Upstarts
Silver medalist Erik Vendt, headlines a strong
swimming and diving group that should compete for an NCAA title/24
S I N C !•:	|	•)	|	2
TRII.UN
newspaper of the University of Southern California
THURSDAY
October 12, 2000
Of interest...
Play takes a fresh look at the issue of teenage sexuality and coming out / 9
News Digest	2	Opinions	4
'SCribbles	4	Lifestyle	9
Classifieds	20	’SCorn ix	21
Crossword	21	Sports	24
vol CXXXXI, no, 32 www.usc,edu/dt
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Thousands of county employees striking
Labor Some County-USC medical workers are prevented from participating as judge intercedes with a restraining order
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□ection: Candidates tackle military strategies, gay marriage and environment
By ROBB FERRIS
Contributing Writer
The second presidential debate Wednesday night did little to affect students’ opinions of Republican candidate Gov. George W. Bush and Democratic candidate Vice President Al Gore.
Some of those watching the debate in Annenberg Auditorium said they remained firm in their political stances despite the proceedings at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
“I’m leaning toward Bush," said
CAMPAIGN
Brian Horn, an undergraduate majoring in public policy and management. I think both candidates did a good job (last week); I just like Bush’s issues more. 1 think Gore is smarter, but Bush’s appeal results from his personality."
The proceedings began with a panel discussion about the two candidates and their policies. Of particular concern was the manner in which this year’s campaign for the
presidency echoed those of the past. Seated on the panel were Herb Klein, a former campaign advisor for Richard Nixon, and Marty Kaplan, a former campaign advisor for former vice-president and presidential candidate Walter Mondale.
The panel discussed how the current campaign compares and contrasts to past elections, with each offering his thoughts on this year's candidates.
"I think both Bush and Gore have proved that they can get up in front of the nation and debate well." Klein said. "Now, it’s more deciding among voters who they like and who they can trust.”
Following their comments, the debate blared onto the projection
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Next
Debate
The third presidential debate between Democrat Vice President Al Gore and Republican Gov. George W. Bush will take place Tuesday at Washington University.
Shin-Yee Yau I Daily Troian
Questions and answers. Students and faculty watch Wednesday night’s presidential debate in Annenberg Auditorium. Republican presidential candidate, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, is shown on the screen.
Opinions unchanged by debate
By SCOn MARTINDALE
Contributing Writer
Nearly 42,(XK) l.os Angeles County employees did not show up for work Wednesday, disrupting the normal operation of many public services throughout the county.
Librarians, beach and sewer maintenance crews and employees at recreation facilities, courts, county offices, child-support centers and welfare offices were among the participants in the county-wide strike.
The walk-out will affect the 10 million inhabitants of Los Angeles County, especially low-income families who depend on county services, experts say.
Several other unions in the county are also on strike or are threatening to strike.
The walk-out, involving employees of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which comprises the nation's second largest transit system, has crippled bus and rail lines throughout the county for 27 days now.
On Tuesday, MTA presented its "last, best and final offer" to the United Transportation Union, which represents 4,300 bus and rail drivers, and gave the union until
9	a.m. today to accept the offer, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Additionally, hundreds of employees at local hospitals, including Los Angeles County-USC, did not show up for work Tuesday, prompting Superior Court Judge Dzintra Janavs to issue a temporary restraining order preventing medical employees from striking.
Janavs ruled that the absence of nurses, lab technicians, physical therapists and other medical employees created a danger to public health, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have been on strike since May, making the strike the longest ever by a Hollywood labor guild. These guilds are seeking higher wages for
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Milosevic’s fall met with Students pay for professors’ tardiness mixed reactions on campus
World: While some relieved that the former Yugoslav leader is out of office, others project challenges for new president
By LAIA GRINO
StalTWriter
Local international students from Serbia described Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic’s fall from power one week ago today as "unbelievable,” saying they could not fathom that the regime they had opposed for more than 10 years had finally come to an end.
“I was so happy...it finally happened,” said Vera Stevanovic-Hetcel, a graduate student in architecture at UCLA. “We had a party, we celebrat-
ed because we’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
Stevanovic-Hatcel’s friend, USC student Natasa Varnica, agreed.
"(At) first I didn't believe it It was really hard to believe,” said Varnica, a graduate student in Slavic languages and literatures and a native of Yugoslavia. ”1 am very happy.”
Both students said Milosevics dictatorship was one reason they chose to leave Yugoslavia nearly five years ago. Since Milosevic took power, Yugoslavia "fell apart,"
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By SARAH JIMENEZ
Contributing Writer
Textbooks are costing students about $175,000 more this semester due to late book order submissions by professors, according to a study conducted by the Pertusati University Bookstore.
The study — the first one done by the bookstore — found that if more professors met the fall deadline for title submissions, students could have resold more of their spring course books to the bookstore, receiving half of each book's market price.
But because some professors did not submit their book lists in time, students could not sell some of their textbooks back to the bookstore. Instead, the bookstore purchased
YOUR MONEY
them at lower prices on behalf of used book brokers.
Had students sold those books directly to the bookstore, they would have received a total of $93,000 more.
Receiving late book lists also prevented bookstore officials from requesting some used books from vendors, forcing them to obtain new copies from the publisher. Buying new books instead of used ones cost students about a total of $82,000.
“The main point of the study is
not to chastise instructors,” said Raymond McDermott, course materials manager. “We just want to make them aware of the specific reasons for the book list deadline and how it affects students."
About 80 percent of professors met the spring deadline, but only 50 percent met fall’s, McDermott said.
While anthropology Professor Andrei Simic does his best to submit his list on time — knowing how high book prices can be — he said that professors can be distracted by other things and forget about deadlines.
“Professors are notorious for not doing things on time," he said. “(The deadline) slips their mind, it’s the same reason that students don't turn in their papers on time.
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