march 4, 2014 vol. 50 no. 21

Vol. 50 | No. 21March 4, 2014 University of South Carolina Aiken

Celebrating 50 Years

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@pacertimes @pacertimes facebook.com/uscanewspaper www.flickr.com/pacertimes

Ryan Mathis

March 4, 20142 |

Editor-in-ChiefT.J. Wright

Sports EditorNick Terry

News EditorLacie Rhoden

Copy EditorColleen Welch

Art EditorEleanor Prater

WebmasterJoey Gill

Staff WritersOrlando MoldovanBrent BlackmonAngela MurphyChelsea BridgesSamana Mehdi

Business and Advertising Manager

Judith Templeton

Social Media Manager Joey Gill

Photographers Jacob Ellis

Ryan Mathis

Assistant DesignerMichael St. John

CartoonistRobert Washington

Events CoordinatorKaleigh Collins

Ad StaffKimberlee Howard

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 [email protected] are subject to rejection by the staff.

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NEWS

USCA’s budget requests are now transparent

RPSEC celebrates 25 yearsChelsea Bridges

Staff Writer

USC Aiken’s Ruth Patrick Science Education Center is celebrating its 25th anniversary of promoting learning and instilling a love for science in students of the CSRA.

The RPSEC is a partnership among USCA, CSRA public school districts and local businesses. The collaboration has implemented many programs and events that bring hands-on fun and fascination of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for students of all ages.

Dr. Gary Senn, director

of the RPSEC, said that the idea for this program was written down on a napkin at a school-sponsored dinner by a group of people including previous chancellor, Dr. Robert Alexander. The concept was brought up again when Alexander was discussing the fact that the U.S. was falling behind the rest of the world in the science and mathematics fields.

The school received a grant to start the program and it has grown in the 25 years since its inception. It began in a simple closet-type room, but in 1991, the original 11,000 square foot building was opened. Later editions such as the DuPont

Planetarium required an expansion to the building that stands today.

In the last year, there have been over 7,000 visitors to the RPSEC. The total number of visitors since it began is over one million. Of all the programs involved in the RPSEC, one of the biggest that brings in community members is SEED, Science Education Enrichment Day. It hosted about 4,000 people last year.

“We have certainly had a lot of community support,” said Senn.

To celebrate its anniversary, the RPSEC will be hosting a formal fundraising dinner on April 24th. As guests are

arriving, local students will be exhibiting STEM projects. After dinner, there will be a program with speakers who have been impacted by the RPSEC. There will be “Dessert Under the Stars” where guests will have the opportunity to enjoy dessert on the roof and gaze through the telescope. The event is $50 and is open to any community member who wishes to show his or her support.

The RPSEC has impacted thousands of lives and has high hopes for growth in the years to come.

Chancellor Jordan hosted her annual town hall meeting yesterday afternoon and all student organizations were invited to attend.

Moderated by Student Body President Sam LaMunion, the meeting began with an open floor of questions and concerns from the students that were present. Among many, comments included a request for more turkey options in the cafeteria for breakfast, inquiries about the school’s recycling program, accolades to the University’s actions during the ice storm and a desire for an increase of shelving in the Etherredge Center.

After answering all the questions, Jordan and her panel, also known as the “Monday Group”, presented a power point that outlined budget requests for 2014. This is the first year that the budget requests are being made public. Aside from increasing the transparency of the budget process, this new concept provides information on how budget decisions are made and allows the campus an opportunity to ask questions about the process.

There is $11 million worth of money requests from the five University departments. The most comes from the Office of Academic Affairs, which is requesting a total of $7,164,657. Over a million of

Colleen Welch Copy Editor

that is for personnel requests, or salary money.

Next is University Advancement who is requesting $132,500 mostly for marketing and advertising funds. This portion of the budget is important to students especially, because a lot of scholarship money comes from University Advancement.

Computer Services is in need of at least $58,000 in order to hire a new full-time system administrator.

The Division of Finance and Administration is asking for a total of $130,000. This money would be mostly used for risk management issues like inspections and fire protection upgrades. According to the Chancellor’s power point,

“safety and security … is paramount.”

The Student Life and Services Office is requesting a “modest” $94,000. Its main priorities are to refinish the Convocation Center floor and resurface the tennis courts.

Jordan is determined to align the budget with the four strategic goals of the University. Essentially, the goals are to provide a distinctive education, enroll and retain diverse students, manage resources effectively and create collaborative partnerships.

“We are looking at every [money] request in relation to the goals,” said Jordan.

Students were invited to ask remaining questions at the end of the presentation.

For class schedule please visit aikenyoga.com, or call 803-514-8833

Student discount available

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Nick TerrySports Editor

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Former USC Aiken women’s basketball standout Meredith Legg Stapleton, No. 24, lost her fight with cancer Monday afternoon.

“It’s difficult to lose anybody that’s been in your program or a part of your community but some people are just very, very special,” said USCA women’s head basketball coach Mike Brandt. “The type of person that Meredith was on the floor and off the floor just makes it that much tougher.”

Stapleton was one of the most distinguished players to ever come through USCA. She ended her career as the all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball with 1,480 career points and 311 career 3-point-ers made. She was inducted into the Pacer Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.

The standout guard was diagnosed with ocular mela-noma just after the conclusion

of her college basketball career in March 2009. Despite the devastating news, Stapleton remained in her usual positive spirits throughout her battle with the disease.

“That was one of the most remarkable things was how positive she was; I know she probably had some down times in there, but she showed very few people those times if she did have them,” Brandt said.

Another person close to Stapleton, Dr. Charmaine Wilson, also noted the positive demeanor she maintained.

“She just got even stronger as a person,” said Wilson. “I can’t imagine very many of us who could face what she faced with so much strength and positivity.”

After the initial diagnosis, the Aiken community rallied around Stapleton and sup-ported her throughout her battle. Throughout the city, the No. 24 sticker could be seen in the rear windshield of cars. The sticker became sort of a rallying

cry for both Stapleton and the community.

Stapleton left Aiken in the fall of 2012 when she married her husband, Christopher, and moved to Charlotte, N.C.

“On the one hand, Meredith had moved on from here. She had graduated … She moved closer to her family, so in some ways we lost her a long time ago,” said Wilson. “The other side of that is I don’t think we’ll ever lose her because her impact was so profound.”

On Jan. 23, 2014, doctors told Stapleton she only had a month to live. As typical with Stapleton, she didn’t let the diagnosis keep her down and set two goals for her last month. She wanted to build a snowman and wanted to attend Duke-Carolina in Chapel Hill. She accomplished both of these goals.

Despite having her life cut short, Stapleton accomplished more in her 26 years than many people do in their entire lives and touched the lives of

many people along the way.“She was a very sincere per-

son, one of the most positive young people I’ve ever seen in my life. She was just friendly to everybody,” said Brandt.

Stapleton may no longer be alive, but her legacy will live

on and she will be remembered by the many people who were fortunate enough to know her.

“She touched a lot of lives … That legacy lives on,” said Wilson.

Meredith Legg Stapleton shakes former Chancellor Dr. Hall-man’s hand at USC Aiken’s 2009 graduation ceremony.

USCA Marketing Department

4| March 4, 2014 SPORTS

Porsha Martin looks to attack the GRU Augusta defense. She recorded six points and nine rebounds during the Feb. 1 win.

Jacob Ellis

Martin leaving mark on program with leadership


Porsha Martin’s senior season at USC Aiken has been much different from her first three seasons with the women’s basketball program.

During her first three years Martin, the lone senior on the team, was accustomed to her team being one of the best in the nation and a lock for the NCAA Tournament.

“The first three years it was always we’re definitely going to the tournament, we’re definitely going to regionals. It’s almost like we took it for granted,” Martin said.

This year the Pacers got off to a slow start and struggled for much of the early portion of the season.

Despite the early struggles, Martin and her teammates didn’t give in to the pressure and turned their season around and are now heading to the Peach Belt Conference

Tournament.“This year started off as a

struggle, but it became so fun and we just worked so hard to get to the tournament,” said Martin.

After opening the season with a record of 2-9, USCA closed out the second half of the year with a 9-8 mark.

Martin has been a big part of the turnaround for the Pacers this season, as she has been a leader both on the court and off the court for the Pacers in her final season.

“She’s improved a lot since the day she came in here … Both on the court and off the court. She’s been a good leader for us and just been instrumental in the push that we’ve had at the end of this year,” said Martin’s head coach Mike Brandt, who added, “She’s stepped up and put the team on her shoulders. We’ve been pleased with what she’s done for us.”

Martin has averaged career-

highs of 10.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Pacers this season.

During the closing weeks of the season, Martin set one goal for herself and her team. She wanted to make it to the PBC Tournament one more time.

“My first goal was to get into the PBC tournament; we did that and now I just want to go to the PBC tournament and compete. Anybody has a chance to win it,” said Martin.

With her career nearing its end, Martin said she can’t pick out one specific moment that has stood out to her during her career, as there have been so many.

“There’s been so many, I cant pick one out … There’s been so many memories and I just appreciate all of it,” Martin said.

Martin and her teammates will have one more chance to create more memories this weekend when they attempt to win the PBC Tournament.

Women’s basketball hitting stride heading into tourney


Mariah Durian looks to drive in Saturday’s 72-58 win against UNC Pembroke. Durian posted 13 points during the contest.

Ryan Mathis

USC Aiken’s women’s basketball team enters this week on a two-game winning streak after defeating GRU Augusta and UNC Pembroke.

Up next for the Pacers (11-17, 9-10 Peach Belt Conference) is a trip to the conference tournament in Columbus, Ga., where they will face the PBC West No. 2 seed North Georgia.

“I think we’re going to go in there with confidence and try to play our best basketball and see what happens,” said head coach Mike Brandt.

The Nighthawks (21-5, 15-4 PBC) enter the tournament on a three-game winning streak. The two teams previously met Jan. 20 at the Convocation Center, a 92-84 North Georgia victory.

In the first meeting, the Pacers were just beginning to

find their stride and battled the Nighthawks the entire game before eventually falling in overtime.

The Pacers had a tough time defending the combination of Mimi Hill and Cierra Jackson. Hill posted 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Jackson added 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Mariah Durian and Porsha Martin led the Pacers in the loss, combining for 46 points. Durian netted 25 points on 8-14 shooting, including 6-8 from beyond the arc. Martin contributed a career-high 21 points and nine rebounds.

USCA will need more solid performances from these players and others in this week’s tournament. One player who could provide a spark is Amaura Brandt, who averages 8.0 points per game.

The Pacers are playing arguably their best basketball of the season coming into this

week’s meeting. They have won four of their past five games and seem to be running on all cylinders.

“We’re with the mentality that we’re playing our best basketball, and I really don’t think too many teams want to play us,” Brandt said.

USCA enters the PBC Tournament as the No. 3 seed out of the East Division.

A win in the first round could set up a potential semifinal matchup with division foe Armstrong, a team that USCA has played close twice, losing 76-70 on Feb. 8 and 60-58 Feb. 22.

“We’re thrilled to be in the tournament … We’re excited to be there, but its not the end of the road for us. We’re just not happy to be there and go play one game,” said Brandt.

USCA’s first game of the tournament against North Georgia will be Thursday, March 6, at 3 p.m.

| 5March 4, 2014SPORTS

Men’s basketball lands top seed in PBC Tournament


The USC Aiken men’s basketball team enters this week coming off a week that featured two big comebacks against GRU Augusta and UNC Pembroke.

In both contests, the Pacers trailed by at least 19 points before mounting their comeback. Ron Zimmerman was the catalyst in each game, scoring 19 points against GRUA and a career-high 36 points against UNCP. Zimmerman hit big shot after big shot and always had an answer when the Pacers needed one.

“I knew we needed a spark and if anybody was going to do it, I think they (my teammates) looked at me and I tried to deliver for them,” Zimmerman said.

“Ron’s a very good player. To me he’s the Peach Belt player of the year,” said head coach Vince Alexander.

Up next for the Pacers is the PBC Tournament. In the first round of the tournament

Ryan MathisRon Zimmerman rises for a 3-pointer against UNC Pembroke in the Pacers 107-91 win. He made seven threes in the game.

they will face tournament-host Columbus State.

“We’ve got to play the home team the first night, that’s fine, we’ve just got to be ready to play,” Alexander said.

The Cougars come into the week having lost two of their last three games, but most recently defeated Clayton State, 63-57, in their last game of the regular season. The teams last met Jan. 4 at the Convocation Center, an 82-70 USCA victory.

In the meeting, the Pacers received great performances from DeVontae Wright and Paul Larsen. Wright led the Pacers with 20 points and also added nine rebounds. Larsen posted 19 points and a game-high 14 boards.

USCA also did a good job of limiting Kenney Funderburk, holding the Cougars’ star to 14 points on 3-10 shooting.

One key for the Pacers could be their ball movement. The team’s offense is at its best when they generate a high number of assists. This was evident during USCA’s 107-

91 win over UNCP, where it registered 23 assists and posted a season-high 107 points.

“We want to distribute the ball; we want to play unselfish basketball,” said Alexander.

Another key for the Pacers could be Zimmerman. He enters the week averaging a team-high 17.3 points per game and has been on a roll in the season’s closing games.

Zimmerman has also grown fond of playing in the state of Georgia, as he has combined for 84 points on 27-46 shooting, including 23-39 from long range in his four games in the state this season.

USCA enters the conference tournament with the belief that it is the best team in the PBC and is ready to prove that this weekend.

“We’re the best team going into the tournament and we need to be ready to play,” said Alexander.

USCA’s opening game in the tournament will take place Friday, March 7, at 7 p.m. at the Frank G. Lumpkin Center in Columbus, Ga.

Baseball set to host PBC East opponent Armstrong


Softball set to host two doubleheaders


The USC Aiken softball team comes into this week on a three-game winning streak.

This week the Pacers (12-3) will play three doubleheaders. The first set will be at home against Erskine on Tuesday, March 4.

The Flying Fleet (4-10, 1-3 Conference Carolinas) come into the contest having lost eight of their last nine games.

Last season, the Pacers won game one of the doubleheader against the Flying Fleet, 4-3. The second game between the two squads resulted in a 4-4 tie.

First pitch for the first game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. with the second to follow at 4:30 p.m.

USCA’s second matchup of the week will take place

Thursday, March 6, at home against Brevard.

The Tornados (8-8) enter the week on a two-game losing streak after falling to Peach Belt Conference teams Lander and Flagler.

In last year’s meeting, the Pacers took both games, winning game one, 6-0, and game two, 2-0.

Game one of the doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. with game two to follow at 4 p.m.

The final doubleheader of the week for the Pacers will be Sunday, March 9, on the road at West Georgia.

The Wolves (13-8, 4-5 Gulf South Conference) enter the week having dropped two out of three games in a weekend series with Lee.

The two games against West Georgia are set to start at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

USC Aiken’s baseball team returns home this week after being on the road the past two weekends.

On tap for the Pacers (11-4, 4-2 Peach Belt Conference) this week is a midweek game against Paine and a weekend series against Armstrong. The first game will take place Wednesday, March 5, against Paine.

The Lions (3-9, 1-1 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) come into the week having lost two of their past three games. So far this season they have played four games against PBC squads and have lost all four.

USCA and Paine last faced each other in 2012, an 8-4 Pacer victory at Roberto

Hernandez Stadium.Paine enters the game

against USCA with an offense that’s led by a trio of freshmen hitters.

Darian Alston, Jr., Jaron Johnson and Joseph Graves lead the Lions offensively, hitting .400, .333 and .308, respectively.

First pitch for the matchup is set for 4 p.m. at Roberto Hernandez Stadium.

The second matchup of the week will come against PBC foe Armstrong. The three-game series is scheduled to take place Friday, March 7, and Saturday, March 8.

The Pirates (10-5, 6-3 PBC) enter the week coming off a 1-2 series loss to Columbus State.

When the Pacers and Pirates met last season in Savannah, Ga., the Pirates were able to

take the series win. They won game one, 7-6, lost game two, 12-8 and won game three, 2-1.

Armstrong comes into the series with an offense that features three players currently hitting over .300.

Ryan Patterson, Clayton Miller and R.J. Dennard pace the Armstrong offense, hitting .463, .400 and .383, respectively.

USCA will counter Armstrong’s offense with a powerful offense of its own.

Sean Miller, Tyler Moore and Ryan Metzler lead the Pacers offensively, hitting .446, .415 and .386, respectively.

Game one of this weekend’s series is set for Friday at 4 p.m. Saturday’s action will feature a doubleheader, with the first game beginning at 1 p.m. and the second game following at 4 p.m.

March 4, 20146 |

Creative Commons

Arts & entertainment

Rick Ross still hustlin’ with Mastermind

There really aren’t many things in life I consider to be as great of a pleasure as Rick Ross’ voice.

Every guttural “RUH”, transcendent “ROOOOZAAAAAAY” and bombastic “BOSS” lends itself to my own personal drive to move to Cuba and start my own drug cartel. So unsurprisingly, with the release (read: LEAK) of Ross’ sixth studio LP, Mastermind, I’ve bought 50 tons of coke and a barge drifting right outside of Mayabeque.

Brent BlackmonStaff Writer

The record sets off with “Rich is Gangsta”, a celebration of the lush, orchestral combustion that framed many of Teflon Don and God Forgives…’s better tunes. This sentimentality is fleeting, though, as Mastermind delves back into Rich Forever’s trap filth for “Drug Dealers Dream”, a typical Ross banger.

The middle portion of the album houses most of what makes Ross the powerhouse he is—giant beats, violent vocals and dusty, punctuated production. The single “The Devil is a Lie” best showcases all of this with its pounding mentality coming together

in a Miami meets Harlem earthquake. “Nobody” temporarily smoothes out some of rougher edges in favor of hearkening back to 90s East Coast rap with its French Montana-led hook.

Mastermind may be Ross’ most solid work to date, demonstrating his lyrical ability and ability to work atop a variety of beats and production styles. However, in this degree of variation, the album suffers. While the record’s pacing is far from terrible, the beginning two-thirds of the album lumps everything into a slightly disheveled mass.

The album’s final act is its

only real demonstration of consistency. Crafted in a way that almost completely takes the emphasis off of Ross, it bleeds ethereal richness in place of the explosive trap beats that carried the first two-thirds of the album.

It leads off with the delightfully weed-hazed “In Vein”. Loftily supported by The Weeknd’s aching falsetto arched over guitar strings plucked with harp-like gentleness, the song doesn’t even allow Ross into the mix until a few seconds after the two minute mark.

What may be the hallmark song of the album, though, is the Kanye-produced

“Sanctified”—a satisfying compromise between 2005 Kanye and Yeezus. An echoing single-noted synth line sets the song in momentum following its bursts of throaty gospel samples. The rhymes can seem a little silly and forced (“handkerCHYYYYFE”), but somehow it just works.

Mastermind is ridiculous at times, but it can’t be ignored. It’s a hodgepodge of self-righteous bravado and heavy-gaited grace, much like Ross himself.

Now let me get back to Cuba. The workers are getting restless. 7.5/10

Pacer Times Applications Available in the Student Media Office

March 4, 2014| 7Arts & entertainmentFestival to bring Julliard Talent

• BuyingFridaysonly:11a.m.-5p.m.• Allseasonsconsideredfor

purchasing• Musthaveatleast10items

acceptableforpurchasing• Junior’sandYoungMen’sitemsonly• Clean,likenew,currentstylesand

wrinkle-free,foldedneatly• Pleasenocopiesorfakes

Foldyourfreshly-cleaneditemsandplaceinabasketorstackneatly(nobagsplease).BringtheminonanyFriday,acceptyouroffer,andenjoyyourweekend.It’sthatsimple!

Welcome USCA StudentsHave it your way with our menu classics or our new

summer specials 3580 Richland Ave W. Aiken, SC 29801 Ph 803-649-7826

T.J. WrightEditor-in-Chief

The Julliard in Aiken Performing Arts Festival returns for its sixth year Sunday, March 9.

For those who aren’t familiar with the project, the Julliard in Aiken Performing Arts Festival

is an annual event that brings talented performers, made up of students and teachers, from The Julliard School to venues in Aiken.

The University will host a performance from the Triptych Percussion Ensemble in the Etherredge Center Wednesday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. The

performance will be open to the public and tickets will be $5 for students and $15 for non-students.

For more information about the festival and performance times visit the Juilliard in Aiken website.

Jacob Ellis

Please be aware that USCA’s Dance Marathon has been moved to April 12, noon to midnight in the Convocation Center.

There’s still time to sign up. Proceeds benefit the

Children’s Hospital of Georgia in Augusta, a

Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.

Thank you for your continued support of

USCA’s Dance Marathon.

March 4, 2014 | 8

CalendarICEM A R C H

WednesdaySunday Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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7:30 p.m.Etherredge CenterUSCA Faculty Artist Recital Free

12:00-12:50 p.m. Penland 106“Speak English, Dress Italian, Drive German..”Free

4:30 - 5:30 p.m. Penland 106Into the Wild Lecture Series: “Making money off dead people”Free

7:30 p.m. Etherredge Center Southern Fried Jazz$15 for students with ID

4:30 - 5:30 p.m. Penland 106 Into the Wild Lecture Series: “Death by Starvation.”Free

7:30 p.m. Etherredge CenterAiken Concert Band: Fall Concert$7 for students with ID

7:00 p.m. USCA PlanetariumInformation about past, present and future Mars exploration$1 for students with ID

7:30 p.m.Etherredge CenterThe Pickens-Salley Symposium on Southern WomenFree

4:30 - 5:30 p.m.Penland 106Into the Wild Lecture Series: “Literary Elements in Into the Wild”Free



7:00 p.m. USCA PlanetariumInformation about past, present and future Mars exploration$1 for students with ID7:30 p.m.Etherredge CenterA Far Cry Chamber Orchestra$15 for students with ID

8:00 p.m. USCA PlanetariumAncient Sky Lore: Star stories from ancient cultures




march 4, 2014 vol. 50 no. 21

Documents

fascination of science

local students

schoolsponsored dinner

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