Miller has a night to remember — See SPORTS
Volume C, Number 29	University of Southern California	Friday, February 21, 1986
Investigation discontinued in suspicous Watt Hall fire
trojan
BENILDA SANDAN DAILY TROJAN
Investigation into a fire that destroyed a painting studio in Watt Hall last Friday has been discontinued due to a lack of information.
By Gerhard Taeubel
Staff Writer
A fire designated as “suspicious” by the Los Angeles Fire Department destroyed a painting studio in Watt Hall last Friday, but no further investigation will be conducted unless more information surfaces, a city fire official said Thursday.
"The fire is of a suspicious nature," said Capt. Stephen Cohee of the LAFD's arson squad, but the investigation will not continue because "there are no witnesses, no suspects, and nothing more to go on."
According to university security reports, the fire broke out about 11 p.m. Friday night in the fine arts department of Watt Hall, causing substantial water and smoke damage to a painting studio shared by six graduate students.
Fire fighters, responding to an anonymous call, were able to contain the "fairly good-sized blaze" after 20 to 30 minutes, said Sgt. Michael Kennedy of University Security. There were no injuries, he said.
Barbara Elwood, assistant to the dean of the School of Fine Arts, said the university is presently "in the process of starting cleanup and repairs."
The fire department estimated propertv damage to be approximately $10,000, but Alex Ratka, director of the university's Insurance and Risk Management Office, said an insurance adjuster called in by the university put the total at about 522,000.
Both Elwood and Ratka said they w'ere under the impression that an arson investigation was to be conducted.
Ratka said arson investigators were expected to inspect the area destroyed by the fire on Tuesday morning. The fire department, however, will not do an arson investigation because of a lack of information.
1984 fund ranking 'favorable'
Federal aid higher
By Amy Mednick
Staff Writer
The universitv improved its rank in federal funding received in fiscal 1984 for both research and development, and total obligations, according to a survey published by the National Science Foundation.
In 1984, the university ranked 16th for federal research funds, moving up from 17th in 1983, according to the report published this week in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
The university moved up from 22nd on the list in 1983 to 19th on the list in 1984 for total federal funding w'hich includes student financial aid funds in addition to the research monies.
"It's a credit to the faculty we've brought here that the total contract and grant amount has gone up," said William Spitzer, dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.
"It shows that it is not just a flash in the pan and we are making strides — it's a very favorable sign," Spitzer said.
If the university continues to conduct broadly based research, it will receive substantial funding in the future. “The overall picture continues to look bright," Spitzer said.
"It says good things about our faculty because they compete through a peer review process," said Lyn Hutton, senior vice president of administration. "I think this is something to be proud of."
The faculty received 978 research awards in 1985 which increased from 866 in 1984, said William Hromadka, executive director of contracts and grants.
Last year the universitv received 5110,870,000 in total awards to the faculty for research purposes, including federal and non-feder-al funds, he said.
"I think it's a testimony to the quality of our research faculty. "I'm glad to see we are progressing," Hromadka said.
The university switched places with the University of Minnesota in its research funds ranking.
Johns Hopkins University’ was ranked number one for fiscal
1983	and fiscal 1984. UCLA dropped from 5th to 6th for funds received for research and from 7th to 6th for its total funds.
The 100 insitutions listed accounted for 63 percent of the 510.1 billion that federal agencies granted to colleges and universities in fiscal 1984, the Chronicle reported.
"All of the rest of the universities divide up the rest of the funding," said Alexander Barton, program director of the College Science Instructional Program at the National Science Foundation.
The Department of Health and Human Services gave S2.7 billion in 1984 and the Department of Defense gave 51 billion, according to the report. The Department of Agriculture, the Interior Department and the Department of Commerce are other federal agencies that contributed to universities. Barton said. The National Science Foundation gave SI.5 billion.
JOEL ORDESKY DAILY TROJAN
MIDTERM BLUES — A little Trojan tot seems disgruntled at the sight of hapless students wandering about in a state of trauma.
Central America discussed
Panel of experts analyze U.S. policy
By Marci Kenon
Staff Writer
Speakers for the five-year Assessment Conference on Central America, which opened last night with a panel discussion of U.S. policy on Central American refugees, criticized the American government's militarization policies for counteracting peace efforts in the region.
President Reagan's request that Congress approve 5100 million in aid to the contras in Nicaragua was a key issue the four experts discussed during yesterday's press meeting.
Adolfo Zinser, professor of political science at the National University of Mexico, said United States military aid to forces such as the contras in Nicaragua defeats the efforts of the Contadora, a group of Latin American leaders attempting to achieve peace through diplomatic relations.
Zinser said the problems in the region are not a result of external forces (notably the Soviet Union) as the U.S. government claims, but regional difficulties that can be handled by the Central American countries which have had many years of relations.
Zinser said the contras are the only external force fighting in the region.
"The contras are not a local force in the struggle. They are an external element implanted in the region by the United States," Zinser said.
Saul Landau, author and journalist, alleged that the U.S.-backed contras are "thugs” whose activities have included murdering, raping, torturing and pillaging throughout Nicaragua.
of assassination manuals to CIA foreign trainees as well as CIA detainment of people who were later killed, he alleged.
Terry Karl, assistant professor (Continued on page 2)
Landau said U.S. support of the contras is "legally and morally" wrong. The situation in Nicaragua is a typical example of CIA covert operations, which have included the distribution