Seventy-Fifth Year of Publication
dMH^ trojan
1912 — 1986
Volume Cll, Number 3
University of Southern California
Thursday, September 4, 1986
Scholarship program funding decreases; library budget increase proposal rejected
By Corii Berg
Staff Writer
A decrease in state monies for scholarship programs has directly affected a proposed budget that would have enabled the university library to "match systems at comparable private institutions."
Despite the 9.9 percent tuition increase over last fall, the library received approximately 11 percent less funding than was proposed at a summer budget meeting, said Charles Ritcheson, university librarian.
At the same time, the university's revenue from the state scholarship program decreased from $11 million to $6 million, according to the minutes from a faculty meeting that was held on June 19.
The university needed to accommodate the demand for student programs by setting a budget that would provide enough money for the scholarships.
"Not receiving what we had asked for will have an adverse affect on the entire library, completely across the board," Ritcheson said.
"I set a goal of building on the momentum that we had created so that our library would equal the quality of Stanford or Harvard," Ritcheson said. "I now have to look forward to next year's budget, because we will not achieve such a level based upon this year's allocation."
Ritcheson said that he understood the decision of the budgetary committee to prioritize the scholarship program, but found it unfortunate that the library system will not receive the money necessary to strengthen its undergraduate facet.
At the June 19 meeting, a discussion about the tuition increase and the decrease in state scholarship funding and their repercussions on the library system brought out the issue of the lack of undergraduate strength in the university library.
It was mentioned that the university spends too small a percentage of its total budget on the library.
The minutes of the faculty meeting indicate that John Curry, executive director of the university budget, did not agree with the statement. He said that Stanford and Harvard have a much higher
percentage of students studying liberal arts, and these are the people who need massive library resources.
He was also quoted as saying that the university has traditionally placed an emphasis on professional schools, not on the liberal arts.
John Curry
"Curry's position would seem to accept fatalistically that USC will never get away from being only a strong professional school," Ritcheson said.
"The cause / effect situation sequence is perfectly clear here. When you have a strong undergraduate library, the entire undergraduate program is strong. We cannot expect to be strong in that area without the library," Ritcheson added.
(Continued on page 16)
Two-year prison term
Former student guilty of grade tampering
By Roseanne Tellez
City Editor
A former university student who was found guilty of tampering with his grades on a university computer was sentenced today to two years in state prison.
Mehrdad Amini, 28, was convicted on three counts of illegal computer access on Aug. 12 and today received three two-year terms to be served concurrently.
Although he was charged with an additional two counts of accepting money to use the computer illegally, the jury was hung on those charges, said Steve Plafker, deputy district attorney.
Witnesses who testified against Amini said he acted as a middleman in a tampering scam and accepted money from students in exchange for getting their grades changed, Plafker said.
Amini conducted his operation from the summer of 1983 until May of 1984, said Robert Morley, associate director of registration and records.
"He recruited students, took the money and arranged for the grade changes with Darryl Gillard," he said.
Gillard, 28, a former employee at the registration and records office, pleaded guilty to his role in the scam and also to one count of selling cocaine on July 21, but he won't be sentenced until Oct. 22, Plafker said.
Plafker said the cocaine sale is not at all related to the grade changing operation and was sold to an undercover officer at Gil-lard's home in Los Angeles.
However, Gillard cooperated with authorities and was promised his sentence will not exceed two years, Plafker said.
"He gave a statement and cooperated with the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration ... he apparently had some information that will help them," he said. "I'm not going to ask for two years, what I will ask for I don't know, but the judge can't give him more than two years."
Morley said Amini is also wanted by police in Louisville, Ky. on drug trafficking charges. Federal authorities allowed him to stand trial in Los Angeles first, but Morley said he will now be sent to Kentucky.
The minimum sentence Gillard could receive would be probation. Amini's two-year sentence is considered a "mid-term," according to A1 Albergate, a public information officer. He said 16 months would have been considered short-term and three years long-term in this case.
In addition to Gillard and Amini, Manuel Roberts, a 23-year-old
(Continued on page 16)
Financial problems force student senator to resign
By Katherine Dyar
Assistant City Editor
Donald Sutton, a commuter senator, resigned last night at the semester's first meeting of the Student Senate, saying that he would not be attending the university this fall.
He said that because he had missed the deadline for filing a 1986 financial aid form, he was not given any financial aid and would not be able to afford tuition for the fall semester.
"It was mostly my fault," Sutton said. "It's a lesson to people to get things done."
Sutton said that he was offered the opportunity to defer half of his tuition for the semester, but that because of other financial problems he would not even be able to enroll part-time.
According to the senate constitution, senators can be either full or part-time students, as defined by the Office of the Registrar.
Sutton left the meeting after saying that he hopes to return to school in the spring and that he will "definitely be running for senate again next year."
Ruby Juse, one of last year's commuter senator candidates, heads the list for replacing Sutton, pending certification
by Elections Chairman Tom Becktold.
Wally Bobkiewicz, senate president, said that Becktold has to review the official election results and check to see if the candidates are still living in their constituency before making the final selection.
In other senate business, David Crandall, the director of Student Activities who is also acting as the interim Senate consultant, said that he is still heading up the search for a permanent consultant to replace Phil McCarthy, who left the university last year for a position at the University of Maryland.
Crandall said the letters sent to universities around the country and the advertisement in the Chronicle of Higher Education have already drawn several applicants.
Bobkiewicz also announced that the university's Student Affairs Committee, an advisory group to James Dennis, vice president for Student Affairs, is also being "revitalized" this semester.
The committee, which has not been active for three years, will be restaffed with students, faculty and staff appointed by President James Zumberge.
New student health plan chosen
Signa and Lone Star insurance replaced
By Diane Molinski
Staff Writer
Students who have been plagued with confusion about which university health insurance to purchase will be confused no longer, because the Student Health Insurance Committee has confined the selection to one health insurance program — Colonial Life and Accident.
All students carrying six or more units are eligible for the plan. The cost is $208 a semester, more
er hand, allowed students to choose their own practitioner.
Colonial Life and Accident health insurance is similar to Lone Star, Walenga added. The university offers the plan to students at a group rate for health care beyond services offered by the Student Health Center. The plan gives students the option of choosing their own doctors and medical centers, rather than confining them to only the doctors who participate in the health plan, such as Signa.
The university offers the plan to students at a group rate for health care beyond services offered by the Student Health Center. The plan gives students the option of choosing their own doctors and medical centers, rather than confining them to only the doctors who participate in the health plan, such as Signa.
than last year's $188 fee per semester. The plan is also offered to students' spouses and other dependents for group rates.
"The premium dollar increased over last year, but the increase was the best rate that we could find," said Gail Walenga, director of nursing services.
In the past, the university has offered students two health plans. Last year the Student Health Insurance Committee offered the Signa Health plan and Lone Star Health Insurance.
The Signa Health plan was affordable, Walenga said, but limited students to receiving treatment from Signa physicians only. Lone Star, on the oth-
"Essentially the student health (insurance) committee has decided to offer one program; a health insurance, rather than a pre-paid health plan such as Signa." Walenga said.
There is a $200 deductible charge that is incurred in the academic year. After the deductible, the plan will pick up 80 percent of reasonable and customary charges up to $10,000, and 100 percent thereafter for the rest of the academic year. A new deductible period starts with each academic year.
The benefits of Colonial are substantially the same as Lone Star, Walenga said. The only change is that Colonial offers a $1,500 maternity benefit and out-patient psychological counseling.