Knowles ousted as ASSC chief justice
Steve Knowles was ousted Thursdav night as chief justice of the ASSC Student Court, it has been learned.
In a three-hour secret meeting, the justices gave a vote of no-confidence to Knowles leadership of the court by a margin of 2-1-1. They also formally censured Knowles. 2-1-1. and voted to hold another election for chief justice. 3-1.
Unless the court decides at a subsequent meeting to reelect Knowles as chief justice, which is a possibility. Knowles' tenure as chief justice of the court has been abruptly ended. However, no matter what the court does. Knowles will most likely remain on the court as an associate justice.
The key figures who brought about Knowles' downfall Thursday night were two associate justices—Jerry Reitman. who presented a list of accusations against Knowles, and Jeff Birren. who abstained on two crucial votes of censure and no-confidence and voted for a new election for chief justice.
Knowles was brought down primarily by Reitman. who charged the following. so far as it is known:
•	That Knowles had typed up a table of parliamentary procedure for the
ASSC Executive Council and signed it "Courtesy of Student Court without the justices consent.
•	That Knowles had attempted to bribe several justices by buying items from the Grill, thereby influencing their votes.
•	That Knowles had violated the Student Court s instructions by disclosing to the Daily Trojan the contents of a memorandum that the court sent to Paul Moore, director of student activities, asking him to discuss with the justices his role as court adviser.
•	That Knowles had ignored court procedure when the justices threw out the . case involving Bob Glushon. freshman representative, accusing Glushon of overspending in his campaign.
In other words. Knowles was not acting in a manner consistent with the behavior of the rest of the justices.
Voting against Knowles on all three votes, it was believed, were Bruce Mitchell and Lee Wilbur, associate justices. Birren abstained on two votes, but voted with the majority to hold another election for chief justice. Don Ramsey sided with Knowles on all votes.
Knowles and Reitman were disqual-
ified on all votes.
Gail Foltz and Lyle Morris, two associate justices, were not at Thursday's meeting. It is not known how they would have voted had they attended the meeting.
Knowles, even before he became chief justice, was one of the court s most controversial figures. On April 1. Knowles voted with, the majority of the justices to ban the Free Trojan, a conservative publication, from the campus.
As the author of the majority decision. Knowles stated. ' To say that free speech is more important than a fair and free election would be to transpose the means and the ends. " in saying that the court linked the Free Trojan and the Young Americans for Freedom.
But on April 19. the justices voted to reverse the decision and allowed the Free Trojan to continue distribution on campus. Knowles was in the minority this time.
“This decision is just a representation that the court acquiesced to pressure from outside sources. Knowles said at the time. He cited two of these outside sources as the Daily Trojan and the Los Angeles Times, which both pub-
lished editorials against the original ban of the Free Trojan.
Knowles election as chief justice on Mav 10 was just as controversial.
At that time. Knowles pledged to have a more active judiciary. "For the past three years we have had dormant chief justices with limited views of the court. I would like to see the court maintain continual watchdog control over the executive and keep track of all officers and appointees for malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance.
Knowles said his duties were "to represent the court's decisions to the outside, and as a mouthpiece I am equipped to tailor the entire activity of a bench.'
The chief justice was quiet during the summer, but in the fall, he and the rest of the court clashed with the ASSC Executive Council over the fall presidential election.
Knowles was the author of the majority decisions that, in effect, disqualified John McGuinness. former president of the Associated Men Students and first-place finisher in last spring's now-invalidated presidential primary, from running again in the fall election.
University of Southern California
DAILY ® TROJAN
VOL. LXIV
NO. 54
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1971
ASSC officers back constituent assembly
By PETER WONG
Staff Writer
(Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series on university governance.)
The ASSC officers on the second committee on university governance appear to be united behind their own proposal, which calls for an expanded model of the University Senate with representatives from each school and department of the university.
This senate would be the key mechanism by which the students. faculty, deans, administrators and trustees would be joined in a unified system of decision-making, instead of the university council proposed in
the original governance plan, with equal representation from the students, faculty and deans.
Henry Reining, dean of the Von KleinSmid Center for International and Public Affairs, is the chairman of the second committee on governance.
"One of the possibilities for governance is a large body with much closer contact at the department level—let's say. students elected from departments to an expanded senate. That s
where most curriculum changes originate—at the departments.' Lee Blackman. ASSC vice-presi-dent for academic affairs, said.
"Mv doubts about the present proposal center around the university council, which sim-
mmm
TICKET TIME—Students get tickets for the next seven Trojan home basketball games. The Ticket Office will be handling out the remaining tickets today and tomorrow, with priority given to students having validated stubs from last weekend's games. DT photo by Tony Korody.
ply imposes another body on the present decision-making system. This is just another body to tell the others what to do — another level of bureaucracy that we don t need."
In a column on the editorial page of the Daily Trojan Nov.
19.	ASSC President Kent Clemence outlined the composition of such a senate: "Under such a setup, each school or department of the university would send a specified number of students, faculty and deans from that school or department to the University Senate.
"This would insure against votes along purely segmented lines, as would be likelv in the
University Council proposal, and individual senators would be more likely to vote as individuals rather than as spokesmen for their particular segments if their selection is based on departmental considerations rather than on their specific role on campus.
"Through the medium of a University Senate, procedures that are currently mired in bureaucratic red tape would be streamlined and issues kept
in better perspective by more prompt and timely considerations. "
Blackman said. "Let s get down to the department level and get students involved right there. "
Joel Rosenzweig. vice-president for programs, talked about such a senate with President Hubbard during the summer, when Rosenzweig was acting ASSC president, but no action was taken then because of the uncertain status of the ASSC leadership.
What about the views of the faculty and deans?
"There is presently no way to resolve conflicting proposals. I think it is wise to get some type of all-university group to discuss and settle matters of common concern such as tuition. " Dr. McCormick Templeton. acting chairman of the Department of Anatomy.
(Continued on page 6)
Basketball tickets still available
Students who attended one or both of the basketball games this past weekend may redeem their validated ticket stubs at the ticket office in exchange for tickets for all the coming home games except UCLA.
Students who attended both games had first priority to pick up tickets yesterday. Those who didn't get tickets yesterday and those who attended only one game have priority today. Tomorrow anyone with an ID and an activity book may pick up their tickets in Student Union 209 between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Of the 1.678 white arena level tickets avail-
able. only 200 were left at closing time yesterday. When those run out 400 buff-colored tickets for sections 20. 21 and 22 will be given out. Then students will begin receiving some of the 2.300 green general admission tickets.
Regardless of what color ticket stubs a student has he is eligible for the best tickets, depending on how many games he attended and how soon he gets to the ticket office. Only two sets of tickets accompanied by two ID cards and two activity books may be obtained by any one student at anv one time.
Environment act to be discussed
Ed Koupal. organizer of the People's Lobby. Inc.. will speak on the proposed Clean Environment Act at noon today in the Student Activities Center. His speech is sponsored by the Forum for Student Awareness.
Koupal and the People's Lobby worked to get the act. an antipollution bill, on the state s June ballot by securing more than 325.000 signatures on an initiative petition.
Koupal is perhaps best known for his unsuccessful attempt to recall Gov. Ronald Reagan.
The Clean Environment Act deals with many aspects of air and water pollution including a ban on DDT and other persistent pesticides, a prohibition against offshore oil drilling, a five-year moratorium on further construction of nuclear power plants, a requirement calling for cleaner-burning gasoline, and strict, enforceable measures to shut down industrial polluters.
Because so many different aspects of the environmental problem are attached in one piece
of legislation, the act has many powerful foes among industries, manufacturers and farm organizations.
The act will also deal with the leniency of present pollution standards boards and includes strict measures for membership on the boards and strict enforcement of the standards they set up.
The People's Lobby is aimed right at the people. This is where they hope to get support for their measures because it is for the people that the act was initiated.
"We've had air pollution boards for years and years and people are still dying of smog.' Koupal said. "The boards tell us to be patient and go slow. Politicians tell us to go through the legislature. Well, we've tried these tactics for years and got nowhere. So we decided to bypass all that nonsense and go to the people and get it done. "