or
S7 trojan
Volume XCVII, Number 65
University of Southern California
Friday, December 7, 1984
LEE-ANNE LEONG DAILY TROJAN
DIANE KENNEY
Misconceptions discussed in Central American forum
By Stephen Lawson
Assistant News Editor
During a forum on Central America Wednesday, three speakers from the university' said there are misconceptions in the United States about conditions in the region.
Panelist Abraham Lowenthal, professor of international relations, said conflict in the region will reach a critical point in early
1985	when the United States will have to decide whether to intervene militarily or help negotiate a settlement.
He characterized U.S. policy' as "playing for time" and said not even the Reagan administration is convinced it is working.
The United States faces a "psvchopolitical" problem in Central America, he said, because American officials fear a loss of control.
Lowenthal said the opinions of the people in this country' are relevant to the situation, and advocated more discussions on whether the United States has security interests in the region and what its policy' should be.
(Continued on page 8)
Library receives $5 million
By Carol Ann Coates
Staff Writer
The Board of Trustees' Finance Committee has authorized the expenditure of $5 million for specified improvements in the library system, including lighting and ventilation defects as noted by the Student Senate.
Jon Strauss, senior vice president of administration, responding to a senate Library Task Force report that was critical of library conditions, said that as a result of the report, improved lighting would be included in the $5 million package.
"We are very pleased with Dr. Strauss' response," said Mike Singer, Student Senate president.
"Improvement in the university library system is one of the highest priority goals for the next major fund-raising campaign," said Anthony Lazzaro, v'ice president of business affairs, in the memorandum to the Student Senate.
The $5 million will be used to complete the "first phase objectives," including the development of book storage facilities in the Armory' Building. The money' will also go toward the air conditioning and remodeling of Hoose Library and the Gom-partz Collection Room in the Mudd Hall of Philsophv
As part of regular maintenance, physical plant has been told to improve cleanliness, clean light fixtures, replace light bulbs and assure proper operation of the existing ventilation system, Strauss said.
As part of the trustee-authorized capital improvements, the department of architectural services has been charged to bring the lighting standards in Doheny Library up to the American Standards Institute's recommended levels, Strauss said.
Albert Brecht, the interim
deputy librarian, said physical plant began replacing bulbs and cleaning the lighting fixtures in Doheny last week.
In its Standard Practice Acts, the ASI outlined facility illumination levels for young adults with normal vision. Illumination levels are measured in footcandles.
The ASI specified 70 footcandles as the recommended level for reading areas. The senate's task force report said some observed areas in Doheny Library, such as the periodicals room, measured at 10 footcandles or less — 60 footcandles below the acceptable level.
The university will also make seismic improvements in the
School of Education Library’ and renovate and add air conditioning in the Doheny Library stacks, Lazzaro said.
Ventilation in study and reference areas in Doheny also tended to be poor because of malfunctioning air ducts. Windows provided the only ventilation, the senate's report said.
Charles Ritcheson, university librarian, said in a memorandum to the senate, "I am pleased to say that the problems identified in your Library Task Force report have been addressed and are in the process of solution."
Students should see a lot of improvements within the next year, he said.
Senate toy drive donations increase with holiday spirit
By Gina Frederick
Staff Writer
Although the outlook was bleak this year for the annual Student Senate toy drive for local underprivileged children, the spirit of Christmas apparently prevailed as boxes of needed toys were donated Wednesday.
Several fraternities and sororities donated money to the drive, which the senate used to purchase many of the toys.
The Row, along with individuals, contributed about S420, said Nancy Calle, director of the program and chairwoman of the senate's student affairs research action unit.
Early in the week the senate had only received 15 toys for the 330 children who are to receive the presents. But the senate has now received almost all of the toys they need for the annual party Saturday, Calle said.
She credited most of the donations to Sigma Pi, a group that is trying to become a recognized fraternity, the South Complex employees and Imperial Toy Company. "They were really terrific," she said.
Most of the toys received were board games, puzzles, dolls and toy cars. Average price ranged from about $1 to $8. The toys will be distributed as equally as possible by placing two smaller gifts together, Calle said.
Even though senate has most of the toys it needs, it will still accept toys today'. Extra toys will be given to needv children who were not chosen to receive the gifts.
"There are kids out there that definitely need them," Calle said.
Eleven local elementary schools are involved in the program. Each
(Continued on page 5)
The Baja vacation trade-off — beauty for safety?
By David Jefferson
Assistant Investigations Editor
Most people who travel to Baja California for a few days of relaxation never have to contend with the complications that can develop after an automobile accident. For those who do, the experience is one that cannot easily be forgotten.
On July 28, 1984, Rich Brown, president of the university's Interfraternitv
77us is the last in a two-part series.
Council, died in a single-car crash as he and two fellow Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity members were driving back to the United States after a brief vacation in Ensenada.
While the two students who survived the crash were faced with the problems of getting adequate medical attention, Vincent and Martha Brown were struggling to get their son's body out of Mexico.
Mrs. Brown said that since the American Embassy in Mexico was closed on the weekend of the accident, she contacted a mortuary in San Leandro to find out what the procedure is for getting a body out of that country.
"Somebody has to go and offer a price to get the body, and barter for how you are going to get it out," Mrs. Brown said.
The Browns enlisted the help of the accountant that their son had been working for during the summer, and he went down to the morgue in Rosarita Beach
Officials and visitors disagree about responsibility in paradise
and arranged for the body' to be flown back to the United States.
Mrs. Brown said she is not sure what kind of "haggling" went on between the accountant and the Mexican officials at the morgue, but she does know that there was some discussion about how much the release of her son's body would cost.
She added that it took four days before the body was returned to the United States, but without the help of the accountant, it would have taken much longer.
John Amarillas, manager of Pierce Brothers mortuary in East Los Angeles, said he has arranged for the release of bodies of American citizens from morgues in Mexico. He explained that the mortician at the Mexican morgue is usually in charge of all the necessary documents, and often Americans must offer money to the mortician to speed up the paperwork.
"If you have a few American dollars, you can get it done faster," Amarillas said. "It's all through Mexico: La Mordida
—	the bite. In other words, a bribe."
He continued, "They (the Mexican
morticians) are kind of greedy. They say, 'Make money while the sun shines.' "
But Sharon Wilkinson, chief of the American Services Board at the American Consulate in Tijuana, denied that any such bribery' takes place.
"The paperwork is finished and the body is out usually in a maximum of four days," Wilkinson said. She added that only under “very unusual circumstances" would it take longer.
However, Shannon Ellis, associate director of residential life who worked on Brown’s case, said that last year the daughter of a staff member in her office was killed in a car crash in Mexico, and the family was told it would take close to a month before the body could be released.
But once the familv went down to Mexico and offered the mortician monev to push through the paperwork, the body was released within a matter of days.
Ellis added that in similar cases she is familiar with, the process of getting a body out of Mexico can take from one to six months.
In addition to the problems of getting the body out of the country, Mrs. Brown
said that all of her son's and the other two student's belongings were missing from the car.
"Everything that was in the car — golf clubs, tennis rackets, a tape deck, Rich's clothes — nothing was left when we saw it," Mrs. Brown said.
Tom Eck, 19, who survived the crash, said the belongings were still in the car when the ambulance arrived.
Mrs. Brown said that when she went to the Federales to pick up the accident report, an inventory list of all the items in the car was supposed to be attached. But she said no list was included. The Federales told her that all the belongings had been given to Eck or McCormack at the time of the accident.
The only item the tw'o students ever received was Rich's wallet.
"They (the Federales) took an inventory’. But they, shall we say, 'conveniently' lost it," Eck said.
Eck added that he, Brown and McCormack bought an auto insurance policy at a small border agency on their way down to Ensenada, "just in case of a fender-bender," but the policy' was missing along with their other belongings.
Mrs. Brown said that on November 29, four months after the accident, she finally received confirmation from the agencv that the policy was actually sold to the students.
(Continued on page 2)