Newspaper of the University of Southern California
Headlines
No. 3 Seminoles loom on horizon
The USC football team hosts Florida State for the first time on Saturday in the season opener for both teams. For the Troians, sophomore John Fox makes his first start at quarterback.
Sports, page 5
Lights, camera, action at Norris
Don't know what to do Friday nights? See a movie! Features Editor Hang Nguyen talks to the Norris Theatre's Dana Knowles and John Hazleton about the DKA film series.
Diversions, page 16
When mascots become fair game
From Native Americans to banana slugs, mascots across the nation are under attack by self-proclaimed saviors of political correctness, argues editorial columnist Mark Carpowich.
Viewpoint, page 4
L.A. discussion, a capella night
A discussion on "Los Angeles in Film, on Radio, on Television" will be held at 3:30 p.m. today in Kaprielian Hall, room 417.
Films, radio and TV shows that depict Los Angeles or use the city to depict somewhere else will be discussed at the meeting.
Refreshments will be served. All students are invited to attend.
• t •
The GroundZero Coffeehouse will be hosting an hour of hits and skits as various groups participate in the a capella night.
The all-student "vocal band" the SoCal VoCals and other groups will perform tonight from 7 to 8 p.m,
Other groups participating include The Hangovers and In One Accord.
Audition information will also be provided.
The GroundZero Coffeehouse is located in the Marks, Pardee and Trojan Residential Courtyard.
There's magic behind the freshman class
By Meegan Bozorgzadegan
Staff Writer
With Thomas Meier, you never know what to expect.
Picture a gold ring. It disappears into a black hole, and seconds later is encapsulated within an ice cube. This trick, coined by Meier, helped earn him the 1997 World Magic Championship title.
My favorite thing about magic is creating new material," said Meier, an undeclared freshman who combines his interests in physics and theater in his act.
Meier earned the title in Dresden, Germany in July when he defeated about 2,400 other magicians using his "Ring in the Ice" trick.
"I thought I had maybe a chance of placing. It was totally overwhelming," said Meier of his pre-competition expectations and his reaction to the win.
While Meier became interested in the art of magic as a child with a Fisher-Price magic kit, his career didn't seriously take
Thomas Meier showa off tricks
off until he enrolled with the Magic Castle junior group in Hollywood.
Meier, who always carries a deck of cards with him, now dazzles his roommate and friends with tricks such as changing the king of hearts into
that earned him hia title.
a joker, then back to a king with the snap of his finders, and by making a silver coin appear in the closed hands of an astonished audience member.
"The illusions that Thomas can create are incredible," said Tony Altimore, a freshman
majoring in business, who is Meier's friend and lives down the hall from him. "He amazes us all the time with the magic he can do."
Meier said he spent a year-and-a-half preparing for the World Championship competition after winning two junior competitions. He developed "Ring in the Ice" through his knowledge of physics and experimentation.
"Well, stuff disappears some-
times, but he always conjures it back up," said Meier's roommate, Stephen Woods, a freshman majoring in cinema television. "It’s cool, he's just like anybody else's roommate.” Woods related a time last week when Meier ran up and down the hallway of their residence at Trojan Hall, waving a flag and grinning.
Sometimes I get in weird moods," said Meier of the incident.
In addition to magic, Meier is also interested in art and the outdoors. Although his major is
(See Magician, page 2)
Friday
September 5,1997 Vol. CXXXII, No. 6
DPS incident sparks concern
By Elisa Ung
Assignment Editor
A group of students and a non-USC professor were mistaken for Local 11 members as they gathered in Hahn Plaza Tuesday afternoon, sparking fury and complaints to the Department of Public Safety.
Rodrigo Baca, a junior majoring in economics, and Dennis Sanchez, a professor at East Los Angeles College, said they were talking with four other USC students Tuesday afternoon at
Tommy Trojan when three DPS officers approached them and asked if tney were members of the Local 11 Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees union.
"They came and said, 'Union 11 isn't allowed here, you need 24 hours notice,'" Baca said. "I was just shocked. I thought, 'What's going on? We're here just to meet with students.'"
Baca and the four other students in the all-Hispanic group were planning to talk witn students of Sancnez from East Los
Angeles College about transferring to USC.
DPS Deputy Chief Bob Taylor said the officers were responding to a call that there were Local 11 members assembling in the middle of campus. The officers had approached the group to inform them that if tney were Local 11 members, there was an injunction against them gathering in Hahn Plaza.
Taylor said that when the officers approached the group and asked if they were from Local 11, they got no response, so they
informed the group of the injunction.
Baca, who transferred to USC from East Los Angeles College last spring, said he was insulted at the implication.
"Automatically they assumed that restaurant workers are Hispanics. They assumed just because we're Hispanic we're
nto be members of Local aca said.
Sanchez, who graduated from USC in 1983 and has made
(See Incident, page 3)
Midnight rallies start weekly
By Penny Yu
Staff Writer
Didn't get enough of the SoCal spell-out at last night s rally?
The yell leaders, with sponsorship from the Trojan Marching Band and Trojan Pride, will host tonight s event, "12 O'Clock Tommy: Return to Tradition." Spirited chants, stunts, music and giveaways will take place during the first minutes of game day.
"We want to begin new traditions and to help promote student spirit," said Justine Gilman, the yell leader aavisor.
Similar to the Thursday rallies, the event will involve the marching band, yell leaders, song girls and attendees, said Jay Raftery, a second-vear yell leader who said he proposed the idea. New songs, stunts and a chance for students to make song requests will be added to the traditional activities, he said.
Inspired by the success of the midnight rallies at Texas A&M University, USC yell leaders said they decided to adopt the idea and "start the game day off right," said Trojan Pride President Anand Motwani, a
Angla Chan / Dally Trojan
Trojan Marching Band members flash victory slgna at Thursday evening’s rally.
junior majoring in economics.
"[We're going] to add new materials to bring new life to the Trojan spirit," said Raftery, a senior majoring in business.
The concept is also embraced by Julie Deimler, a junior majoring in marine biology, although sne said it may pose a problem for some students who woula like to attend.
"1 think it's going to be a lot of fun, a good
way to start off game day," she said. "The only thing I'm worried about is that the people from off campus may not be able to make
it."
Students and football fans say the rally will give students a better sense of what it means to be a part of the Trojan family. "Being a freshman, the midnight rally will
(Set Midnight, page 3)