The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 13, 2006, Image 1
The University of South Carolina Monday February 13, 2006 Vol. 99, No. 62 • Since 1908
Polls open for Student Government elections
from staff reports
Student Government elections
begin today and end at 5 p.m.
Tuesday. Voting is open to all
students and is accessible through
VIP.
There are nine candidates
^ vying for three Executive Council
p positions.
SG Presidential candidate Julian
Raymond is sure he can make his
laundry list of “cheaper, faster,
safer” changes happen.
He says his textbook rental
program could save students a
majority of their book costs, but
funding and start-up costs may
hinder its development.
Safety plays a significant,
personal part of his platform;
Raymond has friends affected
by sexual violence. He proposes
sharpening sexual violence
education and making self-defense
classes free.
Jarvis Jones will be the first
to tell you communication
roadblocks exist between
graduates, undergraduates, and
student government.
Jones’ platform runs sharply
on the idea of “communication,”
which he says needs work after
seeing examples cf disunity,
including the cutting of the law
school’s student budget.
Jones wants to continue some
current policies like lifting the 16
hour credit limit, and would also
like to improve the law school
facilities, which he says are in
poor condition.
Tommy Preston’s campaign,
like his VP running mate Ryan
Holt, bases his worth on the
accomplishments of his term as
treasurer.
While a massive amount of
programs designed to improve
student’s academic and leisure lives
have been started, a significant
majority have yet to see fruition;
Preston and Holt’s pet project,
SGTV, has yet to go on air
despite an original sign-on date in
October.
“We want to really see these
programs go through,” Preston
said.
Vice-presidential incumbent
Ryan Holt touts his abilities
eicciien • i
CHARLESTON
AQUARIUM
BECOMES
| GUINEA PIG
FOR PROJECT
flshleigh Orthen
THE GAMECOCK
Two of Dr. “Augie” Grant’s
Journalism 304 students traveled
to the South Carolina Aquarium
in Charleston on Friday to get
ideas about a project for their
mass media research class.
Asnley Hart, a rourtn-year
public relations student, and
^ Brooks Hearn, a third-year public
W relations student, are the leaders
of one of two groups in Grant’s
class charged with helping a
corporation or business. The goal
of the media research class and
the project is to gain experience
and knowledge of what it takes to
complete a researching task.
Catherine Marshall, director of
sales and marketing for the South
Carolina Aquarium, met with
Hart and Hearn on how to attract
more South Carolina residents to
the aquarium.
The aquarium is about to
embark on a year-long strategic
^ planning process, and Marshall
^ said she thinks it is necessary to
get feedback from their target
customers: women between
the ages of 25 and 49 who have
children and earn more than
$50,000.
This is where Hart and Hearn’s
media research group comes into
play.
Marshall said she would be
interested in conducting focus
groups in Charleston, Columbia
and the Upstate to attain feedback
on awareness of the South
Carolina Aquarium, what attracts
people to the aquarium and what
makes visitors return.
“Many people visited the
^ aquarium once in five years, and I
^p want to know what they thought of
the aquarium itself,” Marshall said.
“Raising awareness would be to
help uplift the market for tourism
in downtown Charleston because
the attraction for local Charleston
inhabitants is extremely low.”
Hart and Hearn concluded with
Marshall that including testing on
possible future aquarium exhibits
and thinking about how families
make choices on how to spend
their leisure time would help focus
their project on a more intrinsic
level.
“If you are trying to attract on
^audience from the Upstate, more
PROJECT • 2
Melissa Hensley / THE GAMECOCK
Ashley Moore, right and Betsy Heckert sort cans and bottles to use for Habitat for Humanity.
Keystone Group’s Can Do Carolina uses recycling to help Habitat for Humanity
Katie Bech
FOR THE GAMECOCK
This month, USC students can
help Habitat for Humanity build
homes for people who need them
— and all they have to do is toss
their cans into recycling bins
instead of the trash.
The Keystone Group’s Can Do
Carolina campaign is an effort to
collect aluminum cans and recycle
them into money for Habitat.
The Keystone Group is one of
three teams from USC competing
in the national Bateman Case
Study Competition, sponsored
by the Public Relations Student
Society of America.
According to the society’s
Web site, teams must focus on
raising brand awareness for
Habitat, familiarizing people
with its mission and new logo,
and increasing volunteerism,
especially among the 18-to-25
age group.
“Our goal is to kill two birds
with one stone,” said Ashley
Moore, a fourth-year public
relations student and Can Do
Carolina’s account executive. “We
want to create awareness for the
Habitat logo and to get people to
recycle.”
The group had to find creative
solutions to challenges related to
its target age group.
“College students don’t have a
lot of time or a lot of money, and
by bringing in cans they can help
the community without giving
up their cash or their weekends,”
said Anna Fox, a fourth-year
public relations student and
media relations director for the
campaign.
The university has agreed to
give the campaign cans collected
from housing and academic
buildings this month. The
team also collects cans from
local churches, as well as from
residents at the Pointe West and
University Commons apartment
complexes. The Greek Village
will also begin participating this
week. Moore said the inclusion
of the Greek Village was an
accomplishment because previous
efforts to establish a recycling
system in the Greek Village have
failed.
The team will also hold events
on Greene Street on Wednesday
and Feb. 23 to encourage students
and faculty and community
members to bring in more cans.
At the events or online, students
can register for a raffle to win
a Steve Spurrier-autographed
picture, T-shirts and discpunts at
local restaurants.
Students are invited Wednesday
to release their post-Valentine’s
Day frustrations by crushing
cans. At the campaign’s finale
on Feb. 23, they can participate
in drinking soda, belching,
can-stacking and can-bowling
challenges, which allow them to
earn extra raffle tickets. Team
members will be available each
day to accept bags of £ans.
Students can also help the
campaign by volunteering to help
sort cans, Moore said.
The Can Do Carolina
campaign has been endorsed
by the Central South Carolina
Habitat for Humanity; Student
Government’s Director of
Environmental Affairs, Drew
Cutright; the USC School of the
Environment’s Bruce Coull; and
Kirs tin Dow, a USC geography
professor and director of the
West Quad Learning Center.
“I believe that recycling is a
good idea and doing it to support
RECVCLE • 2
Justin Chapura
NEWS EDITOR
tudents will decide
ort an increase in
their student activity fees
today and Tuesday as two
referendums passed by the
Student Senate last year are
offered up for a vote in this
year’s Student Government
elections.
Last semester, the Student
Senate decided to let students
vote for a $2 per-semester
increase in the activity fee
to finance the USA Today
Readership Program, a
free newspaper service for
campuses. USC’s program
puts copies of The State,
USA Today, The New York
Times and The Wall Street
Journal on newsstands in the
Russell House, Gambrell
Hall, the Close-Hipp
Building and the Coliseum.
The program costs an
estimated $52,000. For its
first year, the program was
funded from the budgets of
various USC deans. Last year,
money from the university’s
FEES • H --
Greeks unite
to recognize
togetherness,
aid causes
Flicole Colwell
THE GAMECOCK
Members of all chapters of
South Carolina Greek Life
came together Saturday to
celebrate their common bond
as Greeks and promote Greek
unity.
The event began at 4 p.m.
with a barbecue hosted in the
chapter room of the Alpha
Delta Pi house, which opened
its doors to shelter participants
from the rain.
“There were about 75 to
80 people, which was a great
turnout, despite the rain and
cold weather,” said Inter
Fraternity Council President
Justin Runager, a second
year business administration
student.
T-shirts were supplied by
Sorority Council President
Laurie Miller, a fourth-year
education student.
Attendants then proceeded to
the Colonial Center to watch
USC’s basketball team take on
Mississippi State. Greeks were
able to purchase from 200
tickets set aside in the front
rows to sit together during the
game.
“Greek unity is something
6RCCKS • 3
Viewpoints
Today’s Section is
dedicated to Student
Government candidate
endorsements. The
Gamecock editorial board
offers its choices. /
The Mix
Mimics
Video game emulators
are easy to use, but some
legal concerns have
industry experts shaking
in their boots.
Sports
Solid win
USCs men’s
basketball team beat
Mississippi State
83-61 at the
Colonial Center. *
Index
Comics & Crossword..7
Classifieds.10
Horoscopes.7
Opinion.4
Police Report..2
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