USC — Washington St. football preview inside
dMHw trojan
Volume XCIX, Number 44
University of Southern California
Friday, November 1, 1985
UCLA could get better students
UC policy changes may affect USC admissions
By Matthew Gaven
Staff Writer
The University of California has unveiled a series of polity changes that will directly affect students about to apply to UC schools, as well as those considering attending this university.
The policy changes involve application procedures and revised academic requirements. In addition, the system has re-evaluated its grade point average and Scholastic Achievement Test requirements.
“Every application change that the UC system makes impacts on USC because of the high number of shared applicants between the two/' said Kathryn Forte, director of admissions for this university. ''We see these new policy changes as a challenge, not a drastic problem,” she said.
The major change in the UC system is in the form of a new application procedure which allows students to list as many as eight different schools within the system on a single admission application.
TRICK OR TREAT — Pumpkins, monsters, and yes, female impersonators hit the campus yesterday, while at the Row they came in minature form. The Greeks opened their houses to trick-or-treaters Thursday evening preceeding an all-Row party. Earlier, the ATO fraternity sponsored a Halloween carnival at the 32nd St. School.
Police
patrol
restroom
The application materials are evaluated at a central information center and then sent to each individual campus listed on the student's application. The individual school decides if it wants to pursue the student for enrollment.
"The new system is supposed to benefit the student, but it is very confusing," Forte said. This university has benefitted in the past from a complicated and somewhat unpopular UC application redirection procedure which is now being replaced, she said.
Under the old redirection system, students who were qualified for admission to the UC system but could not be accomodated by their first-choice school were redirected to a compatible school within the system. However, students had no say in the choice made for them.
Forte said the new UC application procedure may represent a serious long-term challenge to the enrollment, and therefore the vitality, of independent higher education in California.
"Seventy-eight percent of all USC freshman applicants send their SAT scores when applying for college to a UC system campus,'' Forte said. "Now, because students may apply to all campuses and each campus may admit through a central clearinghouse any student it wants, the system stands a far greater likelihood of matching students with a desirable campus choice."
Another change in the UC system affects the academic requirements potential students must fulfill.
"The new academic policies were ratified in 1982, but are officially going into effect now," said a spokeswoman for the UC system. "Instead of 11 to 12 academic units, a high school student must have
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in Taper Hall
Robbery, assault and obscene activities reported
By Terry Allen
Staff Writer
Because of reports of what has been termed "lewd conduct", the men's restroom in the basement of Mark Taper Hall has been targeted for random surveillance by University Security and the Los Angeles Police Department Vice Squad.
According to security and LAPD officials, the problem concerns personal safety in the area of the bathrooom. The incidence of robbery, assault, and obscene activity, more common here than in other parts of the campus, suggests the facility may be unsafe, they said.
"We didn't initiate the investigation," said Chief Steve Ward, director of University Security. "Several administrators who have offices near the bathroom in Taper Hall told us that people were coming to them and telling them they were robbed or injured. Finally, someone said. This is enough. We'd like to be able to use our own bathroom.' "
Ward said security had been aware of the situation for several months and began a formal survey of the area after numerous complaints, including one detailing an assault in which the victim was badly bruised and bleeding, were logged.
"We began to monitor activity there and it became fairly clear that a large number of off-campus people were using the bathroom for illegal activity and to establish homosexual contacts," Ward said. "So we posted signs telling people that the bathroom was limited to use by faculty and students only.
"We patrolled and conducted ID checks to stop the loi-
The Taper Hall restroom apparently has a worldwide reputation as a center of homosexual activity.
tering and idling and so forth," he continued. "And we compiled a list of non-USC people that was three pages long. After a while, the situation remained unchanged. We were still finding a significant off-campus element and realized we weren't having anv success in stopping it."
It was at this point that the LAPD vice squad was contacted, Ward said.
"When we reach the point where we don't have the
legal ability to deal with a situation, we call in the police department," he said. "We knew it had become a real problem and wanted help before anyone else got hurt. We had to get the word out that we were not going to let people use university facilities to do these things."
Sgt. Dave Steams, vice supervisor for the LAPD, described his department's involvement with the Taper Hall facility as cooperational. Vice officers will assist USC in looking into the problem, he said.
"We were told of the possibility of lewd conduct in public restrooms," he said. "They called with a problem and we offered to help."
So far. Steams said, vice involvement has resulted in one arrest.
The Taper Hall restroom apparently has a worldwide reputation as a center of homosexual activity.
"I know a friend who read about (the bathroom) in the Gay Guide to America in Paris. It has basically become a cruising spot, if you will," said Rich Falconer, director of the Gay and Lesbian Student Assemblv.
Falconer said his organization did not condone illegal activity in the bathroom and that the GLSA has offered to help security in abating the problem.
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