation since November and reached a final decision last week. An internal search for a new dean will begin this semester, and Baird hopes to have finalized the search by May, he said. Williams served as an adviser to marine science, geological studies, biology and chemistry students, and he taught courses in geology and marine science. He will return to the geology department as a professor and will likely continue to teach honors classes, Baird said. “He developed a bunch of really innovative ways of approaching teaching, and I hope that he will continue to do that and provide his expertise in that respect for the college,” Baird said. “The change is entirely amicable. Being an associate dean is a demanding job, and he’s done it for a long time.” Williams was also co creator of a research based learning initiative with retired-Dean Peter Sederberg, who now teaches political science, and Stefka Eddins. In a biography on the Honors College Web site, Williams said that he “love(s) to involve undergraduates in many of (his) professional activities,” including research funded by the National Science Foundation, and to develop “exciting educational opportunities for elementary school children.” Last year, in collaboration with students in his “Science of the Artie” and Polar Science classes, Williams created a program at EdVenture Children’s Museum called “Go Polar! Cool Science in the Atretic.” “We will continue to use his expertise and what makes him great,” Baird said. He mentioned that Williams’ latest work might be used in an upcoming undergraduate education seminar. Williams will not stay on as an adviser in any formal position. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@givm. sc. edu ^ Some senators say RHA constitution needs updating President Terrill Wilkins hails amendment as 'great first step’ in re-organizing document Gina Uasselli •STAFF WRITER The RHA constitution was “antiquated” and vice president Jonathan Ross, a second-year political science student, and Senator Andrew Bullard, a third-year political science student, decided to do something about it. At Wednesday’s RHA meeting, an 11 page amendment to the constitution was passed, hailed by RHA President Terrill Wilkins as “a great first step” in updating the •body’s rules. “I’ve gone through and cleaned house. We’ve condensed some parts,” Bullard said. The amendments clear up the constitution’s language by getting rid of unnecessary explanations and rules. One targeted stipulation, in Article XI, Section 3 states that the Publicity Committee “handles all of the general publicity for the RHA through the Gamecock, television, radio, flyers and any other medium.” This was erased from the constitution because “it doesn’t give enough credit to the publicity chair to decide what to use,” said Ross. It also adds sections to include how the RHA has been operating, specifically the set-up of the Executive Board and Council. The new amendments to the constitution states that the Executive Board is the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and National Communication Coordinator and that the Executive Council is the RHR • 5 After switch, new company watches over USC campus On-campus students coming back from break may have noticed that • the night guards in their buildings are wearing different uniforms. As of Oct. 1, 2005, Sizemore Security Inc. ceased to be in charge of security for USC and was replaced by U.S. Security Associates. Chris Wuchenich, deputy director of Law Enforcement and Safety said the switch occurred because Sizemore’s contract •had expired. U.S. Security Associates • is one of the five largest uniformed security officer providers in the United States, according to a company spokesman. UbL joins companies like UPS, Wal-Mart, Sony, Fed-Ex and U.S. Steel in employing the security agency. Andrew Fink of Flousing and Residential Services said that while the housing department and other campus departments use the security, “Law Enforcement and Safety is in charge of the contracts with the companies.” Wuchenich said that while Law Enforcement and Safety hire the companies he does “not have any knowledge of or involvement in the hiring of individual guards by the contract company.” — Gina Vasselli THE TOPPER SITE I\tck Lsares / Inti UAMfcUXih Al Goodyear, research professor for the USC instituce of Archaelogy and Anthropology, holds an artifact from the Topper site, an archaeological dig in Allendale that could prove humans lived in North America before the Ice Age. Students could be part of groundbreaking archaeological dig Jess Dauis STAFF WRITER USC students have an opportunity in May to be a part of an ongoing, groundbreaking archaeological dig in Allendale, S.C., where they can uncover artifacts that could prove humans lived in North America before the last Ice Age. The dig in Allendale, dubbed the “Topper site,” has caused a stir in the archaeological world, with artifacts that seem to dispel previous ideas that humans belonging to a culture group called Clovis were the first to populate North America. Clovis artifacts have been dated back 13,000 years, but a 2004 finding at the Topper site was radiocarbon dated to 50,000 years, Dr. Albert Goodyear said. Goodyear, a professor at USC’s South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, said that archaeologists are split about the findings, with some still skeptical and some coming around. “Clovis stood for 50 years as the earliest accepted cultural evidence for humans in the hemisphere, and it’s been slow to die, but Topper is contributing to that,” Goodyear said. He was skeptical himself when he first discovered pre-Clovis artifacts during a 1998 excavation, but found the proof to be indisputable. “It’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said. “It’s been a roller coaster ride ever since (the original discovery).” Excavations since that discovery have included volunteers from all walks of life during the annual 5-week dig. Students, lawyers, homemakers and schoolteachers have all spent time at the Topper site, working alongside archaeologists in a dig that Goodyear said “could rewrite history.” For a fee of $416 a week, anyone can camp out at the Allendale site. The fee includes a $350 gift to the university, lunch and dinner for a week, nightly lectures and discussion about the site and access to the campsite’s facilities, which include hot showers, bathrooms and a kitchen. Volunteers bring their own tents, sleeping bags and excitement about archaeology. Third-year anthropology student Erika Heimbrook heard about the Topper site when she was still in high school, but couldn’t volunteer until after her first year at USC because of an age restriction. She volunteered for the past two years and will return in May as a site supervisor. “I love it,” Heimbrook said of the work. “For me, I love the thrill of discovery. It’s an amazing discovery and the people (who work at the Topper site) are amazing.” It was her work at the Topper site that helped Heimbrook decide she wanted to concentrate on PaleoAmerican studies, the study of who first populated North America and when. TOPPER • 1 Viewpoints Brandt Boidypraises Martin Luther King Jr. and his everlasting " message; Liz White says breaking up really isn’t thkt hard to do. v The Mix Taking a bite out of the market Apple computers begins 2006 with a brand new line that uses Intel processors. Sports Fresh faces WA Steve Spurrier and § the Gamecocks % played host to ■ 22 recruits this weekend. INDEX Columns.8 Comics & Crossword.....11 Classifieds.14 Horoscopes.11 Police Report..2