dailygamecock.com UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
VOL. 114, NO. 5 • SINCE 1908
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014
Spurrier’s salary swells to $4 million Head coach, assistants get raises, extensions after 3rd 11-3 season Hannah Jeffrey
NEWS@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
Courtesy of USC
USC will receive $526,000 in rent from two student housing complexes and an office building, a $119.55 million project.
Deal to bring new dorms, offices Partneship will bring 900 beds, 700 parking spaces to campus Hannah Jeffrey
NEWS@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
USC trustees approved a lease agreement with Holder Properties I nc. to con st r uc t t wo st udent apartment complexes and an office
building, mark ing a nearly $120 million investment. The university won’t spend any money to fund the project, but it will get a cut, because Holder Properties is using USC’s land. Each year, the university will get $526,000 in rent from the three buildings, as well as 15 percent of the profits for at least 30 years. According to the lease, the
building will be USC’s property in 40 years. The housing complexes will open in the fall of 2015 and fall of 2016, Together, the two will add about 900 beds and around 700 parking spaces. USC will spend $664,000 to rent a quarter office building, which will stand on the corner of Assembly DEAL • 3
The last time Steve Spurrier had his contract extended, he said the $3.3 million he was making was enough. But after an 11-2 season, the head ball coach is taking a $700,000 raise, bringing his total salary to $4 million. And he could stand to make even more, depending on how well the team does next year. Spurrier’s compensat ion for participating in a bowl game was doubled; it’s now $100,000. Should USC win a national championship, Spurrier will receive a $550,000 bonus, up from $400,000. If the next season matches this past one, with a New Year’s Day bowl and 11 wins, his pay would go from $3.75 million to $4.55 million in all, according to contracts. Plus, if this ends up being his last contract with USC, Spurrier will be given the opportunity to take a new role, special adviser to the president and the athletics director, for as long as he lives in Columbia, and either President Harris Pastides or Athletic Director Ray Tanner are still in their current positions. Past ides said he and Tanner came up with the position “to let [Spurrier] know that we want him to retire in South Carolina and not switch universities.” As special adviser, Tanner said Spurrier would interact more with donors, possibly over a meal or on FOOTBALL • 3
A look at Russell House
OVERVIEW Andy Levine / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
In Fall 2013, the Russell House logged 1.3 million visitors. On an average weekday, 14,000 people pass through the student union.
Student union hasn’t grown with enrollment Amanda Coyne
ACOYNE@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
The Russell House University Union opened in September 1955. But as enrollment at USC continues to rise, so does foot traffic and the demand for meeting space in the building that has served as the university’s center for nearly 60 years. As overall enrollment and freshman class sizes have increased over the past three years, so has the number of daily and semesterly visitors to the Russell House. Over the course of the Fall 2013 semester, 1.3 million visitors went to the student union, whether for a late-night trip to Marble Slab Creamery or a preclass Frappuccino at the bookstore. On the average weekday, 14,000 people pass through the doors from when they open at 7 a.m. and they close at midnight. That kind of data, collected by traffic counters at every entrance, helps Russell House Director Kim McMahon and her staff determine what they need to keep the day running smoothly. McMahon has five full-time operations staffers, supplemented with more than 30 parttime student workers. The leadership
Dittelman literate in minds of all kinds SEE PAGE 6
and service center, Russell House’s prog ra m m i ng component , has 19 employees. “They fill Russell House in with life,” McMahon said. “That left hand and right hand are working together all the time, even though they have teams in different areas. Those components are vital to student union operation. It’s a combination of social, service, interaction and facilities.” The traffic data also helps McMahon and her team advise student organizations on when the best time is to hold events on Greene Street or the Russell House patio. The busiest days are the first three of the week, with Chicken Finger Wednesdays bringing the most people through the doors. But with that increased traffic comes with more strain on the nearly 60-yearold building and its resources, including more competition for meeting space and an increased need for improvements. “More people means more wear and tear,” McMahon said. “It’s easy for me to say yes [to a major renovation project], and I would love to lead that, but it is a very expensive endeavor.” And while the Russell House hopes to be one of the best student unions in the Southeastern Conference and South RUSSELL • 3
A day at the Russell House 4 a.m. 7 a.m. 10 a.m. 1 p.m. 4 p.m. 7 p.m. 10 p.m. 1 a.m. 4 a.m.
The first lights turn on in the Russell House Most morning employees start to arrive. Russell House opens for the day. The lunch rush, which is usually the highest traffic period of the day, begins. The last student packages of the day are picked up. The dinner rush and evening activities, such as club meetings and performances, begin. The bookstore closes. Marble Slabs long lines dwindle as the shop closes down. Horseshoe Deli closes.
Jeffrey Davis / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
The Gamecocks finished the season 11-3 for the third straight year.
Car drives into Congaree River Thursday night One person was pu l led out of the Congaree River after an SU V drove off of the Blossom Street bridge Thursday night. The condition of the person is unknown, and authorities believed another might still be in the water. Witnesses called police around 9:45 p.m., and several agencies responded, including the Columbia Police Department and ColumbiaRichland Fire Department. The vehicle left the roadway, crashed through the bridge railway and fell into the river, Columbia police said on Twitter. Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins said late Thursday that one person might still be in the vehicle. The bridge was closed both ways Thursday night. —Compiled by Natalie Pita and Hannah Jeffrey