KRTRinn • connnueo proid i levee breach and alternative closure procedures. The storm surge caused a 465-foot levee breach, which the Army Corps of Engineers worked to fix by using sandbags. “It took six days to completely close the breach, which caused extensive flooding,” Kassem said. The group made a scaled-down version of the canal and surrounding area including use of concrete to recreate the topography of the canal. Kassem showed videos of the attempts with simulated sandbags weighing up to 15,000 pounds. Kassem said during the initial levee breach, 50,000-pound sandbags would have been needed to close the breach without being washed away. Andrew Billingsley led a team in studying the impact of the hurricane on the African-American church community. The team interviewed 18 church leaders of mostly Protestant and Catholic faiths, Billingsley said, adding that most were strongholds in the community, providing schools, housing and spiritual guidance. Billingsley said Katrina survivors will deal with problems much like soldiers affected by war. “Psychologists believe along with other challenges, New Orleans and other places victimized by Hurricane Katrina will need to be prepared to deal with a kind of post-traumatic stress syndrome often seen by people victimized at war,” he said. Billingsley said the number of churches will need to be reduced because of the number of evacuees who will not return. Some churches will combine, and many church leaders will find new ways of “doing church.” Mike Tidwell, author of “Bayou Farewell: The Rich life and Tragic Death of Louisiana’s Cajun Coast,” was the keynote speaker and touched on the reasons why Katrina happened and why coastal South Carolinians should be worried. Tidwell argued that Katrina happened in 2005 because of the absence of natural sediment deposits caused by levee building. “Human beings had created through land use and levees ... this watery flight path that allowed this hurricane to slam into the city,” Tidwell said. Tidwell said researchers are observing record breaking hurricane systems because of global warming. “If you take the six most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in North America, three of them occurred within 52 days in 2005,” he said. Tidwell said Katrina was the most predicted natural disaster ever. “The warning signs were so obvious,” he said. “The paper trail of warnings ... went to the moon and back. The most predicted and completely foreseen disaster natural disaster ever and still it happened.” Tidwell urged the audience to do something { about global warming or be faced with their own Katrina. “We all are New Orleanians now,” he said. “We all live in coastal Louisiana. We’re all going to be affected by sea level rise. We all are going to be clobbered by hurricanes and we all are doing nothing about it.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc. edu mil • connnueo proitii capacity” has access to student information provided they sign a database security file and have a valid reason for accessing the information. Until the new system is implemented, professors have been advised to minimize their use of such databases and keep only the most necessary files in a secure location. “Our dean has asked us to remove databases from over the years,” Stowe said. “All our levels of conscious have been heightened by this. ID theft is all over the papers and TVs. The best prevention will be everyone’s raised awareness.” Student Government Vice President Ryan Holt said he believes the issue could have been avoided had legislation barring the use of students’ Social Security numbers been implemented earlier. “This is exactly the kind of thing we were warning against when we pursued this legislation,” said Holt, a third-year political science student. Holt said he first attempted to lobby the university to change the policy, but when that path was exhausted he turned to the State Legislature. “In January 2005, I realized lobbying the university wouldn’t work, so I decided to take it somewhere else,” he said. Holt prepared a bill for Sen. Ronnie Cromer of Newberry, and it was first introduced on the Senate floor on April 14, 2005. The bill was referred to a committee on education and then to a subcommittee on higher education. On May 24, 2005, the committee issued a favorable report, but also issued an amendment that would alter the compliance date of the bill. “The original compliance date was July 1, 2006, but their amendment changed that to no later than Jan. 1, 2009, so they moved it back two and a half years,” Holt said. “This is where the controversy came into play because of the USC influence in the General Assembly.” Holt said USC was the only school unable to alter its student identification system by the compliance date. “It turned out the school holding it back was us,” Holt said. SG President Tommy Preston said the changes would protect student’s privacy in the future. “We’re moving in the right direction at Carolina; we are getting new software that will change IT forever,” said Preston, a third-year political science student. “We want to take all the * precautions.” Holt said he got the idea to enact the change when he served as a student senator in 2004. “I was a student senator, and it was a great concern I saw that students were using their Social Security number all over the place,” Holt said. “I worked on a council that issued a report on identity fraud and learned what a serious issue it was.” The bill would change the ID number to a random , number “that wouldn’t have any huge value other than as identification.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gwm. sc. edu cicnn • conTinucDFRomi exercise science student, said it is good that students promote taking care of campus. “It is encouraging to see the student body getting involved to help keep our campus clean,” Hartley said. “It helps make me more conscious of recycling and keeping the campus clean.” Although participation numbers are not ^s high as Vegas would like them to be, she said she hopes the project will continue for years. “The committee is really excited about the program and know it will continue to be successful,” Vegas said. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@givm.sc. edu m-m I mmm Multi-Cultural Leadership Series presents the International Students Workshop For International Students and those interested in International Leadership Learn about your leadership style and the styles of students from other countries! Participants will: . Complete a leadership style assessment . Discuss global leadership styles and trends . Hear from a community speaker about ways to strengthen your leadership 1 Monday, April 24 m g 4:00-5:15 || S Russell House 309 Each participant will receive a certificate! SI^'' r5t ifi^&l ■ A O wZZZZZ MHi wmgi&mmi CSsfiSP v