THE BLITZ
USC VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE dailygamecock.com
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
VOL. 113, NO. 49 • SINCE 1908
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2013
‘I feel like a
giant germ’ Student contracts MRSA, suspects Strom equipment Amanda Coyne
ACCOYNE@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
a rol i ne Ba it y a nd a not her student had been “hitting the gym pretty hard” at the Strom T h u r m o n d We l l n e s s a n d Fitness Center for a few weeks when they found something to be amiss. B a i t y, a t h i r d - y e a r s p o r t a n d entertainment management student, began to find clusters of flesh-colored bumps on her inner thigh after using an inner thigh press machine four or five times a week. This was diagnosed as molluscum contagiosum, a viral skin infection that does not present many medical risks. Her friend, however, was not so lucky. T he t h i rd-yea r exerc ise sc ience student who had been accompanying Baity to the gym and also using the inner thigh press machine noticed a strangelooking bump on her inner thigh. She initially took it to be an ordinary razor bump. The next day, it began to hurt, so she scheduled an appointment at the Thomson Student Health Center. That “razor bu mp” was act ua l ly
C
M R SA — Met h ic i l l i n-resist a nt Staphylococcus aureus — an antibioticresistant, potentially life-threatening and highly contagious Staph infection. It often emerges as this student’s did — small, red bumps — but quick ly progresses into deep, painful sores that must be surgically drained. About one in t hree people carr y MRSA on their skin or in their nose, according to Judy Chontos-Komorowski, the assistant medical director of the Thomson St udent Healt h Center’s general medicine clinic. The MRSA often remains dormant until one of these “carriers” transmits it through personal contact or exposing any kind of open sore or wound to a surface. MRSA can live outside the body for weeks to months and can be transmitted f rom a su r face to someone’s body through any kind of break in the skin, including a razor bump, like the infected student had. By the end of the week, the student was in emergency surgery. She could know within the next two weeks whether she’s rid of the infection for good, or if she could have to deal with it for the rest of her life. “It spread so fast, there was nothing MRSA • 2
1 in 3 people carry MRSA, on average. MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The bacteria can live outside of the body for weeks or months.
Graduate makes historic donation McCausland gives $10 million, 4 named Faculty Fellows Thad Moore
TMOORE@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
Kamila Melko / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
’Cocks create with cans
INSIDE
The fifth day of Homecoming brought the Canned Creations competition, in which teams collected canned foods to build structures that went with the theme “United States of Carolina.” Greene Street was filled with creations that resembled Cocky, the American flag and even the South Carolina Statehouse. According to the USC Homecoming Twitter account, more than 12,000 cans had been collected at 10:30 a.m., only an hour and a half after the event began. All cans used were donated to the Harvest Hope Food Bank in Columbia. — Compiled by Hannah Jeffrey, Assistant News Editor
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The College of Arts and Sciences received its largest-ever donation Thursday, a $10 million gift aimed at keeping rising-star professors on campus and allowing faculty to pursue new ideas. Peter McCausland, a 1971 history graduate and founder of Airgas Inc., a major gas distributor, and his wife, Bonnie, made the donation, which Dean Mary Anne Fitzpatrick called “very unique.” Most high-profile donations go to professional programs, not the liberal arts, she said. The gift will fund three initiatives, Fitzpatrick said — a fellowship program for young faculty, a visiting scholars program and a fund to promote new ideas and programs. “The big picture is (that) we can respond to the creative ideas that faculty have, to the new and exciting things they’d like to do in the classroom, things they’d like to bring to students,” Fitzpatrick said. The first four members of the McCausland Facult y Fellows Prog ram were also named Thursday: Hunter Gardner, in classics; Blaine Griffen, in marine science and biology; Catherine Keyser, in English; and Joseph November, in history. The donation wasn’t the McCauslands’ fi rst to USC. Since 2004, they had given $3.75 million, to
establish a brain imaging center and to retain top professors. The program is planned to grow to 20 members and targets young faculty; only professors who have earned a doctorate in the last 10 years are eligible. Each will receive a $10,000 stipend, which will keep USC competitive nationally, Fitzpatrick said. That’s important, she said, because otherwise, they might be targeted by other universities. Keyser, who studies modern American literature, said the designation was a “wonderful affirmation” of her work that she thinks will provide her the inspiration and resources to experiment with how she teaches. The college will also bring in two visiting professors each year; departments will apply to host one, Fitzpatrick said. And departments will compete for grants worth $10,000 to $50,000 from a new “innovation fund.” Peter McCausland said he valued the ability to see the big picture and deal with multiple disciplines he gained from studying history. While growing Airgas to be the largest industrial and medical gas distributor in the U.S., he said those skills were useful. He had to reconcile chem ist r y and com mu n icat ions w it h business a nd hu ma n resources, he said, and he needed to step back from day-to-day work to see where the company was headed. “I think in life, it’s important to know your stuff DONATION • 3
MIX
SPORTS
VIEWPOINTS
Charleston band Dead 27s will play USC’s Young Alumni Band Party tonight at Tin Roof.
South Carolina returns to Williams-Brice stadium to face Mississippi State.
Editorial Board: A recent MRSA infection warrants an improvement in everyone’s healthy habits.
Friday
Saturday
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High 73° Low 57°
High 74° Low 44°
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