dailygamecock.com UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
VOL. 109, NO. 39 ● SINCE 1908
THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017
Convocation initiates Class of 2021
CLASS OF
2021
MOVE-IN MADNESS
56% FEMALE
Adam Orfinger/ THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Hectic move-in day brings bittersweet excitement 28
Larissa Johnson @LALARISSAJ
SETS OF TWINS
The sun is barely above the horizon on move-in day as Terri Cox waits out side of t he Honors Residence Hall, watching over a pile of r ugs, br ight ly colored bag s and tall teal drawers. Her daughter, Tessa, is just about to start freshman year at USC as a Palmetto Fellow. But t h is isn’t Terri’s f i rst move-i n at t he
Un iver sit y of Sout h Carolina — Tessa is her t h i rd c h i ld, a nd she’s following her two older brothers to USC. “ I f e e l l i k e t h e y ’r e building a family legacy,” Terri said. I t ’s a n e m o t i o n a l experience to have her last child leaving home, but she feels more secure having them all in the same place. “I was probably going to come here any way,”
Tessa said. “I love t he entire city.” A ll across campus, students are rushing to beat the heat and settle into where t hey’ll call home for the next year. Some have only been to campus for orientation, while others, like Tessa, h ave v i s it e d USC f or years. Starting college comes w it h a w ide r a n g e of emotions: excitement for SEEMOVEPAGE5
70 VALEDICTORIANS
700 STUDENTS FROM 2016 Adam Orfinger / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Emily Barber / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
*Statistics are estimations
Lordo leads charge for student vote on Board of Trustees Mary Ramsey @MCOLLEEN1996
Student Body President Ross Lordo isn’t shying away from a fight no one’s been willing to take on since t he mid-1990s. It wou ld requ i re a n ac t of t he General Assembly to make the Board of Trustees’ student representative a
voting member, and a bill hasn’t been introduced to make that change since 1995. That bill never made it out of committee. The legislature is also already one year in to its two year term, cutting in half the amount of time to get the job done. But L ordo ha s a l ready worked to get a bill introduced in the state Senate, and he says to expect a bill to be introduced in the House as soon as its back in session. “Our goal right now is that we can push for it enough to get it out of committee to one of the chambers or get a hearing on it,” he said. As student body president, Lordo i s a l s o c u r r e nt l y t h e s t u d e nt s ’ r e p r e s e nt at i v e o n t he B o a rd of Trustees. He attends all Board of Tr ustees meet ings and can sit in on most closed executive sessions.
However, he ca n be bar red f rom certain closed executive sessions, and he cannot vote with the rest of the board. I n L o r d o ’s m i n d , t h a t ’s b a d for st udent s a nd t r u s tee s a l i ke. He believes that adding a st udent vote would foster more t r ust and accountability. “It equips students and a student body of over 50,000 in t he ent ire system with the abilit y to have an opinion that is recorded for others to see,” he said. Lordo addressed the issue in front of t he 23 vot ing t r ustees at t heir August meeting, and he’s hopeful that if nothing else a substantive legislative battle will push university officials to give an official opinion on the issue. SEEVOTEPAGE4
Adam Orfinger / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
ECLIPSE TAKES OVER COLUMBIA NEWS PG 4
Victoria Richman / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
SPORTS PG 12
Victoria Richman / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Mary Ramsey @MCOLLEEN1996
The Class of 2021 spent their fi rst morning on-campus getting a crash course on college full of pomp and circumstance. Incoming first-year students, transfer students and their families and friends gathered for their first formal assembly, the likes of which most won’t experience again until their graduation. Dean of Students Dennis Pruitt told the Class of 2021 “today ... you start your personal odyssey to become a full-fledged Carolinian.” Administrators like Pruitt and Provost Joan Gabel touched on the long history of the University and encouraged new students to utilize all the opportunities presented to them in college. “We are all gathered here ... on your behalf to express our collective high expectations for your college years,” Pruitt said. “This is where the workforce of tomorrow is skillfully trained and prepared for that first job, for graduate school, for that 50-year career, or to be contributors to their community,” Gabel added. Cliff Leaman, the 2017 Michael J. Mungo Distinguished Professor of the Year, offered “practical advice” on how to handle the new fou nd independence t hat comes with starting college. “Eat well and get your sleep ... take good care of both your bodies and your brains ...,” he said. L e a m a n i s a p r of e s s or of saxophone within the School of Music. He also emphasized the importance of not being afraid to get assistance.
“Much like at Hogwarts, help will always be given at USC to those who ask for it,” he said, referencing the Harry Potter series. Universit y President Harris Pastides did not attend this year’s Convocation due to a scheduling conflict, but he did address the c r owd v i a a v id e o m e s s a g e on Colonial Life A rena’s new videoboard. “I look for ward to meeting each and every one of you all over campus,” he said. In addition to hearing from campus leaders, Convocat ion i nt ro duc e s ne w s t udent s t o many of the University’s formal traditions. Attendees were led in a rendition of the alma mater, and student body president Ross Lordo presented the Carolinian Creed. “The Carolinian Creed is our guiding light here ... it serves to remind us of our responsibilities and call us to action,” he said. “Each tenet becomes a sacred promise bet ween you and the University.” First-year management science student Kennedy Corley accepted a ceremonial copy of the Creed from Lordo on behalf of the Class of 2021. The University Mace and gonfalons, banners representing each of USC’s colleges and schools, were also on display. For those spending their very first days on a college campus, like first-year sport management st udent M ason Mc G owa n, the grandeur and tradition of Wednesday’s ceremony was both welcoming and exciting. “I thought there was a nice sense of welcoming, especially with the alma mater at the end,” he said. “There’s a sense of anticipation, and now that I’m here I’m ready to just get into it.”