K
Tuesday
November 29,1994 Vol. CXXIII, No. 59
Weather
Sunny: 75°
The wanning trend continues. Expect the afternoon to reach the mid-70s. The evening should cool to the 50s. It will be warmer tomorrow.
Headlines
The ‘Generations’ collide in new film
The past and present captains of the Starship Enterprise join together in the Nexus of time to stop the evil Doctor Soran from destroying millions of innocent lives.
Diversions, page 10
USC doesn’t win, but doesn’t lose
The 11-game losing streak to Notre Dame in football just became a 12-game winless streak as the Trojans and the Irish tied, 17-17, Saturday at the Coliseum.
Sports, page 20
Puritans beware: drug legalization
America needs to recognize the hypocrisy that is at work in its drug policies. Alcohol and tobacco are drugs, and if they are legal, then every other drug should be as well.
Viewpoint, page 5
U OT E
/ /
We came in to get a win and we didn’t. It feels like we lost right now. Maybe in a week or so PU feel better about it, that we didn’t lose. But you don’t go to play to not lose. 9 5
-	Jeff Kopp Sports, Page 20
Newspaper of the University of Southern California
Wednesday fire sears Birnkrant
Dawn blaze begins with candle flame
By April Haitsuka
Staff Writer
An early morning fire that broke out Wednesday in an on-campus residence hall forced sleepy-eyed students to evacuate in their pajamas and bathrobes, leaving three residents injured.
The fire originated on the second floor of Birnkrant Residential College, where a burning candle flame spread fire throughout the room of an 18-year-old female resident, said Lt. David Ritch of the USC Department of Public Safety.
"The young lady said she noticed the candle had
burned all the way down, and the wax was burning," Ritch said. "She tried to put it out with a towel, then she tried to use a pillow, and the fire spread."
The alarm was reported at 6:31 a.m. Wednesday morning, and firefighters from 15 companies arrived to battle the blaze, said Jim Feather-stone, a Los Angeles city spokesperson.
Approximately 85 firefighters extinguished the fire, he said.
The female resident was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital for minor chest burns and later released, Ritch said. Two other residents were treated for minor smoke inhalation and released on the scene.
The room where the fire started was "pretty well
Troy Witt / Dally Tro|an
Burnt debris from the Birnkrant fire thrown out of the second floor onto the EVK patio. The fire started on the second floor.
burned out," he said. "There was damage to the hallway, the other rooms were OK as long as they had their doors closed."
Although some residents had left town for the Thanks-
giving weekend, others were roused by the smoky blaze and evacuated.
"My roommate woke me up, and I went back to sleep at first," said David Powers, a (See Fire, page 14)
Stanford dean named vice president
Jackson succeeds Dennis in Student Affairs position vacated last year
CourtMy of U8C Htw* I
Michael Jackson
By Nik Trendowski
Assignment Editor
Michael Jackson, dean of students at Stanford University, has been appointed to fill the office of Vice President for Student Affairs at USC.
The appointment, announced Nov. 18 by Provost Lloyd Armstrong, is effective no later than July 1, 1995. Jackson will fill the post vacated by James Dennis last year when he left to be president of McKendree College in Illinois. The search had been narrowed to three candidates over the summer.
Jackson said he is enthusiastic about the position but is no stranger to the budget constraints that have hit both universities.
"I had an indescribable feeling of joy and happiness about the opportunity to come to such a great school," he said. "My overall goal would be to help 'SC have the best student affairs program it could possibly have.
"I'm just overjoyed by the vote of confidence by the community down there and I hope I can live up to that vote of confidence," he said.
Jackson said he feels the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs can aid the university's academic mission in several ways.
First, it can help students take full advantage of the university and its educational programs. Also, it should help students cope with the large size of the university. Finally, the office should be as responsive as possible to student needs.
"What I will bring is lots of enthusiasm, a lot of experience in higher education (and) a strong sense of what it takes for an organization to function well," Jackson said.
He said he hopes to be accessible to many people in the community in his new position, meeting with them not only at the office but in their own settings, such as in residence halls, classes, or at
(See Jackson, page 14)
LAPD says crime dropping around USC
Officials claim 15 percent reduction in incidents at meeting with senate
By Victoria Manley
SUH Writer
Though some university students may be alarmed by local crime, the USC area is safer than campus areas in other cities, said officials from the Department of Public Safety and Los Angeles police in a meeting with members of Student Senate Monday.
"We're really heading in the right direction," said Norman L RouUlier, an official with the Los Angeles Police Department. "All crimes are down in this area.
Rouillier said local crime dropped 14 percent in 1993, and has already gone down 15 percent this year.
Violent crime has gone down from 4,173 incidents in 1993 to 3,369 this year, he said.
The meeting, organized by the security affairs committee of Student Senate, was in response to a recent gang-related shooting, said Imaad Zuberi, chair of the committee.
Zuberi said that a university student was nearly caught in the crossfire of the shooting, which raised student concern.
"Student Senate received a lot of calls (from concerned students)," Zuberi said. "I wanted students to know what LAPD is doing about (those concerns)."
The nine police officials that attended said the best thing (See Safety, page 3)
Crime in Los Angeles
Ranking of the	Highest Ranked
City of Los Angeles*	City
Part I Crime.............$0	Miami, FL
Violence.................16	Atlanta, GA
Property Crime...........72	Miami, FL
Violent Crime per Police Officer... 11	Little Rock, AR
*	Taken from the 100 most populous cities in the U.S.