Wednesday April 8,1998 Vol. CXXXIII, No. 54
Headlines
A natural pair, on and off the court
Friends since they were 8 years old and living in the former Czechoslovakia, USC tennis players Karolina Bakalarova and Veronika Safarova form a powerful 1-2 punch for the Women of Troy.
Sports, page 16
Shopping around, but not around here
Most USC students have found themselves driving across the L.A. area to go shopping, ditching the
neighborhood University ' ‘illage cf the UV isn't a real mall.
Village due to opinions that
Diversions, page 7
Now UC them, now you don't
With newly released figures showing a drastic decline in admissions for minorities to UC schools, Editorial Columnist Christian Cooper says the downside of Proposition 209 is apparent.
's.i
Viewpoint, page 4
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F.Y.I.
Cultural food fair, homeless advocate
The International Food Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today in Alumni Park. The fair will feature several cultural clul?s, as well as a martial arts exhibit in front of Tommy Trojan from noon to 1 p.m:
• •• *
Ted Hayes, a homeless advocate and youth activist, will deliver a speech called "Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness" at 4 p.m. today in Grace Ford Salvatori, room 116.
For more information, call (213) 740-6110.
This year's sp iof A
spring pledge class of Alpha Kappa Psi, a professional business fraternity, will present a professional speakers forum from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight in Salvatori Hall, room 101. The fonrtn will feature an inspirational speaker and a representative from the entertainment industry.
For more information, call Karl Schulz at (213) 764-9040.
Waxman speaks on tobacco issues
By Jennifer Kelleher
Staff Writer
Congressman Henry Waxman spoke at a free public lecture about the ongoing debate concerning the tobacco industry, legislation to prohibit smoking and lawsuits against the industry Tuesday. ,
Waxman discussed "Tobacco Legislation in 1998," to approximately 30 students in the Leavey Library Auditorium in an event sponsored by the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics.
"I decided early on in my political career to focus on the health area," said Waxman, who is currently the senior Democrat on the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee.
Waxman also represents California’s 29th Congressional district, which covers the west side of Los Angeles. He has been involved in health issues since 1969, when he was appointed to the California State Assembly Health Committee.
Waxman, a longtime critic of the tobacco industry, spoke about tne dangers of smoking cigarettes and the influence of the tobacco industry on soci-ety.
"We've known for a long time that there's nicotine in cigarettes," Waxman said. "But we've recently found that the levels of nicotine is determined by the tobacco industry.''
Waxman described hearings during which chief executive officers of several tobacco compa-
time tobacco companies) can hire lawyers to sue you at the drop of a dime.
HENRY WAXMAN Congressman
nies testified and denied the addictive quality of tobacco.
"(The tobacco companies) Can hire lawyers to sue you at the drop of a dime," said Waxman about the tobacco industry's economic influence in an incident concerning a news report on ABC about the dangers <?f tobacco, The executives of that network were sued by a tobacco company for $10 million, he said.
"That was done to frighten off anyone else in the news media who would want
___ to report against the tobacco
industry."
Waxman said he is also concerned about the way the tobacco industry advertises cigarettes. "More money is spent to promote and advertise cigarettes than any other product in America. They have brought respectability and silence fit>m a lot of people who should be speaking out."
The impact of tobacco on children is another concern for Waxman. In a 1994 article in the Los Angeles Times, Waxman wrote, 'The tobacco companies’ success — and the sickness and death that result — start with kids."
Waxman also referred to the negative side of advertising — campaigns that appeal to children.
"Joe the Camel is more recognized by a 4-year-old than a Disney character (is)," hi? said. "The tobacco companies have escaped any lawsuits because they aigue that it was the individual's choice to smoke."
(See Waxman, page 14)
Police
locate
abductor
suspect
By Elis^ Ung Manarthg Editor
A 25-year-old man suspected of kidnapping a USC student and robbing nim of his car in November was arrested in Houston last week and will be extradited to Los Angeles and charged with robbery and kidnapping, Los Angeles Police Department and Department of Public Safety officials said.
Samuel Woige, who is originally from Kenya, was pulled over by Houston police March 29 for traffic warrants, LAPD Detective Richard Lett said.
A search of the vehicle Woige was driving and its identifying numbers showed that it was the vehicle of Ray Kasper, the student majoring in pre-business who was the victim of the November incident, said DPS Detective Jack Reidy. Kasper's wallet was found in the car.
Woige is suspected of kidnapping Kasper around 2 a.m. Nov. 2 as Kasper was parking his car
(See Suspect, page 3)
Leavey Library renovations to ease crowding
By Jonathan Cassidy
Staff Writer
“film
BEYOND BOOKS
mir3»4
mation
To accommodate the growing demand for computers and computer services, Leavey Library will open a second Infor-Commons in the east
E
wing of the second floor, which
ing i luld
would alleviate crowding in the basement.
Though the library suffered a budget cut recently, Leavey officials said the new Infor-mation
Commons will not add to the strain on library resources.
"The second floor remodel is a ■rant, an internal grant from SC, but it's not (part of the) regular library budget," said Charlotte Crockett, director of leavey Library.
Hardware and software upgrades will come from the regular division budget, Crockett said.
The books and shelves were cleared from the wing in March so that renovations could be completed by the start of the fall semester. Some were moved to storage; the rest were offered to
local schools, libraries and the USC community.
The new Information Commons will include 13 collaborative workrooms and a technical assistance desk for users of its 54 computers.
All 54 computers will likely be PCs, but a few Macintoshes may be included, Crockett said.
Leavey statistics indicate that there are an average of 90 people in the Information Commons, even during quieter times of the semester. During afternoons, evenings and busier times of the semester, occupancy is closer to 100.
Area's retail shopping dilemma
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University Village examl business struggles in USC area
By Elizabeth S. Sunwoo
Staff Writer
The University Village shopping center, located across the street from campus, has seen the changing faces of the school for around 25 years — but with competition and the large number of vacant store spaces, many students said they are reluctant to spend their time and money at the village.
Bank receivers managing tne village are in the process of bringing in more businesses and are hopeful that student patronage will increase.
Many factors are changing the future of University Village and the businesses around USC. As competition from the larger on-campus food chains like Jamba Juice and Starbucks increases, less places are available off-campus for students to frequent.
Students are a main source of business for the University Village and surrounding businesses, but most University Village merchants said they are
(See Village, page 3) University Village
There is not a greater discrepancy in the numbers because the Information Commons is saturated, Crockett said.
"(Leavey's) been more popular with students than anyone really expected," Crockett said. "There are more people coming to the building than we really expected. A large part of that success is because of the Information Commons."
Even during times when there is a waiting line to use Leavey's computers, the nearby Waite Phillips user lab is rarely full.
(See Leavey, page 2)
ii:;v V
Business award votes start
By Edith Chan
Staff Writer
Continuing through Saturday, undergraduate students in the Marshall School of Business have the opportunity to vote for their favorite professors in the second annual Golden Apple Awards.
"The Golden Apple Awards are awards for outstanding teaching performances," said Malia Coyaso, a member of the Dean Advisory Board in the business school. "It is an honor bestowed upon a business or accounting professor by the undergraduate business stu-
(Set Awards, page 14)
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