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Volume XCIV, Number 36	_University of Southern California_Tuesday, October 25, 1983
University to decide on King’s birthday
By Doreen Guarino
Staff Writer
The university will observe a new federal holiday honoring the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. if the bill is approved by President Reagan, but administration officials have not yet decided whether classes will be held.
"The university observes all national holidays," said George Abdo, executive asssistant to university President James Zumberge. "Beyond that there has not been any detailed conversation on how that will be included into the academic calendar."
Congress approved passage of the bill last week, creating the holiday for the slain civil rights leader. The holiday would fall on the third Monday in January and would take effect in 1986.
The bill has yet to be signed into law by President Reagan. However, at a press conference Wednesday, Reagan said he would sign the bill when it reaches his desk.
Robert Biller, vice-provost, said that "when we know what its legal status is, we'll figure out how it will be entered into the university's calendaring process."
"The fact that it isn't implemented until 1986 gives us a little breathing room," Biller added. "Yes, (the university) will observe it in some way."
Whether King’s birthday becomes one of the 12 official university holidays or is added to make a 13th will ultimately be determined by President Zumberge, said John Schneider, director of human resources.
The process of making King's birthday an official university holiday will be carried out through recommendations from advisory groups such as the Student Senate and the Faculty Senate.
"The university has to decide what its academic calendar will be
—	which days the university will close down academically and close down for business," Schneider said. "Those decisions come out of the office of the president."
Bill Lilia, president of the Student Senate, said if someone brings a recommendation to the senate to make King7s birthday an official holiday, "we'll act on it."
"Right now I haven't heard of anyone with definite plans," Lilia said.
Darryl Adams, president of the Black Student Union, said that in January of last year, the BSU approached the Student Senate with the idea of having the university observe Martin Luther King's birthday as a holiday but nothing came of it.
"We have a much better chance now," Adams said.
In 1981, the BSU, with the help of the university, implanted a
(Continued on page 6)
City to install parking meters in campus area
Local street gangs pose little threat to students
doned cars," said Connie Meadows, an aide to Farrell. "With the meters, people couldn't leave their cars there."
Farrell said he does not expect the parking meters to be operational for at least a year pending discussion with university students and administrators as well as community residents.
"I am very open to meeting with the university administration as well as student representatives," Farrell said.
Details of the plan have been slow to reach university administrators who have for the most part refused comment until further study of the situation can be done.
Anthony Lazzaro, vice president of business affairs, is the only university administrator engaged in any discussion with Farrell. Jon Strauss, senior vice president of administration, said he had not heard of the plan and said he planned to look into the details of the proposal.
Lazzaro, who was just informed of the plan on Friday, is pushing for a delay in the implementation until several questions can be answered.
"The plan should be carefully thought out even though it is well-motivated," he said. "Students will be greatly surprised by the plan at first."
University administrators would not say whether they felt the meters would compete with on-campus university parking, which currently costs $2.75 per day $73.50 per semester for
commuting students.
Bill Lilia, president of the Student Senate, said he had not heard anything about the installation of parking meters but said the senate would investigate student parking around the university.
"One hour parking is a pain but (the use of parking meters) is obviously more expensive than parking on campus," Lilia said.
"I'm not saying I'm for or against it before we look into it and before we determine our options," he said.
Farrell said the exact locations for the proposed parking lot, which would be built from the
meters revenues, have not been determined but the dty is looking into an area between Menlo Street and Vermont Avenue as well as property on 27th Street which belongs to the auto club.
Former Senate President Dan Dunmoyer, member of the University Community Task Force, said, "We're not aware right now how the money (from the parking meters) will be spent, whether for the university or for Coliseum problems. It would be unfair for university students to pay for Coliseum events.
"A university of this needs to be more aware of the political motivations around it," he said.
By Carmen Chandler
Assistant Qty Editor
Several active street gangs inhabit the area surrounding the university community, but fortunately for university students, security officials say they pose little threat.
For the most part, graffitti scrawled on walls and buildings by local gangs serve as the only reminder to university students that hoodlums inhabit the surrounding community of South-Central Los Angeles.
To the north of the university are the Harpies, the Playboys
and the 18th Street gangs. To the east, in the Trinity area, are the Primera Flats, and to the south are The 60s.
'Typically they don't bother USC. They don't seem interested in us," said Dexter Thomas of University Security. "The gangs near campus tend to be Hispanic and they are more interested in each other than with us."
Det. Michael Anderson, with the LAPD southwest bureau's CRASH (Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums) unit agreed. "(They) are not bother-
ing the students at all," he said.
Thomas said students should be aware of the gangs around the campus, but not overly concerned.
"But students should be careful at anytime," he cautioned. "You've got gang members living all around the USC campus, but it's no different from any other campus. The students should keep aware of what they are doing."
Few Assaults
Thomas said there are few reports of gang members assault-(Continued on page 10)
ATHER A LI/DAILY TROJAN
Many area gangs leave their mark on local walls and buildings, however university officials say that the same gangs steer clear of campus.
By Kendra Ensor
Staff Writer
The dty of Los Angeles plans to install approximately 350 parking meters around the university and Coliseum area, a move made without prior consultation with university administrators.
Although the installation of the meters, part of a larger master plan proposed by City Councilman Robert Farrell, was proposed in July, administrators did not find out about the ded-sion until last Friday.
The meters are tentatively scheduled to be placed in non-residential areas between Adams Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and
between Flower Street and Vermont Avenue.
Although specific details regarding fees and hours have not been determined, Farrell said the meters may charge 50 cents an hour over a four-hour period. The revenue would be used to improve public parking in the area, which may mean building a parking lot.
Supporters of the plan say the meters will create a faster turnover of cars therefore giving students and residents a better opportunity to find adequate parking.
"One reason it's been done is because there is a great deal of parking by residents on the streets and there's a lot of aban-
Similar to Exposition Blvd., campus thoroughfares and sidestreets will soon be lined with parking meters.