Did you know...
Harriet Freeman donated her Frank Lloyd Wright textile-block house, one of four in Los Angeles, to USC' in I9H4 along with $200,000 for restoration.
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WEDNESDAY
NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
February 23, 2000 Vol. CXXXIX, No. 27
I
Auction raises money for 25 law students
Fundraiser: Public Interest Law Foundation to sell ‘LA.-type’ items for event to garner grant funds
By URIN SZYMANSKI
Stuff Writer
Going once, going twice, sold! It is bidding time uguin tonight at the Public Interest Law Foundation's 10th unnual auction, which raises money to provide grants to USC luw students who wwh to gain experience in the Held of public interest law during the summer.
PILF is a non-profit organization that seeks to provide legul representation to members of the community that couldn't otherwise afford legal assistance. The auction is the law school's social event of the year und the organization's biggest fundruiser.
"The uuction is PILF's major fundraiser of the yeur to make money to provide students grants for the summer und one year-long fellowship to a graduating student who is planning to pursue a career in public interest law,” snid Michelle Fowler, u second-year law student and one of the uuction co-chairs.
This year's auction hus u Hollywood theme. Some of the items on the auction block include a Planet Hollywood jacket autographed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the pilot script from The Practice signed by the entire cast, tickets to a Hollywood premiere on .June 14, opportunities to view the making of a music video and a behind-the-scenes taping of Judge Judy.
“We try to keep a law theme with at leust some of the items," Fowler said.
Sports fans will also have plenty to bid on because tickets to games of just about every sports team in Los Angeles are available, including tickets to USC games. There is even a piece of the Laker’s floor board up for bids.
While surrounding businesses and the Hollywood community donated most of the items, professors at the law school have also donated their
I see Auction, page 2 I
Problems plague elections
Presidential and vice presidential dobates were held Tuesday night. Seepage I
Senate: Officials say voter turnout high on first day, difficulties with web site due to out-of-date records
By MEREDITH COOPKR
Student Soniitt! Writ* r
Student Senate elections lx*gan Tuesday with free food and ruffles, and although voter turnout was high, there were problems with the online voting system.
"We're really happy because u lot of people voted,” said Hema Patel, Senate director of elections and a sophomore mujoring in math. “Most of the problems occurred because the university records aren't up to dute."
The major problem with online voting wus thut muny students were considered in the wrong constituencies. This means thut, for exumple, u student who lived in university housing logged on to the elections web puge (elections.usc.edu), could have been brought to the commuter senutor elections puge.
Part of this problem wus due to students who have not updated their address information, but another part was due to the Office of Residential and Greek Life, which gave Senate bud information at first, Patel said, but this wus fixed by 12:30 p.m.
The majority of students have hud no problem voting," Patel said. “And there's nothing we ain do about this problem. It will happen every year.”
Another fallback in the voting process was the omission of three candidates to the initial online ballot because they did not turn in ull of their informution on time. Alden Chiu, commuter senutor cundidute, und Murguret Carpo and Nicole Tujiun, housing senator candidates, were added to the ballot by 11 a.m., by which time only 17 students had voted, Patel said.
“I wanted them to shut down the site," said Tu M. Tran, Chiu’s campaign manager and a senior majoring in Asian-American studies and communication. “But instead they told students to vote on paper ballots. The whole point of having online voting is so students cun vote from anywhere; so they don’t have to go to a polling place."
Despite these problems with online voting, however, elections have gone well, Patel said. They will continue to use paper ballots along with online voting, which will help keep the lines short, she said. With
I see Election, page 18 l
mail oimjuriaru i i/uuy iiujuii
Rocking the vote. Students can vote for Senate at booths or online.
Alumna continues inspiration
Former voice major encouraged diversity in late ’70s and today through passion for music
Making
History
MRTlOF 3
■	Part 1: Lura Ball.
(Today)
■	Part 2: Bill Holland. (Thursday)
■	Part 3: Thomas McLurkin. (Friday)
By DANA NICHOLS
Program Board Writer
As the only African-American voice major at the USC school of music in the late ’70s, ’Lura Ball struggled for acceptance. Inspired by her passion for singing, she turned the issues that might have held her down into an event that would help USC develop into the diverse campus it is today.
During her sophomore and junior years, Ball produced the “Evening of Soul,” an event which showcased the different talents of African-Americans on campus.
“It was not an encouraging environment from a cultural perspective,” said Ball, who graduated in 1979 and is now the director of the Office of Black Alumni Programs.
At that time, event proposals had to be presented to Student Senate for funding.
“Sometimes you didn’t get it, so you had to go out and raise money yourself,” she said. “In the end, the events were a lot more rewarding because of that.”
The event started out as a one-night show but later became a two-night one because of its popularity. It moved from Birnkrant Residence Hall to Taper Hall of Humanities and finally to Bing Theater, Ball said.
“At that time (it was) quite (influential),” said Amanda Luck, Administrative Assistant of Residential and Greek Life, who first hired Ball as a freshman as a student office assistant. “It was very popular, well-attended and had strong talent. It was a good means for a social gathering.”
Ball agreed that the event w’as a success.
“It went from being a simple talent show to a big event with a theme,” she said. “Everybody came out to it.”
Things have changed for black students since Ball was at USC some two decades ago, she said.
“Students have a lot more diversity in programming now,” she said. “Most of our programs came from filling a void. Students now have so much more. There’s more of an environment that says you can do anything and that you can come together."
Ball was also involved with the Black Women’s Caucus, which brought female students together to discuss timely issues.
“We didn’t call it networking back then, but it was a support group,” she said.
While professors encouraged her to go to New York to pursue performing, Ball chose not to make a profession out of singing.
“I was gifted with other talents, so I had a lot of options,” she said.
With her husband Lionel, a film sound engineer who graduated in 1979 in international relations, Ball has three children — the youngest is 12 and the oldest is in the Navy.
These days, Ball sings at charities for free but has held jobs at Coors Brewing Company and USC. In 1983, she worked with the university to change the ticketing for sporting events to an electronic system.
“She’s very well-versed in anything she undertakes,” Luck said.
When Ball speaks of performing, though, her eyes light up and her neck falls back as she recalls the sacred gift that has inspired her all along the way.
‘There’s no experience that compares to the feeling of performing,” Ball said. “I’ve gone through tough situations like racism and feminism. I call performing the great equalizer. It makes everything bad go away.”
“Students now have so much more. There's more of an environment that says you can do anything and that you can come together.”
Lura Ball
director Office of Black Alumni Programs
in ii i mi
Losing battle: USC men’ll basketball team lose* to Arizona State, 93-81, Tuesday in 58-foul game that ends in scuffle between teams,	oa
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A (Inal Cure: New album by essential rock group leaves listener pleased und wishing futilely for more.	*?