College of Charleston News
Stories
June 2006
June 30,
2006
City works to pave way for new parking garage
The garage construction is part of a vast, interconnected
series of redevelopment projects that includes the city's old parking garage at
St. Philip and George streets, the former Piggly Wiggly property at 101 Broad
St. and the vacant Mendel Rivers Federal Building at 334 Meeting St.
In exchange for the city's former parking garage at St. Philip and
George streets, the College of Charleston and developer Andy McAlister are
building the King and Queen garage. Preliminary work, including some
archaeological surveying, is scheduled to begin Wednesday.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=95427§ion=localnews
June 30,
2006
Gregg Marshall Returns to Winthrop
ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) -- Gregg Marshall returned to Winthrop's
basketball team Thursday, one day after his rousing introduction at the College
of Charleston.
It seemed Marshall would try to restore the NCAA tournament
success the Cougars had under his former mentor, coach John Kresse. Instead,
Marshall followed the path reminiscent of former Georgia Tech coach Bobby
Cremins, who accepted the job at his alma mater South Carolina in 1993 before
going back to the Yellow Jackets a few days later.
Winthrop president Anthony DiGiorgio announced Marshall's return
to a packed room of Eagles supporters. Marshall received a standing ovation
that brought tears to his eyes, and had to compose himself before talking about
the uneasiness he had after taking the Cougars job.
''On the way home last night, I just didn't know if I could go
through with it,'' Marshall said. ''I hope I can build back your trust.''
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-BKC-Winthrop-Marshall.html
June 30,
2006
Marshall realizes his heart is in Rock Hill
ROCK HILL - On Wednesday, Gregg Marshall got a hero's welcome at
the College of Charleston, where he was introduced as the next men's basketball
coach.
Old friends were there to greet Marshall, an assistant at the
school before he became Winthrop's coach. His mentor and the school's former
head coach, John Kresse, led the overflow crowd in chants of "Final
Four."
But something wasn't right.
As they drove from Charleston back to their Rock Hill home, Lynn
Marshall said, she and her husband spent the entire trip crying.
Lynn, who had dreamed of using the nearly $500,000 that Gregg was
to be paid annually to buy a Mercedes, instead started wondering how her
7-year-old daughter would react to leaving her friends.
Gregg couldn't stop thinking about the looks on the faces of the
Winthrop players when he had told them he was leaving.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/sports/14935647.htm
June 30,
2006
Back to the drawing board
During the past several days, no one thought College of
Charleston's men's basketball coaching opening would be in Buzz Peterson's
hands.
Then again, no one thought the school still had a vacancy.
Hours after Winthrop coach Gregg Marshall spurned Charleston
officials in favor of a return to Rock Hill, the Cougars' search committee
asked for and received permission to interview Peterson, the Coastal Carolina
coach.
"Basically, right now, I'm going to speak with them in the
next 24 to 48 hours," Peterson said Thursday evening. "I've got
questions to ask about what happened during the past 24 hours. And how did it
get out that I was [initially] a candidate for the job?"
According to Fred Daniels, the co-chair of the Cougars' search
committee, the group's focus is Peterson.
"At this moment, he is the only person we are going to talk to,"
Daniels said. "He is the only person we've asked to talk to. If he agrees
to interview and the interview is what we expect it to be ... we will enter the
negotiation stuff."
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/14936319.htm
June 30,
2006
Cougars again turn attention to Peterson
With Gregg Marshall out of the picture, the College of
Charleston's search for a new basketball coach has returned to where it started
- with an eye on Buzz Peterson.
A Coastal Carolina athletic spokesman confirmed to The Post and
Courier on Thursday night that the Cougars have asked for, and received,
permission to interview the Chanticleers' head coach. A source indicated that
Peterson is still interested in the position, despite the Charleston search
committee's sole focus on Marshall in the aftermath of Tom Herrion's firing.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=95466§ion=sports
June 30,
2006
Players stunned by departure
College of Charleston basketball player Josh Jackson was walking
down George Street on Thursday when he called someone, presumably a teammate,
on his cell phone.
"Hey, man, what'd you do?" Jackson said jokingly.
"You scared him off."
Whatever scared off Gregg Marshall, College of Charleston players
were just as stunned as anyone at Thursday's news that Marshall, the former
John Kresse assistant who would return Cougars basketball to its former glory,
would not be their coach after all.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=95444§ion=sports
June 30,
2006
Marshall adds to mess he discovered
The College of Charleston is older than the United States and has
survived blows worse than a Gregg Marshall sucker punch.
The Civil War.
Fires and earthquakes.
Hurricanes.
The Revolutionary War.
Tuition hikes.
But Marshall's about-face is about as hurtful as any natural
disaster on athletic department record, so disrespectful that conspiracy
theorists are insisting it was some kind of spiteful revenge for the school
passing on Marshall during its head basketball coach vacancy four years ago.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=95472§ion=sports
June 30,
2006
Marshall leaves Cougars at altar
Applause and ovations in Charleston gave way to a quiet car ride
back to Rock Hill, and that's when the second thoughts began to creep in. Gregg
Marshall called Winthrop University president Anthony DiGiorgio, the man who
until a few hours earlier had been his boss. And what had been one of the more
heartwarming chapters in College of Charleston basketball history took a
sudden, shocking turn.
Less than one day after the Cougars announced their new coach, the
search is on for another one. Marshall, the former Charleston assistant who was
introduced to a standing ovation Wednesday and agreed in principle to a
six-year contract, made an abrupt about-face Thursday and returned to his old
job at Winthrop, which he has led to six NCAA Tournament berths in eight
seasons as head coach.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=95454§ion=sports
June 30, 2006
Marshall has change of heart
Gregg Marshall came back Thursday to the place in his heart he
never really left, announcing he will remain at Winthrop University as men’s
basketball coach.
A day after being presented as the new coach at the College of
Charleston, Marshall stepped to a podium at the Winthrop Coliseum to a
45-second standing ovation from a room packed with supporters.
The greeting brought tears to Marshall’s already red eyes, and it
took a few seconds — and a hug from his point guard, Chris Gaynor —
for him to compose himself before explaining the decision he and wife Lynn made
on the drive back from Charleston on Wednesday night.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/sports/14935367.htm
June 29,
2006
COLLEGES
The College of Charleston hired Gregg Marshall as its men's
basketball coach, replacing Tom Herrion, who was let go earlier this month.
Marshall has spent the past eight seasons as the coach of
Winthrop, going 163-78 and leading the Eagles to six NCAA tournament
appearances.
He was an assistant with the Cougars for eight years under John
Kresse. ...
http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-62381sy0jun29,0,1487450.story?coll=dp-sports-local
June 29,
2006
PGA prep
For the Senior PGA, the Ocean Course will feature course-side
suites and skyboxes, and require help from 1,000 to 1,500 volunteers. The total
economic impact of the tournament is expected to be $23.3 million, according to
a study by the College of Charleston’s Office of Tourism Analysis.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/sports/14926270.htm
June 29,
2006
Film Noir
Think dark thoughts.
The John Rivers Communications Museum at the College of Charleston
presents its third annual Summer Film Noir series beginning tonight with a
screening of "Detour" (1945), the downbeat low-budget picture that
cemented the reputation of director Edgar G. Ulmer.
Each 7 p.m. screening at the Museum at 58 George St. is free and
open to the public.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=95142§ion=preview
June 29,
2006
College of Charleston turns back the clock
CHARLESTON - There was no need for a formal introduction. Gregg
Marshall only needed only to walk in, and within a few seconds a room packed
with College of Charleston basketball fans reacted.
First came a "yeah!" Then another "yeah!" Then
came cheers, and finally an ovation that lasted about a minute. Someone held up
a "Welcome back Gregg" sign.
When he took his seat, Marshall, now officially the new men's
basketball coach at College of Charleston, looked over the crowd, smiled
sheepishly and offered up a low-key army salute.
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/sports/14927035.htm
June 29,
2006
Welcome tuition-hike restraint
So when Clemson, which still has the highest tuition among our
state-supported colleges, announced a tuition increase of 5.8 percent Monday,
it followed an encouraging trend. The University of South Carolina (6.8
percent), the College of Charleston (8.5) and The Citadel (6.9) already had
announced increases on a scale that's similarly modest in contrast with the last
several years' figures.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=95186§ion=editorials
June 29,
2006
A coup led to Cougars' coup
It was one of the nuttiest, most dysfunctional ways to change head
coaches in recent college basketball history.
The lame duck president was out of the country.
The new president hasn't been selected yet.
The interim president went along for the ride.
The athletic director wasn't part of the official interview.
The legendary icon head coach wasn't on the search committee.
And yet the College of Charleston - in spite of some of the above,
or perhaps because of it - got its man. Popular and gregarious Gregg Marshall
officially was introduced Wednesday amid unprecedented hoop hoopla at Randolph
Hall.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=95304§ion=sports
June 29,
2006
Emotional Marshall: Kresse's support key
In the end, amid uncertainty and soul-searching and cellular
telephone calls flying back and forth, it all came down to a single
conversation between a coach and his mentor. Gregg Marshall asked John Kresse
if he wanted the former College of Charleston assistant to come back and take
over a Cougars program Kresse had built into a mid-major power.
"He said, 'Absolutely, yes,' " Marshall said.
"That's all I needed to hear."
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=95298§ion=sports
June 28,
2006
Ravenel easily wins GOP runoff for S.C. treasurer
"That will end up being a major issue in the general election
and will certainly be brought up time and time again by the Democrats,"
College of Charleston political scientist Bill Moore said.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/14915841.htm
June 28,
2006
Make Carolina Day a state holiday (Editorial)
Are we in South Carolina less proud of our state's history than
the residents of the Bay State? I could argue otherwise, but the list of public
holidays speaks for itself. By not observing this signal victory, we
Carolinians permit New Englanders to continue to claim credit for the founding
of the nation. This is nothing new. In 1856, on the first anniversary of the
founding of our Society, Dr. Frederick Porcher of the College of Charleston
said:
"What child has not been taught to believe religiously, that
all that is good, all that is noble, all that is venerable in our country is
derived from the Puritan who landed on the rock at Plymouth? And whatever we
enjoy of civilization, but the force of that great wave which receives its
central impetus from that respectable piece of granite?"
June 27,
2006
2 C of C students robbed at gunpoint
Two College of Charleston students were mugged by a pair of
bicycle-riding robbers near the corner of Smith Street and Cromwell Alley early
Sunday, Charleston police reported.
The 18-year-old male students told police that two men in their
late teens or early 20s rode up to them on bicycles around 4:30 a.m. and
offered to sell them drugs, a report states. When the students declined, one of
the men pulled out a silver-colored revolver.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=94959§ion=localnews
June 27,
2006
The 'guvies'
It's Geek Week at the South Carolina Governor's School at the
College of Charleston, and the smart kids who have gathered here this summer
are having some fun at their own expense as they promote the social schedule.
Geek Week: A fun-filled week uniting Geekarolinians with
geektastic events from sci-fi movies to a live game of human chess.
OK, they're just kidding. Well, not entirely.
More than 200 of the brightest soon-to-be high school seniors from
around the state have come to the Governor's School at the College of
Charleston for its four-week, pre-college experience, not just for the Geek
Fashion Show. Seriously, these kids have done what no ordinary high school
student would do, sacrifice a third of their summer for academic pursuits.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=94867§ion=ink
June 26, 2006
Local college professor launches boat business
John Crotts understands why people would expect him to start a
restaurant or a hotel if he were to embark on a business venture. After all,
Crotts is the director of the College of Charleston’s Hospitality and Tourism
Management department.
Crotts has started a business all right. but it has nothing to do
with dining or room booking.
It has everything to do with recreational boating.
Earlier this month Crotts, a lifelong boating enthusiast, launched
CeeVee North America LLC, producer of the JetVee, a 10-foot, 540-pound,
joystick-operated watercraft powered by a 70-horsepower inboard motor. The
craft seats two people and can top 40 miles per hour. It sells for about
$12,300.
http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/current/12_14/news/6931-1.html
June 26,
2006
GOP claims on state's economy challenged
"If you look at it in terms of where we're at in real
economic activity, I see this year so far as coming out to be fairly
positive," said College of Charleston economist Frank Hefner. "I'm
very optimistic about where the state is going to be throughout the year."
June 26,
2006
Race a factor in congressional runoff
Bill Moore, a political science professor at College of Charleston
who has followed the congressional races for more than 30 years, said most of
the vote in the primary was black, and that Frasier "obviously did well in
the African-American community."
Neither Maatta nor Ledford, who is also white, made those kinds of
inroads in the black community, Moore said, and Maatta "did not realize
how significant that vote would be."
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/local/14898373.htm
June 26,
2006
Campaign to inform women about HPV
Laura Lindroth, a College of Charleston health educator, said her
office doesn't have statistics of how many women who visit there are affected.
"We have such terrible data," Lindroth said. "We
don't have any good estimates."
Perhaps even worse than being uninformed, health educators said,
women are misinformed about the virus. Lindroth said many women think if they
don't have the tell-tale genital warts, they are safe.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=94431§ion=science
June 24,
2006
Berkeley set for face-off
"It's a high-growth county with a changing environment, and
those things come into play," College of Charleston political analyst Bill
Moore said, adding that new residents have in part upset Rozier's usual
majority.
"What form of government is best for a county like Berkeley
County? That is a very viable question," he said.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=94483§ion=localnews
June 24,
2006
Expensive lesson for C of C
Coach John Kresse's College of Charleston Cougars thrilled not
just their fans but virtually the entire community with a remarkably rapid jump
from small-college basketball power to four NCAA Tournament bids in a
six-season span ending in 1999. But with each trip to "The Big Dance"
came bigger expectations. And with the recent decision to fire Coach Tom
Herrion, who replaced Coach Kresse when he retired in 2002, comes a big tab.
The $787,000 buyout of Coach Herrion's contract, which had four
years remaining, raises nagging questions, including: How many other
"mid-major" schools with home arenas that seat fewer than 4,000 pay a
coach that much to leave - especially a coach who won more than two-thirds of
his games?
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=94516§ion=editorials
June 21,
2006
USC
Upstate to seek tuition increase
The increase at USC Upstate
would put the college in line with funding at other teaching universities in
the state such as the College of Charleston, Winthrop University, Coastal
Carolina and Francis Marion University.
The College of Charleston
announced an 8.5 percent increase earlier this month for in-state students.
Students will pay $3,617 per semester, up from $3,334.
http://www.goupstate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060621/NEWS/606210333/1051/NEWS01
June 21,
2006
College of Charleston will pay former coach $787,000
The College of Charleston
and former basketball coach Tom Herrion have all but finished a buyout that
will pay him $787,000 for the remaining four years of his contract. The sides
began negotiating the settlement last week to end Herrion’s four-year stint
with the Cougars.
Herrion’s record at
Charleston was 80-38. His first team in 2002-03 went 25-8 and made the NIT.
However, the Cougars’ victory totals dropped the past three seasons.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/sports/colleges/14865063.htm
June 20,
2006
Student Loan Interest Rates About To Take A Hike