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mUDSLIDG • commie FROITN from any survivors. High-tech gear detected some underground sounds late Monday, creating a buzz of excitement and adrenaline among troops, miners and volunteers whose hopes of finding life had all but vanished. By Tuesday, the buzz was i gone again, replaced by a grim workmanlike attitude. Those working had to give up digging at the most promising site because the soft, wet mud kept collapsing. “As we’d dig deeper, we’d try to dig wider, but with the rain last night ... there were little landslides happening around us,” said Lt. Jack Farley, who was heading the Marine contingent. “The soil here is so unstable.” They shifted to another spot about 200 yards away. The school is believed to be buried by up to 100 feet of muck, and ground penetrating radar that is capable of detecting structures up to 50 feet down has come up blank. With the landscape drastically changed, no one could be sure they were digging at the right place. Some people suggested the school was still on the same spot where it had been built; others said it could have been washed downhill. “Even the local population has kind of lost their bearings,” Farley said. “They don’t have those, terrain features around to distinguish where something really is.” The threat of more rain triggered landslides also slowed the search, and it was unclear if the scratching and tapping noises that were heard Monday came from survivors or just ground water or mud settling. Officials had refused to allow heavy machinery in the disaster zone out of fear it could cause the unstable mud to shift, but with conditions solidifying and shovels making little headway, they brought in % backhoe. It had similar problems with holes that it dug caving in. EXPERT • EORTinUEDFROmi into a suicide bomber,” Phares said. “Terrorism is a prime example of this. It is a rational and planned procedure. It is not random killing, but rather systematic killing.” Phares told students the actual ways in which terrorists plan their killings. He said they plan according to politics, ideologies and confrontations. —-I-—-! “I was surprised when Mr. Phares told us that terrorism is systematic killing,” Pounds said. “I have always heard that Sept. 11, 2001, was planned by terrorists, but I never actually believed it until Mr. Phares told us that it was planned years in advance.” “Terrorists are part of a movement that read and keep up with their international relations,” Phares said. “They project and plan ---- -TT their policy. They are smart men who are part of an international movement. They are enemies of our enemies.” Phares said many Americans have misread jihadism because they are not educated about it. He said one misconception Americans have is that the jihads are under the terrorist movement. “The 9/11 commission said 9/11 happened because of a failure of imagination. I disagree because it was a failure of education,” he said. Anthony Busch, a second year business student and treasurer of Students Defending Democracy — the group that brought Phares to campus — felt strongly about how the Sept. 11 attacks on America happened because Americans were uneducated. “I think (Phares) hit a very important concept because prior to 9/11, if you asked the average American on what is the thinking behind jihadism, the average American could not answer because they were uneducated,” Busch said. Busch thought it would be beneficial if Americans had someone to tell them the truth so they can better prepare for what might happen and work on changing the status quo and promoting more peaceful relations between different cultures. “There are so many misconceptions in America and in the Middle East . about one another,” Busch said. “Part of the problem is misunderstanding. If we can understand what is going on and how it is defined, then '1 taking the next step would be much easier. For a long time, we have been running around blind. There has been so much concentration on ‘let’s go in there and get them,’ but we need to make sure these kinds of tactics are considered illegitimate.” To conclude his visit, Phares deemed it necessary that the students understood that it will take time for the war of terror to end and for Americans to become educated on jihadism. “The Muslims are going to be the ones to make or break the war on terror,” Phares said. “The education of Americans is going to start on the campuses. That is where everything is brewing.” Phares is a senior fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.walidphares.com or www.futurejihad.com. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gwm. sc. edu FELLOWSHIP • COnunUEDFROmi position in academic science and the opportunities that arise as a result,” Ferguson said. The fellowships dinner is an invitation-only event, but Ferguson said students not in attendance nor engaged in the fellowship process still benefit from the university’s Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs. “A fellowship from a nationally competitive program helps not only the student receiving it, but helps to advance research representation for the university as a whole,” Ferguson said. “It is a win win situation.” Udall honorable mention recipient Anne Cooper Ellefson said she believes the invitation-only nature of the event excludes students from becoming involved in the process. “Every student should go to the Office of Fellowships,” Ellefson said. “They have a Web site with tons of information. For any interest you have, there is probably a fellowship out there you can apply for.” Besides the opportunities that arise from winning an award, Ellefson spoke of significant advantages gained simply from engaging in the process. “I think that when you become involved in applying for a fellowship such as a national one or even a local one it forces you to really think through what you want to do, as a lot of fellowships ask you what you want to do in the future, which is good when you’re a sophomore and junior rather than, waiting until after college to try to figure it out,” Ellefson said. Novella Beskid, director of fellowships office, agreed with Ellefson and emphasized the importance of students’ growth — whether or not they succeed in winning the award. “We are very passionate to students being involved in the application process because we feel it helps them grow whether or not they win,” Beskid said. Beskid said she finds self-motivated learning to be a common practice of successful applicants. “There is no one thing that guarantees success. All of our winning applicants have very high GPAs, as the average GPA is a 3.96. They have demonstrated some type of intellectual curiosity outside of the classroom,” Beskid said. Since the office was established in 1994, USC students have won 275 national awards totaling more than $7.5 million. In the 2004-2005 school year, university students successfully competed for and won 28 awards worth more than $1 million. For more information, visit the Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs Web site, http:// www.sc.edu/ofsp/. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gum.sc. edu CHMIIBER • COnunUCD PROmi going on around us every day that we aren’t aware of,” said co-event chairperson Ashley Glenn, a fourth-year broadcast journalism student. “We may not experience the discrimination in the first skit because we can read, or we may not experience discrimination against how dark our skin is, but it is important to realize it is going on.” The event’s objective was to reveal Jess common forms of discrimination through skits, but actors also insulted the audience and used racial slurs against them to demonstrate the feeling of discrimination. Bowling said she wished that a greater variety of races had shown up for the event. Of all the attendees, only about two were not black. “Next week we have a black history month quiz bowl, and we will definitely try to get many people out to that,” Bowling said. First-year sports management student Jay Chambers said his lack of knowledge about the event deterred him from going. “Getting people to find out would be the first step to getting more people to go,” Chambers said. Second-year political science and criminal justice student Lashannon Spurgeon enjoyed the event and appreciated the fresh look at discrimination. “I thought it was very intriguing to look at it from different perspectives,” Spurgeon said. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gwm. sc. edu w ^ w % w 'W' w ▼ m mm Campus Recreation at the University of South Carolina is currently hiring USC students to be lifeguards! Applicants must have current American Red Cross certification or be willing to train for certification in Lifeguard Training , First Aid and CPR for the Professional Rescuer. Please visit http://campusrec.sc.edu to download an application. Applications may also be picked up at the Aquatics Director’s office, Room 102B, Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center. For more information, please contact the Aquatics Director at 777-4694 or send an e-mail to gary.pogharian@sc.edu I Leadership and Service Awards A We are now accepting applications and nominations for the 2006 Leadership and Service Awards! ipr ri 4 Due Date: L w March 3,2006 For more information or to Apply or Nominate for y Leadership Awards go to: www.sa.sc.edu/leaders/awards.htm Service Awards go to: www.sa.sc.edu/communityservice/awards.htm Join America's # I Student Tour Operator CAHCUH ACAPULCO JAMAICA BAHAMAS FLORIDA Don't Get Left Behind! BOOK TODAY!