STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SINCE 1912 j VOL. 160, NO. 24 | WWW.DAILYTROJAN.COM
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DARK HUMOR AND PSYCHOLOGICAL. DRAMA LIFT 'WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINA WOOLF' AT THE AHMANSON
Balliiin’»
National defense spending’s lack of accountability rivals that of MC Hammer and other hip-hop artists writes columnist Andy Hsi.
OPINION, PAGE 4
Web glitch causes roomie housing scare
USC’s online housing system did not let students contract with chosen roommates.
By ASHLEY ARCHIBALD
Daily Trojan
A problem with thc new university housing assignment system left many freshmen in a panic Monday, thinking they would be unable to house with their roommates of choice.
The new housing-contract website allowed students with Monday lottery times to create housing contracts for themselves but not for their roommates with worse appointment schedules.
The contracting vendor, StarRz, was contacted as soon as the problem was discovered, said Jeff Urdahl, director of TrojanHousing “Were,in contact with thc vendor,’’ Urdahl said "They were also surprised. They dropped all things to do a diagnostic.”
Though StarRz designed the
portal that malfunctioned, the housing database has experienced no technical difficulties.
The TrojanHousing staff directly accessed the database to help students bring in their roommates.
“It was letting us confirm rooms, but not letting us confirm roommates,” said Deanna Max-field, a freshman majoring in international relations.
“I was told that they’re doing it manually, and we definitely will have a room, so I’m not freaking out," she said
Students with lottery numbers were able to make contracts for themselves but said they were worried that random students would sign up for the room they had contracted, effectively cutting out the roommates they intended to bring along.
“I signed up for Webb Tower.” said Matt. Rckoskc. a freshman majoring in economics.
“I could have gotten a random
I see HOUSING page 3 I
Got milk? Lactation rooms planned for USC, Bovard
The rooms are part of new policies aimed at helping working parents on campus.
By AMANDA SPRINGER
Daily Trojan
Working mothers may have lactation stations in Bovard Auditorium and possibly the Lyon Center by the end of the semester because of lobbying by members of the Academic Senate, the representative body for USC faculty
Academic Senate President Maja Mataric’, a professor of computer science and mother of two. said she is particularly sympathetic to thc issue of working mothers without places to nurse or pump milk.
Mataric’ said the problem struck her as unfair and that she brought .the issue to senior administrators because she realized it might affect faculty and staff, particularly those without offices.
“I’ve had my office borrowed by faculty’ who don’t have offices on campus,” she said ‘Academic Senate committee members decided Bovard Auditorium would be a g»iod place for the station because it Ls centrally kicated. Mataric’ said.
The building is easily accessible to a number of faculty and staff who work or teach in nearby buildings, as well as those traversing the lengths of the USC campus, she said
Leah Thompson I Daily Troian
Baby bottle | Mothers on campus will have private lactation rooms.
Because no major construction is required, the costs for a lactation station are minimal and the process can be accomplished quickly. Patrick Bailey, assistant dean and executive director for student life and involvement, said
Mataric’ said, however, that cost is not what really matters.
"In thc end. the reason I’m doing this is that family and kids are important. and wv should support that in anv wav that we can." she said Mataric said when she had young children, she often needed to walk across campus during the day to go to meetings and classes This made pumping breast milk difficult because she taught in a different build
I see BOVARD oage 1
Cupid’s campsite | Katherine Tincher, a senior majoring in fine arts, helps graduate student Vignesh Raghuraman find a companion for Valentine's Day tomorrow as part of her final project.
Match.com meets McCarthy Quad
Sisters set up a dating service tent for students looking for a Valentine.
By ARIN MIKAILIAN
Daily Trojan
For students looking for a last-minute date or those wanting a little company on Valentine’s Day, two sisters are providing an on-campus blind dating service.
Through this evening, date-seekers may stop by the tent on the grassy patch between the Rossier School of Education and
Leavey Library—dubbed “Cupid’s Campsite”—in hopes of finding a date for tomorrow.
Katherine Tincher. the matchmaker behind the service and a senior majoring in fine arts, said the idea for a dating service came to her while working on an assignment for her performing arts class.
She said the project required her to interact with everyday people and thought the idea of setting up a dating service fitting of the Valentines Day spirit.
“The initial idea was for us to find a date," Tincher said. “But
then we realized there are probably a lot of other people who would be interested."
After collaborating with her sister, Laurel Tincher, a freshman majoring in cinema-television production, Katherine said she finalized the idea
“We realized how well it worked with the assignment,” Laurel said about Cupids Campsite.
The two put up the tent and have been accepting applicants since Friday.
After stepping into the tent decorated with flowers and choc-| see VALENTINE page 3 I
The new fixation »
Art organization Create: Fixate, which invites young artists to blend music, paint and film in new ways, and hosts events for artistic teens, puts on its new series “Love Beauty.Desire” at its hip gallery in Hollywood
LIFESTYLE, PAGE 7