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Demon possessed: “Stigmata” searches to find the answer to mysterious Biblical curse, but plot doesn’t satisfy subject matter.	e
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dtrojan@usc.edu
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U TROJAN
NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
September 10,1999 Vol. CXXXVIII, No. 8
Money matters
Azad Jafarian I Daily Trojan
Aid with her aid. Debbie Holland, a junior majoring in architecture, receives help with her financial aid forms from Morgan Suycott, a financial aid counselor, early Thursday afternoon at Student Administrative Services.
Interests shared in themed housing
Residence: Cultural and major-specific floors attract many types of students, officials say
By DANA NICHOLS
Staff Writer
Growing up in Moorpark, Calif., Yousif Abbas was the only Muslim student in his high school. Now at USC, he’s not only been able to meet other Muslim students, but also those who share an interest in the culture.
Abbas lives on the sixth floor of Parkside, which was designated as the
Muslim floor this year and is the newest addition to the more than 10 special interest floors designed to bring students — especially freshmen — together through their similar ideas and traditions.
“It’s a comfortable start,” said Abbas, a freshman majoring in biomedical engineering. “It helps when there’s someone else saying the same things as you, rather than being by yourself.”
The inspiration for the Muslim floor was proposed by 1999 USC graduate Amna Chaudhary, who sought to create a place for Muslims to live together on campus. Because of religious and cultural traditions, “it is critical to Muslim women that they room with other Muslim women,” said Rabbi Susan Laemmle, dean of Religious Studies and a faculty fellow' for the floor.
But Chaudhary was not the first to come up with the idea for a culturally specific floor which could meet a groups’ needs. The oldest existing themed floor at USC, the Latino floor in Fluor Tower, dates back to at least the 1970s, said Carol Schmitz, associate director of Residential Life.
“Most special interest programs come out of student interest,” said Jeff Urdahl, director of Housing and Residence Halls.
Other special interest housing at USC includes SChalom, a 3-year-old Jewish floor, and Fluor Tower’s Somerville Place, which is named after the first African-American student to graduate from USC. There are also several major-specific floors, including business, cinema-television and WiSE, or Women in Science and Engineering.
I see Housing, page 10 I
UV purchase not made to earn profit
Business: University officials say no major changes will be made to shopping center in next decade
By JENNIFER MEDINA
Assignment Editor
With income from existing leases and rental fee savings, University Village will not cost USC money or be a for-profit business, university officials said Thursday.
There will not be any major changes in the function or the space of UV in the next decade, said Dennis Dougherty, senior vice president for administration.
Dougherty declined to state the cost of the center.
“We have no idea where we will be 10 years from now,” he said. “We want to improve the retail area that is already there. We don’t know if we will have to change the perimeters of the university.”
Michael Dennis, a nationally known architect who specializes in campus buildings, will work on the longterm plan for UV, Dougherty said.
Improvements and new additions to UV will provide better service for students and the community, he said.
Because the stores within UV are not owned by USC, the purchase will not necessarily make it easier to create a plan for discretionary off campus, said Phil Chiaramonte, director of Auxiliary Services.
All leases will expire in the next 10 years, Dougherty said, adding that two committees of staff, faculty and students will be formed this year to determine the long-term plan for UV.
“We are going to have many conversations to determine what would best serve the community,” Dougherty said. “This is to make the quality of life better for the students and the community.”
The retail areas at Stanford, Harvard and Yale universities were all researched before UV was purchased. University of Pennsylvania recently opened a two-block space that includes shops, restaurants and a hotel, Dougherty said.
“We aren’t looking to make a profit,” he said. “We don’t use the bookstore to make a profit. We don’t look to make profit on tuition. This is about getting service to students.”
Excluding the 32nd Street Market, UV is evenly split between office and retail space, Dougherty said.
Some offices in Doheny Library will be temporarily placed in UV during the retrofit, Dougherty said. Other offices, such as the alumni donor phone program, will relocate to UV, he said.
‘There is always more demand for space than there is actual space,” he said. “This will give us the surge space we need.”
New machine in Senate office sells stamps at face value
SavinyS: Postage is 7 cents less expensive than that sold at USC-owned The Mail Stop
By KIMBERLY TABA
Staff Writer
Student Senate installed postage vending machines in its office Thursday so students can buy stamps on campus for their face value of 33 cents.
“It makes sense,” said Adam Levine, Senate chief of staff and a senior majoring in biomedical engineering and creative writing. “Buy 33-
cent stamps for 33 cents.”
Two machines were installed in the lobby of the Senate office, one for purchasing single stamps and another for purchasing books of stamps, postcard stamps and pre-stamped postcards and envelopes. However, one machine with both of the same services will replace the two machines in a few weeks.
Last semester, Senate fielded numerous complaints from students about the 40-cent cost of stamps at the USC-owned The Mail Stop. The Mail Stop charges a 7-cent surcharge for the convenience of purchasing stamps on campus, rather than going to the post office.
“(Student complaints have) been going on for years,” said Tyler Kelley, Senate president and a senior majoring in international relations and political
science. “Finally, we just did it.”
One organization sent an e-mail representing more than 40 students who were concerned about the high price, Levine said.
‘The (U.S.) Post Office asked the university before about putting machines on campus,” said Ben Berkowitz, a housing senator and a senior majoring in communication. “The university declined. So we just said, well, if the university is reticent, we’ll just do it.”
Even senators were griping about the higher cost of stamps, Berkowitz said. It was a random suggestion at lunch to install U.S. Post Office machines that was quickly put into motion, he added. Senate secured the machines the same day they called the
post office, and the machines were delivered for free a few weeks later.
Senate talked to university officials about lowering the price of stamps at The Mail Stop but decided that the most effective results would be achieved if they did it themselves.
“We realized that it couldn’t get changed elsewhere,” said Robin Miller, Senate public relations director and a senior majoring in public relations. “Our whole objective was not to go around the administration, but we’re advocating student issues and this is what students wanted.”
Upon seeing the new machines in the Senate office, most students were excited.
“I send letters home asking for I see Stamps, page 10 I
"It makes sense. Buy 33-cent stamps for 33 cents.’’
Adam Levine
senior biomedical engineering and creative writing