Daily # Trojan
University of Southern California
Vo/ume IXX/, Number 37
Los Angeles, California
Tuesday, April 12, 1977
PAC membership cut in half as Hubbard announces reorganization
By John Hughes
Staff Writer
Reorganization of the President’s Advisory Council was set in motion April 1 when president John R. Hubbard presented his proposal to the council and established a task force to implement the changes, which include reducing the size of the group to about half of its present number.
Inopeningthe special meeting
of the PAC to hear the reorganization proposal, Hubbard pointed out that four years ago “a great experiment known as PAC was begun. There was nothing sacrosanct about the organization.
“In February of this year...I asked that the leaders ofthe four caucuses prepare evaluative statements regarding the operation ofthe council, with particular attention to the experiences
Campus Security votes in new bargaining agent
By David Black
By a vote of more than two to one, Campus Security officers have elected to be represented by the newly formed Security Officers’ Assn. The 29-13 vote was held Thursday in a meeting supervised by the National Labor Relations Board.
The association is now recognized as the legal bargaining agent for its officers, said Charles Robb, the group’s president.
A contract is expected to be signed in the near future.
The group was formed following officers grievances over pay and working conditions.
John Lechner, Director of Campus Security and spokesman for the university, said he was surprised by the vote, adding that he thought it would have been closer.
All of Campus Security’s 42 patrol officers eligible to vote participated in the election. Campus Security supervisors (Lechner, the chief, captain, lieutenants and sergeants) were not allowed to vote, said Louis A. Gordon, assistant regional director forthe labor board's region 31.
Robb said he w as very impressed with the voter turnout. “It showed that there's no apathy among the officers.”
Leroy Brown, the association's vice-president, said he was disappointed that 13 officers voted against the unification measure. “I was expecting six or seven, but not 13,” Brown said.
The association will hold an organizational meeting Sunday, Robb said. The agenda includes election of a new board; each officer will serve for a one-year term.
The unification vote followed a meeting six days earlier between security officers and Anthony Lazzarro, vice-president for business affairs and Lechner.
The meeting was reportedly held in an attempt to sway undecided officers toward voting against joining the association. “Evidently it didn’t.” Brown said. “I think there were very few officers who were uncertain as to which way to vote, but I think the meeting put them on our side.”
Lechner declined comment when asked if he thought the meeting had any effect on the final vote. “It's hard to say. It was a good interchange, but Igot the distinct impression they (the officers) didn’t like the meeting.” he said.
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and needs of their constituencies.”
These statements were received March 15 by Hubbard and were used to draft a proposal that was then debated by the Executive Committee ofthe PAC.
Hubbard’s reorganization plan will reduce the size of the council from about 126 to 60 members, and will restrict the committee system, where proliferation of commissions subunits of standing committees has occurred.
Material submitted by the different caucuses showed a clear consensus on three points, Hubbard said “First, ” he explained, “was that PAC was too large and seemed to be unwieldy.”
Second was that the present committee system “is ineffective... is counterproductive and results in more frustration than anything else.” He said it was pointed out that there was too great a period between the recommendation and implementation of proposals and that there was an enormous pro-liferaton of committees.
The third area of consensus, Hubbard said, was that “we cannot produce a realistic budget through a political process. Actually what we did was have the cart before the horse.” Professionals should develop the budget and then the PAC should review it, Hubbard said, adding, “We have been just going through the drills for the past years.”
Implementation details ofthe president’s proposal were left to a task force he appointed.
Those appointed were Jay Savage, PAC chairman; Houston Flournoy, Council of Deans Chairman; Ben Greco, Staff Caucus chairman; Margaret Herrington, chairman of the Commission on Credientials and Elections; Elizabeth Horowitz, PAC vice-chairman. David Mars, chairman ofthe Commission on (continued on page 14)
SPRING FLORA — Daisies soak up the sun's brilliant rays and the never-ending life processes continue. DT photo by Douglas Gray.
Eleven groups selected to compete in Songfest
By Mike Simpson
Staff Writer
Eleven Songfest groups, among them several newcomers to Songfest competition, were chosen toparticipate May 7 in the show atthe Greek Theater. Preliminary auditions were held March 31 in Hancock Auditorium.
Songfest is a benefit event for Troy Camp in which almost 500 students are involved in performing four to six minute sketches which combine singing, dance costumes, sets, and props. The theme of Songfest 1977 is “For the Fun of It”
A panel of experts in music, drama and dance spent the day of auditions judging each group on the basis of their singing, music, lyrics, theme adaptation, originality and presentation. Of the 19 groups that auditioned, 11 were chosen, nine in the production division and 2 in the small group division.
Jerry- Papazian, Songfest Committee chairman, said he is very pleased with the numbers selected at preliminary competition “We have 11 excellent numbers,’’ he said, “and they will make Songfest a very entertaining and fun show.”
Among the groups which were selected for the May 7 presentation, three were either new or participating for the first time in many years. The Trojan Marching Band will be represented for the first time in many years, and a group made up ofyell leaders and song girls, as well as Kappa Alpha Psi and Alpha Kappa Alpha, a black fraternity/sorority group, will be participatingin Songfest forthe first time.
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Fire forces evacuation of Trojan Hall
By Gary Maloney
Staff Writer
A fire broke out early on March 31 in the Trojan Hall dining room kitchen, forcing an evacuation of the building by Campus Security and residence personnel.
Following the fire, which was soon contained, the dorm president and head resictent of Trojan Hall claimed that the alarm system in the dorm was inadequate and constituted a danger to residents. This claim was denied by the Office of Residence Halls, which is responsible forthe maintenance ofthe system.
The fire started shortly after 7:40a.m. Officer Robert DeVega of Campus Security was the first officer at the scene. “One of the kitchen personnel was doing a routine cleaning operation on one ofthe french-fry vats when escapinggas caught five,” DeVega said. “He couldn't put it out with the extinguisher, as the gas was under high pressure, putting out flame like a blowtorch.”
DeVega evaucated the kitchen personnel. The supervisor had called the fire department, which responded at 7:54 a.m. with five units. The fire was contained in 11 minutes. No damage was made to the kitchen; one worker had his hair singed, was treated and released, said Paul Copeland, director of Food Services.
DeVega said he feared the gas fire could spread back into the system and cause a major explosion, and then
decided to evacuate the two wings ofthe residence hall above the dining facility.
The supervisor, however, had rung the fire alarm for all five wings of the hall. (The alarm rings for 45 seconds. andthen must bepulled againto.ring.)Thealarm did not wake up students in the hall, said Craig Settles. Trojan Hall dorm president.
DeVega went up to the second floor of the hall, knocking on doors and telling students to evacuate the building through the east exit, as the kitchen is situated on the west end of the structure.
“Igot resistance from some students, who answered with obscenities and wise-ass remarks, but John New-house, the resident adviser for the floor, said he’d get the other wings and his own evacuated. Some guys even gave him trouble about leaving,” he said.
DeVega then joined fire officials arriving on the scene. Settles said the alarms were not loud enough to wake the students, and that an entire wing ofstudents (first floor, north wing) had to be rousted from their rooms by students from other wings because they had not heard the 45 second alarm bell.
In a statement to Randy Rice, director of residence halls, co-signed by the five Trojan Hall floor presidents, Settles said, “Had not the Security guard come through the second floor warning people...no evacuation would have occurred. The alarm failed even to awaken one ofthe second floor resident advisors.. The fire alarm system is grossly inadequate.’’
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