Newspaper of the University of Southern California
Headlines
Diversions, page 8
Hoops showdown at Sports Arena
The USC and UCLA men's basketball teams are set to battle tonight at 6:30 at the Sports Arena. The Bruins are favored as usual, but the Trojans have history on their side.
Sports, page 16
Clinton’s diatribe in doublespeak
President Clinton's recent State of the Union Address seemed to proclaim an end to many time-honored liberal traditions. Brent Jose questions the sincerity of this turnaround.
Viewpoint, page 4
Group to discuss school strategies
Senate finds penalties harsh
Reprieve recommended for Greek houses with low grade averages
By Laura Lanchester
Staff Writer
A resolution was passed at last night's Student Senate meeting suggesting that the Office- of Residential and Greek Life lessen its penalties concerning Greek houses on academic retention.
Each greek house must maintain a grade point average that is .02 above the all-university average. When a house GPA falls below this requirement, it is placed on probation. If after one semester the members still fail to bring the GPA up to standard, the house is placed on retention.
There are currently eight houses on retention, Greek Senator Mario Del Pero said.
As the policy stands, re-strictidns implemented during the retention semester include reducing social and athletic activity for each member, limiting house social functions with alcohol to once a month, and losing Ironman or Helen of Troy participation and points. Ironman and Helen of Troy are the intramural athletic leagues for fraternities and sororities.
Del Pero, who authored the resolution, believes the prevention of Ironman / Helen of Troy participation inhibits interfratemalism.
"Interfraternalism promotes cooperation and comra-derie (sic) between chapters and individuals," Del Pero wrote in the resolution. "It desensitizes the individual feelings of only belonging to an autonomous chapter and emphasizes the individual's association to the greater system.
"Helen of Troy and Ironman have been established to facilitate the objectives of interfratemalism. The current retentionary policy of cutting off Ironman and Helen of Troy isolates these chapters from the ability to achieve their obligation of interfratemalism."
The senate unanimously
Passed the resolution, but Del ero said he wants to wait for the Interfraternity Council's decision in two weeks before presenting it to ORGL.
"I think that the retention semester is hurting so many fraternities as far as being able to recruit members during those particular semesters," said Sarah Zuercher, vice president and greek senator.
"I think that this is a step in the right direction. It's harder to recruit when you can't do Ironman, you can't have exchanges and you can't have parties," she said.
FHa Photo
Mario Del Pero
"The reason that people's grades go down is not because they go and play basketball on Wednesday nights — the reason their grades go down is because of other social activities."
An amendment requiring student senators maintain a 2.5 GPA was tabled for the second week. The senators are awaiting a Program Board decision to implement a GPA requirement on themselves.
If Program Board's GPA requirement does not pass, the senate will include it in their amendment, as Program Board falls under senate's jurisdiction as an associated body.
Senators urge those interested in becoming candidates for senate to pick up applications. They are due in STU 106 by Feb. 10.
The African Students' Association will be hosting a presentation by Dr. William Rideout Jr. Friday at the Topping Student Center Lounge from 6 to 8 p.m.
The topic is "USC's New Strategies for International Students." The event will, also include a pot luck. For more information, call Bertha at (213) 748-1443. e e e
The L.A Resource Program is sponsoring a hazardous waste collection site at Exposition Park today through Saturday. Area residents are encouraged to schedule an appointment to dispose of waste such as household cleaners, automobile products, herbicides and pesticides, paint products and outdated medicine at the Hazmobile 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
To make an appointment, call the Household Hazardous Waste hotline at 1 (800) 98-TOXIC.
Aaron Powers reviews the Boys' screen debut, which doesn't compare in the least to their improvised humor on the albums that have catapulted them to the top of the charts.
Cali costs
to Japan refunded
By Sara K. Goo
Staff Writer
Students who made desperate phone calls to earthquake-stricken Japan will be reimbursed for their expenses, Housing Services officials announced Tuesday.
The decision for reimbursement was prompted by compassion for the earthquake victims and their families, said Jeff Urdahl, director of Housing and Residence Halls.
"(The reimbursement) recognizes the need and it's something that we can fix," Urdahl said.
The refund will cover all )hone calls to Japan between an. 17-25 only for students who ive in university housing.
The department of housing and residence halls, in conjunction with MCI and Sunbelt billing company, will foot the bill. This gesture has also been offered in previous years when students needed to spend an extraordinary amount of money for phone bills to areas where natural disasters occur.
Many students at USC have friends and relatives affected by the earthquake, which struck Kobe, Japan, on Jan. 17.
Exact figures of phone expenses were not available but estimates range from $600 to $700.
Thursday February 2,1995 Vol. CXXIV, No. 14
‘The Jerky Boys’ rings in a failure
ACCESS system security at issue when compared
By Travis Smith
Contributing Writer
Students living in university housing are probably familiar with the ACCESS system that replaces keyed locks on buildings, but few may know the history of the system.
An analysis of the four-year-old system at USC and a comparison with systems at UCLA and the ARCO corporation, both similar to ACCESS, may give some perspective on a security system that is taken for granted all too often.
ACCESS was installed at a cost of about $1.8 million in 1989-1990, said Jeff Urdahl, director of housing and residence halls.
In late 1991, the system was fully available, fully constructed in almost every university-owned housing.
The system came on-line very fast — about nine months — in response to a spate of rapes and sexual batteries in the campus area in 1990, according to articles in the Daily Trojan.
When first installed, the system was vandalized quite often, as frustrated or bored students damaged a malfunctioning reader and broke alarms that signaled propped-open doors.
In 1990, vandalism to USC's ACCESS cost more than $10,000 to repair. In 1993, that figure was closer to $4,000, said Terry Riley, general manager of the ACCESS Control Safet) Network.
"I think people recognize a need for the system," he said.
When the ACCESS system was installed, USC made a strong committment to a one-card campus, said Tim Kerne, manager of USCard. That card can now be used for entrance to residence halls, to pay for goods, to use your meal plan, to enter the Lyon Center, use Doheny Library and pay for computer center printouts.
However, the one card is used by several separate databases: one from ACCESS, one from the
(See ACCESS, page 3)
na Photo
Sandra Young monitors the Access Department's “nerve center.”