Eat, Drink and be Merry — see the First SoCal
Day honoring King to be a school holiday in 1987
By David Miranda
Staff Writer
Beginning next year, the university will observe the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday by closing for the day, according to a memo released yesterday afternoon by President James Zumberge.
"Following the observance of the holiday this month, many students, faculty, and staff have strongly urged further consideration of the manner of the observance of the holiday," Zumberge said in the memo. "I discussed the matter thoroughly last week and this week with the Office of the President, and we reached the decision which I am announcing today."
Commenting on the university's initial decision to remain open during King's birthday, Lyn Hutton, senior vice president for administration, said, "There seemed to be many requests to rethink that decision."
The announcement was enthusiastically welcomed by Aaron Clark, chairman of the Black Student Assembly. Clark has been involved in the combined efforts of black student groups and other campus organizations to make King's birthday a university holiday.
"What can I say?" Clark said, responding to the announcement. "We worked on it. We talked with Dr. Zumberge. . .I'm overjoyed that the university has decided to take this stand. . .this is great," he added.
Although King's birthday is Jan. 15, it is observed as a national holiday each year on the third Monday in January.
The university had two reasons for not closing its doors for the King holiday this year, Zumberge said in the memo. First, King's memory could best be honored with lectures, discussion and reflection, he said. Second, the uniform observance of national holidays on Mondays greatly affects Monday classes.
The Black Student Assembly and the Black Student Union protested the university's decision to remain open by demonstrating outside Bovard Auditorium Jan. 15.
"The university's decision to keep its doors open on the holiday that is designed to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King is a blatant slap in the face to all who study and work at USC," Clark said in a speech during the protest.
Over 2,000 signatures were collected on a petition that called for the university to close on the holiday, Clark said.
He added that black student groups and the Student Senate were in the middle of working on a forum to encourage the university to change its policy when the memo was released.
Ken High, president of the Black Student Union, said, "1 think it's overdue. . .1 feel the justice that Dr. King is getting is long overdue."
Clark credited Michael Palmieri, chairman of the Program Board, and Pauline Ng, president of the Student Senate, with helping push for the King university holiday.
"It seemed that a majority of the students really did want the day off," Ng said. "I'm very happy to hear that they are listening."
Barbara Bramwell, chairwoman of the Martin Luther King Committee, who has served on the Black Staff and Faculty Caucus, said, "This was an ongoing goal. For me, I was always optimistic that the university would change its policy."
Gary Spitzer, a junior majoring in history, said that King has "great importance" and that his birthday should be a national holiday. He said he thinks closing the university, however, "might be a little too much."
Volume C, Number 14	University of Southern California	Wednesday, January 29, 1986
Barbara Bush addresses Women's Day gathering
'A Collage of Knowledge'
By Katherine Dyar
Staff Writer
Barbara Bush, wife of Vice President George Bush, addressed a crowd of 750 alumni and other guests in Bovard Auditorium yesterday afternoon as the special guest speaker for Women's Day, a biennial program that provides an academic day for women from alumni groups and the community.
Addressing the program's theme, "A Collage of Knowledge," Bush spoke on the problem of illiteracy in the United States, a topic with which she is familiar through her involvement with both the National Advisory Council of Literacy Volunteers of America and the national Reading Is Fundamental program.
Bush estimated that approximately one-fifth of the adults in the United States have basic reading and writing difficulties, and that one-fifth of all Californians are "functionally illiterate," unable to perform basic day-to-day tasks such as reading street signs and filling out job applications.
In addition to the difficulties illiteracy causes for adults themselves, Bush said that it also has a detrimental affect on their children, who may not leam from their parents the benefits of an education.
Bush said she envisions her role in combating illiteracy as one of
(Continued on page 2)
trojan
JOEL ORDESKY,DAILY TROJAN
Barbara Bush (center), guest speaker at Women’s Day, talks with President Zumberge and his wife Marilyn Tuesday afternoon.
Challenger's crew honored
Memorial to be held at noon
By Terry Allen
Assistant City Editor
In the wake of yesterday's explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger and the death of its seven crew members, the Student Senate, in conjunction with the university's Air Force ROTC, will hold a memorial ceremony today at noon in front of the Administration Building.
The senate has also asked for a moment of silence throughout the university during today's ceremony.
"Air Force ROTC will be lowering the flag to half-mast in the morning, then raising it to full during the ceremony, and finally putting it back to half-mast again after the ceremony is over," said Wally Bobkiewicz, chairman of the senate's Academic Affairs Research / Action Unit. "It will all be done in honor of those who died."
The ceremony was proposed by Kevin Burnes, vice president of the senate.
Reactions to the shuttle disaster on campus yesterday consisted of shock, grief and intense curiosity.
"We had been going along with such continuous success," said Col. William Gates, a professor of aerospace studies for the Air Force ROTC, in reference to NASA's highly touted shuttle program. "We haven't had many setbacks in the past that involved loss of human life. With America's concern for human life, something like this is always going to hit home."
"When my roommate first told me, I just thought 'Oh, my God,' " said Susan Fong, a freshman majoring in biology. "The school teacher gets nominated and goes through all the hassle and all the delays, and then it blows up in space when it finally goes off. It's really a shame."
Ginger Huth, a junior majoring in international relations, said she felt sorry for those who
died in the catastrophe but hoped the fate of the Space Shuttle Challenger would not permanently hinder the country's space program.
"It's very sad," she said. "It was a freak, tragic thing, but sooner or later some kind of catastrophe was bound to happen. Those people gave their lives so
that all of us could benefit."
The flag at the center of campus on Trousdale Parkway flew at half-staff yesterday as the news of the disaster reached campus shortly after Challenger exploded at 8:39 a.m. PST.
Off campus, motorists turned on their headlights as a show of respect to those who perished.
MOLLY HUNTSMAN DAILY TROJAN
A memorial ceremony will be held in front of Bovard today at noon in honor of the crew of the space shuttle Challenger. The flag was flown at half-staff Tuesday.