Oct. 10, 2005

Joint Statement by Board Chairman Herbert C. Adams and President Andrew A. Sorensen, October 10, 2005 –

The University of South Carolina’s sole objective in this matter is to build Coach Tanner and his great team of fine student-athletes a new baseball stadium of upper tier national quality to be available for play by the SEC portion of the 2007 season.

The process of finalizing the details of this stadium will have the concurrence of President Sorensen, Coach Tanner, AD Eric Hyman, and the leadership of the board before being advanced to formal board and other state approval processes.

All potential sites of which the university is aware are still open for consideration. The university is disappointed by the reaction of some City of Columbia leaders to the proposed site in the Vista and so the array of site possibilities has been reopened and additional sites added to the mix.

The university will be financially responsible and work within the legislatively established athletics debt ceiling – a financial responsibility the university would uphold with or without the legislative cap.

Because of the need for rapid decision making, for the next few days the university will continue to listen to any proposition from a commercial enterprise that would forward our objective. A great deal of experience garnered in recent years makes it unlikely than any scenario would add to the equation rather than take away from it, but a responsible proposal to assist in achieving a first class stadium for the Carolina faithful will be given a fair hearing.

The Board of Trustees holds a statewide responsibility and the nationally-recognized Fighting Gamecock baseball team has a statewide fan base. The university recognizes that the financial benefits from the construction of this stadium will primarily benefit the Midlands and expects that the leadership of the many Midlands constituencies will appreciate this fact and respond to our effort in a spirit of reciprocity.