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RESOLUTION
IN SUPPORT OF
EQUITABLE LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING
WHEREAS,
Winthrop University is located in York County; and
WHEREAS,
the relative numerical strength of the York County legislative
delegation will be a key factor in determining state support for
Winthrop University throughout the next decade; and
WHEREAS,
the Federal Decennial Census of the United States which is done
during the first year of every decade is, by South Carolina
statute, the basis for the determination of the population of
the legislative districts in South Carolina for both the South
Carolina House of Representatives and the South Carolina Senate
and, therefore, is the basis for the determination of practical
and equitable geographic boundaries for the legislative
districts; and
WHEREAS,
the results of the Federal Decennial Census determining the
population at the individual county and municipal level on April
1, 2000 will soon be available with the best available
projections of the population indicating that York County will
be the fourth fastest growing county (19.1 %) among the 46
counties in South Carolina over the 1990‑2000 decade; and
WHEREAS,
the 1990 Federal Decennial Census showed that, at that time,
York County's population clearly justified five South Carolina
House Districts and two South Carolina Senate Districts where
the majority of the population in each district was within the
boundaries of York County; and
WHEREAS,
since 1992, York County has demonstrably been the most
under‑represented county in the South Carolina Legislature
on the basis of the number of both House Districts (four) and
Senate Districts (one) where the majority of the population in
each district was within York County; and
WHEREAS,
the level of representation in the legislature has a significant
relationship to the adequate, fair, and equitable representation
of the citizens of York County with respect to issues impacting
Winthrop University such as education funding, infrastructure
development, and land use planning; and
WHEREAS,
it is essential that the unique needs and desires of the
citizens of York County be adequately, fairly, and equitably
represented in the South Carolina Legislature; and
WHEREAS,
it is the unmistakable intent of the South Carolina
statutes dealing with the delineation of legislative districts
that the citizens of the state are to have adequate, fair, and
equitable representation in the South Carolina Legislature; and
WHEREAS, the best available projections of population growth show
that York County's 2000 population will absolutely justify five
South Carolina House Districts and two South Carolina Senate
Districts where the majority of the population in each district
is within the boundaries of York County;
THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF WINTHROP UNIVERSITY
THAT the Board of Trustees of Winthrop University supports the
call for the Legislative Delegation representing the citizens of
York County and the South Carolina Legislature as a whole to
immediately begin taking the steps necessary to insure that the
citizens of York County are adequately, fairly, and equitably
represented in the South Carolina Legislature for the coming
decade through the delineation of five South Carolina House
Districts and two South Carolina Senate Districts where the
majority of the population in each district is within the
boundaries of York County.
February
23, 2001
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