ByWillAtkinson.com

The Committee of Concerned Journalists (CCJ) has redesigned its Web site. Looks pretty snazzy:

Winthrop University president Anthony DiGiorgio was caught leaving the scene of an accident Friday night.

DiGiorgio’s secretary said the Winthrop University president will not be able to speak with reporters until Wednesday. He was given a citation for “leaving the scene of an accident” rather than a “hit and run” as the CN2 story claims.

The event allegedly occured after DiGiorgio attended a Winthrop soccer game with his wife. He was given a $155 ticket by the Rock Hill Police Department and given a court date. DiGiorgio’s secretary says he expects the fine to be lowered in court.

Additional stories:
The Herald
Charlotte Observer

I wrote the following op-ed column for this week’s Johnsonian, which comes out later this evening. You read it here first.

Call for West Center accountability
By Will Atkinson

In early 2005, DeVere Construction placed a winning bid to build Winthrop’s new state-of-the-art athletic facility. The press release at the time said the $18.5 million bid was 10 percent higher than the supposed costs. Student fees, and yes that means your tuition, are shouldering most of the project’s cost. The highest bid Winthrop received was $21.4 million.

Jump forward two years: the West Center has been marred by mismanagement, inclement weather and now, tragedy. The project’s price tag has been raised to $25 million and if you think the center will open this fall (as the Winthrop Web site claims), I’ve got a nice bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you.

If you were a freshman in 2005, you would have been excited about using pristine athletic facilities for the latter half of your undergraduate career. That is, if you took Winthrop officials at face value.

“We have to take the lowest bid as long as it is responsive and responsible,” Walter Hardin, facilities management associate vice president, said in a 2005 Johnsonian interview.

The keywords here are “responsive” and “responsible.” It’s up to the Occupational Health and Safety Commission to decide whether the recent death was due to irresponsibility. Whatever Hardin meant by “responsive” - Princeton’s Wordnet says it means, “reacting to suggestions, influences, appeals or effort” – it’d be hard to make the case that any of those adjectives can ascribe the project, given present circumstances.

After DeVere’s initial bid, the obligatory postcards were sent to thousands of prospective students hyping the new construction. There were press releases, news stories and general fanfare.

Construction began at an anemic rate. The hours of Peabody, the old gym, were cut and there has been nary an exercise equipment upgrade in four years. Peabody’s pool, while funded in part by student fees, offers approximately four hours to students each day. And that’s if you want to swim between 7 and 9 a.m. or on your lunch break. It’s closed on Saturday if you’re wondering.

Let’s contemplate our sports editor’s thoughts: “The administration needs to stop fantasizing about the glorious Lois Rhame West Center and actually solve the problems that students are facing today.”

These were our former sports editor’s words, 33 months ago. If you’re wondering what buildings could possibly be built in slightly over two years, consider the Empire State Building and the Pentagon.

Unfortunately, it takes an appalling accident such as last week’s to point a critical spotlight on this project once again. It’s time for some accountability, hustle and maintenance of current facilities.

Pressure builds on Tribune Co. to sell L.A. Times - Sep. 18, 2006

David Geffen, of Geffen Records (the label that brought you Nirvana and Guns N Roses), has made a cash offer for the LA Times?! Say it ain’t so.

The following e-mail was sent by the Winthrop police across the Winthrop campus today:

To:

From: Chief Frank Zebedis

Nature of Crime: Attempted Strong Armed Robbery
Date: 09-14-2006
Place: In Front of Sims Building
Time: 12:30am

Please be advised a female student was standing in front of the Sims building when she observed an older model gold colored Chevy Caprice Classic drive past. The vehicle then drove past a second time. Shortly after the second pass, the student was approached by a black male and black female. The male subject was described as 18-23 years of age, 5′ 09″ 150lbs. wearing a dark colored shirt and pants. The suspect also had something on his head. The female subject was described as 17-22 years of age, 5′ 05″ 120lbs. wearing a black zipper jacket, blue jeans, and her hair was in a pony tail.

Suspects engaged in conversation with victim. During the conversation, the male subject grabbed victim’s purse and attempted to pull it off of her arm. Victim began to scream and the suspects fled on foot towards Founders Lane.

Immediately following the incident, a witness observed a gold Chevy Caprice Classic leaving the area with its headlights off.

Campus Police is investigating this incident. If anyone has information on this case or the suspects, please contact Campus Police at Ext. 3333.

Please be vigilant at all times, aware of your surroundings, especially at night, and know where the closest emergency call box on campus is located. Please call Campus Police immediately (X3333) if you observe any suspicious person or activity.

I interviewed Winthrop men’s basketball coach Gregg Marshall for The Johnsonian.

It was a “will he-won’t he” summer for Winthrop basketball fans. Coach Gregg Marshall gave the Winthrop community a heart attack after announcing he was leaving for College of Charleston for a $500,000 yearly salary in June. Shortly thereafter, much to Eagles’ fans relief, he turned about-face and shocked the world again. He decided to stay with the team he’s been with for eight seasons, the Eagles.

Snipes were made across the state with one Charleston Post and Courier columnist deeming Marshall “a wack job” and the Herald responding with their own editorials. Now Marshall is ready to move.

The 2006-2007 season stands as the toughest yet, with slots against Maryland, Wisconsin, Old Dominion, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. The schedule also includes Winthrop’s first appearance in the preseason National Invitational Tournament, to be played in the Charlotte Bobcats arena.

Coach Marshall took the time to answer some questions for The Johnsonian about the Eagle’s upcoming season.

Johnsonian: Can you describe this year’s schedule?
Marshall: This year’s schedule is the most difficult schedule in my tenure, inarguably. Three of the teams we could face, including North Carolina in the NIT, are in the preseason top-10 in the ESPN.com’s poll.

Johnsonian: What can students expect from this year’s team?
Marshall: This squad is very experienced, very talented, committed and should be able to handle a schedule like this. This is the same group, basically, that as sophomores and freshman, gave Gonzaga such a great game.

Johnsonian: Who are the new players this year?
We’ve got four new scholarship players and a walk-on. We’ve got Rainer Blickle from Mauldin, S.C. He’s a 6-foot-8-inch forward who shoots it well. We’ve got Anthony Williams, a 6-foot-7-inch post player from Florida. We’ve got Byron Faison, a 6-foot guard. We’ve got Antwon Harris, a 6-foot-3-inch forward and Kyle Moore, a 6-foot-3-inch guard from Florida.

Johnsonian: What other teams will you be watching in the Big South?
Marshall: I don’t know how it could get much more competitive. Our championship went down to the last possession. [Big South] is the 19th rated league in the nation. We lost to Liberty, which finished in 8th place. The league is much better than it’s ever been from top to bottom.

Johnsonian: What made you decide to stick with Winthrop?
Marshall: There was a lot of money thrown my way [by College of Charleston]. I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to leave here. [My family] is comfortable here and that wasn’t the time nor the place to make me want to leave here at this particular stage.

Johnsonian: Will Winthrop students see you coaching for a while longer?
Marshall: Well I certainly hope so. I hope they’ll come out and support us.

Johnsonian: Why should students come to the games?
Marshall: It’s kind of become the place to be. Crowds are growing. They’ll be the biggest they’ve ever been this year. [The games] are a very entertaining brand of basketball, very aggressive and athletic. This program is probably appreciated more nationally than we are in our own backyard. I don’t think people realize what they’ve got. I hope the students come out and see we’re all committed to doing special things here. We’re going to be on the road so much so that when we do come back home, we’ll need your moral support for sure.