dailygamecock.com UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
VOL. 111, NO. 51 ● SINCE 1908
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
35 USC students charged at Carolina Cup Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston round out most cited schools at horse race Thad Moore
TMOORE@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
USC walloped Clemson Saturday — 35-9 — but it wasn’t on the football field this time. Thirty-five USC students were charged at Carolina Cup this year, more than from any other school, according to Camden Police Chief Joe Floyd. College of Charleston and Coastal Carolina University came the closest to matching USC, with 14 and 10 students charged, respectively. In all, police issued 242 charges at the annual horse race and outdoor party, including 185 underage drinking tickets, Floyd said. Of those, nearly 70 went to jail. This isn’t USC’s first time topping the charts for Carolina Cup arrests, Floyd said. The school sends more students than any other, and the charge count usually reflects that. But other schools with lots of students there didn’t have as many charges. Clemson University and Wake Forest University were the second- and third-biggest student contingents, and they fell lower on the top-5 list. Clemson was No. 4 with nine charges, and Wake Forest was No. 5 with six, Floyd said. About 25 colleges had students charged, including a
Rhode Island school and Oxford University, Floyd said. Fewer people were incarcerated at Carolina Cup this year, Floyd said, but racegoers racked up more charges compared to last year, when police issued 225 charges. “I think the general mood of the College Park area this year was, ‘Party to have a good time, but don’t get stupid,’” Floyd said. “I think that message may have gotten out there.” The jump was driven by an increase in underage drinking tickets, Floyd said, and other than minor charges, police didn’t see many notable incidents. They made 39 disorderly conduct charges and 10 for fake identification or providing false information. Floyd attributed the trends to the increased police presence. A total of 17 agencies from around the state sent 135 officers, a record number for Carolina Cup. They were waiting in College Park, the studentfocused tailgate area that took the bulk of police attention, before students arrived, Floyd said, which he thinks helped deter more serious events. The increased presence also led to more tickets being issued, he said. “I think it did exactly what he hoped it would do, and that was be a preventative mechanism,” Floyd said. Fights have been regular occurrences in College Park, but this year, police think they broke up any potential fights before they escalated, because they haven’t found references to any altercations online. “It’s likely that there weren’t any fights, or if there was, Slideshow and more information available online
it happened so quick, nobody could get a camera out,” Floyd said. “There’s only 10,000 phones right there in that area during that time, so I’m sure that if one would have happened, somebody would have a phone out.” Saturday’s running of the Carolina Cup also marked the first time there were enough police officers so the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office didn’t send any deputies inside. Instead, they focused on drunken driving and other incidents outside the grounds, and they handed out CUP ● 2
Colin Campbell / Carolina Reporter
Police officers from 17 state agencies patrolled the grounds at Carolina Cup, issuing 242 total charges.
Rucker, Gates to address graduates in May ceremonies Well-received picks come after unpopular speakers last year Amanda Coyne
ACOYNE@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
Spencer Scott / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Fraternity and sorority members lined up to spin the Wheel of A’s Monday and win koozies, Croakies and points.
Annual Greek Week kicks off Fraternities, sororities prepare for days of friendly competition Hannah Jeffrey
NEWS@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
Sorority and fraternity members are working on their dance moves, practicing their corn hole and brushing up on their trivia. No, it’s not summer break yet — it’s Greek Week. The annual weeklong event puts groups of three or four Greeklettered organizations into teams to compete for points in events throughout the week. “There are two ways to earn points during Greek Week: by placing first, second or third in events or by participating in and attending the event,” Sorority C o u n c i l V i c e P r e s i d e nt o f Programming Becca Brizzolara said. “The more members of your team that attend and participate in an event, the more points your team will earn.” T he fe st iv it ie s k ic ked of f Monday with the Wheel of A’s, in which sorority and fraternity members showed proof of an “A” on an assignment and spun the wheel for the chance to win a
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Wednesday 63°
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variety of prizes, including koozies and Croakies, while gaining points for their respective teams. Today’s main event is Gamecock Trivia, in which teams have the opportunity to outsmart their opponents on a particular theme, like 1990s or USC trivia. The Greek Week Blood Drive will start at noon Wednesday. Donation trucks will be in front of Thomas Cooper Library and in the Greek Village, so students can donate at their convenience. Wednesday night, students will have the opportunity to watch the documentary “Half the Sky,” which focuses on the oppression of women in different countries and what is being done to change it. The highly anticipated Greek Sing will take place Thursday night at The Cockpit Park at 901 Brookwood Drive. Though no actual singing will occur, teams will act, dance and lip-synch in Disney-themed scenes. The Greek Olympics will be at the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center fields Friday. Teams will compete in events a sponge pass, corn hole, a water balloon toss and relay races. One event, the Greek Day of Service, has been canceled due to overwhelming volunteer turnout.
“We had so many volunteers, but no agencies in Columbia needed our help that day, and there is a USC Service Saturday as well,” said Brizzolara, a third-year management student. The week will conclude Sunday with the Greek Awards, to be held in the Colonial Life Arena, where the champions of Greek Week will be crowned. “The chapter that wins Greek Week will win the title of Greek Week 2013 Champions and will be recognized at the Greek Awards,” Brizzolara said. “They will also win the opportunity to gain local and national recognition, all while continuing a legacy of community par t icipat ion t hat al l of ou r organizations embody.” A nd while t he compet it ion is friendly, Greek Week isn’t all about the games and points; it’s about coming together as a community, Brizzolara said. “The purpose of Greek Week is to u n ite a nd s upp or t t he fraternity and sorority community t hrough f un and educat ional events,” Brizzolara said. “We’re promoting the four pillars of USC’s Fraternity and Sorority life: friendship, scholarship, leadership and service.”
USC has booked big names for this spring’s commencement exercises, including a former secretary of defense and one of USC’s most loved alumni. Former Secretar y of Defense Robert Gates will address students graduating in the May 10 ceremony, and country star Darius Rucker, a proud USC alumnus himself, will address graduates on the morning of May 11. On the afternoon of May 11, former U.S. ambassador to the United K ingdom and Winthrop Universit y President Philip Lader will address graduates. Dr. Richard Besser, chief health and medical editor for A BC News , w ill address st udents graduating from the USC School of Medicine, and Stephen Zack , the fi rst Hispanic-American president of the American Bar Association , will address School of Law graduates. A speaker has not been named for the doctoral commencement and hooding ceremony. Th is follows last year’s slate of relat ively unknown speakers, which drew criticism from seniors and underclassmen alike. President Harris Pastides , board of trustees Secretary Amy Stone and former Student Body President Kenny Tracy took students’ opinions into account this year. Tracy helmed a group of student leaders chosen by university administrators. The group discussed possible graduation speakers and submitted written recommendations to be reviewed by Stone and the board of trustees. Pastides said while the response to the speakers has been much more positive this year, he has heard one complaint repeatedly. “I’ve had a lot of students tell me, ‘I wish I could see all three,’” Pastides said. “There’s the occasional disappointment that they couldn’t be at the one they preferred, but we can’t entirely control that ... Darius Rucker was only able to attend one, so it was his preference and his call which one he would come to.” Stone sa id if st udent s rea l ly wa nt to see cer t a i n spea kers at ot her ceremon ies, t hey can attend t he ceremony wit h t he preferred speaker in addition to their own graduation. “We encourage you to do so,” Stone said. Rucker’s and Gates’ invitations were a long time in the making, according to Pastides. Gates was initially invited to the 2012 ceremonies but could not attend due to some “personal reasons,” Pastides said. “But he told us, ‘If you re-invite me, I will commit to you,’” Pastides said. Rucker was easily conv i nced to del iver a commencement address but had trouble scheduling
DG
SPEAKERS ● 2
Big Dance Concert
A Risky Decision
Staying put
NCAA plans a threeday concert event, featuring Dave Matthews Band and Ludacris, with the Final Four series. See page 5
Columnist Kathryn Duggan outlines why the death penalty should be used sparingly.
Women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley withdrew her name from Ohio State’s head-coaching vacancy search. See page 8
See page 4