The Carolina/Clemson Blood Drive happened this past week for the 25th year in a row and students come out every year to donate a pint of blood and get a free tee shirt.
The drive was held in the Russell House ballroom from Monday November 16 to Friday November 20 from 10 a.m. to six p.m. There were also several blood buses around campus at the Business Administration building and the Colonial Center.
“I waited three hours to donate at Russell, but it was all worth the free tee shirt,” Beth Toland, a sophomore public relations major, said.
It seems that the students don’t just come out to save three lives; the Red Cross says that one pint of blood will save three lives, but actually comes out for the free tee shirt and free food donated by popular eateries around Columbia.
“I think I like last year’s shirt better than this year’s. I’m starting a collection while saving lives. It balances out well,” Ashton Duncan, a sophomore pre-med major, said.
“I eat Jimmy John’s all the time, but somehow it just tastes so much better when it is free,” Matt Shekletski, a sophomore accounting major, said.
Students donate for all different reasons, not just for the free tee shirts and food. Some students have lost close ones due to blood shortages or just want to give back to the community in time of need.
“I lost a friend to leukemia and after that I try to donate every 56 days because I know how hard it is to lose someone because the doctors couldn’t get a pint of blood,” said Megan Newsome, a sophomore public relations major.
“A buddy of mine was in a car accident and the hospital didn’t have a good supply of his blood type and died. This blood drive will help those kids,” Sean Lang, a sophomore business major said.
The rivalry between Carolina and Clemson is a time honored tradition. Every year this blood drive happens and USC is out to win. The Carolina students won’t take anything less than losing to Clemson.
“If I could give blood every day this week I would, just to make sure that we would win over Clemson. I actually hate them,” said Lindsey Brigman Boan, a junior biology major.
“This blood drive is great. I’ve got a few friends at Clemson and rub it in when we win. Hopefully, I can get to do that this year,” Ashley Maile, a sophomore exercise science major said.
“Although it’s my first year at Clemson, I think this is a really great tradition for a good cause. The rivalry puts fun into donating, but it is still a serious thing to donate blood and save three lives,” Bryce Cotton, a Clemson freshman sport entertainment and management major, said.
According to the University of South Carolina school website, the blood drive was started in 1985 and was created to offset the seasonal shortage of blood. The site also says that in 1990 is when the two schools began reaching over 1,000 pints donated. It has now become the biggest blood drive in the Southeast. The site goes on to say that the National Marrow Donor Program joined the cause in 2005.
“It started as something really small and has grown to a yearly competition that all the students participate for a good cause. I’m in charge of the Sweet Caroline Bone Marrow Drive with Delta Zeta and this year the blood drive committee let us set up a table, so that we can have more than one opportunity to get people to join the registry,” Elizabeth Hooker, a junior business major, said.
“It makes me so happy to see all these young students coming out for a great cause. I hate when I see able bodies not doing anything to give back to the community. Both my sons donate every chance they can and it’s not because I work for the Red Cross. It is because they want to,” Barbara Pearson, a Red Cross representative, said.
Last year Carolina beat Clemson by having over 4,000 pints donated. The committee set a goal of 4,500 pints for this year’s drive. The winner is announced on Monday Novemeber 23, 2009.
*This article was published prior to Monday 23, 2009. The winner of the Carolina/Celmson blood drive is USC.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Study Abroad Takes a Hit
Study Abroad Takes a Hit
With the downturn of the economy and the decreasing value of the dollar to the euro, the study abroad program at the University of South Carolina has taken a small hit as said by the Study Abroad Office.
According to the Study Abroad 2008-2009 Statistics Report, there was a seven percent decrease in the number of students studying abroad in 2008 and 2009 term from the 2007 and 2008 term.
Each year the Study Abroad Office publishes a Statistics Report breaking down the participation level, scholarships, and information about all the countries visited.
The Study Abroad Guide states that study abroad students are automatically given in-state tuition for the semester. In-state students pay 4,378 dollars and out-of-state students pay 11,666 dollars. Out-of-state students would save around 7,300 dollars for the semester. Costs are cut with meal plans, technology fees, and other fees. The Guide also stated all scholarships and financial aid apply to the tuition for the abroad program of the student’s choice. The Study Abroad Statistics Report said that 71.1% last year were given financial aid to go abroad and 28.9% were not receiving any form of financial aid. As for scholarships, over 350,000 dollars was given out to students. Scholarship funding increased by 11 percent from last year’s abroad term.
“I was planning on going to Ireland for the Fall 2009 semester, but it just wasn’t in the cards because of the economy. It is still something I’m hoping to do before I graduate,” Jessica McCann, a sophomore nursing student, said.
Spain, England, France, and Australia are the top four most popular countries that were visited in the 2008 and 2009 term. However, over 50 countries were visited in the past year. According to the Foreign Exchange Rate, one U.S. dollar is equivalent to 0.674 Euros, and 0.604 pounds.
“I went to University of Queensland in the spring and it was absolutely amazing. I didn’t think the exchange rate would hurt me that much because I kept forgetting that the Australian dollar value is greater than the dollar. So I ended up buying more things and spent more than I normally would have at USC,” Liana Kloss, a junior public relations major, said.
Generally students are concerned with the exchange rate because the value of the dollar is continually decreasing. Budgets are tight this year
“I’m going to England in this upcoming spring and the pound isn’t even close to the dollar. I can afford it, but I need to watch my spending carefully. If I had done this two years ago it wouldn’t have been a problem,” Hunter Hardinge, a sophomore broadcast journalism major said.
An abroad program offered by USC is Semester at Sea. There are different sets of programs within this program. Students have to option to go to about ten different countries for around two weeks a piece. For students who do Semester at Sea, they may have to change their currency five to ten times throughout the semester.
“I visited 13 different countries while I was on my Semester at Sea. I didn’t really care about the money because I know it was worth every penny I spent. I’ll probably never get a chance to do something like that again, so everything was justifiable,” said Kate Jaffe, a senior psychology major.
There are several abroad programs students can enroll in. The Global Exchange Programs are in conjunction with institutions in several countries and students can receive transferable credit while overseas. The Global Direct Program is different because USC sponsors the student to go abroad and that student pays tuition to the foreign institution.
A third option is the Global Classroom Program, which is during Maymester or the summer. This program is shorter than the regular semester abroad. This program is lead by a USC faculty member. Students can go to countries like Denmark, Australia, Italy, Mexico, and Sweden. Most of the trips last between three and five weeks. This is a shorter, less expensive alternative way to go abroad and yet get the same experience as going a whole semester abroad.
“I went to Fiji for a summer abroad term. I feel like I got the same experience in six weeks than I would have in five months. I would have liked it to be longer, but I don’t think I could have afforded it,” Alex Fogg, a senior marine science major, said.
The USC Study Abroad Office will also help students teach, intern, or work abroad if that is what a student wants to do. Most of these opportunities are open to recent graduates or students who may want to take a year off from school.
“I went to Spain in the Fall of 2008 and when I came back the Abroad Office told me about the work program they offer. Spain was one of the best experiences of my life. I am considering doing this program just because I had great time overseas. I eventually want to work overseas since I am an international studies major and Spain is where I want to be,” Emily Keane, a senior, said.
Overall, the study abroad program has seen less students travel in the past year due to the downturn of the economy, but it is still a viable option for some students.
With the downturn of the economy and the decreasing value of the dollar to the euro, the study abroad program at the University of South Carolina has taken a small hit as said by the Study Abroad Office.
According to the Study Abroad 2008-2009 Statistics Report, there was a seven percent decrease in the number of students studying abroad in 2008 and 2009 term from the 2007 and 2008 term.
Each year the Study Abroad Office publishes a Statistics Report breaking down the participation level, scholarships, and information about all the countries visited.
The Study Abroad Guide states that study abroad students are automatically given in-state tuition for the semester. In-state students pay 4,378 dollars and out-of-state students pay 11,666 dollars. Out-of-state students would save around 7,300 dollars for the semester. Costs are cut with meal plans, technology fees, and other fees. The Guide also stated all scholarships and financial aid apply to the tuition for the abroad program of the student’s choice. The Study Abroad Statistics Report said that 71.1% last year were given financial aid to go abroad and 28.9% were not receiving any form of financial aid. As for scholarships, over 350,000 dollars was given out to students. Scholarship funding increased by 11 percent from last year’s abroad term.
“I was planning on going to Ireland for the Fall 2009 semester, but it just wasn’t in the cards because of the economy. It is still something I’m hoping to do before I graduate,” Jessica McCann, a sophomore nursing student, said.
Spain, England, France, and Australia are the top four most popular countries that were visited in the 2008 and 2009 term. However, over 50 countries were visited in the past year. According to the Foreign Exchange Rate, one U.S. dollar is equivalent to 0.674 Euros, and 0.604 pounds.
“I went to University of Queensland in the spring and it was absolutely amazing. I didn’t think the exchange rate would hurt me that much because I kept forgetting that the Australian dollar value is greater than the dollar. So I ended up buying more things and spent more than I normally would have at USC,” Liana Kloss, a junior public relations major, said.
Generally students are concerned with the exchange rate because the value of the dollar is continually decreasing. Budgets are tight this year
“I’m going to England in this upcoming spring and the pound isn’t even close to the dollar. I can afford it, but I need to watch my spending carefully. If I had done this two years ago it wouldn’t have been a problem,” Hunter Hardinge, a sophomore broadcast journalism major said.
An abroad program offered by USC is Semester at Sea. There are different sets of programs within this program. Students have to option to go to about ten different countries for around two weeks a piece. For students who do Semester at Sea, they may have to change their currency five to ten times throughout the semester.
“I visited 13 different countries while I was on my Semester at Sea. I didn’t really care about the money because I know it was worth every penny I spent. I’ll probably never get a chance to do something like that again, so everything was justifiable,” said Kate Jaffe, a senior psychology major.
There are several abroad programs students can enroll in. The Global Exchange Programs are in conjunction with institutions in several countries and students can receive transferable credit while overseas. The Global Direct Program is different because USC sponsors the student to go abroad and that student pays tuition to the foreign institution.
A third option is the Global Classroom Program, which is during Maymester or the summer. This program is shorter than the regular semester abroad. This program is lead by a USC faculty member. Students can go to countries like Denmark, Australia, Italy, Mexico, and Sweden. Most of the trips last between three and five weeks. This is a shorter, less expensive alternative way to go abroad and yet get the same experience as going a whole semester abroad.
“I went to Fiji for a summer abroad term. I feel like I got the same experience in six weeks than I would have in five months. I would have liked it to be longer, but I don’t think I could have afforded it,” Alex Fogg, a senior marine science major, said.
The USC Study Abroad Office will also help students teach, intern, or work abroad if that is what a student wants to do. Most of these opportunities are open to recent graduates or students who may want to take a year off from school.
“I went to Spain in the Fall of 2008 and when I came back the Abroad Office told me about the work program they offer. Spain was one of the best experiences of my life. I am considering doing this program just because I had great time overseas. I eventually want to work overseas since I am an international studies major and Spain is where I want to be,” Emily Keane, a senior, said.
Overall, the study abroad program has seen less students travel in the past year due to the downturn of the economy, but it is still a viable option for some students.
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