University of Southern California
Religion director says study rating misleading
DOUG KENNY
By TIM NOVOSELSKI Staff Writer
A controversial report on graduate religion studies, which has listed USC among other schools in a marginal category concerning its resources for the doctoral religion program, was called misleading Wednesday by John Orr, director of the School of Religion.
“It’s a bad show; we feel ourselves were had,” Orr said about
HIS AIM IS TO OFFEND
Lampoon editor to talk
By BARBARA WEGHER Assistant Campus Editor
Doug Kenney doesn't seem to take himself seriously. He doesn't take anything seriously. That’s probably why the National Lampoon magazine, which he edits, is such a success.
Tonight at 8. Kenny will speak in Hancock Auditorium on the topic; “Teenage Commies from Outer Space; or You Were Right Mom: You Don't Have to Pet to Be Popular.”
Kenney, a dramatic and articulate young man with wire-rimmed glasses and shoulder-length blond hair, discussed his magazine during a press conference and private interview Monday at Alice’s Restaurant in WTestwood. “The main purpose (of the magazine) is to offend people—they like it,” Kenny said. Two groups of people are offended: college students, who form most of the magazine’s readership, and those who file law suits, like Walt Disney (because the magazine showed Minnie Mouse exposed) and Charles Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip.
Kenney said the most important concept of the magazine is that he and his writers play no favorites, no one escapes. President Nixon, Spiro Agnew, Edward Kennedy have all come under fire.
Despite this seemingly liberal approach of attacking all, Kenney said the basic format is con-
servative. “Satire is basically reactionary,” Kenney said. Its form counters the “new journalism” of Tom Wolfe.
Kenney plowed through economic data about the magazine. “It sells more in the East than in the West because there are higher concentrations of college students in the East and college age youths comprise a majority ofthe readership,” he said. Because of low overhead
Focus
costs the magazine doesn’t worry about ads in order to remain solvent. Its circulation is 300.000. “W’hen you pay 15 cents a word for an article it cuts costs,” Kenney explained.
The writers of the National Lampoon are frustrated according to their editor. Many led frus-trating childhoods and now receive the opportunity to attack whomever or whatever they wish.
Kenney ran his hands through his hair and sank a bit deeper into his high school athletic jacket. “A lot of people will write for Lampoon that won't write for Playboy. Writing for our magazine is like taking a vacation,” he said happily.
Questions popped and Kenney
tackled them while sipping his wine. “Anything on California sells—girls in bikinis and all that crap. I find the people out here friendly.”
It is difficult to keep up with Kenney at times. His mind jumps like a gymnast on a trampoline.
“What did I think of UCLA?” (Kenney spoke there last Monday) He mused for only a second. “Well, there is something of the robot in the people there. They hear a noise and they jump like a series of nervous twitches. Its like an ice tray there. The people race their motors too much.”
Kenney touched on the subject of television stating that he felt that it was his magazine’s enemy. However, he said that the humor of “All in the Family” was most like that in the Lampoon. He was doubtful if anything identical to the Lampoon would ever find itself in a television production.
Sipping coffee after the conference, Kenney was reflective. He said that he, like a good many of his writers, is neurotic and that he is quickly outgrowing editorship of the Lampoon.
Right now he is not too sure of his direction. He likes a conglomerate of things, definitely doesn’t like trends, but doesn’t know where that leaves him. The teaching profession appeals to him right now. He would like to conduct a literature course someday for which he has already invented a title; “The Literature of Imagination.”
$10,000 heist may cause Sea Grant project to be cancelled
A $34,000 oceanography project is imperiled because of the March 1 theft of equipment from a university truck.
The equipment is a high resolution profiler which traces the ocean floor by recording the time it takes a sound beam to bounce back to the ship after hitting the bottom. It is valued at $10,000. University insurance will only cover half that amount, said Arnold Shafer, director of the Physical Plant.
The project involves several months of mapping the ocean floor in the Santa Barbara Channel and is strictly limited to an August deadline. Already, two months have passed waiting for
the equipment to be prepared and delivered.
The Sea Grant Administration, which has sponsored the project, could cancel it if it feels the work can not be completed in the designated time.
Ronald Kolpack. director of the program, said Melvin Under-dahl. assistant director of proposals and government property. has asked him for a description of the stolen goods and said USC was going to write a letter of nonaccountability, asking for additional money from the Sea Grant people.
Kolpack said he has also contacted Shafer, who said a requisition to order new equipment
will be submitted. Because of the fact that the university’s insurance only covers partial cost of the profiler, the requisition may be rejected, he added.
Kol pack said he has asked to be notified when the order is sent out. But at present he said he does not know if the university is paying for the replacement or ifthe order was sent out.
If the answer is yes to either of these questions, it still means further delay.
The project was begun two months ago by Kolpack, who is working in conjunction with Peter Fischer of San Fernando Valley State College. The Sea Grant has supported three people.
the Wrelch Report, a study of 69 institutions. Claude Welch, author of the study and dean of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, made recommendations in the report for graduate education in religion.
It was the section rating the different schools that brought about the controversy. In that section the School of Religion was included in the “marginal in the relation of resources to intentions” category, which Welch said meant “substantial reforms or improvements are needed if the program is to be viable.”
Welch singled out two areas, faculty resources and library acquisitions, and said they were “in need of further strengthening.”
Orr said the report was based on dated information, which was partly incorrect. He said Welch based his study on the situation of the school in 1969, when the core faculty in the graduate religion program was two. Now the faculty numbers four.
Orr also said misinformation was reported to Welch about the acquisition rate of the religion library. The library acquisition rate was reported at about $2,000. while it was closer to $10,000, Orr said.
“The report contained a lot of items about USC which it commended, such as our narrowing our focus in the graduate program (to one on social ethics in relation to a general university
interest in urban studies),” said Orr.
“But(in the marginal category) it was simply saying at that time the faculty was too small and the library acquisition rate was too small, which was based on misinformation that was reported at that time.”
In assessing the validity of the report, John Crossley, associate professor of religion, said: “What Welch did was work in a classical notion of prestige. He used no form of methodology (to arrive at his conclusions). He did not conduct interviews with students or faculty.
“He came by and talked to Orr for 15 minutes and left.” Crossley said he thought the Wrelch Report had some good points, but that it was the section on the ratings of the different schools of religion that was done poorly and which has resulted in much criticism of the report.
“He (Welch) had no intention (of rating the colleges) until the last—to give the report some vitality and newsworthiness,” said Crossley.
Further criticism of the report was published in the Feb. 2 issue of Christian Century, said Cross-ley. In that issue, Martin Marty, associate editor, reported on the reactions of 24 schools.
Marty wrote that 90^c of the 24 schools said they believed Welch’s bias prevented him from appraising their schools fairly.
Pianist-leader Hundley rising to fame at 18
By WILL HERTZBERG
At 14, an age when many young musicians are playing their first teeny-bopper dance, Craig Hundley was making his first national television appearance as the pianist/leaderofthe Craig Hundley Trio.
Hundley, now 18, 19-year-old drummer Bobby Morin and 29-year-old bass player Ray Neopolitan performed yesterday in the Student Activities patio area.
It was Hundley who originated the group and although other members of the trio have come and gone over the years, Hundley remains as the driving perfectionist, always reaching for the best performance possible.
“Every time we do a concert we get a standing ovation,” Hundley said. “But afterward I still rip our performance apart. You’re always going for something better; you know in your mind what’s great and that’s where the creativity comes in.”
Hundley originally began playing classical piano but later developed an interest in jazz, which resulted in a Ramsey Lewis sound.
“Different music produces different moods,” Hundley said. “Within these many moods you have a full range within which to express yourself. From classical to rock, they’re all valid.
“About a quarter of the music we play I compose. I write mostly straightforward jazz, some rock
and once in a while some improvised Bach, just to annoy my classical teacher.
“But I’ve been fotfunate,” he said. “Ever since I was a little kid great musicians have helped me. My parents were really a help, driving us around before we were old enough to drive ourselves.
“It’s just so much easier with people around to help you take care of all the B.S.”
According to Hundley, who has three albums on Liberty and a fourth. “Jesus Christ Super-star” on Decca, “the music business is run to a large extent by
(Continued on page 6)
CRAIG HUNDLEY