Lithuanians rally, cry for freedom on eve of Gorbachev arrival
VILNIUS, U.S.S.R. — Thousands of Lithuanians defied the Kremlin and cried “Freedom!” at a proindependence rally Wednesday, the eve of Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev’s high-stakes visit.
Banners held by the 20,000 people who massed on Cathedral Square called for Gorbachev to go home — and take the Red Army with him.
“We didn’t join the Soviet Union, you grabbed us!” read one banner, referring to the Soviet Union’s absorption of the Baltic republic in 1940.
From the Associated Press
■ iU-
How Alzheimer s acts
By Catherine Wickum
Staff Writer
University researchers have reported that Alzheimer's disease may affect a person's vision by impairing his depth perception, reading ability and motor skills without damaging the quality of the picture sent from the eye to the brain.
Dr. Alfredo A. Sadun, a reseacher at the USC Doheny Eye Institute, says
the findings explain why patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's can have 20 / 20 vision yet still bump into things and have trouble reading.
"We now recognize that to see is not a single process," Sadun said. "But it includes the processing of a dozen things occurring simultaneously."
Initially, the disease selectively damages only the optic cells respohsi-ble for spatial orientation, the re-
searchers reported in the January issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology.
The majority of people with Alzheimer's disease, when examined, have this selective damage, Sadun said.
"There is nothing we can do to cure (visual impairment) or prevent it from happening," he said.
(See Vision, page 8)
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feaSw trojan
Volume CXI, Number 2
University of Southern California
Thursday, January 11, 1990
Coliseum could face renovation
Olson’s ’Cats to scratch USC
Sports, page 28
The bucks stop at Southern Cal
Life/Arts, page 9
Proposal may leave Trojan team homeless
By Dave Hernandez
Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Coliseum Commission voted unanimously yesterday to privatize control of the Coliseum, bringing a plan for massive renovations to the facility one step closer to reality, officials said.
The action is aimed at keeping the Los Angeles Raiders professional football team in the city by upgrading the stadium.
Coliseum renovations include the possible demolition of the historic stadium to make way for a new facility — a project that would displace home Trojan football play.
"We're about one-third of the way toward realizing our plans,” said Joe Furin, a Coliseum spokesman.
These plans encompass two goals: development of the Coliseum into a world-class stadium, and the retention of an NFL team, preferably the Raiders, Furin said.
The commission's renovation plan is a $185-mil-lion proposal to tear down, rebuild, and refurbish the Coliseum with luxury boxes apd club seats. $60 million dollars of that would be p6H to the Raiders team if they keep calling Los Angeles "home."
It is estimated that after renovation, the Coliseum's seating capacity would be 70,000, down from its current capacity of 98,000.
Los Angeles is not alone in its pursuit of the Raiders team.
Other offers include proposals worth $119 million from Oakland, and one worth more than $350 million from Sacramento.
Anthony Lazzaro, university vice president, could not address the issue of how USC would be affected, but expressed concern that any renovation of the Coliseum should take into account the structure's status as a landmark.
"It's too soon to say that the university supports Coliseum renovation. We haven't seen any plans yet. We support any renovation that is done with sensitivity and cognizance to the historical importance that the Coliseum holds," Lazzaro said.
"No other area holds as much importance or as much potential to the city than Exposition Park, and the university is behind in plans to develop the park's cultural and sports potential while maintaining its past," hesaid.
The Coliseum has been home to the Trojans since 1923.
"I think we should have priority; after all, the Raiders have only been here a short time compared to the Trojans," said Chuck Crossett, a junior majoring in aerospace engineering.
"It's ridiculous," said Eric Johnson, a junior majoring in East Asian studies. "I can't believe the city could be so uncaring about its landmarks."
(See Coliseum, page 8)
Kris Chun / Daily Trojan
If the Los Angeles Coliseum Is remodeled, the Trojan football team may have to play Its games In another stadium.
Alcohol is losing ground
Pre-law fraternity considers stricter drinking policies
By Bill Swindell
Senior Staff Writer
Phi Alpha Delta, the university pre-law fraternity, fell one vote short Wednesday of enacting an amendment that would have barred the use of chapter funds to purchase alcohol and prohibited the collection of money for the same purpose at its group functions.
The proposal was the first of its kind to be considered by an aca-
demic fraternity at the university, and may be following the trend toward anti-alcohol policies approved last year by the social fraternities on campus.
The vote was 40 to 4 in favor of the amendment, but the fraternity needed 45 votes for a quorum, said Jim Prindle, president of the fraternity.
Tahna Van Blankenstein, secretary of the fraternity, said she would like to take the amendment to the Student Senate and see it applied to all academic fraternities, once they have it as a staple in their own. The university could assist in enforcing it.
(See Alcohol, page 19)
In brief