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The University of South Carolina Friday, March 3, 2006 Vol. 99, No. 70 • Since 1908 Justin Chapura / THE GAMECOCK USC alum Alex Nicholson spoke Thursday about the hardships of being gay and a member of the military. ' Gay soldier questions military policy USC alum talks Thursday night about ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Justin Chapura NEWS EDITOR A long tradition of self discipline and fraternity evidences itself in the United States military, but USC alum Alex Nicholson contests how far a decade old law went to keep him and ex-soldiers like him from truly developing camaraderie in the service. Nicholson is gay, and with five other gay men and women, representing four branches of the armed fbrces, spoke Thursday night at the School of Law as part of the Call To Duty tour, a campus speaking tour addressing the rationality of a military that bans “open homosexuals” from serving. “Knowing that I was gay, knowing about the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy ... this was an extra sacrifice I knew I was going to have to make in order to serve my country,” Nicholson said. The phrase he referred to is the informal name for a 1994 statute that allows gays and lesbians to serve in the military, provided they do not disclose their sexuality or commit homosexual acts. The act was a compromise between former President Bill Clinton, who wanted to lift the ban completely, and a resistant Congress. “Basically I can be gay, sitting here, in my head,” said Heather .Sarver, an ex-Air Force member discharged for being a lesbian. Last year saw a resurgence of attempts *to overturn the_policy, in the wake of some telling studies that showed the ban is having a significant effect on the military and the War on Terror. A study released February by a University of California Santa Barbara-affiliated think tank estimates the Pentagon spent $364 million investigating suspected same-sex activity in the first decade of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” But the ban incurs others costs that can’t be recompensed in dollars. Last year, the same think tank determined that the military discharged 20 Arabic and six Farsi experts between 1998 and 2004 because they were gay. Those languages are considered “critical to national security” by the Department of Defense. SOLDICRS • 3 ’ Student leaders gab with gov’nah ^ USC] Clemson representatives talk education with Sanford Jess Dauis •STAFF WRITER Gov. Mark Sanford met with student leaders in his office Wednesday afternoon to discuss tuition caps and general problems with funding higher education. Sanford said his entire tuition-cap proposal is meant to be a springboard to discuss the general problems ^facing higher education in the state — namely, the lack of coordination between higher-education institutions. “We’ve never argued that tuition caps are a end of themselves,” Sanford said. “We think tuition caps are a means toward an end.” Sanford said he wants to see more collaboration and better organization among state universities, colleges and technical schools. Student Government Vice President Ryan Holt, a third-year political science student, referenced a list of kmore than 80 collaborative ^projects between USC, Clemson and the Medical University of South Carolina, and asked the governor what more he wanted. We applaud tnose efforts, but if you look at the data, we still got some room to go,” Sanford said. “We’re working as hard as we can to make it an efficient system,” Holt said after the meeting. “It’s a system designed to meet the needs of students who ^jre place-prohibited.” r By proposing a tuition snnroRD • 3 Jason Steelman / THE GAMECOCK Gov. Mark Sanford addresses Clemson student and chair of the South Carolina State Student’s Association Kely Sheldon in a meeting in the governor’s office Thursday afternoon. Sanford met with USC and Clemson students to discuss tuition caps. New executive council sworn in Wednesday Preston, Holt, Guest outline objectives; Senate elects officers Jess Dauis STAFF WRJTER The 2006-2007 Senate met for the first time Wednesday evening after an inauguration earlier in the night, in front of their peers, university administrators and South Carolina legislators. The Senators elected Chase Stoudenmire president pro tempore of the Senate, and Vice-President Ryan Holt announced committee chairs, except for the judiciary committee. Scott Spivey, third-year finance student, will chair the Finance Committee. Danielle Vegas, third-year education student, will chair the Student Services Committee. Tyler Ray, a second-year engineering student, will chair the Powers and Responsibilities SG • 2 U.S.y India agree on landmark nuclear deal; Bush to visit Pakistan Terrence Hunt THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW DELHI — Reversing decades of U.S. policy, President Bush ushered India into the world’s exclusive nuclear club Thursday with a landmark agreement to share nuclear reactors, fuel and expertise with this energy-starved nation in return for its acceptance of international safeguards. Eight months in the making, the accord would end India’s long isolation as a nuclear maverick that defied world appeals and developed nuclear weapons. India agreed to separate its tightly entwined nuclear industry — declaring 14 reactors as commercial facilities and eight as UIDM • 2 Viewpoints Chase Stoudenmire advises us on ways to spend spring break; Aaron Brazier reminds us of all the stuff waiting for us Men we get back The Mix Helping hands USC’s Puppet Regime will host a benefit concert to help out the Harvest Hope Food Bank on March 12. Sports Diamond rivals USCs baseball team laces up its cleats to take on Clemson in a heated rivalry this weekend. Index Comics & Crossword..7 Classifieds.10 Horoscopes..7 Opinion.4 Police Report..2