Newspaper of the University of Southern California
October 20,1994 Vol. CXXIII, No. 33
Weather
Sunny: 82°
Yet another familiar Southern California weather picture. Sunny all day. Sunny all day. Sunny all day. Cooling down to the 60s at night. Not the 1960s.
Headlines
Cirque du Soleil visits Southland
The world-famous circus troupe stuns the audience with bodily contortions, high-flying trapeze work and breath-taking acrobatics. But is it all just fire and smoke?
Diversions, page 7
Starry eyed
Andraw Puplui / Dally Tro|an
A student gazes at the Turkish flag during the International food fair yesterday.
U OT E
“It is necessary to correct the err that vegetarianism has made us weak in mind, or passive and inert in action.
I do not regard flesh-food as necessary at any stage in life. ”
~ Mohandas Gandhi Viewpoint, Page 4
And if home is the Rose Bowl, USC must win its final four Pacific 10 Conference games to get there. The DT looks at the first half of the season and previews the second.
Sports, page 20
Stars and Stripes no more
Ethnic groups have put so much emphasis into stressing their differences that they have forgotten what it means to be an American. Heritage is important but unity stands before all else.
Viewpoint, page 4
USC football is halfway home
Students with Disabilities office robbed
Computer parts, candy stolen from locked room over weekend
By Eric Yahnker
Staff Writer
A "trick-or-treating" burglar stole a locked hard drive, other computer components and a supply of Halloween candy from the Office for Students with Disabilities this weekend, leaving employees stunned.
Judith Bushnell, director of the Office for Students with Disabilities, believes that someone with access to the facilities is suspect.
"The floor is all locked," Bushnell said. "It's uncomfortable to point fingers at anyone, but there is a large possibility that there are a large number of people with keys to the office."
The Office for Students with Disabilities is located on the second floor of the Student Union Building. Both professional and student staff have access to the facilities, Bushnell said.
She became aware of the theft when she spotted a previously sealed computer components box in her office that had been opened. A report was made to the Department of Public Safety Monday afternoon.
The Office for Students with Disabilities assists handicapped students, providing accomodation on campus, Bushnell said.
The office is a support system for handicapped students which provides special books in large print for visually impaired students, helps to find new locations for classrooms if wheelchair access is not available, finds interpreters and note-takers for deaf students and offers many other services.
Employees are also advocates for handicapped students on campus.
The loss of the items also has an impact on how well the Office for Students with Disa-bilites can serve the students, which is their
main priority, Bushnell said.
"(The stolen items) can be replaced,” she said, "but it has a cost that comes out of a fixed budget, so it leaves less money for things that have a high priority like our student services."
"The computer equipment that was stolen carries students' test schedules and records in the office," said Bushnell. "It's just a tool to make our job easier."
Bushnell said the Office for Students with Disabilities is currently discussing future security measures with DPS to prevent similar incidents.
Bob Taylor, DPS Deputy Chief, said it will take more than changing the locks to prevent another theft.
"It's very uncomfortable to find that somebody you work with and you think is a friend is actually not," said Taylor. "Locks (See Robbery, page 3)
International Relations fills chair position
By Huan Le
Staff Writer
After a three-year search, the School of International Relations has appointed Hayward Alker Jr. as the first professor to fill the McCone chair.
Alker, currently a professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will be joing USC in January 1995.
"I expect USC will be very different than MIT," said Alker. "The nice thing about USC is that it is a big university with all different departments and schools. I'm especially interested in the Annenberg School for Communication.
"It was just a time for myself and my wife where it was a good idea to come somewhere else," said Alker. "I've been at MIT for over 25 years."
The McCone chair was established by John A. McCone's estate three years ago. McCone was a member of the USC Board of Trustees and a former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
"Most of us have known him (Alker) for close to 20 years," Robert Friedham, director of the School of International Relations. "We've been hiring his students for many years. So instead of hiring the student we decided to go straight to the master.
"He (Alker) is one of these incredibly enthusiastic individuals, always coming up with new
(See Alker, page.?)
Motion to oust Christensen thwarted
Harper unable to remove senator from honors assembly program board
By Laura Lanchester
Staff Writer
Senator Matt Harper's attempt to remove Donn Christensen from his office as Program Board Director for the Academic Honors Assembly was thwarted for the second time at last night's Student Senate meeting.
The action item Harper tried to place on the agenda last week was officially presented last night. Harper charged that Christensen misused Program Board and AHA funds by placing a full page ad in the Sept. 20 Daily Trojan.
Parliamentarian Russell Da-
vidson decided that the motion to remove Christensen contained an error and was therefore "out of order." Davidson dismissed the motion.
Senator James Emerson moved to reverse that dismissal, however, and debate the motion.
"I felt the senate as a whole should be left to make the decision as opposed to the decision residing solely with one person," Emerson said.
The senate decided not to debate and killed the issue for the night with a vote of eight to three and two abstentions.
Harper was not discouraged.
"This is only round two," he said. "I still feel these reasons for removal are still valid."
"I think it is in the best interest for everyone concerned to put all of these issues behind us and do what's best for the students as a whole, instead of concentrating on personal conflicts within the senate,'' said Senator Matt Fromm.
Despite the conflict concerning his Program Board position, Christensen won last week's special senate election. He was installed as commuter senator last night when Judicial Council justice Bronwyn Pollack admin-(See Senate, page 15)
Laura Lanchaatar / Dally Tro|an
Donn Christensen