dailygamecock.com WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2009
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Wednesday 66°
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Thursday 40°
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VOL. 103, NO. 64 ● SINCE 1908
Genesis targets sustainability Initiative paves way for carbon-neutral community
Friday 40°
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Horn faces alma mater USC’s basketball coach tips off against his former s c h o o l to n i g ht at th e Colonial Life Arena.
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Derek Legette STAFF WRITER
Electric motorcycles, newly designed buses and other alternative fuel vehicles, or AFVs, were out on display on Greene Street Tuesday morning. USC presented its i n novat ive G enesis 2015 Initiative program that will have t he c a mpu s reduce carbon-dioxide emissions from its vehicles by 90 percent within the next five years. “Stuff like this is needed,” said Ebbie Yazdani, a thirdyear history and economics student. “We as a campus should aspire to be more green friendly.” Student Body Treasurer Yazdani is conf ident that it will bring dividends to ever y shareholder in t he community. President Harris Pastides, St udent Bod y Pre sident Meredith Ross and other major players on campus each gave a brief speech on the matter. “This demonstrates that we
Scott Fowler / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
The Hydrogen Hybrid Bus and other electric motorized vehicles on display on Greene Street. are comprehensive towards carbon neutrality,” Pastides sa id. “ We w i l l t a ke a ny new steps to do so, not only to become an eco-friendly campus, but a sustainable one too.” In his overview statement, Pastides said the campus is striving to become a more carbon neutral community in the next two generations, and then later on to reduce all emissions overall.
“Today we are on Greene Street, and one day I hope this will be the ‘greenest’ street,” he said. Michael Koman, director of the Office of Sustainability, emph a s i z ed t he c a mpu s impact and how it is crucial to be sustainable and not just green. “ F u t u r e b io m a s s w i l l reduce dependency of regular gas,” he said. Koman hopes greenhouse
Safe sex not gamble at Condom Casino
Tasty seasonal treats Eggnog, hot chocolate, gingerbread waffles and pumpkin bread recipes are sure to lift your holiday spirits — just cut out these easy directions and spruce up your holiday parties.
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While bank savings plans sound tempting, read the fine print to avoid losing Johnny money.
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gas emissions will be entirely reduced over t he coming decades. “ T h i s G e ne s i s 2015 Initiative is not the final solut ion but only t he beginning for this process.” John Clark, director of the South Carolina Energy Office, talked about his hope that this change of fuel can improve the economy. He said $20 billion was spent on vehicles and energy for South
Carolina. “Most of the petroleum is in the Middle East, Russia and Saudi Arabia, and our importing from foreign lands has increased,” he said. “USC is moving in the opposite direction.” Clark said the community will greatly improve if it relies on other sources of fuel besides oil. The sophist icated plan has high expectations, but it will take time. USC has between 400 — 500 vehicles and 181 of them already rely on alternative fuel. The new types of fuel are hydrogen power, electricity, liquefied pet roleu m g a s, et ha nol, biodiesel and fuel cell power. D i r e c t o r o f Ve h i c l e Management and Parking Services Derrick Huggins said in a press release there are 156 more vehicles that can be converted to alternative fuel on demand. “This plan underscores the fact that the University of Sout h Carol i na is a leader among colleges and universities in sustainability efforts, including transportation, which is a key source of carbon emissions,” Huggins said.
Kyara Massenburg
THE DAILY GAMECOCK
The holiday season is often a time of joy and celebration; however, getting too caught up in the hustle and bustle may make you an easy victim for criminals on the lookout for prospects distracted by the busy season. As a proactive measure, the Richland Count y Sheriff ’s Department created the Community Action Team or CAT to educate people on what measures should be taken to protect themselves and their families. Head of Richland Count y’s CAT unit and neighborhood courtesy off icer Sgt. Rafael Gonzalez and his unit strive to make accessible education their primary goal, but Gonzalez says during the holiday season it becomes increasingly hard to balance the scale. Gonzalez said he values his role as community liaison, but when duty calls, he must answer. That is precisely how the events unfolded Thursday evening. Sg t . G onza lez sa id he had ju st concluded a crime prevention seminar when what would otherwise have been a relatively quiet Thursday night turned into an adrenaline pumping mission. A c a l l c a me over t he r ad io f rom dispatch: a robbery suspect refused to
pull his vehicle. high ll over hi hi l A hi h speed d chase h ensued u nt il t he suspect event ually surrendered. According to Gonzales, the CAT unit displayed fl awless teamwork and arrested a man that had been wanted for the assault and robbery of two men in Richland County. The night continued at a relentless pace. Calls continued from dispatch, and yet another high speed chase occurred resulting in t wo more arrests before 11:30 p.m. drew near. There is not much Gonzalez hasn’t encountered during his six years with the Richland County Sheriff’s department. He r e c e nt l y a d m it s t o not ic i n g a significant spike in the crime rate weeks prior to the start of the holiday season. “We normally notice an increase in robberies about a week or two before T ha n k sg iv i ng, but t h is yea r we’ve noticed it starting in early November,” Gonzalez said. A c c o r d i n g t o C o l u m b i a ’s l a w enforcement documents, approximately 251 robberies occurred in the Greater Columbia area between Dec. 9, 2008 and Nov. 8, 2009. Of those 251 robberies, 189 of them were individual robberies — 97 of which were armed robberies i n wh ich t he v ic t i ms were i nju red. According to Gonzalez, the number of individual robberies greatly exceeded the number of commercial robberies because Crime ● 4
Derek Legette STAFF WRITER
You a nd you r f r iend s are playing blackjack. You discover that you have the superior hand and win. The prize isn’t chips or money, but a va r iet y of colored condoms. Condom Casi no n ight was held in t he Campus Room at Capstone Monday n ight . SH A R E a nd t he fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha co-sponsored the event. “ I t ’s i m p o r t a n t t h a t people k now t hat safe sex is a necessit y and not a n o p t io n ,” s a id L a r r y Middleton , a fourth-year exercise science st udent and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha. “The entire campus should know that.” A ll st udents were welcome to play popular games such as blackjack, poker and an STD-themed bingo. They would initially r e c e i v e 55 p o i n t s , i n condoms. One condom was worth one point, Premium Black/Blue was five points, 10 for lifest yle green, 15 for grape/f lavored, 20 for tuxedo, 25 for Pleasure Plus blue and 50 for Magnum Gold. Si n c e t he c a s i no h a d
a s e x u a l he a lt h t he me , hu morous sig ns were displayed such as “Condoms ... For the next time you Rub (Her),” or “CREA MCondoms Rule Everything Around Me.” A l p h a Ph i A l p h a’s treasurer Devin Biggers , a fou r t h-yea r computer engineering student, said the objective is to spread t he word about sex ual health. “It’s important to share sex ua l awa rene ss to t he campus and promote safe sex on campus,” he said. The st udent s not only learned sexual education, but enjoyed themselves in the process. Dervin McCoy, a thirdyear business econom ics student, dominated on the blackjack table. “ I t ’s p r e t t y f u n . I ’m enjoy ing myself and w i n n i n g a g o o d b it o f condoms,” he said. A f t e r h a v i n g o v e r 20 condoms within the first five minutes, he thinks he will have the top number. Condom W heel and Condom Pong were being played as well. Octavius Todd, a secondyear computer information st udent , was play i ng a n intense game of Condom Pong. “I think it’s a good idea Condom ● 4
Crime Prevention Tips: SEC Power Rankings Assistant Spor ts Editor James K ratch breaks down all 12 teams in the Southeastern Conference in the second to last edition of the Power Rankings.
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• • • • • •
Run errands before dark. If you must be out at night, be sure to stay in well-lit areas. Travel with someone. Inform someone trustworthy of your whereabouts. Carry a limited amount of cash while shopping. Take regular breaks, and put shopping bags in the trunk of your car between stores. • If you go out of town for break, notify someone you trust and always leave a light or television on to deter robbers from entering your home.
Chad Simmons / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Jamie Small, president of AAAS works at condom bingo at the Condom Casino Night on Monday.