Why is this lady yelling?
Sports, page 24
weather
Musical mayhem hits stage, stores
Life/Arts, page 9
trojan
or
Volume CXI, Number 19	Univereity of Southern California_Wednesday, February 7,1990
Vidal talks of history, not writing
By Chad Reed
Staff Writer
Author Gore Vidal expressed chagrin that he once proclaimed himself “America's biographer” during a speech to a capacity crowd at Doheny Library's east patio Tuesday.
Vidal came to the university following the publication of his latest book, Hollywood. The author's prepared comments, however, did not focus on his work.
"I've made it a rule never to talk about my writing," Vidal said. "The process of writing is a secret of the unconscious mind, which does the work and eats from the conscious mind. Self-consciousness is as fatal to the creative process as it is to the procreative process."
Instead, Vidal discussed history, his subject in a series of six books which includes Hollywood. The series chronicles nearly 200 years of the nation's history.
"No one can deny that we are not, by Spiro Agnew's phrase, the greatest nation in the country," Vidal said, using the trivial gaffe to reflect larger mistakes that politicians make that place the United States in jeopardy.
Vidal said that it is instructive to examine history. "Let us try to use past light to discover present darkness," he said, quoting Thomas Jefferson.
(See Vidal, page 8)
Gore Vidal, author of Hollywood, discusses America’s 200 year history with a capacity crowd at Doheny Library’s east patio Tuesday.
Vandals find Access isn’t just for kicks
By Michael Utley
Assistant Gty Editor
An increase in reported vandalism against the university's Access security system occurred last weekend, damaging door frames, but no point of entry was breached, officials said Tuesday.
Three students were recorded by the system's remote-control video cameras — in three separate incidents — trying to kick open a door at Century Apartments on Saturday, according to University Security reports.
Doors in other complexes were found to have been similarly vandalized over the weekend, said Terry Riley, Access system manager.
"They're not breaking the lock. The lock won't give," Riley said. "But they're kicking the hell out of the door frame."
Riley said none of the doors protected by the system were opened as a result, unlike last week when a freshman at Century led Daily Trojan staff members on a tour of the complex to show how easily one could break into the building. The doors were fixed immediately after Access officials learned of that problem.
Danny Slucki, a junior majoring in public administration, was named as one of the alleged vandals in the security report. He admitted that a friend of his had kick-tested the door after he went through first, using his student identification card in the Access swipe slot.
"We were just kicking it to make sure they had fixed it," Slucki said. "We were curious. I honestly don't trust anything Riley says anymore."
Slucki said he was not the one who did the actual kicking, but since they used his card to get in,
(See Vandal, page 3)
Four non-Greek groups get into Songfest
Embassy and Residential Life acts to perform
In Brief_
Gorbachev’s plan to cease monopoly needs some filling
MOSCOW — Communist Party leaders added an unexpected third day to their pivotal meeting Tuesday and sent Mikhail S. Gorbachev back to the drawing board to fill in holes in his blueprint for ending the party’s monopoly on power.
The extension of the party session, which was supposed to end Tuesday, was a clear sign of the controversy generated by Gorbachev’s proposals to revamp the country’s political structure.
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From the Associated Press
Index	
Viewpoint..........................	............. 4
Komix................................	
Security Roundup...........	
Life/Arts............................	............. 9
Sports...............................	
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By Christine Klor
Staff Writer
Organizers for the annual Songfest benefit gala, a competition between nine dancing and singing acts that has traditionally been dominated by Greeks, selected four non-Greek acts after auditions Friday — the most such acts in the event's history.
Two of the non-Greek groups are new to Songfest: an Embassy Residential Col-
lege group and a Residential Life group, composed of residential advisers and residents of university housing.
The two non-Greek groups that have participated in Songfest in the past are "Deans' and Trustee Scholars and Friends" and the Black Student Union.
"The two new groups are doing a wonderful job and we will probably see them (in more shows) from now on," said Kerri Bay, l large-group coordinator for
Songfest.
Having four non-Greek groups out of nine acts may change the image of songfest, which will raise money for Troy Camp, a program that sponsors area school children for summer camps.
"Songfest is supposed to be an all-university event. The whole university supports Troy Camp, not just Greeks," said Brian Underhill, also a large-group coordinator for Songfest.
"For as long as the four years that I've been here," Bay said, "(Songfest hasXal-(See Songfest, pagq 7)
Symptoms
Rape counselors help victims regain control of their lives
things should work was totally destroyed," said Heather McCann, an acquaintance rape survivor and freshman at the university. "It breaks your rules of normal things to expect."
There are several venues for regaining control.
Many options are offered by the university, such as the Student Health and Counseling Center, the women's issues advocate, the Office of Student Conduct and the Los Angeles Police ,t (See Rape, page 18)
By Kristine Kennedy
Senior Staff Writer
Women who are victims of rape or attempted rape sense an overwhelming need to regain control of their lives and university rape counselors said the first step begins with telling others.	< .
"We would hope every wotn^n would report the crime, but so: women simply are not prepared/to (right away)/' said Valerie Paton, president of student affairs. "Our firs
An Act of Powff
This is the second in a three-part series on the climate of acquaintance and date rape at the university.
concern is if you have seen a doctor and a rape counselor."
For one victim, her loss of control symptom that most rape victims experienced.
'My whole perception of how