Troy tops Beavers; rules Pac-10 hoop — see page 24
dMEy trojan
Volume XCVIII, Number 18
University of Southern California
Tuesday, February 5, 1985
STUDENT GRADE REPORT
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4-00	JOUR	20b	REPORTING	3	R	12 O
HOD	-JOUR	H'fcaO	SOC RESPONSIBILITY NEUI MD	a	B +	=i <=\
4-OCl	HIST	3H-2G	LJRR £. RMERICRN EXPERIENCE !	4-	R	□ J H
M-DO	IR	3H3	RMER FORIG POL. cl'OR WRR II	4	n-	m o
- _ ...			.-;-			,
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Team investigates alleged fake degrees
University Reaction
Students and administrators angered by tampered degrees
By Pablo Lopez
Staff Writer
The university's Task Force on Academic Integrity is investigating the allegations made by the Drug Enforcement Administration that bogus degrees from USC had been bought for up to $25,000 each.
However, Sylvia Manning, vice provost and coordinator of the task force, said Monday there is no evidence that bogus degrees have been distributed.
She confirmed a story in Sunday's Los Angeles Times, which said the university is investigating allegations that phony degrees — backed up by complete transcripts — were illegally placed in the university's computer systems and sold.
However, the university is investigating only the illegal alterations of student transcripts, and is not investigating the prices of the bogus degrees, she added.
George Abdo, executive assistant to university President James Zumberge, said the president has not released a statement on the allegations. All university administrators contacted referred questions concerning the incident to Manning.
The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday that the Los Angeles District Attorney's office — after being tipped off by the DEA — is investigating the possibility that phony degrees were sold for up to 525,000 or traded for drugs.
Manning added federal authorities had not been asked to investigate, but that the district attorney's office has been investigating the grade tampering
By James Jones
Assistant Gty Editor
The allegations of fake degrees for sale at the university have already stirred up a national controversy. The reaction of students and the administration on campus has been one of shock and disappointment.
"I am very disappointed," said Student Senate President Mike Singer. "The actions of these individuals to discredit this university could be equated to perjury on a national level.
"I understand the difficulties in proving who tampered with the grades and who is falsifying degrees here, but the univ ersity should go to great lengths to protect the integrity of this institution by prosecuting all guilty parties to the fullest extent of the law."
According to an article published in the Los Angeles Times Sunday, a degree from this university could be bought for $25,000. Singer jokingly said, "Well, we pay approximately $32,000 for four years of education . . . maybe tuition is too high."
Richard Savich, president of the Faculty Senate, said that the falsifying of transcripts will undoubtedly hurt the university's image, calling it "a serious breach of academic integrity.
"We've been known for a number of years as not being an academic institution and lately we've been changing that, but I see this incident as a step backwards," Savich added.
Savich said an Academic Integrity Task Force, headed by Sylvia Manning, vice provost, and the Faculty Senate's Academic Integrity
(Continued on page 8)
Drugs possibly involved in purchases
scheme since last October.
The Times quoted an unnamed source who linked the possibility of bogus degrees being bought for money or drugs.
Clifton Garrott, investigator for the district attorney's office, had "no comment" about who made the allegations because the investigation is still under way.
Drug Enforcement Administration agents in Louisville, Ky., said they uncovered information that phony degrees were allegedly sold for as much as $25,000, and therefore relayed the infor-
mation to the DEA in Los Angeles, which in turn told the district attorney's office.
"That's the information we had and that's what we told the DEA in Los Angeles," said Jerry Snyder, head of the DEA's Louisville office.
DEA agents learned of the phony degree scam after arresting former USC student, Merh-dad Amini, 27, at the Louisville airport, for possession of two kilograms of cocaine.
Amini, an Iranian national, and two other men were indicted on charges of possession of
cocaine with the intent to distribute the drug. Amini pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Louisville and was released on $100,000 bail.
Though Amini denied involvement in drug trafficking or selling phony degrees, he said he had heard rumors on campus that students could buy grades and degrees.
University records show that Amini received a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from USC in 1983.
Amini, who lives in Beverly Hills, will go to trial Feb. 19.
"So far, there is no evidence to support the allegations," Manning said. "We have not uncovered one single transcript. They are just allegations.
"The Times story was a little misleading," she added."We are investigating the allegations, but we are not interested in the price. We do not care if the degrees were sold for $25,000 or $25.
"Our concern is looking into the possibility that entire transcripts were altered," Manning said.
So far, 30 students have been contacted since October 1984, and charged with unauthorized
(Continued on page 17)
Grade tampering at the university may be more serious than originally believed, with new allegations that entire transcripts were forged for a price.
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