2020 Archive

Maxcy Monument on the Historic Horseshoe with sunlight streaming through the trees.
Tim Smith outside Papa Jazz

UofSC alums help keep 5 Points alive

December 14, 2020, Craig Brandhorst

If you think Five Points is only a college bar district, think again. The village down the hill has drawn South Carolina students for more than a century, and not simply to celebrate. And for many who settle in the Capital City after graduation, Five Points remains an integral part of their lives, including Tim Smith, who turned his passion for music into a 40-year career buying and selling it.

A statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Mexico City

The Virgin of Guadalupe is more than a religious icon in Mexico

December 10, 2020, Rebecca Janzen

Each year, as many as 10 million people travel to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, in what is believed to be the largest Catholic pilgrimage in the Americas. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the pilgrimage will instead be held online this year. Rebecca Janzen, assistant professor of Spanish and comparative literature, explains the significance of the pilgrimage for The Conversation.

Don McCallister inside Loose Lucy's

UofSC alums help keep 5 Points alive

December 10, 2020, Craig Brandhorst

If you think Five Points is only a college bar district, think again. The village down the hill has drawn South Carolina students for more than a century, and not simply to celebrate. And for many who settle in the Capital City after graduation, Five Points remains an integral part of their lives, including Don McCallister, whose business Loose Lucy's supports his creative outlets.

old gravestone for an enslaved person named Cicely

How history memorializes those who die from COVID-19 will reflect our values

December 03, 2020, Nicole S. Maskiell

As COVID-19 affects frontline workers and communities of color far more than other demographic groups, and protesters agitate for racial justice, American society is wrestling with its racial memory and judging which monuments and memorials deserve a place. In The Conversation, history professor Nicole S. Maskiell looks back at how a few marginalized and oppressed people who served on the front lines of prior epidemics have been treated and remembered.

A photo grid with headshots of the 9 students featured in a gallery highlighting stories of student resilience throughout the pandemic.

'Campus Conversations' reveal student resilience

November 27, 2020, Caleigh McDaniel

Students have have faced many challenges due to COVID-19, and their stories of resilience have become prominent topics in our weekly "Campus Conversations." Check out these students who have adapted to and overcome obstacles brought on by the pandemic.

Yaw Addei-Boadu

UofSC's McNair Institute cultivating student innovators

November 12, 2020, Laura Kammerer

Yaw Addei-Boadu sees chances to innovate, well, everywhere — from event rentals to biogas stoves to fashionable emergency alert devices. Now he's one of a growing number of University of South Carolina students and alumni entrepreneurs who are shaking up the startup scene.

UofSC NROTC battalion in white uniforms

Gamecock Battalion tops among Navy ROTC programs

October 27, 2020, Page Ivey

The University of South Carolina has the best Navy ROTC program in the country. That recognition comes as no surprise to the midshipmen and alumni of the program that began at Carolina in 1940. And it comes as the result of hard work by a team of staffers and the university’s support for it and other military-affiliated programs on campus.

woman sneezing

UofSC scientists model how the COVID-19 virus might travel, settle in indoor environments

October 15, 2020, Chris Horn

In this age of COVID-19 concerns, what’s the safest indoor environment? One without humans, of course. In a practical world the answer lies partly in understanding how the virus moves and where it lands in indoor spaces because air ow and surfaces are important routes for transmission of COVID-19.

woman wearing mask

How do pandemics end? History suggests diseases fade but are almost never truly gone

October 14, 2020, Nükhet Varlik

Since the beginning of the pandemic, epidemiologists and public health specialists have been using mathematical models to forecast the future in an effort to curb the coronvirus’s spread. History professor Nükhet Varlik writes for the The Conversation to give historical insight into how and when pandemics end.

flappers from the 1920s

The Roaring '20s -- America and UofSC a century ago

October 12, 2020, Chris Horn

It’s often referred to as the Roaring ‘20s — the third decade of the 20th century that’s generally associated with prosperity, Prohibition, jazz music and flappers. It’s also the theme of this year’s virtual Homecoming at the University of South Carolina, which takes place Oct. 16-18. In the spirit of that celebration, here’s a look back at what life was like in America and at the university a century ago.

A collage of headshots of 4 Gamecock Guides: Antonia Adams, Nathan Strong, Lindy Linbaugh and Bradley Barker

Students serve as Gamecock Guides through social media content creations

October 01, 2020, Caleigh McDaniel

Gamecock Guides are newly hired student employees that will soon become familiar faces on UofSC social media channels. The guides are working to create content that will amplify university messages, build virtual relationships that engage fellow students and serve as representatives of UofSC.

exterior photo of the University of South Carolina law school

UofSC law students helped Breonna Taylor's family secure $12 million settlement

September 24, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

University of South Carolina law students Jasmine Caruthers and Anna Catherine Parham say their research on no-knock warrants to assist the lawyers representing Breonna Taylor’s family in a wrongful death lawsuit was enlightening and emotional.

Actor Chadwick Boseman at the GQ Men of the Year party  in  2015.

Boseman's death underscores an alarming increase in from colorectal cancer among younger adults

September 02, 2020, Franklin G. Berger

The tragic death of Chadwick Boseman at age 43 following a four-year battle against colorectal cancer reminds us it is a difficult and emotional disease for people at any age. Franklin G. Berger, distinguished professor emeritus of biological sciences, writes for The Conversation that awareness of signs and symptoms, along with screening, will lead to the eventual eradication of the disease as a major form of cancer.

Mary Gordon Ellis portrait

100 years of suffrage: After the vote, comes an era of 'firsts'

August 20, 2020, Page Ivey

South Carolina’s few but dedicated suffragists were no doubt disappointed that the state was not among the first 36 to ratify the 19th amendment, but they almost immediately set about the business of turning their suffrage organizations into education and advocacy groups. In the process, these bold women kicked off the era of “firsts.”

instructor and students perform an experiment at a summer camp

Camp will highlight Gullah/Geechee culture to spark students' interest in science

August 17, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

A summer camp for fifth- and sixth grade-students in South Carolina’s Gullah/Geechee community will introduce Gullah/Geechee students to STEM content from their own community and provide opportunities to interact with professionals who look like them, working in the fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

A medieval scene of women and men from Giovanni Boccaccio’s

What literature can tell us about people's struggle with their faith during a pandemic

August 07, 2020, Agnes Mueller

Some might take solace in religion at a time of uncertainty, such as a pandemic, but literary texts suggest that this is not always the case: Faith may deepen for some, while others may reject or abandon it altogether. Agnes Mueller,professor of German and Comparative Literature, examines pandemics in literature in The Conversation.

women with banners stand by a monument in Washington D.C. in 1918 to advocate for women's suffrage

100 years of suffrage

August 06, 2020, Page Ivey

The month of August marks 100 years since the ratification of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote in the United States. South Carolina women were a part of the fight for suffrage that started here in the years after the Civil War. Historians and librarians at the University of South Carolina have played a major role in documenting and preserving their stories.

UofSC student Rodriana Gaddy by a brick wall

Early challenges motivate Honors College student's success

July 30, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

Rodrianna Gaddy took her love of learning about different cultures, combined it with her passion to help people and channeled both into her academic path at the University of South Carolina with a double major in international business and human resources management with a minor in Japanese. Gaddy was scheduled to study abroad in Japan this spring. Then COVID-19 hit.

Painting depicting transfiguration of Jesus, a story in the New Testament

The long history of how Jesus came to resemble a white European

July 22, 2020, Anna Swartwood House

No one knows exactly what Jesus looked like, and there are no known images of him from his lifetime. Art history professor Anna Swartwood House writes in The Conversation that the portrayal of Jesus as a white, European man has come under renewed scrutiny during this period of introspection over the legacy of racism in society.

the maxcy monument on the UofSC horseshoe surround by green trees

College of Arts and Sciences offers a semester of justice

July 09, 2020, Annika Dahlgren

This fall, the College of Arts and Sciences begins its new themed semester initiative that encourages faculty and students from across the university to explore ideas related to the core subject of justice. The theme is meant to combine work from the arts, humanities, social sciences and natural and mathematical sciences to bear on today's challenging issues and problems.

Overlooking the fountain outside Thomas Cooper Library looking at the smokestack near the Horseshoe

UofSC among top universities granted U.S. utility patents

July 08, 2020, Communications and Public Affairs

For the eighth-consecutive year, the University of South Carolina stands among the top 100 universities in the world, based on the number of U.S. utility patents faculty members received in 2019. South Carolina ranks 90th worldwide, named as the lead on 31 patents last year.

1960s civil rights protestor carries signs denouncing segregation

Carving a path toward justice: Part 3

June 05, 2020, Chris Horn

Bobby Donaldson is an associate professor of history and African American Studies and director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research at the University of South Carolina. In a three-part question-and-answer series, Donaldson presents both his scholarly insights and his personal perspective as they relate to protests over the death of George Floyd.

Bobby Donaldson

Carving a path toward justice: Part 2

June 05, 2020, Chris Horn

Bobby Donaldson is an associate professor of history and African American Studies and director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research at the University of South Carolina. In a three-part question-and-answer series, Donaldson presents both his scholarly insights and his personal perspective as they relate to protests over the death of George Floyd.

Martin Luther King speaks in Charleston in 1967

Carving a path toward justice: Part 1

June 05, 2020, Chris Horn

Bobby Donaldson is an associate professor of history and African American Studies and director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research at the University of South Carolina. In a three-part question-and-answer series, Donaldson presents both his scholarly insights and his personal perspective as they relate to protests over the death of George Floyd.

Jeremy LaPointe in a science lab

Psychology major finds his passion through research

May 28, 2020, Page Ivey

Jeremy LaPointe has been interested in learning more about why people behave in certain ways since he was in high school. He has been able to pursue that interest at the University of South Carolina in the classroom and in research labs as an undergraduate majoring in experimental psychology with a minor in neuroscience.

Paige Fallon

The study abroad experience that, ultimately, helped save a life

May 28, 2020, Chris Horn

This past spring semester, Paige Fallon began a study abroad experience in Europe, then got sick with COVID-19 and ended up in quarantine back home in Ohio. But the rising senior made the most of her experience after recovering from the virus that has killed some 350,000 worldwide — she helped save a life.

Rebekah Cloninger

Class of 2020: Senior takes a flying leap toward career serving others

May 10, 2020, Chris Horn

Rebekah Cloninger has a lot to tell her future children and grandchildren about her time at the University of South Carolina. Like the night she met A’ja Wilson, the Most Outstanding Player from the 2017 championship team, and got her jersey signed by the former UofSC forward who now plays for the Las Vegas Aces.

protester holds sign calling to close the border

COVID-19 impact: Language differences spark fear amid pandemic

May 08, 2020, Stanley Dubinsky, Kaitlyn E. Smith, Michael Gavin

As the coronavirus spreads around the globe, it can cause a fear of others, especially strangers, who may or may not have taken proper precautions against spreading the disease. This fear can cause people to be on heightened alert for anyone who might be different. English professors Stanley Dubinsky, Michael Gavin and doctoral student Kaitlyn Smith write for The Conversation about how language differences can contribute to discrimination.

ruins of the lumber mill that are now visible on the shores of Lake Marion

Class of 2020: Honors senior's thesis project explores history of a former SC mill town

May 07, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

When 89-year-old Richard Mims was just a boy in the 1930s, he remembers playing a game he called “Executive” in the abandoned offices of the Santee River Cypress Lumber Co. in Ferguson near his hometown of Eutawville, South Carolina. The once-thriving mill town now lies underwater, part of the region flooded to create Lake Marion. Mims shared his memories in an oral history recorded by South Carolina Honors College graduate Caldwell Loftis.

graphic with multicolored lines to show spread of COVID-19

COVID-19 impact: Coronavirus genome allows epidemiologists to track where it's been

April 27, 2020, Bert Ely and Taylor Carter

Following the coronavirus’s spread through the population – and anticipating its next move – is an important part of the public health response to the new disease. Biological sciences professor Bert Ely and doctoral student Taylor Carter write for The Conversation on how the virus's genetic sequence provides insight into where the virus has been.

archival image of student protests in May 1970

50 years of May

April 27, 2020, Craig Brandhorst

A half century ago, against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and seismic shifts in American culture, the campus of the University of South Carolina became a battleground — between students and the administration, between a young generation and the establishment, between radically different worldviews. But the dramatic events of that spring, which came to be known as The Months of May, weren’t strictly destructive. The lessons of that era also changed lives and changed the university itself.

Close up of several gardening pots with vibrant green sprouts.

Staying green while staying apart

April 16, 2020, Caleigh McDaniel

Prior to campus’s closure, the Student Council on Sustainability, a representative body of all sustainability leaders in several student organizations, were planning a week full of programming for Earth Day on Greene Street called Green on Greene Week. Now, the council has adjusted their plans to create Virtual Green Week.

breakthrough leader dawn wilson-king

Breakthrough Leader: Dawn Wilson-King

April 13, 2020, Chris Horn

Dawn Wilson-King has devoted her career to helping people pursue active and healthy lifestyles, and what a career it’s been. Since 2001, the psychology professor has collaborated on more than 30 grant-funded projects that brought some $40 million in grant funding to the University of South Carolina and she served as president of two prominent national organizations.

booker t washington auditorium building

Popular UofSC civil rights exhibit will have a permanent home

April 09, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

The university will continue rehabilitation and preservation of the Booker T. Washington Auditorium Building to create a permanent space for the Center for Civil Rights History and Research’s exhibit “Justice for All: South Carolina and the American Civil Rights Movement.” Funded with a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service, the restoration will advance efforts to create a destination for people to learn the history of Columbia and of the school.

artwork depicting historic images of campus

Podcast Episode 5: Looking for Jack

March 31, 2020, Chris Horn

The history of enslaved people at South Carolina College — the precursor of today's University of South Carolina — is a difficult one to tell. But research has brought to light the names of many of those individuals, and the university is acknowledging the vital role they played in the college's early days. Here's the story of one of those enslaved workers — a man named Jack.

UofSC faculty experts on coronavirus

March 17, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

The University of South Carolina’s Office of Communications and Public Affairs has compiled a list of faculty experts who can discuss topics relevant to the coronavirus pandemic.

AI Institute

Intelligence, all over campus

March 05, 2020, Megan Sexton

While artificial intelligence research and programs are growing around the country, the University of South Carolina’s AI Institute is among the first in the Southeast to include diverse colleges and departments.

Julia Whitehead

UofSC alumna Julia Whitehead makes writer Kurt Vonnegut's legacy more accessible than ever

February 25, 2020, Craig Brandhorst

Indiana native Kurt Vonnegut, who died in 2007, was one of the country’s most celebrated writers, authoring such classics as Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions. But there was no place devoted to celebrating his work — until UofSC alumna Julia Whitehead got involved. Whitehead founded the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in 2011. Last year, the museum moved to a new space in downtown Indianapolis.

newspaper clippings showing the historical images of the wall being built around the horseshoe

Podcast Episode 2: The Great Wall of Carolina

February 18, 2020, Chris Horn

It's nearly seven feet tall, 3,000 feet long and is made of 160,000 bricks. And it's older than half of the buildings on the University of South Carolina's historic Horseshoe. It's the campus wall, a structure that never succeeded in its original purpose — keeping mischievous 19th century students on campus. But during one tumultuous night in 1865, the wall very likely saved the campus from a fire that consumed one-third of the surrounding city.

research collaboration-books

Working across disciplines, university researchers pursue fresh perspectives

February 17, 2020, Chris Horn

UofSC's research office offers internal grant funding up to $100,000 for proposals that include faculty members from three or more disciplines. Colin Wilder, Matthew Brashears and John Rose are using one of these grants to comb through millions of digital library records to explore three centuries of European book publishing.

Salt marsh at Baruch Institute

Window to the Sea

January 14, 2020, Megan Sexton

The university’s Belle W. Baruch Institute for Coastal and Marine Sciences is a national treasure -- a place where students and researchers from the Columbia campus along with universities around the world come to better understand the complexity of coastal and marine environments.

William Shakespeare

Shakespeare by the numbers

January 06, 2020, Chris Horn

“We know what we are,” Shakespeare once wrote, “but know not what we may be.” If only the old Bard could have sat in on “Mathematics for Shakespeare,” an Honors College course at the University of South Carolina. He would have learned how to take the full measure for measure of his own literary works, using statistical software and linear algebra to probe and pose questions about everything from his sonnets to soliloquies.