Cardinal Timbers
USC takes control in the second half against Stanford, blowing out the Cardinal 77-58 to remain tied for first in the Pacific 10 Conference /12
DM TROJAN
Student newspaper of the University of Southern California
FRIDAY
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February 22, 2002
Of interest...
Gone are the stuffy book salons of old. Bookworms, professors, and students are welcome / 5
News Digest	2	Opinions	4
Lifestyle	5	The Buzz	5
Roundup	7	Classifieds	8
Crossword	9	Sports	12
vol. CVL, no. 30 www.dailytrojan.com
Debate fuels heated race
Elections: Students gasp at verbal confrontation as candidates aggressively defend their platforms
By KENNETH BASIN
Staff Writer
Subtle attacks between Student Senate presidential candidates Andrew Compton and Matt Weir set the tone of Thursdays presidential debate in Hahn Plaza.
Discussing the feasibility and
intended timeline for goals set by his platform, Compton said, “We’re the only candidates running who have concrete goals that can and will be accomplished within the next year.”
Although candidate Amir Shaikh and running mate Howard Cheng were able to separate themselves from the verbal confrontations, Weir and Compton’s references to each other dominated the closing stages of the debate.
Compton’s negative remarks came directly after Weir’s policy statement, which would then spark immediate responses from Weir.
The first signs of hostility came in a reference by Compton to a preceding statement by Weir and his running mate, Lauren Geissler.
He continued belittling issues set out by Weir and Geissler in his closing remarks.
“We’re calling for more than the removal of a simple word from a line of legal USC documentation," Compton said, referring to Weir and Geissler’s plan to drop the word “mandatory” from the university’s student insurance policy.
“We’re calling for more than just
I	see Debate, page 7 I
Paul Harstock I Daily Trojan
Crowd around. Candidates Howard Cheng and Amir Shaikh speak at Tommy Trojan
Academic
f
revision
proposed
Education: A new proposal could allow students more leeway in replacing classes
By SHERRY ANNE RUBIAN0
Contributing Writer
Although students can only replace 25 percent of their required upper-division classes, a proposed revision may exempt substituting classes within the same major.
Under the revision, which was proposed in February, replacing one business course with another business course would not be counted as a substitution, but replacing a business course with a course from a different department, such as an economics course, would be counted as a substitution, said Ken Servis, dean of Academic Records and Registrar. Any substitutions must be approved by the students adviser.
The revision will mostly affect students studying in USC overseas programs, Servis said.
Under the current policy, a student majoring in business administration may replace one of the required upper-division courses with a special topics course, another business course or a course outside of the specific college, such as economics, Servis said. These substitutions are considered part of the 25 percent Without the revision, the policy states that courses taken in a study abroad program are counted as substitutions and marked with an “0” on a student’s transcript, Servis added.
The current policy may restrict students' overseas opportunities, since they may only substitute a maximum of 25 percent of their needed upper-division courses, he added.
The limit on students’ opportunities to study abroad was one of the main motives to propose the revision.
Students should not be penalized for participating in overseas study programs under the existing policy, Servis said.
I see Policy, page 7 I
Internet furthers platform access
TECHNOLOGY
By MELANIE ZAHAR0P0UL0S
Contributing Writer
In the campaign battle for the Student Senate presidency — where only five of 30 students surveyed planned to vote — candidates must make their platforms easily accessible.
Matt Weir and Andrew Compton have launched Web sites aimed at reaching a broader section of the student body.
Compton said his Web site, Compton-Williams.com, was up and running at 12:01 a.m. on the first day allowed, Feb. 12» He was unable to supply traffic statistics, saying his site did not have a counter.
The Web site of Weir and running mate Lauren Geissler, Weir2002.com, had registered about 550 hits as of
Thursday moming, said Nicholas Burger, the site’s designer.
Weir said he was happy with the site but it was also one of the hardest hurdles to clear in the campaign.
“People keep trying to spell it W-i-e-r instead of W-e-i-r,” he said. “But I think it’s one of our best tools. It contains our platform, as well as some bios, so that people can really get a feel for who we are.”
Hema Patel, the current Senate
president, said Web sites were a good way for students to access information on candidates.
“We actually had over 2,000 hits on our Web site, which I thought was really good considering there are only two weeks of campaigning and the two days of voting,” she said. “Also, candidates are limited to a 250-word statement in the election handbook. On a Web site, they can really expand on their platform and get creative."
Of the five students who said they would vote, most cited personal connections to the candidates.
Karen Ho, a sophomore majoring in international relations and anthropology, said she was voting because one of her friends was running for Greek senator.
Chris Everett said he was voting because Compton visited his fraternity.
“He seemed very opinionated but like he was willing to listen to others,” said the junior public policy and management major.
The 25 students who said they would not vote cited indifference to the outcome as a main factor in their decision.
“It’s my last semester,” said Dvong Trinh, a senior majoring in psychology. “I graduate in May, and I don’t really care who’s in office when I’m gone.”
E-mailing candidate platforms to students may make a difference, said Amanda Ho, a sophomore majoring in communication and Japanese.
None of the students surveyed had I see Online, page 7 I
Dueling strings
Musical days.
Glenn Harris, a freshman majoring in cinema-television critical studies, and Jonathan Kunke, also a freshman majoring in cinema-televi-sion critical studies, play their guitars at McCarthy Quad yesterday while they enjoy the warm weather.
Lizzie Leitzell I Daily Trojan