Interview with 'Club' member Ally Sheedy — page 7
Mickey Mouse and crew gear up for Trojan Night at Disneyland
Volume XCVIII, Number 33	University	of	Southern	California	Thursday,	February	28,	1985
Recruitment yields increased standards
By Owen Gross
Staff Writer
The university's admissions office is in the process of assembling a ''bumper crop'' of students for the freshman class of 1985 through its increased domestic and overseas recruitment efforts.
"This is the first year that we have been able to hold to our higher standards," said Mark Olson, director of Administrative Information Resource Systems.
Judging from the 12,500 applications received as of Feb. 22 from prospective Fall 1985 students (both freshmen and transfer candidates), the domestic applicant pool has an average grade point average of 3.30.
The average GPA of those students who have already been sent a letter of acceptance is currently 3.52, but that number has been decreasing weekly and is now beginning to steady itself, Olson said.
The university hopes the average GPA will settle somewhere around 3.45 when the final student is evaluated, Olson added.
These numbers all represent increases — except for the total number of applications. At this time last year, there were dose to 13,500 completed applications on file in the admissions office.
"There has been a substantial decrease in the number of transfer applicants which is causing some concern, but we are very pleased with the freshman pool," Olson said.
Of the 6,966 freshman applicants, 3,053 have received their letters of acceptance since the second week of January, said Tom Meyers, assistant director of the Office of Admissions.
The admissions office will receive approximately 10,000 freshmen applications by the June 1 deadline, Meyers said, and 6,000 students will be accepted from that pool.
But a class of 2,800 freshmen is expected for next year, Meyers added.
Olson said some of the more popular majors declared by the applicants were business and engineering, each by 12 percent of all students. Other top choices were natural sciences and mathematics, social sciences and communications, undeclared and performing arts.
While 60 to 70 percent of the applicants inquired about financial aid, only 65 percent of those students admitted will receive aid.
To increase its already high international enrollment, the university participated in the recruitment of overseas students for the fifth consecutive year.
The Office of International Admissions has sent teams of recruiters to South America, Europe, the Middle East and Mexico. These trips usually lasted for three weeks, said Mars’ Berg, associate director of the Office of International Admissions.
The strength of the U.S. dollar prohibits many prospective students from receiving their college education overseas, but it has not stopped the efforts made by international admissions personnel to boost its profile and educate students about the university, Berg added.
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Ferraro offers support to L.A. gay community
By Lisa Lapin
Staff Writer
City Councilman John Ferraro, who is hoping to unseat Mayor Tom Bradley in the April city elections, was on campus Wednesday night to further his campaign and to take part in a radio panel discussion on the gay community.
Ferraro, who promised sincere support to the gay community should he be elected, was a guest on KSCR's ''News for Thought" program.
KSCR invited the councilman to participate because "Ferraro is using (the gay issue) as a major tool in the mayoral race against Bradley," said Heather Mills, KSCR news director.
"News for Thought" producer Mike Kirsch also invited Mayor Bradley to participate, but he declined the offer.
During the KSCR broadcast, Ferraro was supportive of the Los Angeles gay community -
"When I take over as mayor, I will make appointments from the gay community," Ferraro told the panel, which included Morris Kite, a gay activist; pastor Andy Komiski, who councils
homosexuals wishing to change to heterosexuality; and Mike Venegas, a gay community member.
Ferraro also supported the hiring of gav police officers to the Los Angeles Police Department.
"Every job in the city government is available," Ferraro said. "We can't discriminate against sexual preference."
Ferraro's agenda in dealing with the gay community is "flawless" according to Kite, who said that 10 percent of the earth's population is homosexual, making them a legitimate influence on the community.
"Gay concerns are the same as the rest of the L.A. community," Ferraro said, naming crime, employment and rent control as the major issues.
When Kirsch questioned Ferraro on possible backlash from his avid support of gays, the councilman admitted that he has recieved negative feedback from "some who are very against" the fact that Ferraro will appoint gays to city positions.
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Disney characters invaded the university Wednesday to the delight of children they encountered.
Photos by Steve Fulton Daily Trojan
dM
trojan
Thefts of computer equipment, typewriters add up to $39,000
By Dina Heredia
Staff Writer
While typewriter and computer thefts do not constitute the greatest percentage of crimes committed on campus, university departments have suffered at least $39,000 worth of these losses since Fall 1984.
Dexter Thomas, senior officer with University Security, said there recently have been more typewriter and computer thefts than in the past, but that these thefts do not make up the greatest percentage of crime at the university.
About S35,000 in computer equipment was stolen or vandalized over September, October and November of 1984 — in comparison to S4,000 of vandalized or stolen typewriters during the same period — said Carl Levredge, director of security and parking operations.
Levredge said the university seemed to experience more thefts of computers and related equip-
ment than of typewriters because "a lot more computers are being brought into the university
now."
Alex Ratka, director of the Office of Insurance and Risk Management, estimated that typewriters range in price from $900 to $1,500, while computer equipment can cost SI,000 for a terminal to $5,000 for portable mini-computers.
Ratka said most university departments normally buy — not rent — their office equipment and are responsible for replacing stolen equipment.
The number of typewriters and equipment each department has varies by office size — from a smaller office like Ratka's that has four typewriters, to a department like financial services with many computer terminals for its employees.
There were more typewriter thefts three or four years ago, Levredge said, but losses have been curtailed because of special security devices on the
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