DM TROJAN
Student newspaper of the University of Southern California
MONDAY
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September 23, 2002
Of interest...
Study finds that many males cannot use condoms properly. What will make them learn? / 4
News Digest	2	Roundup	2
Opinions	4	Lifestyle	7
The Buzz	7	Classifieds	12
Crossword	13	Sports	16
vol. CXLVII, no. 19 www.dailytrojan.com
Rare volumes worth viewing
Collection: Giant, old books in Doheny of Audubon’s birds is most valuable set
By AMELIE GRIMM
Contributing Writer
David Bottjer leaned forward to take a closer look at the large, hand-colored print showing two hawks fighting over a rabbit
“We think of it as a bit of a treat,” said the professor of earth sciences, explaining why he and his wife, Sarah Bottjer, biology professor and chair of the biology department, visit USC’s rare books collection about twice a year to look at Audubon’s Birds of America.
“We are both scientists, and we appreciate this scientist who’s making this art,” David Bottjer said. “We come here for aesthetic enjoyment.” Printed in the late 1820s, the 4-foot-high book is one of four volumes containing life-size illustrations of different types of birds in the United States. The set is the most valuable piece in USC’s collection, said Marje Schuetze-Cobum, director of special collections.
“There are only about 150 complete sets,” said Special Collections Librarian Melinda Hayes, adding that the process of printing from copper engravings limited the number of copies produced.
■Hayes explained that the copper I see Books, page 111
Wildcats
Thrashing
USC missed several
opportunities to convert in
the fourth quarter, giving Kansas State the win /16
Natalie Ekins I Daily Trojan
Largely valuable. David Bottjer, professor of earth sciences; his wife, Sarah Bottjer, professor of biological sciences; and Melinda Hayes, special collections librarian, look at the first volume of “Audubon's Birds of America.”
Certification meant to boost business grads
Program: Many say exam unnecessary because aspects cannot be tested on paper
By SARA RODRIGUEZ
Contributing Writer
The Certified M.B.A. Exam will make its first appearance in April for students who wish to boost their degrees with an additional certification before applying for a job.
The $450 exam, developed by the International Certification Institute, covers 300 multiple choice questions in five hours and will be administered by the same Thomson Corporation that gives the Graduate Record Exam. The questions will cover the fundamentals of business on a pass-or-fail system and will also provide a ranking of the students’ results in various subjects.
Students who take the test will accurately be assessed of their business basics, the International Certification Institute told the New York Times.
For many students, the certification will give them a competitive edge with graduates of top business schools such as Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania.
"Our students don’t need certification," said Deputy Dean David Stewart of the Marshall School of Business. "No one is going to doubt that our students are incapable.”
Many agree that Marshall has an adequate reputation as an accredited institution, making it unnecessary for students to take the exam. Marshall was recently ranked 20 in U.S. News and World Report’s rankings of top business schools in the nation.
“I would not take the test for I feel that a company can adequately assess me through a thorough interview process and an evaluation of my accomplishments during my years prior to and at Marshall," said Trisha Mehta, vice president of the Association of Graduate Business Students and a graduate student in business administration.
"An M.B.A. from the Marshall School automatically conveys a certain degree of skill that cannot be measured by a test,” she said. "Schools gain their reputations with employers for a reason.”
Business includes skills that cannot be tested on paper, said Nate Munson, a graduate student in business
I see Exam, page 13 I
Biology working toward better facilities
Renovation: Department focusing on floors of Science Hall; equipment to be replaced when allocations of funds ready
By VINEET BHARGAVA
Contributing Writer
Students’ complaints about outdated equipment in the biological sciences labs should begin fading with major renovations done throughout their facilities, department officials said.
Many students, mainly sophomores and juniors, have complained
of outdated and inadequate equipment a list that includes essential technologies such as spectrometers — a machine that measures light absorption in materials — and microscopes.
“The equipment is old, but the facilities are new,” said Jeffrey Tennis, undergraduate programs coordinator for biological sciences.
The students said they deserve better with the high laboratory fees
they pay.
“In the immunology laboratory, for instance, the laboratory fees of $200 would hardly be enough to pay for the facilities for one week,” Tennis said.
The department is following a three-stage plan to renovate the laboratories and classes in Science Hall, he said. The plan is scheduled for completion by fall 2003.
The building’s third floor was renovated this fall. The fourth floor’s renovations are underway — the floor has been completely gutted and I see Biology, page 13 I
Race to Replace
The biological sciences department is using a three-stage plan to renovate floors of the Science Hall
Edible and incredible.
A 2,800-square-foot mosaic made of two tons of rice is displayed in Lot 6 to celebrate diversity a year after the Sept. 11 attacks. More than 200 volunteers spent two days assembling the art. See story on page 2.
Wouldn’t it be rice?