dailygamecock.com FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2009
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
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Agencies collaborate to clean Saluda River
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THE DAILY GAMECOCK
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A mer ica n R ivers, Upst ate Fore ver a nd DH E C a re col labor at i ng to dec ide t he future of the Saluda River. According to a press release, the Saluda River is still choking f rom phosphorous pollut ion caused by wastewater treatment plants, but it has captured the attention of the South Carolina Dep a r t ment of He a lt h a nd Environmental Control. Collaborat ion bet ween le g i s l at o r s , s t at e a g e n c ie s , wa stewater t reat ment pla nt owners and operators and the community at large is likely to result in meaningful phosphorus limits on wastewater plants in the Saluda watershed and all f u t u r e w a s t e w at e r p e r m it s issued by DHEC. Rebecca Wodder, president of A merican Rivers, said it is important to ensure the Saluda River remains the lifeblood of these communities and doesn’t become a liability that hurts the economy and quality of life. “This river provides drinking water and recreation for hundreds of thousands of people,” Wodder said. “Clean water needs to be a top priority.” Matt Rice, associate director of Sout hea st conser vat ion at A merica n R ivers, said t he a mo u nt of p ho s p ho r u s discharged from typical waste water t reat ment pla nt s is reg ulated by some states but not by others. Rice said South Carolina has not put regulations on phosphorous pollution yet. “Several waste water treatment plants upstream of Lake Murray and Lake Greenwood on t he Saluda R iver do not reg ulate phosphorous in any way,” Rice said. “This has led to giant algae bloom that has killed fish and suck s t he ox ygen out of t he water. Fish need oxygen to live and reduce propert y value on Lake Greenwood. We’re asking
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The Saluda River, polluted by phosphorous from wastewater treatment plants, has captured the attention of environmental groups like DHEC. p e ople t h at c a re ab out t he Saluda River to contact DHEC.” Rice said that in the coming months and coming year DHEC will be renewing the treatment plants’ permits. “This is something DHEC has been concerned about for many years,” Rice said. “There are t hings t hat phosphorous does to rivers and lakes and DH EC has yet to issue a ny permits. They’re going to have to make a tough decision and commit to it.” Rice said that in the next year treatment plants have to get a renewal for their discharge. “Right now it’s the best time to do it,” Rice said. “They have to make the decision to regulate phosphorous.” Rice said we can expect the Saluda River to recover. “T hat ’s one of t he t h i ng s about rivers — they have the abilit y to recover in a timely fashion,” Rice said.
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Lisa Augustine, USC doctorate st udent and Rural Waters Project A ssociate i n U p s t a t e Fo r e v e r, s a i d t h e Most Endangered R ivers Campaign listing is based on the importance of the river to the community and environment. “I think it is important to note that the Saluda is not one of the most polluted rivers, but rather at a tipping point where key decisions made cou ld impact the future state of the r iver,” Aug ust i ne sa id. “ We could save the river by reducing phosphorus loads from point source dischargers.” Augustine said the state is at a point now where phosphorous l i m it s ca n be est abl ished at wastewater treatment plants so that the problem can begin to be solved before the state of the river worsens. Comments on this story? E-mail sagcknew@mailbox.sc.edu
STUDENTORGANIZATION Group focuses on raising awareness, funds for Africa
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Chaplain, athiest argue whether America is ‘Christian nation’ STAFF WRITER
Wastewater plants, pollutants bring river to tipping point Sierra Kelly
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Debate explores religious origins Derek Legette
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VOL. 103, NO. 46 ● SINCE 1908
Sarah Peterman STAFF WRITER
SAFARI is a student organization that has nothing to do with zebras, khaki uniforms or Land Rovers. Its members, do, however, love Africa. SAFARI, Student Advocates for Africa’s Regional Improvement, is working to raise awareness of the plight of Africa to the student body. “We saw that nothing served Africa direct ly on campus,” said James Menezes , a fourth-year marketing and management student and club president. Menezes and club vice president Chris McLaughlin started the club after viewing a film put on by the organization Invisible Children, an organization that works to end a militant’s regime in northern Uganda that has affected many in the area, especially children. “Africa is the largest area in the world with such great needs,” Menezes sa id. “A f r ic a is of ten pa s sively overlooked.” McLaugh l i n, a second-yea r religious studies student , has been involved with Invisible Children since
high school. Mc L au g h l i n s a id “t he s he er injustice of it and the ignorance of myself and my classmates and the pure apathy based on ignorance,” inspired him to begin working on the movement. The club hopes to raise student awareness about issues African people face, from enslaved children to starvation. The club decided that focusing on a different organization each semester would help to broaden everyone’s knowledge of Africa as well as give people a specific way to help. SA FA RI began its efforts with Invisible Children, the organization that inspired its creation Last semester, SAFARI held a Battle of the Bands competition at the Statehouse to raise awareness and funds. Members also took part in an event called “The Rescue” and traveled to Charleston to camp out to encourage local officials to lobby for change in Washington related to the issue. The club is currently organizing a book drive to send literature to school is Africa, and has begun researching for which organization it will choose to focus on next semester. “First we have to come up with knowledge for what the situation calls for,” McLaughlin said. Depending on the focus of the organization the club chooses, they may use anything from political
Is America a Christian nation? That’s what Rev. E. Ray Moore and Dr. Herb Silverman discussed at the Belk Auditorium Thursday night in a Pastafarian-sponsored debate. Moore is a retired Army Reserved Chaplain and one of the leading directors of the Exodus Mandate Project, which encourages parents to enroll their their children in faithbased schools. Silverman is the president of the Secular Coalition for America, an organization that represents agnostics and non-believers. Silverman is known for winning a long battle with the Supreme Court for atheists holding public offices in the state. Pastafarian President Andrew Cederdahl moderated the debate. “I thought it was very successful,” said Cederdahl, a third-year political science student . “We had a diverse crowd, a lively debate and good responses.” Moore said he thinks America has Christian origins but no longer is a Christian nation. “The drive for this nation to be secular and godless prevents America from being a Christian nation,” Moore said. Moore provided facts that suggest America was primarily Christian in its early colonial days. Explorer Christopher Columbus, Moore said, came here with a strong Christian bac k g rou nd , a nd t he m a ny for m s of civilizations that followed him were of Christian emphasis. But Moore also said that key moments such as the 1892 Supreme Court case Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, in which justices refered to America as a “Christian Nation”, are being “erased from history,” as if to say that politicians and historians are ignoring America’s Christian past in order to become more secular and “godless.” Silverman said British colonies in America were only Christian because of the strong, religious inf luences that originated from Europe. He said religious conflict caused much bloodshed in Europe, and that even the colonies of America had a significant amount of religious violence through its relentless Salem Witch Trials. He said t he U.S. Constitution did not mention Jesus Christ or God at all. Moore countered, saying that the Constitution does indeed refer to “divine providence,” “Laws of nature, and nature’s God” and that Article 1 Section 7 declared Sundays as a day of rest, as a reference to the Sabbath. Moore said he strongly believes that America is becoming an increasingly godless nation. Silverman rebutted by saying that he does not believe that Christians should be persecuted for their beliefs.
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Club vice president Chris McLaughlin promotes SAFARI on Greene Street Wednesday. activism and letter writing campaigns to fundraising .“We want the club to really have an impact on campus where people are becoming more aware of the issues,” Menezes said. At each meeting, the club’s research committee updates members on the current events in Africa. “The first step is curing ignorance,” McLauglin said. “We need to break through the apathy by hitting people with real life, showing them the situation on a more personal level.” Menezes said the ultimate goal for the club is to “transform people’s lives
so they’re grateful for where they are. We want to encourage a more global focus. We share in the responsibility as humans to serve each other.” McLaughlin adds that it is about “feeding your curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Many people are too comfortable in their lifestyle now. We need to foster equality and fight for the rights of people who can’t fight for themselves.” Comments on this story? E-mail sagcknew@mailbox.sc.edu