The Daily Gamecock reviews the news of the past semester
The fall semester, in many ways, served as a reminder of USC’s history, as the university recognized the 50th anniversary of its desegregation and made a new mark in its rivalry with Clemson.
In August, the largest-ever freshman class — of 5,034 students — moved onto campus to kick off the year, and many of them joined fraternities and sororities. More than 1,300 women — a university record — received bids from sororities.
August also saw the kickoff of a highly anticipated South Carolina football season. Fans packed Williams-Brice Stadium to watch the Gamecocks beat North Carolina 27-10 in what was the first college football game in the entire nation of the 2013 season.
In September, USC remembered its desegregation. Henrie Monteith and James Solomon Jr. walked down the steps of the Osborne Administration Building once more, 50 years after they became two of the first three black students to enroll at the university.
A week later, university President Harris Pastides celebrated his fifth year in office during his annual State of the University address. Pastides, whose tenure has been defined by state budget cuts and rising enrollment and tuition, offered state legislators a deal: no tuition increases for three years in return for more state money.
In October, the university and Columbia communities were jarred by the shooting of a USC freshman in Five Points. A stray bullet paralyzed Martha Childress, a first-year international business student, leading to numerous calls to action, including Pastides’ announcement that he no longer thought Five Points was safe late at night.
Also that month, the Gamecocks kept their Southeastern Conference championship hopes alive in a thrilling double-overtime win at Missouri; quarterback Connor Shaw rallied the team from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit, although the Tigers would eventually win the division.
In November, Columbia voters re-elected Mayor Steve Benjamin by a wide margin, sending him to a second four-year term over challenger Moe Baddourah.
Earlier in the month, police responded to the shooting of former South Carolina running back Kenny Miles. The county sheriff later accused Miles of lying to deputies, saying Miles had shot himself.
On campus, Nev Schulman, the host of the popular MTV show “Catfish,” which explores the pitfalls of online dating, spoke at USC.
And to close out the month, Gamecock fans came back from Thanksgiving to watch the team set a record in the school’s rivalry with Clemson. South Carolina won its fifth-straight game over the Tigers, 31-17, in the series’ first top-10 matchup.
In December, an effort to change the city’s form of government to a strong-mayor system failed, as Columbia voters rejected the measure by a wide margin. The move would have given the mayor control over the city’s day-to-day operations.