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Volume XC, Number 17	_University of Southern California_Thursday, February 26, 1981
Charlton Heston reflects on career before crowd in Bovard
CHARLETON HESTON
Photo by Richard Lenft
Hundreds of students gathered in front of Bovard Auditorium wrapped in anticipation. More were inside waiting for Moses, Michaelangeio, Macbeth and Ben-Hur. Yes, the actor Charlton Heston was here yesterday and his university admirers were (put eif masse to greet him. He had Bovard packed.
Heston shared his acting experiences, reflecting on the high, low and humorous events of his career. Students listened intently as they sat in the aisles and leaned against the walls. There was not one vacant spot in the auditorium.
“Don't worry I’m not going to part the audience" he said in a tongue and cheek reference to his role as 'Moses parting the Red Sea in the Ten Commandments. The audience laughed, and applauded, giving his memorable opening comments a warmer than warm reception.
“The 50s and 60s were a rich time for me in terms of the direc-
tors I worked with," he said. “And I've had the opportunity to work with an enormous variety of directors.
“Orson Welles was the most talented man that I’ve ever worked with, and whatever talent means, Orson has it to a superb degree.
“I've learned a great deal from Orson on how to be an actor and how to act,” Heston said. Heston acted in Welles' directing debut Touch of Evil.
Heston discussed the financial overindulgence prevalent in Hollywood today and the present state of the film industry. “I don't think Orson Welles (considered by many to be an extravagent director) spent as much money on all his films as Michael Cimino spent on Heavens Gate."
"Citizen Kane has got to be the single best film" Heston said.
“There’s been a change in the theater since I began working for it," he said. “The American theater had existed from parasited plays from New York, but the best
thing that’s happened to American theater since sound came to movies is that American theater has become decentralized,” he
said.
Heston claimed a special affinity for the great Shakespearean roles. “They are the parts by which you are measured by your peers," he said. “Anthony and Julius Caesar are probably the easiest to play — no bad lines.”
Heston also spoke of the “opportunities that television gave us. It was a great opportunity to do the big parts." He said that one of his breaks came when he did a 90 minute television production of Macbeth. “It was a chance, and led to parts on stage and film," he said.
Heston, however, said that one of the problems with actors and television today is “they (the actors) are only going for roles on “Happy Days" and “Dallas". T.V. lets the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) do the good shows."
FOR NEW FACULTY, SENIOR STAFF MEMBERS
Program to ease home financing
By John Powell
StafT Writer
President James Zumberge recently announced a revised housing assistance program to aid new faculty and senior staff members in financing a home in the Los Angeles area.
Fulltime faculty or senior staff members, who are starting or have worked at the university for less than three years, may obtain a second trust fund deed loan for up to $20,000 to assist them in purchasing a home in the area. Executive Vice President Zohrab A. Kaprielian said.
A SI million endowment fund is being used to finance the program until June 30, 1982, he added.
Applicants may not already own a family dwelling in the area, and must provide a minimum of 10 percent of the purchase price of the home from personal funds before receiving the loan. Associate Vice President Taylor W. Meloan emphasized.
“They must also meet academic and financial approval from the university (administration) in order to
obtain the loan,” Assistant Academic Vice President Marilyn J. Baker said.
An additional SI0.000 may also be obtained by the member's respective school or department, if a general gift account exists. “The money will not come out of any current operating funds or gift accounts already used for a specific purpose — such as student scholarships." Baker said.
“Usually we spend only the interest accumulated from an endowment fund, however, we decided it would be better if we were to spend the actual endowment fund itself,” Baker said, “since we don’t have SI million in interest on hand.”
Although the university is taking some risk in investing SI million in real estate, it is. at the same time, helping faculty members buy housing they otherwise could not afford to finance. The collected interest from borrowers at the end of the loan period w ill total nearly the same amount that could have been earned through annual interest rates offered by a bank. Baker said. The new program replaces the plan inaugurated in (Continued on page 7)
Programs concentrate on persecution of Soviet Jews
Walter Polovchak, a 12-year-oid Russian immigrant, was given political asylum last year against his parents' wishes.
He is presently living in a foster home while his parents argue for the return of their son and their subsequent return to the Soviet U-nion.
The unprecedented case was discussed by the Southern California American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Wednesday at the University Law Center.
Polovchak came to the United States with his family a year ago. His parents, who were not happy here, decided to return to Russia, but Walter refused to go back and ran away from home, said Carol Sobel, associate director of ACLU. ’
His parents reported the missing boy to the police. When the boy was found, the police, without any legal procedures, awarded custody of the boy to a Ukranian foster home in Chicago. Sobel said.
The Chicago Ukranian Society called the State Department and asked for political asylum on behalf of the boy. who never asked for it. Sobel said.
The boy was granted immediately political asylum without a hearing. Sobel said the boy's parents were pot allowed their constitutional rights since normal procedures were not followed.
Walter's parents do not speak English.
“The issue here is whether the state has right to break the integrity of the family under such conditions," Sobel said.
A child-parent relationship can only be severed if child abuse or other extreme circumstances are taking place. Sobel explained.
However, when it comes down to a child disobeying his parents, then the right to privacy must be respected, she said.
"What if the child does not want to go to Alaska with his parents because he is very happy in
California?" Sobel asked. “Would he then be taken to a foster home in order to stay where he wants to?
“Many people argue that life in Russia is dangerous and he would be better off here. But what about a child being sent to Israel where it is obligatory to enlist in the military? Would the State also intervene on behalf of the child's rights?" she asked.
Sobel said this case was dealt with unconstitutionally just “to create bad headlines for the Russians. especially •when the Soviet-Afghanistan invasion was taking place.
"It is the child who should be on trial, not the Soviet Union." she added.
The main reason \CLU took the case was to defend the constitutional rights of the parents, Sobel said.
Until this point no one gave them the opportunity, she concluded.
Altering campus for Games meets with criticism
University Business Affairs Vice President Anthony Lazzaro's announcements concerning the university’s plans for helping host the I984 Olympic Games have met with noticeable skepticism.
The pageantry and excitement of the Games will bring with it the fenced enclosure of some areas of campus, rearrangement of summer school scheduling, possible relocation of students living in university-owned housing and the “equivalent of a UCLA or Notre Dame game twice a day," Lazzaro said.
The vice president explained that the area north of Childs Way to 34th St. and to Jefferson on the west, will be taken up by the Olympic Village, and may. according to Lazzaro, be fenced off for security reasons.
Lazzaro cited the university’s opportunity for international visibility as one of the primary benefits of hosting the Olympic Games. Several student senators disagreed, saying the university is neglecting the needs of students.
"The university administration seems to be going to great lengths to place our university in the national limelight at the educational expense of our summer school students and researchers." said Paul Escobar, Student Community senator.
Mercy Marquez, a senator who attended an Environmental and External Affairs Committee meeting of the President's Advisory Council two weeks ago. also had doubts about the needs of students being served.
“We may be going to summer school at the Medical Campus or Mt. St. Mary's." Marquez said, referring to possible relocation sites for portions of the university's summer school programs.
Andrew Goodman, graduate senator for Annenberg School of Communications, said, “the fact that the university students will use Mt. St. Mary's facilities shows that they are more committed to their students than we are to ours.”
Lazzaro said he wants “no disruption whatsoever" in the university's primary function of education and conducting research.
"The priority will rest with the goals of the university in general." he said.
Lazzaro added, however, that some students may be forced to relocate in the event additional housing is deemed necessary for the 3.-500 to 4,000 athletes who will descend on the university to participate in
the Games.
“I do expect that where Games people have an interest in particular (housing) buildings, students may be asked to move out.” Lazzaro said.
He told the Student Senate that the university has committed itself to the agreement, and has a moral obligation to stick to that agreement.
"He's chief negotiator for the university, and he's making a lot of concessions we're not even hearing about," Marquez said.
The university stands to lose some 15.000 square feet of land on the intramural field after the construction of the planned Olympic-sized pool, the first step in the construction of the University Recreational Center.
"The university, as an urban facility, has got to recognize that land facilities are going to have to be scheduled with availability for athletic and recreational use,’’ Lazzaro said.
When asked whether the university intends to acquire additional green space to make up for the loss of a large portion of the playing field. Lazzaro said. “We must have added use of different facilities, and a commitment to seek other lands ”