South Carolina uses strong starting pitching, timely hitting to sweep No. 19 LSU this weekend PG 8 Ethan Lam / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
VOL. 110, NO. 27 ● SINCE 1908
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2018
Professor receives service award Meghan Crum @MEGCRUM24
Laura Kissel was 7 years old when she first asked her parents for a camera, and she was met with a resounding no. At the age of 12, she borrowed her father’s camera on vacation and never gave it back. Since then, she has become a documentary filmmaker and uses her work to inspire people to think more deeply about real world problems. “My favorite thing about the career is probably the way in which you can use media production to engage other people in conversation about really important issues in their lives and in society,” Kissel said. Kissel came to USC 20 years ago in 1999 as a professor and is now the director of the School of Visual Art and Design. During her time at USC, she has pursued her passions in documentary film and satisfied her curiosity about the world around her. “The camera for me is a mode of inquiry,” Kissel said. “It’s a way to engage the world and engage questions and try to understand complex human situations in a different kind of way.” This year, K issel has received the 2018 Distinguished Research Service Award, a new honor for faculty who have shown an outstanding dedicat ion to helping ser v ice prog rams throughout the university. Fifth-year media arts and media studies student Leslie Leonard has worked with Kissel in an independent study and noted Kissel’s devotion to service to help others and skill in the documentary filmmaking field. “She always wants to help people and help them make those connections where they can do great things,” Leonard said. “She believes in what I’m doing and wants the best for me in the future.” Kissel has served as a mentor for thirdyear visual communications student Kristin Stitzlein’s Magellan research project, and she even helped her figure out what major she wanted to pursue. “She just definitely carves out time to be able to pour into other people, and I think that’s a really special thing,” Stitzlein said. “I can’t say enough good things about her.” It felt really good for Kissel to be recognized for her work, and in the future she looks forward to helping the visual art and design school and the different programs that she works with to SEELAURAPAGE3
Meghan Crum / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Ethan Lam / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Seniors were joined by their families and alumni as they received awards for their achievements at USC.
Student research, achievements highlighted on USC Awards Day Hannah Dear @HANNAHCDEAR
Hundreds of students gathered on the Horseshoe with their parents and USC alumni to receive their class ring from University President Harris Pastides on Sunday. “Today was a big day,” said Jonathan Mills, fourthyear electrical engineering student. “It was a big accomplishment to get our class rings, especially from President Pastides, and especially being able to do it in front of my family and friends.” The USC Ring Ceremony is sponsored by the My Carolina Garnet Circle in partnership with the Alumni Association. Garnet Circle holds various traditional ceremonies annually, such as the Ring Ceremony, which help students connect with alumni and celebrate shared experiences at USC. Patrick Ellis, the student speaker of the senate and
second-year political science, sociology and economics student, was one of the youngest students in attendance. He saw getting his ring as honoring his family’s legacy at USC. “My dad went to USC, my grandad went to USC, so USC’s always been in my blood,” Ellis said. “So I saw today and the opportunity to get the ring as the culmination of being one of the Carolina community, and I wanted to do that as soon as I was offered the opportunity.” Seniors excitedly walked up to Pastides to shake his hand and receive their ring. Many of them are graduating in May and this ceremony is possibly their last until graduation. “I decided to get my ring so I could use it to represent my four years of experience here and to be able to, you SEEAWARDPAGE3
USC students put a ring on it Hannah Dear @HANNAHCDEAR
Students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, sit impatiently on the Horseshoe while their friends and family watch one of the many endof-year ceremonies recognizing academic excellence and leadership — today, it’s University Awards Day. “Well I am very fond of all of our students,” University President Harris Pastides said. “But some really go out of their way to excel either academically or in public service and to be here on hallowed Horseshoe on a beautiful day with friends and family around made it really special.” Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa hosted the annual Awards Day on Thursday where students from a variety of colleges, departments and programs at USC were rewarded for years of hard work. Many of the awards recognized st udent s who excelled in t heir chosen major, such as fourth-year international business and marketing student Brienne Okuda, recipient of the IB-Oxford Scholars Award. “It’s a one-year scholarship to study in England for business majors
with an interest outside of business,” Okuda said. “So I’ll be studying psychology while I’m there.” Okuda was not the only student who received a scholarship award. The Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures awarded t wo female students the French Alumni Scholarship which helped with st udy abroad costs. Other scholarships were associated with f i n a nc ia l need w it h ac adem ic excellence, such as the Bennet S.
Masaschi Memorial Scholarship, and national fellowships and scholarships, s uc h a s t he Nat ion a l S c ience Foundat ion Graduate Research Fellowship. “Me sp ec i f ic a l ly, I ’m goi ng to be going to the University of Pennsylvania, studying neuroscience there, so I’ve proposed the research I would be conducting during those next couple of years in graduate SEERINGPAGE3
Hannah Dear / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Gamecocks win third straight Palmetto Series
Sara Yang/ THE DAILY GAMECOCK
South Carolina will take home another Certified SC Grown Palmetto Series trophy af ter w i n n i ng t he r iva l r y series against Clemson for the third year in a row. Point s are awarded over the course of the academic year to the school that wins a head-to-head or tournament m at c hup i n over a doz en sports. After Gamecock men’s tennis defeated the Tigers 6-1 on Friday, USC secured the bag in the all-sport series.
According to the Palmetto Ser ie s web site, one p oi nt is awarded for a win in the following sports and activities: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketba l l, c ross cou nt r y, women’s d iv i ng, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s ten n i s vol le y ba l l a nd t he annual food drive. Gamecock women dom i n at e d , helpi n g USC score 8 points to the Tigers’ 5.
The school took home wins in women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s tennis, men’s tennis, volleyball, men’s tennis and t he food d r ive, The St ate reports. The Palmet to Series originated from a partnership between the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, USC and Clemson to raise awareness about how p u r c h a s i n g C e r t i f ie d S C Grow n produc t s suppor t s
local farms as well as it fuels athletes. “We might not all agree on the playing fields, but there’s one t h ing G amecock s and Tigers fans can all agree on, and that is what we grow in our fields,” SCDA commissioner Hugh Weathers said. There is one more point in the series to win, which is one for the highest fall and spring student athlete GPAs. — Compiled by T. Michael Boddie, news editor