Vol. 50 | No. 7September 24, 2013 University of South Carolina Aiken

Celebrating 50 Years

Among America’s Best Colleges

A I K E NUniversity of South Carolina

See Page 2

September 24, 20132 |

Editor-in-ChiefT.J. Wright

Sports EditorKyle Dawson

News EditorLacie Rhoden

Art EditorEleanor Prater

Staff WritersNick Terry

Briana ChapmanJ. Morgan BurtonDylan Timmerman Orlando MoldovanBrent BlackmonSamana Mehdi

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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For the 16th consecutive year, USC Aiken has ranked in the top three as one of the top public colleges in the South by U.S. News & World Report.

These rankings group schools across multiple categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In recent years, it has grown to be useful for parents and students alike when making a choice in higher educational institutions.

USCA has been ranked one of the top three “Best Colleges” ever since U.S. News & World Report created

USCA again among America’s bestJoey Gill

Contributing Writerthat rank, placing first in the category for nine of those years. USCA placed second in the 2014 edition. According to Patti McGrath, Director of Marketing, this is still quite an accomplishment.

“To be ranked 16 years in a row as a top three school is great, especially considering all the categories and the schools that get ranked,” said McGrath.

As far as in the regional colleges category, USCA ranks No. 23 in the nation, ahead of USC Upstate (No. 29) and USC Beaufort (No. 66) also ranked in the same category. USCA Chancellor Dr. Sandra Jordan is proud of the honor, but says that there is still work

to be done.“Thanks to our dedicated

faculty and staff, USCA has been consistently providing a high quality educational experience for our students for many years. We are honored to receive this recognition as USCA continues to strive daily for excellence in education,” said Jordan. “However, we aren’t resting on our laurels. Even greater days lie ahead for this special institution and we look forward to partnering with our community as we celebrate this ranking and look to the future.”

In relation to USCA’s ranking among public colleges in the South, USC Upstate

ranked No. 3, while USC Beaufort ranked No. 8. The No. 1 school on the list was Elizabeth City State University in Elizabeth City, N.C.

Cover photo by: Kyle Dawson

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September 24, 2013| 3

S.E.E.D sprouts soonDylan Timmerman

Staff Writer

Once again, USC Aiken will be bringing its annual Science Education Enrichment Day to campus.

The 28th annual S.E.E.D event will be taking place on Oct. 12 in the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. As always, the event will be free to the public.

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there will be plenty of activities and learning experiences available to everyone. This year’s exhibits include beekeeping, papermaking, robotics, wildlife, glassblowing, radioactivity, Native American tools, computers, astronomy and much more.

Along with the exhibits themselves, the exhibitors this year range from local organizations such as the Astronomy Club of Augusta

Town hall meetings to replace chancellor’s panel

The Chancellor’s Panels, once held three times per semester, are ceasing this semester in favor of one large town hall meeting. The town hall meeting will occur on

Wednesday, Oct. 2, from 4-5 p.m. in the SAC Mezzanine. Student Government Association and USC Aiken Chancellor Dr. Sandra Jordan will host the meeting.

The shift from three panels to one large meeting is a way for Jordan to interact with students

under different circumstances. A bowling tournament in November and a Star Party in December are both in the works as a way for Jordan to mingle with the students.

Students can bring their concerns to the town hall meeting on Oct. 2.

Lacie Rhoden News Editor

to large groups like Savannah River Nuclear Solutions.

This year, S.E.E.D will be a part of a larger nationwide event, the USA Science and Engineering Festival, being held in Washington, D.C.

The combined effort will help bring even more people out across the country to learn about science, technology, engineering and math. This year promises to be another fun, educational and exciting event.

www.facebook.com/SEEDevent

4 |September 24, 2013

T.J. WrightAly Johnson goes in for the kill against UNC Pembroke. Johnson recorded eight kills, six digs and a team-high six blocks in the Pacers’ five-set victory over the visiting Braves on Sunday.

Volleyball approaching road stretch after hard-fought win

Nick TerrySports Writer

After a hard-fought five-set victory over UNC Pembroke, the USC Aiken volleyball team hits the road for three matches this week.

The Pacers (7-4, 2-1 Peach Belt Conference) will play at Georgia College on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. This will be the first time the Pacers and Bobcats (3-8, 1-3) have met, as it is the first year of existence for the Georgia College program.

Despite the inexperience of the Bobcats, USCA head coach Glenn Cox still expects the match to be a tough one, as is the case with most PBC contests.

“Georgia College is a brand new team but they’re pretty solid,” said Cox. “It’s an any-given-day kind of conference this year in the volleyball league; it just depends on who shows up and plays clean.”

On Saturday, the Pacers will travel to Due West, S.C. to face the Lees-McRae Bobcats

and the Erskine Flying Fleet in a tournament that will be hosted by Erskine.

Lees-McRae comes into the week with a record of 1-11, having lost their last seven matches while only winning three games during that span.

Erskine enters the week against the Pacers on a five-game losing streak with an overall record of 1-6, including a 0-2 mark in Conference Carolinas.

Last Friday night, the Pacers lost their third consecutive five-set match, falling 3-2 to Francis Marion.

USCA lost the first two sets of the match, but fought back to win sets three and four before dropping the final frame.

Amanda Bologna led the Pacers with a career-high 54 assists. She also added 10 digs to record a double-double for the match. Ashley Diedrich added 11 digs to notch a

double-double of her own. The loss dropped USCA to

6-4 (1-1) on the season.

Date Sport vs Time9/25 Women’s

SoccerYoung Harris 3 p.m.

9/25 Men’s Soccer

Young Harris 5:30 p.m.

9/25 Volleyball @ Georgia College 7 p.m.

9/28 Volleyball @ Lees-McRae 12 p.m.

9/28 Volleyball @ Erskine 2 p.m.

9/28 Women’s Soccer

@ Columbus State 3 p.m.

9/28 Men’s Soccer

@ Mount Olive 4 p.m.

This Week in

Pacer SportsFrancis Marion 3, @USCA 2 (28-30, 15-25, 25-21, 25-16, 13-15)

On Saturday, the Pacers recorded a five-set win over the UNCP Bobcats to snap a three-game losing streak for the squad.

The Pacers and Bobcats split the first four sets, setting up a decisive fifth-set where USCA would take control early and end the upset bid from UNCP.

Stratton and Leah Rodgers led the Pacer attack with 19 and 15 kills, respectively. Rodgers also added 19 digs to notch a double-double.

“They both put the team on their back on the outside today and helped us get there,” said Cox. “It’s a promise for the future to have a freshman lead us in kills.”

Bologna notched a double-double with 41 assists and 10 digs in the contest, while Katie Toman recorded a new career-high with 34 digs.

@USCA 3, UNC Pembroke 2 (18-25, 25-16, 25-20, 20-25, 15-7)

Men’s soccer earns first win

Nick TerrySports Writer

The USC Aiken men’s soccer team will look to build off its win last week over Brevard with a pair of matches this week.

The Pacers (1-3-1) begin the week with a home match against the Young Harris Mountain Lions (4-1, 1-0 Peach Belt Conference) on Wednesday, Sept. 25. USCA enters the match fresh off its first victory of the season, while Young Harris comes to the Pacer Pit looking to extend its winning streak after two straight shutout wins.

The last meeting between the two teams was in the PBC semifinals, with the Pacers advancing on penalty kicks.

The matchup with the Mountain Lions will be the Pacers’ third consecutive home match, their longest stretch of the season.

On Saturday, the Pacers will hit the road to face the Mount Olive Trojans (0-5, 0-1 Conference Carolinas). The Trojans enter the contest without a win on the young season, having scored two goals for the year.

Last season, the Pacers were victorious against the Trojans, winning 2-1 at the Pacer Pit. The team will look for more of the same in this year’s matchup.

@USCA 1, Brevard 0G: Jason King (1)

The Pacers continued their strong play against Brevard, gaining their first win of the season.

Jason King scored the game’s lone goal, finding the net in the 36th minute. With the score, King tied his goal total from the 2012 season.

Noel Mais almost put the Pacers up 2-0 with a scoring chance before halftime. His shot narrowly missed, clanging off the crossbar. USCA entered the locker room up a goal.

The two teams each recorded six shots on goal, with the Pacers holding a 6-5 advantage in corner kicks.

Joshua Poissant once again led the Pacer defense, recording six saves on the night. Poissant ranks sixth in the PBC with a .714 save percentage.

Poissant and the Pacers staved off a late Brevard rally, holding the visitors scoreless.

| 5September 24, 2013

Goalkeeper Alli Edens clears the ball. Edens combined with Melissa Westphal to blank Brevard in last Tuesday’s 3-0 win.

Joseph Johns

PBC slate heats up for women’s soccer

Kyle DawsonSports Editor

The USC Aiken women’s soccer team continues its march through Peach Belt Conference play with a pair of matches this week after splitting their two matches a week ago.

Up first for USCA (3-3, 0-1 PBC) is a home date with Young Harris on Wednesday, Sept. 25. The Pacers will look to improve on their 3-1 record at the Pacer Pit against the Mountain Lions (2-3, 0-1). USCA beat Young Harris, 3-2, on the road last season.

The Pacers will next visit Columbus State (3-3, 1-0) for a Saturday, Sept. 28 match. The Cougars, ranked 24th in the country, are coming off of a home win over No. 3 Armstrong. A Sunday loss to Lee ended a three-match winning streak for Columbus State, the conference’s preseason favorite.

USCA opened last week’s play with a 3-0 win over

@USCA 3, Brevard 0G: Megan Smits (3)G: Aubrey Danielson (1)G: Deirdre Ball (1)

Brevard on Sept. 17. The Pacers came out firing shots in the second half, scoring three goals en route to their third straight win at the Pacer Pit.

Megan Smits, Aubrey Danielson and Deirdre Ball all scored in the match, while Alli Edens and Melissa Westphal combined for the shutout. Jenna Beauregard assisted on the first and third goals of the match.

@Georgia College 3, USCA 1G: Hannah Allison (4)

The Pacers dropped their next match, a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Georgia College on Saturday. Hannah Allison scored USCA’s lone goal in the 81st minute to kill Georgia College’s shutout hopes. The goal gave Allison a team-high four scores for the season.

USCA’s match with Young Harris will begin at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25, as game one of a doubleheader with the Mountain Lions at the Pacer Pit. The next match, to be hosted by Columbus State on Saturday, Sept. 28, is slated to start at 3 p.m.

Fifth-place finish for cross country at Jaguar Invitational

Kyle DawsonSports Editor

The USC Aiken cross country team finished in fifth place out of seven teams at the Jaguar Invitational on Friday.

The Pacers earned 112 points in the meet, finishing just behind Darton College. USCA finished well ahead of Clark Atlanta University and Paine College.

Keely Gillespie posted another top-10 finish, with a 26:12.29 time earning sixth place. Gillespie has now posted a top-10 time in back-to-back meets this season and six times in her USCA career.

Alexis Harvin fell just shy of her second consecutive top 20, placing 21st with a time of 29:28.43.

As the Pacers prepared for the 2013 season, head coach Kara Kreutzer said that she was curious to see who would emerge as the team’s second

Men’s intramural ultimate frisbee playoff bracket

1 - Urine Trouble

Bye

4 - TKE

5 - Lambda Chi Alpha

2 - Who dat is?

Bye

3 - Ambitious Souls

Bye

Golf finishes second at KiawahPacer individual scores

T2. Brandon Robinson-Thompson 68-74-142 (-2)T4. Kyle Godsman 71-72-143 (-1)T21. Joar Bielkholm 73-75-148 (+4)T26. Stéphane Boudreau 70-79-149 (+5)T47. Brian Amick 75-78-153 (+9)

Team standings1. North Alabama 282-298-580 +42. USC Aiken 282-299-581 +53. Flagler 284-300-584 +8T4. Mount Olive 284-305-589 +13T4. Armstrong 277-312-589 +13

runner behind Gillespie. Harvin has finished in the No. 2 spot in each of USCA’s three meets this season.

Morgan Payne finished the race in 30:08.31 to finish in 28th, with Kayla Millholland following closely behind in 31st with a time of 30:51.29.

Payne and Millholland have finished within five spots of one another in each of the last two meets.

Brittany May finished in 38th place, crossing the finish line in 32.22.45.

Lauren Hodge’s time of 33.13.02 put her in 42nd place.

Colleen Cirillo finished in 44th place with a 35:13.93.

Blanchard Woods Park, Georgia Regents University’s home course, features significant hills, resulting in many runners throughout the field posting slightly slower times than they have at other meets of comparable distance.

USCA is off until Oct. 4, when it will host the Bridgestone-Pacer Invitational. After not hosting the event a year ago, the Pacers’ home meet will prove to be another indicator of how they stack up among common opponents.

Kreutzer said before the season that, though it’s held on a tough course, the Bridgestone-Pacer Invitational will prepare her team for some of the other tougher courses on the schedule.

Gillespie led USCA to a seventh-place finish in 2011’s Bridgestone-Pacer Invitational.

Team results

1. Young Harris2. Brenau University 3. Georgia Regents University4. Darton College5. USC Aiken6. Clark Atlanta University7. Paine College

The USCA golf team will next be in action on Oct. 7 and 8 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, for the Firestone Invitational. The Pacers finished fifth out of 17 teams at Firestone in 2012.

September 24, 20136 |

Monáe’s comeback electrifiesBrent Blackmon

Staff Writer

In her sophomore LP, “The Electric Lady”, Janelle Monáe continues the saga of her android alterego, Cyndi Mayweather, and her ongoing struggle for equality and justice within the dystopian city of Metropolis.

Written as a note of hope from Mayweather herself, “The Electric Lady” debatably wires itself into as wide an array of genres as Monáe’s previous effort “The ArchAndroid”, viewed as one of 2010’s best albums.

Monáe’s strength still resides in her inability to rely on a single sound, and,

conversely, her penchant to cover as much sonic ground as robotically possibly. However, the deviant overtones of the record are made abundantly clear as the record’s Spaghetti Western intro “Suite IV Electric Overture” sweeps into the slow-dog strut of “Givin Em What They

Love”, Monáe’s duet with the elusive Prince. The suite ends on a dauntingly bright note: “Dance Apocalyptic”’s jubilant jangling serves as a stark contrast to the rest of the album-side, but a pleasant way to end a turbulent suite.

“Suite V” slows down and gives Monáe room to explain herself after

enticing the crowd with her eclectic, electric style. Filled with soulful, hopeful ballads such as “Sally Ride”, it plays out much like “The ArchAndroid”s latter half: beautifully hopeful, melancholy, and soulful, a perfect reflection of Monáe herself.

Score: 8/10

The Aiken Community Playhouse presented “Hairspray: The Broadway Musical,” featuring fellow USC Aiken students and alumni.

The students involved included:

• communications major Kimberlee Howard

• fine arts major Ryan Avent

• exercise and sports science major Nigeria Nipper

• music education major Karlton Timmerman

• USCA alumnus Joe Woodward.

The successful play features lovable plus-sized teen Tracy Turnbald, who has only one desire: to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show.

When her dream comes

Students star in “Hairspray”Briana Chapman

Staff Writer true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star, and all without messing up her hairdo.

“Every weekend it has been sold out, it has just been amazing,” said Howard, who

played a Dynamite girl. “It has just been going

really well. I was thinking that more USCA students were going to be a part of the casting, but there weren’t too

many theatre majors there and I think the ACP could really benefit to have some experience from our college and work with them,” she added.

Showing nights for the matinee were Sept. 13-14 and 20-21 at 8 p.m., and again Sept. 15 and 22 at 3 p.m.

“The play, the actors, and dancing were all really good. There was nothing that I did not like,” said junior political science major Temeka Mealing. “My fiancé did not think he would enjoy the play, but he did.”

Mealing thought that anyone who went would really enjoy themselves.

“I would recommend it to others and go back again if I could,” she added. “It was just like one of those things where you wouldn’t expect Aiken to have so much talent but they do.”

Student wantS to know Who’s paying for the coffeehouse?

Brent BlackmonStaff Writer

September 24, 2013| 7

To the average destitute, under-stimulated college student, an on-campus Starbucks would probably seem like a wonderful way to pump dangerous amounts of delicious caffeine into his or her sleep-deprived system.

One might even reckon that an announcement foretelling the eventual emergence of said Starbucks on campus would be universally celebrated, no?

From what I hear around campus, though, maybe this business venture isn’t as popular and desired as the administration may think. From bits of eavesdropping to being plunged into all-out arguments over corporations

and coffee, I’ve learned a little about the USCA populace this week.

Turns out, a number of students are bothered by the Chancellor’s newest announcement.

Too few details have been made publically available, some feel.

They would like to know how much, if any, of their tuitions have been invested into this project, and why they should be made to pay (if that turns out to be the case) for a service they did not request.

Alternatively, others simply ask, “Why a Starbucks?” Some bark their wanting of a Chick-fil-A, McDonalds, and Taco Bell – anything with “real” food. Coffee is already readily available on campus; why

supply an additional coffee shop? Why not a fully stocked restaurant?

In the end, the naysayers are an underrepresented inevitability, but their words should still be heard.

They even bring about a few questions about campus development.

Should students have a more direct control over changes and additions such as this? Does paying tuition give this sort of entitlement?

Maybe administration will offer some sort of answers in the future – hopefully soon.

Best-case scenario, we get answers. Worst case, we get silence and coffee.

Truthfully, I think I’d be happy with either.

Are you interested in joining our staff? Come to one of our meetings every Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Robert Washington

P U B L U A USeptember 24, 2013 | 8

Pyroteque shows off their fireating skills!

Robert Washington

Pyroteque keeps the show hot!

Robert Washington

Everybody having fun at the Luau!Robert Washington

Poetry Reading

William Palmer reads a stroy by Maya Angelou.Jacob Ellis

Marko Zotovic reads a poem.Jacob Ellis