DM TROJAN
Student newspaper of the University of Southern California
TUESDAY
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February 26, 2002
Of interest...
After four years and more than $100,000, are students' educations at USC really worth it? / 4
News Digest	2	Calendar	2
Opinions	4	Lifestyle	7
The Buzz	7	Classifieds	12
Crossword	13	Sports	16
vol. CVL, no. 32 www.dailytrojan.com
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RELIGION & ETHICS
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Sacrificing desires and time for Lent
By ELIZABETH BROTHERTON
Contributing Writer
Spring brings many things — flowers, warmth, sunshine — and, for many Christians, it also brings the season of Lent
Lent, which comes from the middle-age English word “Lente," meaning “springtime,” dates back to A.D. 200. It is a period when Christians, mainly those of the Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox faiths, take time to reflect on their lives and prepare for Easter, one of the years holiest days.
The period is 40 days, excluding Sundays. The length of the holiday stems from scripture, which states that Jesus Christ spent 40 days fasting in the desert.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter.
“Lent is a time of renewal, conversion and preparation,” said the Rev. William Messenger of the Catholic Center.
Because of the time that Jesus sacrificed, many Christians sacrifice as a tribute. Catholics, for example, choose to not eat meat on Fridays.
I see Lent, page 11 I
Nikka Costa Rica
Female star is dazzling and sassy before sweaty masses in Friday's live performance at the Knitting Factory / 7
Presentation: Media sexualize womens lack of power and vulnerability, which contribute to cases of malnutrition
By SUSHMA SUBRAMANIAN
Staff Writer
AP difficulty linked to college success
Academics: High school advanced courses criticized as too variable as universities call for national standardization
By JACKSON DeMOS
Contributing Writer
A new government study found that advanced high school science and math teachers often cover complex material too quickly, and USC students said their depth of learning in
those classes depended entirely on their high school teachers.
The study by the National Academies of Science and Engineering discovered that the courses’ speed frequently leaves students with inadequate discussion and hands-on opportunities. The study evaluated Advanced
Placement and International Baccalaureate courses, more commonly called AP and IB courses.
"Having a good teacher made all the difference for me,” said Jen Watanabe, a sophomore majoring in business administration. “My stats class in college is still hard, but I already saw most of the material in high school. If 1 didn’t have that AP class in my background, I wouldn’t be doing as well now.”
Watanabe’s experience reflects the opinion of most USC students in that her teacher dictated how much she learned.
The teachers are not as much at fault as the systems, said Linda Serra Hagedorn, associate director for Higher Education Policy Analysis.
“It seems like we need a better system, and the AP system, which is a national system, should have national
I	see Courses, page 11 i
Eating disorder similar to pom, video explains
Splish splash
Students have all taken classes teaching how to analyze books and literature, but few have been taught how to read the images in Cosmopolitan and MTV.
“Today, the major form of communication is the image,” explained the video "Beyond Killing Us Softly: The Strength to Resist” to a small audience in Leavey Library Auditorium Monday.
Dana Udall, practicum counselor, and psychology intem Michelle Avril presented the video and a discussion on the media’s impact on women as the first of several events planned for National Eating Disorder Awareness Week
The video, made by Gene Kilbom, who has produced two other videos about eating disorders, portrayed media images as a form of pornography.
“Pornography takes'violence against women and sexu-alizes it,” the video explained.
It continued to say that media images are similar to pornography. Although they do not present women in
I see Disorders, page 111
Staying afloat. Jamie Qureshi, a junior majoring in cinema-television critical studies, enjoys a swim in the reflection pool in front of Leavey Library. He was filming Monday for a class project.
Rose Ahn I Daily Trojan
International issues. Former U.S. ambassador to Tanzania J. Brady Anderson speaks on terrorism and foreign aid Monday in the Social Science Building.
International aid vital to U.S. national security
Politics: Former ambassador asserts role of nation-building in foreign policy
By ELIZABETH KELLY
Contributing Writer
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks launched the problems of developing nations such as Afghanistan into every U.S. living room, but most Americans still do not understand how foreign aid to impoverished countries contributes to national security, said former U.S. ambassador to Tanzania J. Brady Anderson.
During Monday’s event sponsored by the Initiative to Study Political Violence, Anderson urged a group of
15	students and faculty to consider the role poverty plays in the rise of terrorism.
“The terrorism that we saw on 9-
11	finds its genesis in the anger, the resentment, the jealousy and the hopelessness that we find today in many parts of the world,” Anderson said. “And while most commentators are not necessarily saying that poverty is the seed from which terrorism springs, poverty certainly is the soil in which terrorism flourishes."
Quoting former U.S. Gen. Wesley Clark, Anderson emphasized that the United States cannot win the war on terrorism with bombs and bullets.
“This is a four-star general speaking,” Anderson said. “And even he is
I	see Speaker, page 13 I