ONE OF MANY FIELDS—Women are becomming more and more involved in professions traditionally held by men. Vocations such as computer sciences and its related programs have had large increases in the
percentages of female employees. The trend is partially a result ofthe womens' liberation movement. DT photo by Bob Labayne.
Women toss aprons to enter professions
By Marie Demin/io
Stall Writer
Many women are talking about throwing away their aprons and going into what were once regarded as exclusively male professions. but a number of college freshman —both at USC and nationally—are actually doing just that.
One out of six of these women is planning a career in law. medicine, engineering or business, a study by UCLA and the American Council of Education shows. The actual figure. 16.9^, is three times that of nine years ago.
Alexander W. Austin, a UCLA professor who directed the study, said in an article published Jan. 19 in the Los Angeles Tnves. that the rise can be attributed to the women's movement, which hasconvinced a lotof high school girls that they can pursue these occupations and be treated on an equitable basis with men.
The national study has been conducted for the past 10 years at institutions all over the country. USC has participated for the last two years.
In August 1975. the questionnaires were voluntarily answered by 527 (20^) of firsttime entering freshmen.
The study also showed that the number of men and women who plan to become elementary and secondary teachers has dropped significantly, from 21.7rr in 1966 to 6.5^ in 1976.
Austin said this may create problems in the education field: "Even though we have a surplus of teachers now. if you project this decline into the job market five or six years from now we could very well be in for a dearth of school teachers.”
There appears to be a shorter time lag between changes in the job market and trends in career choices than was seen ten years ago.
This is perhaps due to the rapid flow of information about employment opportunities in specif ic fields of study—causing students to select ma jors closely related to the current job market. said Veronica Tincher. research associate for the Office of Institutional Studies, in a preview of the USC freshman class survey of 1975.
Tincher also said the proportion of students in comparative private universities such as Baylor. Marquette. Hofstra. New York University and Brigham Young (which is considered to be the closest related university to USC in academic standards), planning to complete their education at the bachelor’s degree level plummeted by about one-half since last year.
USC s freshmen showed a remarkably different pattern. Although 31^ ofthe women in 1974 planned to complete their education at the bachelor's degree level as compared ^22^ in 1975. the proportion of men increased in the past year.
Trends in grading practices are reflected in self-reported high school grade point averages of the USC survey group. The percentage of students with a high school average of B or better rose from 93^ in 1971 to 95rv ... 1974 and down to 92^ in 1975.
Other private universities of medium selectivity (combined average SAT score of 1050) have not followed these trends although the national figures for
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Ruling may halt special admissions at law school
The special admissions program for minorities at the Law Center may be confronted with a court ruling that would eventually halt the program.
The ruling will affect not only the law school here, but law schools across the country. It all depends w hether a decision of a Yolo County Superior Court judge is upheld in favor of an applicant who sued the University of California at Davis law school for sex and race discrimination. The Yolo County judge decided that such discrimination is in violation of the equal protection provision of the 14th Amendment.
David Kallick. assistant dean of students for the Law Center, said if the ruling is upheld, it will greatly affect the center.
“We feel our program is operating constitutionally.” he said Tuesday. "But if the courts tell us to change it. we'll change it. If the decision is upheld, the program will be altered substantially.”
Kallick said a committee will meet in the near future to reevaluate the program in light of the recent litigation. But he added that the meeting was a regularly scheduled study and
(continued on page 2)
University of Southern California
Volume LXVIII, Number 80 Los Angeles, California Wednesday, February 25, 1976
Gay Student Union gets appropriation for library
Dick Gregory to speak as part of black activities
Daily
Trojan
By Bob Me Loud
Staff Wsiter
The Gay Student Union has gotten over many a hurdle try ing to get recognition at the university but the race isn't over yet.
Last July the Board of Trustees recognized the Gay Student Union, thus enabling it to hold its meetings on campus and request money from the Campus Activities Allocation Board.
Nearly two weeks ago the allocation board approved a budget request from the group for $1,980. The money is to be.used primarily for a library on campus stocking literature about homosexuality, said Matt St. George, a chairperson of the union.
Most of the money will be to pay for two multi-volume jour-
nals written on homosexuality, he said.
That along with the periodicals the university library holds would comprise the largest homosexual bibliography on the WTest Coast, St. George said.
“We want people to have a place to go for research and information on homosexuality and the library will give many people information helpful to them in coping with their gayness.”
The union plans to house the library w-ithin its office, but since being recognized, the union has been unable to find office space within the university.
Office space is normally given out during the spring semester by the Student Union Board.
The gay union made a request last spring for office space but
Rise in housing rates expected for next year
Proposed housing rates for next year wri 11 be presented to the Residential Halls Coordinating Council tonight, said Guy Hubbard, director of auxiliary services.
Sharon M. Kettler, residential assignment coordinator, said a general price increase is expected for all facilities.
Hubbard would not comment on the predicted cost increase, and said that no announcements will be made until tonight.
Residence hall rate increses for the 1975-76 school year were up an average of $65 a semester from the previous year. Webb Tower experienced a lower price hike.
The new apartments. Cardinal Gardens and Troy Hall, are expected to cost slightly more than the new’ Webb Tower monthly rates.
A three-phase lottery will be conducted next week to determine which students currently living on-campus w ill be allowed to return.
Lottery one. on March 1, is for students who w ish to live in the new apartments, and together comprise 900 apartments.
March 8 is the lottery date for those who wish to remain in their same facility. Lottery three, for students who want to change halls, is March 15.
All students living in residence facilities should have received a copy of the sign-up procedures.
Fifty percent of those students currently living in undergraduate residence facilities will be allowed to return. “This policy was decided on years ago.” Kettler said. In the past 60-70^ of the residents wished to remain in their current facilities.
Graduate halls will allow 100°7( of their residents to return.
The lottery has been designed to “eliminate kids standing out all night in front ofthe residental life office,” said Kettler.
Dick Gregory, a political activist and comedian. will speak Thursday about "Images and Expressions.” The program, offered as one of the activities of Black History Month, will be held at 12:30 p.m. in Bovard Auditorium.
Gregory, who detailed his growing-up experiences as a black in Nigger, was most recently involved in investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The program is sponsored by the Associated Black Students of Southern California. DT photo by Bob Selan
was refused, St. George said.
"We were not yet a campus group but everyone we talked to admitted that we were sure to be approved by the trustees during the summer. This fall when we requested space we were told that requests should be made in the spring. We felt we were a special case and some sort of ac-commondations should be supplied.” St. George said.
The union tried to get space in the law school with the help of their new faculty advisor, Donald Knutson.
Knutson made the request to Jerry Wiley, associate dean of the school. Wiley talked with James Appleton about getting the union space outside of the law school. He was told that there would be space available next fall and the union should make their request this spring, St. George said.
St. George explained the union would like the space this semester, because it feels peo-pleshould have some w ay ofcon-tacting the group.