NEWS 1 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015
VOL. 116, NO. 102 • SINCE 1908
Of M Montreal ontreal builds tr tradition radition | Page 4
“Aureate Gloom”
Pollen is coming Lauren Shirley @SURELYLAUREN
Pollen is coming. It’s amassing its forces, planning its attack and traveling with the wind — pollen and spring allergies are on their way. Wit h t he lack of snow disappointing many students across USC’s campus, it appears that the time for winter has ended, and spring is waiting just around the corner. For many students, the spring F n students
season is a chance to get out and t h row t he Fr isbee arou nd t he Horseshoe, but for many other students, spring brings around their dreaded spring allergies. Pollen is planning its comeback and it’s not going to be pretty. According to Dr. Greg Black, a physician specializing in allergy and clinical immunology at Carolina Allergy and Asthma Consultants, nasal congestion, itchy, watery eyes and sneezing are the main symptoms of seasonal spring allergies. It’s
also not uncommon forr patients to exhibit asthmatic symptoms. Black said the seasonal allergies in Columbia a r e generally caused byy pollen from the trees in thee early spring and shifts more toward pollen from grasses in the later spring months. The worst months for symptoms? I f y o u’r e w h at B l a c k c a l l s SEEPOLLENPAGE3
16th World Night celebrates global culture, diversity, food Madison MacDonald / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
250 residents were moved around campus.
South Quad gets swamped Lauren Shirley @SURELYLAUREN
Several students whose South Quad rooms were affected by Monday’s flood were told they won’t know the status of their damaged belongings until Friday. T he bagged- a nd-t agged s y stem removed students’ belongings from their rooms if they were damaged due to water saturation. This included clothing and even students’ computers and backpacks. When Faith Rutz, a first-year art studio student, went to retrieve some of her belongings from South Quad, she found that her computer was missing, leaving behind a dry spot on their otherwisesoaked kitchen table. “I wish they gave me a receipt or somet hing,” she said regarding t he missing laptop. When she went to check on the status of the computer Tuesday night, they told her they weren’t sure if it was being fixed or if it was even able to be repaired. Housing told her they would let her know when they found out about its status. According to Rutz, her roommate’s room from the across the hallway was a mess and looked as if things had been tossed around, definitely not the way she left it. The students affected by the flood have largely been communicated with through their university emails as well as periodic updates on the Housing website. “We have a meeting [ Wednesday] night at five to give us more info about what’s going on and what they’re going to to do to repair things,” said Ellen Jones, a first-year comparative literature student and resident of South Quad. Jones was able to retrieve some of her belongings during a 30-minute escorted trip upstairs but was required to grab enough to last them through spring break. “They told us that they expect that the dorm will be up and running March 16, but they don’t think anything’s going to happen any time sooner than that,” she said. Jones saw firsthand some of the damage SEEFLOODPAGE3
Ramya Kappagantula / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Countries represented in the performances and competitions included Vietnam, China, Italy, India and the U.S.
Kevin Smarr @THEGAMECOCK
By 6:15 p.m. Tuesday night, the line stretched from the Russell House Ballroom all the way to Fresh Burger. Music was blaring and the smell of warm tortilla chips filled the air. USC’s 16th annual World Night had officially begun. Faculty, staff, students and community members filled the ballroom to see performances from all over the world. Sandstorm was played to get the crowd excited and energized. Even Cocky was there to pump up the crowd for the performances to come. World Night celebrates cultures from across the globe. Different student organizations and individuals perform, showing off unique aspects of their cultures. There are also
many different dishes available for students to try. “Every year, we receive a new audience that completely fills the Russell House Ballroom,” said Muzna Al Raiisi, president of the International Student Association and fourth-year international business and finance student. By 6:45 p.m. the ballroom was already full. Third-year marketing student Lily Neville came early so she could get a good seat. “I’m an international student and I got all the emails,” she said. “I thought it would be interesting to see.” World Night is put together each year by the International St udent A ssociat ion ( ISA). The goal of t he event is to strengthen the bonds between the American and SEEWORLDNIGHTPAGE2
Freshman sparks baseball team Will Helms @WHELMS21
Freshmen rarely have immediate impacts on college baseball teams, especially on a team that began the season ranked No. 5 in the country. When a freshman for that team hits cleanup on opening day, he’s special. Alex Destino entered this season with huge expectations. Known for
his great power in high school, many analysts pegged him as a home run specialist but questioned his ability to hit for the kind of average necessary for an SEC designated hitter. Still, Destino was the only freshman named to Baseball America’s All-America team. The t hird-team A ll-A merican select ion has been key to Sout h Carolina’s success this year. However,
w it h g re at p ower c o me s g re at responsibility, and as Destino goes, the Gamecocks go. “Alex is a key part,” head coach Chad Holbrook said. “I hate putting that on a freshman, but he needs to do well for us to do well. He’s a threat and can provide protection for Kyle Martin or Max (Schrock) depending on how we do the lineup. I have a lot of SEEDESTINOPAGE8