Student newspaper of the University of Southern California
Rockin’ that ice
Junior Eric Kahnert, USCs first All-American in ice hockey, leads a team that lost only one player and should compete for the nationals /16
THURSDAY
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September 14, 2000
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Of interest...
Good Knight, Bobby. /Is a coach, you should have cleaned up your act long ago / 4
News Digest 2 Roundup 2 Opinions 4 'SCribbles 4 Weekend 7 Classifieds 12 Crossword 13 Sports 18
vol. CXXXXI, no. 12 www.usc.edu/dt
Nader: Join the fight for justice
Shin-Yee Yan I Daily Trojan
It’s not easy being green. Ralph Nader unleashed angry rhetoric against big business Wednesday on campus.
Speaker: Green nominee trounces corporations, tells students to get involved
By BRENDAN LOY
Assignment Editor
Students should step off the sidelines and join the fight against the corporations that are corrupting the government and ravaging society, Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader told a standing-room only audience last night at Bovard Auditorium.
“How long are we going to wait until change comes?” Nader asked. "Shake this rotten political system to its foundation."
Nader railed against everything from the World Trade Organization and the poverty gap to the death penalty and the drug war. But he saved his harshest rhetoric for corporate influence in politics.
“Our two parties, Republican and Democrat, are morphing into one corporate party with two heads wearing different makeup," he said.
Instead of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, todays reality is a government "of the Exxons, by the General Motors and for the DuPonts," he said.
"They're selling our government. There’s no greater treason than to... hijack our government and turn over our democracy to the highest corporate bidder,” Nader said. "This is not a felony. It should be."
Nader denounced the treatment of corporations as entities with individual rights like those enjoyed by people. He said corporations today have virtually all the rights that individual citizens have, plus countless extra benefits. He said that such powerful "moneyed interests" are just the sort of threats to democracy that the founding fathers once feared.
I see Speaker, page 14 I
"They're selling out government. There's no greater treason than to. ..hijack our government and turn over our democracy to the highest corporate bidder'
RALPH NADER. Green Party presidential candidate
Theta Xi fraternity recognized by USC
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Greeks: Because of reinstated status, group is able to recruit members for a week longer than normal Rush period
YOUR MONEY
OPEC
to ease high gas prices
By SCOn MARTINDALE
Contributing Writer
Tired of paying exorbitant prices for gas?
OPEC may have a solution. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries announced Sunday its decision to raise the crude oil supply by 800,000 barrels a day in an effort to alleviate skyrocketing gas prices.
The price per barrel of crude oil peaked at $34.60 last week, a 10-year high and a threefold increase from over a year ago, according to Reuters.
The new daily quota of 26.2 million barrels, which represents a three percent increase in production, will take effect Oct. 1.
OPEC anticipates this increase in production — the third one in seven months — will stabilize prices between $22 and $28 per barrel, according to CNN.com.
But OPEC's plan will not impact gas prices immediately, said Jeffrey Nugent, professor of economics.
"I doubt (prices) will fall very
I see Money, page 6 I
By ROBB FERRIS
Contributing Writer
After a controversial and failed attempt to return to campus, Theta Xi has finally completed the process necessary to achieve recognition from both its national fraternity and USC.
The fraternity colonized its house last fall in an attempt to reestablish itself at USC. However, it had failed to obtain permission from
the Expansion Committee, thus making itself a fraternity not recognized by the university.
“They ran into opposition of their independence from the Office of Residential and Greek life,” said Steve Todd, president of the Interfraternity Council and a senior majoring in gerontology. “Then they decided to comply and went through the proper procedure by applying to the Expansion Committee for per-
mission to recolonize.”
Nationally, Theta Xi boosts 58 chapters and three colonies (fraternities that are not recognized and do not have actual charters).
“Over all, this adds up to about 59,000 members,” said Steve Ham, rush chair for Theta Xi and a senior majoring in international relations, during an information session given last Wednesday in Leavey Auditorium.
This 59,000 includes some rather noted alumni, such as cartoonist Jim Davis and president of Johns Hopkins University, William Richardson.
The first Theta Xi chapter was
founded 135 years ago at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, giving it a long history to look back on.
The Theta Xi chapter at USC traces its roots back to a local fraternity known as Phi Nu Delta, which was founded in 1902. Phi Nu Delta merged with the national Theta Xi fraternity in 1940, enabling its members to be held under the umbrella of a stronger, nationwide organization.
The current house that Theta Xi calls its home was bought in 1947, making Theta Xi one of the only fraternities on the row that owns its I see Greeks, page 6 I
Janitors’ feelings mixed after contract is signed
Labor: Some workers to receive tuition remission but not all satisfied
By ADINA DIAMOND
Contributing Writer
USCs janitors declared victory after signing a new contract with the university and subcontractor ServiceMaster during the summer, but their union remains upset by the university's slow movement on a key issue in the negotiations.
The university was reluctant to reintroduce tuition remission benefits, fearing the example it would set for other unions during future negotiations, said David Huerta, senior organizer for Service Employees International Union Local 1877.
This upset Huerta, who added that the employees should be given priority, regardless of such fears.
“Are they more concerned about setting what they think is a poor precedent or being good or bad neighbors?" he said.
Under the new agreement, former USC janitors who were fired by the university and then rehired by ServiceMaster after its campus arrival in February 1996, and have worked at the university for 15 years, are the only employees who qualify, Huerta said. Newly hired employees do not qualify, no matter how long they have worked for the university.
Huerta said that since 40 percent of the workers live in the local community and 60 percent of current janitors have children under 18, the free tuition benefit is very significant.
Negotiated between June 14 and 29, the contract stipulates that employees receive two additional I see Labor, page 14 I
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Justice for Janitors. Workers protest for higher wages in Downtown Los Angeles during the summer.
Julia Kmviu I Daily Trojan