The results are in...
The results of the Student Senate elections will be announced at 5 p.m. today in the Trojan Presentation Room, located in the basement of the Student Union.
Upset win: The USC men’s basketball team and forward Jeff Trepagnier beat up on Washington, 70-57, at the Sports Arena Thursday. MMI‘| fr
Daring to date: Miles Berkowitz talks about his adventures in finding the perfect woman.
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NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
February 28, IMS Vol. CXXXVI, No. 2S
Taking care of business
I Dwy Trojan
Engineering hi* future. Santiago Ortiz, a senior majoring In computer engineering computer science, talks with an employer from Motorola on Thursday at the Engineering Job Fair, which took place in the Engineering Quad.
Company accused of credit fraud
Complaints: About 10 students say Irvine-based business made charges without their consent
ByANNEWONSONO
Staff Writer
Eight to 10 USC students claim to have been defrauded by the Irvine-based World Technology Marketing Inc., which is also known as Worldtech, World Marketing Alliance and World Marketing, officials from the Career Planning and Placement Center said.
One student, the first to make a complaint, claimed to have been charged $495 without her consent, though she did sign a blank credit card statement.
The student, a graduate in biomedical engineering, contacted Carmen Serrano, director of career services in the engineering department, who later informed the Department of Public Safety and the Career Planning and Placement Center.
The student, who wished to remain anonymous, and one other have filed complaints with DPS. However, the crime did not take place at USC, so DPS will be taking little responsibility in the matter, said DPS Deputy Chief Bob Taylor.
The crime took place at Irvine and thus is outside the LAPD jurisdiction," Taylor said.
Other agencies are aware of the situation, and the department will help them to the best of its ability, said DPS Det. Bob Devega, who is in charge of the case.
“A complaint has been filed with the Irvine Police Department, the California Department of Consumer Affairs and the Orange County District Attorney Office,” Devega said.
Doug Woodsmall, the supervising attorney of the Orange County District Attorn- '’s consumer protection unit, said that he could not comment on the complaints because they are confidential. However, he did say that the office does not plan to file a case in the near future.
“It’s certainly not imminent," he said. “Assuming we have complaints, we do a lot of things as far as trying to resolve something before we actually file a case in court.”
Numerous complaints about the company have been made to the IPD, the first one as early as September, said Irvine Police Sgt. Rick Handfield, adding that there is not yet a criminal investigation
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Popovich Hall to open in fall, will be wired for success
Construction: Building to be most technologically advanced business school structure in U.S.
By JAMIE SMIT
Staff Writer
More than 15 miles of fiber optic cable wiring are being used in Popovich Hall, which will officially open ahead of schedule for the fell semester and is expected to be the most technologically advanced business school building in the country, business school officials said. Popovich Hall will mostly serve grad-
uate students in the Marshall School of Business. The graduate program, established 20 years ago at USC, has previously had to share facilities with the undergraduate program. While the building will consist mostly of classrooms, the admissions office and the career resources office for the business school wiH also be moved there.
The construction is expected to be completed in eatiy summer, and the hall will be occupied by the end of June.
Some classes may take place in Popovich Hall during the summer semester, but regular classes and school operations wiU begin in the building only after several open houses and dedication ceremonies are held in the fall, said project spokesman John Krowe.
Krowe said the new building will great-
ly improve the business school’s prestige.
'It’s going to be a major step for the school and the university," Krowe said. “Well continue to grow. The building will help (our reputation), but the programs and alumni we've developed over the past 80 years that the school has been around is what makes us special."
Though business school alumni and the family of Jane Hoffinan and J. Kristoffer Popovich have donated $5 million to the building’s construction, more money needed to be raised from general alumni and corporate donations. The school is still looking for more donations, but construction will continue regardless of whether more funds are received, Krowe said.
Business school officials are counting on the opening of Popovich Hall to
have a major impact on the department and on USC as a whole. The school is “R’s 60'n8 to hoping that the advanced technology of be a major the new facility wiU attract more appli- step fW ^ cants and place the school higher on /c-hAni m people’s lists of recognition.,	.
When it opens, Popovich Hall will Business) and have six case-study rooms equipped the university."
with audio/video teleconferencing, 13	......... ■■
experimental learning classrooms and John Krowe more than 1,100 data hookups.	project
The school is already a very strong spokesman leader in International Business and the Popovich Hall new facility will only further that repu- constructio;. tation, Krowe said.
Located near Figueroa Street and Exposition Boulevard, Popovich Hall was designed with the same “Collegiate Romanesque’ style as the majority of structures at USC.
‘Showtime’ judging upsets students
Program: Some in Bovard performance not aware that audience would be able to boo them offstage
By KODI HIRST
Staff Writer
Miscommunication about judging left some “Showtime at Bovard* performers and audience members upset Feb. 17.
“Showtime at Bovard,* an event sponsored by Program Board, mimicked Showtime at the Apollo, an NBC talent show on which the audience boos or cheers
the contestants to express like or dislike. The winner is the act that receives the most cheers. Not all of the performers or the audience members were familiar with the show, which airs at 2 a.m. Sunday.
However, representatives from Program Board said that all acts were informed about how the judging was going to be conducted.
David Higgins, president of SoCal Vocals and a senior majoring in English and history, said that although he was informed that the audience would be doing the judging, he did not realize that an act could be booed off the stage.
There was a definite miscommunication about the genre of the show," Higgins said.
Loren Ellis, a senior majoring in music industiy who performed in the Loren Ellis
Band, was also confused about the judging.
'I was not informed how the show would go," Ellis said. ‘I assumed there were going to be judges — faculty or other musicians."
Brian Johnson, special events director for Program Board and a sophomore majoring in public policy and management, organized the event and said that performers were told about the judging system before the performance.
'I told each group’s contact person that...the judging would be based on the boos and cheers of the audience," Johnson said. “ I would not put anyone out there like that.”
Second-place winner Ashley Davis, a freshman majoring in music industiy who
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