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viewpoint
A look at some of the university’s unanswered questions. See page 4.
performance
Victor Hugo via Broadway: “Les Miserables” is big, lightweight. See page 5.
sports
Water polo takes on top schools in Bay Area. See page 12.
Volume CVII, Number 33
University of Southern California
Friday, October 21, 1988
Professor warns voters to weigh truth of charges in campaign ads
By Kevin Cullinane
Staff Writer
Even though negative campaigning has been an effective strategy in this year's presidential race, voters should be skeptical about the charges made against the two candidates, a university political science professor said Thursday.
"The few conclusions I have are that negativism, while perhaps distorting, is practically inevitable — given the fact that a lot of the people vote against candidates rather than for candidates,” Herbert Alexander told a crowd of about 35 at the Faculty Center
'Too much of what we hear is trivial," Alexander said. "Some of what we hear is false or unverified or even unverifiable, and as voters, I think we need to weigh and assess the charges and allegations being made.
"There is some evidence that negative campaigning is more effective than positive campaigning," he continued.
Negative campaigning has been especially evident in TV ads from both political parties, he said.
"The idea (behind negative campaign TV ads) is name rec: ognition, possibly identification (See Ethics, page 3)
HAVIN’ A BALL
ALENA TAM / DAILY TROJAN
Thursday’s noontime concert at Tommy Trojan featured Jerry Wagers on guitar and Tim Fusion on the square foot bass.
Plan to reclassify crime considered
Gang activity may seem lessened with method of compiling statistics
By Chris Eftychiou
Staff Writer
A new method for compiling crime statistics soon may be implemented by police officials to distinguish between gang-related and gang-motivated activity.
Cmdr. William Booth of the Los Angeles Police Department said a gang-related crime is one that involves a gang member but has nothing to do with gangs.
"For example, if two members of the same family were involved in a domestic quarrel, and one of them was a gang member, that would be gang-related," Booth said.
“The opposite extreme is where several people in a car are wearing one kind of gang color and they drive by exchanging gang slogans and gunfire with another group,” he said. "That's quite obviously gang-motivated."
The distinction would make gang crime statistics seem fewer, but the old method of classifying everything as gang-related would not be discontinued, Booth said.
"Our gang experts are work-
ing on a proposal to include additional data without deleting any existing data," he said.
The more knowledge available about what is gang-related and what is gang-motivated, "the greater your potential for using your resources more effectively," the officer said.
The proposal to use the new method will be presented to police Chief Daryl Gates sometime next week, he said.
Police, however, informally have kept track of the difference between gang-related and gang-motivated crimes since January 1988, Booth said.
"We've been doing it on an informal basis as a pilot project. Our pilot project has shown us it would be valuable to continue it as a formal project," he said.
Statistics for gang-related and gang-motivated activity could differ greatly, as evidenced by the figures for the Southwest area, where the university is located.
During August of this year, there were 42 gang-related crimes — a statistic that includes homicides, attempted murders, felony assaults, robberies and (See Statistics, page 2)
UV security guards apprehend student
By John Matthews
Staff Writer
A student said Thursday he was arrested at University Village Wednesday after the mall's owner complained that he was making a mess while watching the World Series on the outdoor television.
"I was put in handcuffs in the middle of UV for not doing anything — where I spent quite a few of my dollars," said Robert Slatkin, a junior majoring in public administration.
After being taken to the mall's security office, Slat-kin said, he was told to sign a form relinquishing University Village of liability for the incident.
"They said, 'If you don't sign the form we're taking you right to South-Central jail,' " Slatkin said.
"I'd rather be in class," he added.
It is standard procedure to ask those arrested in University Village to sign the form, said Officer Mario Tovar of University Village Security.
Slatkin said he was coerced into signing the form.
."I'm going to speak to a lawyer," he said.
Slatkin said he was taking a break from classes when the incident occurred.
"I got a few pretzels and a Coke and went to watch the game," Slatkin said. "All of a sudden there was a Chinese guy saying 'I don't need this kind of customer
—	you don't buy nothing. You makin' a mess. I put in the big screen and nobody buy nothing.' "
Slatkin said he swore at the man and immediately was arrested by security guards.
(See Arrest, page 2)
Tuition Exchange benefits students
By Scott Mullet
Staff Writer
The university is looking for more students to take advantage of the Tuition Exchange program, in which eligible children of university employees may receive free tuition.
If a staff member has worked at the university for four or more years, his children are eligible for free tuition — up to $9,100 — at any of the 271 member schools, said Howard Saperston, university registrar and Tuition Exchange board member.
Nationwide, nearly 1,100 students are involved in the program, while some 57 students, "29 imports and 28 exports," are participating in the program through this university, Saperston said.
The administrator said if other students wanted to go elsewhere, he would make room for more incoming participants.
To remain a member, a school must maintain a balance (within 5 percent) between its "imports and exports," he said.
The problem with the program is keeping the balance between the number of students coming into the university and the number leaving, Saperston said.
The program was started in 1950 under the assumption that it would be "self-balancing," and that each school would have equal numbers of incoming and outgoing Students, he said.
But it's not self-balancing because some schools, like USC, have more students wanting to enroll in them than leave them, he said.
"I'll probably end up, by early spring, with 60 of these
If a staff member has worked at the university for four or more years, his children are eligible for free tuition ... at any of the 271 member schools.
applications and I'll only be able to accept about 10," Saperston said.
"I could accept more if I had more faculty and stafi coining to me wanting their kids to go elsewhere."
But not enough faculty and staff members know about the program or the way it works, the administrator said.
"I want to let more faculty and staff members know that it's available and how relatively simple it is to participate," he said.
It's easy to get started in the program, he said. Eligible parents just let the university know which school their child wants to attend.
"The process is simple, but the acceptance part is kind of complicated because each school can use its own criteria," Saperston said.
Being a member of the nonprofit organization costs the university very little, he said.
"There is an annual fee of $100 for each institution," and "for every export student, the school is charged an additional $25."
The program consists mostly of private schools, Saperston said.
"My biggest exchanges are with Chapman College, University of the Pacific, Tulane University, Syracuse
(See Exchange, page 3)