The Daily Gamecock: November 2024

Four of The Daily Gamecock’s oldest editors speak on what it means for them to be leaving the organization.

USC Police Department to use new technology that aims to hold police officers accountable while on the job.

Students across the Southeast regions are still returning back to normal after an intense hurricane season.

USC to build South Carolina’s first hospital that specializes in neurological treatment.

USC’s board of trustees approves changes to Williams-Brice Stadium, Russell House and the School of Music.

Members of the paper’s editorial staff write parting messages as they prepare to graduate in December.

A USC alumnus details how his company Kola Kruze is working to provide cheaper car rides for students.

16 COCK HOCKEY BRANCHES OUT

Gamecock Hockey Club is hoping its game at a popular Charlotte venue will open new doors for the team and sport. 18

The Daily Gamecock highlights key moments through some of its most memorable pictures from October.

20 HOUSE DIVIDED

USC students share what it’s like to live with family members who pull for Clemson.

23 SANDSTORM’S ANNIVERSARY

One of USC’s most well-known traditions began 15 years ago. Hear from alumni how it got started and what it means to them.

25 JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM

Two freshman swimmers on South Carolina’s swimming and diving team make the national junior team.

26 SOUTH CAROLINA BASEBALL’S NEW ERA

With 13 international players on its 2024 roster, members of the men’s soccer team describe what led them to play in the U.S.

Take a look back at notable moments in South Carolina sports history during November.

With a new head coach, members of the baseball team discuss their mentality heading into the 2025 season.

27

FEATURED ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE MONTH

The Daily Gamecock highlights key moments through some of its most memorable designs from October.

Queer Haven Books, South Carolina’s only LGBTQIA+ bookstore, is asking its customers to help after concers over it closing.

USC Center for Health and Well-Being takes on new initiative that seeks to provide more inclusive healthcare.

Campus organization strives to improve conservation efforts for Columbia’s bird population.

34 GAMECOCK SCUBA

Members of the club share how they want to make students more environmentally conscious.

36

LACK OF POET LAUREATE

Community members are growing concerned about South Carolina’s lack of a poetry figure for the past four years.

37 STUDENT-RUN FOOD TRUCK

A USC student is hoping to combine authentic Italian pizza with quick service in his new business venture.

The 2024 election and future elections have the potential to change American politics.

COVER PHOTO BY: Delany Kral

F I N D T H E W 2 C H O M E T O F I T Y O U R L I F E S T Y L E

T o w n h o m e s , h o u s e s , a p a r t m e n t s .

O n e t o s i x b e d r o o m s .

F u r n i s h e d o p t i o n s .

P e t f r i e n d l y .

LETTER FROM A IT’S TIME TO SAY

How do you summarize three-and-a-half years working on the school paper?

We could start by telling you about what it’s like to cover South Carolina’s women’s basketball team winning a national championship or how we spent endless nights in the newsroom, working on content with very little sleep.

But that truly wouldn’t capture it.

It’s something that the four of us — Emmy, Griffin, Kate and Sydney — have had to grapple with as we end our last semester with The Daily Gamecock in December.

We all started The Daily Gamecock our first semester freshman year, and now the four of us have been on the organization’s editorial staff the longest.

Accepting the fact that we won’t always be covering USC and interacting with people in the newsroom has been bittersweet.

We’ve been so fortunate during our time to be surrounded by people who have mentored us, close friends who have supported us and others who have helped us grow as journalists. For us, the newsroom and the people within it have become a central part of our identity. And it feels weird to suddenly lose that.

Still, we know it’s time to move on. When we each first started at the student paper, we had so much to learn. Now three-and-a-half years later, we find ourselves in a space where we need to give others the opportunity to grow and make the organization their own.

But recognizing that doesn’t make it any easier to step away. In fact, it makes it harder for us to go away from something that has challenged us greatly but has also oddly given us a sense of comfort.

So how would we describe what it’s been like to be a part of The Daily Gamecock? It may seem cliché to say, but it feels like home.

Following the first Daily Gamecock interest meeting, a few of us who had only met hours before walked around on campus discussing how excited we were to join the organization.

Now, we are all saying our goodbyes together, and we know this isn’t just unique to us.

Many students across this university have found their own version of a home away from home. Whether you’ve gotten involved with club sports, Greek Life or other branches of campus, you have found your community. And while it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, you probably couldn’t imagine not being a part of it.

This is what the newsroom and the people within The Daily Gamecock have come to mean to us.

And now as we prepare ourselves to leave not just the organization but the university, we hope to leave you with this: Find your home.

It will challenge you, and it may sometimes make you question your decision to stay.

But damn is it worth it.

Kate Robins Editor-in-Chief

Sydney Dunlap Outreach Director

Editor

Emmy Ribero News

Griffin Goodwyn Sports Editor

From left to right stands Emmy Ribero, Kate Robins, Griffin Goodwyn and Sydney Dunlap, each holding a Daily Gamecock print edition.

PHOTOS: NICKOLAS HILL

USC Police Department begins integrating AI body cameras on campus

Elizabeth WesT | News writer

The USC Police Department is preparing its officers for more accountable interactions by using AI body cameras following the initial announcement of its partnership with Truleo.

USC will be the first campus in the state to utilize AI body cameras on its officers. While the announcement broke in early September, the department is still in the early stages of training its officers with Truleo, USC Police Maj. TJ Geary said. The new body cameras will allow USCPD supervisors to find relevant footage quicker and observe the professionalism of its officers.

“We have not actually fully integrated everything,” Geary said. “We’re still in a preparatory phase where they’re doing voice printing and some other preliminary things required for the AI to understand that this is the officer speaking versus a violator on a traffic stop.”

Truleo is a company that specializes in providing body cameras with AI and maintaining its software. According to its website, the company’s intention with its body cameras is to keep officers accountable while they work. By incorporating AI, departments will have an easier time “surfacing positive moments” of officers working, aiding police union standards of behavior and preventing supervisors from wasting their time combing through hours of irrelevant footage.

“We’re about to roll out kind of a training phase where Truleo will come in and speak with the officers and kind of walk through the system,” Geary said. “There are features that are built in there specifically where supervisors can get feedback on their officers and use it as a coaching tool.”

Geary said USCPD was close to being the first one in the state to utilize the technology. The department was first introduced to the concept of AI body cameras at a conference with the FBI National Academy in 2022. Due to troubles with vendors, the campus could not adopt the technology as quickly as it had hoped.

“It took us a little over two years to really get to the point that we could adopt this because of the constraints of our body

camera systems, but we’ve been interested in it for quite a while,” Geary said. “One of our core values is accountability. We have a long history of being an agency that always looks for ways that we can improve.”

USC’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice played a major role in evaluating AI body cameras. Two professors from the department engaged with Truleo firsthand. Criminology and criminal justice Professor Geoff Alpert and Assistant Professor Ian Adams led a sixmonth study with Truleo, the Aurora Police Department in Colorado and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in Columbia. Working with Associate Professor Kyle McLean from Clemson University, they found that Truleo was effective in trials.

The choice in observing Aurora Police Department and Richland County Sheriff’s Department was intentional, Adams said. Both agencies had different attitudes in their behaviors, work and willingness to try Truleo. In Aurora, officers weren’t as open to engaging with the new tool. In Richland County, officers were more positive about having information on how to improve.

The Aurora Police Department saw a 67% reduction in substandard professionalism and 57% fewer unprofessional interactions. The Richland County Sheriff’s Office saw similar results, with the Truleo system seeing double the amount of highly professional police conduct.

“In Aurora, for example, it reduced that subprofessional level quite substantially, but it didn’t really improve the rates of highly professional police conduct,” Adams said. “Then in Richland, we had sort of the opposite. We had a strong increase in the level of highly professional ratings, but nothing really significant happening.”

With the introduction of AI body cameras on campus, there has been confusion about how they work and what this will mean for students. Adams said the AI software being used relies primarily on voice transcription, allowing supervisors to easily find the relevant parts of the footage.

“We talk about it as if it’s body camera review, like the AI is taking a look at the actual footage,” Adams said. “It’s simply

taking a look at the actual transcript from the audio only of the body-worn camera video.”

Adams said the software isn’t intended to breach the privacy of the officers and citizens it may capture on tape. There are protections built within the Truleo technology that prevent the most sensitive information from being caught. The AI transcript will automatically redact any personal identifiable information obtained on camera within the officer’s speech and will focus primarily on the officer’s words and behavior. Privacy concerns have followed the invention of police body cameras long before AI was included, he said.

“I think it’s undeniable that some officers will feel this is an infringement in their workplace, and this is very similar to the feedback that officers gave at the beginning of the body-worn camera adoption phase, which began in about late 2014,” Adams said. “People that haven’t followed this closely might assume that body cameras have always been around, but they haven’t. They’ve only been around for about 10 years in the United States.”

Adams said feedback has still been mixed due to the tool’s novelty. Fourthyear criminology student Logan Miller said he is optimistic about the department’s inclusion of AI on campus, as it is a tool to allow improvements in accountability and bias.

“A lot of that information goes without review,” Miller said. “I think because if you’re leaving it to AI, obviously AI isn’t going to have the same biases that a person like you or I might may have.”

Miller said there is a need for trust between the university’s officers and USC students. With Truleo’s intentions of improving police interactions, the conversations will be on record for civilian protection.

“We’re all adults, but we just want to make sure that the police officers are doing their job, that they are making students feel comfortable because at the end of the day, they are supposed to be a resource for students,” Miller said.

Some have approached Adams and Geary, they said, with more reservations about AI technology.

The concern isn’t stopping USCPD from looking at ways to upgrade safety with technology. Adams said he agrees that AI will only grow, prioritizing the need to interact with it.

“I know that they are unfamiliar for a lot of my colleagues, the professors, but at the end of the day, I think you have to engage with them, because they’re not going away,” Adams said. “If anything, the adoption curve and the efficiency curves are going to increase, so better to get it on the ground floor, figure out how to use these types of tools now in the relatively safe place of college.”

Illustration : Abby Smith

Students are picking up the pieces after an intense hurricane season in the Southeast. Climate experts say it won’t be the last.

Hayden Davis | News writer

Editor’s note: This article was written in collaboration between The Daily Gamecock, The Minaret andThe Paladin.

USC student Matthew Snyder lived without power for two weeks after Hurricane Helene knocked out electricity to more than 190,000 homes in Richland County on Sept. 27.

That morning Snyder, who is a student in the sport and entertainment management graduate program, was startled by what he thought was a thunderstorm.

“Around 5 a.m. I saw a blue flash and a big thud, and I thought, ‘Oh crap, here comes a thunderstorm,’” he said. “So I was like, all right, just hunker down. Power went immediately off, because I usually have the TV on when I sleep. So I knew exactly when the TV went off, power went off.”

Once Helene had passed, Snyder said he looked outside and saw a large oak tree had fallen on the street, taking a number of wires and cables with it. Two cars were left shattered underneath the tree, and it would be six days before the oak was moved.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton brought historic levels of destruction on the Southeast. Deadly floods occurred in North Carolina, widespread power outages ranged from Florida to Tennessee and high winds damaged or destroyed homes.

The Daily Gamecock collaborated with The Paladin and The Minaret to talk to students, like Snyder, across the Southeast who have been dealing with the hurricanes’ impacts months later.

Several climate, hurricane and environmental experts across the region told The Daily Gamecock the storms brought on by the 2024 hurricane season were likely influenced by changes in the world’s climate and continued warming may worsen their effects.

A busy hurricane season

The week immediately following Hurricane Helene came with its own whirlwind of activity, with students rushing back to the University of Tampa’s campus, settling in, checking new due dates for assignments and watching as the news poured in by the hour, reporting the storm’s widespread devastation that crossed state lines.

For Jaden Workman — an ROTC cadet majoring in applied sociology and triple minoring in leadership studies, military science and criminology — that week was her time to recover and catch up on schoolwork.

“I had classes — makeup classes — and I had tattoo appointments,” said Workman, with an amused smile on her face. “I was just in work mode that whole week because we had tons of work to make up from Helene.”

Things started to return back to normal for Workman, until Oct. 5 when news of another storm system forming in the Gulf of Mexico came along. The warning of another major hurricane, coming less than 10 days after Hurricane Helene hit, loomed over a wearied Florida.

Nicholas Grondin, an assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of Tampa, was forced to evacuate to Daytona Beach as Hurricane Milton approached. Helene and Milton, he said, were unusual storms that were exacerbated by climate change.

“The rainfall associated with Helene was almost certainly made worse by a changing climate, likely human caused, because a warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor,” Grondin said. “And at the rate we’re warming — we haven’t seen this level of warming — and it correlates perfectly with greenhouse gas emissions.”

Greenhouse gas emissions are human produced gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to global climate change, according to The Environmental Protection Agency.

The rainfall from Milton was 20% to 30% worse than it would have been without human induced climate change, according to a study by World Weather Attribution. The study used rainfall data and models of Milton to determine its figures.

Milton had the strongest hurricane wind speeds in the Gulf of Mexico since 2005, according to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The storm’s wind speeds increased by 95 mph in the span of 24 hours, raising it from a category one to a category five, according to NOAA. The phenomenon is called rapid intensification.

Warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico were perfect for this process, Grondin said.

“Any developing system that moves over a warm Gulf of Mexico, and with a lack of wind shear — which there was — it’s like throwing a match into a pool of gasoline,” he said. “It’s just going to explode.”

Workman began her search on Oct. 5 for flights to her home in Cleveland, Ohio, after she received the campus-wide message issued by UTampa’s Emergency Operations that stated Tropical Depression 14 was being monitored and was expected to develop further as it traveled eastward.

The flights that Workman found cost $300, which had risen from its usual cost of $180 for a round-trip flight to Cleveland. Feeling unsure about booking the expensive flight, she called her mom for advice on whether this was a flight worth investing in.

“I did want to go home,” Workman said. “I went home for Helene, but I was like, ‘I really can’t book another trip again, right? I don’t know how long this will last.’”

Since UTampa initially stated that weekend that there were no plans at the

Photo: Delany Kral

Graduate student Matthew Snyder stands in front of an abandoned car left outside of his apartment by a neighbor on Oct. 23, 2024. The car was totaled after an oak tree fell directly on top of it during Hurricane Helene.

Carter Ozburn & walker smith | Reporters with The Paladin Franchesca Murrugarra | Reporter with the minaret

time for changes in campus operations, Workman’s mom advised that it might be better to wait to book that flight back home until classes were officially canceled. Workman agreed as she felt at the time that she was “jumping the gun” on evacuating again.

But once UTampa officially announced the cancellation of classes and the evacuation of the entire campus, Workman decided to look for that original flight.

“When I looked again, it jumped to, like, $850 for the flight. Same place, round trip — it was the same flight, basically,” Workman said. “So that was worrisome because, financially, I don’t want to do that.”

Students in the aftermath

With an inability to get home or stay at her dorm, Workman stayed with ROTC alumni Paul and Maria Weizer.

The Weizers live about 10 minutes away from campus on the west side of Tampa. Their home was closer to the water, and while it seemed more dangerous to stay with them due to the proximity, Workman said it felt safe because they had a house that had hurricane-proof windows and a generator.

The following night, Hurricane Milton made landfall about 65 miles south of Tampa in Siesta Key. The trio was able to remain relatively safe and had minimal damage from the storm.

Although they lost electricity for the week following the storm, their generator

allowed them to use the basic necessities. They also had water and were able to cook meals. Milton didn’t affect Workman that much, she said.

“I was in a house, and hardly any damage came to the house,” Workman said. “Now, the surrounding neighborhood had a little bit more damage. Their neighbors across from them had a huge downed tree that went over the driveway but, thankfully, didn’t hit the house.”

Workman and the Weizers walked around the neighborhood in the days after and helped the neighbors with cleaning tree limbs and branches that had accumulated all over. The cadet also recalled the constant popping of the generators in the neighborhood and the moments when it fused out because of its constant usage.

Weeks earlier on Sept. 24, Greenville, South Carolina, was inundated with rainfall of just under 4 inches before the bulk of Hurricane Helene hit. Within Greenville lies Furman University, where students dealt with power outages and canceled classes.

Helene’s high rainfall resulted in flooding in South Carolina’s upstate.

A rainfall event prior to Helene saturated the ground in the area, said Gustavo Coelho, a professor of water resources at Furman University. Saturated soil prevents water from seeping into the ground and can cause flooding, he said.

The already moisture-packed soil contributed to significant damage in the

area, leaving trees less secure and many areas more prone to flooding.

International student from Liberia Roger Abim-Karmon remained on Furman University’s campus for the entirety of the aftermath of Helene.

“I’ve never had anything like this happen back home,” Abim-Karmon said. “It was an interesting experience. I’ve only seen this on TV. And seeing things on TV and then having the reality of it is very different.”

Once the storm reached the area by the morning of Sept. 27, the rainfall totaled 11.3 inches. Coupled with the up to 68 mph winds, many trees were knocked down and homes were destroyed throughout campus and the surrounding area.

“I thought it was gonna be minimal damage, and we’re just gonna get things done until Thursday. I think Friday was when it hit. (I realized) this was actually a very big deal,” Abim-Karmon said. “When power went out, and we lost the cell service, I couldn’t let my family know that this was happening.”

Nearly 260,000 were without power in Greenville County, including Furman’s campus for five days, leaving students without hot water, typical dining options and cell service.

Many students, like Abim-Karmon, did not anticipate the severity of the disaster, thinking it would be no bigger than a typical storm.

Students had received an email from the university with the notice of cancellation of class on Sept. 28, with an email to students and faculty the day before the storm that it was a “major storm that is expected to cause significant damage.”

Many roads were impassable due to fallen trees and power lines, especially those in and around the campus.

Additional damage on Furman’s campus included large amounts of debris, flooding and damage to student housing and campus infrastructure from downed trees.

The university was still scheduled to have its annual Family Weekend on Sept. 29, and stated in the same email that “Helene will cause disruptions and inconveniences as families travel to campus for Family Weekend.”

Classes at Furman were canceled from Sept. 28 through Oct. 4, leaving students without knowledge of deadlines or syllabus changes. It wasn’t until that later Friday when the Wi-Fi was fully restored in student housing.

Some students weren’t able to leave Furman’s campus because of travel complications. Students that stayed received power and Wi-Fi through the Physical Activities Center, the dining hall and at the Furman Police Department with the help of external generators.

“FUPD was a huge help because they had electricity and Wi-Fi,” Abim-Karmon said. “I was going there at 9 or 10 a.m. to get my stuff charged and chat with the officers. That was a really good experience.”

In Columbia, Snyder also dealt with the aftermath of Helene, where he had to adjust to life without power or even a refrigerator to store food in, while the oak tree was still down.

The loss of power meant the loss of weeks’ worth of his refrigerated food, he said.

Courtesy of Jaden Workman

The aftermath of Hurricane Milton in the Weizers’ neighborhood near Midtown, where Workman stayed during the storm. An oak tree that collapsed in the middle of the road can be seen in the distance.

Courtsey of Furman University

“And I cried when I had to throw away all the food that I just bought,” he said. “I was like, this is like three or four weeks of food for me that I’m literally throwing away because they all got, like, spoiled.”

Snyder attempted to continue living in the apartment. But once that became impossible, he sought out alternative places to stay.

“In the very beginning, where it was like the first few days, and I was like, ‘Screw this, I can’t,’” he said. “It was getting up to 80-plus degrees in my apartment with no airflow. I couldn’t sleep. It was rough, to the point where I was just like, I need to get out of here.”

Snyder’s employers in USC’s student union provided him a place to charge his devices and work on assignments, he said. For everything else, he settled on a hotel. But circumstances sullied that option for him. On Oct. 5, the same day the news of Hurricane Milton hit UTampa’s campus, costs increased at the hotel Snyder stayed at, due to South Carolina’s game against Ole Miss.

“So they were like, if you want to stay that night, it went up $150 a night because of the game in the area,” he said. “It went from like $91 a night to $240 a night. It was ridiculous.”

Fortunately, a friend of Snyder’s provided him a place to stay for several days after leaving the hotel, he said.

After staying with his friend, Snyder returned to his apartment with the hope

that power would be restored that night, he said. But power remained off until the next day, he said.

He spent one final, uncomfortable night in the apartment.

“But what made it really unbearable is that my building’s a historic building, so the windows were designed to be nailed shut because there’s no security thing on there, so they’re nailed shut and painted shut,” he said. “So I couldn’t even open up the windows for airflow.”

What climate change means for the Southeast

The strength of the hurricanes is part of a growing trend linked to climate change, increasing the intensity of storms, Grondin said.

Hurricanes in the Atlantic may continue to increase in strength due to climate change, said Cary Mock, a professor of climatology and hurricane researcher at USC.

“Potentially there could be more strong category fours or category fives, and perhaps more wetter storms, like maybe about 20% wetter than what they would be if it wasn’t as warm,” he said.

Warmer ocean temperatures will drive the strengthening of future hurricanes and increase their rainfall, Grondin said.

In contrast, the number of storms that develop may decrease. A warmer climate produces greater wind shear, the differences in wind speeds at different

levels of the atmosphere. Strong winds in higher levels can destroy the structure of hurricanes and weaken them, according to NOAA.

“Wind shear acts to weaken storms, and with a warming climate, current modeling studies say we should have fewer or weaker storms because we expect with the warming climate, we would have an increase in wind shear,” Grondin said.

Climate change may also shift the tropical climate zones of the Atlantic, possibly influencing hurricane development and paths.

“We expect (climate change) also to slightly disrupt some of the general circulation of the planet with an expansion of the tropics,” Grondin said. “So areas that are tropical we expect to expand a little bit, and we expect the polar areas to contract a little bit. You can make an argument that odd tracks that we haven’t seen before may become a little more likely with an expanding tropical zone.”

Climate change has the potential to impact more than just hurricanes.

For coastal residents and communities, sea level rise may be a major concern, said Claudia Benitez-Nelson, an associate dean in USC’s College of Arts and Sciences.

“So melting glaciers, Greenland, off of Antarctica, that’s increasing sea level rise that’s fundamentally impacting our state — Charleston, Myrtle Beach — all along our coast,” she said.

Charleston already experiences regular floods, and these will be worsened by sea

level rise, she said. Major hurricanes have impacted the Charleston area before, such as Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

Charleston is a major tourism hub and economic engine for South Carolina, Benitez-Nelson said. And Florida’s circumstances are similar, Grondin said.

“That’s a big risk for Florida, particularly south Florida, Miami in particular, as well as I would say the Keys and other areas that have a more flatter coast area, swampy places in particular,” he said.

Sea level rise may worsen storm surge from hurricanes.

“I would say that the biggest threat is the rising sea level,” Mock said. “And so that means when you do get a hurricane, the storm surge would be higher than what it usually would be.”

Increased average temperatures pose risks as well, Benitez-Nelson said. Hotter days mean less time people can spend outside, increasing the likelihood of drought and changes to growing seasons for plants, she said.

“There’s kind of this temperature range that we talk about for the number of days that South Carolina gets too hot, and so we’ve increased that number of days by about 20 to 25 days,” she said.

‘Getting back to normal is still happening’

As with Milton, warm sea temperatures can cause the rapid intensification of hurricanes.

Infographic: Olivia Abner

If actions are not taken to limit climate change, then tough choices will have to be made, Benitez-Nelson said. This may include moving homes away from coasts and adjusting fresh water usage, she said.

“We’ve got to make changes now, or we need to think about adaptation and sustainability, and what are we going to do to adapt, and what are we going to do to sustain,” she said. “That’s going to mean we have to make some tough choices.”

But until then, students across the cities impacted are still dealing with the aftermath.

Snyder’s power returned, but other issues remained. His water supply was not adequately restored, he said.

“It’s low pressure, but it’s at least livable,” he said. “Like, it’s still clean coming out, it doesn’t look brown or anything. I just think, because it’s leaking out of the one pipe that’s lowering our pressure, so that’s the only downside to that, but still enough to take a shower and still enough to like get water to drink and stuff like that.”

When the oak tree fell, it damaged a water pipe in a neighboring building, he said. Debris from the tree, including a large section of the trunk, remain on both sides of Gregg Street, preventing crews from fixing the pipe.

“There’s actually water still running down the street that no one’s been able to turn off, because it actually damaged the pipe, and no one’s touching it,” he said.

Gregg Street remained closed until Nov. 6 when crews came to remove the remaining debris and fix the damaged pipe, he said.

Snyder continues to progress academically despite the two-week interruption, he said. He plans to graduate in December and enter the job market. But he’s now looking to live elsewhere.

“Even if I get a job at, say, by some miracle, I get a job here at the university, I’m still going to be looking to move somewhere else at the end of December,” he said. “I’m not going to extend that lease anymore.”

At Furman, students had access to limited options from the dining hall. But the Furman staff played a role in maintaining services and support for students on campus, AbimKarmon said.

The dining hall workers cooked meals using gas grills outside to keep food available as much as possible.

“At the end of the day, I think throughout my experience with staying on campus, it was good to know that I wasn’t in it alone, because we have staff working overtime,” Abim-Karmon said. “They were amazing.”

Despite the overall destruction and tragedy that Helene brought to the region, Abim-Karmon found silver linings in the circumstances that he and other students faced.

“The hurricane was a good way to be outside and think through what’s happening, because a lot of people were outside. No one had electricity or anything, so everyone’s socializing … As much as a lot of people were affected by Helene, staying on campus made me feel connected more

to Furman and the people at Furman,” Abim-Karmon said.

Many students on campus, like AbimKarmon, used the time away from their studies to pour back into the community around them. Furman’s administration organized events for students to make toiletry kits for linemen staying on campus.

Abim-Karmon volunteered with a group in Greenville that helps international students, he said.

He found the hurricane offered an opportunity for the Furman community to reflect on what happened and how to respond better in the future. He hopes they can use the hurricane as a way to strategize how students can better receive help in these times, he said.

“We need to know this is coming, and based on past experience, we can put mechanisms into place to make sure students who live very far can get the time to go home, or for students who cannot actually go home to have good resources to help them throughout the experience,” Abim-Karmon said. “But in the future, we might still be affected by this experience, regardless of what happens.”

On Oct. 13, UTampa announced the reopening of the campus, and Workman soon bid farewell to the Weizers and the home that kept them all safe.

The shortage of gas in the city was one issue that Workman could recall after leaving the Weizers.

“It was awful trying to get gas,” Workman said. “I mean, there was no gas. That Monday through Friday of the very next week, I knew a lot of people who were unable to do stuff, unable to work, and

unable to go get groceries because they just didn’t have a full tank.”

Workman called about 10 local gas stations in the area, and all said they were closed or didn’t have gas. In a stroke of luck, she managed to find fuel at a gas station in Ybor City. She only filled her tank halfway, which would last about five to seven days, so that others in the area could get gas as well, she said.

Workman said the community came together to help each other. At a cafe where Workman volunteered every Sunday, the volunteers opened early and made plenty of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to give out as bagged lunches. A nearby church also handed out food.

People that came back to UTampa were still hurting, she said. Professors who didn’t have power couldn’t teach class, sometimes leading to the lesson plan getting messed up. But despite the challenges, Workman said she appreciated how the UTampa community came together to support each other.

“I know Campus Safety and all the custodians and all the staff, like, they’ve been working very, very hard to get the university up and running and looking the same as if nothing happened,” Workman said. “I’m very thankful for them.”

But workers at the university were impacted too. Workman said she would talk with them about the damages to their houses and other items. They’re still recovering like the students, Workman said.

“I think getting back to normal is still happening,” she said.

Courtesy of Furman University

Photo: Delany Kral

An electrical box lays on debris and down power lines on Oct. 23, 2024. Many residents in the neighborhood went without power for multiple days, some close to a week.

USC to build South Carolina’s first specialized neurological hospital

Nat Campbell | Assistant News Editor

USC’s board of trustees approved funding for a new hospital specializing in neurological treatment in a meeting on Oct. 25.

The hospital will offer advanced neurological treatments, including neurosurgery and neurological rehabilitation for trauma, stroke, cancer and other conditions affecting the brain and nervous system. It will be the first standalone medical facility to be entirely dedicated to neurological conditions and treatments in South Carolina. The hospital is expected to have around 115 beds.

The hospital will house fully equipped research spaces and laboratories and will provide clinical training sites for USC students studying nursing, medicine, physical and speech therapy, pharmacy, biomedical engineering and other academic, medical and technical disciplines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked South Carlina fourth highest in death rates due to traumatic

brain injuries. The S.C. Department of Public Health also reported that strokes are the sixth-highest cause of death in the state.

“As USC expands its efforts to provide the highest quality medical education to South Carolina students and serve the state’s health care needs, building a single location for neurological treatment and rehabilitation is a vital next step,” President Michael Amiridis said in a press release.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to address a critical gap in health care for brain-related conditions, not only for our state but for the entire Southeast.”

The hospital is planned to be on USC’s Health Sciences Campus in the BullStreet District. The board approved an agreement with the state health agency to receive $10 million to begin preliminary architecture and engineering. The university is requesting $150 million from the state budget next year to go towards the $350 million project.

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FILE — The University of South Carolina smokestack during the morning hours on July 8, 2024.

USC’s board of trustees approves renovations to Williams-Brice Stadium, Russell House, other areas

Nat Campbell | Assistant News Editor

USC’s board of trustees approved development projects, contract renewals and the naming of the baseball field at Founder’s Park in a meeting on Oct. 25.

Renovations will be made to WilliamsBrice Stadium, Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center, Russell House and other areas of campus. The board also approved funding for a new neurological hospital on USC’s Health Sciences Campus.

Renovation projects

Williams-Brice Stadium will now have club seating sections and suites, allowing the university to retain an architecture firm to design the additions. The initial proposal focuses on adding developments to the west stands. The university does not expect football games to be relocated

at this time, according to an university press release.

Renovations for the School of Music to move into the United Methodist Church on Greene Street were also approved. The School of Music will expand into the church’s parsonage house in order to add more practice rooms and faculty studios.

The board also approved renovations to Russell House’s west wing on the third floor. The plan is to create an estimated 6,000 square feet of meeting space for students.

University Architect Derek Gruner presented final renderings for the School of Medicine’s interior and exterior development as well as new interior design plans for the Brain Health Center. The School of Medicine is expected to break ground in February 2025 and is projected to be completed in Fall 2027.

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Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center will also upgrade three elevators for routine maintenance. Renovations have been completed at Taylor House, across the street from the Joseph F. Rice School of Law. The historic building has undergone renovations for the past eight years.

Naming of Founder’s Park Field

The board voted to name the baseball field at Founder’s Park to honor Athletics Director and former head baseball coach Ray Tanner. A group of Gamecock Athletics donors collectively gave $2.5 million for the naming.

Contract approvals

The board approved a contract renewal for Helio, a data analytics service, for the next three years.

A service agreement with IBM was also renewed for three years. IBM will continue to provide technical support for PeopleSoft and other systems used by the university to manage finances, human resources and student support operations.

The collaboration between Arnold School of Public Health and Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar was renewed for five years. The two schools created a joint Master of Science in exercise science.

The board also approved a new contract with the Department of Health and Human Services to provide funding for USC’s new neurological hospital. The DHHS will provide $10 million by the end of October to begin preliminary architecture and engineering.

Senior sentiments

The end of the fall semester always means the loss of a couple of The Daily Gamecock’s beloved senior staff members. Here are a few final words from our graduating seniors.

“Although I’ve only held this position for a year, I’m so grateful for the newsroom. Between asking our bashful writers to participate in a TikTok trend to filming everyone jumping into the fountain, I have made so many awesome memories while being involved in student media. I’m sad to graduate, but I will always have a special place in my heart for the Daily Gamecockers.”

“I joined The Daily Gamecock during my first semester at USC as an arts and culture writer. Over the last few years, I have slowly come to find The Daily Gamecock to be a community I love to be in. After graduating, I will always miss getting coffee with writers as we work through an article and listening to music with the editorial team as we put the finishing touches on our print edition.”

From left to right: Awani Bildikar and Macaila Bogle pose with their hands making a heart on Nov. 6, 2024. Bildikar and Bogle have been a part of The Daily Gamecock since January 2024 and August 2022, respectively.

Photo: Nickolas Hill

Awani Bildikar - Social Media Editor

Macaila Bogle - Managing Editor

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Local rideshare company Kola Kruze to come out with new app

Cara Setzer | NEWS WRITER

After graduating from USC with a mass communications degree in 2020, Marquis Webb planned to earn his master’s degree in human resources from Villanova University. Like many others, Webb’s plan was completely derailed as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools and forced him to reconsider his future.

After months of searching for a new career path, Webb had a dream about starting his own rideshare company and decided to take action.

“Everything I’ve seen, I’ve just kind of seen it in my dreams, and I brought it to life,” Webb said.

His dream would one day turn into local rideshare company, Kola Kruze, which he currently runs through the website kolakruze.com. Customers can choose to book either a one-way or a round-trip ride for both long and short distances. Webb founded the company in July 2021, when he began as the sole driver.

He now employs 16 drivers and has over 670 five-star reviews on Google. Kola Kruze has gone from generating $5,000 in profits during its first year in business, to about $75,000 in the most recent school year.

Following these successes, Webb is now taking his business to the next level

with a new rideshare app, called “Kruze,” coming out in May, which will enable him to connect his company to an even larger customer base than his website could before.

“I can only imagine when the app comes out, we’ll probably quadruple those numbers,” Webb said.

About 75% of Kola Kruze riders are students using the website for long distance trips to the airport. Rides are typically scheduled through the website ahead of time, making short distance rides after a night out are less popular.

Webb’s app will change this, he said, making instant ride scheduling easier and expanding the customer base beyond just students. But Webb said he wants to remain committed to students by implementing a student discount verified by their student ID and email. He wants his app to be cheaper for students, he said.

The Kruze app will include a new facial recognition feature, which will aim to ensure students and drivers feel safe and can verify each other’s identity. The feature will compare a scan of the individual’s face to an uploaded photo of their ID. Riders will also be able to request the gender of their driver in the app. This is especially important to USC parent

Daniela Tesoriero, who has ridden Kola Kruze with her freshman daughter.

“I love that he was asking us feedback, what would we want as parents to be on that app,” Tesoriero said. “There should be an option to have a female driver … I get nervous — these girls are wearing cutesy outfits going out to bars.”

Rideshare safety has been a predominant concern for students and parents in the Columbia community since the murder of USC student Samantha Josephson in 2019 after she was kidnapped in Five Points when getting into a car she believed to be her Uber. As a USC student at the time, Webb considers safety Kola Kruze’s core mission, he said.

“I kind of realized that what happened with Samantha, it could be a way for me to honor her and allow her legacy to live on too,” Webb said.

Webb said he completes extensive hiring interviews, sets up vehicle cameras and runs drivers through SLED checks, National Sex Offender lists and Motor Vehicle Records to ensure rider safety.

Josephson’s mother reached out to Webb after Kola Kruze’s initial founding to thank him for keeping the Columbia community safe.

“That was probably the most rewarding thing, because I never, I never fathomed

that, or imagined that she would ever, out of all people, she would reach out to me,” Webb said.

Recently, Webb told her about the new app coming out and encouraged her to share her thoughts on potential improvements. He also welcomes feedback from his drivers. Fourth-year public health student Eden Frick has been driving for Kola Kruze’s website platform for over a year and admires Webb’s work ethic and leadership style.

“I feel like he does a really great job too because he’s always trying to get the input of drivers on the app,” Frick said. “He’s put a lot of his own time and money into everything. And sometimes he’ll give up his own rides for drivers to make money instead of himself.”

Webb said he prides himself on is his integrity and that Kruze will take a different approach than other rideshare platforms. He’s hoping to set better standards for how drivers are cared for for how he holds his company.

“I have a rule that no person is left behind,” Webb said. “So I know that other companies, they cancel rides, they leave people at the airport, and with us, we don’t. We don’t leave anybody behind. I don’t care if it’s two o’clock in the morning, three o’clock in the morning, we’re not leaving anyone behind.”

Although the app is the company’s newest exciting development, Webb does not plan to stop there. In the next two years, he hopes to expand the Kruze app to other SEC schools, including Georgia, Kentucky, Auburn and Texas, in hopes of becoming a staple across the Southeast.

“I kind of feel like sometimes in business and in life, we’re afraid of growth and we’re afraid of the potential that we all have,” Webb said. “And I think we kind of run away from it, and we never grow into the people we’re supposed to be because some of us are really afraid of success.”

Webb said he has no regrets about the journey that has led him to where he is today. He attributes his successes to his persevering faith, which strengthens him to make the hard decisions that lead to great accomplishments, he said. Kruze is just the start.

Photo: Jules Jaffees

Men’s soccer international players tell why they chose South Carolina

Reid Williams| Sports writer

The South Carolina men’s soccer team has 13 international players on the roster, representing nearly half the team — a number which has increased in the past few years since head coach Tony Annan was hired. With talent from Europe, the Caribbean and South America, the team draws a significant number of international athletes seeking opportunities to play soccer in college.

The Gamecocks hold a winning record of 7-2-2 while being 2-2 in Sun Belt Conference play, with some of its international athletes making some of the most major contributions so far in the 2024 season.

Having scored 27 goals in 11 games this season, the Gamecocks offense has been strong. Senior forward Harrison Myring leads the Gamecock’s attack, with seven goals and one assist this season.

A native of Leicester, England, Myring has thrived as top scorer after being named team captain this season. Myring has found belonging in his four years with the team, he said.

“The environment around the school, the fans that we have, the team culture that we have inside the changing room,” Myring said. “I feel like every year it’s got better and better, and it’s really brought me into feeling like a Gamecock.”

Myring’s decision to come to the United States was driven by a desire for new experiences, he said.

“I love traveling, I love seeing new places and the opportunity coming out to America gives is meeting new people,”Myring said. The forward also said he appreciates the intensity of college soccer compared to Europe, noting certain features and dynamics of the game including play style.

“I think it’s definitely a lot more physical on the running side,” Myring said. “It’s a lot more intense, you give a lot more every single game. The quality on the ball is just as high as well.”

Another key player is senior midfielder Sebastian Reventlow-Mourier, who transferred from East Tennessee State University for the 2024 season. Originally from Viborg, Denmark, Reventlow-Mourier

has brought a wealth of experience to the Gamecocks in his first season.

He has started all 10 games he’s played in this season as a center midfielder, providing one goal and two assists. The Gamecocks are his second Southeastern team and third Division I school.

When deciding to come play in the United States, Reventlow-Mourier considered multiple opportunities for his future.

He said that in Denmark, a player has to fully commit to either football or education and choosing one means sacrificing the other. In contrast, the American college system is set up to allow people to pursue both their education and sports, he said.

His decision to transfer and move South Carolina was influenced by the program’s reputation and potential for success, he said.

“When South Carolina contacts you and wants you to come, I think it’s a no-brainer,” Reventlow-Mourier said. “Everything about this place is just unbelievable, the teammates, the staff. I think this is one of the best programs in the country, and we’re working very hard to get it back to where I think it should be because we have everything it takes.”

Junior defender Saint-Juste made his way to the United States in the beginning of 2019, bringing another layer to the team’s narrative. Hailing from Port-auPrince, Haiti, Saint-Juste has been a starter for the past three years.

Due to political issues and traveling often, Saint-Juste said he felt the need to make a move. Saint-Juste had previously traveled to the U.S. with the Haitian Youth National Team, a background which helped him adjust when moving to Columbia, making his decision easier, he said.

“In Haiti, you’re not really safe which was something I worried about, the safety,” Saint-Juste said. “Coming to the U.S. .... you can focus on your future more than safety, that’s the difference.”

His decision to join the Gamecocks was influenced by a strong bond with Annan, whom he met at an identification camp in Atlanta. Saint-Juste played for Atlanta United’s academy while Annan was manager there.

“He told me strongly the plans that he had,” Saint-Juste said. “He’s a coach that I wanted to play for ... so when he called me about it, I was just like ‘Yeah, I’m committed.’”

In his fourth season at the helm, Annan currently holds his best ever record as head coach. His decision to come to the University of South Carolina was due to wanting a new challenge and to coach in college soccer, Annan said. He wanted to do something that would benefit him and his family at this point in his career. A dedicated and unified group has been important to the Gamecocks’ success this season, he said.

“The group of players we have are very in tune and very focused, very intent on what they’re doing, there’s a great attitude throughout the group and a good culture,” Annan said. “The staff have been phenomenal. Now we feel we’ve got a group that’s on the same page, all going in the same direction, all talking in the same language. There’s a really good sort of harmonious relationship between the staff and the team.”

Finding the players that fit to represent the team involves careful selection and scouting, Annan said.

Recruiting internationally is a lengthy and structured process, a strategy which involves a global approach, seeking out talent from various countries to enhance the team’s quality.

Programs start by looking at videos of players from around the world. If a player

impresses and fits the profile, flights are made to see them live.

“From there, it’s basically ‘Are we ready to make an offer for them to come play in the U.S.?’” Annan said.

The team has to then work with the players to collect information about their education for the school, which can take months. This step is easier with transfers who have already been living in the country, Annan said.

Having played college soccer at Life University and professionally with West Bromwich Albion, Annan is familiar with how it compares to the European level.

For the European professional ranks, the level is far greater than it is in college, Annan said. But college soccer has more organization than the lower European leagues, he said.

“I think college is probably the most organized and structured league for nonprofessionals in the world,” Annan said. “If you go across the world and look at lower leagues and amateur soccer, this is by far the most structured and organized league there is in the world.”

Many players come to the United States if they don’t get a professional contract in their own country and also start to think about their education, Annan said.

“They start thinking about whether they can go pro in America and realize there’s more to life and that getting their education and playing at a good level is probably a better choice,” Annan said. “I think that’s where the pathway starts for them.”

Photo: Emily Danielski

FILE — Members of the Gamecock men’s soccer team huddle together after their pregame ceremony at Eugene Stone Stadium on Aug. 25, 2024. The team has 13 international players on its roster for the 2024 season.

This month in Gamecock sports history

Griffin GoodwyN | Sports Editor

November is a uniquely busy month in the world of Gamecock Athletics. While fall sports, such as football, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball, approach the ends of their seasons, winter sports, such as men’s and women’s basketball, swimming and diving and more, are beginning theirs.

Because of this, the University of South Carolina’s sports teams have seen a number of memorable moments during the month of November over the years. Here are some of those notable events.

1896 The South Carolina-Clemson football rivalry, which has become a staple sporting event on both school’s sports calendars, has its origins in a matchup the two teams played on Nov. 12 of this year. The Gamecocks won the game 12-6, but it proved to be the only victory the team would record during the 1896 season.

1979 The South Carolina men’s soccer team made the NCAA Tournament in just its second year of existence, playing its first national postseason matchup on Nov. 25. The Gamecocks’ tournament bid was short-lived, though, as it fell in the first round to Clemson 1-0 at Riggs Field.

2002 After playing in the Carolina Coliseum from 1968 to 2001, the South Carolina men’s basketball team ushered in a new era with its first game in Colonial Life Arena on Nov. 24, 2002. That day, the Gamecocks kicked off the 2002-2003 season with a narrow 71-66 win over ETSU.

2007 Shonda Cole, who was named to three All-SEC teams in her South Carolina volleyball career, placed her name in the program’s record books with a dominant offensive display against Georgia on Nov. 15. Cole recorded 27 kills, which remains a program high in a three-set match.

2017

The Gamecock women’s soccer team’s deepest run in the NCAA Tournament began on Nov. 10, when it earned a 3-0 victory over Alabama State. Subsequent wins over Wisconsin, Santa Clara and Florida led it to compete in a Women’s College Cup semifinal match, which it lost to Stanford 2-0.

2022 November was a month to remember for the South Carolina football team, which beat top-10 opponents in consecutive weeks to conclude the 2022 season. The Gamecocks defeated thenNo. 5 Tennessee 63-38 at Williams-Brice Stadium, prompting a field storming from the home crowd on Nov. 19 before beating then-No. 7 Clemson 31-30 on the road

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2023 The South Carolina women’s basketball team opened its 2023-2024 season in Paris, France, where it picked up a 100-71 win over then-No. 10 Notre Dame. The next week, the Gamecocks took over the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press poll and never let go of it for the rest of the season. South Carolina won its next 37 games and, in the process, not only won its third national championship in program

‘You’ll remember it for the rest of your life’: Gamecock Hockey Club opens new doors with game

at Truist Field in Charlotte

Will Miller| Club sports beat writer

sticks on the wall and chants of “Gamecocks” by South Carolina fans echoing around the venue.

For the first time in program history, the South Carolina men’s hockey club team will be competing in an outdoor game against the North Carolina State men’s club hockey team.

The opportunity to play in a potential once-in-a-lifetime venue, and to have another shot at beating the Wolfpack, has players like third-year marketing student and acting Vice President Brendan Flaherty excited for the contest.

“I’m super pumped. Once they announced it, I couldn’t wait. I mean, it’s a legit stadium,” Flaherty said. “A minor league team plays there in the City of Charlotte in the backdrop, I’ve played a few outdoor games in my life, but nothing like this.”

But the match — along with two other games that feature Duke, Vanderbilt, Charlotte and Appalachian State —

are just a precursor to the Light the Knights Festival.

The festival’s roots

The Light the Knights Festival is a 27day experience that turns Truist Field into a winter wonderland for the holiday season, offering fans a variety of activities such as a 150-foot snow tubing hill and a holiday light show.

The festival began in 2020 when the Charlotte Knights, the stadium’s Minor League Baseball team, had its season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Special Events

Grace Harper and other members of the organization had to find a way to generate revenue from the canceled baseball season. It was then they

had an idea to transform their ballpark into a winter wonderland.

“We were just brainstorming different ideas, and the concept of a holiday festival came about where we could use the exterior, outdoor areas of our ballpark and let people come in, look at different holiday decor, scenes, lights,” Harper said.

It is not uncommon for local baseball stadiums to transform their ballparks into holiday light displays. Segra Park, home of the Columbia Fireflies, does

The organization decided to partner with local businesses who would provide opportunities for customers to shop while

they would supply the ballpark with lights and decorations to create the holiday festival.

Two years later, the Knights’ front office decided to invest in a full-size NHL hockey rink, as well as a 150-foot snow tubing hill, to continue to add to holiday festivities, Harper said.

“We wanted to bring the winter fun in addition to all of the charm that our holiday lights provide, so that you have kind of this full entertainment hub in the holiday season,” Harper said.

There is also a large market of hockey fans in the Charlotte area, with fans following the city’s American Hockey League team, the Charlotte Checkers and even UNC Charlotte’s club hockey team, something Harper said she had noticed.

With Truist Field’s ability to host a hockey game, the Charlotte men’s club hockey team made history in November of 2022, by becoming the first collegiate hockey club to play an outdoor hockey match in Truist Field, Harper said.

The following year, Charlotte was invited back to play Appalachian State, where they managed to attract over 4,200 hockey fans from the surrounding areas, compared to 2,600 from the previous year.

Just a few months later, Harper said the stadium would make history again by hosting its first outdoor hockey match featuring professional teams in the city of Charlotte when the Charlotte Checkers took on the Rochester Americans. The game was a sellout, brining out over 11,000 hockey fans to the stadium.

“I knew we had this whole market we have yet to really engage with,” Harper said. “We are seeing people wanting to see competitive hockey on all different levels.”

South Carolina prepares to make history

For the 2024 Light the Knight Festival, the front office decided to extend the invitation to more teams across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Harper, who played softball at Elon from 2011 to 2015, said playing in environments different from her home field provided life-long memories.

Harper wants to offer this feeling to as many athletes as possible, she said.

“It’s something worth doing, and you’ll remember it for the rest of your life,” Harper said. “That’s what we want to provide for these collegiate athletes, is that unique opportunity for something outside of their normal schedule.”

The organization reached out to several schools within the state and heard back from Duke, NC State, UNC Chapel Hill and UNC Charlotte. Each of the four teams then reached out to teams they wanted to play.

Fourth-year exercise science student and Gamecock Hockey Club President Ronan Mulkerrin said South Carolina was first approached about the opportunity to play in an outdoor match by NC State head coach Tim Healy.

Due to both the Wolfpack and the Gamecocks having large fan bases, as well as both teams having already planned to play each other in the regular season, Mulkerrin said he was on board with the opportunity.

Once both teams agreed to the match, the Wolfpack reached back out to Harper to confirm who the team was playing. And on Aug. 1, it was announced that South Carolina and NC State would face

South Carolina will be relying on its alumni base within the Charlotte area to help pack the stands at Truist Field, due to the Gamecocks also playing a home football game the same day.

This shouldn’t be an issue, Harper said. Of the eight teams competing, every single one has a large alumni base in the city, Mulkerrin said.

But Flaherty said he believes the team is more than capable of capturing the victory over the Wolfpack.

“I think we just have to come ready to play,” Flaherty said. “Last time, we came out flat off the bus. If we’re more prepared and focused when it comes to puck

Plans for the future

South Carolina and Mulkerrin are not only looking to continue winning. The team wants to grow the brand of Gamecock Hockey Club.

“Obviously, continuing to win games, but I think it goes farther than that when you’re trying to grow a brand, and you’re trying to grow a team,” Mulkerrin said.

Social media is one way the team tries to promote itself. Of all the University of South Carolina’s sports teams, including its NCAA Division I programs, the men’s club hockey team has the ninth-highestfollowed Instagram account and is the fourthhighest-followed men’s sport

“The more support we have, the more likely we are to be able to fund a team and hopefully get an NCAA team — who knows, for 10, 15 years down the road,” Mulkerrin said.

The growth of hockey in the Southeast isn’t just limited to the Gamecocks.

At the 2024 AAU Nationals tournament, the Division II and III three winners — as well as South Carolina, who won at the Division I level — all represented teams

Teams within the Southeast are also looking to expand by building new arenas such as UNC Ice Hockey Club, who began a $25 million fundraising campaign for the construction of an ice

As hockey continues to expand in the Southeast, Harper said she believes

Harper wants to maintain the rarity of getting to compete outside, but also has the hopes of potentially hosting championships or tournaments in the future.

“We would love to be a vessel for teams to have that unique experience playing on an outdoor rink. We know it’s not that common, especially in the Southeast,” Harper said. “If we can be that hub for teams to get that kind of one off experience within their schedule, we welcome that.”

LEFT PAGE — Sophomore forward Colin Reid pushes the puck down the ice on Nov. 3, 2024, against the University of Tampa. Reid played in three games for the Gamecocks during the 2023 season.

LEFT PAGE — Junior goalie Tyler Temoyan stands in goal on Nov. 3, 2024, against the University of Tampa. The Gamecocks tied the Spartans after the game finished in one overtime period.

Photos: Delany Kral

RIGHT PAGE — Freshman defensemen Kai Bonsukan pushes the puck down the ice on Nov. 3, 2024, during South Carolina’s game against the University of Tampa. Bonsukan previously played for the New Jersey Rockets NCDC.

The Daily Gamecock’s featured photos of the month

A group of girls play Whack-a-Mole at the South Carolina State Fair on Oct. 12, 2024. The State Fair welcomed visitors from across the state and Southeast region, offering dozens of attractions and live entertainment.

Two protesters hide their faces from media during a counterprotest of the Genocide Awareness Project’s display on the University of South Carolina’s campus on Oct. 22, 2024. Over the course of two days, the display was set up on Greene Street and Davis Field next to the student union.

David Toole, the founder of Bluetile Skateboards, admires one of the many skateboards found on his infamous Wall of Skateboards on Oct. 4, 2024. The “Blue Tile” skateboard deck is one of his own, giving his household name a chance to reign on the streets of Columbia.

PHOTO: SEBASTIAN GODUN

PHOTO: TAYLOR KITCHENS

PHOTO: COREY BESS

Houses divided, families united: How students with South Carolina, Clemson ties navigate rivalry between schools

GRIFFIN GOODWYN |

USC alumna Audrey Taylor graduated from the university in the spring of 2024, where she became a dedicated follower of the Gamecocks’ NCAA Division I sports teams.

But growing up, Taylor frequently donned orange and purple clothes while watching Clemson sporting events.

Taylor’s father, James Taylor, grew up in Spartanburg and has attended Clemson football games since he was young. Although he never attended Clemson University, James Taylor eventually passed his passion for the Tigers’ sports programs onto his daughter, which carried on for decades while he served in the U.S. Air Force.

“It’s just kind of how it was. You just grow up, that’s who you’re a fan of. You hate Carolina. You get really excited for the Carolina-Clemson game, wear all the orange and purple,” Audrey Taylor said. “I have pictures of me as a little kid with little Clemson bows in my hair.”

The South Carolina-Clemson rivalry began in 1896 when the two schools’ football teams played an official game for the first time. Since then, the rivalry between both universities has extended beyond athletics, but tensions reach a yearlong high each November when the Gamecocks and Tigers meet on the gridiron.

The rivalry was not completely onesided in the Taylor family, though. Since Audrey Taylor’s older brother and sister gravitated more towards the Gamecocks, despite also not going to USC. And the Taylor family is far from the only one with ties to both universities.

On the outside, the rivalry appears to divide the state and families that live within it. But in reality, it has done the exact opposite. Several students told The Daily Gamecock it has brought together their family members from opposing sides who share a similar passion, despite that passion being for opposite teams.

the only South

marine science student Griffin Andrews, despite not being from the Palmetto State, developed early ties to Clemson through his mother, who also attended

First-year middle-level education student Jazmine Sepulveda Saladin’s connection to Clemson was even more unique. The university played a part in helping her acclimate to a new country, as

grew up in one of the Clemson daycares there because I was only 3 when I came to the United States, so I learned English from the daycare that was there.”

Third-year international relations student Doug Ruff, a native of Ridgeway, South Carolina, said his paternal grandfather graduated from Clemson’s ROTC program before serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Second-year

But as Ruff, Andrews and Sepulveda Saladin grew older, they faced a difficult decision: Should they attend the university they spent most of their childhood supporting or enroll at the school seen as its biggest rival?

Crossing the divide

Audrey Taylor is not

Carolina fan who was introduced to the rivalry through parents and other relatives who were Clemson alumni.

PHOTOS: DELANY KRAL

USC alumna Audrey Taylor (right) poses with her dad James Taylor (left) on the Horseshoe on Nov. 5, 2024. The Taylors represent many South Carolina families with strong ties to both Clemson and USC.

Carolina and Clemson, students said their decisions were met with a degree of understanding — and sometimes shock — from their parents.

“I told (my dad) immediately, and he had a surprised reaction, but a good reaction because ... he had confidence in that it was the right choice for me,” Audrey Taylor said.

“Of course, at first, he was like, ‘Oh, you’ll still cheer for Clemson football, won’t you?’ And I was like, ‘No, so sorry.’”

Seeing the other side

Parents of recently-declared USC students, in many cases, would eventually grow to become more supportive after those initial reactions. That support extended beyond their children’s decisions — sometimes, it even led to them rooting for their rival.

“It was definitely interesting when he went to Clemson because ... I would hope, especially if he got in, I hoped that he would do good,” Tyler Helms said. “But other than that, when Carolina was playing him, I’m like, ‘Listen, dude. This game, Cocks all day. Cocks by 90.’”

Sepulveda Saladin said her mother goes great lengths to only use Clemson merchandise, even if it means being jokingly told not to.

just poking jokes at each other throughout the whole thing.”

As far as this year’s Palmetto Bowl goes, James Taylor, Audrey Taylor and her 11-year-old cousin will be in attendance at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium on Nov. 30. Audrey Taylor and her cousin will both be wearing garnet and black, while James Taylor will wear orange and purple.

The decision was an especially difficult one for second-year aerospace engineering student Jackson Lee.

Lee was born in Clemson and raised by a family where everyone — including his parents, siblings, aunts and uncles — went to Clemson, which made him a Tiger fan at an early age. But despite his parents’ wishes, Lee eventually became the first person in his family to not go to school there, citing academics as the primary reason he chose South Carolina over Clemson.

“How I convinced them to let me go here was Clemson didn’t have aerospace engineering as a major. They only had it as a minor,” Lee said. “Whenever I decided on aerospace, it made them realize I wasn’t going to go Clemson, and I was either going to go to USC or further away.”

Ruff, who spent two years at Midlands Technical College, said he was motivated to go to USC because of his late maternal grandfather, who grew up in Winnsboro during the Great Depression. Ruff said he felt inspired by the work ethic of his grandfather, who passed away months before Ruff sent in his transfer application.

“He not only went to Carolina, but he was able to be successful enough to provide for his family even after he passed away. And that’s part of the reason I’m able to go to Carolina,” Ruff said. “One of the things that I’m kind of excited about is to honor that legacy a little bit and be appreciative of what he left, in that respect.”

No matter the specific reason for “crossing the divide” between South

Audrey Taylor said her father purchased season tickets for South Carolina football games during her freshman year of college to spend more time with her. Eventually, he started wearing garnet and black gear at WilliamsBrice Stadium and even watching South Carolina football games over Clemson football games if they happened at the same time.

“I told the people that were sitting around me, I said, ‘I’m decked out in black and garnet during the regular season,’” James Taylor said. “When the ClemsonCarolina game comes around, I’m going to look a little different.’”

Third-year political science student Tyler Helms also found his allegiances somewhat split between both programs. Helms said everyone on his mother’s side of the family roots for Clemson, while his father’s side of the family roots for South Carolina.

Helms, who hails from the CayceWest Columbia area, has supported the Gamecocks his entire life. He is even a South Carolina football season ticket holder and a 10-year member of the Gamecock Club.

But the split between the two schools became more personal for Helms in 2020 — the year his younger brother, Hunter Helms, was a freshman quarterback on the Clemson football team.

Tyler Helms will never wear an orange shirt or any clothing with Clemson’s tiger paw logo adorned on it, he said. But in situations where South Carolina was not playing against the Tigers, he found himself “pulling for Hunter, not Clemson.”

“My mom came with me on Admitted Students Day, and she walked around with a Clemson umbrella the entire time,” Sepulveda Saladin said. “She did have contraband that entire time, and she was told a few times that she wasn’t allowed to have the umbrella on campus, so it was quite funny seeing how the rivalry kind of came to life outside of my family.”

Ruff said the rivalry between South Carolina and Clemson can be a contentious topic, often leading to bitter arguments and unsavory interactions. That’s why having a neutral view of the rivalry, even if one has ties to either side, can be beneficial for fans of both teams, Ruff said.

“I think (for) some people, it’s really easy to be kind of jaded by the rivalry or almost get a little too invested in it. I think, for me, I try and stay a little more balanced,” Ruff said. “I’m not going to root against Clemson unless they’re playing the Gamecocks, obviously. I can say good things about the university (Clemson) … I think both are two real assets to the state.”

The power of connections

But in many cases, USC students said the annual South Carolina-Clemson football game and other sporting events between both universities’ athletic programs, serve as a bridge that connects people from both sides.

Those connections were apparent when Andrews watched his first Palmetto Bowl as a USC student last November, he said.

“The whole family, they would kind of divide themselves between the two of us or maybe just root for one team if they were doing better at a time,” Andrews said. “We just had a ton of fun with it, and we’re

Audrey Taylor and her father may not see eye-to-eye on who will win the game, but she said they both have a mutual understanding about the bond each of them possesses with their respective school.

“The school means a lot to me as an alumni. I would never make a different choice about the college that I would go to. And I think my dad respects that a lot,” Audrey Taylor said. “Even though he didn’t go to Clemson, he still has a big connection with the university, and I think he kind of respects that I have that connection, too, with USC.”

James Taylor said that, even though he no longer sees his daughter on a daily basis, the South Carolina-Clemson rivalry gives him another reason to maintain a close relationship with her, no matter the physical distance between them.

“She’s out of the house now. She’s living in her own apartment, but that’s still something that we have a connection to,” James Taylor said. “My favorite season is football. That’s one of the things we can always look forward to and knowing that, ‘Hey, we’ll both be in town for Saturdays from September to December.’”

COURTESY OF TYLER HELMS

Tyler Helms (right) and his brother Hunter (left) after the 2022 ACC Championship Game on Dec. 3, 2022, which Clemson won over North Carolina 39-10. The game took place at Bank of America Stadium.

COURTESY OF JACKson LEE

Jackson Lee (left), second-year aerospace engineering student, and his dad (right) pose for a picture together while sitting on an airplane.

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‘A rave broke out’: Fans reflect on 15 years of Gamecock’s Sandstorm

MINGO MARTIN | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

For the past 15 years, Darude’s “Sandstorm” has been a staple of the game day environment across Gamecock Athletics’ home sporting events. But the song and its accompanying rally towels weren’t always a tradition at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Other traditions such as the football team’s introduction to 2001 and the band’s pre-game marching routine were already long standing at the time of the song’s arrival, but there was no song that blared over the speaker system at WilliamsBrice as the Gamecocks kicked off every home game that the Gamecocks could call its own.

“Sandstorm” was added to the list of songs played on game days shortly in 2008. But it wasn’t until a Thursday night in September of 2009 that the tune would stay in the minds of Gamecock fans and students even 15 years later.

THE NIGHT OF THE FIRST STORM

On Sept. 24, 2009, the South Carolina football team kicked off its first SEC home game of the season against the then-No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels.

Matthew Calder, who worked at USC in technological services at the time, remembers initially giving away his ticket to the game. He had not expected the Gamecocks to win the game. When a friend offered him a ticket, he initially declined until his then-wife said he needed to go to the game.

left in the fourth quarter. The Gamecocks’ defense faced an opportunity on a thirdand-12 situation to stop the Rebels’ offense and close out the upset win.

Ole Miss called a timeout, and the opening notes of Sandstorm started to come across the stadium speakers.

“They played it, and it just was absurd” Calder said. “… I mean, it was absurd. I’ve never seen, I’ve never seen anything like it, especially on a Thursday night.”

“I’m just like, ‘Wait, what’s this?’” Mackenzie said. “It was the first time they played ‘Sandstorm,’ and suddenly we’re all jumping and we’re just, ‘Yes, yes, yes, yes, USC, USC.’”

The song faded as Ole Miss lined up to snap the ball on third down. The Gamecocks would get the stop, and as the Rebels lined up to go for it on fourth down, the song started back up again.

Nichols said he knew Gamecock Athletics needed something that fans could participate in. USC wanted to do something different than shakers or pom-poms, and when a sponsor came to them with the original white towels, the university embraced it.

The first game South Carolina handed out the towels was early the following football season, Mackenzie said.

“They handed out the towels and also sweat bands to all the fans that had the words ‘Famously Hot and Cocky’ on there, because that was the year the City of Columbia first rolled out the ‘Famously Hot’ marketing slogans,” Mackenzie said.

“Sweatbands didn’t stick around but, I mean, the towels have been here for 14 years now, so I guess something came good out of that.”

“I actually denied her, and was like ... ‘This is a trap. I’m not doing this,’” Calder said. “So, then she told me, pretty much, ‘If you don’t go to the game, I’m taking the tickets, you’re gonna stay at home.’ So I said, ‘Fine, I’ll take the tickets.’”

Calder said he’s been to a lot of big moments in the Gamecocks history, but he has never been part an environment as electric as that night.

Then-first-year student Clayton

Mackenzie sat three sections over from Calder during the game. Clayton was a member of the Carolina Band and was participating in his first ever march with the Mighty Sound of the Southeast.

Mackenzie, a lifelong Gamecock fan, didn’t have high expectations for the football game. But the potential to take down a top-five team had him screaming at the top of his lungs the entire game, Mackenzie said.

It wasn’t until midway through the third quarter that the fans in the stadium started to get a real feeling they could win it, Calder said.

“Things were starting to build, and when they went from the third quarter to the fourth quarter around then ... you can already see, I mean, the student section was all there and everything,” Calder said. “It was just crazy. And, like, even then you could tell that there was just beginning to be electricity in there.”

South Carolina held a 16-10 lead over the No. 4 Rebels with just under two minutes

“And that’s when you always hear about, ‘They come to Columbia and a rave broke out,’” Calder said. “And then that next play was when they stopped them.”

The song playing a second time in a row coincided with the Carolina Band director queuing up the band’s “Gridiron Fanfare.”

But the band’s music isn’t what fans heard that night, Mackenzie said.

“It doesn’t occur to me that nobody hears us because they played ‘Sandstorm’ again,” Mackenzie said. “And now everybody’s gotten even louder waiting for this final stop.”

Sandstorm’s lasting impact

It wasn’t long after that moment that Sandstorm became a staple song in the Gamecock community.

Eric Nichols, the former deputy athletics director and director of external communications for South Carolina, said he had no idea at the time the song would take on a life of its own and become part of the Gamecocks’ identity.

“It is a song that as soon as the first note is played, no matter where you are, whether you’re a Carolina fan or not, even non-Carolina fans now associate that with South Carolina sporting events,” Nichols said. “And that just goes to say that it has a relationship with our brand, and it’s made an impact for generations now.”

The white rally towels that have come synonymous with the Gamecock tradition didn’t come until the 2010 season.

The song became so quickly associated to the university’s athletics teams that it was already being played during the Gamecocks bowl games with the Gamecocks rooster crow in 2012.

“The Capital One Bowl in 2012, the end of the 2011 season. Apparently, the Nebraska fans weren’t aware that ‘Sandstorm’ was our thing,” Mackenzie said. “So, when they started playing ‘Sandstorm,’ all of them started jumping and screaming, until the music broke and you heard the rooster crow.”

Calder said he and his friend built such a strong attachment to that moment that when Darude, the musical artist who originated ‘Sandstorm,’ visited WilliamsBrice Stadium during the 2023 season, they had to be there.

“The Kentucky game last year, for me, meant a lot,” Calder said. “Because this was the guy that kind of created the storm so to speak.”

Mackenzie said that ‘Sandstorm’ becoming so ingrained in South Carolina’s culture is a testament to how that night was a turning point for everything for the Gamecocks.

“Anywhere I go, if there are Gamecocks around, and I hear just the first note of ‘Sandstorm,’ everybody just stops, looks around the room trying to find a towel, napkin, something,” Mackenzie said. “Because it’s rally time.”

PHOTO: SEBASTIAN GODUN

University of South Carolina students sitting in the student section wave their rally towels at the start of a football game on Aug. 31, 2024. The 2024 season marks 15 years where South Carolina has had its Sandstorm tradition at games.

Gamecock freshmen land spot on USA Swimming National Junior Team

MORGAN COOK | SPORTS WRITER

Gamecock swimmer Emma Reiser had her mind set on making the 2024 Summer Olympic Trials in May. Needing to swim a 4:15:59 or better in the 400-meter freestyle, Reiser missed the time by just milliseconds, recording a time of 4:15:74.

But Reiser didn’t give up after this race. Instead, she made it her end-of-summer goal to reach the 400 freestyle U.S. Olympic swimming trial time.

During her last state meet with her club team, Reiser swam a 4:14.17, beating the once-needed time by over a second. Just a few weeks later, she received an email announcing her selection for the USA National Junior Swim Team based off her 400 freestyle time.

“I was so excited. This is one of the biggest things that has happened in my swimming career so far,” Reiser said. “I honestly was shocked ... and I was so happy.”

The National Junior Team selected only 34 female swimmers from across the country, ranging from different events and distances, in 2024. To be even considered for selection, swimmers had to meet a certain time in an event, along with other criteria. The Gamecock swimming and diving team had two athletes make the team — Reiser and freshman swimmer Sianna Savarda.

“I was selected based off of a time that I went this summer, and I didn’t really know anything about the team or what it was until I got the email about a week or two ago,” Reiser said. “I had no idea that I was up for it.”

Reiser began her swimming career around second grade when she joined the Swim Atlanta club. After finding out her selection for the national team was based on her last club swim meet, this made the race and meet even more special than before, she said.

“It gives me some confidence for this season coming in and just being able to be a part of this team is super cool, and I’ll be able to have those connections that I can use and then use it towards my training moving forward,” Reiser said. “It’s super cool that this is all happening at one time. I’m part of two new teams at once.”

Along with Reiser, Savarda was selected to the team but for the 10-kilometer open water race. Recently, Savarda raced in the World Aquatics Open Water Championships in Alghero, Italy,

landing a 2:25:44.90 time. With this, she automatically qualified for the team a few weeks after the race.

“I knew I was selected to the World Junior roster ... but I had no idea that means I also qualified for the junior national team. I had just woken up from a nap, and I ran into Emma’s room because I saw her name on the team, and then I saw my name on the team,” Savarda said. “We kind of had a little freak out and celebration together, and it was just super cool that we’re roommates, and we’re both freshmen.”

Savarda started swimming at a young age and later joined the Sandpipers of Nevada swim team. She has raced nationally and internationally with her club team and has been able to compete in multiple different countries, including Germany and Greece. The club is also known for producing Olympic swimmers, such as Katie Grimes, who recently competed in the 2020 and 2024 Games for distance events.

“There are a lot of kids on my club team who have been on the junior national team and national team for open water. It’s like a Sandpiper thing. We are kind of known

that everyone does open water,” Savarda said. “We kind of just do a lot of distance training. You either love it or you don’t, but you’re going to do open water. Thankfully, I love it.”

With this selection to be on the team, both Reiser and Savarda will have a week-long training camp to attend in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the Olympic Training Center.

“We get a bunch of cool gear, and we take a bunch of classes on what it means to be on the junior team. We learn about things like nutrition and doping and just what it means to swim at that level,” Savarda said. “We’ll do some team bonding activities, and we’ll get together and do practices ... (for) the groups of what we made the team for.”

South Carolina head swim and dive coach Jeff Poppell was also not aware that both Reiser and Savarda were up for selection for the team until it was announced, he said.

“When it was announced and I saw both of them on there, I was thrilled ... I was really pleased by it and excited about it,

but I was kind of surprised,” Poppell said. “I just didn’t know they were in contention for it, but they did have great summers and great years as (high school) seniors, so it makes sense now looking back on it.”

With the selection, Poppell said that both Reiser and Savarda have established themselves in their events coming out of high school and can continue to do so over their collegiate careers. Poppell said he believes Savarda can continue to represent the Gamecock swim and dive team at an international level and that Reiser can submit herself into the Gamecock’s record books and, even at the NCAA level, as a distance free style swimmer.

The selections can also help further the teams’ confidence as the season progresses, Poppell said.

“They come in with an air of confidence that I think is really positive for the rest of their teammates because that’s the type of confidence we are trying to instill with our entire program,” Poppell said.

PHOTO GRAPHIC: SAVANNAH ROBINSON

Baseball head coach details strengthening depth behind plate

Anaston bell| SPORTS WRITER

The South Carolina baseball team swung into action for the 2025 season on Sept. 30, with the first of many preseason scrimmages.

That same day, head baseball coach Paul Mainieri previewed the team’s new and returning faces and his plans for the Gamecocks heading into his first season back as a coach.

The team will participate in 27 total workouts this fall, two of which will be matchups against other teams, Mainieri said. The goal is for pitchers to focus not only on throwing strikes, but also mixing their pitches. Mainieri said he wants the hitters to focus on showcasing a better balance of aggressiveness and discipline at the plate.

“I’m not going to implement strategy in these first couple of weeks,” Mainieri said. “I really want the players to just go out and play the game.”

South Carolina’s fall baseball roster is set to begin with 48 players but will need to be trimmed down to 40 by opening day on Feb. 14.

While he acknowledges the team has a lot of work to do until then, Mainieri said he wants to provide opportunities for players to enjoy themselves too.

“I’m a big believer in the student athletes having the experience of being a student.

What is Saturday afternoons in the fall for? Football, right?” Mainieri said. “I want them to go have fun and be with their friends and just enjoy.”

Looking ahead at positions to fill

The Gamecocks also saw changes to its coaching staff during the offseason. In addition to keeping associate head coach and hitting coach Monte Lee, the program added Terry Rooney as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator and John Hendry as assistant coach.

The team lost multiple high-impact players after the 2024 season, including key contributors in catcher Cole Messina and pitchers Eli Jones and Garrett Gainey after all three were selected in the 2024 MLB Draft. Because of this, the team will be looking for new and returning players to fill the new vacant places in the lineup.

Senior catcher and infielder Talmadge LeCroy, who played predominantly at third base during the 2024 campaign, began making the transition back to catcher over the summer while playing in the Cape Cod League. Mainieri said he was impressed with what he saw when he traveled to watch LeCroy play for the YarmouthDennis Red Sox.

“I thought Talmadge LeCroy was the best player on the field that night,” Mainieri said.

Sophomore catcher Ryan Bakes is the only returning catcher from the 2024 season. Bakes saw limited at-bats during his freshman season, playing in 22 games and making six starts. He had two doubles and five RBI with a .375 on-base percentage.

Mainieri said he and his staff are also looking for someone to fill the shortstop position. He said the two players in competition for the spot are sophomore infielder Will Tippett and junior infielder Henry Kaczmar.

Tippett is returning to the Gamecock baseball program after making 48 appearances and 42 starts during the 2024 season. Tippett had a .361 slugging percentage and was 13-for-14 on stolen base attempts, which tied him for 14th in the SEC in last year.

Kaczmar, a transfer from Ohio State, played and started in 55 games for the Buckeyes last season, where he batted a .320, earned 72 hits and scored 53 runs. He was also named a top-50 shortstop by D1 Baseball.

“Will Tippett might be the greatest teammate I have ever seen. He just seems to be the most unselfish person that you can imagine out there,” Mainieri said. “He’s competing hard with a young man by the name of Henry Kaczmar, and all he does is keep encouraging him at shortstop.”

THE RETURN OF A PROMISING PITCHER

Despite losing notable names from last season, Mainieri said he is excited about one player — redshirt sophomore pitcher Eli Jerzembeck — returning to the roster from injury.

Jerzembeck pitched to an 0-1 record and 2.84 across 31.2 innings during his freshman campaign in 2023. But he was forced to miss the entirety of last season due to an injury. Before joining the Gamecocks, Jerzembeck was a highly recruited player coming out of high school, as Perfect Game ranked him the No. 16 right-handed pitcher in the class of 2022.

Mainieri said Jerzembeck’s rehab process has been a priority to his staff and that he believes he has “great potential.” Jerzembeck is expected to pitch in both of the team’s scrimmages at the end of the month, Mainieri said.

“We feel like he’s in great shape. His bullpens have been outstanding. He’s got electric stuff,” Mainieri said. “When you

watch him throw a bullpen you think Friday night starter. There’s no question about that.”

New faces looking to make an impact

The Gamecocks could see a high number of incoming players looking to contribute this spring. Mainieri said his staff did a “tremendous job” attacking the transfer portal over the summer.

Freshman infielders Beau Hollins and KJ Scobey, two players named to Baseball America’s Top 500 Freshman List by Baseball America, headline the team’s freshman class.

Hollins, who previously played at River Bluff High School, was the No. 5 prospect in the state, according to Perfect Game, and was selected to participate in the 2024 MLB Draft Combine. Scobey, who joined South Carolina from McKeel Academy for Technology in Florida, was Perfect Game’s No. 63 shortstop prospect in this year’s class.

Mainieri used the transfer portal to add former Texas A&M catcher Max Kaufer, a junior who is expected to contribute to South Carolina’s depth behind the plate. Kaufer hit .194 with two home runs and 17 RBIs across 124 collegiate at bats.

“He played up in Cape Cod this summer and did fairly well,” Mainieri said. “I went up to watch him play one game and you know he kind of fits the profile of what we needed to know, that we have a good defensive catcher on our staff.”

Additional transfer portal acquisitions aim to boost the Gamecocks’ arsenal of pitchers too.

South Carolina added Aydin Palmer from Florence-Darlington Technical College, who Mainieri described as a “strike throwing machine,” and Jackson Soucie from the junior college ranks. Juniors Jarvis Evans Jr. from Georgia and Wyatt Evans from Tennessee, along with sophomore Ashton Crowther from Miami, bring experience playing at a Division I level to the Gamecock’s roster.

What’s next?

South Carolina concluded fall preseason action with a 12-11 defeat to the College of Charleston on Nov. 7. The Gamecocks will return to the field on Feb. 14 for its season opener against an opponent to be determined.

victory against Belmont on Feb. 23, 2024. The Gamecocks are entering a new era as new head coach Paul Mainieri will face his first season with the team in 2025.

Photo: Sebastian godun

Maya collins| SPORTS WRITER

The Daily Gamecock’s featured illustrations of the month

The Daily Gamecock’s designers are responsible for making some of the organization’s most creative and abstract visuals. And the illustrations that came out in October were no exception. From an image depicting a spooky version of USC’s Joseph F. Rice School of Law, to meats, fruits and cheese perfectly plated on a serving platter to a turkey scared of being eaten, here are our featured illustrations of the month.

SOBER CURIOUS?

Illustration: abby smith

Illustration: olivia abner

Illustration: savannah robinson

South Carolina’s only LGBTQIA+ bookstore faces financial troubles

Kristin Dygert| Arts & Culture writer

Queer Haven Books, South Carolina’s only independently-owned queer bookstore, is facing financial difficulties after only five months of being open and risks the possibility of closing, Co-Owner Baker Rogers said.

“We’re at the point that, like, we either have to do something or we have to close it down and go,” Rogers said.

The bookstore, which originally started as a pop up in April 2023, made its official debut as a brick and mortar store in May 2024. Since then, Cayt Welti, a customer of Queer Haven, believes it has created a place of community and refuge for people like her, inviting LGBTQIA+ members, allies and anyone else interested in supporting their store.

“The atmosphere ... feels safe, which a lot of places don’t,” Welti said. “It’s comfortable, it’s warm, it’s inviting.”

Queer Haven provides plenty of opportunities to meet new people and build community through its events, which include pop ups, queer comedy and mic nights, craft nights and more, Rogers said.

Welti said the events have allowed her to feel safe and welcome, especially because she can meet and become close to others who may be struggling with the same challenges she faces.

“When I had a bad day, specifically related to being queer, it gave me a sense of belonging and community,” Welti said. “It was just good to be surrounded by people that I knew wouldn’t judge me and that have walked the same path.”

But the store has been struggling to gain traction due to being the only queer independent bookstore in South Carolina, Rogers said.

Rogers said they and other co-owner Matti Williams had to rely on donations when the store first opened and weren’t able to build a credit profile. This now means that Queer Haven is struggling to qualify for loans, leaving it in a lot of debt that Rogers and Williams are working hard to pay off. On top of already struggling to gain momentum from having such a small community, this added debt has created a lot of hardship for Queer Haven Books, according to Rogers.

“I just want people to know that these donations are going to buying books, putting on events and creating this community,” Rogers said.

On Sept. 17, Queer Haven Books posted on its social media sharing some of these financial struggles and inviting people to donate or buy plaques, which run at $200 a piece. The plaques, according to its Instagram, are a way for someone to name a section after themselves or someone they care about while also supporting the business.

Customer David Giugni lives in Aiken, South Carolina, but drives almost 50 minutes to Queer Haven Books regularly because it offers a safe space for him and his partner. Giugni said he shares concerns about the fact that Queer Haven doesn’t get enough business because it is one of the only few LGBTQIA+ spaces in South Carolina.

“I don’t think there’s, like, a huge community of support, and so, its unique to this area, the bookstore. And even though its a wonderful space and a safe space, its also small,” Giugni said. “I just figure it would be tough. It’s a small space in a small community.”

Rogers said when they originally lived in Columbia from 2007 to 2011, they wanted to open a queer bar.

After Rogers came back in 2020, however, many previous queer spaces were gone, leaving two gay bars, they said. They decided then they would open a queer bookstore instead, which would allow different groups of people to find a sense of community.

“There were people missing community and didn’t know where to find their people,” Rogers said. “I love books. I love education, and I wanted to create a community space where we could do events, where we could meet each other, where we could hang out, and also base it around education for queer people.”

Rogers said they believe that if the store closes, they could lose the sense of community they have been trying to build.

“This space is where the community can gather,” Rogers said. “We can’t have community space with pop-ups. We can still do queer books and queer merch and

still meet people, but we can’t have what we have here in terms of community.”

Welti said she thinks it’s imperative for the only queer bookstore in South Carolina to stay open because it allows many young people a chance to have their own space.

“They’ve had so many queer, not only teenagers, but children in there too, and that gives them some place to go,” Welti said. “So if this place were to suddenly disappear, there would be no community watering hole. There would be no safe space for these kids to go and see that they are not alone, especially in the South.”

While they are still struggling financially, Rogers believes that things have picked up for Queer Haven Books. Since its post on Sept. 17, Rogers said they have sold at least 10 plaques. There has also been a spike in online sales from all over the country, which has boosted their sales, along with many donations. Rogers said Queer Haven has a lot of support, which is helping the business stay afloat as it attempts to get back on track.

“People want to be here,” Rogers said. “People want us to be here, and so we’re trying the best we can to get our things straight.”

Rogers said even if people can’t buy its plaques, there are other ways they can show their support for Queer Haven, such as coming to events, sharing its social media posts and telling the people around them about the bookstore. Rogers said they also hope students can use the store’s space as a comfortable place to sit down and work.

“Some college students have come to our event, but we haven’t really, necessarily been able to show that we’re here, and we want people to come hang out and just use the space as well,” Rogers said. “That’s what we’re here for.”

Queer Haven Books is located in the arcade building on 1332 Main St. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.

PHOTO: Destini Simon

A customer looks at books and posters outside Queer Haven Books in Columbia, South Carolina, on Sept. 28. The store showcases items including banned children’s books and LGBTQIA+ themed zines.

Moran said the transition is important because health is about more than the weight, size or shape of

“There’s so much more that plays into health and wellness,” she said. “I’m glad that they’re taking more kind of an overall approach to health and wellness, rather than focusing on one piece of our health and wellbeing that truly doesn’t actually impact our health.”

USC’s Student Nutrition Group President and third-year public health student Gabby Shupard said there is a need for students to become more aware of resources on campus, such as

Shupard said the stigma around eating disorders may keep people from reaching out for help.

“It’s just seen as shameful and like you’re not in control,” Shupard said. “And I feel like that’s a lot of the idea around eating disorders like, ‘Oh, you’re just not strong enough.’ Like, ‘You just do these things, and you can’t stop yourself.’”

Shupard said the “please don’t weigh me” cards are a great start to supporting students with eating disorders on campus. But she would like to see more nutritional facts displayed, she said.

While it’s important to have the amount of calories available, Shupard said it could also be

“In my experience and the experience of others, that can be triggering,” Shupard said. “Just seeing the calories right there when you’re just trying to look at the food.”

Christmon said she’d like for the university to create a mandatory class to educate students about positivity and negate stereotypes.

“They just need to understand that (mental health) shouldn’t be ignored,” Christmon said. “Because people, they think they can just ignore things, and that makes it worse.”

Moran said anyone at any size can be experiencing an eating disorder, and community support is crucial to eating

“If you already have a primary care doctor that you really trust, things like that, that’s going to be the biggest factor in terms of somebody receiving the support that they need, is if they have that positive social support,” Moran said. IllustrationS:AbbyShort

Midlands Bird Society works to make campus more

Suha Ayub | ARTS & CULTURE WRITER

Birds can be found almost anywhere on campus, hiding in greenery and, sometimes, accompanied by members of the Midlands Bird Society on an early morning birdwalk.

The Midlands Bird Society is a community for anyone interested in birdwatching and bird preservation.

The club is part of a larger network of campus bird societies known as Audubon on Campus. Audubon on Campus is a non-profit society dedicated to bird preservation.

The club has been making efforts to make campus a better place for birds and build a community of bird lovers. They participate in conservation efforts on campus and go on frequent bird walks.

The group has 52 members, according to Garnet Gate.

Each year, the Midlands Bird Society chooses from a pool of bird conservation projects presented by Audubon on Campus, said Chrissy Dobrowolski, club

president and third-year environmental science student.

Last year, the club’s big project was the Bird Collision project, which aimed to prevent birds from flying into the windows of Russell House by applying tinted adhesives. This makes the windows more visible to birds and reduces the risk of death and injury, said Micheal Kerrigan, a former club president and political science student.

This year, the club chose the Plants for Birds project. The group will partner with local organizations such as Sustainable Carolina or Rosewood Orchard to plant more native plants on campus, said Vice President and second-year master’s environmental science student Connor Chilton.

The group plans to plant greenery such as Beautyberry and American Holly to appeal to both migrating and native bird species, Chilton said.

A Carolina wren sits in a garden near the Horseshoe on the morning of Oct. 8, 2024. The Carolina wren is the state bird of South Carolina.

Photo: jack bradshaw

A group of house sparrows sits atop a sign near the Honors College on Oct 8, 2024. House sparrows prefer to nest in manmade objects.

Fourth-year studio art student and Club Treasurer Olivia Thorton said there were a lot of options for appealing to USC’s wildlife.

“Anything that’s a good thicket, something that they can nestle into and hide, is great,” Thornton said.

This project was one of the best options for the club, Dobrowski said.

“Plants for Birds was one that I thought was easier to start out with, but also really engaging,” Dobrowolski said.

Along with the projects, the club plans to host more meetings and events for

members to build a community. They frequently go on bird walks around campus, Chilton said.

“Some people use it as a chance to talk with other birders. Me, I prefer to be looking for birds a little bit more, but I do enjoy getting to talk to people,” he said.

Last year, the club couldn’t host as many events because of members’ conflicting schedules. This semester, however, Dobrowolski said she is determined to make a change.

“So this year, I’m trying to have a lot of bird walks, meetings ... thinking of doing a bird movie night ... collaborating with Columbia Audubon Society,” Dobrowolski said.

The club holds two meetings each week. Additionally, they plan birdwatching events in nearby forests, such as the Beidler Forest, Chilton said.

The club has a variety of members, from students who are already bird enthusiasts to students who only recently found the club through organization fairs, Dobrowolski said.

“We have a pretty good mixture of people who really like birds already and discovered our club that way, and people who are just curious,” she said.

Dobrowolski said she was already a bird enthusiast when she joined the club her freshman year,

“Before I entered (as) a freshman, I started getting into birds, and so I knew what the club was before entering. And I approached them one day, a little bit too excitedly, during an org fair and I was like, ‘I’ve been looking for you guys everywhere.’ And then I just sort of jumped straight in,” she said.

Thornton said birding is an escape and something she’d grown up doing with her father.

“It’s a chance to take a break from the rest of the world and observe nature around you and see it functioning,” she said.

Chilton discovered the club last semester and has since enjoyed the environment of it. Members of the club often post photos of the birds they see around campus to the club GroupMe, he said.

“I took a class called Biology of Birds, and at the end of it, they had a bird walk, and it was with members of Columbia Audubon Society, and they said that they had a student chapter,” he said. “So I looked on Garnet Gate and joined their group ... And that’s been it ever since.”

When a son loses his faith...

His father writes a book about the evidence for Christianity versus atheism and...

The Question of God.

Photo: jack bradshaw

Take a look underwater with Gamecock SCUBA club

Allena Jeter | ARTS & CULTURE WRITER

Students dive underwater, exploring the beauty of the ocean and creating unforgettable memories with their friends in Gamecock SCUBA.

Gamecock SCUBA is a USC club with a mission to spread environmental awareness by teaching students more about the deep sea and building a love for what is within the water. Hannah Lewis, a third-year marine science student and Gamecock SCUBA club president, said her main goal for the club is to get people in the water as a beginner or to help students return back to diving on a regular basis.

Whether a student is a marine biology major, scuba hobbyist, advanced diver or entering the water for the first time, Gamecock SCUBA wants more people to get involved. Scuba diving shouldn’t be restricted to one group, more people should try scuba diving, Lewis said.

“I want more diversity (in scuba diving) because there is not much diversity at all,” she said. “I want to see different faces. I want to see different genders. I want to see different races.”

Lewis said she has passion for scuba diving, and wants to share it with other students at USC. She said she seeks ways to prevent finances from becoming an obstacle for students. Some local dive shop owners are willing to help the club for the sake of helping students follow their passions.

“We get discounts for rental gear, we get discounts for classes and then we work with dive shops,” Lewis said. “We got a group discount for the charters this weekend and they’re not local. They don’t really know who we are, but they were still like, ‘Yeah y’all are students. Y’all do a lot.”

Students can attend meetings without having to pay a membership fee. But there are two types of paid memberships the club offers.

A basic membership is $15 cash and $20 if paying with a card, and it covers discounts on dive gear, said Hayden Paré, a third-year criminal justice student and Gamecock SCUBA’s public relations executive. A premium membership is $45 cash or $50 with a card. It covers discounts on gear, trips and classes, she said.

“Your biggest thing is going to be money because scuba is an expensive hobby, so you’re going to need to figure out how

you’re going to afford it,” Paré said. “You can spend however much you want to spend. You can find ways to spend a lot, but there are also ways you can spend less.”

Going on dive trips can be expensive and out of some students’ budgets. But going on local dive trips are cheaper alternatives, Paré said. Having less expensive trips allows students to save their money, as opposed to the bigger, more expensive trips that occur over school breaks.

During their trips, Gamecock SCUBA members clean up the water and pull out as much trash as they can. Additionally, Gamecock SCUBA participates in Dive Against Debris, the annual trash cleanup dive competition against Clemson Scuba Club.

“I think that it can be eye opening for

and how close she has become with the people she met within Gamecock SCUBA.

“I truly believe that I have met some of my best friends that I will have for a lifetime. Just being in the club that I wouldn’t have met them or I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to become as close to them as I have through the club,” Paré said. “And it’s helped me get more involved in my community and just in school in general.”

Alana Overbey, a third-year Spanish and anthropology student and SCUBA’s secretary said she joined Gamecock SCUBA on a whim after aking a scuba class with her friend,

but that choice ended up leading her to discover her love for scuba diving.

Ian Funk, a third-year marine science student and SCUBA’s dive trip coordinator, said he joined because felt Gamecock SCUBA would help him further his studies in school as a marine science student.

Paré said she always loved the water and saw scuba diving as a closed community where being able to network is important.

Even if students are not interested in scuba diving, members of Gamecock SCUBA said they still want students to take notice of the effects humans have on oceanic environments and to do something about it.

“I wish people would be more conscious about their trash and cleaning up after themselves,” Funk said. “The only thing you should really leave behind are footprints or if you’re scuba

Gamecock SCUBA meets on Mondays at 7 p.m. in

South Carolina poets weigh in on State Poet Laureate vacancy

ISABEL ROGERS| ARTS & CULTURE WRITER

Many see poetry as nothing more than a few lines to be scrutinized in a classroom or words in a dusty book that is rarely opened. National Book Award for Poetry recipient and USC English professor Nikky Finney, however, sees poetry as having the power to open spaces, conversation and understanding. It is a poet laureate who is tasked with communicating this power of poetry and bringing it to life for the citizenry.

South Carolina has been without one for the past four years.

The position of State Poet Laureate was officially instituted in South Carolina in 1934. The governor is tasked with appointing someone from the nominees put forth by the Art Commission.

The state has had six poet laureates since, as the position was for life, until a resolution passed in 2018 created fouryear terms with a two-term limit. Most recently, Marjory Wentworth served the state as poet laureate from 2003 until she resigned in 2020.

Aside from reciting an original poem at each gubernatorial inauguration, the position is largely open to interpretation by each laureate, Wentworth said.

“Your responsibilities are ultimately two-fold. One is to increase the venues and opportunities for people to hear poetry and read poetry and also to sort of serve your writing community as well,” Wentworth said. “But it’s really not defined.”

The flexibility of the position allows each laureate to uniquely approach the task of bringing poetry alive for their communities, Finney said.

“There’s no one way to do it,” Finney said. “The real important thing is to make sure you are bringing poetry into certain moments of life that a community has where it’s a real thing — where it’s not just something sitting up on a shelf that you pull down once a year.”

The position has a unique legacy as no other form of art, such as theater, music or dance is represented by a laureate. Thus the poet laureate becomes

a spokesperson for the entire arts community, Wentworth said.

Near the end of Wentworth’s tenure, cities and regions across South Carolina began establishing their own poet laureate positions. USC poetry professor

Ed Madden became the first of South Carolina’s city laureates when he was appointed as the City of Columbia’s Poet Laureate in 2015. Edgefield, Charleston, Rock Hill and others soon followed.

“I really thought that the poet laureate is about providing that voice; a voice that’s about our history, a voice that’s about who we are in the present, but also a voice about who we could be in the future,” Madden said.

Over the past four years without a state laureate, Madden finds that South Carolina has missed precisely that.

“It’s a glaring failure on the part of the governor not to have appointed someone,” Madden said. “It says something about the extent to which his administration values the arts. It says something to the extent to which they understand that art and creativity

the essential voices by which we define ourselves.”

Gov. Henry McMaster did not respond to a request to comment.

Despite public pressure, including a rally at the Statehouse calling for the governor to take action, McMaster has yet to appoint someone to the position despite the Arts Commission naming three finalists years ago, said Bartell Boykin, the City of Columbia Poet Laureate.

Bartell Boykin said she sees the Governor’s silence as disrespectful to the Arts Commission that already called for applications and named three finalists, as well as to those who applied and the state as a whole.

After not having a poet laureate after the COVID-19 pandemic, Bartell Boykin said she sees South Carolina as once again missing out amid a pivotal time for the state.

Poets have a unique lens through which they view political issues and have a powerful way of communicating that, Finney said.

“I think that the arts and poetry in specific teaches us how we can think differently about a subject and still be connected to each other as human beings,” Finney said.

Laureates are frequently appointed by a governor they did not vote for, Wentworth said, which adds a new perspective to the conversation.

“It takes courage to even think that this person might write a poem that you might not agree with as Governor, but you still think it needs to be in the air,” Finney said. ”That’s what courage is.”

While Finney praised the hard work of city laureates across the state, many rural communities are left without an ambassador for poetry.

Someone in the state position would be able to reach those communities as well as amplify the voices of city and regional laureates, Bartell Boykin said.

Since McMaster is bound by law to appoint a poet laureate, his failure to do so reveals a lack of concern for the arts, Bartell Boykin said. If McMaster does not want to appoint someone, he should change the law to give

“There’s so many things happening in education, with banned books ... with the AP African American Studies class not getting picked up … (it) would be good to have that person to speak into those issues, to go onto those communities,” Bartell Boykin said. “The fact that we don’t have a State Poet Laureate is in line with the book bans and with this total disregard for literacy and intellectual freedom.”

Student-run food truck brings authentic Italian pizza to Columbia

MILES SHEA| ARTS & CULTURE WRITER

Columbia offers many options for pizza lovers, but not many prioritize emulating an authentic Italian pizzeria experience, and even fewer are run out of a truck. La Dolce Vita Pizza aims to stand out.

In 2023, fourth-year hospitality management student Ben Petty and his friend and Auburn University graduate Parker Barton, decided to start the business, which opened this past January.

They started out with a few tents, but quickly upgraded to a truck equipped with two pizza ovens that sets up shop at various bars and events throughout Columbia, such as WECO Bottle and Biergarten and the Soda City Market.

The truck offers 18 different kinds of pizza, as well as desserts like cannoli and ice cream, various beverages and breakfast options. The pizzeria sources most of its ingredients from local providers such as Andrews Apiary, where it gets tomatoes to make its sauce.

The group imports its cheese straight from Italy. La Dolce Vita is proud of its dough, which is meant to emulate the style of a Naples, Italy, pizzeria.

Petty has worked in the food and beverage industry for over six years. He quit his job at a deli shortly before starting La Dolce Vita.

“I just started making pizzas at the house, and we were making them for friends and family. We started doing a whole bunch of them, then just touring around more and more,” Petty said. “That’s where the inspiration came from to go in for it and get the truck.”

Petty said he takes pride in his Italian heritage and his history of working at Italian restaurants, which he credited as another source of inspiration, mentorship and confidence when making the leap to open the truck.

Recent USC criminal justice graduate Savannah Waldrop, who works as a cashier for La Dolce Vita, said the team has become close-knit and have watched the business grow together.

“We’ve all known each other, and we’re like family,” Waldrop said. “I’ve been here since then. I was the first employee, and I helped with everything.”

Third-year business student David Andrews, who works as another cook on the truck, quickly became interested in joining the venture after meeting Petty

and hearing about his interest in starting a pizza business.

“I expressed interest and told him, you know, if you get your cards in order, let me know when you hit the ground running,” Andrews said. “That week or month that he got his cards in place, I was trying to help him as soon as possible.”

Andrews, who had never cooked pizza prior to working on the truck, highlighted the fulfillment he found in working and building something alongside not just coworkers but close friends. Andrews values the progress and perseverance it took to get there as the business worked to gain various certifications and make connections with local venues.

“Just seeing stuff come to fruition, buying in early, and never really second guessing what was going on. Just being happy to do new stuff,” Andrews said. “I don’t really care to do much else right now other than stuff that makes me happy, and making money and being with my homies makes me happy.”

Petty said he appreciates all the milestones, whether it’s getting a business

license, building out its truck or hitting 600 Instagram followers. The project hasn’t been without challenges, but he said they only fuel the team to improve.

“In the restaurant industry, every single day is a new thing, and I’d say it’s one thing that drives a lot of people out of it,” Petty said. “Every day, a new challenge, a new obstacle you’ve got to climb over, and you’ve just got to be super resilient and keep going after and keep driving for what your goals are.”

Petty said juggling being a fulltime student with managing the business presented its own set of challenges. But he said it’s nothing he can’t handle.

“I’ve probably worked 100 hours for the last six months every week and taken five courses, so it’s definitely been a challenge,” he said. “I’m in the food and bev hospitality program, and I love that. I love a lot of the instructors, and I think it’s definitely helped me get where I am and be able to start my own thing and get out there. But I definitely have my priorities straight, I want to finish school and then continue this.”

Customer Madelyn Smith gave a positive review of the pizza, appreciating the cooking style La Dolce Vita prides itself on and how the staff balances being students and running the truck.

“I’m more impressed that they’re able to juggle business ownership and management and being a student,” Smith said. “(The pizza was) really good, I can tell the crust is homemade.”

While remaining focused on the present, Petty, Andrews and Waldrop all said they were anticipating the future of the growing business, specifically plans of a potential physical location down the line.

“I’m excited to see if he wants to get a brick and mortar, everyone’s always asking about it,” Waldrop said. “I’ve already heard someone say that this is the best pizza in town that they’ve been looking for for years. He popped up this year and they tried it, getting regulars to say that, I think that’s an accomplishment right there.”

More information on La Dolce Vita Pizza, its menu and upcoming locations can be found on its website and Instagram.

From left to right, cook Logan Harris, cashier Reanna Reed and owner Ben Petty pose for a picture in front of the La Dolce Vita Pizza food truck on Oct. 15, 2024. Petty said his favorite thing about owning the food truck is “serving people and seeing happy faces.”

PHOTO: NICKOLAS HILL

Column: First-time voters are watching political parties change

USC students who are of voting age and American citizens, approximately 95%, were eligible to vote in the presidential election Nov. 5 and will also be eligible in 2028. These upcoming elections have the potential to change American politics.

The future of the conservative movement in America is at stake with the Donald Trump-JD Vance alliance that signals a continuation of the MAGA movement in 2024, 2028 and beyond. This shift has fundamentally changed the Republican party and American politics in aggressive ways.

As defined by Encyclopedia Britannica, populism “champions, or claims to champion, the common person, usually by favorable contrast with a real or perceived elite or establishment.” Populist policies typically depend on an anti-establishment narrative that appeals to a specific voter base, rather than being based on sound principles.

Since 2016, the Republican Party has seen a distinct split between traditional limited government, free market conservative values and a new populist and protectionist wing under former President Donald Trump. The protectionist policies include high tariffs to protect domestic business. As it currently stands, Vance is poised to take the lead of this Republican sect in 2028, after Trump won the 2024 Presidential Election.

Vance has quickly embraced Trump’s flamboyant persona and non-traditional policies. While not originally a Trump fan, the politics of the Republican party has led him down the MAGA path to power. As his vice president, Vance will be the likely choice for the Republican successor in 2028 after Trump serves a second term as president.

Vance is being accused by some critics of continuing in the populist and divisive footsteps of Trump, whose “New Right” movement promotes trade protectionism and strong economic initiatives from the federal government. Traditionally, free market ideals and liberty-focused conservatism have dominated the Republican Party, but this is now shifting.

Vance is entering the forefront of the party at a time of choosing between these two sides.

Dramatic shifts are not just a Republican Party issue. This election cycle, the Democratic Party is experiencing a sudden and unprecedented shift from career politicians such as President Joe Biden to younger, less experienced candidates such as Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris has held national political office for seven years — just one term as senator and as vice president — compared to Biden’s 51 and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 37.

Harris’ policies also have tinges of populism. Her campaign attempted to appeal to a broader voter base by adopting less traditional liberal policies, such as endorsing the elimination of taxes on tips.

Policy changes aren’t the only shifts. Division has increased. Trump’s persona and nature has made America’s political culture more polarized and aggressive.

A study from Brigham Young University found that Trump accounted for 62.4% and 79.7% of “verbal aggression” during the 2016 Republican Primary debates and the general election debates, respectively.

In a striking correlation, a Pew Center poll found at least a 20% increase in the belief that members of the opposite party are “more close-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent than other Americans” between 2016 and 2022. The increase was seen in both Republicans and Democrats. Both Trump and Biden have called each other the “most corrupt president” in American history.

Young voters should not be satisfied with the divide. It creates animosity between neighbors, coworkers and even family members. Even political violence has increased, resulting in events such

as the Jan. 6 riot and two consecutive assassination attempts on Trump. Compromise has become an unfamiliar and uneasy word in political contexts.

While Trump and Harris made headlines for simply shaking hands, Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz demonstrated to the country that while still imperfect, civil and respectful debate is still possible.

As he steps into the limelight, Vance has a choice. Will he step away from harsh rhetoric and look to unite the Republican Party, or will he follow in Trump’s footsteps and run further still from conservative ideals and civil discourse?

Policy innovation is important. But if the Republican Party is to be the party of liberty, the free market and American advancement, isolationist populism must go. It is up to young conservative voters to advocate for which direction

debating whether or not to sign the Constitution, Benjamin Franklin said, “the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others.”

This is a core American ideal that all should strive for, listening to the other side and considering their perspective instead of villainizing those across the aisle.

First-time conservative voters have a choice between Trump’s “New Right” and traditionalism in the coming years of the Republican Party through civic engagement. Young voters in particular, of all political affiliations, should not be satisfied with a singular agenda or baseless political rhetoric. Rather, they should push their parties to think critically, defend policies with facts and promote civil discourse across the aisle while upholding American ideals.

Elijah Butcher | opinion writer

DISTRESS SIGNS

If someone displays these signs, take the situation seriously, talk to them directly and be willing to listen.

• Excessive or increased use of substances

• Feeling hopeless, saying there is no reason for living

• Anxiety, agitation, inability to sleep or sleeping too much

• Feeling trapped and that there's no way out

• Withdrawal from family, friends and society

• Dramatic shifts in mood, uncontrolled rage or seeking revenge

• Out of character, risky and impulsive acts

HELPING SOMEONE ELSE

Students in emotional distress are most likely to approach friends before they speak with a professional. If a friend sends out signs of distress, either in person or via social media, take it seriously and follow up with them.

If someone makes comments about suicide, find the person help as soon as possible. Offer hope and don't leave the person alone.

TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF

If you are thinking of ending your own life or hurting yourself, there is hope.

Things can get better. Tell someone who can help.

Reach out to the people closest to you. It may feel as if there is no one available, but you are not alone. You have people who love and care for you. Reach out to them. If you believe you cannot talk to your parents, find someone else: a relative, a roommate, a friend, a professor, an advisor or a mentor.

WHO TO CALL

24-Hour Suicide Hotline: 800-273-8255

USCPD: 803-777-4275

USC Counseling and Psychiatry: 803-777-5223

Columbia Area Mental Health Center: 803-898-4800

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: l-800-273-8255

The Trevor Lifeline (for LGBTQIA+ individuals): l-866-488-7386

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Our team has a variety of offerings to help inspire our USC community to remain active and strong. Check out our facilities, Group X classes, and Personal Training services to reach your wellness goals!

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Enjoy thrilling adventure trips, take on the challenge of our climbing wall, or visit the ORec Hub for all your equipment rental and repair needs.

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