In Brief
Kidnappers renew plan; trade Shiites for U.S. hostages
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Pro-Iranian kidnappers holding at least two American hostages reiterated in a statement released Tuesday their offer to trade their captives for at least 15 Shiite Moslem comrades jailed in Kuwait.
“We renew our firm emphasis on the need to free our struggling brethren from the jails of the collaborating Kuwaiti regime, and declare that the Mujahedeen (holy warriors) shall not rest until they see their brethren free,” said Islamic Jihad, or Islamic Holy War.
The typewritten statement in Arabic was delivered anonymously to the offices of the independent newspaper An-Nahar and a Western news agency in Moslem West Beirut.
State: Queen selected for Tournament of Roses
PASADENA — A 17-year-old La Canada High School senior was named Tuesday as queen of the 101st Tournament of Roses and will reign over “A World of Harmony” on New Year’s Day.
Yasmine Begum Delawari, a La Canada-Flintridge resident, was chosen from seven finalists who comprise the tournament’s royal court. The queen and six attendants were chosen from about 860 applicants following four interviews, said Kristin Mabry Tranquada, a tournament spokeswoman.
Campus: Students raise $2,000 for quake fund
Fund-raising efforts for the vicitms of last week's devastating 6.9 earthquake in the Bay Area are continuing on campus with the help of Student Senate, Student Affairs, and the Sigma Pi fraternity.
Senators are currently visiting university housing and collecting donations, while Sigma Pi members are making the rounds on the Row, said senate Vice-President Gantry Wilson.
The effort is scheduled to continue through next week, Wilson added.
During a three-day period last week, the organizations raised approximately $2,000 for the Red Cross’ quake relief fund. This week they are expecting to top that.
From the Associated Press
Index
Viewpoint.............................4
Komlx.................................6
Security Roundup......................6
Feature...............................7
Sports............................. 24
Police chase comes up short at VKC
Matt CobMgh / Dally Trojan
Police converge on Von KleinSmid Center during the pursuit of an alleged car thief. The tlme-expoaure photograph captures a circling helicopter in motion.
Nighttime pursuit of suspected car thief distracts from classes
By Andrew Vrees
Staff Writer
Police and University Security officers spent more than an hour Tuesday night combing the Von KleinSmid Center in what proved to be a futile search for an alleged car thief who may have been armed.
While hundreds of students attempted to study and listen to class lectures, hundreds more gathered outside VKC to find out exactly what more than 30 members of the Los Angeles Police Department, a helicopter with loudspeakers and spotlights, and a search dog were doing.
Police chased the alleged car thief into VKC after he abandoned his car somewhere near Figueroa and 39th streets, said Senior Officer Fred Massarotti of Security.
Police, saying they were confident the alleged thief was confined to VKC, conducted a room-to-room search. However, he was nowhere to be found.
During the search, officers told students in the halls to evacuate and those in classes to remain there.
“We basically tried to contain the students in the rooms that they were in," said Senior Officer Steve Sickles of Security. "The ones who were out of the rooms we got out. The rest we told to remain in the room until we searched the
(See Search, page 2)
Engineering awarded $600,000 grant
Program to examine effect of earthquakes on concrete structures
By Linda Ornelas
Staff Writer
The university's Department of Civil Engineering received a $600,000 grant Monday to create a comprehensive research program for the evaluation of reinforced concrete structures and their ability to withstand earthquakes.
The Carpenters / Contractors Committee, a joint labor-management organiza-
tion of the Southern California Conference of Carpenters, donated the money in recognition of the devastation of last week's San Francisco earthquake, the Armenian quake in 1988 and the Mexico quake in 1985, in hopes of preventing a future disaster of such severity.
Because engineers believe that the poor durability of buildings during previous earthquakes stemmed from their lack of ductility — the ability of a structure to withstand stress without breaking — this will be the focus of their research.
"The collapse of the double-decked portion of Interstate 880 in Oakland is a tragic reminder of the need to renovate
our cities' crumbling infrastructure," said William Luddy, executive director of the committee.
"Significant advancements have been achieved during the last two decades in the design and construction of seismic-resistant reinforced concrete structures. . . . Yet there are still important areas of research that require additional study," said M.S. Agbabian, chairman of the civil engineering department.
"The Cooperation Committee's gener ous contribution will allow USC to fill an) gaps that remain in our understanding or seismic behavior of concrete structures,"
(See Grant, page 6}
Consumption down
City mandate to use less water fulfilled
By Gall Pagala
ft - te tH-Ji, -
otair writer
The university's water consumption has decreased by 17 percent in the past year, in response to a mandate by the dty of Los Angeles.
The university has saved more than $90,000 in water bills and enough water to fill the Olympic Swim Stadium's two pools 60 times, said Duane Hick-ling, university executive director of facilities operations and maintenance service.
City officials mandated a 10 percent reduction of water consumption for ali
commercial establishments in May, 1988.
The university's conservation program included a reduction of wash-downs in critical areas such as sidewalks and buildings, the installation of 2,176 shower heads and 1,263 Marchant flush valves in all residence halls and new computerized irrigation systems on the University Park Campus and Health Sciences Campus, Hickling said.
Prior to the mandate, each of the university's water bills was more than $557,000 and amounted to as much as
50 million cubic feet of water a year, he said. The university is the 13th-largest water consumer in Los Angeles.
"A great deal of the water is used for cooling water/' Hickling said. 'Under 20 percent is used for irrigation and landscaping, and nearly one-half is used for showers, toilets and sinks in the residence halls."
Water consumption is basically a Los Angeles problem, he said.
"The dty of Los Angeles was concerned over two things. First of all, water is a fairly limited resource in (See Conserve, page 16)
Car culture rolls into campus
Feature, page 7
Volume CX, Number 36	University	of	Southern	California	Wednesday,	October	25,1989
Tie for Athlete of the Week
Sports, page 24
trojan
weather