Daily ft Trojan
University of Southern California
Volume LXXII, Number 56_Los Angeles, California Tuesday, December 13, 1977
Bookstore intensifies security in effort to control holiday shoplifting
By Rori Benka
Staff Writer
Security in the Trojan Bookstore has been intensified this week in an effort to control the surge in shoplifting associated with heavy holiday shopping.
Five agents from the Auxiliary Services Loss Prevention Team are patrolling the bookstore to discourage what they say is internally generated shoplifting — by faculty, students and staff. Only two agents walk the floors during the usual hours.
In addition, Campus Security officers say “outsiders” and visiting tour groups are providing an additional threat to bookstore security at this time of the year.
In an incident on Monday, 10 to
12	members of a visiting Mexican soccer team suspected of shoplifting required the assistance of at least three Campus Security officers to detain the group.
Mike Hearn, director of the loss prevention tea'm, said T-shirts, shorts and other USC paraphernalia were being passed among the group and stuffed into bags that contained merchandise already purchased.
Because suspects must leave the bookstore in order to be questioned and detained by the investigators, Campus Security officers were called to insure that the group would not quickly spread out and flee.
Composition courses changed for freshmen
By Carla Schalman
SufT Wrter
Major changes in freshman writing courses including the establishment of a separate composition program, were approved by the university curriculum committee of the President’s Advisory Council Tuesday.
The proposal for the changes was formulated by the freshman composition committee. The committee was formed last spring after the undergraduate education commission recommended that freshman composition be made a separate program.
The commission said current 101 courses fulfilling the requirement should be dropped as soon as possible. These courses will gradually be phased out. Other courses in different departments will also no longer fulfill the requirement.
John H. Marburger, dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and Paul E. Hadley, academic vice-president, must sign the committee’s minutes before the program goes into effect next fall. Marburger said he and Hadley have agreed to approve the program.
The new requirement applies to incoming students next fall.
The current requirements allow a number of courses to fulfill the freshman composition requirements. These include English 101, 102 and 400, Comparative Literature 101 and 102, Classics 101, Linguistics 101, 210 and 315, Slavic Languages and Literature 101 and 102, Cinema 101, History 112, Philosophy 250 and Speech Communications 102 and 322.
The freshman composition program is not a program at all because it exists in so many different departments, said Sylvia Manning, head-of the freshman writing program.
“Where it stands now it is much too diffuse to be anything,” she said.
The new program will consist of one course called Composition 101. It will be a two-semester, eight-unit course in expository writing.
“It really is a two-semester course,” Manning said. “You’re developing a single skill. You can't master half of it. You can’t half write.”
Some students will have fulfilled the course requirements in one semester by earning a grade of “A.” These students will have an additional four units of electives.
(continued on poge 2)
After questioning that was conducted with Spanish and English translations, the suspects relinquished several items, which the investigators say may not have been all that was taken.
But Hearn scoffs off Monday’s incident as unusual, emphasizing that the majority of bookstore thefts are committed by “insiders.”
“Tour groups are always a problem but it’s the people stopping in the bookstore to pick up a single item who we think are primary offenders,” he said. Students, mostly males, are detained, but faculty and staff are not exempt from bookstore security enforcement, Hearn said.
Sources within the bookstore say that faculty and “bigwig” thefts have been major problems for some time. Although no names were mentioned, the individuals were called “recognizable.”
Peak shoplifting hours are from 12:30 to 2 p.m., when activity near the Student Union and bookstore increases with lunch breaks and free time spans. Monday's checkout lines were long and last-minute shoppers strolled elbow-to-elbow around the aisles.
The loss preventon team, instituted two years ago under Hearn, consists of seven plainclothes agents. Officially, they are the only investigative body on campus.
Most are in their 20s and look like students or younger staff members. They wear jeans, some have mustaches and one agent is female.
But unlike Campus Security, the investigators do not have the right to ask for university identification if they suspect a criminal act. Yet, like the officers, they are subject to civil suits and can encounter similar danger in the line of duty.
Still, without the right to require a suspect’s identification, agents aren’t dissatisfied. “We’d rather let somebody go than make a false arrest because people are greedy
—	they come back and try to steal again. We catch them eventually,” one agent said.
(continued on poge 2)
THICK SKIN — An example of Jon Palmer’s unique rubber sculpture will be on display until Jan. 6 in the Fisher Gallery. The exhibit features a collection of art made to resemble the skin of models. See story and additional photos on page 7. DT photo by Marsha Traeger.
Student expenses budget approved by commission
By Lynn Sprenger
Staff Writer
The Student Administrative Services Commission approved a proposed budget of student living expenses, excluding tuition, for the 1978-79 school year Thursday.
The budget is one element of total educational costs used by the College Scholarship Service in determining a student’s financial need. Students who want to be considered for university, state or federal aid must file a Financial Aid Form (FAF) with the College Scholarship Service.
“Need is not you (students) saying you're needy.” Linda Berkshire, director of student aid programs, said. “It's a concept as defined by the College Scholarship Service and all institutions that participate in the uniform methodology of need analysis. Need is basically the result of subtracting the expected parents' and student's contribution from the projected cost of attending USC.”
The Office of Institutional Studies compiled the budget based on research into student living expenses and projections from current data to the 1978-79 school year, taking into account inflationary adjustments.
Student cost estimates are derived from the local Consumer Price Index, dormitory fees and rental estimates from services such as Find-A-Flat.
Prior to the commission's approval, Lawrence Raful. commission chairman, asked for feedback on the proposed budget from all organized student groups. Berkshire said.
Raful took suggestions from student groups to the commission before its vote.
The commission also approved new summer savings expectation figures for 1978-79. All dependent students who apply for financial aid are expected to work during the summer and save some of their earnings for their educational expenses. Berkshire said.
(continued on poge 2)
'Hot Car* Club works to prevent campus auto thefts
By Wendy Zimmerman
Staff Writer
As off Nov. 1, thieves had stolen 190 cars from the campus and surrounding community this year, said Sgt. Gary Russ of Campus Security.
Russ said 47 of the 190 cars were taken from on campus.
Along with thefts, a lot of vandalism and burglaries occur. Russ said 145 auto burglaries were committed in the same period.
Despite the high crime rate, precautions to lessen the risks are listed in the brochure for a newly formed organization, the “Hot Car” Club.
Some of the precautions in the pamphlet include locking the car. rolling up all the windows and not leaving anything in sight in the car.
Paul J. Kivimski, auto theft investigator for the Los Angeles Police Department, said most cars in the campus area are taken by amateurs and the longer it takes an amateur to get into and start a car, the more likely the car won’t be stolen.
Police recovered 86% of the cars stolen from the area in
1976	and 18% of the vehicles were found stripped.
Where a car is parked is also a factor in deterring a thief.
Russ advised parking the car on campus and, if possible, a bit off by itself instead of in a cluster, because it is easier to spot someone attempting a break-in or a theft.
It is also better to park on top of the parking structure or on the outside edge so people looking out the windows or surrounding buildings could see a thief and call authorities before a car is stolen or vandalized, Russ said.
Kivimski commented that the vacant lot at Vermont Avenue and 37th Street across from the univesity is one of the highest problem areas as far as thefts and burglaries go, but the problem is not as bad on campus.
The “Hot Car” Club works to prevent and also aid in recovering stolen vehicles.
The Student Union Board and Campus Security are sponsoring the membership drive on campus. A table will be set up in front of Tommy Trojan from noon to 2 p.m. today through Friday for persons to fill out membership applications and pick up their free antitheft door-lock buttons when they join. Membership is free.
Over 42,000 Southern Californians have joined the club iince it started Aug. 1, said Mary Kellogg, advertising
promotion manager at KNXT, a local television station.
Crocker Bank, KNXT and radio station KFW B are sponsoring the club.
A member’s vehicle information goes into a computer at Crocker Bank and if his car is svolen, the information is sent to KNXT and KFWB. The information is broadcast over the air so anyone hearing the message could look for the car to aid in its recovery.
Kelllogg said 36 members’ cars were stolen and they have a 50% recovery rate.
. She also said USC is the first campus to hold a membership drive and there are plans to expand the drive to UCLA, California State University at Los Angeles and Los Angeles City College in January.
Montgomery W'ard stores are offering to install an ignition-kill switch at cost for $9.95 to all club members. When the car is parked the owner turns on the device, which automatically cuts the ignition if anyone tries to start the car.
Mechanics from Montgomery W ard will install the devices in the Married Student Housing parking lot from 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. Installation takes about 30 minutes.