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Volume XCVII, Number 42
University of Southern California
Wednesday, October 31, 1984
Filmic Writing Program slated for major changes
By Angel Blazquez
Staff Writer
Major changes in the university's Filmic Writing Program are taking place after current juniors, who were the first students in the program, became unhappy because they are not writing enough.
Students in the program are complaining that instead of writing feature-length scripts they are engaged in therapy sessions.
The four-year program, which is a part of the School of Cinema-Television, began three years ago. There are approximately 65 students currently in the program and four have dropped out since it began.
"This is a writing program which is different than any other because it emphasizes a knowledge of film," said Margaret Mehring, director of the program. "But it is a brand new program and we knew it wasn't perfect. Changes are going on as a result of dialog between students and teachers."
Mehring said the program is meant not just to teach students how to write screenplays but to understand the entire process of filmmaking and to suit their writing to it.
"The original program was based on the fact that they needed to discuss film form first before writing. Now, they will leam about the writing first," she said.
Sara Brock, a junior in the program, said, "The problem with the program is that it is not geared towards writing. We have classes with a shrink on Wednesday nights. A teacher leading a group of students on self-awareness just doesn't do it.
"We have not written a feature script yet, only a 20-mmtitm^rript. We want to write more.
"Some students may not be writers and they wouldn't know it until they're juniors when it's too late. They gave us a four-year outline which looked good on paper, but the classes didn't turn out the way they were supposed to," Brock said. "I've paid for every cent of my education and now there's no place to go since many of these classes won't transfer."	—
Mehring said a "very radical change" has taken place in the program after dissatisfied students met with her and made their requests. Writing, which was reserved until the junior year, will now . begin the second semester of the freshman year.
"Maybe the ways we're teaching them now isn't right," Mehring said. "Their input is extremely valuable. We're working to make it better. I am taking to the Cinema Committee these changes I have made which are a direct result of the students.
"I am confident of these changes and I see absolutely no reason why (the committee) won't accept them."
Mehring said she believes the classes on self-awareness are essential for the students. .	_	—.
"We feel it's a great benefit to writers to know where they came from. The thing that represents talent in a person is their perception of the world. The psychology classes are directed at building charac-
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RICK WANO DAILY TROJAN
Jeremy Oury and Jack Bark (from left) sell Stanford Weekender T-shirts as part of a fundraisers for the Kappa Sigma pledge class. Oury designed the shirt.
Grades and unit requirements for transfers raised by committee
By Angel Blazquez
Staff Writer
The university has slightly raised grade requirements for transfer students an3 increased the number of units students need to acquire residency, following the recommendation of the 1983-84 Academic Standards Committee.
Both changes become effective Fall 1985 for freshmen and transfer students.
Under the new grade transfer
Holiday traveling may be difficult
Low-priced seats forces waiting lists for student fliers
By Diane Olivo
Staff Writer
Students planning to go home for Thanksgiving and Christmas may have a difficult time getting a flight and may be put on waiting lists this year, because most low-priced seats are booked.
Ian Thomas, director of marketing for the USC Travel Service, said flights to major cities during th© holidays are already reserved, calling the advance reservations the "earliest ever seen."
Thomas said students will need to book flights even earlier next year.
Ava Innerarity, a student from Florida, said she has been put on the waiting lists of four airlines for flights back to Florida during Christmas break.
She said when she- called the Travel Service they told her she would be better off calling the airlines herself because the lower-priced fares to Florida were already booked up.
"The previous year I called in November for Christmas reser-
vations. This year I've been calling since Oct. 15 and have been put on waiting lists," she said.
She said she has been told there are no available flights between Dec. 21 and 24. The only flights available for her at the moment are first class seats at $700 or coach seats around S400.
"Discount fares can range from $280 to 380," she said.
He said one reason for the early sellout of cheaper fares is that flights back East, such as those to Newark, N.J., are very inexpensive. Thomas said these flights and flights to San Francisco are booked up.
Thomas said, "at the moment, (airlines) have lower fares because of good competition.”
Thomas said small airlines are making it harder for large airlines such as United Airlines to charge high fares, because the small airlines are offering lower prices. This, he said, creates good competition.
He also said it is now cheaper to fly directly on a bargain flight to a city on the east coast than to take connecting stops. Until now, the connecting flights were cheaper.
The Travel Service, he said, presumes that students want the cheapest fares.
Thomas encouraged students to always book eacLy and said students "could always pay later. You don't have to pay for reservations." He said with reservations, customers know they have ajieat on the plane.
Dot Cannon of University Travel said flights to Hawaii and Newark are booked up. Many students have also been put on waiting lists for flights to other major cities.
"Flights to Hawaii are always very popular," she said.
Cannon said the reason for the Newark sellout is that the flight has a reduced fare of $238 round trip.
Thomas said changes will also affect travelers when the last part of airline deregulation — which will end licensing of travel agencies by the Air Traffic Council and the Civil Aeronautics Board — goes into effect on Jan. 1. 19S5.
"The U.S. government will be less responsible for activites of airlines," he said, and the result will be radical change and "more competition" between airlines.
He said that next year air fares will probably be the same as they are now, but that students should still reserve their flights earlier.
policy, coursework carrying a letter grade of D will no longer be accepted. The university will continue to accept transfer course work when a grade of C-or better*tvas earned.
Residency, the period of time a student has to be at the uni-
JJnder the new grade transfer policy, coursework carrying a letter grade of D will no longer be accepted.
versity to receive a degree, was increased to a minimum of 48 USC units. Previously, the minimum portion of the total degree requirement which had to be taken at the university was 32 units.
"There was a feeling that (the administration) wanted a
greater amount of USC experience," said Janet Chaudhuri, assistant provost. "The change was overwhelmingly favored."
After 80 units have been completed at this university or elsewhere, a student will now be in residency. A petition to interrupt residency will be considered if a student has earned 48 units at USC.
Requests for exceptions to the 48 unit rule will have to be made to the Committee on Academic Policies and Procedures (CAPP), formerly known as ASCOM. Departments that would like to request blanket exemptions will have to forward their request to CAPP.
The residency for a second bachelor's degree at the university remains at 32 units beyond the number of units required for the first bachelor's degree. Students. entering with a degree earned at another institution will be required to complete 48 units for a second bachelor's degree.
Business department aids in language development
By Rebecca Esquibel
Staff Writer
” The department of business communication has set up a new communication service for local corporations, Commline, to help them with business language and grammar problems.
The service will begin Nov. 15, on a three-month pilot test that will involve about 35 corporations in the Los Angeles area, said Art Bell, director of the project and professor of business communication.
Some of the companies that have already signed up for Commline services include the McDonnell Douglas Corp., Lawry's Foods, and the-Purex Corp.
Corporations will be able to either call or send a message by computer to doctoral candidates and professors in the department who will answer questions on business language and the structuring of business documents.
"Business writing is hard to understand. It is a fat language with many words. Business people want to make their language more efficient," Bell said.
Bell expects half of the questions on the Commline to deal with simple matters like grammar and addressing a person correctly; the other half he expects will be more complex questions about restruc-
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