The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 10, 2006, Image 1
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