UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2015
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VOL. 117, NO. 02 • SINCE 1908
Competition in spring practice | Page 10
University to explore social contract James Stewart @MYPALHARVEY
This summer, the University of South Carolina is beginning the process of formally establishing a social contract, in an effort to reinforce the expectations of students held by the University. “Over the course of the spring our Board of Trustees became concerned due to the behavior of some of our students.” said Vice President for Student Affairs, Vice Provost and Dean of Students Dennis Pruitt. “They wanted the University to explore establishing a social contract with all of our students who would be they would be formally notified and would formally confirm their notification that, as good citizens of South Carolina, they would be expected to follow the laws of our land.” The behavior Pruitt mentions has been hard to ignore over the past few months. In March, the untimely death of USC student Charlie Terreni reminded campus of the dangers that come with drinking irresponsibly. Shortly thereafter, a screenshot of a Snapchat depicting a USC student next to a racial slur went viral, igniting a debate on campus over how students’ actions can affect other Gamecocks. In April, a video file surfaced of a USC student’s food being defiled by her disgruntled roommate, which also ignited the question of character found at USC. “Every individual that comes to college, whether you’re a student, faculty or staff, everyone has different expectations of what the college experience is going to be about, and what we want to do is bring some high expectations to what the college experience will be about for everyone,” Pruitt said. “So what we hope to be able to do is remind people that there are laws related to drinking alcohol and drug use, hazing and harassment and to try to put those into a teachable moment for new students so they can realize that it’s a privilege to attend a University and they have rights and responsibilities; the responsibilities include being both responsible for themselves but also for others.” T hough desig ned to m i r ror t he Carolinian Creed, the new social contract would serve to signify an agreement, ensuring that each student is aware of what is expected of them. Additionally, the school also wants to try to prevent some of the more common self-destructive behaviors that students can develop while attending college. “The consequences in college are getting higher as the consequences in society get higher. Ultimately, we are just trying to help our students at a very early age, when sometimes it goes almost against student culture, and try to get their attention and make them say, ‘You know, I don’t want to take away from my experience here, but I do need to think about the consequences,’ which could affect either the short-term or long-term.” “The goal is providing information to develop a culture of role models, where ere people challenge bad behavior.” said Pruitt. “You want people to be a little more openminded, nded, which sounds idealistic, alistic, but ultimately if we are here to help our students prepare for the workplace, you might as well learn n what will be accepted epted in the workplace kplace and what at won’t.”
Avadh Rana / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Much like Zip-Cars, Scootaway allows the user to pick up a moped at one location and drop it off at a different one.
Scootaway offers students ride-sharing with mopeds Carolyn Culbertson @QUERALYNC
With last month’s launching of USC graduate Frank Scozzafava’s company, Scootaway, students have been able to request ride-share scooters through smartphone apps, providing a favorable alternative to USC’s sweaty shuttle rides and parking woes. E ssent ia l ly, a nyone w it h t he Scootaway app can rent a moped for $2.9 9 p er h a l f-hou r, t hen scoot to and from one of the 30 designated locations. According to the Scootaway website, these destinations are in 5 Points, the Ma i n St reet area, t he V ist a and around the USC campus — including by the stadium. By this fall semester, Scozzafava says there will be 500 scooters for rent compared to the 38 currently available. Scozzafava says he got the idea while working to promote a rideshare company that was based in New York City, in an attempt to compete with Uber. He sources Scootaway from this experience and the daily commute he made to work via moped.
“We should just dress people up in little chauffeur outfits and have them pick you up on scooters,” said Scozzafava, remembering the joke he made to a friend, which birthed the idea. The USC graduate and “Shark Tank” TV show champion already has plans to expand to new cities. According to Scootaway’s website, Charleston and Myrtle Beach will undergo the scooter revolution in August, but Scozzafava plans to eventually be at all 157 colleges in the U.S. that host over 20,000 students. If transportation and park ing are as criticized at those schools as they are at USC, Scootaway will be a welcome accommodation. The company recognized this by way of a tweet which read “Download and Register today! Parking sucked until now!” As the owner, Scozzafava also sees scooter sharing as a way to address the parking situation. “You’re driving around in circles. You’re late for class and park your car and you get a ticket or you pay $100 dollars to park your car on campus and you still can’t find a
spot,” he said. Notably, the cheapest garage spot is $360 per semester, which equates to approximately 120 half-hour rides with Scootaway. Scozzafava also anticipates introducing an alternate pricing plan that would allow the renter to request a scooter for a given amount of hours per month, which would potentially lower prices further — leaving USC’s parking services in the dust. With several Scootaway pick-up points located off-campus, such as Granby Mills and Copper Beech, scooting could potentially change t he daily shutt le commute t hat apartment renters are accustomed to. Third-year management major Brianna Blakeway lives off campus and doesn’t expect to change her regular routine much but admits t he scooters might affect ot her commuters. Scootaway offers free 30-minute training courses every Sunday at The Carolina Field House from 1 to 6 p.m. and is hosting a pool party at Olympia Granby Mills on Thursday at 12 p.m.
Healthy Carolina Farmers Market is here for summer Carolyn Culbertson @QUERALYNC
Students, faculty and staff grazed for fresher options at the first Healthy Carolina Farmers Market of t he summer semester on Tuesday. Set up in a colorful semi-circle of tents and tables on Davis Field, vegetable farmers, candle makers and grits enthusiasts endured the June heat and humidit y for the sake of healthy eating. “We’re here so students, faculty and staff have e a s y acce s s t o fresh
f r u it s a nd veget ables,” Hea lt hy Carolina coordinator Shaena Rouse said. Rouse also said the farmers market continues to run in the summer to offer local goods and to promote sustainability. su Even though campus is populated by fewer people during the summer, business has been steady. bu “Summer is usually a little bit slower,” Rouse said. slo The week ly vendors at t he farmers market are just as devoted fa to Healthy Carolina’s objective. The Veggie Patch’s stand, a vendor based Ve in Neeses, South Carolina, is run by Margie Williams. M “We come to help the summer students and faculty,” said Williams stu before describing to a customer the be virtues of Silver Queen and Silver vi King, different types of sweet, white K corn. co For some vendors t hough, t he season’s heat is unkind to the product. se
Paulette Nation-Miller, who is in the business of uniquely crafted hats and candles, was representing her company, January Remington. D e s p it e t he s m a l le r s t u d e nt population on campus, there was still a fair number of people at the market seeking home-grown produce. “I feel like it’s a good place to get healthier options and avoid junk food,” Victoria Milligan, a second-year business student, said. For second-year inter nat ional business st udent Tristan Hester, coming to the farmers market is as simple as piecing together his next meal. “I’m looking for lunch and I’m thinking about buying a watermelon because I like watermelon,” Hester said. The Healthy Carolina Farmers Market will be out on Davis Field every Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., through July 28.