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Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California Since 1912
March 28, 2005
Football player arrested for assault
www. tluily trojan.com
Vol. CXiVI, No. 41
USC starting cornerback Uric Wright is out on bail; he is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
By STEVEN CHEN
Staff Writer
Eric Wright, 19, a starting corner-back on the USC football team, was arrested early Saturday morning by the Los Angeles Police Department for allegedly sexually assaulting a female student in his apartment at Cardinal Gardens.
LAPD arrived at the apartment complex about 3:30 a.m. Saturday after receiving a report of a sexual assault, said Detective Jesse Alvarado of the LAPD, Robbery-Homicide Division.
The student did not notify police of the incident.
Two people who were visiting a student living in Cardinal Gardens were walking home early Saturday morning from a party when they saw the female student crying in front of one of the apartment buildings in the complex.
One of them stayed with the female student and called the authorities.
DPS soon responded and then notified LAPD.
Wright was arrested soon after LAPD arrived on the scene and was taken to the Southwest division for questioning. He is currently out on bail and has a court appearance on Wednesday.
The football team has practice on Tuesday.
Police are still investigating the incident, but they do not believe anvone else is involved and are not searching for any other suspects, said Lt. Charles Carlton.
A student who lives in Cardinal Gardens said that she saw Wright at a party at Pi Kappa Phi fraternity on Friday night sometime after 11 p.m. wearing a black shirt, sunglasses and a black hat.
She next saw him jogging toward The Row near the intersection of 30th and Hoover streets about 1:30 a.m.
I see Wright page 13 I
Standing guard. (Above) Los Angeles Police Department officers monitor the entrance to the Cardinal Gardens building housing Eric Wright's apartment. (Left) An LAPD crime lab worker carries supplies to help process the cnme scene.
INSIDE
Spend your next Wednesday night with Ion l.ovitz. 7
RIAA asks to verify student IP addresses
Three students, who have yet to be notified or identified, face copyright infringement lawsuits.
BY NANCY RODRIGUEZ
Staff Writer
Three students face copyright infringement lawsuits for illegally downloading music files from the USC network. The Recording Industry Association of America has filed subpoenas requiring USC to verify IP addresses that have been linked to illegal downloading. The students’ names have not been released to the RIAA, but the students will be notified by April 5.
The privacy of students is waived when subpoenas of corporate companies such as RIAA are issued to USC. Upon request, the university is required by law to release the name of the student user who corresponds with the IP address. USC then notifies the student that the RIAA has been given their information.
I see Piracy, page 13 I
Alumni football
seats reassigned
Season-ticket holders were told of change via letter from Ticket Office.
By STEPHANIE HAWKINS
Staff Writer
Some USC alumni say they feel mistreated after receiving letters from the university saying that they are required to pay an additional fee to maintain their current football seats or possibly face reassignment.
Stacy Thompson from the class of 1992 said she has held season tickets in section 10 for the past 13 years and now is being told she might be reassigned if she does not pay thousands of dollars for a membership fee.
The changes were the result of an increase in the number of support group members in groups such as the Cardinal and Gold, the Women of Troy and the Scholarship Club.
Members of these groups are given priority seating, said Jill Dennis, administrative assistant of athletic development.
"You have to donate to be a Cardinal and Gold member, and you have to pay a membership which is thousands of dollars extra above the ticket price. Because
they have had such a demand for these new Cardinal and Gold seats, they are going to be moving people like me," Thompson said.
Seats are re-evaluated and adjusted every year, Dennis said.
The support group sections have expanded, resulting in a new Cardinal and Gold membership fee of $2,500. This fee is on top of the original season ticket fee, which is $265 per seat plus a $9 handling fee, she said.
Since the team is winning, there is a high demand from new members willing to pay this fee to be a part of the seating in a priority section, Dennis said.
"If you are a loyal Trojan, you will be one whether you are sitting in the stadium or watching it on TV," Dennis said.
Thompson said the letter she received from the ticket office basically said that either she had to pay or get moved.
The letter from the ticket office explained that the team's success "has brought a substantial increase in university support and the according demand for athletic donor seating. As a result, seating for you. and many others in your area, may be reassigned.”
The letter then explained that if Thompson wishes tp maintain I see Scats page 111
Argument on Row leads to knife assault
22-year-old arrested for assault with a deadly weapon following fight.
By KRISTIN MAYER
Staff Writer
A 22-year-old man reportedly wielding a knife was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon at the corner of 28th Street and University Avenue at 2:45 a.m. Friday morning.
'The suspect approached the victim. removed a knife from his pocket and lunged toward the victim, nearly striking him in the abdomen,” said Grace Bradley, a LAPD media relations representative.	#
The arrestee, Bryan Warner, is not a USC student.
The victim, who was not actually stabbed, is also not a USC student and attends school in Oregon.
The incident began when two vehicles, both traveling westbound on 28th Street, blocked each other in the intersection while trying to simultaneously make U-turns, said Sal Sifontes, a security guard for Alpha Delta Pi sorority who witnessed the events.
People in the two vehicles reportedly exchanged heated words, which was overheard by three people standing by the stop sign on the southeast corner in front of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. Warner allegedly was one of the people standing on the corner.
“For whatever reason, (the people standing on the corner) thought the Durango driver was yelling at them,’’ Sifontes said.
Warner allegedly approached the rear passenger door of the Durango, which was open. Once he got within two feet of the vehicle he allegedly
I see A*«autt page 12
INDEX
Both men's and women's tennis find 6-1 success. 20
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News Digest------2 Sports...............20
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