The official minutes of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees are maintained by the Secretary of the Board. Certified copies of minutes may be requested by contacting the Board of Trustees’ Office. Electronic or other copies of original minutes are not official Board of Trustees' documents.

The Student-Trustee Liaison Committee of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees met Thursday, March 22, 2001, at 3:30 p.m. in the Carolina Plaza Board Room.

Members present were: Mr. Arthur S. Bahnmuller, Chairman; Mr. Toney J. Lister; Mr. Miles Loadholt; Mr. Mack I. Whittle, Jr., Board Chairman; and Mr. Herbert C. Adams, Board Vice Chairman. Members absent were: Mr. A.C. Fennell, III; Ms. Helen C. Harvey; and Mr. M. Wayne Staton.

Others present were: President John M. Palms; Secretary Thomas L. Stepp; Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer William F. Hogue; Vice President for Student and Alumni Services Dennis A. Pruitt; Vice President and Executive Dean for Regional Campuses and Continuing Education Chris P. Plyler; Director of the Department of Student Life, Division of Student and Alumni Services, Jerry T. Brewer; and Director of the Office of Public Affairs Russell McKinney.

Student Government Association (SGA) representatives present were: USC Aiken SGA: Outgoing President Jason Stapleton, Outgoing President Pro Tem Brian Edmond, and SGA Advisor Ahmed Samaha; USC Beaufort SGA: President Karen Westhead and Vice President Elizabeth Connelly; USC Columbia: Incoming President Corey Ford, Incoming Vice President Nithya Bala, and Incoming Treasurer Hydrick Harden; USC Lancaster SGA: Outgoing President Jamaal Craig, Outgoing Treasurer J.T. Crossland, and Incoming President Bridget Gaither; USC Salkehatchie SGA: Outgoing President Lennon C. Lawton, Incoming Walterboro Vice President Toni T. Goff, and SGA Advisor Erin Ryan; USC Sumter SGA: Ongoing Representatives Bobby Baker, Nicole Jackson, and Brett McCarty; USC Union SGA: Outgoing President Jason Gregory, Outgoing Vice President Bill Ng, Outgoing Secretary/Treasurer Jessica Gregory and Outgoing Freshman Secretary/Treasurer Josh Comer, Outgoing Freshman Senator Jeff Inman, Outgoing Freshman Senator Robert Jeter, and Outgoing Freshman Vice President Lacie Rice.

Chairman Bahnmuller called the meeting to order and welcomed those present. Mr. McKinney stated that no members of the media were in attendance. Chairman Bahnmuller stated that the agenda had been posted and the press had been notified as required by the Freedom of Information Act; the agenda had been circulated to the Committee members; and a quorum was present to conduct business. Chairman Bahnmuller invited those students present from each campus to introduce themselves.

1. Year End Report from Outgoing Student Leaders:
   
   1. USC Aiken: Brian Edmond summarized the accomplishments of Aiken's Student Government Association during the past year. These achievements included a letter writing campaign to state legislators protesting the projected higher education budget cuts; the development of a USCA Hall of Fame Award which recognized outstanding staff members on campus each month; the creation of a new Student Advisory Committee designed to give the freshman class a voice in student government; and the implementation of on-line voting which would hopefully be available this summer. The SGA had also been in the process of changing its constitution so that each college would have two elected senators attending campus senate meetings for equal and fair representation.

      An Assistant Director of Student Activities had been hired; most importantly, this position handled community service, the key which tied the USCA campus to the Aiken community. In addition, the students were pleased that Dr. Tom Hallman had accepted the Chancellor's position. "Dr. Hallman is a great asset to our campus....He has an open door policy and invites students to breakfast on a regular basis to hear some of their issues."

      This year, USC Aiken had welcomed the largest freshman class in its history. The administration had been considering the possibility of expanding housing which indicated that the campus was moving from a commuter college to a more traditional campus setting.

      Jason Stapleton of USC Aiken recognized Ahmed Samaha, campus student advisor, who had recently won the Frank Harris Student Government Advisor Award of the year which had been presented by the National Association of Campus Activities (NAC).

   2. USC Beaufort: Karen Westhead, outgoing president, reported that this campus had experienced the largest percentage of growth of the regional campuses. At the beginning of the year the SGA had hosted a "Welcome To College" get-together; the students had initiated a newspaper, The Little Shrimp, which provided information about campus activities as well as featured articles from various students in order to promote camaraderie; they had also established an "Ask the Dean" box so that students could submit problems or concerns regarding the campus with responses given in the campus newspaper; and finally, they had established an Activities Executive Committee comprised of the various student organizations' presidents in order to pool resources more effectively.

   3. USC Columbia: Corey Ford, the newly-elected SGA president reported that the Columbia campus student government had experienced a very successful year primarily because of the outgoing president, Jotaka Eaddy. A new academic course, Service 101, was now offered through the College of Social Work; a "Sixth Man Club," students who attended basketball games and sat in a designated section to cheer and support the team had been created; and the shuttle service had been extended to include evening hours. He stressed that the most important activity during the past year had been a student campaign, which included more than 2500 letters students had written to the Legislature, to actively protest the proposed 15 percent budget cut of higher education.

      The incoming SGA Vice President, Nithya Bala served on the Executive Cabinet as the Freshman Council advisor during the preceding year. This group of 36 freshman students surveyed many of their peers to determine topics of concern. Suggestions included an improved roommate selection process and refurbishing the Carolina Mall area in the Russell House. Ms. Bala also noted that these individuals had been some of the most involved and enthusiastic members of student government.

      Hydrick Harden, the incoming SGA Treasurer, explained that a decreased student enrollment had produced a student fees deficit. To address this situation, funding for the different student groups had been capped at the same level as the previous year and a request to increase the student activity fee had been submitted.

   4. USC Lancaster: Representing the outgoing members of the SGA, Mr. Crossland reported that during the past year they had improved the physical appearance of the campus commons area and had increased awareness of campus activities, particularly for evening students, so that they would feel included. The opening of the Bradley Arts and Science Building had attracted community interest. The new incoming officers planned to address parking, a major campus issue, academic tolerance, and the establishment of a five-day class schedule.

   5. USC Salkehatchie: Lennon Lawton, outgoing SGA president, stated that USC Salkehatchie had hosted several successful charity drives. Proceeds had been donated to the Department of Social Services in the five-county districts of Barnwell, Bamberg, Colleton, Hampton, and Allendale. In January, they sponsored a "Back-To-School" kickoff lunch to welcome students after the winter break. During Black History Month in February, members of the SGA served lunch and arranged visual displays on the Allendale campus. Students also amended their bylaws at their General Sessions meeting on February 23.

      Upcoming events included the SACS reaccreditation visit scheduled for the first week in April; as part of the Bicentennial celebration, a Charleston Symphony Orchestra concert was planned in Walterboro on April 29 and a Caribbean Evening in Allendale on May 16; a ceremony to "pass the gavel" would be held on April 27. Both campuses had been involved in the coordination of the "Relay for Life" in the spring which raised money for cancer research.

   6. USC Spartanburg: Mr. Stepp indicated that Spartanburg was celebrating spring break; no representatives from this campus had attended the meeting.

   7. USC Sumter: Nicole Jackson, a student government committee member, summarized USC Sumter activities. In December they had hosted a Christmas party for a children's home in Turbeville; scheduled town meetings with the dean twice a semester to provide students the opportunity to ask questions and understand administrative activities; sponsored a Martin Luther King Day Community Dream Walk with Central Carolina Technical College and Morris College which had raised funds for charities in the community; and conducted elections in February for a "Teacher of the Year" award.

      Ms. Jackson indicated that upcoming events would include participation in a local March of Dimes Walk and a Custodial Appreciation Day to recognize those staff members and their hard work.

   8. USC Union: Outgoing President Jason Gregory thanked the Committee for the opportunity to visit Columbia. At the beginning of the year the student government association had established goals for the year. School enthusiasm, community service awareness, and student-faculty interaction had been promoted in the fall; in the spring, student outreach, community involvement, and student-faculty interaction had been stressed.

      During the fall, students participated in a Softball Classic with a pep rally. In addition, students made books for the Union Family Outreach Center and participated in a conference with the Department of Juvenile Justice. As part of the student-faculty interaction theme, students sponsored a "Welcome Back" cookout.

      In the spring semester, the SGA again hosted a "Welcome Back" social for returning and new students, sold "Lovegrams" for Valentine's Day as a fundraiser, and sponsored a St. Patrick's Day scavenger hunt. The city of Union had asked students to participate in a Bicentennial celebration fundraiser; profits from this event would support new SGA activities as well as a scholarship fund in memory of Tandy Willis. Mr. Gregory also thanked the Union campus SGA officers for all of their support during the past year.

2. Report of Goals for New Student Leaders: This agenda item was combined with the previous one as students presented campus reports.

3. Remarks on USC Budget Status: Dr. Palms initially thanked the campus student government officers for their willingness to serve. He stated that this year had been very crucial for the University of South Carolina because of the state budgetary problems and commended students who had "had so much to do with having our governor listen to what the impacts would be of the first proposed budget." Most importantly had been the fact that the governor supported the belief that education was K-College particularly in today's world economy. Dr. Palms distributed information to the students which described the percentage of funding generated from the state and tuition for the past ten years; he noted the significantly decreasing levels of state appropriated funding.

   Dr. Palms also stressed the value of all of the campuses to the communities of South Carolina. He cited Union as an example. "It gives them hope; it gives them access to education; it gives them a chance to attract industry. The University has reached out to all of these communities and tried to make a difference." Dr. Palms discussed the Bicentennial celebration, the 200th year of the University of South Carolina, explaining that a variety of events throughout the year had been planned "to remind people of the impact that the University has had on this state."

4. Campus Matters: This agenda item was incorporated in the initial topic.

As in the past, Chairman Bahnmuller reminded the students that they had Trustee representatives on the Board to serve and assist them.

There being no further business to come before the Committee, Chairman Bahnmuller declared the meeting adjourned at 4:35 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Thomas L. Stepp
Secretary