Party at the 9-0
Local bar may not be high style, but students stillJlock there to enjoy drinks and social time / 7
S I N C ! •:	10	12
Student newspaper of the University of Southern California
WEDNESDAY
September 27, 2000
Of interest...
Pollsters offer new political voice, but do they simply commercialize? / 4
News Digest	2	Roundup	2
Opinions	4	Lifestyle	7
Thu Ruzz	7	Classifieds	16
Crossword	17	Sports	20
vol. CXXXXI, no. 21 www.usc.edu/dt
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Hagelin pushes alternate views
John Hagelin
Speaker Natural Reform Party presidential hopeful stresses importance of third party viewpoints
By JEFF SKLAR
Contributing Writer
Third parties have played a vital role in the democratic process by raising issues the Democrats and Republicans avoid. Natural Law Party presidential candidate John Hagelin said Monday in the
CAMPAIGN
Montgomery Ross Fisher building.
"Third parties are the reason for virtually everything we cherish in this country," Hagelin said before an audience of about 100 students and supporters. "Third party votes are the only votes that have ever accom-
plished anything."
He cited the abolition of slavery and women's suffrage as major examples of fringe party issues that were accepted into the mainstream, saying third parties speak on issues that are “infectious,” while the two major parties often look away from issues that would hurt their relationships with special interest groups.
"I want to eliminate political action committees and soft money so the government is accountable to the people," Hagelin said.
Before the November election, he hopes to create a coalition of third
parties, which he says will "speak for the 50 million registered independent voters and 115 to 140 million eligible voters who won’t vote for Gore or Bush." Hagelin has already secured the nominations of several smaller parties, including the New York Independence Party, which claims nearly 200,000 members.
However, he lost a bitter fight for the Reform Party nomination — which comes with $12.6 million in federal campaign funds — to Pat Buchanan. Many supporters, including some of the Reform Party’s origi-I see Speaker, page 12 I
:..(T)he
government
is
accountable to the people"
♦
JOHN HAGELIN, Natural l.aw Parly presidential candidate
Federal financial aid in
jeopardy
Drugs: Not answering a question on the FAFSA could hurt student finances
By BETH COOMBS
Staff Writer
Nearly 6,000 students across the United States have lost some or all of their financial aid to the drug provision of the Higher Education Act this fall semester. The provision, passed in 1998, delays or denies all federal financial aid for any state or federal drug offense.
Many people fear that the number of students affected will drastically increase in coming years, due to a new regulation that denies aid to students who leave the question on the Federal Application for Financial Student Aid blank. The question asks students if they have ever had a drug conviction.
According to the Coalition for HEA Reform, more than 750,000 applicants left the question blank but they still received financial aid this year. In subsequent years, these students will not receive aid until they answer the question.
Catherine Thomas, USC director of financial aid, said no USC student has ever had difficulty with the drug provision act, but she does believe that there are other problems with it.
“The way the questions are asked on the financial aid form is causing the most problems for students who have absolutely no problem with the question," Thomas said. “It has delayed some students because the question is so poorly worded.”
If a USC student has a problem with the drug provision, the univer-I see Ofuga. page 13 I
New
rosebuds.
Members of the USC Helenes group met for the first time with its new members Tuesday. The group is an all-female volunteer service organization that has been on campus for 79 years. Some of the events the Helenes participate in are Swim with Mike, Spirits in Action and Friends and Neighbor's Days.
Health Center offers meningitis and flu shots
By SCOn MARTINDALE
Contributing Writer
Hoping to prevent the spread of meningococcal meningitis — • which killed a USC senior in March — health officials will be administering vaccinations for the disease on campus today.
Students can receive the vaccination, in addition to one for influenza, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Lyon Center. The meningococcal meningitis vaccination costs $75 and is included under the USC Student Health Insurance Plan. The influenza vaccination costs $10.
Meningococcal meningitis, a
HEALTH & MEDICINE
bacterial infection causing inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, strikes approximately 2.800 Americans each year.
Ten to 13 percent of those infected die from meningitis despite receiving antibiotics, while an additional 10 percent experience severe
and permanent damage, including mental retardation, kidney failure, hearing loss and limb damage, which may require amputation.
College students, especially freshmen, are at high risk of contracting the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Based on an analysis of the 83 reported meningitis cases during the 1998-99 academic year, the CDC found that freshmen living in a dormitory were more than five times as likely to contract the disease as other undergraduate college students.
An average of 3.8 freshmen per 100,000 are infected, compared to
only 0.7 undergraduate students for that same size group.
“Because the risk among college freshmen is great, they seriously should consider taking this vaccination.” said Dr. Lawrence Neinstein, executive director of the Student Health Center.
The CDC is currently investigating the factors that put some college students at high risk.
Experts believe that crowded dormitories, which foster the rampant spread of many diseases, are partly responsible.
Drinking and smoking, which can suppress the immune system.
I see Health, page 13 I
Gathering of the Helenes
Chi Hwang Kuang I Daily Trojan