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trojan
Volume XCIX, Number 21
University of Southern California
Tuesday, October 1, 1985
Liquor prices increase, tax goes in effect
By Frank Buckley
Staff Writer
Consumers can expect to begin paying between 40 cents to a $1.75 more for a bottle of hard liquor as a result of a federal excise tax that takes effect today.
The tax, which was signed into law as part of the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984, will force manufacturers of hard liquors such as bourbon and scotch to pay an added 19 percent tax on their goods. That translates to an extra two dollars on top of the current $10.50 distillers pay for every 100 proof gallon of liquor. The tax does not affect beer or wine.
"It means almost 50 percent of every bottle you buy will now go to taxes if you include federal and state (taxes)," said Lisa Tate, a spokeswoman for the Distilled Spirits Council. She also said the result for consumers will be higher prices as wholesalers and retailers mark up their prices to meet the new costs.
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TOM WOODALL DAILY TROJAN
Experts closed off the area surrounding Vivian Hall yesterday evening after a chemical spill.
VHE chemical spill injures five, closes building for 2 hours
By Sean Grady
Staff Writer
A chemical spill in a sixth-floor laboratory in the Vivian Hall of Engineering last night sent a professor and four security officers to the hospital and shut down the building for two hours.
Steve Forrest, described by security officers as a professor of electronic physics, was sent to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center with first- and second-degree bums on both forearms, said John Lewis, senior security officer at the scene.
The accident occurred when water reacted violently with a chemical in a piece of old equipment Forrest was cleaning out, Lewis said. Forrest was in room 605 on the southwest side of the building, he said.
Security officers Gerald Baker, Fred Massarotti and Jim Richards were sent to the California Medical Center for treatment of eye irritations they received while evacuating the building, Lewis said. Massarotti was also suffering from a headache, he said.
A fourth security officer, Patricia Thompson, was later sent to L.A. County-USC with the same symptoms as Massarotti.
All five were released by their respective hospitals shortly before 9 p.m. All were described as being in good condition.
The spill shut down the building from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., when John Pickering, Environmentel Health and Radiation Safety officer for the university, declared the substance contained and the building safe.
Steve Johnson, the first security officer to arrive at the building, said that Forrest "was cleaning up some old stuff to put in his lab" when the accident occurred.
Forrest "was cleaning a sealed glass condensing unit" when water
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81 recruiters to give advice on grad fields
By Sean Grady
Staff Writer
Recruiters from 81 graduate and professional schools will be available to meet undergraduates tomorrow at the Fourth Annual Graduate and Professional School Information Day in Alumni Park.
The program, which has become "one of the largest and most successiul events of this type in the nation," will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 2 p.m., said Gar Cropser, assistant director of the Learning and Career Development Centers.
Cropser, who is coordinator of the event, said students will be able to meet with representatives from graduate schools in nine subject areas.
These areas are business, international business management, psychology, law, social work, architectural and urban planning, health sciences, education	and	public
administration.
In addition to the representatives from these areas, representatives from 22 schools will provide general information, about their graduate programs, Cropser said.
The event is open to all undergraduates who are planning to go to graduate school, Cropser said.
Application forms and other materials will be available during the event, said Stephen Che-ney-Rice, a staff associate at the Learning and Career Development Centers.
The event began in 1982, and has been held every fall since then, Cropser said. He added that it originally started with 35 schools.
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Happy
By Diane Diaz
Assistant City Editor
The 50th anniversary of Social Security and 20 years of Medicare were celebrated at the university Sunday with thousands on hand to participate in the gala event.
Many distinguished individuals took part in the celebration, such as Mayor Tom Bradley; KTLA's Larry McCormick, who was the master of ceremonies; Edmund Edel-man, the chairman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors; Rep. Edward Roybal, D.-Cal., chairman of the House Select Committee on Aging, and Rep. Claude Pepper, D.-Fla., chairman of the House Rules Committee.
All of the speakers at the two-and-a-half-hour celebration had positive comments about Social Security and the assurance of its future. Some that were positive about it, however, mentioned the problems of Medicare.
The proposal to undermine Social Security was defeated by the Save Our Security committee, said Dr. Arthur Flemming, chairman of the Save Our Security committee in Washington. "There are still people who have ideas of those kinds (to undermine Social Security) and we will continue to battle."
"We believe, as older persons, that we must move forward and that is in the area of health care. We know something has got to be done about the costs of health care," he said.
"You know and I know that it (Medicare) doesn't provide adequate provisions. The time has come for us to launch a
Birthday, Social Security!
crusade for national health," he said. "We're not going to be satisfied until we reach that kind of goal."
"We know there is unfinished business as we rejoice and we dedicate ourselves to finishing that business."
Roybal said, "Medicaid will continue to have some problems, but Social Security, I'm happy to report, is financially sound and will continue to exist."
He said that just last week a committee in the House marked up two important bills. The first, he said, is a bill that would take Sociai Security out of the existing budget and let it stand on its own. The second would allow Social Security to be an independent agency, he said.
"We need that united force to make them pass," Roybal said, citing the lyrics to a song written specifically for the occasion, "Let's stand together, remember we have much to lose. Write some letters, tons of letters, and let them know our views."
"It's a great vestitution of America that we must cherish and determine to preserve for the rest of our lives," Pepper said.
"I hope to see America have a medical system in which every man, woman and child will have the medical care they deserve."
Edelman, who was only 5 years old at the time the historic legislation passed, spoke of change in the future of Social Security, but said "we must be ever vigil that the change is constructive and not destructive."
"We celebrate the 50th anni-
versary of Social Security and we celebrate two great victories in this country over two great enemies," Bradley said.
He said those enemies were "poverty and the catastrophic costs of medical care for aging."
"We must keep our eyes on what goes on in Washington and make sure there is no erosion of Social Security," he said.
He presented a certificate to the three founders of the celebration on behalf of the city.
Teresa Hughes, representative of the 4th district, said, "Let us never forget our commitment to you. Social Security is a privilege and a right we deserve as U.S. citizens."
Entertainment was provided by the Ink Spots, a popular band of the late 30's and early (Continued on page 8)
ABEL ESPINOZA DAILY TROJAN
Mayor Tom Bradley was one of the speakers at the Social Security celebration held on the steps of VKC Sunday.