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Volume XCVII, Number 66	University of Southern California	Monday, December 10, 1984
Financial aid office to be evaluated
Senate votes to change wording in school song
By Steven Church
Staff Writer
To focus more attention on women's athletics, the Student Senate unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday to change one line of the USC fight song from “Our men fight on to victory" to "Our team fights on to victory."
Bret Fausett, undergraduate vice president, said he wrote the resolution and helped sponsor the bill because "there was an obvious discrepancy” in the song.
"We'll ask for the administration's endorsement, and then with their endorsement, send it (the change) to the publications and then to the athletic department," Fausett said.
James Dennis, vice president of student affairs, said his initial reaction to the change is positive, although he has not yet read the resolution.
But yell leaders, who would lead the new fight song at athletic events, said they do not like the idea and would not recognize it.
"It's absolutly ridiculous," said Dan Anderson, head yell leader. "Tradition should never be messed with."
The songleaders, who also lead the fight song, were divided on the issue.
"I'm not anti-feminist or anything," said songleader Marisa D'Amico, "but I don't think it should be changed because it seems much too ERA."
Fellow songleader Rana Kirk-
land, though, said "I think it should be changed. We are living in a era when women have just as many rights as men."
A member of the women's basketball team also said she liked the idea.
Yolanda Fletcher, a member of the women's basketball team, said she would agree with the change, because the present form of the fight song is now excluding other teams.
One question raised by the resolution's change is whether "men" includes both the women's teams and the men's teams.
"It seems to me that we were only cheering the men's teams," Fausett said. "Usually you use man to refer to both and men to refer to just the gender."
But yell leader John Christl said, "When they say men it refers to both."
Fausett said he thinks the students support the change because the senate passed his resolution unanimously.
For this reason, Fausett said he does not know why the yell leaders would not agree to the change. "It seems the fairly obvious thing to do," he said, "I think it shows us how sexist they are, and how out of date they are. Also, they are all male."
Yell leaders, however, said they don't think the senate should be the ones to change the fight song.
"I think the senate should keep their noses out of it," said yell leader Greg Morris.
Many complaints about efficiency cited by Senate
By Rebecca Esquibel
Staff Writer
Because of numerous complaints about the efficiency of the financial aid office at the beginning of the semester — when many students did not have completed packages — the Student Senate will distribute surveys to find out what students think about the office.
"There are always complaints about the financial aid office and since 60 percent of the student body has financial aid, we want to see what the students feel about the office and work to improve the relationship," said Kim Lopez, sub-chairwoman of the senate Student Affairs Unit.
On Dec. 10, students living in the North, South and West complexes will find a questionnaire about the financial aid office in their mail boxes, and drop their completed forms in a box at the main complex desk.
Off-campus residents and commuters will be able to fill out a survey in front of Tommy Trojan from Dec. 10-13.
Through the questionaires, students will be asked to rate on a scale of one to five the service at the financial aid window, the helpfulness and attitude of staff members, their success rate at solving problems, the counselors' availability, attitude, and success rate, and the letter of offer.
There will also be a section were students can write about the experiences and problems they have had with financial aid.
Results from the survey will be compiled after the semester break and they will be distributed to Student Senators, administrators and anyone who can offer help in facilitating changes in financial aid, Lopez said.
Lopez said that after they find out what students are upset
about, they will meet with the financial aid staff to see what can be done to change the problem areas.
Cecilia Vielma, acting head of financial aid, said she had not seen the questionnaire and she had no part in putting it together.
"In fact, I think it is better that the surveys didn't go out because I don't know what the results will lead to. I guess we'll (Continued on page 6)
USC officials are optimistic about tax reform package
By Dana Glad
Staff Writer
Although the tax reform package proposed by the Treasury Department includes changes that might reduce gifts to universities, and has been called devastating to higher education by some experts, this university seems to have adopted an optimistic wait-and-see attitude.
Richard Nordin, director of annual giving and development, said the proposal — which would allow individuals to deduct charitable contributions only when the amount of their gifts exceeds 2 percent of their gross income — would probably not adversely affect this campus because alumni donate out of "interest and loyalty," rather than tax concerns.
An estimated 49 percent of university revenues are generated by donations from individuals and other outside sources, and totalled $55 million last year, Nordin added.
But although donors who make small contributions would be relatively unaffected, he is not sure about larger contributors and is "really waiting to see the studies."
The Treasury Department's "tax simplification" plan would also curtail tax tuition remission benefits, and limit the use of tax-exempt bonds for financing an education.
Predictions from Washington, D.C. were far more nebulous.
Allen Krauter, press deputy for Rep. William Thomas, R-Bakers-field, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, said "nobody can predict what the bill's effect on charitable contributions will be.
(Continued on page 2)
Security's past problems improve under Steve Ward
Officers Association and submitted a series of demands to the president's office.
Their demands included a written statement that the university provide equal employment opportunities without regard to age, sex, race, color, national origin, political or religious affiliation or membership in any labor organization. Upgrading the requirements to become a security officer, written official security procedures, a formal grievance procedure and police officer status were also demanded.
This time the security officers were not alone. They had the support of the Student Senate, staff and some of the faculty.
There was also significant pressure being put on the university by neighborhood and dvil rights groups.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Urban League were threatening lawsuits based on alleged practices of harassment, brutality and discrimination by security officers against black students and neighborhood youths.
The university's administration listened. John Hubbard, then university president, formed the Commission on University-Neighborhood Relations to — among other
things — study the problems in the security department and to come up with solutions.
Among the members of the commission was Steve Ward, the current university security chief. Ward was teaching in the School of Public Administration at the time.
"I was appointed by the president to that commission as . . . the in-house expert on law enforcement administration. The commission asked me to ... do a survey of the security department," Ward said.
"I did that survey by providing an opportunity for every member of the department — all the officers, individually and in groups — to make their own recommendations. I let them identify the problems and I let them make suggestions on how to deal with them," he said.
The first thing Ward did was pass out 3x5 index cards to each office and asked employees to write down one problem on each card.
"I said, 'If you see a problem, write it down. You don't have to identify yourself. I don't care who it is that's saying it, I just want to know what the problem is/ " Ward said. "Then I said, Take another card and write down (Continued on page 10)
By Carmen Chandler
Investigations Editor
This is the second of a three-part series looking at the security department, where it was
10	years ago, what was done to change it and where it is now.
In 1977, security consultant Steve Ward asked security of-
ficers to fill out 3x5 index cards, listing the things they felt were problems within the department.
Thirty of the 34 officers did. They came up with 626 problems.
Morale among the security officers was at its lowest. They were frustrated with the rac-
ism, contradictory orders, inadequate training, unqualified fellow officers and a generally unorganized department.
The officers had been complaining to the university's administration for years, to no avail. They decided it was time to do something themselves.
They formed the Security
Security officer dusts car for fingerprints.