Wednesday October 1,1997 Vol. CXXXII, No. 23
Good times reign at media luncheon
After a dismal start to the season left the USC football team at 0-2, last Saturday's 27-17 victory over California raised the spirits of USC Head Coacn John Robinson at Tuesday's media luncheon.
Sports, page 16
Looking at USC by the numbers
How many people go to the Lyon Center? How many condoms does the Student Health Center give out? Staff Writer Jonathan Shigemura adds up the answers to some unusual questions.
Diversions, page 7
Financial feeding frenzy needs laws
Reform is on the minds of Capitol Hill again, but a common thread running throughout the bevy of measures is one of doubt, states Editorial Columnist Christian Cooper.
Viewpoint, page 4
F.Y.l.
Commuter session, scholarship funds
The Student Senate will be hosting the Commuter Advocate Program's fall workshop from 5 to 6 p.m. today to address questions and concerns of university commuters.
The workshop will be held in Topping Student Center, r(x>m 203.
Speakers at the session will include Transportation Services, Dining Services, Student Activities, Internet Access and Security Affairs.
A raffle will also be held and will include prizes from the USC Bookstore and the Lyon Center.
For more information, call the Student Senate Office at (213) 740-5620.
• ••
An information session for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, which is available to juniors, will be held today from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Von Kleinsmid Center, room 250.
Information packets can be picked up in VKC, room 363.
Newspaper of the University of Southern California
Athlete graduation rate declines
Statistics do not take into account needed considerations, officials say
By Joy C. Shaw
Staff Writer
In the 1997 NCAA annual gradation rate report, which measures how many scholarship-receiving student athletes graduate within six years, the latest figures show a decrease of these athletes graduating compared to last year's numbers, but this decline is not unusual, USC ath-
letic officials said.
The current unadjusted graduation rate for USC, taken from the freshman class of 1990, is 57 percent, down from last year's record-high rate of 71 percent.
The unadjusted rate is the primary statistical method used by the NCAA, and is based on the number of student-athletes with athletic scholarships who graduate within six years.
Ticket allotment for Notre Dame game increases
The statistical pool is not adjusted to take into consideration transfer students, those who turn professional early, or students who take longer than six years to graduate.
Tim Tessalone, director of Sports Information, said the unadjusted rate, by its nature, calls for fluctuation from year to year.
"The unadjusted rate is used by the NCAA, but it's not necessarily accurate," he said. "One character of this rate is that it goes up and down. It's wildly unpredictable."
Work study
Fred Stroock, special assistant to the athletic director for Academic Affairs, said the 14-percent slide is the equivalent of about six students, most likely transfer students or those who left the program for one reason or another.
The decline in rates from year to year is normal, Stroock said. A similar drop occurred three years ago, from 69 percent in 1993 to 53 percent in 1994.
Sports Information officials said they prefer another statisti-
(See Athletes, page 3)
By Shashank Bengali
Staff Writer
Twenty additional student tickets have been made available for the USC-Notre Dame football game on Oct. 18, the Student Senate announced Monday. However, only students who entered the first ticket lottery will be eligible for the tickets.
The addition brings the number of tickets for the game up to 70, the highest ever in at least 40 years, correlating with the increase in the overall USC ticket sales from 5,000 to 7,000 that Notre Dame announced earlier this year, said Tim Tessalone, director of Sports Information.
The extra tickets were initially intended to go to donors, alumni and student groups that had been promised tickets in the past. A ticket lottery was also conducted for interested faculty and staff.
However, Student Body President Steven Orchard said that negotiations with the Athletic Department secured a portion of the tickets for the student body. In addition, 30 more student tickets have been released for the USC-Washington game on Nov. 1.
"They have come about as we have begun to alleviate communication problems between the
senate and the Athletic Department," Orchard said. "Tne Athletic Department wasn't seeing student interest in the game, and we've been trying to show how important it is for students to go. But they have listened to us, and they have been very receptive."
"We said at the beginning that, as we got closer to the Notre Dame game, we would try to get more tickets for students," said Ron Orr, associate athletic director. "There was always the mentality of 'let's see what we can do for the students.'"
University officials, however, were reluctant to offer more tickets to students because there was a concern that they were not interested in away games, Tessalone said. Representatives for the Ticket Office said they received approximately 175 lottery requests, which is a slight decrease from past years.
Some students, however, said the decrease in ticket requests is due to the lack of faith in the lottery system rather than apathy for the game.
"I know I didn't turn in my lottery ticket because I thought I wouldn't win," said Mohamed Mouissat, a sophomore major-
(See Tickets, page 3)
Nada Raoul / Dally Trojan
Nancy Qinocchlo, an English as a Second Language workplace Instructor, taaches her students, comprised of USC employaes, near Cromwell Field.
Police chief maintains link to alma mater
By Arda Hamalian
Staff Writer
Bernard Parks, the newly appointed police chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, has maintained close ties to USC, his alma mater, after successfully completing his first months in office.
Parks, 53, officially assumed his position in August after serving 32 years in the LAPD and successfully completing what he described as a laborious application process. Parks received a master's degree in public administration from USC in 1976, ana he is currently involved in the USC Mentor Program, through which he helps an incoming student who is matched with him based on similar backgrounds and interests.
"The absolute, number-one thing (for young people today) is education, and clearly not getting themselves in a situation that
prevents them from doing what they want in the future," Park said in an interview.
Parks, whose family moved to Los Angeles from Texas when he was 3 months old, said he found a role model in his father, who was also a police officer for more than 20 years.
"Young people should look in their day-to-day atmosphere for role models," he said. "Tney neeo to Wx>k to the people that care for them, not someone on television that they to emulate."
time."
T
ada
are
A husband and father of three children, Parks said the largest difficulty for himself and his family regarding his job is the time constraints that come with the police chief position.
"Many demands are made on your time by a number of organizatioas, individuals and government entities," he said. "Internal people want your time, city council and the mayor. Plus, you have to do your job some-
also something that he must adapt to.
"You are more recognizable," he said, "and that is a unique experience. Everybody wants to be the police chief's friend initially, until you make your first mistake."
Greg Wells, a security aide to Parks, said that there have not been any major security
fwblems so far. However, ne said that the evel of security necessary for Parks varies from crowd to crowd. He said he has also learned a lot from providing security to the police chief.
"He is enlightening and educated," Wells said, "I'm used to working the street, but he has opened my eyes to the internal mechanism of the department."
Parks cited crime, fear of crime and the
(S« Parlu, page 2)