NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
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USC tuition to increase 5.9 percent
Cost: Officials say inflation, new buildings and capital projects cause of $1,236 swell in price
Hot to trot. A member of the Los Angeles Fire Department surveys a fire at Toberman and 25th streets Saturday night. A child threw a firecracker into a 60-foot palm tree, ignitirig the plant, officials said. There was no damage or personal injuries.
Senate expenditures create conflict
Audit: Account closure raises disputes about spending for 28th Street ads and telephone bills
By JENNIFER MEDINA
Student Senate Writer
With the fiscal year ending in July, all 1998-99 Senate accounts are in the process of being closed, and the remaining balances are on target with the original budget.
Around $74,000 remains in the 1998-99 Senate budget as of April 1, members of Senate said.
However, last year’s Senate treasurer Hye Young Park, a junior majoring in business, said there are a number of expenses she thinks are unnecessarily high.
There are a number of things that should not have been so costly," Park said.
Park said many of Senate’s budget problems stemmed from lack of communication with Kyetay Beckner, 1998-99 Senate president and a senior majoring in music, as with advertisements in 28th Street magazine.
A total of $14,000 was spent for public relations. Most of the money was used for advertisements in the Daily Trojan, and about $5,000 was spent for a one-year contract with 28th Street magazine. The contract gave Senate a one-page advertisement in each of the magazine’s eight issues.
In the March swimsuit issue, the
Senate page had a headline reading “iSoy presidente!” and was dedicated to Beckner modeling various swimsuits and other beach attire. The advertisement contained no information about Senate's resolutions or issues. Beckner declined to comment on the issue.
Park and Tran said they did not know about the content of the advertisement until it was published.
“It was part of our contract, but I don’t think we saw that as the purpose (of the advertisement) when it was approved,” Tran said.
Dave Crandall, director of the office of Student Activities, said he questioned Senate about the advertisements in August.
‘They believed an ad in 28th Street
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By SHARON STELLO
Assistant City Editor
Undergraduate tuition for the 1999-2000 school year will increase by 5.9 percent compared with this year’s fees, budget and planning officials recently confirmed.
The Board of Trustees approved the increase in February and will decide on an overall budget in May.
The increase means an undergraduate student taking up to 18 units at USC will be charged $22,198 next year, which is $1,236 more than this year’s cost of $20,962.
Rob Cooper, executive director of the office of budget and planning, said the increase comes from both external and internal factors.
“External factors include the cost-of-living increase which is the inflation factor and has been relatively low in the last few years compared to the ’80s,” Cooper said. “We also take into account, however, how inflation affects the families who pay the tuition bills.
“The internal factors consist of buildings and capital projects — student-related projects,” he said.
Cooper said the list of buildings to be renovated or constructed has not yet been finalized and will go through President Steven B. Sample’s office before decisions are made in the summer.
“Because of these internal and external factors, we are going to take an increase to make a long-term investment, to enhance the education of our students," Cooper said.
Financial aid will increase by the same amount that tuition goes up, said Carolle Bellamy, assistant to Financial Aid Dean Cathy Thomas.
Bellamy said federal Pell Grants will go up $125, but the increase in Cal Grants will not be known until the state budget is passed in July.
A student’s financial need will automatically increase because of the increase in tuition, Bellamy said, unless their family income has risen by a larger percentage.
Linda Orellana, a freshman majoring in nursing who attends USC on a scholarship, said she disagrees with the tuition increase and with where the money will go.
“I’m not paying anything for tuition, but for those who are, it’s a lot,” Orellana said. “If they’re using the money to put up new buildings, they
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Did you know...
Exposition Park was opened in 1876 as Agricultural Park, a site for agricultural and horticultural fairs.
PlC-10 tfe: The USC baseball team took two of three games at Stanford this weekend to move into a tie for first place with the Cardinal.
iaa wth phair Featuring 16 performances, LA Jazz 1999 festival starts today through Thursday.
April 19, ISM
Vol. CXXXVI, No. 57
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http://www.uoe.odu/dt
Songfest draws cartoon characters to Hollywood Palladium
Performance: student
teams create original skits Friday to raise money for Troy Camp
By JAMIE SMIT
Staff Writer
Smurfs, Teletubbies and other cartoon characters took over the Hollywood Palladium on Friday night as members of various USC fraternities and sororities as well as groups from university housing teamed up for the 46th annual Songfest, held to raise money for Troy Camp.
With the theme of “Animania!” the
show boasted a collection of cartoon characters and animated favorites in skits that mixed dancing, singing and comedy with judging by USC student leaders and members of the entertainment industiy.
Between banter from the hosts, Suzy Song and Frank Fest, the packed audience of students and parents cheered participants on during their performances.
“We had a great crowd, and everyone gave everything they had,” said Jeff Johnston, a sophomore majoring in business and a member of fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon.
Fraternity Delta Chi and sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma won first place for their "Back to School* skit. Amid cartoon characters at Acme University, a teacher assigned mock marriages and paired unlikely couples such as Roger
Rabbit with Cinderella and Wilma Flintstone with Prince Charming, who belted out their feelings through song.
Second place was awarded to sorority Delta Gamma and fraternity Phi Kappa Psi for their twisted rendition of Wonderland, starring Smurfette instead of Alice. Through a mix of classic Wonderland characters, such as the Queen of Hearts, and modern characters, such as the Teletubbies, “Smurfette in Wonderland” incorporated new and old animania.
Fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon and sorority Pi Beta Phi secured third place for their performance. Titled “We’re Going to Bisneyland,” the skit detailed the story of a family who wins a trip to the the Magic Kingdom and loses their children. Following songs depicting each one of their journeys, the family ends up
in a group dance at the end. The best director award was given to Jacob Evert, a sophomore majoring in aerospace engineering, for his direction of “Superman XII: Superman Saves the Day." Performed by members from Bimkrant and North Complex, Superman must save the day yet again and rescue his love Lois Lane from the claws of Lex Luthor, whom Evert played.
Others were also honored.
Fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha and sorority Alpha Phi won the award for Best Costuming and Sets for their skit “Wendy in Never-Never Land,” which brought a naive Wendy into the jaws of Hollywood.
Taking the award for Best Choreography were sorority Alpha Deha I see Soagfeot. page 2 I
“We had a great crowd, and everyone gave everything they had.”
Jeff Johnston
sophomore
business