FOR YOUR INFORMATION
i Wednesday’s edition titled "Our Town, In Time
1 look at the progression of USC*s community. -Our ure the histories surrounding the changing USC neigh-l from the late 19th century to the present and the future with ' developing Figueroa Corridor.
' 1 for FYls
The quiet producer. OuUide hitter Antoinette Polk has been big for the women's volleyball team after moving from basketball.	_4 C
SfORTft Xv
Senate stifles spirit. Senate's standing threat to cut funding for any group that bums a Bruin kills spirit, Michael S. Carter argues.	A
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Four chaises dismissed in SAAS lawsuit
JUMellCS: Ex-director of learning support filed suit in May; USC still denies all allegations
By KYLE BUCHANAN
Staff Writer
Four of sue charges against the university, including wrongful termination and fraud, have been dismissed in a lawsuit brought by the former director of learning support in the office of Student Athlete Academic Services.
The lawsuit, filed May 12 by
Christopher Cairney, stems from Cairney’s termination in April after a faculty-staff committee found that he had provided inappropriate assistance to football player Mike Bastianelli on a freshman-year political science paper. Bastianelli, a wide receiver now in his senior season, was forced to sit out two games last season when USC reported the incident to the NCAA.
That committee also determined that Cairney had used racial slurs and derisively mimicked the speech of African Americans while on the job, which constituted an affirmative action violation. Cairney denies the charge.
In a Sept. 14 Los Angeles Superior Court ruling, Judge Sherman W. Smith Jr. dismissed Cairney’s complaints of
wrongful termination, fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress after hearing motions to demur from USCs attorneys.
Attorneys for USC also brought a motion to strike Cairney’s claim of defamation before Smith on Oct. 26. The judge filed a report in USC’s favor on Nov. 3, but the judge has not yet signed the ruling, said an assistant to attorneys for USC.
In dismissing Cairney’s defamation claim, Smith wrote that the university had the right to fully respond to Cairney’s allegations in the media.
“The general public has an inherent interest in the University of Southern California’s athletics programs, and in this case, the Plaintiff took the matter
beyond the university community and discussed the issues in the media," Smith wrote in his order.
Cairney remained optimistic despite the setbacks and said he would appeal the dismissals.
His remaining two charges of breach of contract and violation of labor code involving misrepresentation of employment still stand.
University general counsel Todd Dickey said that Cairney’s allegation of breach of contract is invalid, as he claims that Cairney, who came to USC in May 1995, was employed at will and so the university did not have a contract that required cause to be shown in
(see Lawsuit, page 2)
“...the university had more cause to terminate this employee than almost any other employee that I've ever known."
Todd Dickey
USC general counsel
More violent acts against gays reported
Crime: Sexual orientation-based incidents high on campus while racial violence rising in nation
By SHARON STELLO
Staff Writer
More hate crimes based on sexual orientation than on race are being reported to the Department of Public Safety this year, according to the DPS Safety Case Log Summary-
However, across the nation, racially based crimes still outnumber offenses based on sexual orientation, according to the FBI’s latest crime statistics for 1995 and 1996.
The total number of hate crimes is growing, and the Los Angeles Police Commission announced last Tuesday that it will install new training programs to educate Los Angeles Police Department officers about date crimes and bow to respond to them.
‘(At DPS) we’ve been doing that all along - taking classes to better handle hate crimes," said DPS Deputy Chief Bob Taylor. “And I’m glad that other establishments are now doing these things too."
Taylor said even with training, it is difficult to analyze the motivation shift shown in campus hate crime statistics.
“We are looking at such a low number to begin with, so when you see that we have one more than last year, I don't know what thftf suggests,* Taylor said. “I do know that we still have a problem with intolerance, whether it’s against a race, religion or sexual orientation.”
So far in 1998, eight hate crimes have been reported to DPS. Six were based on sexual orientation and two were based on race - both were against blacks. In 1997, three hate crimes were racially based and one was based on sexual orientation. None involved thefts or physical fights but most included vandalism and inflammatory e-mails.
“I don’t believe racially-based hate crimes have gone down while another basis for hate crimes has gone up, but actually more victims have reported the crimes based on sexual orientation than they' used to,* said Elizabeth Davenport, assistant dean for Student Affairs and director of the Center for Women and Men.
“Changes in support of the community make a difference,* Davenport said. “I think every person on campus now knows somebody who is gay or lesbian, and the fear dissipates when there are faces to the names. They’re your roommates and your friends."
(see Hate, page 3)
TUjM
Won—Nr 17, ltN Vol. CXXXV, No. S2
Healthy diets difficult in college life
girl is fighting the pressures that led to her eating disorder.
Thrown into a world without the convenience and warmth of Ma’s home cooking, college students have the new task of learning how to make their own decisions about what and when they eat. In college, students begin to develop eating habits that will be the foundation of their health and lifestyle habits later in life.
At USC, this daunting task is one that typifies the average college existence, said Robert Girandola, an exercise physiologist and a professor of exercise science.
“(The dietary habits) are just as you’d expect from a college
campus,” Girandola said. ‘Some are veiy diligent about eating very well. Of course, you have the more typical college students who eat fast food.
“It’s understandable when you’re in groups or you have very limited time,” he added. “It’s cheap, easily accessible and it does taste good.”
Like USC, many college campuses have many feist food restaurants on and around campus.
“I don’t really watch what I eat,* said Eric Hobbs, a junior majoring in engineering and liberal arts. “I eat whenever I get the chance.’ His favorite food is a Carl’s Jr. double bacon cheeseburger.
Many students, though, try to keep a healthy diet, but find it dif-
(see Food, page 3)
Fitness: A closer look at attitudes of students and eating behavior when close to fast food services
By FRANCESCA CIMINO
Staff Writer
College is one of the first times when students have complete control over hqp they treat their bodies. USC students also face the challenge of having to live in an image-conscious society while learning how to develop their own fitness and nutritional habits. This series takes a look at how USC students eat and work out, how living in Los Angeles affects their choices and how one
FOOD AND FIGURE manors