dfeBHw trrfa
Volume XCIV, Number 25
University of Southern California
^Monday, October 10, 1983
University prospering, Zumberge speech says
By Mark Lowe
Assistant Gty Editor
The university has moved out of a time of "grim prospects" in enrollment, financing and faculty support and is now on the "right track" to improvements in coming years, President James Zumberge said in a speech Friday.
"Three years ago, we were made cautious by the convergence of several negative external forces," he said in his annual breakfast speech to university faculty. "I now see our university poised on the threshold of greatness, ready to thrust itself into the ranks of the few truly outstanding universities on this continent."
Zumberge said the original "grim outlook" has turned around and the outlook for the university for the remaining decade and the century is better than when he assumed the presidency in 1980.
He said the university has made advancements in fields that were declining, such as faculty research, student enrollment, retention and administrative record-keeping, and is improving other areas now.
"First, I see a mounting effort to improve the quality of undergraduate education," Zumberge said. "The significant improvement in the quality of our student body realized this year is an indication that high-quality instruction is expected by those who seek fulfillment of their academic objectives at USC.".
The grade point average of this year's entering freshman class was 3.36 and the average score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test was 1,081, which the admissions office has said is the highest in this university's history.
(Continued on page 3)
New bookstore plans approved by trustees
New building, closure of grill part of proposal
By Jeffrey Tylicki
Assistant City Editor
Construction of a new bookstore on Childs Way in the area between the Commons and Owens Hall was approved Thursday by the Board of Trustees.
The move means the area now occupied by the Trojan Bookstore will be utilized as office and meeting space for student organizations, space that had ori-
ginally been allocated^ in the proposed University Center. The new bookstore also will force the closing of the Commons Grill, which will be replaced by a bookstore annex.
Plans would triple the net sales area of the bookstore from 10,000 square feet now occupied by the bookstore to 30,000 square feet.
Bookstore Director Jack Arnold predicted the new facility would mean the end of the "rush card" system now used at the beginning of each semester to regulate the amount of students allowed into the store to buy books.
"I see a new store of this projected size alleviating the need to ever be on the tick-
et system again," Arnold said, adding that he hopes students see this as good news.
Construction plans, which are subject to funding approval from the board's finance committee, would involve removing the Owens Hall Annex, which currently houses the university credit union, said Jon Strauss, senior vice president of administration. He predicted that the annex building, which is still in fairly sturdy condition, may be picked up and moved to another part of campus.
Sales area for the new bookstore would occupy the area now used as the Commons Grill, as well as the first and second floors of the new building, the proposal said. Offices primarily for bookstore management would be housed on the top floor of the complex.
"This would facilitate the closure of the basement grill as an eating facility," Strauss said. "We predict the advent of the new West Dining Hall (currently under construction between Webb Tower and Residence West) will alleviate some of the Commons' business."
Arnold sees no problems with moving the bookstore out of the student union.
"Because we will still maintain a close relationship with the Commons, we will be able to maintain a great draw for students and visitors who are on campus for football games or other activities,” he said.
Arnold said non-text book items make up 51 percent of the volume of bookstore sales. He said the only store with larger sales volume of insignia items is UCLA, with Harvard University about the same as this university.
The bookstore move, said Strauss, also tied in with current studies on the University Center. He said placing student activity space in the Student Union, as opposed to University Center, would be a more effective plan. This would make the University Center a facility almost exclusively for recreational purposes. Likewise, the area of the Student Union and Student Activities Center would become the central location for student organizations and activities.
Bill Lilia, president of the Student Senate, was optimistic about the possibility of new space being available when the bookstore is moved.
"I think it will give us much needed
office space for student groups and will probably help keep building costs for the university center down," Lilia said.
An estimated cost for the bookstore project will be prepared in about four weeks, said Thomas Coffin, university architect. Strauss said the building will probably not be funded by outside donations since the bookstore is expected to pay for itself.
Construction cannot begin on the new bookstore until after next summer's Olympic Games, Coffin said. This means the earliest starting date would be September of 1984, he predicted.
The trustees awarded the construction contract to the architecture firm of Gril-lias, Pirc, Rosier, Alves. This was the same firm which designed Heritage and Grace Ford Salvatori Halls. Through these past projects, the proposal said the firm has "demonstrated its sensivity to the university environment and the ability to design structures which are compatible with some of our older structures."
Arnold, who has been at the university for eight years, said the idea of moving or enlarging the bookstore has been under consideration for the last year and a half.
"Our main concern has been the ability to serve the (entire university community)/' Arnold said. "Our biggest problems in serving students occur at the beginning of each semester."
According to the proposal submitted to the trustees, the university bookstore is the seventh largest college and university bookstore in the nation. While most of these stores experience average sales of $292 per year per square foot, the report said the university receives $823 per year per square foot in sales.
"Compared with other universities, this is an incredible use of space," said Strauss. "If you have ever seen the Stanford bookstore, you will know they have nearly three times as much space as we do, yet serve considerably less students."
The need for a larger full-time staff is not anticipated for the new bookstore, Arnold said. He explained any additional man-power needs would be made up with an increase of student employees, noting that this summer, his staff was reorganized to reduce the amount of fulltime employees.
"We want to produce as many jobs for students as possible," he said.
Zumberge rebuts senate
By Mark Lowe
Assistant Qty Editor
University President James Zumberge, responding Friday to a Student Senate resolution concerning the proposed University Center, said the resolution was a "misstatement of fact" and students have been adequately allowed to participate in the planning of the center.
Zumberge said the resolution-— which stated that the university has been negligent in including students in all stages of the Center's development—"misstated the facts of the case."
"The students have had as much to say about the wish list as anybody did," Zumberge said, adding the resolution "was more to reflect their frustration that nothing has been done."
The proposed $14.8 million center has been on the drawing board in various stages for years. About two years ago, it was conceived as a combination athletic facility and office building that would be built over the Olympic Swimming Pools.
Though both the Senate and the administration strongly support the idea of a university center, problems have arisen lately concerning who would
supervise planning, how the building would be funded and what facilities would be in the center.
The original proposal for the center suggested building it either over or next to the new swimming pools, and to include student office and meeting space along with athletic facilities such as racquetball and basketball courts.
But Zumberge, who supports having some sort of student center for recreational facilities, said it is not good planning to try to satisfy all those needs by placing them in one building.
He suggested student offices could be placed in the Student Union building where the bookstore now is, while the bookstore would be placed in a new building adjacent to the Commons, a proposal he submitted to the board of trustees.
Zumberge also opposed building the center above the pool, favoring instead, that it be built next to the pool. But he said the proposal to build above the pool had instilled in people a "preconceived notion" that the center could only be built a certain way.
He said the planning committee overstepped its original purpose and had "tried to formulate architectural design."