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The University of South Carolina Friday, February 10, 2006 Vol. 99, No. 61 • Since 1908 Student cleared of election offense ^ Charges remain against Steve Smith for Housing violations dlorgan Harris THE GAMECOCK Student Government Treasurer candidate Steve Smith w’as cleared Monday of any election violation charges, but his violations of housing policy, which i^have been referred to the "Housing department, are confidential but were made public domain because of a technical loophole. Smith, a second-year math student, was initially charged with violating election code 411.26, which forbids distributing campaign materials outside organization meetings before the election. I k rv r o k n f rr f- nr o r a dismissed by the Elections Commission because of _ lack of evidence, but his ■violations are still pending ^review by the Carolina Student Judicial Council. Smith said he had not been told they were being referred to the Office of Student Judicial Programs. The resident advisers who drafted the elections complaints mentioned Smith’s alleged violations of housing policy in the reports, which are public domain, creating a loophole that allows public access to an otherwise private ^operation. B “Before I had received due process, it was implied by a housing official that I was guilty of a housing violation,” Smith said. “I feel that both my right to a fair hearing and my right to privacy have been violated.” According to the report, Smith and campaign director Jonathan Ross, a second-year political science student, entered Maxcy College using their RHA cards and allegedly proceeded to hand out T-shirts throughout the building. Smith contests the report. “We went to our friends’ room, our friends who had asked for T-shirts and we set them down on the bed. We made sure not to do any hand-to-hand distribution, because that is a campaign violation,” Smith said. “Furthermore, the door to Maxcy is unlocked during the day with people constantly walking in and out.” Maxcy requires a resident’s CarolinaCard to ^ve swiped before entering SmiTH • 2 . Katy Blalock / THE GAMECOCK “The Real World: Austin” cast members speak to students last week in an event sponsored by Carolina Productions. “Laguna Beach” cast members appeared Thursday night in a similar event. Reality check 'Real World\ ’4Laguna Beach’ cast members visit campus Teclafllarhoshy THE GAMECOCK You could have cut the teen spirit with a knife. Armed with cameras, hundreds of students filed into the Russell House Ballroom for the two headline events of Carolina Productions’ “Reality Week.” On Feb. 2, “The Real World: Austin” cast members spoke to more than 500 students. Kyle Bohman, a third-year public relations student and executive commissioner of special programs, said this event, while seemingly “light” and “stupid,” has value. Bohman said the program brings volumes of people despite having a less-than-scholarly content. “Look at the crowd ... . There are more than 500 people here.” “It’s what the students want. After doing some research, getting student input and judging by past programs, their show is always a success,” Bohman said. “It’s something the students tell their friends at other campuses about,” he said. Two “Laguna Beach” cast members spoke Thursday to more than 600 students. The energy mounted as Stephen and L.C. waited in the back entrance of the ballroom. Girls giggled and pointed when the door cracked open. “I came because I love ‘Laguna Beach,’ and I watch it every week,” said first-year public relations student Sara Dezearn. “I think it’s mostly freshmen and sophomores,” said Caitlin Engelke, a first-year undecided student. “I live in a freshman dorm and this is all we watch, but I’ve seen some upperclassmen.” Before the “Laguna Beach” talk, Bohman, a veteran event planner, said he anticipates an interesting lecture. “They’ll talk about where they are in their lives at this point, since they’re both off the show. They’ll talk about their future plans and take a lot of question and answers from the audience,” Bohman said. Tony Gulley, a first-year exercise science student, said he isn’t afraid to admit the real reason why he and everyone showed up to the “Laguna Beach” presentation. “These guys are all L.C. stalkers, just like me,” he said. Chris Gibbs, a fourth-year management and marketing student, said there is value in bringing reality events to campus. “It lets people in on that these reality programs are really about,” he said. “’The Real World’ cast is a diverse group of people, and that’s what we’re aiming for.” Carla Patat, a third-year political science and religious studies student, agrees with Gibbs. “I think reality TV is such a big part of pop culture now. It’s good to expose students to a more in depth view of that world,” Patat said. Not all students were as enthused about the “Real-Worlders” speaking on campus. “It’s pointless. These people have no careers ahead of them,” said Stephen Clarkson, a second-year history student. “This serves no educational purpose.” “I think it’s funny how people eat this stuff up. This is ridiculous,” said James Bryan, a second-year history student. Carolina Productions, the on campus student programming board, gets its funding to sponsor programs from student activity fees. Program costs range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Programs such as ones that include RERLITV • 2 LAW DEAN CANDIDATE TO FINISH INTERVIEWS TODAY Rosemarie Cox THE GAMECOCK An associate dean from the University of Minnesota Law School is the second of three candidates to visit USC this month to present why he should fill the law dean post. Jim Chen will finish his interviews with administration and faculty today, following his first meeting Thursday. Chen attended Emory University in Atlanta, studied briefly as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik, and received his law degree from Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. While at Harvard, he served as executive editor for the Harvard Law Review. <^nen nas Deen a visiting professor at three universities in Europe, including the Universite de Nantes in Nantes, France, the Slovenska Pol’nohospodarska Univerzita v Nitre (the Slovak Agricultural University) in Nitra, Slovakia, and he was the first American visiting law professor at the Heinrich Hein Universitat in Diisseldorf, Germany. Before becoming a law professor, Chen worked as a law clerk under Judge J. Michael Luttig of the 4th Circuit United States Court of Appeals from 1991 to 1992. He also clerked under Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas from 1992 to 1993. Denn • 2 Ordinary People Awards honor USC faculty, staff Carolina Productions, AAAS co-sponsor Black History Month event Tecla IDarkoshy THE GAMECOCK The Grammys weren’t the only award show to feature a red carpet Wednesday night, as the first Ordinary People Awards ceremony was held in the Russell House Ballroom. The ceremony, sponsored by the Cultural Awareness Commission of Carolina Productions and AAAS, was held in the spirit of Black History Month. Clad in a slinky, black evening gown, Natasha Hopkins, a first-year marketing and management student and Cultural Awareness commissioner, explained the significance of the event. “We are honoring ordinary people who did extraordinary things for the black community at USC,” she said. “It is our goal to make this an annual event.” The ceremony featured a live jazz performance by first-year music student Dewayne J. Johnson and performances by the Carolina Cocktails and A Touch of Faith gospel choir. “This is a great way of honoring the ones who have gone down the path before us and set a standard for future USC students,” said Katina Hart, a second year Spanish student who was an usher. Almost no employee went unnoticed when the organizations scouted for nominees. “We’re honoring professors and faculty as well as staff, like the people who work in the GMP, who make a difference everyday,” said AAAS Cultural Awareness co-chair Ashley Glenn, a fourth year broadcast journalism student. CP member Shanna Roberge, a second-year criminal justice student, presented an award. “It looks like I’m the only white girl here, but this is really important. It honors the black community at USC. After all, this is black history month,” Roberge said. “We’ve been planning this since last semester. I’m glad it’s finally here.” Glenn and Hopkins agreed with Roberge. The Cultural Awareness Commission and AAAS have anticipated this event for months, and now that the big night has arrived, Hopkins said she’s pleased at the turn out. “We’ve had some bumps tonight, but since it’s the first event, it’s expected,” Hopkins said. The recipients of the Outstanding Faculty and Staff Award’s were: John McFadden, who was the first black scholar at USC to be named an endowed chair; Kathy Evans, associate professor in the College of Education; Janet Mason, the university’s resident scholar on Service Learning; Carolyn Sutton, ccRcmonv • i Meg Gaillard/ THE GAMECOCK Contestants perform at The Ordinary People Awards on Wednesday night in the Russell House. The event was sponsored by Carolina Productions and AAAS. Viewpoints Aaron Brazier considers semantics of everyday talk; Chase Stoudenmire invites you to celebrate one of the greatest events of our time — his birthday. The Mix Valentine variations Bored with candlelit dinners and boxes of chocolates? Here are some unusual date ideas to woo your sweetheart. Sports Change-up USC football coach Steve Spurrier talks about next seasons i probable coaching , changes. INDEX Comics & Crossword..6 Classifieds..8 Horoscopes.6 Opinion.3 Police Report..2 H