Vol. 50 | No. 5September 10, 2013 University of South Carolina Aiken

Celebrating 50 Years

ALTERED DECALSCONCERNCAUSE for

Story, Page 3

September 10, 20132 |

Editor-in-ChiefT.J. Wright

Sports EditorKyle Dawson

News EditorLacie Rhoden

Art EditorEleanor Prater

Staff WritersJ. Morgan BurtonDylan Timmerman

Nick Terry Orlando Moldovan

Business and Advertising Manager

Judith Templeton

Social Media Manager Fateish Graham

Pacer Times is a weekly publication of the University of South Carolina Aiken. The opinions stated in this paper are those of Pacer Times and in no way reflect those of USCA. The student newspaper is distributed free on campus, one copy per student. To purchase an advertisement, parties must contact the advertising manager at (803) 641-3517 or by email to pacertimes@usca.edu.Advertisements are subject to rejection by the staff.

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Press associations.

Local skatepark plays up music sceneColleen Welch

Contributing Writer

In recent years, Aiken has lacked a solid local music scene. However, with the help of one resident movie star, one committed young musician and several local bands, that is going to change.

Bo Mitchell, 18, of Aiken, S.C. has been acting since he was a young child. In the past, he has appeared on shows such as “October Road” on ABC. Currently, he plays in the HBO series, “Eastbound & Down”.

Besides acting, skateboarding has been one of Mitchell’s passions for years. After running a skate shop for four years, Mitchell discovered the perfect location to build an indoor skate park: an old warehouse off U.S. Highway 19.

“When we stumbled onto this building it only made sense to turn it into a park. Aiken needed a real skate park,” said Mitchell.

The HIC Warehouse opened

in October 2011 and has been a haven for skaters ever since. However, it is now not only being used as a refuge for local

skaters, but for musicians as well. The HIC Warehouse Indoor Skate Park is now also being turned into a music venue.

“I want to do as much with this space as possible for the youth in Aiken,” said Mitchell. “However I’m so focused on the skate park; I have no time to run any other aspect such as the music venue.”

Mitchell has enlisted the help of his cousin, USC Aiken

junior Cody Hart. Mitchell put Hart in charge of the musical aspect of the business. The pair has big dreams of

making the HIC Warehouse an ideal venue for not only local acts, but nationally touring artists well.

In the past, the HIC Warehouse has tried putting on several shows but none have produced a significant crowd. Hart hopes that by building a stage, more bands will be willing to play at the HIC Warehouse, bringing bigger crowds.

“We’ve had poor

organization and promotion but we’re committed to making a change and providing a good environment for bands and fans,” said Hart.

With Hart in charge of booking acts, there are big expectations for the upcoming events at the HIC Warehouse. There are plans not only for rock shows, but raves, acoustic acts, rap shows and open-mic nights.

The stage is expected to be ready for the next show on Sept. 27. With admission never being more than a few bucks, going to shows is a great way to support local music.

The HIC Warehouse is located at 1120 Edgefield Highway, only about a five minute drive from campus.

Artists who are interested in playing can contact the HIC Warehouse at

hicwarehousemusicvenue@gmail.com. For a list of upcoming

shows, check out HIC Warehouse Music Venue on

Facebook.

The Student Government Association is looking to form a student interest group to come up with new ideas and insights for this years Fall Fest. Contact SGA for more information.

October 21st - 26th

F ALL F E STAre you interested in joining our staff? Come to one of our meetings scheduled every Tuesday at 6.

September 10, 2013| 3

Many of you may have noticed the revamped parking decals that students and faculty were issued upon returning to campus this fall.

Although many students simply stuck them onto their car without so much as a second look, there were others who decided to give theirs a “redesign” of their own.

These students chose to remove all but the thin white section of the decals, which only

Altered decals cause for concernJ. Morgan Burton

Staff Writercontains either the letter “C” or “R” (representing the words “commuter” and “resident”, respectively) as well as a four digit number.

This alteration has caused some issues in regards to safety on campus and thus the need for repercussions for those students who have done so.

This has posed a safety concern because, with only

the white portion of the sticker remaining, it is impossible to tell whether the sticker was

actually issued by USC Aiken. Most places that issue parking stickers feature similar portions,

meaning people with only this one section remaining could be from anywhere.

According to Chief Kevin Liles of the USCA Police Department, any student who is found to have defaced their

decal will be subject to a $10 fine for improper display.

If some of you have done this already and are wondering what you can do in order to avoid these fines, the solution is to go to the police station and acquire another decal to replace the one that was cut.

Student defaces parking decal (middle).Cover and story photos shot by Eleanor Prater.

What’s wrong with you people?!Joey Gill

Contributing Writer

We are only in the third full week of school and already University Police is cracking down on public safety. For the safety of everyone in attendance at USC Aiken, we are required to abide by rules as students. For starters, you aren’t supposed to park in between yellow lines; they are for faculty only. Secondly, you are supposed to display your parking decal on your driver’s side back window or front windshield.

Beginning last week, students began cutting up the decals. According to Chief of Police Kevin Liles, this poses a huge safety risk for our campus.

“I don’t know why they would do this, but they were cutting the top part off so all you could see is the number on the bottom,” said Liles, “so like your decal says C1234, so they cut the top part off and left the C1234.”

Let me pose a question that most of us are probably thinking: why? Not only is it defacing property you paid for, but it also makes it harder for campus police to judge which cars are supposed to be parked in the lot.

“It’s improper display because it could be from anywhere,” Liles said. “we don’t know who that is, we don’t know who it belongs to, we don’t even know if it’s a USCA sticker, so

its causing a bit of a problem because, why would you do that?” Good question.

It’s disrespectful. You paid to come here or your parents paid for you to come here, and you can’t show pride in your school by putting the “Proud to be a USC Aiken Pacer” sticker on your window?

Maybe you feel that you should be different from everyone else and maybe you don’t want to be involved in this campus – then why would you come here? There is a cheaper alternative across the river that is currently going through an identity crisis and its students have trouble finding parking!

Be glad you actually have parking; I once tried to find

Shots Fired

a parking spot at what used to be Augusta State and there were no open spots for a mile

around campus. The school’s response was to just skip class that day. I don’t play that.

So, you have a problem with this design? Do something about it.

“If they don’t like the decal or the design, there are ways we can improve that and ways we can change that, and they need to see the right people and it can be changed,” said Liles.

You know the rules; they were clear. Why would you do it? Don’t know? Well then you have no reason. This is just my opinion. You can either follow the rules or fork over another $10 for a new parking decal. It’s your choice.

Robert Washington

4 |September 10, 2013

On not being able to play over the summer: “It was really tough because I had to stay in most of the day. I could putt with one hand, but that gets kind of old after a while. All I could do really was rest and try to get the arm better and work on therapy so I could get back quicker. There was no sense in rushing it. It was tough because I got a lot of calls asking me to come putt and chip and I had to tell them no.”

On his first round back from injury:“I was a little more nervous than usual because I hadn’t played competitive golf in six months, or a little over six months. It felt good to get back out there. The first tee shot was a little nerve-wracking, but I ripped it down the middle. It was a pretty tough round to play because I didn’t know if taking a divot was going to hurt the arm. It was a pretty good round, considering the circumstances.”

On breaking his forearm in January:“The first thing that went through my mind was if I was ever going to play golf again, because of the pain level and everything. It was tough mentally, because obviously I was going to miss the season.”

On his motivation to recover:“I heard from Coach Carlisle that I could get a medical redshirt and I’d be able to play the next season, so that really kept spirits up and helped motivate me to do therapy more. And even when I could start practicing, to practice really hard on my short game and get that good while I couldn’t hit longer shots.”

On having a second shot at a senior season:“It means a lot because breaking the arm, especially when I was a senior, really took a toll on me mentally. I was playing pretty well before I broke the arm and I was ready to go for that senior year. I was preparing and getting ready to have a good spring and then breaking it was pretty devastating to know that I was going to be out. To have another shot to play this year is awesome.”

Back from the break: Milliner returnsKyle DawsonSports Editor

On the current status of his game:“It’s pretty close to where it was before the injury. It might be a little more shaky and inconsistent because of the arm and how it’s feeling, but it’s pretty close. The game is pretty good right now.”

On the recovery process:“The arm is getting stronger. It doesn’t hurt hardly at all when I’m playing or doing anything. We, and the doctors, think it’s doing what it’s supposed to; it’s healing up.”

Senior golfer Gaines Milliner enters the fall season with a second chance at his senior year. Breaking both bones in his forearm early this year forced him to sit out the spring schedule. However, Milliner was granted a medical redshirt, giving him an extra year of eligibility to close out his college career.

Soccer teams open 2013 season with positive resultsKyle DawsonSports Editor

The USC Aiken soccer teams each kicked off their seasons over the past week, earning positive marks in their respective debuts.

Thursday’s doubleheader at the Pacer Pit signified the official beginning of the fall campaign, with the women’s team dropping a 4-1 decision to No. 15 Rollins. Hannah

Allison gave the Pacers an early lead with a goal in the 11th minute. Rollins dictated the tempo from there, scoring four unanswered goals to close out the match.

The men’s team took the field minutes later for its opener against Pfeiffer. The game clock expired before either team found the net, and the match ended in a scoreless draw.

Goalie Joshua Poissant came

up big in the opener, keeping the visiting Falcons off the scoreboard. He stopped all three shots on goal, including a pair of quality Pfeiffer scoring chances in the overtime periods.

The men’s team then hit the road for the weekend, falling to Queens by a 3-0 count on Saturday evening. The Pacers remained within striking distance until a pair of quick goals by Queens in the second

half put the match out of reach.

The women stayed at home to earn their first win of the season, 2-0, over USC Beaufort. Megan Smits opened the scoring for the Pacers in the 11th minute. Allison tallied her second goal of the young season in the 54th minute to put the match away. Melissa Westphal and Alli Edens combined to record the shutout in net.

Both teams have home matches this week before road dates over the weekend.

The women’s team begins the week at the Pacer Pit on Tuesday, Sept. 10 for a 7 p.m. start against Coker. The men host Lenoir-Rhyne the following evening at 6:30 p.m.

From there, the women visit Barton on Friday, Sept. 13 for a 6 p.m. match, and the men travel to face Limestone on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 4 p.m.

Design by Eleanor Prater

| 5September 10, 2013

Week at a Glance: Sept. 10-16

Sept. 10 - Women’s soccer vs. Coker - 7 p.m.Sept. 11 - Men’s soccer vs. Lenoir-Rhyne - 6:30 p.m.Sept. 11 - Volleyball vs. Lander - 7 p.m.Sept. 13 - Cross Country @ Georgia College Invitational - 6 p.m.Sept. 13 - Volleyball vs. Converse - 3 p.m.Sept. 13 - Volleyball vs. Limestone - 7 p.m.Sept. 13 - Women’s soccer @ Barton - 6 p.m.Sept. 14 - Men’s soccer @ Limestone - 4 p.m.Sept. 14 - Volleyball vs. Lincoln Memorial - 12 p.m.Sept. 14 - Volleyball vs. Valdosta St. - 4 p.m.Sept. 16 - Golf @ Kiawah Island Invitational - All day

The USC Aiken volleyball team is off to a stellar start this season with three wins this past weekend at the Francis Marion Invitational.

The Pacers played Mt. Olive in their first match of the year on Friday, winning 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-8).

Every Pacer saw action during the first contest and they all made contributions as well.

Aly Johnson led the team with nine kills. Hannah Tierney followed her with seven while Shawn Hotson, Leah Rodgers and Taylor Stratton each contributed six more for the Pacers.

Amanda Bologna led the Pacers with 20 assists while Sheila Walsh contributed 11 helpers of her own.

Defensively, Danielle Mercer led the Pacers with 18 digs while Hotson and Bologna added 12 and 11, respectively. Johnson added eight block assists and Endea Ellison posted five.

In their second match of the day, the Pacers fell 3-1 to Newberry (20-25, 18-25, 28-26, 22-25), despite a hard-fought victory in the third set of the match.

Rodgers and Ellison led the Pacers with nine kills each while Johnson and Hotson each added eight kills of their own. Bologna had 24 assists and Walsh added 19 as well.

Mercer led the defense with 17 digs with Rodgers and Katie Toman adding 15 and 10,

respectively. Tierney assisted on four blocks while Johnson assisted on three.

The Pacers began day two of the invitational with a victory over Mars Hill 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22).

Rodgers led the Pacers with 10 kills while Hotson added nine kills of her own. Ashley Diedrich, Ellison and Stratton each added eight kills for the Pacers. Bologna had a match-high 28 assists while Walsh added 17.

Toman led the defense with 25 digs while Hotson and Walsh added 19 and 11, respectively. Ellison assisted on five blocks while Rodgers and Stratton each added two block assists.

USCA concluded the tournament with a victory over Lees-McRae 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-20).

Tierney, Johnson and Stratton led the Pacer attack with five kills each. Walsh and Bologna dished out 12 assists each to help lead the Pacers in the win.

Defensively, Monica Cardona led the Pacers with 15 digs. Johnson had five block assists while Ellison and Stratton added four block assists of their own. Rodgers also added three block assists for the Pacers.

The Pacers are back in action this week as they host Lander on Wednesday, as well as the USC Aiken Volleyball Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

The contest with Lander will be a good test for the Pacers as just one game separated the teams in last

season’s PBC standings. This will also be important for the Pacers because it is their first conference game of the season, as well as a rivalry game.

“It’s our first conference game, conference play is very important for us,” said USCA head volleyball coach Glenn Cox. “Lander is one of our real rivalries. It’s a little grudge match to see who can start the year off right.”

The highlight of the week will be the tournament being held at the Convocation Center over the weekend.

The tournament will feature several strong teams from across the southeast. The Pacers will play two games on both Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, the Pacers play Converse at 3 p.m. and Limestone at 7 p.m. Saturday’s games will feature USCA matching up against Lincoln Memorial at noon and Valdosta St. at 4 p.m.

“All those teams are good, solid teams regionally. [Lincoln Memorial] is usually toward the top of the SAC [South Atlantic Conference] and Valdosta is a good, strong team,” said Cox. “We fully expect those matches to all be good matches for us regionally.”

The Pacers are 3-1 on the year and will look to build on their great start by continuing their strong play in all their matches this week.

“The tournament is lining up to be a really strong regional tournament with a lot of good region teams. It’s going to be a great weekend of volleyball,” said Cox.

Volleyball opens strong; big matches on horizon

Nick TerrySports Writer

Willis Glassgow PhotosFreshman Amanda Bologna sets up her teammates. Bologna is among the Peach Belt Conference’s leaders in assists after the opening weekend of play.

Cross country finishes ninth

Kyle DawsonSports Editor

The USC Aiken cross country team posted a ninth-place finish on Saturday morning at the Pre-Conference Meet, the fourth annual GSW Rememberance Run, in Americus, Ga. The season-opening event was hosted by Georgia Southwestern and featured 12 teams on a 6k (3.73 mile) course.

By finishing ninth, the Pacers placed ahead of conference foe and host Georgia Southwestern, as well as Chipola College and Clark Atlanta.

The Pre-Conference Meet also served as a preview for Oct. 26’s Peach Belt Conference Championship, another event that will be contested at Georgia Southwestern.

Keely Gillespie led the way with a time of 23:56.04, a mark that beat out top runners

at seven of the attending schools and earned her 14th place as an individual.

Alexis Harvin’s time of 27:23.49 was good for a 66th place finish. Brittany May followed Morgan Payne across the finish line; Payne’s 28:09.90 time placed 74th with May’s 28:15.56 earning 75th.

Kayla Millholland’s time of 29:23.82 was good for 81st. She was shortly followed by Lauren Hodge, who finished in 85th place at 29:53.17. Colleen Cirillo rounded out the Pacers’ first meet with a time of 31:02.41 to finish 90th.

Head coach Kara Kreutzer said that it was a good season-opening effort for her team and that it was a good indicator of what they need to work on as the season progresses.

Up next for the Pacers is a trip to Milledgeville, Ga., for the Georgia College Invitational on Friday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m.

September 10, 20136 |

Fantasy novel holds up well as film

Fans of Cassandra Clare’s “The Mortal Instruments” movie were ecstatic last Wednesday when “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones”, based off the first book in the series, hit theaters.

As with any book-to-movie adaptation, several changes had to be made, whether for time crunch purposes or to pull in a larger audience. Overall the movie was fantastic, featured a lot of great action scenes and carried the dark theme of the books. However, avid readers of the series noticed several

Samana MehdiContributing Writer

WELCOME

differences in the plot. The fates of several

characters were different when compared to the book, such as Simon’s form when at the Hotel Dumort. Some characters with smaller parts in the book had even smaller parts in the movie, including fan favorite High Warlock Magnus Bane. Characters that were not originally in some scenes in the book were added to scenes in the movie to allow for more action sequences in the film, but those scenes were done so well fans cannot complain (too much).

Most of the complaints came from the change of plot at the end of the film. A very

important (and treasured) secret was revealed at the end of the film during its climax - a secret that was one of the main conflicts between two characters for the next two books. For those who have read the books, you know what it is! The reveal of this secret may disappoint fans since they were very eager to see the reactions of new potential fans, myself included.

However, the actors and actresses who played their roles completely captured and exceeded the expectations of fans as they truly brought these beloved characters to life. The acting was spot-on, and the manner of Jamie Campbell

Bower, who plays the hero Jace Wayland, truly captured the snark and intensity of the character. Lily Collins, who played Clary Fray, was brilliant, and put the “damsel in distress” title to rest as she came alive as the strong independent female lead. Robert Sheehan, who played best friend Simon Lewis, shined in both of his humorous and emotional scenes. The chemistry between the actors and actresses, particularly Campbell and Collins, was apparent throughout the entire movie.

Overall, this movie was beautifully done and satisfied fans of the books, despite the critics’ negative reviews and

comparisons to “Twilight” and even “The Hunger Games”, though there is no relation at all between those books and this fantastic series. With the help of the author Cassandra Clare, director Harald Zwart truly understood and allowed the story to come to life.

This movie is sure to draw in more fans to the exciting world of Shadowhunters. The second book in the series, “City of Ashes”, has already begun production and is set for a 2014 release date.

Students learn about groupsThomas Price

Contributing Writer

At the beginning of every school year there can be a need for students to feel like they belong on campus. For many students, this means getting involved in a student organization.

USC Aiken has multiple student organizations ranging from academic to social groups. Every semester, these organizations set up booths or tables in the Student Activities Center to display information about their organizations.

Get on Board Day is an important campus event during which students can learn about organizations that they find interesting.

Ryan Green, a member of USCA’s Alpha Phi Alpha chapter, explained that Get on Board Day was important to their organization because it allows them to publicize and promote the ideals and history of their chapter.

Sydney Fowler, a member of the University Theatre Players, explained that Get on Board Day is an opportunity for students to pursue available

Joseph JohnsA student visits the GLOBE table in the quad at the Fall 2013 edition of Get on Board Day.

groups and that it also allows human nature to match similar personalities with organizations.

Demi Bannister of Omega Phi Alpha explained that Get on Board Day was important to their organization because it allowed them to meet new students who are interested in giving back to the university community, to the community at large and even to the world.

The next edition of Get on Board Day will occur on Wednesday, Jan. 22 to commemorate the beginning of the spring semester.

September 10, 2013| 7

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Jacob Ellis

Devin Johnson with Campus Outreach walks the bungee rope during Get on Board day.

Jacob EllisJacob EllisBryan Narcisse of Fellowship of Christian Athletes shows some of basketball skills during Get on Board day.

Jacob EllisRandy Duckett, of Alumni Affairs and Community Relations attends Aiken’s Makin’. Aiken’s Makin’ serves up delicious food and treats for the patrons.

September 10, 2013 | 8