STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SINCE 1912 I VOL. 160, NO 53 I WWW.DAILYTROJAN.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2007
INCONVENIENT LIE » v:
RICHARD GERE PLAYS A PLAGIARIST IN LASSE HALLSTROM’S ‘THE	f hoax; opening today § j
CATCHING ON »	
TIGHT END FRED C	)AVIS
IS EMBRACING HIS	ROLE
AS A TEAM LEADER FOR	
THE TROJANS	
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Slumber party »
USC School of Theatre's ‘The Pajama Game' brings Broadway styling to the university stage.
LIFESTYLE. PAGE 5
Noises off »
The administration didn’t consider current Parkside residents when building for the future, writes columnist Shazia Haq.
OPINION, PAGE 4
USC financial aid chief suspended in stocks probe
Uah Thompson I Daily Trojan
Whack-a*gopher | Alex Osorio, a senior majoring in communication, takes part in the carnival-style games at an intern recruiting event put on by business students. See page 3 for story »
Investigation raises questions about official’s ties to student loan company.
By DAN LOETERMAN
Daily Trojan
USC placed its financial aid director on leave as it investigates her financial ties to a lending company the university recommends to students.
The university’s actions come a day after the New York state attorney general wrote in a letter to USC that Catherine Thomas previously owned 1,500 shares of Education Lending Group, the parent company of Student Loan Xpress, which USC listed as a preferred lender
“Thomas ... has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the completion of an internal review of issues raised by the New York state attorney general," James Grant, director of media relations, wrote in a statement.
The top financial aid officers at the University of Texas and Columbia University also held stock in Student Loan Xpress, The Associated Press reported Wednesday At Columbia, the officer, David Charlow, sold his stock for a profit of $100,000. It has not been dis-dosed whether Thomas profited off of her shares, which she sold in 2003, according to The New York Times
Many students expressed outrage at the news about Thomas.
“I’m really pissed off," said Becky
Christofferson, a freshman majoring in aerospace engineering whose tuition is completely funded by financial aid
“This school has a ridiculous amount of money,” she said. “I count fully on this office. As a freshman, you don't know that much about loans. You trust these people."
By Thursday afternoon students had started a Facebook group, “Petition Against Financial Aid Corruption,” to protest Thomas' alleged conflict of interest
Timothy Fehr, a sophomore majoring in international relations, said he started the group after he woke up and saw the story in the national news.
“If you get financial aid, to think that you could be paying a higher interest rate because (Thomas) got stock in the company is pretty disgusting," he said.
Grant did not specify when USC informed Thomas of her leave, but a secretary at the financial aid office said TTiomas was at work as of Thursday morning, and that it was “just a normal day at work.”
Grant also said he did not believe the financial aid process at USC will be irreparably harmed, but Christofferson made it clear that her trust in USC may be broken.
“You don't have much of a choice when you're dealing with these companies." she said “(The financial aid office) is supposed to be the in between and help us not get into debt."
Popular professor to become Marshall dean
Selection committee picks Marshall’s James G. Ellis out of a pool of 250 applicants.
By VENUS LEE
Daily Trojan
USC Vice Provost for Globalization James G. Ellis has been appointed to serve a five-year term as dean of the Marshall School of Business The selection comes aftei a search during which a five-person committee reviewed applications from more than 250 candidates “He is a strong leader with a great sense of Marshall's mission, and we arc excited to have him guide us into the future," said Provost C.L. Max Nikias. who announced the selection Wednesday
Ellis will also hold the Robert R
Dockson Dean’s Chair in Business Administration
Ellis, who worked with Nikias in the Office of the Provost, has been a Marshall faculty member since 1997
“He was a frequently nominated candidate, highly recommended by students, faculty trustees and alumni." Nikias said.
During the past decade, Ellis garnered several teaching awards, including professor of the year from numerous student organizations, the Golden Apple Professor of the Year Award in the Marshall undergraduate program and the Teaching Has No Boundaries Award from USC faculty.
Ellis also served as the vice dean for external relations and associate dean of undergraduate business programs at Marshall.
‘He has a long history of aca-
demic experience as a teacher, professor and administrator, yet he brings a unique perspective of a successful businessman,” said Elizabeth Garrett, vice president of academic planning and budget
Prior to joining the Trojan Family.
Ellis was the president and chief executive officer of American Porsche Design; vice president for merchandising and developing products for Broadway Department Stores; founding director of Professional Business Bank in Pasadena; and director of Fixed Income Funds of The Capi-
James Ellis
tal Group in Los Angeles
"We conduct national searches for our deans, and sometimes the best candi date is internal," Garrett said Ellis replaces Thomas Gilligan, who served as interim dean for the past 14 months following the unexpected resign of former Dean Yash Gupta
‘Gilligan is a tenure faculty, and it is my understanding he will resume his research and teaching responsibilities,’ said David Bloom. Marshall's associate dean and chief communications officer
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