Policy established for election of Student Senate chairman
By Darren Leon
Staff Writer
The university's Student Senate began their new term Monday without a chairman, or even the means to elect a new one. The senate met Wednesday evening and approved a proposal to resolve the problem.
Cabinet members met over the weekend to draw up a resolution that would clarify ambiguity existing in the senate bylaws. The bylaws do not specify the procedure for electing a new chairman once the elected chairman has resigned.
Rick Wacula, elected chairman of the senate last spring, resigned his position last week before his term had begun.
The chairman of the the Joint Elections and Credentials Committee presides over the elections to fill the vacancy of chairperson of Student Senate, under the new resolution.
The proposal provides for submition of qualifications for office bv the nominees and the and
oral presentations and a question an<j answer period.
A majority vote would be sufficient to elect a new chairman and if one is not obtained a run-off election would be held.
Colette Benton, interim chairman, Mercedes Marquez, Tim Walker and Ralph Kam submitted their names for nomination. Elections are to be held at the next senate meeting scheduled for Sept. 24.
John Morris, a student who had run for senate and participated in the discussion as a guest, suggested that the cabinet's resolution was unnecessary because a section of the bylaws calls for reference to the Robert's Rules of Court when the bylaws do not provide for specific action.
Robert's Rules of Court states that when a president dies or leaves office for any reason the vice president would succeed him.
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$ trojan
Staff photo JonnH*r Boltor
Volume LXXXIX, Number 3 University of Southern California Thursday, September 18, 1980
FRACTURED PANE — No, it isn't a spider’s web but an unbreakable guard-station window damaged by rock-throwing vandals. It is the fourth such incident in the same structure.
Youth program works to refurbish community
The university and local community have joined forces to improve local schools and the neighborhood around Central Park near campus through the "Dress Up Your Neighborhood Youth Program."
Groups of young people between the ages 5 and 18 are working with adults on a variety of projects aimed at refurbishing the area.
The program, jointly sponsored by the Assistance to Communities from the Joint Educational Project and Central Park Five Council, covers areas around Olympic Boulevard, Santa Barbara Avenue, W’estem Avenue and San Pedro Street.
Barbara Gardner, director of Urban Affairs in the College of letters, Arts and Sciences, said grants were made available to groups of scouts, who renovated a park in the 1800 block of Hoover Street.
In addition, two playgrounds at a local elementary school were decorated.
Gardner said the groups would be involved in remov.r.g wall graffiti — drawings done by young gangs who paint their gang symbols on the walls of the buildings. This cleanup, she said, would deter this activity.
The program, which began in the summer, is expected to draw more children now that school has started. Children may sign up for the project through their schools.
More creative projects, including building decorative seats at bus stands, are some of the areas in which these youth groups will be involved.
The park five council, which is cosponsoring the projects, has produced a bilingual directory of summer activities for the youth in the area. The council is an-alliance of people from schools, neighborhood and community organizations, formed in the spring to enable the community groups and institutions to help one another in their effort to solve area problems.
Bill proposes increases in loans
Interest rates, limits would both rise
By Matthew Kane
Staff Writer
A bill pending in the House and Senate would increase the National Direct Student Loan and the Guaranteed Student Loan intere st rates .and borrowing amounts. If the legislation passes. President Jimmy Carter is expected to sign the bill, a White House spokesman said.
The bill would affect NDSL and GSL loans made after the end of 1980, a Senate staff member said.
Although the rates differ between the loan programs, the basic impact would be the same: students could borrow more, but it would cost them more to do so.
For example, under the proposed legislation a student could borrow up to 518,500 from the NDSL and the GSL to pay for his undergraduate education, but he would owe $1,365 in interest the first year.
Under present law, a student may borrow a total of $12,500 in NDSL and GSL loans. This student would owe $675 in interest for the first year the loan is outstanding.
The bill passed the House in two other versions, but both
versions were rejected by the Senate because they exceeded Senate budget guidelines. "They cost too much," another Senate source said. The bill currently pending is the second revision to come out of a Senate-House conference committee. NDSL interest rates rise
The proposed legislation would raise NDSL interest rates from three percent annually to four percent.
The NDSL borrowing limits would go up 20 percent, the new limits being $3,000 for two years of post-secondary education, $6,000 for four years and $12,000 for combined undergraduate and graduate studies.
The grace period after graduation before loan repayment of the NDSL must begin would also be changed, the Senate staff member said. Students could begin repayment as late as six months after graduation instead of nine months.
Mike Halloran, director of financial aid/automated systems, told of another proposed change in the NDSL program.
"The repayment period for low-income students has been extended from 10 to 20 years,"
GSL interest rates increase
The GSL program might also undergo changes, Halloran said The interest rate would be increased, borrowing limits would be raised, and a new loan program for parents would be authorized.
The bill would raise GSL interest rates from seven to nine percent, the Senate staff member said. However, the GSL interest rate may be affected by the Treasury Bill rate. The bill provides that the GSL interest rate would drop to eight percent if the average T-Bill rate drops to nine percent or lower for a one-year period. If the rate is dropped between the time a student receives a GSL and the time he begins repayment, the student can have his loan consolidated at the eight (Continued on page 6)
DT correction
In yesterday's Daily Trojan, an article about the publication of a standard freshman admissions policy stated it was the first such policy in 10 years. The statement should have read that it was the first such
Fraternities admit hazing exists
By Carey Jue
Staff Writer
"People uVio think that.. .hazing is a thing of the past are just kidding themselves. People who are familiar with fraternities are very much aware of the vast improvements over the years in regards to hazing...those chapters who continue to haze their pledges are in a small minority. But to deny that this immature practice continues to exist is simply not being honest.
—	Patrick Johnson, author of Fratefnity Row
Despite federal laws and university regulations, hazing is still practiced by the majority of fraternities on 28th Street. Students interviewed for this story asked to remain anonymous.
"Hazing still exists because it is the perpetuation of tradition, persistence of the ritualistic 'rites of passage,' and the militaristic. West Point example of making men," reported Delta Chi Quarterly recently.
''Most cases of hazing occur in older institutions such as the university because of long established traditions," Larry Naughnagle, Delta Chi fraternity consultant said.
"In younger Greek systems such as Cal State Fullerton, hazing is almost non-existent," he said.
Attitudes towards hazing are often perpetuated by active members and alumni. "It (hazing) doesn't concern us, just other fraternities," one fraternity' member said.
Pledges themselves have also been blamed for the continuance of hazing, since they rarely report it. The two reported cases last year deemed to be hazing by the peer review board dealt merely with stealing pumpkins and pushing people in a swimming pool.
'There is definitely more taking place but there is no documentation. People are intimidated to report cases," said Dale Nienow, university program coordinator for student conduct.
Mike Wittem, former fraternity affairs advisor, said many pledges fail to report incidences of hazing because the active chapter holds the "all powerful promise of membership over their heads."
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