Volume XCI Number 4^
trojan
University of Southern California
Friday, November 6, 1981
Employee meal policies reviewed
Rising food costs force change
By Alan Grossman
Staff Writer
A USC Food Services workers’ committee, consisting of both full-time workers and workstudy students, has been set up to work with the management on new employee meai regulations.
Neil Hirschfield, director of Food Services, said the committee was initiated by his office in order to get feedback and suggestions on what the new guidelines should be. Hirschfield added that the measures under discussion were necessitated by “rising economic costs" which prevented Food Services from continuing it 50-year practice of allowing workers to eat “whatever they wanted, wherever they wanted.”
The director explained that most hotels and restaurants around Los Angeles already insist that their food employees “choose one of several different meals and then eat them in one central cafeteria.” Hirschfield said this is done to cut costs and stop those workers who might be eating expensive foods like “cheesecake and champagne.”
“I’ve been in this business for a long time, and I don’t see this problem as being a special one,” Hirschfield said, adding that he realizes USC Food Service workers have to eat, and that only their choice of food would be changed.
“When you come to work at any food service shop, you are told to eat certain things. When USC started its food service program, {the old practice) was fine. But as we’ve become more professional and served more people, w’e’ve had to institute some control in order to keep prices as low' as we can for students, faculty and staff,” said Hirschfield. who also mentioned that costs were being cut throughout his department.
When the need for reform was recognized, the director said he instructed Mark Archer, general manager of the Commons Restaurant, to appoint a workers' committee to study the "different avenues Food Services could take.” The first meeting of the committee with the management occurred Thursday morning when Archer met with Alex Rivera, head of the workers' panel, and the other five members.
When the session was over, no one would talk about w^hat was discussed, but Hirschfeld said Rivera and the workers would meet this morning to formulate their ideas for presentation to him and Archer next week.
Hirschfield said he believes that the current differences between the workers and his office would be resolved as soon as Rivera meets with his people and “finds out their desire, and if we can budge them (from their current position).”
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U.S. TITLE LIKELY
Debate team sweeps tournament
By Barry Sloan
Staff Writer
Make space on the mantelpiece for another awrard — the Trojan Debate Squad is once again smooth-talking its way toward another National Sweepstakes title, its eighth in 11 years.
Last weekend, the team captured first place in the championship and junior divisions at the University of California at Berkeley Debate Tournament, in which 37 colleges and universities from seven states competed.
In addition, the squad returned from the bay area with a first-place trophy in extemporaneous speaking and a fourth place award in the cross examination debate association division.
“We have a better record than any college, consistently placing near the top for the squad,” said Thomas Hollihan. debate director, citing recent victories at tournaments in Northern Colorado, California Polytechnical University-Po-mona and Biola 'University as evidence of the continued win-
ning tradition.
The Trojan Debate Squad attends between 20 and 25 tournaments all over the country each year, at which points are awarded to teams based on how they finish. The National Sweepstakes Aw’ard is then determined on the basis of total points, he said.
At the competition in Berkeley, the team of Robert Bollar and Dale Richardson captured first place for their persuasive debating on the subject of how the government should control
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PIPE LINE—UP — Where do they come from, what do they bring? A curious row of exhaust pipes at the university's Science Hall leave one to ponder their purpose.
Bay city awaits 15,000 Trojans; San Francisco hotels prepare
By Sara Reeder and Mark Gill
Assistant Feature Editors
Those who work in San Francisco’s hotel industry routinely cope with every imaginable type of tourist and conventioner. But for one weekend each year they cater to special travelers — an estimated 15,000 university students and alumni, all dedicated to bringing the spirit of Troy to northern California.
The annual Trojan invasion is a major event, even to the managers of the largest hotels. But it presents problems; in the past, university students have not earned a reputation as model guests.
“It’s a lot of young people getting together, having a good time,” said Paul Anderson of the Mark Twain Hotel. “But we had problems last year.” Anderson said that students staying at the hotel removed specially made number plates that mark the floors for elevator passengers and number the doors of the rooms.
“We go out of our way to make the place look nice,” Anderson said. “Those plates cost $25 apiece and take three weeks to replace. We also had many complaints of noisy parties, people running down hallways...they set off a fire alarm.”
This year, Anderson is collecting a
$50 security deposit for every room he rents to a university student. “People respect their own money,” he said, adding that students often identify themselves voluntarily on the phone when they reserve the room or when they arrive.
Nancy Wait, executive assistant manager of the Californian Hotel, is also taking precautions. “This is my first year here, and I’m really hoping for the best,” she said. “But my night auditor, who’s been here for a few years, left me a note to make sure I provide extra security for this weekend.
“I generally won’t take most younger groups. My experience has been that it’s not unusual for parties in the rooms to end with the curtains down and alcohol on the walls. But we’re limited in what we can do about it. I’ve hired 24-hour armed security to patrol the hotel. If I have a big problem, I’ll take every precaution I can next year.”
Wait said she does not want to resort to taking deposits. “I hadn’t thought of carrying it that far. It’s not fair to penalize those who are simply being honest about who they are.”
The more expensive hotels seem to have fewer problems with destructive students. "We don’t have a lot
of that kind of trouble,” said Sandy Wernicke of the Hyatt Hotel in Union Square. “Our clientele pays steep rates. We’ve had some incidents with USC, but you can’t be in the hotel room with them all the time. We simply add the damage to the bill.”
Wernicke confirmed rumors that a television was hurled out of the window’ of one hotel during Cal Weekend festivities several years ago.
"They get a little rowdy,” said Robert Hill, executive assistant manager at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. “But I’ve never had anyone from USC do any damage other than horseplay.” Hill’s statement w’as echoed by Rick Fontanette at the Hyatt Regency. “We’ve never had any problems in the three years I’ve been here.”
The Friday evening reception at the St. Francis Hotel is an annual tradition that Don Blum, director of the hotel’s public relations department, enjoys.
“We've had better relations with USC than most of the other properties. The reception is never a problem, and room parties at the St. Francis tend to be a little more restrained. Candidly, we’ve been known to remove some of the more impressive furniture in the lobby,
but that’s as much for easy circulation as it is to prevent damage.” “Students have been better behaved in the last few7 years than they were 10 years ago,” Blum said. “They aren’t as demonstrative. But they’re still very spontaneous...the band is always in and out. riding the cable cars and whatnot.”
Blum's secretary agreed. “As I recall, it hasn't been as bad as it used to be.”
Arthur Bartner. director of the Trojan Marching Band, agrees. He took 270 band members to the Notre Dame game (Chicago area) on the weekend of Sept. 24.
“There was a bad incident at Cal (Berkeley) four years ago, but this (year's) band is mild compared to what it was then,” he said.
Masood Sidiqui, the general manager of Chicago’s Ascot House Hotel, disagrees. The band stayed in his hotel, and apparently caused about $500 in damages.
“If I allow them back, they will have to fill out a bond and they will not leave the property until they have paid for all of the damages,” he said. Sidiqui said that he sent a letter to Bartner saying that the band’s
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