Bruins get past Trojans
Sports, page 20
‘Racism’ often an empty cry
Viewpoint, page 5
Chatting with Erasure
Life / Arts, page 7
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Volume CXVI, Number 45
University of Southern California
Wednesday, November 6, 1991
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Credit cards definitely not ‘free money’ for students
By Joel Connable
Staff Writer
Students often discover that the freedom of college life has a price — paying bills.
Many students turn to credit cards, perhaps without figuring in the cost of annual fees and interest rates.
University students are offered two major credit cards from five major Los Angeles banks: Wells Fargo, Bank of America, First Interstate, Security Pacific and Western Federal Savings, all of which offer either Visa or Mastercard.
But one problem college students encounter is high annual fees and interest rates on bank-run credit cards.
While interest rates on a one-year certificate of deposit have fallen from 8.24 to 5.48 percent — a 33-percent drop — the average credit card rate has risen from 18.63 to 18.87 percent, according to USA Today.
Banks in Caiifomia offer a variety of different services to their credit card customers, rianging from low $15 fee options, to $500,000 travel insurance.
Wells Fargo offers either a Mastercard or Visa to college students at 19.8 percent interest for an $18 annual fee. With a Wells Fargo Visa or Mastercard, a student is able to access more than 25,000 automatic teller machines, 24-hour customer service and up to $100,000 in accident or travel insurance.
Students may also acquire a gold version of these cards from Wells Fargo and receive all the services of the regular Visa or Mastercard, as well as immediate card replacements if stolen, emergency cash advances, up to seven free additional cards for friends or family.
In addition an MCI-Visa phone plan is available which allows card members to charge phone calls at discounted rates, all for a $45 annual fee.
Bank of America offers the same cards at the same annual fee and interest rate, but their travel insurance has been increased to $150,000 and finan-
(See Bills, page 13)
Student nurses lauded
Women recall heroic struggle
By Brian McDonough
Staff Writer
Three days after saving the lives of four doctors whose single-engine plane crashed in Mexico, five university nursing students found themselves in the eye of a media hurricane.
Following Daily Trojan reports of the incident, newspapers, wire agencies and television news crews flocked to hear how the five students and a Lancaster opthamologist treated four seriously injured doctors using scraps of clothing for bandages and crucifixes for splints.
The students, four of whom are registered nurses, spent Tuesday describing how they crossed rivers, dodged farm animals and raced against time to get the victims airlifted out of the rural Mexican village Choix.
"I had to cut all my classes,” said Rosie Romero, a 22-year-old nursing student and registered nurse working at Orthopaedic Hospital. "At first I went, but I kept getting pulled out of my classes (by reporters). I think my professors were getting angry."
Linda McDermott, a professor at USC's Department of Nursing, described the rush of media since the incident.
"We've had a call from the mayor's office," she said. "And the L.A. Times, UPI, and channels 2, 9 and 13."
Amy Schmuecker USC Nurse
Farmers look over the pieces of the downed single-engine plane near Choix, Mexico.
"It's been hectic," agreed Elizabeth Hahn, another nursing student. "From the moment I got to school, until 4:30 I was called out of class, interviewed and photographed.”
The five nurses were part of a group of medical personnel flying to a small Mexican village to provide basic medical care
to impoverished residents.
"These were student nurses who went down there with basic hygiene instructions (for the villagers)," said opthamologist Rulon Beesley, who, with the nurses, helped treat crash victims. "They were not expecting a life or death situation."
(See Crash, page 12)
Fire chars local building
Nearby Embassy College unaffected
By Robert Moran
and Glen Justice
Staff Writers Approximately 175 firefighters, including 10 from Company 15 next to the university campus, battled a smoky fire that burned two floors of a 10-story building Tuesday night in downtown Los Angeles. Three firefighters were injured in the stubborn blaze, which was reported at 8:57 p.m. at 701 Los Angeles St., said Jim Wells, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Four workers fled the building, which houses the New York Town & Clothing Co., uninjured. One of the injured firefighters was taken to the Sherman Oaks
Bum Center.
The fire was put out shortly after 10 p.m.
Firefighters from Company 15, located at Jefferson Boulevard and Hoover Street, were among the first of 35 companies to arrive.
"When they arrived, (the fire) was still in full force," said Capt. Emile Mack. "There's a lot of overhaul and salvage work to do."
Portions of Los Angeles and 7th streets are expected to be closed to traffic Wednesday.
Justin Hernandez, a senior majoring in business and a resident of the the university's Embassy Residential College locat-
ed downtown, described the area as "chaotic" and reported hearing sirens and helicopters overhead.
Embassy, located on Ninth Street and Grand Avenue, about six blocks from the charred building, was not affected and most residents were unaware of the blaze, Hernandez said.
Sgt. Mike Jurdi, of University Security, also said Embassy was unaffected.
Fire Capt. Steve Ruda said the concrete building housed textiles and manufacturing materials that burned quickly. Ruda produced a helmet worn by a firefighter, its yellow edges curled by the heat.
"This is the type of heat the firefighters endured," he said. "To melt the helmet, it required at least 420 degrees."
— Staff Writer Dave Hernandez contributed to this report
Construction plan debated
Councilman supports redevelopment
By Nicole Simonsen
Staff Writer
Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas sponsored a forum Monday to debate the construction of a new shopping center at Vermont Avenue and Adams Boulevard, as part of the Hoover Redevelopment Project.
"We cannot allow the comer of Adams and Vermont to go undeveloped," Thom-
as said. "We need to improve the quality of life and the options provided to people in this community."
Of the 75,000 square feet allowed for the shopping center, 45,000 square feet will be allotted to a new supermarket, with a maximum of 275 parking spaces. The remaining space will be occupied by retail shops and services and 16 new units of housing.
In September, exclusive rights to negotiate were given to the Boys Market, owned by the Food 4 Less company, for six months.
During the six months, the design of the shopping center and the relocation of historic structures and tenants will be negotiated.
Pat Barber, vice president of real estate at The Boys Market, responded to charges that the market provides fewer choices, higher prices and is not capably (See Denate, page 2)
TODAY:
Mostly sunny, 92/58
TOMORROW:
Mostly sunny, 91/55