Newspaper of the University of Southern California
Monday
September 12,1994 Vol. CXXIII, No. 7
Weather
Sunny: 85°
The afternoon will be warm and sunny with a few high clouds. The high should be in the mid-80s and the lows in the 60s.
Headlines
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Student film like MTV video
Dan Mirvish, a student in the School of Cinema-Tele-vision, directed, wrote and produced "Omaha (the movie)," an MTV-style film that falls short in its attempt at a coherent plot.
Diversions, page 9
‘Forrest Gump’ is bad example
Audiences may love “Forrest Gump,” but does Gump's unquestioning nature make his viewers succumb to a sheep mentality?
Diversions, page 15
USC plays badly in loss at PSU
Final score from State College, Pa.: Penn State 38, Trojans 14, It was never close, as the Nittany Lions moved the ball at will and took a 35-0 lead at halftime.
Sports, page 24
Embargo against Cuba misguided
Sanctions against Cuba are a Cold War relic. Fidel Castro, without Soviet support, is no longer a threat. Cuban citizens are the only people harmed by U.S. policy.
Viewpoint, page 4
here to go' in LA for AIDS testing, services
AltaMed Teen HIV Program
(213)881-2228 (213) 881-2226
LA County USC Medical Center
1175 N. Cummings SLd (213) 343-8255
GLCSC: Jet Specij
(213) 9S_
►Ctl D/ine St.?
,«n3) 993-1600
3LA HIV/AIDS Hotllr
00) 922-AIDS (English) ;800) 922-2438 (mulii-lingua
Photo by Raglna Tao; Graphic by Morgan Ktap / Dally Trojan
UOT I
If he (Fidel Castro) wants his people to prosper, then let him open the door to goods and iedeas 99
-Richard Nixon
Viewpoints, Page 4
Displaying his talent
John Collin / Dally Tro|an
The performer only known as Nomad struts his stuff at a talent show sponsored by the 100 Black Men Organization of USC last Friday. The show raised about $1000 for a scholarship fund.
Petition drive to focus on university services
By Nik Trendowski
Assignment Editor
University administrators will have to be on their toes to respond to a new petition drive started by the Student Senate.
The petitions, titled "The students of USC demand . . will be officially available for student signatures at the senate office today. The demands include improvements to housing, transportation services, financial aid, the Student Health Center and the Department of Public Safety.
Senate President Jimmy Moye, who started the petition, said the issues are those the senate has grappled with for years, and come mainly from the senate's top ten list of things to do for the year.
"This is the first step in improving student life here at USC," Moye said. "This senate* more so than any other is willing to go as far as it can to make sure these changes happen."
Moye said the petitions will serve as proof of student sup-
port for the provisions. They will be delivered to the Board of Trustees as well as directly to the administrators who would be responsible for the changes.
"We're not here to be troublemakers, we're here to make the university a better place," he said. "This is a way for the students' voice to be heard, loud and clear."
Moye said most of the demands are things that should not cost much money or be difficult to implement.
"These are things I think students shouldn't even have to ask for," he said. "They're just things that should be part of the experience here."
Other senators said the petition drive should help the senate in its student advocacy efforts.
"I think if we accomplish our goal of 2,000 student signatures, it'll send a very strong message to the Board of Trustees," said community service chair Mike (See Petition, page 17)
Campus Chicano leader recovering
Abel Amaya, El Centro Chicano director, returning after open-heart surgery
By Anisa Abeytia
Staff Writer
USC's own "unsung Cesar Chavez" is on the road to recovery after open-heart surgery over the summer. Abel Amaya, director of El Centro Chicano, will be returning to relieve interim director Elpidio Rocha on October 22.
"I feel 90 percent better and 1 feel ready to return," Amaya said.
Students and alumni involved with the organization are happy to welcome him back.
"He has been a mentor to me, he is someone you can talk to, someone to relate to," said Edmundo Villo, a junior majoring in Spanish.
"He has touched the lives of everyone who has come in here (ECC). He accomodates everyone and makes them feel positive,” said Rigoberto Reyes, Student Administrative Assistant for ECC.
This year, Amaya said he will be trying to reach a larger number of students through ECC.
"El Centro Chicano is for all students," Amaya said. "Chicano is in there for historical reasons.
Amaya said El Centro Chicano has changed over the years and will continue to change.
"It started off as a hangout and has changed into a center that will broaden the
development and environment of its students.
"We do programming that will enhance a students experience at USC," he said. "All of our programming is designed to provide students with leadership skills, self-development, independence, motivation and to make them marketable when they leave USC."
Through a grant from Southern California Edison, this year ECC will be sponsoring a Saturday Cultural School for elementary school students in the surrounding comun-ity. USC students will be teaching the classes and will be trained by alumni.
(See Amaya, page 2)
AIDS resources available to students
Health center and APLA offer HIV information
By Victoria Manley
Staff Writer
Of all the deadly diseases that exist in every community, there is one that is nearly 100 percent preventable.
"There doesn't have to be anyone dying from AIDS," said Ann Hickey, social health counselor at the Student Health Center. "This virus can be prevented if the behavior is correct." Correct behavior includes abstinance or use of a condom.
Hickey mainly works with students who are concerned about or diagnosed with AIDS. She said each year one out of every 250 students are diagnosed with the AIDS virus.
"That statistic doesn't reflect the real prevalence of the dis-
(See AIDS, page 17)