Women win in Wisconsin
Sports, page 20
Rise and fall of Row reform
Viewpoint, page 10
Passions rise at the opera
Life / Arts, page 11
on
JL_J
trojan
Volume CXVI, Number 5
University of Southern California
Monday, September 9, 1991
L.A,ttitude
Harassment case dropped
Piecers use their graffiti to lash out
By Paul Malcolm
Staff Writer
When you first walk onto the dirt lot at the corner of Sanborn Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake, you j begin to feel as if you're in another world.
The smell of spray paint fills I the air, and a myriad of swirling reds, blues, greens and silvers rise up and surround) you.
This is not a museum or an I art gallery; there are no curators and no board of directors. I Nothing is framed, and the works on display may only be up for a few days. But the same sense of sanctity and in-1 tegrity are present.
This "gallery" is used by I the graffiti crews and "piecers'' of Los Angeles. The crews, groups of friends who hold that graffiti is a serious art form, work on elaborate graffiti murals that can takej up to sue hours to complete.
Kreed, 17, stands shirtless, his blue-striped boxers pulled j an inch above the waist of his baggy jeans. He is talking) about the graffiti on the walls | and watching his homeboys, Krash and Mear, paint their pieces" on the wall.
These kids, and scores of I others, come to the Sanborn yard, a sanctuary of sorts, to avoid the risks they face elsewhere from the unpredictable violence of gangs and the institutionalized "jacking-up" they're likely to to receive from the Los Angeles Police Department.
The Sanborn yard is owned by Bemie King, who runs Superior Glass Service, a company that does business from the brick building on the lot's comer. He allows the kids free run to paint what they want. Not a graffiti lover himself, his rationale is simple and practical.
“If (graffiti writers) have something to do, something to work on, they're less mischievous, right? What more do you need?" King said.
As a result of his benevolence, King has not made many friends in the neighborhood of small businesses and shady bungalows. But he be-(See Graffiti, page 5)
EVK battery charges not to be pressed
By Robert Moran
Staff Writer
Two university students, one a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, avoided prosecution for the alleged battery and harassment of a university student by writing letters of apology, according to Los Angeles Police Department officials.
Patrick Ball, 20, a member of ATO, and Mark Quisenberry, 19, were accused by student Mark Balestrie of ongoing physi-
Day care cheap for students’ children
By Arwen Adams
Assistant City Editor
Child care is available on and off campus for students attending the university, but off-campus facilities can be cheaper, depending on the age of the child and the type of care needed.
University students, staff and faculty can keep their children close to their work through University Childcare Programs.
"We offer an excellent quality program," said Sandi Schwarm, program director. "Our people give a lot of love and support and are very well educated."
The program is funded primarily through parent fees, with the university subsidizing capital expenses.
Fees are paid on a monthly basis and vary with the age of the child and the amount of time they are at the facility. For example, for a two-year-old to stay there five days a week will cost the parent $562 a month.
Other child-care options are available off campus, many of which offer financial assistance.
The Hoover Intergenerational Child Development Center, at 3216 S. Hoover Blvd., offers care for children ages two 2 1/2 to 12 years.
Full-time care for children 2 1/2 to 5 years old is about $387 a month, or $93 a week plus a $15 processing fee, according to Levi Kingston, chairman of the board and founder of the center. This does not include any state aid.
the center is subsidized by the state Department of Educa-
cal and verbal abuse when all three were living at EVK residence hall, university officials said.
Incidents of "pinching the buttocks, verbal abuse and pushing" were first reported to University Security April 15 and then to the Los Angeles Police Department April 23, according to LAPD detective Bill Pavelic, who said the abuse had been going on since October, 1990.
The incidents were first described as sexual battery by Balestrie, but LAPD investigations revealed later that they were not sexual in nature, Pavelic said. Security served restraining orders to both suspects on April 17.
"Since the last incident, both
suspects admitted their role in the harassment," and were allowed to write letters of apology to Ballestrie, Pavelic said. "Some type of compromise was reached . . . and the victim opted not to pursue criminal action."
Valerie Paton, assistant dean to the vice president of student affairs, said she met with Balestrie and the situation was resolved before the summer.
Paton said the case never went before Student Conduct, at Balestrie's request. Student Conduct officials refused to comment on the case.
"This is kind of a strange case," Paton said. "(Balestrie) had certain expectations — if they were met, he wouldn't pur-
Jeff Wachner / Daily Trojan
A 15-month-old boy is finding he is among many children placed in child care while his parents are hitting the books.
tion, and financial assistance is available to those who qualify. Teenaged parents may qualify for free care for up to 60 days, Kingston said.
The center has a waiting list of more than 200 people.
Full-time care is offered for children age 2 1/2 to 5, while children 5 to 12 may only attend before and after school. The service is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The Mary Clay nursery school, at 3911 W. Adams Blvd., accepts children ages 2 to 6. The school charges $325 a month, or $65 a week plus a $65 registration fee.
The school is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week. Parents must provide lunches and are required to buy school uniforms. There is no waiting list.
Schwarm said the university's program offers a high ratio of (See Child, page 5)
sue criminal charges.
"I think this outcome was unusual in that the student himself found a way to mediate the outcome ... it was one of the most positive outcomes possible," she said.
According to Paton, Quisenberry is not enrolled in classes this semester, but Ball is still attending. Ball declined to comment on the case but acknowledged his membership in ATO.
The fraternity has been under scrutiny by LAPD investigators and the Los Angeles Times. The fraternity was investigated by LAPD in three incidents since last year.
(See Battery, page 2)
Register thievery prompts dismissal
By Oscar C. Villalon
Staff Writer
A University Bookstore employee was sent back to a temporary hiring agency Friday after allegedly stealing about $1,700 from a register over three days, but bookstore officials said they could not prove he was the thief.
"We want to talk to the temporary agency about recovering the money, but that us difficult to do without any proof (that he .stole it)," said director Jerry Matthews, who added that the agency is bonded against theft. "We have to prove that one of their people took it."
The suspect's name was not released.
Matthews said the store was originally going to try to catch the accused thief in the act Saturday, when he was scheduled to work. But officials decided against it based on University Security recommendations. Instead, the suspect — one of about 50 employees hired for the start of school — was sent back to the agency.
"If we feel (employees) are not an asset to the store, we can request that they be sent back," Matthews said. "At this point, that's what we've asked. Under the circumstances, there was a possibility that he had taken the money and university police suggested we not have him back."
Security officials were not available for comment Sunday.