Students protest Bush
nenry nsu i uaiiy irojan
Talking politics. Josh Dinner, far left, a junior majoring in cinema, Mike Stephen, a sophomore majoring in political science and Chris Godwin, a junior majoring in cinema, hold signs in protest of President Bush Wednesday.
Grant to blend policy and people
School of Policy, Planning and Development receives $600,000 grant from James Irvine Foundation.
By DAVID HOLLOWAY
Contributing Writer
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development has received a $600,000 grant from the James Irvine Foundation to develop innovative policy and civic engagement solutions to California’s governance crisis.
The grant money*will fund two separate research projects that both seek to better the relationship between the public and the government.
The first, a $500,000 project, involves researching neighborhood councils to see how effectively they promote the interaction between neighborhoods, said Terry Cooper, a professor in the school of policy, planning and development.
Neighborhood councils are relatively new to California and were created through a 1999 charter approved by voters that acts as a guideline to ensure that each community has a voice in the local government, Cooper said.
As of now, there are 81 neighborhood councils and more are expected to form, Cooper said.
"We are studying neighborhood councils and providing them with information to help them function better,” he said.
The second, a $100,000 project, will fund multiple conferences designed to create conversation and thoughts on public policy.
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Career
Center
expands
market
The new "Careers at 4" program will help students find job opportunities in underrepresented fields.
By DANIEL DYBA
Contributing Writer
Senior Carlos A. Bello, an English major, says he has had trouble finding information for job opportunities in his field.
“(Liberal arts) is not very well marketed on this campus,” Bello said.
While the Career Center markets well the business school, cinema, communications, and engineering, information for job opportunities in the liberal arts is scarce, Bello said.
Officials in the Career Planning and Placement Center have apparently taken notice.
On Sept. 13, the Career Center will officially launch a new program that seeks to expose students to professionals, organizations and job opportunities in underrepresented fields and trades.
Called “Careers at 4," the program will feature panels of experts who will offer multiple perspectives on different careers and give advice to students on how their resume should be constructed.
"We are trying to target some fields that haven't received much exposure," said Ron Roberts Jr., a career counselor who helped plan the program.
“Careers at 4" is open to all USC students and alumni. It is geared to represent fields few students use the Caieer Center for, including journal-I see Careers, page 3
iiailylrnjan.com
September 9, 2004
Fresh food straight from the farm can be ■found in LA.'s farmers makets. 7
Vol. CLIII, No. 12
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Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California Since 1912
INSIDE
Loan portal to help Koreatown businesses
INDEX
Four Marshall Consulting Association students are flying to Washington D.C. Thursday to present their project
By ALEXA HYLAND
Contributing Writer
Students in the Marshall Consulting Association are working to open a loan portal for small business owners in Koreatown by the end of December, a project that will help bring banks directly to business owners.
“The portal is designed to help the development of minority owned businesses,” said Natasha Lainer, vice president of consulting projects for the Marshall Student Consulting Association.
The current project, headed by the Marshall Student Consulting Association and the USC business expansion network, is one of the first of its kind in small business lending,
said Ruben Alonso III, project manager and part of the USC business expansion network's development unit
The four Marshall Consulting Association students working on the project are being flown to Washington D.C. Thursday to present their work and discuss community development and how banks can help small businesses with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Lainer said.
Two weeks ago. the student consulting association presented their plan to stake holders and the FDIC in Los Angeles, who want to put the portal into action by the end of the year.
The lending portal will allow banks to access businesses' loan applications online, maximizing the businesses
exposure to a large number of banks, he said.
The small businesses that work with the business expansion network will be offered the opportunity to use the loan portal. They can decide whether or not to post their application, Alonso said.
Traditionally, when a small business applies for a loan, the application is presented to different banks by a development organization that facilitates the loan process, he said.
The loan portal will use technology to its advantage by making loan applications available online and allowing banks to view multiple applications at once, Alonso said.
Raphael Bostic, associate professor of policy, planning and development, said there are advantages and disadvantages to the loan portal's services.
Businesses will save a trip to the bank by not having to fill out an application at home, he said.
“Most of the loans are fairly idiosyncratic," Bostic said.
But each business also has specialized circumstances, such as risk assessment that may not be considered on an online application posted on the portal, Bostic said.
Businesses also miss the personalized attention of working directly with a lender, he said.
If the portal is a success, it may serve as a national prototype to be used in other cities, Alonso said.
The idea of a loan portal came after a Koreatown summit during the summer that included superior banks, nonprofit institutions and lenders, the FDIC and the development unit of the USC business expansion network.
The summit focused on community development and on how to better serve the small minority owned businesses in Koreatown.
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It's a new season, and a new day, for the women's cross country team. 16
Don't believe the critics, coffee is good for you. 4
Newt Digest___2	Sports.....16
Upcoming______2	Classifieds_12
Opinions—.....4	Lifestyle____7
WEATHER
Today: Sunny. High of 89, low of 69.
Tomorrow: Sunny High 89.