Trojans ‘Do-well’ in Tucson — see back page
trojan
Volume XCVIII, Number 6
University of Southern California
Friday, January 18, 1985
Closing of Menlo lot causes problems
By Pablo Lopez
Staff Writer
The closure of the Menlo parking lot Tuesday for about three hours caused irritation for some students looking for open parking spaces on campus.
Rick McCormick, administrator of parking operations, said Tuesday's decision to close the parking lot around 10 a.m. was a matter of saving money.
The university leases the Menlo parking lot from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, he said. Parking operations pays the Coliseum 50 cents per car to use the lot.
But Tuesday's decision was also based on the belief that there were open spaces on campus, said Carl Levredge, director of security and parking operations.
McCormick said there were at least 1,000 open parking spaces on campus Tuesday morning.
Levredge said his department knows fairly well when the peak hours are for commuters, which are generally from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
McCormick said his office may ask students not to park at Menlo and to use the parking structures on campus in the future. Friday — when traffic is slow — might be one of the days, he said.
The lot — located at the comer of Exposition Boulevard and Menlo Avenue— is currently open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
"(Parking operations) normally wouldn't close Menlo," McCormick said. "But there were 750 spaces in Structure D parking lot (comer of Jefferson Boulevard and Figueroa Street) and the parking attendants were telling the commuters to go there.
"We wouldn't just go and close it," McCormick said. "And it wasn't done randomly or discriminately. It just
ANDEREI ZINCA DAILY TROJAN
Students who normally park in the Menlo Street lot near the Coliseum have had to find other parking places since the university decided to drop its use of the state lot.
wasn't necessary to have it open."
However, students who normally depend on Menlo lot were asked to look on campus for parking Tuesday, making some late for class or appointments.
"I teach at noon and I went through parking structures D and C (off Figueroa Street) and there was nothing there," said Nord Sovik, a graduate assistant working in the School of Business Administration.
"There were dozens of cars not finding anything," Sovik said. "Doing experiments to see if the campus spaces are full is strange, since (students) all have places to go."
Sovik was told by parking operations at the Menlo lot there were 750 parking spaces available in parking structure D on Tuesday.
He finally found a space in parking structure B, located off Jefferson Street, near Dedeaux Field.
The Menlo parking lot was reopened Tuesday at 1 p.m.
"If (parking operations) wants to do experiments, then they should do it without (causing) disruption. It sure went wrong Tuesday," he said.
Besides the Menlo lot, the university has four parking structures and three other lots available for student parking. Faculty and staff normally have their own parking area.
There are approximately 5,000 spaces for student parking, not including faculty and staff spaces. Menlo lot has about 300 spaces.
During the fall semester, parking operations sold 9,419 stickers to commuters, residential students, carpoolers, teaching assistants and motorcycle riders.
(Continued on page 2)
University church supports sanctuary effort for refugees
Members denounce clergy indictments
By Aaron Van Curen
Assistant City Editor
More than 150 people gathered in a prayer service at the United University Church Thursday to protest the Jan. 10 indictment of 16 people who were charged with smuggling Central American refugees into the United States.
Those indicted — three nuns, two priests and a minister — are part of a sanctuary effort that is supported by the UUC.
The Los Angeles Times quoted Don Reno, U.S. attorney in charge of prosecution, as saying the indictment "is in response to an alien smuggling conspiracy."
The indictment was followed on Monday by the arrest of 65 refugees as material witnesses against those who worked in the sanctuary movement, the Times reported Tuesday.
The charges, totalling 71 counts, included conspiracy, bringing aliens into the United States illegally, transporting illegal aliens, concealing, harboring or shielding illegal aliens and encouraging or attempting illegal aliens to enter the United States, the Times reported.
The sanctuary effort — represented in this area by the Southern California Interfaith Task Force on Central America — provides asylum for people who flee from violence in Central American countries, said the Rev. George Wilson, pastor of the UUC.
The task force represents 35 religious and community groups concerned about United States' policy in Central America.
The indictment included no members of the Southern California Task Force.
UCC committed itself to support the sanctuary effort on November 20, 1983. At the gathering, Wilson reconfirmed his congregation's support of the sanctuary effort, as did representatives from churches of several different denominations.
Though no Central American refugees are housed at his church, Wilson compared this situation to the World War II-era when Americans of Japanese descent who had sought refuge in the university church were taken from the church and interned by the United States government.
Members of the UUC congregation provide support — mainly monetary — to El Rescati, a group that processes Central American refugees coming into the Los Angeles area, Wilson said.
El Rescati helps them find homes and deal with legal problems.
"Some of the members of El Rescati are very likely to be arrested if the government wants to (do that), because they are very deeply involved in the same thing," he said.
Those indicted face arraignment on Jan. 23 in Tucson, said Jo Ann De Quattro, chairwoman of the task force's sanctuary committee at the protest gathering.
Several indictees, however, have requested a change of venue so that they may be closer to their support groups, De Quattro said.
(Continued on page 7)
Suspect linked to thefts
Man arrested at Fluor for concealed weapon
By Carol Ann Coates
Assistant City Editor
The Los Angeles Police Department has arrested a man for carrying a concealed weapon in Fluor Tower, an official at University Security reported.
Calvin Harris, 21, is also being linked to $3,000 worth of stolen electronic hardware. He was arrested Jan 7.
Harris is not believed to be a university student, said Robert Wade, senior officer for University Security.
A cache of stereo equipment, cameras, microw'ave ovens and other miscellaneous items were found in the suspect's apartment in the Cardinal and Gold complex on West 30th Street, near the Row, Wade said.
The property was allegedly stolen from two fraternity houses on the Row — Phi Gamma Delta and the Kappa Alpha Order. The incident involves five victims between the two houses, said Detective John Campbell of LAPD.
According to security, Harris was observed leaving the Fiji house with an armful of stereo equipment in the early morning.
A university security officer stopped Harris and initiated a
field investigation.
The suspect claimed he was taking care of some items for a friend during the semester break and possessed a feebill, Wade said. It was later discovered that the feebill did not belong to Harris.
Harris was not detained because security felt his story seemed plausible.
The suspect was spotted by a housing protection representative a week later, however, prowling around Cardinal Gardens and other university-owned buildings.
LAPD was called in at this point and officers confronted Harris. The suspect became evasive, and a body search revealed a loaded revolver, Wade said.
After the suspect's arrest, Wade recalled the earlier field investigation report from the Row.
The "friend" Harris spoke of said he did not know Harris, and had given the suspect no instructions regarding his possessions, Wade said.
The missing equipment turned up in Harris' apartment, along with other property that could not be identified.
(Continued on page 6)