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Volume XCIII, Number 22	University of Southern California	Thursday, February 10, 1983
Professor appointed to air quality board
Larry Berg, director of the Institute of Politics and Government, prepares to research the effects of air pollution and add rain. He has recently been appointed to the South Coast's air quality board.
By Joann Galardy
Staff Writer
Larry Berg, director of the university’s Institute of Politics and Government, has been appointed to the South Coast Air Quality Management District Board.
The board, made up of 12 elected officials and two public employees, is responsible for monitoring the pollution levels of four cities, including Los Angeles.
In his new position, Berg hopes to increase the amount of research on the subject of acid rain fog, which he said is deteriorating buildings, ruining lakes and changing the level of acidity found in water.
“The potential health impact is very serious,” Berg said. “We (the state) have the capacity to clean it up but we won’t spend the money to do it.” Berg said that recent opinion polls reflect the public's concern for clean air. “The public wants stronger environmental protection and is willing to pay for it,” he said.
He said he felt cooperation from the federal government would aid the board in their attempt to clean up Los Angeles's air. He said, however, that he is not satisfied with the performance of James Watt, Secretary of the Interior.
“He is a disgrace," Berg said. “He has a short-sighted philosophy and has no concept of stewardship. I think he should be fired.”
The board is currently in the process of implementing a
smog inspection program for automobiles. The program would involve the inspection of four million cars yearly and would be very costly to car owners.
Berg believes that the poor economic status of many people in the Los Angeles area, coupled with the mild climate, contribute to the high number of older cars currently on the road and add to the high smog level.
“Each generation of cars is
cleaner than those of the previous generation,” Berg said.
Another reason for the poor air quality is the geographical layout of the area. Berg said that where there are valleys surrounded by mountains, there is “dead air” which he
said is difficult to clean up.
Berg said that since Los Angeles is a city growing in population, and because it has a poor public transportation system, the number of cars is also growing. Cars are harder to regulate than factories, which could account for another rea-% son Los Angeles has a greater t pollution problem than other ^ major cities, he added.
Berg said that the board is o not currently making special J preparations for the 1984 ^ Olympics. He feels that the 2 public is giving the issue more attention than is necessary.
He added that the increase in traffic during the Olympics will be short term and will have little effect on the overall pollution situation.
While admitting that some athletes will be more affected by the poor air quality than others, Berg said he does not feel that the majority will be adversely affected.
Number of transfer students increasing
Dozens of veterans line up to give opinions on Vietnam
By Michael Molinski
Assistant City Editor
Gloria Emerson, chairperson for the “War and the Veterans” panel at the Vietnam conference, cut her introduction short Wednesday to allow war veterans more speaking time "because the members of my panel (all of them veterans) have been waiting 15 years to speak,” she said.
Then she guaranteed every Vietnam veteran in the audience the right to express his
opinions and experiences after the panel completed its discussion. She denied this right to non-veterans.
Dozens of veterans took her up on this offer. They lined up at the microphones to share what they had to say with the audience and with the panelists.
Many of them said they suffered from mental disorders as a result of the war in Indochina. Their conditions are described by “experts” in terms such as “delayed stress reac-
Vietnam conference panelists discuss journalistic coverage of the war on Tuesday night. Please see other conference stories and photos on pages 2 and 3.
tions, schizophrenic paranoia, and post-traumatic stress disorders.” Many of the veterans, however, used the more common term “screwed up.”
Some of them had permanent physical problems, the results of gunshots, grenades and Agent Orange.
A few of them almost broke down in tears.
All of them had one thing in common — bitterness.
These are some of their statements:
—	“For three days I’ve sat around here and listened to all these self-righteous S.O.B.s that reported the war.”
—	“We’re willing to talk about Vietnam — are you.”
—	“We should have been in a conference called America Reconsidered.”
—	“We've had panels and panels and panels. I’ve been on panels for 15 years.”
—	“I do hope that everyone in America would start to be a little less self-righteous.”
—	“Up to now the panelists had stemmed crystal. The Vietnam veterans get plastic glasses.”
—	"As an institution, the media, it has sucked.”
—	“If they're gonna go to war, they’re gonna pay the wrhole cost of the war, and that means taking care of their veterans.”
—	“I woke up at night screaming.”
(Continued on page 3)
By Maria Anton
Staff Writer
The number of students transferring to this university from other schools is steadily increasing.
Peter Brown, director of marketing and publications, said there were 1,411 transfer students enrolled here in the fall of 1982 compared to 1,338 in the fall of 1981. This represents a 5.5 percent increase, he said.
In comparison, the increase in the enrollment of transfer students rose 15 percent between the fall of 1981 and the fall of 1980.
“One reason for increased growth, I think, is the consistent academic reputation of the university,” said Kathryn Forte, director of admission. “When the name USC comes in mind, people equate us with producing leaders."
Transfer students come to the university from both two-year and four-year schools.
“Although we recruit at two-year schools, there are more students coming here from four-year schools,” Brown said. “This year we will be visiting all 107 community colleges in California."
According to statistics from fall of 1981, the top four “feeder” community colleges are Los Angeles City College, Pasadena City College, Orange Coast College and El Camino City College.
She said the number of students who come here from four-year schools is about the same as the number w'ho leave this university for others.
“I know for every student who goes to UCLA, one comes here,” Brown said.
The surge in transfer students is due to both academic and economic considerations. Brown said.
“More students choose state schools for the money, but in a lot of cases they can attend USC for the same cost.” he said.
“In terms of money allocation in the recession, financial aid is the most important component in attracting new students,” Forte said.
Another reason for the increase in transfer enrollment is the prestige of a university degree.
“I think a USC degree is more marketable because of the strength of the alumni,” Forte said. “For a transfer student the degree is the same, but it’s not necessarily the same quality education.”
Veronica Tincher, director of management information and studies, said that about 20 percent of the entering freshmen class will leave the university after the first year.
However, she said for every 550 students who leave the university, “50 to 60 wrill come back.”
Forte said that there are “not a whole lot” of reverse-transfers, students w’ho transfer from a four-year university to a two-year school.
“From an administrative perspective, the best way to combat students who leave, is to recruit the right students to begin with — recruits who we know will succeed, rather than getting just freshman,” Forte said.