Henry Hsu I Daily Trojan
Giving his all. Friends describe Sam Bazzi as someone who is passionate about all of his projects. Bazzi's work paid off with the Luce Scholarship.
March 10, 2005	Vol. CXLVl, No. 39
Ex-felon attended USC class
Kenneth Foster integrated himself into student life, attempted to join track team.
By STEVEN CHEN
Staff Writer
The ex-felon who posed as a student to gain the trust of residents living in Fluor Tower attempted to integrate himself in student life by applying for a university job, attempting to walk-on to*the track-and-field team and attending a psychology class.
Kenneth Leon Foster, 22, applied for a job at Disability Services and Programs on March 2 and had already started training for the job, said Ken Taylor, assistant vice president of Student Affairs.
Taylor said in order to fill out an application, Foster needed valid student identification since the position was open only to current students.
But students who knew Foster said that they never saw him with a student ID, and he used to say that he lost his card.
Although he was training for the position, Foster was not yet officially on DSP’s payroll.
The university has launched an inquiry into tne incident, but Taylor said he believes that the background check in place for new hires is adequate.
“(The background check) will detect most efforts at fraudulently finding employment," Taylor said.
Foster also told students that he was on a track-and-field scholarship. He was never officially on the team, but the coach remembers encountering Foster in February when he tried walking on to the team.
Ron Allice, the director of track and field at USC said that during the second week of February, Foster approached him to join the team. Allice said that Foster claimed to have run track at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md.
“I could tell from day one that he was a phony," Allice said.
Allice said that when he asked Foster for his times in the 800-meter and 400-meter events, they didn't add up.
“He told me that he ran a 1:52 for the 800 and 52 or 53 seconds for the 400 meter," Allice said. “You would have
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“This happens in different places. The only difference is that this person happened to be a convicted criminal." —♦— GLORIA GRAHAM head DPS Crime Prevention Unit
Senior wins Luce Scholarship, funding bus research study in Asia He was one of . only 15 to win the fund nationwide.
By CHRISTINA HUH
Contributing Writer
Sam Bazzi’s first trip outside the United States was to Caracas, Venezuela, as a seventh-grader. While most of the Western world lives in relative comfort, sagging shantytowns still stack the mountainsides of Venezuela. Although he recognized that the poverty was not typical in his hometown in Missouri, he did not fully understand its severity elsewhere.
But during his visit to Lebanon the following year, Bazzi realized the desperation and seriousness of poverty. While in Lebanon, he witnessed people passing by Palestinian refugee camps roughly kicking away young children begging for food.
“That was really what shook me," Bazzi said.
“You know, just really nasty poverty.”
The experience motivated Bazzi, a senior majoring in international relations and economics, to work on alleviating poverty in the Middle East and Africa.
Bazzi will get an opportunity to make a difference with funding from the Luce Scholarship, a nationwide competition that aims to give students opportunity to do research work in an Asian country.
Bazzi has not received his assignment yet, but said he wants to research policy-making issues and hopes to use his findings to develop a solution to poverty issues in the Middle East.
He is looking to research already-existing poverty
I see Luce page 3 1
.dtiilytrojan.com
Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California Since 1912
The Library sells brands such as True Religion, Joe’s Jeans, Chip & Pepper.
By JEFF SKIBISKI
Contributing Writer
USC Bookstores recently opened a location in the University Village that offers high-end retail clothing items. The store, named The Library, sells no USC logo apparel or any books and offers only designer
clothes.
While UV is mostly composed of stores that are aimed at offering services to the community, such as Notrica's 32nd Street Market, The Library is a service for students and not the community, said Tracy Enos, associate director of USC Bookstores, who helped spearhead the develop* ment of the concept for a lifestyle-oriented store.
USC purchased the UV in 2000, but administrators have said that the UV will remain connected to the
community.
Workers at the store said they have seen very few community members buy clothes from The Library.
The store opened Feb. 22.
The main purpose behind opening the store in the UV is to provide the convenience of a nearby shopping option for students who do not have cars or are not familiar with the region, Enos said.
“Our mission is to provide goods and services to students while they're
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The Library is owned by USC Bookstore and sells only high-end retail clothes with no USC logo apparel or books.
Shut out.
Students looking to get into Traditions, the USC on-campus bar, with a fake ID will find a hard time getting past the regularly employed DPS officer trained to check for fakes.
Rachel Elias I Daily Troian
Fake IDs not a big issue at Traditions
By STEPHANIE HAWKINS
Staff Writer
Traditions, USC's on-campus bar has taken strict security measures to ensure that the usage of fake IDs among underage students is minimal and that fakes are detected.
Thery Paulson, catering and restaurant manager of The Grill, said there has always been activity, such as students using fake IDs. just like at any other bar.
“Every other night somebody is trying to use one," she said.
But USC administrators have different numbers. “We have only caught probably five fake IDs this
I see Traddiet page 14 I
INSIDE
Lady Liberty awaits spring breakers
traveling
to NYC.
New USC-owned clothing store opens
Newi Digest______2 Ufeitvl*........7
Upcoming------2 Classified*....... 18
Opinions.............4 Sports----------- 20
INDEX
As Tim Floyd prepares to coach the men's basketball team, we look ahead. 20
Spring Break: The Daily Trojan will resume publication Tuesday, March 22.