University of Southern California
Volume LXXII, Number 18	Los Angeles, California	Thursday, October 13, 1977
By Lois Pitter
Staff Writer
Students who accept loans, later file for bankruptcy and have delinquent accounts with the university will be denied access to their transcripts.
A recent decision made by a federal appeals court in a private-college case in Missouri upholds the policy that transcripts may be denied to graduates who declare bankruptcy and have not paid student loans.
According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, a case was brought before the federal appeals court regarding two students at Webster College who had declared bankruptcy but
who had received university loans and were requesting college transcripts.
Warren K. Urbom, a federal district judge from Nebraska, wrote the court’s opinion, which upheld a U.S. district judge’s dismissal of the former students’ claims.
Colin MacCleod, USC’s vice-president for financial affairs, said the court decision upheld a policy the university has followed for years.
“This recent decision confirms that what we have been doing is legally acceptable and appropriate,” he said.
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, in rejecting the two students’ claims, upheld a decision made earlier this year in
College-University still considered women’s hall
By Lynn Sprenger
Staff Writer
Officially, College-University Residence hall is a women’s dormitory — give or take 70 men living on the first floor.
College-University hasn’t been officially designated as a coeducational hall because the assignment of men to the rooms is only a temporary situation. Hans Reichl, director of the Office for Residential Life. said.
•We’ll be looking at the whole coeducational question this year,” Reichl said. “We re establishing a task force of people to work on it now.”
The task force w ill consist of students from the Residential Halls Coordinating Council, the Student Community Council and residential staff members, along with staff from Auxiliary Services and the Office for Residential Life.
Reichl hopes the task force will have completed a major proposal concerning next year’s housing assignments by the end of this semester.
The problem facing the task force is how to provide living spaces for students in proportion to the ratio of men and women applying
for housing.
"Title IX (of the Education Amendment of 1972) says we must provide spaces forthe same ratio as people applying,” Reichl said.
Both this year and last year more men than women have been on
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DISCUSS BAKKE, FINANCIAL AID
the case of McLellan v. Mississippi Power & Light Co.
In that suit, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stated “no statutory provision shields a bankrupt from later economic consequences visited upon him by private individuals.”
Webster College, as a private institution, was therefore free to deny requests from the bankrupt graduates for transcripts.
Circuit Judge Myron Bright, who concurred with Urbom’s ruling, stated that he believed that a public college or university could legally refuse a transcript request in such a situation.
This university’s official policy on the issue as it is stated in the bulletin of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences states that “students who fail to make payments on any indebtedness to the university when due (including tuition, deferred tuition, housing or rental charges, student loans, laboratory fees, library or parking fines) is considered sufficient cause, until the debt is settled with the applicable university office, to bar the student from class or exams, withhold diploma. scholastic certificate, transcript of record or suspend the student. This policy will be equally enforced against debts discharged through bankruptcy.”
“We’ll hold the transcripts if the student owes us money and is delinquent in his account with the university,” MacCleod said.
He added that the university had never had any particular problems with the policy. “Most of our students pay on time and settle their accounts so we don’t have to invoke the policy,” he said.
Students air complaints at forum
By Mike Schroeder
Stair Writer
Affirmative action, bureaucracy in the Financial Aid Office and the checking of student identification at football games are the main concerns of students here, if their comments at Wednesday’s Student Senate Forum are any indication.
The forum, the first of two scheduled for this week — the other is slated for today — was designed “to get some sort of Hulse on the students’ concerns, and to get the Student Senate in touch with the students it represents.” Bill Dauster, Student Senate chairman, said in his opening remarks.
A group of 40 students, along with a dozen senate officials, attended the meeting. About seven students aired complaints.
The Bakke v. University of California Board of Regents case was the prime source of comments from the audience. They were chiefly concerned with the ruling’s effects on university affirmative action policies in admissions and scholarship areas.
Michael Williams, a third-year law student, opened the discussion by telling the group
that “the Bakke decision.” if upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, will cause cutbacks in special admissions, affirmative action and employment programs.
“The university saw what the community needed on the outside of the campus and worked to meet those needs through the affirmative action programs,” (continued on page 2)
MELLOW SOUNDS—In spite of a location chonge caused by filming on campus, a large crowd gathered in Alumni Park to relax to the midday melodies of singer-songwrfter Kenny Wilson. DT photo by Doug Gray.
Group studies wider range of health plans
A wider range of health insurance plans, including one that would cover normal pregnancy deliveries, is being considered by the Student Health Advisory Committee.
The present policy covers only Caesarean deliveries and pregnancy complications. It does not provide any benefits for normal deliveries or abortions.
Addie Klotz, director of the Student Health Center, said 90% of the pregnancies reported at the center end in abortion. The cost of coverage for normal pregnancies is high, she said, but since abortions cost about one-tenth that of delivering a child, she believes it
HAVING THEIR SAY—Students met in Von KleinSmid Center lounge to discuss their concerns at a senate forum. DT photo by Renee Cottrell.
may be worthwhile for the insurance company to include normal pregnancies in the student policies here.
The revision would increase the cost of student insurance. Men may not be too happy about paying for benefits they don't use. said Peter Anastas-siou, who has researched insurance options. But he pointed out that men’s sports injuries constitute a large percentage of the claims affecting the premiums women pay.
Anastassiou said the committee also was considering giving students a choice of three plans instead of the single policy now available. Costs for each plan have not been determined.
The current plan is a $100 deductible policy. Blue Cross pays all of the costs — including major medical expenses incurred during extended hospital stays — beyond the first $100.
The plan would continue to be offered, and the university would offer two alternatives. The first would cover 100% and not pertain to major medical expenses. A second would pay 80% of the costs, excluding major medical expenses.
Anastassiou estimated the price difference between each category’ would be $10.
The Student Health Advisory Committee also established a subcommittee to review the budget and insure that student health fees only go toward student health services.
In addition, the advisory committee mentioned plans to send a representative to the Committee on Student Life meetings in a move to be heard by the President's Advisory Committee.
Daily
Troian
Court upholds denial of transcripts to graduates who default on loans