Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California Since 1912 | www.dailytrojan.com | VOL. 177, NO. 16 | Thursday september 20, 2012
InDEX 4 · Opinion 	 5 · Lifestyle 8 · Classifieds 9 · Crossword 12 · Sports
admission
By Steve kearns
Daily Trojan
The freshmen class of 2016
has fewer international students
and more females than last year’s
class, according to the 2012-13
Freshman Profile and Admission
Information, released by USC’s
Office of Admissions on Monday.
Other differences between this
year’s and past profiles include an
increase in applicants, which rose
from 37,210 to 46,104 students, as
well as a decreased yield, from 34
to 33 percent.
Students and the admissions
office attribute the greater
number of applicants for spaces
in the 2012-13 freshmen class to
USC’s transition to the Common
Application, an undergraduate
college admissions application
that gives students one succinct
application platform for more
than 400 universities.
Kirk Brennan, USC’s dean of
Undergraduate Admission, said
that the increased applicant pool
can be explained by the rising
prestige of the university.
“We had more applicants
because of a combination of
New class
sees more
females
The percentage of students
from overseas in this year’s
freshman class also decreased.
| see Freshmen, page 3 |
By chuck Uzoegwu
Daily Trojan
Experts discussed possible
resolutions to the nuclear conf lict
between the United States and
Iran at an event hosted by the
USC Center on Public Policy on
Wednesday in the Annenberg
School for Communication and
Journalism.
The event, “The Iran Project: A
U.S.-Iran Public Diplomacy Road
Map,” focused on the challenging
diplomacy issues in the context
of the current United States-Iran
relationship.
The bipartisan panel featured
USC Professor Philip Seib and
members of The Iran Project, a
non-governmental organization
that issued a comprehensive
report on potential solutions to
the conf lict between the United
States and Iran. Ambassador
William H. Leurs, Ambassador
Frank G. Wisner and Admiral
Eric T. Olson were representatives
of the project.
The speakers highlighted some
of the key themes of the report,
particularly the need for people
within the United States to have
rational discussions about the
United States’ relationship with
Iran.
“Politicians and others who
are to quick on the draw need a
reality check, and that’s what this
report provides,” Seib said.
To this end, Wisner encouraged
those in attendance to think
about Iran in terms of the events
that affect the Middle East and
how this affects U.S. interests.
“As you begin thinking about
Iran, think about it in context,”
Wisner said. “We are not just
dealing with a nuclear question,
or a threat to Israel, we are
dealing with a new significant
strategic reality with which the
United States cannot afford not
to be engaged in.”
The Iran Project has worked
to find political and diplomatic
solutions to the conf lict,
including working behind the
scenes with both governments
to promote direct talks and
help interpret communications.
Members have also engaged in
“Track II” diplomacy, in which
non-officials work to create
dialogue and build trust between
the two nations.
A summary of their findings,
which is published in the small
booklet “Weighing Benefits and
Costs of Military Action Against
Iran,” lists the pros and cons of
military attack against the Iran.
The panel also highlighted
national issues in Iran, geographic
and economic interests, the
United States commitment to
Israel and Iran’s ability to impact
the U.S. interests.
This region factors into
our most important national
interest because of its huge
and extraordinary holdings of
hydrocarbons,” Wisner said.
The panel then shifted to
discussing the possibility of
military action against Iran. All
members were largely opposed
to military action; instead,
they encouraged diplomacy
and respect for each country’s
national interest.
“We have to recognize Iran
as its own reality — its own
government,” Wisner said.
Seib said he hopes students
leave the panel with a new
appreciation of the complexities
of the U.S.-Iran relationship.
“I hope there is a recognition
of the complexity of issues
concerning Iran specifically, and
the questions of war and piece
generally,” Seib said.
Experts focus on United States’ relationship with Iran
Two ambassadors were among
other panel members that
focused on “The Iran Project.”
Campus
Ani Kolangian | Daily Trojan
Nuclear · Ambassador Frank G. Wisner (left) and professor Philip Seib
participate in a panel, which focused on the U.S.-Iran relationship.
Austin Vogel | Daily Trojan
Probation · Presidents of fraternities and sororities voted to enact a temporary social probation as they
institute new-member education, the Inter-Fraternity and Panhellenic Councils announced Wednesday.
greek
By daniel rothberg
Daily Trojan
After a rise in emergency medical
transports, physical conflicts
and loud noise at parties on The
Row, the fraternity and sorority
presidents on the Inter-Fraternity
and Panhellenic Councils voted
unanimously to enact a three-week
social probation for its chapters,
according to IFC President Michael
Madden. The ban, effective
immediately, is scheduled to end
Oct. 7.
During the probation, the
organizations are planning to
create new-member programming
that focuses on preventing sexual
assault, alcohol and physical
altercations, Madden said.
“We are looking to partner
up with other on-campus
organizations and collaborate with
them to educate our members,”
Madden said.
In a letter to IFC and Panhellenic
members, Madden and Panhellenic
Council President Megan Lambert
wrote that the probation was self-imposed
to avoid further sanctions
from the university, which
expressed concern about recent
incidents.
“The administration is
considering a zero-tolerance
policy regarding our weeknight
social events moving forward,”
the letter said. “In effort to avoid
this outcome, the Greek leadership
created proactive measures to
address these issues.”
Beth Saul, assistant dean for
student affairs and director for
fraternity and sorority leadership
development and parent programs,
said she is hopeful that the
Row imposes social ban
amid university concerns
The three-week ban will
include all social events not
registered with the university.
| see probation, page 3 |
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