trojan
Volume CV, Number 21	University of Southern California	Friday. October 2. 1987
University pleads no contest to radiation procedure laxity
By Shawn Pogatchnik
Assistant City Editor
The university pleaded no contest in Los Angeles County Municipal Court Thursday to 15 criminal charges of violating radiation control standards and failing to train its personnel to handle radioactive materials properly.
The court fined the university $25,000 and ordered it to establish a three-year, graduate-level fellowship fund in industrial medicine and radiation safety. The fellowship will cost the university $25,000 a year.
The suit, brought against the university and 10 of its researchers by City Attorney James Hahn on March 12, charged that radioactive elements — predominantly used for cancer research
on the university's Health Sd-ences Campus — were being handled and supervised dangerously.
But Stephen Auer, university counsel, said the school's plea was not an admission that it mishandled radioactive materials. Rather, he said, it was for failing to maintain the university's safety program for its use.
"The essence of the charges was not mishandling (the materials)," he said. "The essence is that the university wasn't doing its job."
Of 179 misdemeanor charges in the aty's criminal complaint, 164 were dropped Thursday. All 31 charges brought against the
10	individual researchers were dismissed. The remaining 133 dropped charges applied directly to the university.
Quake shakes up interest in students’ geology class
By Michael Lambert
Staff Writer
The students in Charles Sammis' class were especially attentivt Thursday — the object of their studies had rumbled through their bedrooms only hours before.
"The earthquake made the class seem more enthusiastic," said Sammis, professor of Geology 240: Earthquakes, adding that the dass asked "many more questions" than usual.
"The course will seem more relevant to them now."
Before the class began, students spoke exdtedlv about the temblor.
Brad Askins, an undeclared freshman from Oklahoma, said he was looking forward to "going to class and hearing more about it." Thursday was his first experience with an earthquake.
Drew Wetherholt, a junior accounting major, said he was riding his bike to class when the quake hit.
"Students moved out and away from the older buildings," Wetherholt said. "Nobody seemed to panic."
Sammis told the dass the earthquake measured about 6.0 on the Richter scale. He said it is impossible to determine the exact measurement of an earthquake, but that sdentists are usually able to come
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The fellowship fund was proposed to address charges made in the suit alleging that the university has no existing training program for handling radioactive materials.
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Sentencing of Emanuel postponed
The sentencing of former university tailback Aaron Emanuel, originally scheduled for Oct. 1, was canceled because of Thursday's earthquake.
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! UE OJULY THOJAM
NO CONTEST — The university pleaded no contest Thursday to 15 charges of violating radiation control standards last spring at the Health Sciences Campus.
No residents injured
Embassy Residential College suffers minor temblor damage
By Brad Bowlin
Start Writer
Despite visible signs of damage to the Embassy Residential College from Thursday's earthquake, the building was largely undamaged
None of the residents was injured by the quake, according to security personnel.
After the initial quake, many residents made a beeline for the staircases.
"They were coming down reasonably fast, but I thought the students were pretty orderly," said Gary Rus, a security officer.
Allison Bryant, community service officer, described the scene as one of “panic and lots of running."
Rus and another officer walked through the
building, searching rooms for injured students "We knocked on doors and opened those where nobody answered, looking for injuries. ' said Rus "We could have had a great number of injuries" because many wardrobes, dressers, and other large items were falling in the rooms, he said
Early news broadcasts encouraged the evacuation of downtown buildings but Embassy residents were allowed to remain in the building "The damage didn't look too severe so my didn't evacuate." Rus said
Shortly after Rus completed his rounds of the building, a construction engineer arm ed for a brief building inspection.
Each of the 10 floors suffered cracks in the walls ranging in length from a few inches to several feet
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And when the ‘big one’ came.
"It wasn't a big deal for me, but mv roommate was scared to hell."
Mike Bouskos Junior
Business Administration
Photos by Michael Kim
"It scared the living daylights out of me. It knocked my bed off the frame, and I dropped three feet on top of my roommate. The dogs were barking, the pregnant lady next door screamed, and then we heard an explosion. It was a horrifying experience." Randy Martino Senior Finance
"All of my roommates were freaking out. But I was more concerned about saving my shot glasses. They had to pull me under the doorway."
Kris tan Taylor Sophomore History / IR
Reported by Shelly Etherton
6.1 quake rocks area, USC lightly damaged
By Rose Anne Rodriguez
CjIv Editor
Thursday's earthquake, estimated at 6.1 on the Richter scale, caused several chemical spills and minor structural damage on both the university Health Sciences and main campuses. No injuries were reported.
An unknown non-radioactive chemical spill occurred on the sixth floor of the School of Pharmacy on the Health Sciences Campus. The spill forced cleanup crews to work through the night and caused the closing of the sixth floor today. Classrooms on the lower floors are scheduled to be open today, said Joseph Van Der Meulen. vice president of health affairs.
"We are trying to be extra safe," he said. "There is a strange smell and the substance looks like it is corrosive, but it is not radioactive."
No one was working in the building at the time of the spill. Van Der Meulen said.
Other labs also experienced minor spills from overturned containers Water leakage from deionizer tubing caused water to spill onto floors, he said.
There was minor structural damage on the Health Sciences Campus. Large stone facades on the Dohenv Eye Building were loosened by the temblor The area was immediately cordoned off
Cracks were detected in the stairwell of the Keith admints-
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Inside
A map of the major geological faults in Southern California. See page5.
A look at major earthquakes that hav>e occurred in the state this century. See page 6.