dailygamecock.com UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
VOL. 113, NO. 12
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2019
SEC CHAMPS
ALYSSA RASP // THE GAMECOCK
South Carolina women’s soccer claimed the 2019 SEC Tournament Championship on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over Arkansas. The Gamecocks did not allow a goal the entire tournament. Senior goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski now stands at 47 career clean sheets.
SEE PAGE 9 For more coverage of the women’s soccer team the upcoming NCAA tournament.
SINCE 1908
Thomas Cooper Library to be renovated JOSEPH LEONARD Senior News Writer
The fourth floor of Thomas Cooper Librar y is set to be renovated over winter break and be open for students by the start of the spring semester in a redesign inspired by the setup of the mezzanine. “I mag ine t he [ Learning Success Center], but on the fourth f loor of T ho m a s C o o p e r,” St u d e nt B o d y President Luke Rankin said. Rank in sat down with The Daily Gamecock in an exclusive interview to unveil plans for the library’s fourth f lo or. De a n of l ibr a r ie s T hom a s McNally approached Rank in about this project after he was elected last spring, and the two of them got the wheels turning. T he r e wo n’t b e a n y a c t u a l construction on the fourth floor, just removal and replacement of furniture, and it will not impact students studying for finals in December.
USC student opens online A’ja Wilson thrift store business SEE LIBRARY PAGE 4
speaks on her legacy being cemented
AMONI JERMAN News Writer
Zach Justice got the idea for an online thrift store when he had a businessspeech class project sophomore year t hat required him to have a “side hustle.” As a result of this, the now third-year advertising student created Shop Cocky Thrift for people to buy clothes at affordable prices. “While I was doing the assignment, I realized that it was actually possible, so I just started it a little bit just to see what would happen, a nd just ra n it t h rough Instagram,” Justice said. “Then I realized it could actually work and so then, I’ve been doing it for the past year now.” As he was preparing to go into business, Justice said he still had doubts, but his roommate encouraged him to pursue his business. Ju st ice sa id he never expected the business to become as big and successful as it is, but he’s aware of how much he has grown it. Now, his business has more than 1,500 Instagram followers and pop-up events
MICHAEL SAULS Sports Writer
COURTESY OF ZACH JUSTICE
Students look through shirts at a USC student’s thrift store pop-up at Cayce Cove Apartments.
in popular spots around Columbia. One challenge he said he has to face while running a busi ness is ma nag i ng inventory. “It can get pretty hectic somet imes, because you have all this stuff that you need to sell and a lot of stuff that you need to post, and that sort of thing,” Justice said. “Sometimes it’s hard to find time, especially being in
college.” Justice travels to different locations to do pop-ups for students to shop, but he uses Instagram to run his business online. Justice said his plan to put his business into action was a “learning process,” especially using social media. One thing that surprised him was the popularity of thrifting. “There’s a lot of people
that are into it and there’s a lot of market for it,” Justice said. “I didn‘t realize that going into it.” The young entrepreneur sel ls a va r iet y of items including jackets, jerseys, hats and sporting equipment, but the items for sale aren’t just everyday items.
When A’ja Wilson walked across the stage during her graduation in 2018, she received a graduation present like no other: a statue. “I found out at graduation. It was really cool, but it’s just a blessing, you know,” Wilson said. “I heard about it; everyone’s like, ‘Oh, she needs a statue,’ this, that; but I never really thought it would follow through. So, hearing President Pastides at the time, say that at graduation was definitely just the icing on the cake.” The Universit y of South Carolina board of trustees approved the statue in late 2018. Head coach Dawn Staley donated $100,000 towards funding of the statue. Wilson said she admires the “loyalty that [Staley] has to all of her players, current, past, present” and considers Staley to be her “second mom.” “I know she’s always going to be there for me, and vice versa,” Wilson said.
SEE THRIFT
SEE STATUE
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Matt and Kim’s ‘Grand 10 Year Celebration Tour’ to stop at The Senate
STEPHEN PASTIS Arts & Culture Writer
Barack Obama was just elected president, there are only six Harry Potter movies in the world and Micheal Jackson’s mysterious death still permeates the trashy magazines in checkout lines. The year is 2009, and a relatively unheard of band released its sophomore album, “Grand.” An instant hit for the 2009 music scene, “Grand” was the birth of the then up-and-coming creative pairing, Matt and Kim. It has been 10 years since Matt and Kim blew up in the musical world. In their Nov. 17 performance at The Senate, they will be looking back on this monumental album with the Grand 10 Year Celebration Tour. They’ve accumulated some interesting stories over the past decade, such as the time they drove from Arizona to
San Diego without functioning brakes because they didn’t want to miss a show, or how meeting childhood idols such as Rivers Cuomo from Weezer has become inevitably normalized. “We’ve been in years of touring ... [‘Grand’] came out 10 years ago,” Matt Johnson, the lead singer and keyboard player, said. “We’ve had a lot of memories in that time.” The dynamics of this wholesome and lively duo are formed from the distinctive personalities of Matt and Kim Schifino. Their coupling began in 2002 during their time at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, with Matt on keyboard and Kim on the drums, though Kim is known now for her zealous on-stage presence and dancing. Their personalities might have as much influence on their success as their music. SEE MATT AND KIM PAGE 8
COURTESY OF RIGHT ON! PR
The Brooklyn indie-dance duo will play in Columbia next week.