CLEMSON PRESIDENT, EDWARDS, DIES

Robert Cook Edwards, Clemson University’s eighth president who served for 21 years, died at the age of 94.

Edwards, who led the university for the longest span of time, hailed from Fountain Inn and graduated with a degree in textile engineering in 1933, after enrolling at Clemson at the age of 15.

After 23 years of working in the textile industry, Edwards returned to Clemson and became the first vice president of development. By 1959, he became the university president, appointed by the Board of Trustees on April 9.

“R.C. Edwards was a giant in the history of Clemson University,” said current Clemson President James F. Barker, in a statement released by the university. “No president will ever surpass his dedicated service to his alma mater nor his impact on all aspects of life at Clemson,”

Standing as the second Clemson graduate to become president, he finalized the college careers of almost 29,000 students by handing out their diplomas.

“When he shook my hand at graduation in 1970, it was one of the proudest days of my life,” Barker said. “I still stand in awe of all that he accomplished as president. He led Clemson through the transition from a small, all-male military college to a major co-educational, integrated university.”

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CLEMSON BUDGET CUTS

With the economic downturn, Clemson University announced yesterday that it has a plan to cut back its budget with a five-day mandatory furlough for faculty and staff, an order to halt construction projects and delay direct contributions from athletics, housing and other auxiliary programs.

Clemson President James Barker also announced that the university is putting a temporary freeze on hiring, eliminating unnecessary travel and cutting non-essential temporary positions. Barker also said that these measures are taking aim at a short-term solution while for the long-term, solutions will be outlined with a more strategic plan.

“It is regrettable that we have to take actions that directly impact the Clemson family, but the severity of the budget cuts leave us with no choice,” he said. “Clemson is already a lean operation, and we had implemented substantial internal reallocations earlier this year to hold down tuition, which left us with few options to handle a cut of this magnitude.”

Barker also mentioned that with the latest budget cuts, Clemson’s educational funding per student, adjusted for inflation, is 40 percent less than it was in 1973.

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CLEMSON TORNADO

Tornadoes blew through Clemson, the university campus and Pendleton Tuesday, Aug. 26 while severe thunderstorms and another reported twister slashed the remainder of the western Upstate.

Trees were uprooted, limbs downed and several vehicles and mobile homes damaged, but there were no reported injuries from the storms.

Oconee, Pickens and Anderson counties were all hit by the remnants of tropical storm Fay, getting high winds along with much-needed rain. The severe thunderstorms spawned multiple tornadoes, according to spotters, who reported to Larry Lee of the National Weather Service (NWS) at Greenville-Spartanburg Airport.

The NWS reported that a tornado was spotted on the ground in Clemson at about 2:54 p.m. and was moving northeast at 27 miles per hour. Pickens County Emergency Services Director Don Evett said trees were reported down around North Clemson Avenue, College Avenue, near the Astro Theatre, Pine Street, Folger and Edgewood. Several brief power outages and traffic signal disruptions occurred.

No injuries were reported and Clemson Police Chief Jimmy Dixon said he and his officers were assessing streets that sustained damage.

Clemson University News Services Director Robin Denny said storm-related damage had occurred on campus in the vicinity of Littlejohn Coliseum.

“We had some trees down on Centennial Boulevard and the C-9 parking lot,” Denny said. “The trees fell on three to four cars there, and we’ve had no estimates on the damage yet.” In addition, a light pole was downed on the Clemson intramural field on Centennial Boulevard and Highway 93.

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INMAN PLEADS GUILTY

Jerry Buck Inman pleaded guilty on Aug. 19 to the murder, kidnapping,

robbery and sexual assault of Clemson University student Tiffany Marie

Souers in 2006. Judge Edward Miller, after receiving assurances that Inman

understood the ramifications, accepted the plea.

As a result, the sentencing phase for Inman will take place Sept. 8 in the

Pickens County Courthouse. Miller has the option of imposing the death penalty or life imprisonment at that time.

Before making his decision, Miller repeatedly emphasized that South Carolina law does not allow conditional guilty pleas. The judge said he was concerned about arguments by Inman defense attorney James Bannister indicating that, while agreeing to waive the defense’s right to a jury trial, therefore leaving sentencing in Miller’s hands, the defense also reserved the right to appeal.

“If this is a big issue, I’m about to not accept a plea,” Miller said.

Following a short recess, Inman assured the judge he wanted to plead guilty.

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CLEMSON SUED BY FORMER TRUSTEE ADVISOR

A former adviser to Clemson University’s board of trustees has sued the school, alleging unnecessary tuition increases.

In a suit filed Jan. 9, 2008 in Richland County, Gene Troutman claims he was fired after calling attention to Clemson financial practices he found troublesome. The major issue, according to Troutman, was a so-called “rainy day” fund, which swelled to approximately $80 million, created from tuition increases.

Other lawsuit allegations include: falsification of public statements, mismanagement of university finances and corrupt business operations.

Defendants named in Troutman’s litigation include CU President James Barker, provost Dori Helms and every board of trustees member — sans David Wilkins, who had not begun serving during the period of alleged actions.

Clemson Chief Public Affairs Officer Cathy Sams refuted the claims.

“While we are in litigation, we cannot discuss the details of the lawsuit, but we can say that we deny all allegations in the lawsuit and will mount a vigorous defense,” Sams said in an e-mail.

While Sams acknowledged existence of the “rainy day” cache, she denied any improprieties regarding the monies. Sams defended Clemson financial as “sound” and “conservative.”

“State fiscal policies permit agencies to carry over unexpended funds from one fiscal year to the next in order to encourage sound budget practices and long-term planning, and Clemson has followed this practice for more than 20 years,” Sams said.

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OBAMA COMES TO CLEMSON UNIVERSITY

Secret Service snipers. A packed amphitheatre. Bold promises. Despite frigid weather, Sen. Barack Obama’s Jan 25, 2008 appearance at Clemson University was a charged affair.

On the eve of the South Carolina Democratic Presidential Primary, Obama delivered a centrist message.

“Americans are not as divided as our politics would suggest,” Obama said. “Everywhere I’ve been, people have stood up and said, ‘We are ready for something new. We are ready to write a new chapter in history.’ Together, there is no problem we can’t solve and no destiny we can’t fulfill.”

Obama’s “come together” tone is the hallmark of his campaign. However, details of his platform might be ambiguous to casual politicos. During his visit, Obama clarified (and quantified) several stances.