Close call in Tucson
^Sports, page 16
Thoughts on Gulf deadline
Viewpoint, page 4
No escape in ‘Bonfire’
Life / Arts, page 7
""trojan
Volume CXIV, Number 3
University of Southern California
Friday, January 11, 1991
Stream of thought
Housing deficit spurs layoffs, cuts
,	Daniel De La Rosa / Dally Trojan
Jan Robinson, a junior majoring in music history, gets a head start on her class readings for the semester at the fountain near Bing and Norris theaters.
Employee robbed at knifepoint
By David Hernandez
Staff Writer
A university employee was robbed at knifepoint Wednesday night while working on his car in a vacant lot at 3440 Figueroa St., police said.
Juan Salguero, 27, was approached at 10:15 p.m. by two men who reportedly asked if he needed help charging a dead battery, said Sgt. Steve LaRoach of the
Los Angeles Police Department.
When he declined the offer, one of them pulled a five-inch pocketknife, held it to Salguero's chest and demanded his money, LaRoach said.
The assailants escaped with $10, he said.
A search of the area by University Security produced no suspects, said Sgt. John Lewis of University Security.
$1.2 million debt caused by smaller freshman class
By Annette Chadney and Gloria Lau
Staff Writers
A budget deficit of $1.2 million in the university housing department has prompted housing director Bill Thompson to lay off 10 employees and cut back on some services, housing officials said Thursday.
"Effective at the end of January, 10 housing employees will be laid off," Thompson said. "This is in addition to 12 positions that are vacant due to normal turnover."
Thompson said the layoffs were made in managing, clerical, custodial and maintenance positions.
In addition to these layoffs, hours of operation at Fluor Tower and at North and South complexes have been reduced, Thompson said.
The front desks at these complexes, which had been open 24 hours a day, are now open from 8 a.m. to midnight, he said.
In the nine years Thompson has been at the university, he said this is the first time housing has resorted to layoffs.
No further employee cuts are planned, he said. And by July, he added, the housing office plans to reinstate half of the 22 vacant positions.
Through these and other reductions,
housing officials expect to reduce the deficit by $1 million.
Thompson attributed the deficit to the revenue loss caused by a drop in freshman enrollment this year.
"We normally house 2,500 freshman and this year there were only 1,900," he said.
The layoffs and reductions will affect students and all housing personnel, Thompson said.
"We try to spread it out, but, with fewer employees it may mean that students have to wait at the counter longer or something might not be fixed immediately," he said.
Thompson said the budget shortfall will not be passed on to students next semester in the form of higher rent.
"We will make further cuts somewhere, but we plan to only raise rent by four percent, if that much," he said.
These reductions are similar to December cuts in the university dining services staff following a $1-million budget shortfall in that department. Dining services dismissed approximately 30 temporary employees and cut the hours of other retail workers.
All employees who are laid off will be referred to USC Personnel Services, where they have the chance of finding new campus positions, Thompson said.
This is no guarantee that all dismissed employees will be given new positions.
"We can only advise them on the avai-lablity of positions," said Allen Turner, employment manager. "If they have the qualifications that the departments are seeking, we refer them."
(See Housing, page 6)
System expedites mailing of grades
By Liz Washburn
Staff Writer
Ready or not, here they come.
The registrar's office is expected to verify, print and mail all fall grade reports by Monday — right on schedule, said Ken Ser-vis, registrar and dean of academic records.
In the past, grades have been sent out as late as February, Ser-vis said. But a new automated computer system and an earlier deadline for final grades last semester improved efficiency and allowed fall scores to be mailed to students earlier.
The registrar's office staff has been entering grades into the computer this week.
Michelle Money, a sophomore majoring in exercise science, said she wishes grades could be sent out over semester break, but realizes this is not possible.
She and Bruce Costantino, a junior majoring in business, suggested the registrar send out unofficial grade sheets before
the final grades are reported.
"Since many students forget to turn in grade cards to their professors, this might cut down on the waiting period for students," Money said.
Servis said the office cannot inform students of grades before entering them into the computer.
He also said the grade department's goal is to shorten processing time to the point students are receiving final grades prior to the start of spring classes.
The registrar's office has considered implementing a touch-tone system to inform students of their semester grades in addition to using the mail. But Servis said such a system is still in the discussion stages.
Betty Winston, supervisor of student information at UCLA, said they have never mailed out grades because the cost is not within their budget.
(See Grades, page 2)
‘Deadly weapons’
Student arrested for hands-on assault
By Glen Justice
Staff Writer
A university student was arrested Wednesday for assaulting two students at the 901 Club last semester, police said.
The arrest was the second to come out of a two-month Los Angeles Police Department investigation.
Joshua Kline, 21, an urban planning and development major and a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, was arrested at the ATO house on 28th Street by LAPD detectives at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Lt. Alan Kerstein said.
Kline was booked on one count of felony assault with a deadly weapon causing gTeat bodily injury, Kerstein said.
Because of the extent of injury, Kerstein said Kline's feet and hands were considered deadly weapons.
The investigation began after a Nov. 15 fight outside the club left one victim hospitalized and another with cuts and bruises. The hospitalized victim underwent more than six hours of reconstructive eye surgery after being kicked in the face.
No motive has been established for the fight.
ATO member Mark Johnstone, 22, was arrest-
ed Nov. 26 in connection with the same incident and held for eight hours in lieu of $30,000 bail. Bail for Kline was originally set at $30,000. He was later released without bail on his own recognizance after being held for about four-and-a-half hours.
"After interviewing witnesses and suspects, we were convinced that we had enough information to make an arrest," Kerstein said. "According to our evidence, we believe (Kline) was directly involved in the assault."
Though a spokesman for ATO declined to comment, Kline said he was nowhere near the 901 Club the night of the assault.
"Being arrested last night (Wednesday) was just a way for them to squeeze information out of me," Kline said. "That's what I think and that's what my lawyer thinks. (The police) think I'm covering up for someone. They think it's an ATO."
Kline, the son of former university political science professor Robert Kline, is schedulei to be arraigned Jan 30.
No charges were filed at Johnstone's arra ^ -ment, held about a week after the incident oc-cured, said Ken Taylor, director of residential
(See Arrest, page 6)