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Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

The House assembled at 10:00 A.M.

Deliberations were opened with prayer by the Chaplain of the House of Representatives, the Rev. Dr. Alton C. Clark as follows:

Our Father God, we bow in these moments of prayer in acknowledgment of our needs of Your help. We are insufficient of ourselves, burdened by many anxieties, tempted by many temptations, and often disheartened in our frailty. Stretch out before us wide horizons and illuminate our paths with Your truths. We pray for light enough to walk constructively through this day, for inner strength to carry heavy burdens, to uncompromising determination to follow Your beckoning, for eyes to see Your way, and for wills to follow it fearlessly.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.

Pursuant to Rule 6.3, the House of Representatives was led in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America by the SPEAKER.

After corrections to the Journal of the proceedings of yesterday, the SPEAKER ordered it confirmed.

Rep. J. YOUNG moved that when the House adjourns, it adjourn in memory of Ann Weisiger Land, mother of Senator John Land of Manning, which was agreed to.

MEMORANDUM TO: Clerk of the Senate

Clerk of the House
DATE: May 3, 1995
SUBJECT: Transcripts of Hearings

Respectfully submitted,
Eugene C. Stoddard
Chairman

Pursuant to Act 119 of 1975, the Committee to Screen Candidate for Boards of Trustees of State Colleges and Universities was convened to consider the qualifications of candidates seeking to fill certain positions on boards of trustees of the state's colleges and universities. The committee conducts such investigation of each candidate as it deems appropriate and reports its findings to the General Assembly prior to the election. It is not the function of the Committee to recommend one candidate over another or to suggest to the individual legislator for whom to vote. The purpose of the committee is instead to determine whether a candidate is qualified and under the statute, the committee's determination in that regard is not binding upon the General Assembly. The candidates are:
Coastal Carolina University - eights seats by congressional district
Seat 1, 1st District
Clark B. Parker (Myrtle Beach)
Seat 3, 2nd District
Leo Richardson (Columbia)
Oran P. Smith (Columbia)
Seat 5, 3rd District
Payne Barnette, Jr. (Greenwood)
Carey J. Green (Seneca)
Seat 7, 4th District

Elaine W. Marks (Spartanburg)
Seat 9, 5th District
Juli S. Powers (Clio)
Seat 11, 6th District
Fred F. DuBard (Florence)
Seat 13, At Large
Franklin Burroughs (Conway)
Seat 15, At Large
Edwin C. Wall, Jr. (Conway)

Senator Addison G. Wilson, Vice-Chairman
Senator Warren K. Giese
Senator Maggie W. Glover
Senator James E. Bryan, Jr.

THE CHAIRMAN: First thing this morning, we first want to thank you for your desire to serve your fellow man, in particular that the salaries involved are very minimis. Really appreciate it in this day and time that those of you who are responsible and would give your time. Senator Giese.
SENATOR GIESE: Mr. Chairman, I'd like to move that all those who are unopposed in the essence of time that we dispense with having them appear before the board. Most of them are incumbents, I understand, and have passed this one time before, but I'd like to move that for a -
THE CHAIRMAN: Senator Giese move to exempt screening of those unopposed.
REPRESENTATIVE INABINETT: Seconded.
THE CHAIRMAN: Seconded by Representative Inabinett. We've always done this in the past. All in favor say aye, opposed no. The ayes have it. Those of you who are unopposed you may be excused, you may sit through the hearing. We certainly appreciate your attendance.

First on our agenda is Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School. Are these first three unopposed, Kay?
MS. BRADLEY: All of them.
THE CHAIRMAN: All unopposed. Well, then, we go next to the Medical University of South Carolina, that was unopposed. Coastal Carolina. Mr. Parker is unopposed. We will hear first from Leo Richardson. If you would please come to the speaker there. State your name, your full name, and your address please.
MR. RICHARDSON: Leo Richardson, 241 King Charles Road, Columbia.
MR. RICHARDSON - EXAMINATION BY THE CHAIRMAN:
Q. Mr. Richardson, do you have any health related problems that the screening committee should be made aware of -
A. No, I don't.

The other entity I would recommend is that to see we could get some corporate sponsors and see if we can get some philanthropist to assist in our funding. So, I think are any number of things that the board of trustees could do, and I could bring that to the board.
Q. Thank you.
THE CHAIRMAN: Any other questions of Mr. Richardson? Senator Wilson.
EXAMINATION BY SENATOR WILSON:
Q. Mr. Chairman, I want to apologize to Mr. Richardson that I'm late. But an issue that I am very concerned about is a four-year graduation rate, and, unfortunately, Coastal Carolina has one of the lowest in the whole state. And for the interest of the students, for the interest of their parents and for the interest of the taxpayers, I'm very interested in trying to get

They used to be called remedial courses. They're now called develop - developmental courses. My experience have been that at the three institutions I had the opportunity to work was to look at the students when they came in the first semester, preferably before they came in, and say, looky here, so - and advise them that you're a little bit behind academically, AC - or compared to your scores or what have you, and here's what it's going to take to bring you up to standards in order for you to graduate.

If they know this up front, I have yet to find a student who would not go through that process. So it's important to make sure that they understand what it takes to get out of college. If the institution would institute such a program, I think it would be successful.

I had the opportunity to introduce a retention program at the University of Buffalo, and in that, the whole faculty was involved in retaining students because we had sort of a revolving door type thing. And so we were able to - we were able to implement that retention program which helped the university tremendously. So that's what I would recommend.
Q. And one other question, and that would be related to what you were indicating to advisors advising students to a course load to take necessary to graduate in the major that they have selected, wouldn't that be very helpful that the advisors be thoroughly familiar with what needs to be done and as a guiding principal spend time with the students to assist them in their college career?
A. Absolutely. What - what the retention program did for us, we got the whole faculty involved and assuming - you know, I've been in athletics a long time. I have that kind of experience.

When you bring students in then you want to make sure that they graduate. If they don't have the potential to graduate, then there's no use to bring them in. But what you would do is you will have counselors and most important is students sometimes don't know what they need.
Q. I see.

Now, the graduation record for students throughout the country is 4.7 years. And so if you can get them out in that length of time, I think you'd be with the national average. And for athletes it's about 4.9 years. So - but that's - that's what you want to look at in terms of time. See, some students are able to graduate in three, three and a half, four, sometimes take a little bit longer.
THE CHAIRMAN: Senator Giese.
SENATOR GIESE: Mr. Chairman.
EXAMINATION BY SENATOR GIESE:
Q. It bothers me that you've engineered into your concept of handling youngsters who really aren't prepared to go to college the fact that we should be offering, you used the word developmental courses at the college level that they should have passed at the high school level.

What that means is we furnish their high school education at state expense and now at the college level, we're going to fund them again to do high school work which I find offensive. And then you talk in terms of getting out there in five years and so on for graduation. The State has to support people that go to Coastal Carolina, a four-year school, in excess of $4,000 year. Every year they stay in school, the taxpayers pay another increment toward that education.

I would hope that if you serve on the Board of Trustees that you would be a strong advocate of insisting that if people have to take makeup courses, high school level courses, they don't do it at the expense of the taxpayers again.

I know - I believe at the university now, we - and I believe at Clemson, they don't spend any state money on developmental courses. If they don't deserve to get in school, don't take them. Let them go to a two-year school or where it's less expensive to get those makeup courses that you're talking about. But I think it's an exciting school developing very rapidly and they can be able to play a real part of - whoever is elected, a real part in its development.
A. Well, thank you very much, but the - you know, the reality is that's the way it is in this state and most states across the country. We have a problem in higher education particularly with our students coming out of high school. They're poorly prepared. Most them are.

Now, some colleges have a waiting list. The University of Buffalo unfortunately had a waiting list. There are some who got in who need some courses anyway because ten fifty, 1100 SAT score was required. But even at that, they had some students that needed some help.
THE CHAIRMAN: Representative Littlejohn.
EXAMINATION BY REPRESENTATIVE LITTLEJOHN:
Q. Mr. Richardson, you are willing to raise your standards then for students coming in?
A. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. I think that, you know, the students will reach whatever standards you set. If you set the standard high, they'll find a way to reach it. They - you know, whatever is required, they will meet that standard. So it's up to the university to set that standard.
Q. But you are willing to raise -
A. Absolutely.
Q. - your standards?
A. Absolutely. Absolutely.
THE CHAIRMAN: Before you step down, Mr. Richardson, let me swear you in please. Will you raise your right hand?
LEO RICHARDSON, having been duly sworn, testified as indicated above.
THE CHAIRMAN: Next we have Mr. Oran P. Smith. State your full name please, Mr. Smith.
MR. SMITH: I'm Oran Perry Smith.
THE CHAIRMAN: Would you raise your right hand.
ORAN P. SMITH, having been duly sworn, testified as follows:
MR. SMITH - EXAMINATION BY THE CHAIRMAN:
Q. Mr. Smith, do you have any health related problems that would prevent you from serving on the board in a full capacity?
A. No, sir.
Q. Considering your present occupation and other activities, would you be able to attend board meetings on a regular basis?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Do you have any interest professionally or personally that present a conflict of interest because of your service on the board?
A. No, sir.

To be perfectly honest, maybe some of them are spending a little too much time in Myrtle Beach. That keeps them away from the focus on their studies that they need to have at a university. So our commuter, the commuter nature of the campus is harmful, and I think compared with other commuter campuses, it's about the same.

Our president that we've hired in the last two years, Doctor Ron Ingle has done a study of the problems at Coastal that have to do with not only the graduation rate, but of keeping students. We lose a number of students from one year to the other, and he has instituted a new office within the administration, a vice president for enrollment management. And that individual's full time job is to see that not only do we have a better graduation rate, but that we retain students from year to year better.

They found that, for instance, athletes who come in, and they have the requirements for the NCAA that they have - that they graduate or they have these high standards because of their athletes and receiving funding, the university has found that spending time with those students, a lot of attention with those students, has caused them to have among the highest graduation rates and some of the best grades on the campus and we're very proud of that.

But without a doubt, that is a problem the university has - the Board of Trustees has addressed on a number of occasions in the last year, and the administration of the university is on top of the issue and I think within the next year, we should see a marked improvement in that because of the attention being put upon it by the administration.
THE CHAIRMAN: Mr. Inabinett.

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