The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 24, 2006, Image 1
The University of South Carolina Friday, February 24, 2006 Vol. 99, No. 67 • Since 1908
Claire Hughes / THE GAMECOCK
Student Government President Justin Williams
works in his office Thursday morning.
Williams recaps term
as $G’s man in charge
Outgoing president points to future
Albany Gault
THE GAMECOCK
Strident Government
President Justin
Williams gave his last
speech to the Board of
Trustees on Thursday,
summarizing SG’s
accomplishments during
the year and marking
the end of his tenure at
use.
Williams, a fourth-year
public relations student,
sat with the board in
the 1600 Hampton
St. building, patiently
waiting for his turn to
speak as the students’
representative for the last
time.
Williams began his
PowerPoint presentation
with a quote from
himself.
“Student Government
has the power to solve
many student problems,
but it is up to the
students to unleash the
power of the Student
Government.”
Williams summed
up the main issues of
his 2005-2006 student
administration as
the establishment of
quality relationships,
increasing communication
with students and creating
a mechanism to hold
executives accountable.
Williams said SG’s
accomplishments during
his presidency were
not possible without
the relationships he
UlllURIllS • 2
Board of Trustees mulls
tuition raise, land grabs
^ Sorensen outlines
five-year plan
for financial health
Jachie Alexander
and Jess Dauis
THE GAMECOCK
Students take note:
Expect a tuition increase,
bigger freshman classes,
school deficits, land grabs
and potential new parking
lots.
Or that s what was
gathered from the Board of
Trustees’ second meeting
»of the year Thursday, in
which the board approved
millions of dollars in
new projects, and USC
President Andrew Sorensen
outlined ways to increase
university funding and
develop his “master plan”
to build Innovista and
other campus areas.
The Board of Trustees’
Building and Grounds
Committee approved more
than $6 million in new
projects and land purchases,
including land near the
^.Capital City Stadium that
^Paiight become a peripheral
parking lot.
The South Carolina
Electric and Gas Company
offered to sell the 29-acre
parcel located nine blocks
from the Jones Physical
Science Building. The
committee approved
a measure to buy the
land for $3.89 million,
although some members
were concerned students
wouldn’t use the lot.
Sorensen likened the
area to the Barnwell Street
lot and said USC would
simply “buy more buses”
to shuttle commuters to
campus.
Two university
departments were found
to have deficits in the
millions.
After an internal
audit, the Fiscal Policy
Committee found the
Arnold School of Public
Health to be $10 million
in debt, while the Thomas
Cooper Library had a $1.1
million deficit.
Rick Kelly, USC’s chief
financial officer, said the
Arnold School’s debt was
caused in part by the way
funds were managed.
“This is somehow, in
ways, management and
balancing your cash,” Kelly
said. “It would not be
unusual to use cash, then
turn to bonds.”
BOARD • 2
Treasurer race recalled;
%
new elections Monday
Elections Commission
honors complaint
against Setzler
Justin Chapura
NEWS EDITOR
A second run-off election
for Student Government
treasurer will be held
Monday and Tuesday after
candidate Jennifer Guest,
who lost to first-year student
Brad Setzler last Friday,
successfully contested the
election results this week.
Guest complained to the
SG Elections Commission
that Setzler and no fewer
than two other students went
door-to-door Thursday,
Feb. 16, to ask for votes
in the next day’s election.
Guest said they campaigned
at Sterling University Oaks
and adjacent College Suites
apartment complexes, both
of which have policies
forbidding any solicitation.
It is punishable as a
misdemeanor.
Guest said that at around
10:35 p.m. she answered a
knock on her door and found
a blonde woman and a man
she identified as Alex Bryan,
Setzler’s campaign manager
and a first-year media arts
student. Guest said the
two did not recognize her
as Setzler’s opponent and
proceeded to ask for her
vote and hand her a flier. At
some point Setzler, who was
at a door across the hallway,
came to Guest’s door and
realised she was there.
Guest said the three
students proceeded to the
floor above her apartment to
continue knocking on doors.
She claims they visited
at least three buildings at
University Oaks.
While Guest decided not
to press criminal charges,
she presented the Elections
Commission names and
contact information for
TRCR5URCR • 2
Jackie Alexander / THE GAMECOCK
Amjad Roboey, left, Mohanad al-Sherebi and Emad al-Mosfer rehearse for World
Night, an annual event sponsored by the International Student Association.
Global Gala
International students to gather for World Night .
Gina Uasselli
STAFF WRITER
The seventh annual World Night,
sponsored by the International
Student Association, will take place
Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Russell House
Ballroom.
The free event will feature cuisine from
four ethnic restaurants in Columbia before
the show.
Dinner will be served from 7 to around
8 p.m.; the show portion of the event will
begin when the food runs out.
The program should
run about two hours, said
Halie Nowell, a fourth
year history student.
The event is “a
celebration of diversity at
USC,” Nowell said.
The program features
acts from international
clubs: belly dancers, salsa dancers, a
Chinese dragon dance and an international
fashion show.
The event will be hosted by Diana
Morvey, a fourth-year biology student
from Ghana, and Michael Posa, a fourth
year political science student.
Morvey said she is involved because “I
like to know about different people and
different cultures.”
This year’s theme is “ISA Airlines,”
said Raghav Mehra, a third-year business
student and treasurer of the event.
The event’s fliers are designed to look
like boarding passes, and the programs
will look like passports.
“It’ll be as if USC students are entering
international territory in the Russell House
Ballroom,” Mehra said.
The event will attempt to involve as
many of the senses as possible, with “tastes,
sights and sounds the world over,” Nowell
said.
Nowell’s hope is that World Night will
raise awareness about USC’s international
community.
Nowell said World Night wants to
“show everybody there is an international
community here at USC (and) to expose
people to the world
because it’s very sort of
insular here in South
Carolina. It’s a great way
to see the whole world in
one night,” she said.
The event “reached
capacity” last year, said
Christina Kerns, a graduate
education student.
“It’s been that way for several years,”
Kerns said.
Kerns suggested that the reason World
Night draws such large crowds is because
“it’s one of the only events that is all about
celebrating the cultures that are around
us.”
Mehra hopes that they will be able to
hold next year’s event at the Koger Center,
a venue with a larger capacity.
“We want to make it the biggest event
on campus,” Mehra said.
Comments on this story? E-mailgamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu
It’ll be as if USC
students are entering
international
territory...
RAGHAV MEHRA
Fourth-year political science student
AFRICAN
RHYTHMS
TAKE OVER
COLUMBIA
Langston Ross
THE GAMECOCK
“Beat, Rhymes and Life”
— the title of A Tribe Called
Quest’s fourth album — also
describes the performance
of Legends of West Africa:
Drum, Dance and World
Music on Thursday night at
the Koger Center.
The Legends of West
Africa is a group of 12
drummers and dancers.
Their performances retell
African stories through
different types of dances and
drum beats. The performers
are from West Africa.
Laura Rich, the group’s
managing director, credits
the endowment fund of
West Africa for funding their
three-month tom. Rich said
she wants students in South
Carolina to see how rich the
history of Africa is through
these performances.
The performances ranged
from love stories to a
competition between female
dancers. The audience
was constantly on its feet,
dancing and moving with
the drum beats throughout
the show.
“I just want the audience
to enjoy and be a part of
what were doing and get a
sense of my culture through
the performance,” said Fode
Moussa Camara, one of the
youngest drummers.
Younger members of the
audience appeared excited
when offered the chance to
come on stage and dance
with the cast.
“This is just one of the
many way we like to get the
younger people in the crowd
moving,” said Sekou Conde,
a product of the Drum and
Dance workshop in Guinea,
West Africa.
The workshop — open
to students from age 5 to
21 — is one of the ways
students can get involved
with drumming.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocknews @guim.sc. edu
Viewpoints
Aaron Brazier touts real
football’ as better than
its American counterpart;
Chase Stoudenmire
praises USC President
Andrew Sorensen, r.
The Mix i
Astral attitude
Astral Projection mixes
feel-goodfunk with
spacy jams and classic
rock influences. Prepare
to feel it.
Sports
Dukin’ it out
USC’s baseball team
prepares to take on
the Duquesne Dukes
in an early-season
weekend series. *
Index
Comics & Crossword..7
Classifieds.10
Horoscopes.7
Opinion.4
Police Report..2