dailygamecock.com UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2018
VOL. 111, NO. 04 l SINCE 1908
RHA executive board works to standardize hall government MEGHAN CRUM @megcrum24 After a year riddled with internal c o n f l ic t i n t he R e s ide nc e H a l l A ssociat ion ( R H A), i nclud i ng t he execut ive board being up for impeachment and t he president’s resignation, the new executive board is looking for a fresh start this semester. “We’re trying to breathe life back into the organization,” said R H A president Reaghan Murphy. I n t he i r work t o r e - e ne r g i z e themselves, the group has started to st a ndard ize t he way t hat hall governments for each residence hall work by creating a Hall Government Guide. This guide is designed to help leaders within each residence hall ensure that residents across campus have a great living experience. “We want t he halls to feel like they’re receiving the same level of commitment across the board from the exec board,” Murphy said. The organization partnered with St udent Life for Welcome Week,
SARA YANG // THE GAMECOCK RHA’s new executive board is working to re-energize the organization for the new year.
helping out with with First Night Carolina along with putting on a Lunch and Luau at Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center and a Silent Disco at Capstone. “ We r e a l l y h a v e n’t d o ne a n y campus-wide programming before,” said Murphy. “And that’s something we’re trying to move towards, is trying to create a more unified campus and
resident body.” Ever y on-campus student f unds RH A events through paying their Housing Activity fee of $50, with the RHA receiving $9.50. “Not all the halls have equal events, but ever y st udent pays t he same activity fee, so for every student to be able go to these all-hall events is really what prompted us,” said Sarah
Eissmann, the RHA public relations director. The Residence Hall Association wants to ensure t hat ever yone at USC is informed about what is going on internally and externally for the organization. “As a member of the RHA senate, we did not get all of the information as clearly as we would have liked, so this year we are really working on making sure that everybody on campus knows what RHA is and what we do with the money that the people who live on campus pay towards their activity fee,” Eissmann said. They have set out to let ever y student know who they are and how they can serve them, and have created new social media pages on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, along with working to create a better page on the university website. 173 students have signed up to run for a hall government position across the 17 residence halls on-campus. Those who are elected will become members of the RHA.
Healthy Carolina encourages students to make good choices JOSEPH LEONARD @JSCLeonard As students readjust to life on campus, Healthy Carolina, a St udent Healt h Ser v ices program at USC, is working to encourage students to live a healthy lifestyle. The program works to make it easier for students to make healt hy choices, including encouraging students to walk to class, maintain a tobaccof ree campus, qu it tobacco or drug use and engage in a healthy food diet. Healthy Carolina largely focuses on directing students to other areas of the university for help. For example, Healthy Carolina helps bring students to Student Health Services for health needs and the Student Success Center for educational guidance. T he y a r e p e rh ap s b e s t k now n for t heir week ly farmers markets. Since 20 08, Healt hy C a r ol i n a h a s ho s t e d t he market each week for students on Greene Street in front of Russell House. The farmers markets are held on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and offer students and staff fresh, locally-grown produce. Each farmers market has its own wellness theme, which Jackie Knight Wilt, assistant director of Healthy Carolina initiatives, said exposes students and staff to many other healthy lifestyle choices. “By creating an environment that’s going to be most conducive for them to make healthy choices, we’re setting them up for success now and within the future,” said Knight Wilt. Ment al healt h is one of Healthy Carolina’s priorities, and the program works with USC’s Student Health Services to ensure that students have access to counseling, a suicide prevent ion l ifel i ne, st ress management and meditation, among other services. SEE HEALTHY PAGE 2
ETHAN LAM// THE GAMECOCK The Columbia Police Department will increase its presence in Five Points until the end of the football season to help ensure student safety.
New measures in Five Points aimed at helping student safety HANNAH DEAR @HannahCDear
A s col lege st udent s pou r i nto USC for the start of the semester, many also head to Five Points every weekend. With the semester and football season in full swing, local officials are tr ying to ensure that every student feels safe during their time downtown. “We k inda make sure they rein it in a little bit,” Columbia Police Department Cpl. John Myers said. “M a ke s u re t h at t he y don’t put themselves in any danger, and just basically try and get out and talk with them so that they know we’re here and if they need anything that we’re here for them.” Myers said this kind of activity isn’t unusual for this time of year. “ We d o it e v e r y y e a r a t t h e beginning of the semester since we have such a large inf lux of people
coming in, a lot of them from out of state, to kinda show presence, give a little bit of safety for when they come out, plus be able to educate them on the laws for South Carolina and what you can and cannot do,” Myers said. Every year the Columbia Police Department amplifies its presence, but this year there are plans to keep the larger numbers at least through the end of football season. “We do it a little bit bigger during t he b eg i n n i ng of t he s eme s t er, but it’ll continue throughout with litt le bit larger numbers t han we do normally through the year and it’s just due to football games and all that we’ll have a larger increase just because the amount of people ... requires it to make sure we can cover everything as needed,” Myers said. I n add it ion to a la rger p ol ice presence, the university’s late-night shuttle system has been adjusted so students are only picked up in one area. Uber, Lyft and RideShare are
also asked to park at 2100 Santee Ave. with the shuttles. “I mea n, if a n U ber or a Ly f t wants to pull into a parking lot or a parking space it’s fine. We’re just trying to keep them from parking or stopping in the middle of the road,” Myers said. “It’s a hazard for both the vehicles and the people getting in and out of the cars. So having a centralized location just kind of helps that.” Having shuttles in Five Points for the weekend is something students say they are thankful for, since Uber could be too expensive for a student and it could be dangerous to walk to their apartment or residence hall. “I like it,” said fourth-year business management student Trevor Hughes. “Whenever I’m drunk and need a ride home I always hop on the shuttle.” SEE SECURITY PAGE 3