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Ross Kressel is Student Body President-Elect

Geoff Yost — 2011-04-06 17:17

Vice President Ross Kressel defeated Secretary LaQunya Baker in the Student Government Association runoff election for President Wednesday. Kressel will serve as President of the Student Body during the 2011-12 academic year."Is so proud to call myself your student body president elect!!!!," Kressel tweeted moments after the results were announced Wednesday evening.Kressel won 53 percent of the vote to Baker’s 47 percent. 578 votes were cast in the runoff held after a nearly three-...

The Tea Party Goes to Washington

By John Cooper — 2011-03-31 14:44

The door to Randolph Hall - the big relic of a building behind the Cistern - creaked open. The whole room smelled of presidential aspirations.The man behind the pulpit was Dr. Rand Paul, freshman senator from Kentucky. Senator Paul has an uncanny ability to give the impression he's speaking a lot quieter than he really is. His voice is patronizingly personal, like a stranger with knowledge that you and me will never understand but wants to share it anyway. He doesn't make a speech, he...

ABC News' Dr. Richard Besser is Commencement Speaker

Staff Reports — 2011-02-23 16:26

Dr. Richard Besser, the senior health and medical editor for ABC News will be the College's commencement speaker at the Spring 2011 undergraduate graduation ceremony, the College announced Wednesday.Dr. Besser came to ABC News in 2009 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he was responsible for all of the CDC’s public health emergency preparedness and emergency activities. He also served as the acting director for the CDC and acting administrator for the Agency for Toxic...

Legislation may jeopardize student influence during S.C. elections

Geoff Yost — 2011-01-17 00:06

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Legislation headed to the state Judiciary Committee this week does not recognize student identification cards as proper identification for voter eligibility, and may weaken the student voice in future South Carolina elections.The South Carolina Poll Manager’s Handbook 2010 Edition, which has been upheld by the State Supreme Court, currently permits students with a valid university ID to vote in South Carolina. In both the 2008 General and the 2010 Midterm elections, student...

It's official – the College is switching to Gmail

Geoff Yost — 2010-10-25 16:12

UPDATE — November 18 On Nov. 18, the College announced that Google Apps for Education will be implemented beginning in Spring 2011. After a pilot program with 100 students in the spring, all students will transition to Google in the fall of 2011, according to the College's announcement.New email addresses will be 'username@my.cofc.edu.'“The only downside for students is that ‘I didn’t get your e-mail’ will no longer be an excuse in classes,” Andrew Bergstrom, the College's Director of Web...

Interpret or amend the Constitution?

Ben Schickel — 2010-04-15 07:13

The announcement of the retirement of Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens brings with it another bitter partisan fight, similar to the nomination process of Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Some may argue that the next nominee is too liberal or too conservative or that he had ties with this group or that group. What Americans need to know, however, is that none of this should matter. The real issue at hand is the United States Constitution, and how this sacred document, which has shaped our...

SGA: Behind the Scenes

Brittany Dahn — 2010-04-15 06:51

C of C students recently placed their votes in the Student Government Association elections, yet much of the work that goes into SGA jobs remains behind the scenes. The SGA is made up of several positions. The Executive Council consists of elected positions: the president, vice president, treasurer and secretary. Although members of the council each have their own role, they also rely on each other to be successful. “As the vice president, I have been working closely with President John...

Health care law affects students

Jason Parker & Geoff Yost — 2010-04-08 07:13

Two weeks ago Congress passed, and President Barack Obama subsequently signed into law, a bill designed to overhaul the health insurance industry. Most of the coverage of this law has focused on the politics of the passing; some have dealt with real world impacts; almost none have focused on the specific impacts to college students. Beyond politics, this law will directly impact college students. Major changesIn 2014, insurance companies will no longer use health status to determine insurance...

SGA election results announced, Elliot Dickerson is President-Elect

Geoff Yost — 2010-03-25 20:13

Sophomore Isaiah Nelson, the student body Vice-President, has been disqualified from the Student Government Association's presidential election after exceeding the $400 campaign expenditure limit. Mr. Nelson won 70 percent of the vote, handily beating sophomore Treasurer Elliot Dickerson.The election results were due at 7 p.m. and came more than an hour late, presumably to allow the Election Commission, chaired by Austin Garland, to review Mr. Nelson's campaign expenditure forms.The...

Worth a thousand words, and many more dollars

Robert Butler - McClatchy Newspapers — 2010-02-25 13:22

The world's most famous painting? It's the Mona Lisa, of course. The world's most famous photograph? An iconic and ubiquitous portrait of Che Guevara - quite likely the most influential image of the 20th century. You know the one, the tight close-up of the revolutionary wearing a dark beret with a single star, his face framed by a tangled mane of hair and beard. Che's eyes stare off into the future with a nearly indescribable mix of sadness, defiance and soulful contemplation."Chevolution,"...

Everyone loves guns, or do they?

Katherine Love — 2010-02-24 22:33

My mom and I spent Christmas this year in a Cold War-style standoff. She said something along the lines of, “if someone broke into my house I would shoot and kill them,” and I replied with something to the tune of, “well you’re a sociopath.” As the debate about gun control rages on, ruining Christmases all over the country, I have determined that polarizing opinions are not helping anyone. I think in this situation, as is true in most, that moderation is key. Because a conservative is...

Organization Spotlight

Lindsay Frost — 2010-02-18 22:13

The C of C chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, PRSSA, is training students to network and be professionals in the public relations field.“PRSSA is a national student organization dedicated to the professional development of its members through the cultivation of relationships between students and public relations professionals,” said Dr. Amanda Ruth-McSwain, assistant professor of communication and faculty advisor of the organization.The organization brings in guest...

Diversity at C of C: a response from SGA

Hannah Reynolds — 2010-02-12 07:54

Letter to the Editor:Yes, the College of Charleston is a predominantly Caucasian, Southern college. Walking around campus, the majority of students I pass on a regular basis are Caucasian and, quite frankly, female. I came to C of C from Alexandria, Va., from a high school where being a white female was a minority and the majority of the student population was Hispanic, African American, Asian and Middle Eastern. I definitely went into a small-scale fit of culture shock when I started last...

Finding middle ground in the abortion debate

John Bleacher — 2010-02-12 07:55

Due to the recent anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision to legalize abortion, I have had several discussions with people about their own views on the matter. People who have any opinion on abortion tend to fall under two categories: those who label themselves pro-life, and those who refer to themselves as pro-choice. Thirty-seven years have passed since the Supreme Court decision was made and these two groups have repelled each other to extreme lengths. Pro-lifers insist on...

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2010-02-06 10:42

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Google no longer allows China to censor its site

Tommy Werner — 2010-02-03 15:27

Google.com is a multi-billion dollar corporation that sprung out of nowhere and became both a tightly packaged conglomeration technology and a capillary-like network lighting the international stage. There are versions of Google in German, Estonian and Swahili among other internationally spoken languages, and there’s even a language tool for all the “pirates” in the world. Such a simple yet holistic setup has enchanted human methods and mindsets to the point that Google.com...

Face to face with genocide

Luke Bernhard — 2010-02-01 16:10

For years, through the religious rebellion it has staged against the Ugandan government, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has terrorized northern Uganda, raping, torturing and killing its people and forcing its children into sex slavery and military service. Although northern Uganda is no longer officially at war, its people and their stories remain physically and psychologically maimed by the atrocities committed by the LRA. Similar atrocities took place to the south during the 1994...

Study area now open 24 hours for students

Lindsay Frost — 2010-01-19 16:37

With the help of the Student Government Association, students will now have the opportunity pull all-nighters on campus. Starting this semester, a 24-hour study area will be available for all students.The study area is located in the lobby of the Education Center and will be used on a trial basis. Depending on its success, the study area may stay permanently in the Education Center or move to the Addlestone Library. “Students have always wanted an area of campus open for 24-hour study,” said...

Study area now open 24 hours for students

Lindsay Frost — 2010-01-14 07:42

FOX News v. the White House

Ben Schickel — 2009-11-01 17:56

The recent war of words between the White House and FOX News is troubling and every American should be alarmed by it. White House Communications Director Anita Dunn, White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel have branded FOX News as an illegitimate news source. It seems that they do not think that the American people need a news network that takes a fair look at events, giving credit when it is due, but asking tough...

Obama’s Premature Peace Prize

2009-10-22 06:33

The Nobel Prize is an award given every year to outstanding and pioneering individuals in five different fields of expertise including peace, physics and chemistry. This yearly award is given based on the decision of five members of the Norwegian parliament. Therefore, it came as a surprise to some (especially him), when Barack Obama won the prize for peace nearly a week ago. Awarding this prize to someone who has only been in a position to influence the world for less than nine months was...

Swine Flu and You: some things to consider

2009-10-22 06:32

Ever since it first made news, swine flu has been on everyone’s minds. The media did an excellent job in making H1N1 seem like the next Bubonic plague, but in the last few months it hasn’t exactly lived up to the hype. Sure, it got people wearing masks and back to the old hand sanitizer, but at this point, swine flu has only distinguished itself in its highly contagious nature and scary-sounding name. Student Health Services has been updating the GSO with the weekly swine...

Skeptics in the Holy City:

2009-10-14 18:55

Atheism is not a new thing. For as long as there has been a belief in a god or gods, there have been people to deny it. Yet now there is a movement being labeled “New Atheism.” It’s a community, however disjointed and spread about, of nonbelievers and freethinkers. Some are quiet, “closet” atheists. Others are forthright in their non-belief. More now than ever, atheists have a say. Even here, in the “Holy City” of South Carolina, the “buckle of the Bible belt,” they are making their...