BSU holds sit-in;granted office
By RIVIAN TAYLOR
Associate Editor
The ASSC and the Black Students' Union agreed upon a compromise late yesterday afternoon which will allow the BSU to use an ASSC office until Wednesday when the Student Union Board meets to reconsider allocation of office space in the building.
The agreement was reached after a heated discussion between ASSC officers and BSU members, who came to the ASSC to demand office space. The BSU, which does not presently have permanent offices, claimed that as a campus service organization it was being deprived of its rightful base for operations.
A BSU statement read: “An
office will facilitate a place where black students can come to find out information on programs and activities of the BSU. We have had no central place for the flow of information for two years."
A possible takeover of the office was averted when the compromise was reached. BSU members entered the ASSC office at 1:30 p.m. and they were holding a sit-in to take over an office since one had not been allocated to them.
“The Black Students' Union came to the ASSC office because we believe they failed to represent us effectively,” said Henry Blackburn. BSU chairman, in a written statement. “To be more specific we believe that the Student Union Board, appoint-
ed bv the Student Council, has been given its power to allocate office space, and allowed this power to be taken from them.”
(The Student Union Board, made up of seven members, has the responsibility for allotment of offices in the building. The board s policy has been that ASSC requests take precedence in an effort to make student government function in the best possible way. using the rooms available, an ASSC officer said. The recommendations submitted by the ASSC over the summer did not include office space for the BSU.)
Joel Rosenzweig. acting ASSC president, and Lee Blackman, ASSC vice-president for academic affairs, discussed the
BSU claims with office-space claims with BSU members for more than an hour. Then Rosenzweig, Blackman and Blackburn conferred and reached the agreement giving the BSU use of the office.
“In the spirit of unity today the ASSC has made Student Union 309 with phone number 6525 available to the BSU office until the Student Union Board meets next Wednesday to reconsider the allocation of office space in the student union,” Rosenzweig announced.
“This spirit of unity is to affirm our mutual feeling that the student unions is for students and their organizations.”
Blackman said the meeting resulted in better ASSC ap-
preciation of BSU needs. “Those in the ASSC are much more aware of the BSU situation and its need for space. We came out much united in the stand of the student union being for students.
“There is a real problem of space—there just isn't enough— and we are just going to have to reassess our priorities.”
Rosenzweig said he would appear before the Student Union Board on Wednesday to present the BSU claims and invited BSU members attend as well.
Blackburn said, “We've both agreed to coexist unit until this situation is cleared up.”
University of Southern California
DAILY • TROJAN
VOL. LXIV NO. 10
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1971
Court issues opinions on election case
By PETER WONG Staff Writer
The opinions in the controversial case regarding the ASSC presidential elections were released Thursday by the ASSC Student Court.
In the decisions issued Tuesday night, a majority of the seven justices ordered the fall presidential ballot limited to the five candidates who ran in the now-invalidated primary held last spring. The court also banned write-in votes.
The majority opinion, written by Chief Justice Steve Knowles. stated that the Student Behavior Committee's decision last spring that ordered a new presidential election—a decision upheld by President Hubbard-suggested that all five candidates be included in any new race. On this issue, the
court voted 6-1 to place these names on the ballot.
“We believed, however, that this provision necessarily assumes a willingness and desire on the part of the candidates to run again,” the majority opinion said. “Certainly it would be precocious to insist on an individual to run . . who had neither the time or the temper-ment to now serve in or seek the office.”
Accordingly, the court decided to require candidates running again to refile with the ASSC office.
However, the third area of contention—the admissibility of write-in votes in the fall presidential election—was the key issue of controversy, as the justices split, 4-3, on the definition of “primary.” Much of the debate centered on what
the Student Behavior Committee meant when it called for a new primary.
The committee chairman clarified the committee's reasoning in a letter to Dan Nowak, acting vice-president for student affairs, that was released after the court issued formal opinions. (See accom-paying story, page 1.)
“Since the Court had made the decision to have the ballot closed, it was firmly admitting the undeniable connection of this election to the past. If that were not the case, then why even have any observance of last year's candidates?” the majority opinion stated. “It is obviously not a new* election in the usual sense of the word.”
The minority opinion, written by Associate Justice Bruce Mitchell. said: “The wording of the
Election order clarified
A clarification of last spring's Student Behavior Committee's decision that ordered a new ASSC presidential election was issued Thursday by the committee chairman.
The statement by Scott Bice, associate dean of the Law Center and committee chairman, was necessary because of uncertainty over the content of the committee members in re-ard to the presidential election.
In a letter to Dan Nowak, acting vice-president for student affairs. Bice said the com-
Radical dean to talk Monday
The dean of a new experimental campus of the State University of New York will speak on “America: Dream? Nightmare? Asleep?” at noon Monday in Hancock Auditorium.
Michael Novak, a radical theologian was brought from the old Westbury campus, where there is no curriculum, or formal class structure.
J
mittee had intended to suggest that all five candidates in the original primary for ASSC president be included on any new ballot. However, the committee did not consider whether other candidates could run in any new contest.
“Our decision does not speak to this question, and with regard to it our decision should be read as saying at least all' of the candidates should run in any new primary, thus leaving the question of additional candidates open,” Bice said.
“In other words, we decided neither that additional candidates could run nor that they were barred."
The ASSC Student Court, in its decision issued Tuesday night, limited the fall presidential ballot to the five candidates in last spring's election and closed the door to other prospective candidates — either by declaration or write-in.
Steve Knowles, chief justice of the court, said, after reading the statement, that several justices had previously asked for more information on the committee's decision.
The court will meet at 3 p.m. today to decide whether to rehear the election case, which was first submitted Tuesday bv the ASSC Executive Coun-
cil. The motion for a rehearing was asked by Joel Rosenzweig. vice-president for programs and acting ASSC president, and Lee Blackman, vice-president for academic affairs.
Bice also clarified the committee's decision in regard to the definition of a primary.
“The committee did not mean to indicate that a new filing should be required.” he said in saying the committee did not consider the question.
“It is accurate to say, however, that the committee believed that those who were qualified candidates in the first primary should be qualified candidates in the new primary, that is. that their qualification ‘vested' as of the time of their original filing.'*
This would mean, apparently, that John McGuinness. former Associated Men Students' president who was in first place in the now-invalidated primary, is able to run in any new presidential election. He has been rumored to be on academic probation. though he said Sept. 22, “Don't let anyone tell you that I'm not going to run.”
In its decision Tuesday night, the court said through Knowles. “Those who can't run. can't serve." However. Knowles did not elaborate.
Student Behavior Committee's decision . . . clearly recommends that “a new primary election for all presidential candidates be held’ .... There is no distinction between this and any other type of primary . . . and that while old candidates should be included, there is no mention of excluding anyone else."
The minority opinion continued: “There are serious questions as to whether the full slate of last year's candidates want to. or even can, run again
. . . Can one fairly say we are continuing the old election, and on that basis exclude new participants? We simply have to
say ‘no.* ”
Missing juniors join Jesus cult
By DENISE GARTLAND
Laurel Ann Ford and Paul Woodward, two juniors who had been missing since last Friday, were found late Wednesday at the headquarters of a radical religious sect. the Children of God, a Jesus movement group.
Ms. Ford and her boyfriend, John Ackerman—who joined the group after finding Ms. Ford with them—were last seen preparing to leave for one of the sect's colonies in San Diego.
Woodward was taken by his mother to her home in Long Beach after she saw her son with the group while she watched a television news story about the group on Wednesday.
Ms. Woodward had seen a story about the Children of God that had been taped Saturday in MacArthur Park. The members of the group had had a dispute with the president of the Church In The Home, at Fifth Street and Towne Avenue in Los Angeles, and were spending nights in the park while making plans to move to other colonies of the sect.
She saw her son in the news film and called her lawyer, who accompanied her to the Church In The Home. They coaxed her son to go home to think over his joining the group. Woodward reportedly joined the group voluntarily last Friday afternoon while they were on campus recruiting new members.
Ackerman, who had been searching for clues about his girlfriend's disappearance, learned from police later Wednesday that Woodward had been found. A police investigator suggested that Ackerman go down to the church as soon as possible because the members of the Children of God were expected to leave Los Angeles at midnight.
A friend of Ackerman's accompanied him to the church and related what had happened. He asked that his name be withheld.
Ackerman told his friend to wait in the car for five minutes while he went into the church to look for Ms. Ford.
The friend, however, became apprehensive and left the car. He walked down the street where he was approached by some members of the sect. He ignored them, learv of the supposed instant conversions others had had.
When he returned to the car. he found Ackerman and Ms. Ford sitting beside the car. He got in the car and watched the two for a few minutes.
Ackerman suddenly got up with Ms. Ford and went to talk with some other members of the group who were standing on the sidewalk.
Shortly after. Ackerman returned to the car and told his friend: “I'm going with them." He asked his friend to call the police investigator working on Ms. Ford’s case. Ackerman told his friend. “Peace, brother.*' and walked off.
Ackerman's friend said that Ackerman had telephoned him yesterday and said: “I’m happy. I'm reading the Bible every day. Laurel s (Ms. Ford) happy. I'm trying to find out what she's so involved about and help her out.**