14 ACADEMIC YEAR IN REVIEW

Reflecting on the year that was, anticipating

what comes next.

USCTIMESMAY 2014 / VOL. 25, NO.5

Fall ‘13

Desegregation at 50: Remembering the struggle, honoring the pioneers, page 9

This Summer

Exclusive Darla Moore School of Business building preview, page 2

Spring ‘14

New women’s sport takes the court, page 11

WHAT’S INSIDE

We’re pretty good at looking forward around here, perhaps because we have so much to look forward to. The Darla Moore School of Business is poised to move into its new state-of-the-art building on Assembly Street, the historic Women’s Quad will reopen by fall and just before we went to press the nation’s No. 1 women’s basketball prospect, Heathwood Hall standout A’ja Wilson, committed her talents and winning smile to Dawn Staley’s already talented and already winning Gamecocks.

We could devote an entire issue to the great things on USC’s horizon. But some-times it’s important to pause and reflect, especially at the end of the semester, even more so as we close out the spring.

This was a big year, after all — one that marked the 50th anniversary of USC’s desegregation, the debut of a new women’s sport, even the discovery of a new aquatic species! It’s in that spirit that we put together this free-flowing issue, which highlights a small handful of events and accomplishments from the 2013-14 academic year.

So after you enjoy our exclusive Moore School walk-through (pages 2-3) and our progress report on some of the other changes taking shape around campus (pages 4-5), take a couple of moments to relive the last nine months, beginning on page 6.

With exams looming and term papers due, ink was at a premium. Still, we managed to cover staff members who went above and beyond (page 7), student-run philanthropy (page 8), teaching excellence (page 9) and groundbreaking developments in research (pages 12-13). We also got Athletic Director Ray Tanner to reflect on the year in sports and share his thoughts on the value of college athletics to the university community (page 10).

We couldn’t hit everything great that happened this year, not even close. The goal is simply to jog your memory, to remind you of your own accomplishments and those of your colleagues over the past year. The present becomes the past too quickly some-times, and while we love to look forward, we should always try to remember what we’ve accomplished as we prepare to take on the future.

FALL INTO SPRING

CRAIG BRANDHORST MANAGING EDITOR

USC TIMES / STAFF

USC Times is published 10 times a year

for the faculty and staff of the

University of South Carolina by the

Division of Communications.

Managing editor

Craig Brandhorst

Designers

Philip Caoile

Michelle Hindle Riley

Contributors

April Blake

Glenn Hare

Thom Harman

Chris Horn

Page Ivey

Liz McCarthy

Steven Powell

Jeff Stensland

Photographers

Linda Dodge

Ambyr Goff

Erin Koons

Kim Truett

Printer

USC Printing Services

Campus correspondents

Patti McGrath, Aiken

Candace Brasseur, Beaufort

Cortney Easterling, Greenville

Shana Dry, Lancaster

Jane Brewer, Salkehatchie

Misty Hatfield, Sumter

Annie Smith, Union

Tammy Whaley, Upstate

Jay Darby, Palmetto College

Submissions

Did you know you can submit photos,

stories or ideas for future issues of

USC Times? Share your story by emailing

or calling Craig Brandhorst at

craigb1@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-3681.

The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment

opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics,

sexual orientation or veteran status.

FROM THE EDITOR

GET ON THE SAME PAGEWant to know what next year’s freshman class is talking about?

USC’s First-Year-Reading Experience book for 2014 is Dave

Eggers’ dystopian novel “The Circle,” a cautionary fable about

privacy, the Internet and personal identity. Freshmen will hear

Eggers speak at the beginning of the fall semester and the book

will be incorporated into many University 101 syllabi. Add the

novel to your own summer reading list, and enter the larger

conversation. (This year’s FYRE poster, left, was designed by

junior studio art major Kristmar Muldrow.)

MOVE-IN CREW NEEDS YOU!Spring semester may be wrapping up, but

the next round of first-year students moves

in Saturday, Aug. 16 — and they could use

your help. About 250 faculty and staff

volunteers are needed for the 2014 Move-In

Crew. Volunteers are assigned a residence

hall where they will provide assistance to

freshmen and their parents. You don’t need

any special training, just a smile, some

patience and a little Southern hospitality.

Work as little or as much as you can; hours

are flexible, but volunteers typically work

in two-hour shifts starting at 8 a.m. Sign up

online at sc.edu/moveincrew/.

SUMMER AT CAROLINAA record number of students is expected to

take classes at the university this summer, but

May and June are also an excellent time to take

advantage of professional development courses

and other training opportunities offered by

Human Resources. Build or refine your job skills,

increase your knowledge of university operations

or prepare for a new role or assignment. Many

classes are available in May and June.

Visit hr.sc.edu/profdevp.html to learn more.

Apply Yourself

Faculty interested in teaching or

conducting research abroad

in 2014-15 must submit

Fulbright Scholar applications by Aug. 1. The core

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program provides about

800 teaching and research grants to U.S. faculty

and experienced professionals in a wide variety

of academic and professional fields.

Preference is given to first-time recipients, though repeat grants are

possible when warranted. For

more information, visit hr.sc.edu/

international.html

REMEMBER YOUR VERY FIRST JOB?

Whether you

groomed standard

poodles, sold

encyclopedias

door-to-door or

delivered ice to the

state penitentiary,

USC Times wants

to hear about it.

Share your horror

stories, comic

mishaps, teenage

miseries and

character building

experiences by

emailing craigb1@

mailbox.sc.edu.

$

VOL. 25, NO.5 1

TIMES FIVE

2 USCTIMES / MAY 2014

MOORE SCHOOL PREVIEW

BY PAGE IVEY

Opening for businessThe new home for the Darla Moore School of Business is nearing completion and is slated to open later this summer.

“I dream this building,” says Wendy Hennessy, the project manager for the four-year construction project. “I live it 24/7.”

Designed by noted South American architect Rafael Vinoly, the building will include the latest technology for minimizing environmental impact, from banks of windows that cut down on electric lighting to rooftop solar panels and a system to capture and reuse rainwater. The eventual goal is for the building to produce as much energy as it uses.

The building will also serve as a hub for a wide range of campus activities.

“It has one very strong idea, and that is this sort of platform with all the classrooms together,” said Vinoly, who toured the building earlier this year with the school’s namesake, alumna and benefactor Darla Moore.

The design, Vinoly explained, is “not only an efficient approach to the scheduling of classes, but also an opportunity because there is an independent access from the tunnel, for the rest of the university

community to use the large auditorium and the small auditorium for performances and other purposes.”

The larger hall will seat 500 people for performances by students and faculty from the nearby School of Music, while a state-of-the-art lecture hall will seat 250.

The first floor will house 31 classrooms, some with adjustable walls that can expand capacity from 30 to 60 to as many as 90 students.

The second floor houses a graduate student lounge, a trading floor, shaded terraces and a café with a view of Columbia’s Congaree Vista. Common spaces and study areas will encourage informal discussion and collaboration while glass-walled offices, meeting spaces and classrooms will welcome visitors to peer inside.

“Given the openness of the glass design and the flexibility throughout the structure, this building will be a showcase for research, teaching and learning,” said Debbie Brumbaugh, the Moore School’s chief financial officer and director of administrative services. “It will also connect — figuratively and literally — our students to the business leaders and communities they serve and will demonstrate the value of collaboration to the state, the nation and the world.”

Flags representing the countries of students and faculty will hang in front of the entrance, while a welcome center off the main Greene Street entrance will feature a 120-inch video wall where families of prospective students can learn about opportunities. Inside, a courtyard featuring two grand staircases and large planters hold dozens of palmetto trees.

VOL. 25, NO.5 3

Campus growth

CAMPUS GROWTH

Living and learning, campus-wideIt’s been a while, but with the completion of renovations on USC’s historic Women’s Quad this summer, every residence hall on campus will finally be open at once. But an expanded student body requires expanded housing, not to mention classrooms, so the university has also entered a public-private partnership to add

beds on USC’s burgeoning west end and meanwhile has begun work on new digs for the J-school near the center of campus.

The venerable Women’s Quad — Sims, McClintock and Wade Hampton — has undergone a couple of facelifts over the years, but the current renovation, to finish this summer, is comprehensive. Heating, air, electrical and plumbing systems have been replaced; the room layout has been altered; hall bathrooms are being replaced by suite-style bathrooms between the rooms; and a connector will allow students to walk from one building to another without going outside. The addition of nearly 20,000 square feet has created space for 50 more students.

Across campus, construction is set to begin on a new 878-bed facility behind the Carolina Coliseum and the new Darla Moore

School of Business. Scheduled to open in two phases beginning in fall 2015, the privately run complex will house upperclassmen and will include both retail space and a dining facility. The second phase should be completed by fall 2016. Construction required the closure of a large surface parking lot for students, but the new student housing project will include nearly 700 parking spaces for residents: 437 in the first phase and 252 in the second.

Speaking of new homes, USC’s College of Mass Communications and Information Studies, housed in the Carolina Coliseum since 1969, will move into the former Arnold School of Pubic Health building on Sumter Street in 2015. Like the Women’s Quad, the 1962 structure has been completely gutted. The exterior won’t change — even the wooden windows are being restored — but the interior will feature 20 rooms for various types of instruction. An adjacent Greenhouse Studio will showcase student television production.

“The two-story central atrium will become a hub of activity within the building and a place to show off student work on big screen monitors,” said Dean Charles Bierbauer. “We also think the third-floor roof garden is just cool.”

6,638Beds on campus

4 USCTIMES / MAY 2014

$828Million

Raised

Carolina’s PromiseNearing the homestretch

The $1 billion Carolina’s Promise fundraising campaign — the most ambitious in the history of the state — began in 2008 and will conclude in a little more than a year. So far, more than 109,000 alumni and friends of the university have invested in the institution, creating scholarships for undergraduates, supporting recruitment and retention of top professors and building momentum for the university’s third century of service. As of April 1, $828 million has been raised, and more than 110 gifts of $1 million or more have been made. Faculty and staff have given about $9.5 million, and alumni have contributed more than $250 million.

Alumni break new ground

Nearly 170 years after its establishment, USC’s alumni association broke ground Nov. 1 on a new home and events space in the heart of Columbia’s Vista district. Once completed in May 2015, the new 65,000-square-foot Alumni Center at the corner of Lincoln and Senate streets will

serve as a hub for student and alumni interaction. “From guest lectures to internships, our alumni can add value and support to today’s students,” said Jack Claypoole, executive director of the My Carolina Alumni Association.

The new PetigruBuilt in 1950 to house the School of Law, Petigru for many years was where students paid their tuition and got official grade transcripts. Following an extensive renovation of its 25,000 square feet just a few months ago, Petigru now houses the College of Arts and Sciences administrative offices and eight new classrooms. Wood wainscot, reworked handrails and upgraded light fixtures were added to the main stairwell, which greatly improved the aesthetics of the building.

Streamlining at the topUSC recently ranked among the 15 most efficient national universities, according to U.S. News & World Report, and the effort continued this spring, as the university merged several senior-level jobs and cut administrative salary costs by more than $400,000.

“We’re constantly evaluating, looking for opportunities to become more efficient,” said President Harris Pastides. “As we examined the structure of the senior administrative staff it became clear there was room for streamlining.”

Ed Walton was named senior vice president for administration and chief operating officer. He will be responsible for business and financial affairs, facilities and transportation, law enforcement and safety, communications, governmental relations, and economic engagement.

Leslie Brunelli was named vice president for finance and chief financial officer, and Derrick Huggins was named vice president for facilities and transportation. Wes Hickman leads the university’s communications efforts as director of communications and marketing and chief communications officer.

109,728 Total

Donors

Percent raised toward $1 billion goal as of

April 1, 2014

83%65,000

square-feet

VOL. 25, NO.5 5

Campus life

6 USCTIMES / MAY 2014

4,900Students in

freshman class

760 Freshmen in Capstone

Scholars program

31,964 Total

enrollment

Countries in which students studied abroad

48

All work and snow playThis year, “famously hot” Columbia saw not one but two snowstorms. The first winter storm rolled into the Midlands the last week of January and the second followed just two weeks later, just before Valentine’s Day. Both storms brought classes to a halt.

With the historic Horseshoe blanketed in snow and ice, campus turned into a rare winter playground for students. Staff members, though, went beyond their jobs to ensure campus was safe and students had access to important resources.

Kirsten Kennedy, director of University Housing, slept on a cot in her office so she could be on campus to serve students. Carolina Dining workers made sure students had a hot meal and plenty of hot chocolate. USC law enforcement and first responders ensured students were safe. Landscaping and facilities personnel and energy maintenance personnel kept campus running and sidewalks clear.

“What was remarkable about the work that our staff did across the campus on behalf of the Carolina community was that nobody asked them to do it. Virtually everyone volunteered to do it,” said Dennis Pruitt, vice president of Student Affairs and Academic Support. “We really appreciate the work that they did for the entire Carolina community.”

Taking chargeThis May, nearly 100 USC students will make up the first class to graduate with leadership distinction. To qualify, students must complete 300 hours of community service, 300 hours of peer leadership and internships, one semester of study abroad and two semesters of extensive research. Students also must have at least a 3.0 GPA, complete additional coursework and activities related to their area of distinction and make presentations highlighting their research. Finally, students document their efforts and what they learned from their activities in an e-portfolio.

“It’s about having purposeful beyond-the-classroom experiences, connecting those to within-the-classroom experiences, then applying that learning to make a difference, which is leadership,” says Irma Van Scoy, executive director of USC Connect, which administers the program.

May graduate Brittany Schifflin is among those receiving the distinction. “It just tells me that everything I’ve done at Carolina and coming here has been worth it,” she says. “It was a way to reflect upon all my experiences at USC in a way that’s meaningful and makes sense.”1,800

on-campus student

employees

@realdannyo @amandamcgoye

VOL. 25, NO.5 7

Hot wheelsThis spring, President Harris Pastides hit the streets in his new Mini Cooper S, featuring metallic garnet tail feathers on the fenders and sides plus a block-C gamecock on the back. The one-of-a-kind design, dreamed up by USC Creative Services, adds hot rod flare to the eco-friendly convertible.

Great Scot!In March, the university unveiled the official USC tartan, a plaid design called “Old Cocky,” which is being incorporated into a variety of accessories and apparel. But USC’s Scottish ties are stronger than mere scarves and blankets. This year USC libraries acquired the earliest handwritten manuscript of the Robert Burns poem “Afton Braes,” also known as “Flow Gently Sweet Afton.” The important 18th-century poem carries extra significance, having later been set to music, which was in turn used as the tune for USC’s Alma Mater. 2013 also marked the 50th anniversary of the recently revived journal Studies in Scottish Literature, edited by USC professors Patrick Scott and Tony Jarrells.

Freedom Rider arrives“Oppression always requires the cooperation of the oppressed. If the oppressed withdraw their cooperation from an oppressive system, that system will fall. Understanding this principle will save you a lot of time arguing and trying to change other people, because the only person you can change is yourself.”

Speaking to students, faculty and the general public at the President’s Leadership Dialogue in February, Diane Nash recounted her experiences as a cofounder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and as a leader in the Freedom Rider movement to desegregate interstate bus travel in the Jim Crow South. But as Nash brought to life the struggles of that era, the famed civil rights activist could have been talking about any of the thousands of unknown activists, black and white, who transformed America for the better in the 1960s.

“People know my name because I was a chairman and a national coordinator,” Nash told the Koger Center audience. “But there are many, many thousands of people who made huge sacrifices whose names we will never know.”

Let’s danceThis year USC Dance Marathon celebrated its 15th year by raising $318,649 for Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital, the local Children’s Miracle Network hospital.

Taylor Dietrich, overall director for the year, led more than 1,000 student dancers and a hundred student volunteers during the 24-hour fundraising event. The record total brings the amount raised by USC Dance Marathon over the past 16 years to nearly $2 million.

Dietrich discovered her love for Dance Marathon as a freshman, but an illness and hospital visit led her to see firsthand how important the student-run philanthropy event is to Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital.

“It’s definitely something that I not only put a lot of effort into but something I want to continue doing,” she says. “I’m amazed at the impact that a college student can have and spread across campus. It’s so much bigger than yourself.”

Since her involvement with the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, Dietrich has decided to pursue a career with the national organization. She switched her major from nursing to public health, where she says she feels she can make the best impact. Dance Marathon, she says, is preparing her for what she wants to do when she graduates in May.

384Hours danced

in 16 years

50

8 USCTIMES / MAY 2014

Desegregation rememberedWhen the 2013-2014 academic year began, no one batted an eye at the diverse population of incoming freshmen arriving on campus. Fifty years earlier, however, it was a different story, as a crowd of reporters, cameramen, students and curious onlookers watched the first three African-Americans admitted to the university since Reconstruction climb the steps of the Osborne Administration Building to register.

September 11, 1963, marked the end of a shameful era of exclusion at USC, and despite fears of violent protest, the events of that morning went off without incident, thanks in part to heightened security and careful planning. But the admission of Henrie Monteith (now Monteith Treadwell), Robert Anderson and James Solomon to the formerly all-white Southern school at the height of the Civil Rights era was anything but an easy victory. The university had resisted desegregation for years and had only admitted Monteith, whose lawsuit paved the way for the others, following a protracted legal battle and after exhausting every legal option to keep her out.

“Once they said ‘no’ — for no good reason — it became a different issue,” Monteith Treadwell told Carolinian magazine last fall. “There was no explanation, just a letter: not accepted. The next step became obvious.”

This year, the university recognized the 50th anniversary of its desegregation with a series of events, speakers and performances. On April 11, the university also dedicated a new commemorative garden in a quiet nook on the north side of Osborne, just around the corner from where the three students made history half a century earlier.

“Much like the variety of plants in this beautiful garden, our strength comes from our diversity,” USC President Harris Pastides told those in attendance, including special guests Monteith Treadwell and Solomon (pictured above). “This garden serves as a permanent reminder of the tremendous progress we have made since that historic day in 1963, and provides us a special place that will grow and flourish as the university continues to move forward on this journey.”

Top of the profsAnyone who’s ever worked on a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle knows the challenge of putting it together, one piece at a time, as the big picture slowly takes shape.

For Rekha Patel, the 2014 Michael J. Mungo Distinguished Professor of the Year, biochemistry is the big picture — and it’s her job to help students understand each little piece.

“It’s like I’m showing them how each particular piece relates to the bigger puzzle,” said Patel, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. “I help them see it, and they go, ‘Wow, now I understand that!’”

That winning teaching style factored into why students have nominated Patel several times for the university’s top faculty prize, which Patel received in April.

“She always brings it back to the big picture and to the way the material can be applied and used. She tells you why this is important,” one student wrote in nominating Patel for the award.

50Years

VOL. 25, NO.5 9

On the record with Ray TannerRay Tanner enjoyed unprecedented success for nearly two decades as USC’s head baseball coach before becoming athletic director in 2012. USC Times asked Tanner to reflect on the past year and to share his thoughts on the value of athletics on the college campus.

Was 2013-14 the best year ever?

I feel like we’ve had a consistent run the last four or five years. We’ve had a lot of outstanding moments. I think the university’s brand is stronger than it ever has been. Athletics is a part of that. It’s not the whole part. I think Dr. Pastides’ impact as president has been felt throughout the country and has impacted our university in a positive way.

How do you maintain that momentum?

The thing that drives me, and is on my mind constantly, is sustaining success. That doesn’t mean you win a national championship. It doesn’t mean you win an SEC championship in every single sport. It’s just sustaining success.

Was there a single moment this year that really stands out for you?

You know, we beat Clemson again in football. That’s five in a row. It’s a rivalry and to be able to win five years in a row is an incredible feat. There’s excitement that’s generated with your fan base when you’re doing something like that. Then Coach Staley’s SEC conference clinching game against Georgia at Colonial Life Arena, the postgame

# 1 16SEC

ChampionsNCAA

Tournament

Sweet

Athletics

10 USCTIMES / MAY 2014

8straight years atop SEC Fall Honor Roll

Courting victoryOver the years, the Gamecocks have played well on the gridiron, the hardwoods, the diamond, even in the water. Now we’re playing in the sand — and diving in headfirst.

This spring marked the first season for the USC women’s sand volleyball team, led by former assistant indoor volleyball coach Moritz Moritz. USC was the first school in the SEC — and one of 38 NCAA schools nationwide — to field a team in the increasingly popular sport, which differs slightly from traditional indoor volleyball.

“Most of the skills cross over,” Moritz told Carolinian magazine this winter. “But you do look for players who can play and adapt in the elements. And there are just two of you out there at a time, so strategies change.”

celebration — there were 12,500 people there to watch her young women clinch that SEC

basketball championship. That was a moment. I stood up at the end of the game and went “Wow, this is incredible!”

What’s been the key to this high level of achievement?

It’s all about people, and when I say “people” I’m talking about coaches and student athletes and our fan base, our donors, our Gamecock Club members, our boosters. I go back to when we were not very successful in football. We had pretty good attendance. We had the foundation in place from the donor base, fan interest to do something special. We increased our resources, and now the mindset and the culture among our student athletes is “We’re among the best.” It’s not arrogance; it’s not ego; it’s just culture and mindset.

What role do you see athletics playing in the larger university community?

We want the entire university to feel good about what we’re doing. It’s not just about athletics. It’s about the entire university. I hope that all of our faculty and staff feel that way. We’ve had 14 semesters in a row where athletes had at least a 3.0 (GPA). As much as we get caught up in winning games and the excitement of competition, 99 percent of these athletes are going to be professionals in something other than the sports they play. While we have the opportunity to compete in sports, the ultimate goal is acquiring a degree and accomplishing that “student” part of being a “student athlete.”

VOL. 25, NO.5 11

What’s USC Upstate’s involvement with NAAMP?

Upstate’s Herpetology Group has donated more than 800 service hours to the program and has been instrumental in identifying specific causes of this decline, and in reconnoitering different wetlands in seven Upstate counties to locate habitats for known amphibians.

Students play a key role in this project. What do they get out of it?

Research is not just conducted in a walled laboratory. It is engaged learning interwoven with community outreach and citizen science. Participation provides an opportunity to receive information for independent study programs and senior research projects, as well as the prospect of presenting at national and international conferences.

Students have engaged with landowners in each county to encourage participation in the data gathering process. Involvement with NAAMP certainly demonstrates the “not just conducted in a walled laboratory” emphasis, as students monitor 11 routes making 10 stops per route. All routes must be surveyed at least once during three sampling windows each year. They are required to score weather and noise conditions

Kind of blueBlue isn’t just blue in the world of illuminated manuscripts. Just ask Scott Gwara. The English professor with a doctorate in medieval studies is on the cutting edge of a new effort to harness technology to look even deeper into the past. And there’s no better place than Carolina to do it: chemist Steve Morgan is one of the world’s leaders in using nondestructive spectroscopy to analyze irreplaceable artifacts, and the Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections is a repository of medieval manuscripts from all over Europe. The two professors from opposite ends of the academy are mentoring freshman Adam Glenn, a chemical engineering major, in a project that will distinguish between different pigments of blue in three 15th-century illuminated manuscripts. The pigment could be the luxurious ultramarine known as lapis lazuli, or it could be azurite, a cheaper alternative. Shining fresh light on the blues will add to the works’ provenance and answer some fundamental questions about the craft of bookmaking at a time when the printing press was just starting its relentless assault on illiteracy.

ResearchBY STEVEN POWELL

Research at USC runs the gamut, with no way to do it all justice. Here’s a small taste of the scholarly goings-on this past year.

Imag

e p

rovi

ded

by

Irvi

n D

epar

tmen

t o

f R

are

Bo

oks

an

d S

pec

ial C

olle

ctio

ns,

U

niv

ersi

ty o

f S

ou

th C

aro

lina

Lib

rari

es

The North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP) was

established in 1995 by the U.S. Geological Survey in response to the decline of certain amphibian

species and the larger biodiversity crisis. Melissa Pilgrim, director of

research at USC Upstate, discusses Upstate’s role in the initiative.

12 USCTIMES / MAY 2014

BREAKTHROUGH BREAKOUT

SYSTEMWIDE

FOCUS UOFSC

UPSTATE

AROUND THE SYSTEM

USC Aiken’s School of Business Administration

will begin offering a new MBA program designed

exclusively for students with a background in

one of the STEM fields (science, technology,

engineering, mathematics) or any of the

liberal arts, pending approval.

USC Beaufort’s new Sand Shark Recreation

Complex, opening in the fall, will house a gym,

a fitness center, two basketball courts, an

aerobics room and athletic offices.

USC Lancaster’s Lancers baseball team currently

ranks No. 7 in the nation in the NJCAA for home

game attendance.

USC Salkehatchie student Brandan Harley’s

pet hedgehog, Jake, was featured on the cover

of the April issue of National Geographic.

USC Sumter hosts Sumter’s first Color 5k this

month in support of Fire Ants softball.

USC Union’s Bantams baseball team clinched

the NCBA Division II Championship.

USC Upstate’s Center for Innovation and

Business Engagement opened at the George

Dean Johnson Jr. College of Business and

Economics in downtown Spartanburg.

To learn more about the USC system, visit sc.edu/about/system_and_campuses.

Think thinThink you know what thin is? Check out the new membrane that Miao Yu and a team from the College of Engineering and Computing recently put together. You’ll need some special equipment even to see it: at about two atoms thick, on average, a run-of-the-mill magnifying glass won’t be much help. And it’s more than just a membrane. Engineered with precisely sized holes throughout its surface, it acts like a sieve on the smallest of scales. Only the tiniest molecules, like helium, hydrogen or water, can flow through — anything bigger just won’t fit. Given that just about every pollutant around is bigger than H2O, it might be the most efficient tool ever devised to clean water. The hydraulic fracturing (fracking) industry is a likely commercial outlet for the invention, but the filter’s utility is so general it’s hard to tell just how many ways it might be harnessed. And that’s just the skinny.

Stop! Hammer timeThis fish story is more than a tall tale, and biologist Joe Quattro has the morphological and mitochondrial DNA data to prove it. Turns out, the waters off the coast of our fair state are the pupping ground of a rare, previously unknown species of hammerhead shark. Our toothy neighbor had eluded discovery until recently because it blends in perfectly with the far-more-numerous scalloped hammerheads, many of which also spend their first year in the fringes of the Palmetto State’s estuaries. Quattro and colleagues did the requisite work to publish a full characterization of the new species in the journal Zootaxa last fall, which gave them dibs for suggesting the new species’ common name. By choosing to honor the state where it was discovered, they drew some national attention that was not snarky, but positively sharky: the Carolina hammerhead was selected as one of the top 10 new species of the year by a number of media outlets, including Time and Audubon magazines.

and record calling activity for five minutes at each stop. This documentation then becomes part of a national database.

Does Upstate’s relationship with NAAMP have extended benefits?

Indeed! Our involvement has had more far-reaching implications than originally thought. As a result of the extensive habitat search, three additional tree frog species have been discovered in the Piedmont of South Carolina. In addition, this combination of research, teaching, service and working with the community helps ensure that students and faculty are afforded opportunities and resources to support their scholarly and creative work.

VOL. 25, NO.5 13

OVERHEARD @UOFSC*

25Years USC Times has been in print

Meals served in Grand Marketplace

Football wins since 2011

“Meet & Three” roundtable guests fed by USC Times

Percent of snowballs that hit their

intended target

Community service hours performed by

student-athletes

356,852

108.7 million 4.6Average hours of sleep per

student during examsOunces of coffee consumed in offices,

dining halls and dorm rooms since August

5,000

11 x 3

3 x 321.4%

1,236

18,563

Snowballs thrown on the Horseshoe

*Some figures are approximate.

Overall athletic wins over Top 25

teams

increase in women’s soccer attendance

Interviews conducted

by USC Times since rebrand-ing in January

1Image of President Harris

Pastides pretending to throw a football in the

January issue of USC Times

25

89%

74

Azalea blossoms in bloom at one time campus-wide