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Student newspaper of the University of Southern California
THURSDAY
—
October 11, 2001
Of interest...
Preparing to fight terrorism and protecting America involves more than the status quo / 4
News Digest	2	Opinions	4
Roundup	6	Weekend	7
Horoscopes	7	Classifieds	12
Crossword	13	Sports	It
vol. CXUV, no. 31 iwww.datlytrojan.com
Leader’s comments deplored
Reaction: Students and professors denounce bin Ladens statement, but some agree with specific policy points
By SOPHIA KAZMI
Assistant City Editor
Osama bin Ladens attempt to rally the worlds Muslims into a holy war against America seems to have only further disassociated most USC students from bin Laden.
Prior to the military air strikes in Afghanistan Sunday morning, bin Laden released a statement saying
America got what it deserved on Sept
11	and that Muslims around the world should rally behind his cause.
"These events have divided the whole world into two sides. The side of believers and the side of infidels, may God keep you away from them. Every Muslim has to rush to make his religion victorious,” bin Laden said in a videotaped statement released Sunday. “The winds of faith
have come. The winds of change have come to eradicate oppression from the island of Muhammad, peace be upon him.”
Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar also made similar remarks to bin Laden Wednesday, saying that any Muslim with faith would fight against America and its policies.
Many Muslims on campus made it clear that bin Laden wields little influence over them.
“Osama bin Laden is not a spokesman for Islam,” said Mustafa El-Farra, a senior majoring in busi-
ness administration. “He is one out of a billion people.”
El-Farra added that while bin Ladens methods are reprehensible, many people from the Middle East find his goals more sympathetic, including a secure Palestinian homeland and ending sanctions against Iraq.
Besides the bombing, bin Laden and Bush are engaged in a war of words. Bush has said repeatedly that the U.S. war on terrorism is not a war on Islam. But bin Ladens I see Reaction, page 10 !
Finding reasons to target wrong
Policy: Students of racial
Opening history
minorities criticize profiling Arab Americans in the
wake of Sept. 11 attacks
Lock and key.
Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn (right) and Sidney Verba, director of the Harvard University Library (left) unlock the doors to Doheny Memorial Library during the grand reopening ceremony Wednesday afternoon. Hundreds of guests attended the event, which included an appearance by the Doheny family. The library reopened in August after going through earthquake retrofitting.
By RENEE HASLETT
Contributing Writer
Justin Dae, chair of the Black Student Assembly, is familiar with racial profiling. Dae, a junior majoring in political science, often fears being pulled over by the police when he drives with other black males.
But now, Dae hears reports of a different kind of profiling — the targeting of Arab Americans.
“The day after the attack I saw a few (Arab American) students on campus with their heads down and walking really fast” Dae said.
“1 can identify with them,” he said, adding that racial profiling is a more sudden phenomenon for Arab Americans.
Dae is one of several leaders of minority student organizations who criticized reports of hate incidents and targeted security checks of Arab Americans locally and nationwide.
A Gallup poll last month found that 71 percent of black respondents favor Arabs undergoing additional security checks before flying. Only 57 percent of whites agreed with the targeting of Arabs, including American citizens.
But even as students sympathize with the fear that drives the suspicion of Arab Americans, most still condemn racial profiling in any form.
At the same time, some said that while any kind of racial profiling is
I see Race page • I
Effectiveness of test preps unclear
Student investment in U.S. stock market may increase
Academics: Courses help students focus studying skills and allocate time
BY ART PRIROMPRINTR
Contributing Writer
Thousands of students invest time and money on graduate admission test-prep courses each year, but the effectiveness of these courses is based on studying skills, students and test experts said.
“Some people probably will benefit because they have no discipline (to study) on their own,” said Hudhail Al-Amir, director of the Testing Bureau at USC.
Salim Mohammed, a graduate student in business administration, said taking a course was unnecessary.
“I found the test was (about) how well you play the game,” he said.
For Tricia Taylor, a first year law student who took the Law Schools Admissions Test prep courses helped.
“It familiarized me with the material.” Taylor said. “The LSAT was concepts I had never seen before.”
The structured environment of Graduate Management Admissions Test, Graduate Record Exam, Medical College Admission Test and LSAT prep course forces students to review the material and become familiar with questions on these tests. Practice exams administered in an exam situa-
tion give students the feeling of an actual test students said
Test-prep courses help familiarize students with the test, said Christine Mosessia, a graduate student in law.
“If you didn't have it, you wouldn't know what to expect,” Mosessia said. “You could do fine without it but you could do better with it”
But students can also succeed without test-prep courses.
“I studied on my own using $30 books from the bookstore,” said Rosa Martinez, a graduate student in law. “It depends on how you study ... I had friends who were shocked to find that 1 did not use test-prep courses.”
I see Tests page U I
By SANJEEV KOPPAL
Contributing Writer
tudents eager to make a profit are trying their luck on the slowly recovering stock market As the market plummeted after the Sept 11 attacks, most think the negative effects on the American economy will be short-lived.
“I don't own any stock, but I am planning on investing soon,” said Kale Harbick. a graduate student in computer science. “Most stocks are low, and therefore attractive for buying."
It is too early to determine what will happen with the economy, said
YOUR MONEY
Krishna Kumar, professor of finance.
“But history tells us that the economy usually booms in times of war," he said.
Students involved with the Tycoons International stock market club were more bullish.
I see Money page • t