The Mix
Sports Austin Smallwood picks his NFL power rankings. See page 11
HBO’s “True Blood” has viewers and the Mix obsessed. See page 8
dailygamecock.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2008
THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
VOL. 102, NO. 24 ● SINCE 1908
USC student section may expand
Study Abroad Office hosts fair in Russell Students can obtain information on worldwide academic opportunities
STUDENT SECTIONS
USC ties with Ole Miss for lowest student section to stadium capacity ratio in SEC
PERCENTAGES
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENT SEATS OUT OF MAXIMUM STADIUM CAPACITY
Kara Apel
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Alan Tauber / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
A resolution to increase the size of the student section for football games will have its second reading in the Student Senate next week. Sen. Ebbie Yazdani, a second-year history student, said he decided to make the resolution a priority after reading about other student football sections in the Southeastern Conference. “We read an article in ESPN about how our student section to stadium capacity ratio is lower than all the others,” Yazdani said. According to ESPN, USC is tied for last in the SEC with the University of Mississippi, coming in at 12 percent. University of Florida’s ratio is the highest at 24 percent, with University of Georgia trailing at 19 and Mississippi State University at 18 percent. “Florida’s ratio is two times as much [as ours],” Yazdani said. In the resolution, it’s reported that the national college average is above 20 percent. Yazdani said he hopes to successfully have dialogue about this issue when the stadium is renovated and expanded. “The most important thing is that we’re talking about it,” Yazdani said. Yazdani said he decided to tackle the issue because it’s something that all students can benefit from. “We strive to improve the lives of students,” Yazdani said of Student
87,451 92,138
LSU 15% UK 15%
92,400
15% 14% 13% 12%
67,606 39,790 72,000 102,037 80,250
MISS 12%
60,580
• INFORMATION FROM ESPN.COM •COMPILED BY ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR KARA APEL
Athletic facilities get renovations New upgrades will improve, increase existing programs Michael Ulmer
Mark Lennihan / The Associated Press
THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Memories of t he tragedy t hat struck America in the form of hijacked airplanes and the events that unfolded in New York City seven years ago remain with students around campus. Students still reflect on the lives lost and think of the families involved. A sh ley Jen ner, a t h ird-year English student , said she remembers where she was when the tragedy struck the nation. “I was in my middle school social studies class when we found out what happened,” Jenner said. “We turned on the news in our trailer and saw the images that we now see over and over again to represent 9/11.” Jenner said Sept. 11 will always be one of those days that no one will never forget. “I think it is important to remember
these events mostly because, before 9/11, the United States was more divided, but as soon as those towers went down, we were whole again,” Jenner said. Cristal Strauser, a third-year English student, said she remembers the shock that came with the news of the attacks. “You never thought anything like that could happen in America, and all of a sudden it had,” said Strauser. “Everything changed. You knew from that point on, you knew it could happen again and again.” Natalie Sergent, a fourth-year psychology student, said she couldn’t believe what was happening when she watched it with her family. “We just watched in disbelief as more and more details unfolded,” she said. “It just got more and more heartbreaking for all the people [who] died for no reason.” Jenner said she remembers being very confused and that she did not really know what the Twin Towers were at the time. “I remember mostly feeling how people SEPT. 11 ● 5
Sports USC has a big weekend in soccer while volleyball hosts the Carolina Challenge. See page 10
STUDY ABROAD ● 4
55,082
ALA 16%
9/11 still remembered
Sierra Kelly
STADIUM ● 5
92,746
AUB 17%
TICKETS ● 4
Students recall, reflect on tragic events of Sept. 11 from individual perspectives
renovations. “ We n e e d e d t o improve things because our old facilities were somewhat outdated and they really had to be freshened up,” Fink said. The new t rain ing f a c i l i t y, w h i c h c o s t $2.4 million to build, is scheduled to be ready by m id-September of this year. It will feature t h ree hydrot herapy pools, new rehabilitation equipment, physician’s offices, a pharmacy and a conference center. Sports Medicine D i re c t or Joh n K a s i k sa id t he old t r a i n i ng room was becoming too cramped because of space restraints. “Our training rooms a re u sed b y mu lt iple teams, so when you have a large group like our football team in there w it h ot her at h letes coming in too, it just got really crowded,” Kasik
UGA 19%
VANDY ARK TENN SC
THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Michael Ulmer The Daily Gamecock Several USC athletic facilities were revamped over the summer as part of Athletic Director Eric Hyman’s plan for facility improvements. Williams-Brice Stadium received nearly $5.6 million in u p g r a d e s le a d i n g u p t o t he t e a m’s s e a s o n op ener A ug. 28. T he addit ions include new stadium equipment, new Gamecock graphics and advertising, additional luxury seating and a new athletic training facility. Media Relat ions Director Steve Fink said the Athletic Department is very excited to see the
The Mix Check out WUSC’s eclectic music selections through a DJ’s eyes. See page 7
STAFF WRITER
Imagine traveling all over t he world a nd receiv i ng credit toward graduat ion while doing it. U S C ’s S t u d y A b r o a d programs send hundreds of students to many different countries to enhance their studies and allow them to experience another culture. The Study Abroad Fair is tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Russell House lobby for students interested in learning more about the s t u d y ab r o a d p r o g r a m s offered at USC. St udy Abroad Director Jennifer Engel said students should take advantage of this opportunity. “I really encourage students to stop by the fair and f ind out about all of the different opportunities t hat a re out t here,” she said. “There is a program for everyone, and ways to make it work financially and academically, and studying abroad is fun. So why not do it?” Representatives from the various foreign universities partner with USC will be present to answer questions. E x c h a n g e s t u d e nt s a nd ret u r ned st udy abroad st udent s w il l also be on ha nd to talk about t heir ex periences a nd of fer insight into the study abroad process. I n a l l, prog ra ms f rom more than 35 countries and spanning six continents will be represented at the fair. The Study Abroad Office will also be taking this time to highlight some of its new prog rams i nclud i ng new Capstone Abroad programs in Italy and Peru, as well as new exchange programs with universities in Japan, France and Spain. Engel said the department is also excited to highlight its direct exchange programs with Ming Chuan University in Taiwan and Universidad Francisco de Vitoria in Spain. USC faculty-led programs to France and Russia will be showcased along wit h the new Hispanic Studies program in Valencia, Spain.
88,548
UF 24% MSU 18%
Kyle Moores
Opinion............... 6 Crime report............ 2 Puzzles................ 9 Comics................ 9 Classified.................. 12
TODAY
Friday
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