Hazing sparks suspension
Prohibits Sigma Nu activities
By David Wharton
Staff Writer
The university has suspended the Sigma Nu fraternity for the remainder of the semester and placed it on probation for next semester because of a hazing violation for which the fraternity has assumed responsibility.
The punitive action was endorsed in a statement issued by the university and the Sigma Nu National Fraternity, acting as partners in the de-cision-making process. The sanction was recommended by a university conduct review panel, which held a hearing Friday to investigate the incident.
The university and the national fraternity stated they were “shocked and alarmed by the nature of the occurrence, which endangered the safety and lives of two Sigma Nu pledges.”
The pledges were stripped to their underwear and left tied to a highway sign near Bakersfield during the early morning hours of Oct. 6. They were discovered by law enforcement officials, who saw to their safe return to the university.
“Basically, the suspension means we have had all rights removed: social, athletic, little sister program . . . the whole bit,” said J. Clancy Lav-ins, president of the Sigma Nu chapter here.
The suspension prohibits all Sigma Nu house activities except for those designated to continue by the university and the national fraternity. University officials refused to reveal which house functions would be restricted, and national fraternity officials were not available for comment.
In a written statement. Lavins said his fraternity opposes hazing, and this incident has caused his house to rededicate themselves to that policy.
“This incident was certainly an exception rather than a rule of our long-honored pledge education program,” he wrote.
Although the Sigma Nu fraternity will continue to be involved in the Inter-Fraternity Council government, other activities that may be limited include pledging and initiation.
"It (the sanction) is severe in that it limited all of the chapter’s activities,” said Brad Wilier, Inter-Fraternity Council president. “In other words, there is going to be zero social activities and they will not be able to participate in the Inter-Fraternity Council sports program.
“I wish the university had not felt it necessary to go as far as a suspension, but they did. And although I do not agree with (the decision), I do understand where they were coming from,” he said.
“In the long run I think this will help the Greek system because the system must realize that hazing should not be a part of any pledge program and that any hazing incident will be dealt with in a swift and serious manner.” Wilier said.
“I see this as a very strict sanction, but it definitely takes into account the past history of the fraternity,” said Dale Nienow, assistant director of Residential Life, referring to Sigma Nu's reputation as a non-hazing fraternity.
The sanction might have been more severe were it not for the local chapter’s past record as a model fraternity, read the university’s statement, which was officially approved by Jeremy Stringer, assistant vice president for Residential Life, and Maurice Littlefield, the executive director of the national chapter.
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(okfiHw trojan
Volume XCI Number
University of Southern California	Thursday, October 22, 1981
POLICY LENIENT
Foreign enrollment to increase
By George Aguilar
Staff Writer
The University Admissions Committee received a report Wednesday indicating that foreign students will make up a large proportion of the student body in the years to come. They also learned that admission standards for transfer students are not as strict as they appear.
In an effort to become familiar with foreign student enrollments, the committee heard from John Callaghan, executive director of the Office for International Students and Scholars, who told them that university policy towards admitting international students will have to change in the near future.
Callaghan cited an article in the Oct. 21 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education, which states that the number of foreign students at American universities could reach one million by the early 1990s. That would triple the current number of foreign students enrolled which totals 312,000.
Since the university has the largest foreign student enrollment of any university in the country, Callaghan reasoned that the university should prepare to change its admission policy.
“By 1990, the international student population wrill be one million. If that is so, there will have to be a. significant change in university policy,” Callaghan said.
He said the university now
has an open-door policy in admission decisions, and since the university attracts so many foreign students, it will have to prepare for more.
One reason for the large enrollment of foreign students is because the university does not require that international students be proficient in English. Callaghan said foreign students are accepted on academic standing alone. Once in the
country, the international students are given an English placement test, ff they do not pass,' or cannot speak the language to begin with, they must spend at least a semester in the American Language Institute on campus.
A university like Stanford, Callaghan added, will not accept foreign students if they are not proficient in English.
(Continued on page 3)
Staff photo by Andrew Innerartity
TAKE A BITE OF THE WORLD - Two students leave Alumni Park with balloons they received from the International Food Fair. The International Student Association sponsored the event which featured foods ..from around the world.
Commission studies impacts of Olympics
By R. Jane Zachary
The University Neighborhood Relations Commission Wednesday once again focused on the 1984 Olympic Games and their impact on the university and surrounding community, an issue which has dominated several of the commission’s recent meetings.
Leonard Wines, executive assistant to Michael Radock. senior vice president of Development and University Affairs, acknowledged the current shortage of information regarding the impact of the Games on the university, and announced plans to remedy the situation.
“We’re putting together all
Group seeks to redevelop areas
Will focus on restoring buildings
By Charla Foster
Staff Writer
Community group members expressed a continued desire to revitalize older areas surrounding the university by "strongly supporting” a possible expansion of the Hoover Redevelopment Project.
Speaking at a Central Park Five Council meeting Wednesday, David Lewis, Community Redevelopment Association deputy administrator for Project Operations, opened the project’s expansion for discussion, stressing the continued need to “preserve and revitalize” older areas surrounding the university.
The project nearly completed, the administrator said its expansion would focus on re-storing’old buildings, rather than constructing new ones.
“Working together, we can devise the best plan for the rehabilitation and revitalization of our community,” he said, adding that the Reagan administration had drastically cut the public funding involved in these projects.
‘The whole picture of public funding has changed radically in the last five years due to
the current administration’s priorities, and we have less public money available today than 10 years ago.”
Because of scarce government funds, Lewis suggested that, in the future, less time and money might be spent on studying prospective revitalization areas.
“Rather than taking money for studies, I suggest the agencies (government) take a look at the entirety of the area surrounding USC. Some are well maintained areas and it makes no sense to spend money and time to find out nothing needs to be done from the public sector.”
The administrator also stressed that community groups keep “constant communication with the City Council” regarding the project.
Outlining the project’s history', Lewis said the redevelopment began in 1961 as a local concern about the physical condition of this community.
The project, first planned and implemented under the now extinct Federal Renewal Organization. was approved by the council in
1967, he said.	.. .
(Continued on page 5)
the questions and trying to find answers to them so we can put these answers in a document of some sort,” Wines said.
Wines hopes to distribute this information in pamphlet form to “all members of the university community: faculty, staff and students.”
The pamphlet would deal with the concerns of students, faculty and staff, but not the concerns of community members about the effects of the Games. Such concerns were expressed by several community leaders at previous commission meetings. Members of the commission had indicated the possibility that the community would be victimized, rather than aided, by the Olympics.
But Wines said the university could not be held responsible for educating the community regarding the Games and correcting any misconceptions it might have.
“People give the university credit for a lot more clout than it actually has,” Wines explained, indicating the university was unable, not unwilling, to meet such a responsibility.
Such efforts should come from the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee itself. Wines said, but “because the people in charge (of the Olympics) are non-government, the preparations are being conducted differently than a government agency might conduct them . . . answering concerns is not their number-one priority.”
Robert Mannes, dean of Student Life, questioned Wines and Jim Massey, director of Facilities Planning, regarding the contracts between the university and the Olympic committee.
(Continued on page 15)