Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California Since 1912
www.dailytrojan.com
September 26, 2006
Vol. CLIX, No. 25
USC to guarantee ’07 seats
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Out. Best-selling author Shane Windmeyer led a discussion with members of the Greek community and various student groups Monday night in Bovard Auditorium. The event, “Out and Greek,” discussed being both homosexual and a member of a fraternity or sorority.
Greeks discuss their gay community
Panhellenic Council hosts discussion with student groups about being Greek and gay at USC.
By CATHERINE LYONS
Staff Writer
The Greek community addressed an elephant in the room Monday night, with “Out and Greek,” an event about homosexuality in fraternities and sororities.
Shane Windmeyer, best-selling author and educator on sexual orientation issues and Greek life, opened the doors to discussion of what it’s like to be gay and Greek.
Windmeyer, a Phi Delta Theta at Emporia State University in Kansas more than 10 years ago, came out to his brothers during his junior year. Based on his experiences,
he has written three books: “Brotherhood: Gay Life in College Fraternities,” “Out on Fraternity Row: Personal Accounts of Being Gay in a College Fraternity” and “Secret Sisters: Stories of Being Lesbian & Bisexual in a College Sorority.”
Hosted by the Panhellenic Council and sponsored by Undergraduate Student Government, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center, Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Assembly and the Peer Mediation Program, Windmeyer discussed how straight members of the Greek community can become allies and supporters of their gay brothers and sisters.
“We do have openly gay members. The question is whether or not our fraternal organizations live up to their expectations,” Windmeyer said. “We need to address homophobia and biphobia.”
The presentation started out with a demonstration of the audience’s GPA — Gay Point Average. Most volunteers barely passed with a 3.0, based on four questions asked by Windmeyer.
The exercise pointed out that stereotypes and labels are still rampant on college campuses, especially of the gay community.
Jenah Zweig, coordinator of the event and Panhellenic judicial vice president, said she organized the event for this reason.
"Four members of our Greek community contributed to his books," Zweig said. “It is a very important topic to address, support and openly discuss, not only for the Greek community but for USC student life as a whole.”
Windmeyer encouraged all students to
I see Greek, page 11 I
Vice President Michael L. Jackson says all undergraduates will be guaranteed chance to buy seats at the Coliseum next year.
By TOREY VAN OOT
Staff Writer
Every undergraduate student will have the opportunity to buy a season ticket for an assigned seat at football games at the Coliseum next year, Vice President for Student Affairs Michael L.
Jackson announced in an open letter published in today’s Daily Trojan.
According to the letter, student seating at this season’s remaining home games will also be increased to 9,200, the reported number of students admitted to the first home game against Nebraska on Sept. 16.
Outraged student response to several recent changes concerning student seating at the Coliseum prompted the new changes.
Four thousand seats previously reserved for students were sold to alumni donors and the general public before the opening of this season. Spirit Activities Card sales were also capped for the first time at 12,000 this year, despite only
8,000	seats initially being reserved for student seating.
Some students reported being injured in unsafe and under-monitored lines, turned away at the entrance and relegated to watching the game from standing-room-only sections at the Nebraska game.
As many as 16,400 season football passes — enough for all undergraduates — would be sold for $135 during a student-only sales period, the letter states. After the end of the student sale period, remaining tickets would be made available to students and the general public.
Although a season pass will cost the same as this year’s Spirit Cards, it will not come with all the privileges the current Spirit Card offers, said Undergraduate Student Government President Sam Gordon.
Spirit Cards currently offer admission to all home sporting events and provide a copy of El Rodeo, the school yearbook.
A separate option will be offered by the Ticket Office for students who want admission to other athletic events, but Gordon said he does not know whether that pass will cost less than the current Spirit Card.
I see Seating, page 3 I
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Quick
Fact
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To view Michael L. Jackson's entire letter on the 2007 football season,see page 10.
INSIDE
Star wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett could be out for up to four weeks with a shoulder injury. 16
Program aims to up transfer admission
USC alumna starts Community College Outreach Program to help disadvantaged and minority transfer students.
By CARLEY DRYDEN
Staff Writer
This December, Lin Wong will walk away from USC, diploma in hand, to begin her post-collegiate life in biomedical engineering.
For Wong, the path to her career has been a long one. After attending Pasadena City College for a year in
2001	and East Los Angeles College from spring 2002 until spring 2004, Wong finally made it to USC in fall
2004.
The help of one USC alumna made her transfer to the highly touted biomedical engineering program at USC possible.
“I had no idea USC even had a good biomedical engineering program
until I met Mya Thu,” Wong said.
At the time of their meeting, Thu was a USC student tutoring students at ELAC, yet Thu’s road to USC had even more twists than Wong’s.
As a second-year medical studeht in her native Myanmar, also known as Burma, Thu realized she would not be able to pursue her education further. So in 1998, she made the toughest decision of her life and left Myanmar to head to the United States.
“I didn't know anyone in this country, but I wanted to complete my goals,” Thu said. “1 didn't know where to go, where resources were or what the requirements to transfer were.” Thu landed at East Los Angeles College in fall 1998, completed six semesters of school and then trans-
ferred to USC in fall 2001. After receiving her degree in biomedical electrical engineering in fall 2003, Thu earned her Master’s in Medical Devices and Diagnostic Engineering in May 2005, also at USC.
Thu’s journey inspired her to create the Community College Outreach Program (CCOP) two years ago; the pilot program will launch today.
The goal of the program is to increase the transfer rate of disadvantaged and minority community college students to four-year colleges or universities, such as the UC schools and USC.
According to Timothy Brunold, the associate dean and director of undergraduate admission, this year’s transfer admission rate was 27 percent. Annually, USC receives approximately
7,500	to 8,000 transfer applications and usually offers 2,100 transfer students admission.
About 65 percent of admitted transfer students matriculate to USC from a two-year college, Brunold said.
“This program is for students who are like me and want to transfer but ask, 'Why should I? Where are the resources? How do 1 do it?”’ Thu said.
The program will provide students with transfer requirements and admission information through informational sessions with admission officers from four-year universities and through transfer inentorship with volunteer academic and admission advisers.
Wong said the program’s goals are exactly what community college students thinking of transferring need, especially the one-on-one talks with alumni and financial management training.
“Talking to alumni of the school you want to attend or to people who I see CCOP. page 11
INDEX
.4 new online networking site caters and markets to active women. 7
Blogging opens a dangerous new world. 4
News Digest.......2 Lifestyie —........7
Upcoming—.......2 Classifieds.......12
Opinions.............4 Sports.............16
WEATHER
Today: Sunny. High 83. low 63.
Tomorrow: Mostly sunny. High 84. low 63.