Daily ® Trojan
University of Southern California
Volume LXVIII, No. 6	Los Angeles, California	Wednesday, September 24, 1975
MYSTERY BUILDING
Taxidermists stuff new wing
HAUNTED MANSION—While it looks like a possible site for a horror movie, this campus building has been the home of the Museum of Naturd History's taxidermy studio for the last 64 years. Located at 915 Exposition Blvd., the studio will be moved to the new wing of the museum when completed.
By Al Hix
The address is 915 Exposition Blvd., on the southern outskirts ofthe campus. An ancient brick building, nearly hidden behind a tangle of long-unpruned exotic plants and trees, hides here.
A wire fence circles the building—a brick building, two stories high. The electrical connections on the street side have been cut. The windows are thick with dust and grime, opaque.
What the heck is it there for?
The building is strapped top and bottom with bands of metal, painted with red lead. What are the bands for? Perhaps to keep the building from sighing and falling in a heap.
Next door is Parkview, another old building that is part of the university. Personnel is in Parkview. It is old, but at least it us used.
The building at 915 is still hidden; it looks and feels like it was forgotten, like it fell off some inventory of campus buildings a long time ago and no one caught the loss.
Bypassed.
I had heard of the place from Louis Wheeler, professor emeritus of biological science. He had been plant and tree hunting, and had stumbled upon the place.
I prowled, found a gate that would open and pushed it in. The windows were dark, and yet I thought I could see something moving inside.
Kolchak, the Night Stalker kind of stuff.
I walked to the back of the building and turned the corner. A man was standing there. I said “hi” and introduced myself.
He introduced himself. Don Naibert.
What was he doing there?
Animals. Stuffing animals.
The building isn’t empty or deserted, after all. Just neglected. It is the two-story taxidermy studio for the Museum of Natural History across Exposition Boulevard. Naibert works with Tom Olmstead preparing animals for the habitat groups in the museum.
The building was designed by John Kowley, then taxidermist at the museum, and was built in 1911. It has been used continuously as a taxidermy studio since. The taxidermists have worked on elephants and monkeys and right now are working on a pair of hyenas.
In 1963, the giant bull African elephant was prepared here and taxied across the street to the museum.
(continued on page 3)
Alcohol policy to be tightly enforced
By Sherie Stark
staff writer
“The possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages on the University of Southern California campus is permitted within the limits prescribed by state and federal laws and in accordance with such regulations as may be established by the administration of the university, with the understanding that all persons are in all respects subject to those laws and further, that university regulations govem-iruj personal ccizdu-ct, as vceil as those relating specifically to the use of alcohol shall be observed and enforced....”
SCampus
Under the above policy, which was accepted by the Board of Trustees five years ago, several guidelines were set up: identification was to be checked to insure that minors were not served liquor, and an alternate beverage was to be served at all social activities at which minors were in attendance.
An alcohol permit, to be signed by a responsible party over 21 was required for all planned activities serving liquor. Advertising for parties could not include any mention of liquor to be served.
While the actual policy has not been changed, some students say the policy is being more closely adhered to this year than in the past.
By not allowing Resident Advisers to sign for alcohol permits, and by emphasizing the responsibility assumed by the student signing for the permit, stricter enforcement of the policy is already being felt in the residence halls, and is intended eventually to effect the Row as well.
“While we may be emphasizing the risks involved, the actual policy has not changed,” said Robert L. Mannes, dean for student life. “The only real difference is that we will not be issuing alcohol permits to freshman floors or rush parties, because these activities would be primarily directed to people under 21. At all other functions,
there is no real change, because
I.D.’s were supposed to have been checked all along.” Mannes said the reasons for the emphasis on the policy this year are the excessive amount of drinking on campus, the increase in judicial problems indirectly related to drinking, the recent trend of the courts placing more responsibility on those furnishing liquor to minors and the health threat of “turning out a generation of alcoholics.”
Students’ responsibility
“The administration will not take the initiative to act as policemen, peeking into windows and such,” Mannes said. “We can only inform the students of their responsibilities, and hope that they will have good judgment. I’m pleasantly surprised at the extent of responsibility that has been realized thus far.”
Hans Reichl, director of residential life, said that the university is concerned with the students’ dependence on the use of alcohol for such a large portion of their social life.
“We’re hoping for a change of tone from past years—things had just gotten out of hand; the focus had been too exclusively on drinking for too long.”
He said that the reason Resident Advisers are no longer allowed to sign for alcohol permits is that students should learn how to do things for themselves, especially in matters where they must take responsibility for their actions*.
“We don’t hire the RAs to run the floors, but to assist,” he said.
Some students complain Ray Connover, head resident at Birnkrant Residence Hall, said the tightening of the policy had angered some students in the residence halls. He said that some feel they must go to the Row to have a good time. Other residents understand the need to comply with state law, but that most are somewhere in the middle, Connover added.
Connover also said that at a reception in Birnkrant Dining Hall last week there was no liquor served, and that the turn-
out and reaction was very encouraging.
“Personally, I think that there has been too much of an emphasis on drinking,” he said. “Those same energies can be used to make the social activities better events in and of themselves, rather than having drinking be the main attraction.”
The situation on the Row has not changed as quickly as in the residence halls, although efforts are being made to soften some of the attitudes preventing such 5 change.
“The actual enforcement of the policy is the same for both living groups,” said Kirk Hastings, assistant director of residential life in charge of fraternities. “But the attitude is different. The influence of the university is not as direct over the
fraternities, mainly because they think of themselves as autonomous corporations.
“Also, the tradition of drinking is stronger on the Row, and the need to draw people to rush activities almost demands maintaining that tradition to some extent. If we were to try to cut out drinking altogether, we’d have to close down the Row.
RAs support policy
Hastings added that he thought the resident advisers were supporting the alcohol policy this year been use tlicv were made more aware of their individual responsibility and because they are more closely involved with the university.
“It’s like the difference in attitude between renters and homeowners—the feeling of direct responsibility is just greater in university-owned and con-
trolled housing,” he said.
Tom Walper, second vice-president of the Interfratemity Council in charge of rush, said that flyers advertising liquor are being restricted this year, and that alternative beverages are being offered to minors. However, liquor is still being served on the Row without checking identification, he said.
Problems daring rush
“We know that there’s way too much liquor being served at rush, and we are trying to cut down.” Walper said. “But there
has to be alcohol in any given house to compete with the other houses for rushees. Actually, the selling of a house should be more on the individuals in a particular house than on the amount of booze served, but this isn’t always the case,” he said.
(continued on page 3)
New commanding officer plans change in NROTC unit outlook
A new commanding officer of the university’s Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps unit has assumed his duties here.
Capt. James R. Mills, professor of naval science, has taken over the post vacated by Col. William F. Saunders Jr. Saunders, the commanding officer of the unit for nearly two years, has been assigned to the Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton.
Although most midshipmen and officers were reluctant to discuss the action last spring, some midshipmen felt Saunders’ reassignment was a result of the Navy’s dissatisfaction with his performance.
Cmdr. Robert White, of the office of the Chief Naval Education and Training in Pensacola, Florida, said at that time, “Any suggestion that this is a punitive action is not factual.”
Mills said he knew little of the situation before he came to the university or the reason for Saunders’ reassignment. He said he is looking more toward
the future of the ^JROTC program here.
“I’m delighted to be here within the university community and I’ve always wanted a job like
CAPT. JAMES R. MILLb
this,” Mills said.
Some midshipmen said Saunders ran the unit in a much tighter and tougher structure than the previous officer, Navy Capt. Francis P. Koval.
His methods upset some midshipmen, but others thought they were beneficial.
Mills said he has looked at the previous priorities of the unit on campus and said they may change direction.
“We want to fit the unit more closely to the university environment and we don’t want to make such demands to degrade the student and keep him from doing what he wants to do—get a quality education,” Mills said Mills also hopes to establish more openness and more empathy with the students in order to achieve goal congruency.
“We don’t warn to cast a mold,” said Mills. “We admire diversities in education and teaching and we hope the ROTC classes will have a closer alignment with curriculum.”
Mills comes to the university with over 22 years of Naval service. His last assignment was to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon.
He graduated from the NROTC program at the University of Wisconsin and also served as an NROTC instructor in Colorado.