Volume LXXXVIII, Number 26
(fMEylrojan
University of Southern California
Wednesday March 12, 1980
f	SUM photo by Stav* Hyman
JUST NEW, ‘NOT NEW WAVE’ — Mark Goldenberg.lead singer of the Cretones, performed in a noontime concert Tuesday.
Report shows low staff pay
By Cliff Tan
Staff Writer
The salary levels of university staff are 22.65% less than employees of other schools and government staff. This deficiency has been tied to a 33% to 40% turnover rate of the staff and the deterioration of services for students.
Figures based upon a study prepared for the Staff Compensation Task Force last November showed the gap between salary levels has increased from 13.46% in 1978 to 22.65% in 1979.
The study said the gap increased because public sector employers gave their employees large salary increases in 1979 to make up for the absence of large increases in 1978.
Barbara MacEachem, a member of the Staff Caucus, told the President's Advisory Council in January that the turnover rate is rising. The quality of services students pay for has eroded as a result, she said.
John H. Schneider, director of personnel, confirmed that the turnover rate in 1979 was much higher than in 1978. He estimated that the average turnover rate this year is 5% to 10% higher than last year.
Students are affected by poor service particularly when they run errands such as paying fee bills and making sure their financial aid legalities are met, MacEachem said.
Turnover is a particularly bad problem in Student Administrative Services and Financial Services, she said. Services performed by the payroll office and requisition accounting has also suffered.
(Continued on page 11)
TO AID 6.000 FMJNG STUDENTS
Probation area lacks personnel
By Max Castiel
One out of every five undergraduates enrolled at the university is on academic probation. Another 3,000 undergraduates yearly are on academic warning and 800 students are eligible for disqualification.
But only two full-time counselors and one part-time counselor in the probation office of Student Administrative Services are assigned to handle the nearly 6,000 failing students.
"We are swamped with interviews," said Steve Hirsch, a probation officer.
As a result, the university has not done all it can to decrease the number of students on probation or on the verge of being disqualified from the university, Hirsch said.
Students on warning and probation remain eligible for scholarships as well as for renewal of
Investigation
university scholarships. But they cannot apply as new applicants for university scholarships since that requires a 3.0 grade-point average.
A student is "on warning" if he fails to maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) for one semester, as long as his overall GPA remains above 2.0.
Probation occurs if a student's overall GPA falls below 2.0, and disqualification follows if his overall GPA is 13 points or more below 2.0 at the end of an academic year.
Disqualification means a student cannot reregister at the university and will probably not be able to register at any state university in California.
Of the 800 students eligible to be disqualified every year, over 500 leave the university.
The remaining students work on bettering their grades, Hirsch said.
The highest number of those on probation are
students in the Schools of Continuing Education, Engineering, Business, Letters, Arts and Sciences, and undeclared majors, respectively.
Reasons for higher probation rates in these schools are not clear but probation office studies have suggested that students who live in fraternities or sororities are least likely to be on probation. Next come those living alone, then those in dorms, and then those living with families other than their own. Students living with parents were found most likely to be doing badly in school.
Student athletes, who comprised a large portion of those on probation until 1973, now have a probation program monitored and funded by their own department. Since then,
Hirsch said the number of probationary athletes has drastically decreased.
He said he has not had to disqualify a single athlete this year.
Statistics on the number of athletes on proba- i tion, however, are not available since they are considered confidential according to sources.
The Learning Skills Development Center, which provides remedial programs for any student seeking help in academics, offers athletes the same services it offers all other students, said Robert Arias, director of the center.
"We take a personalized interest in everyone and we discourage hand holding," he said.
Football players are in a separate program because, according to Jack Larsen, faculty athletic representative, "then, 's so many of them and their seasons start earlier (mid-August) than other sport season."
Arias said there is no specialized attention given to football players or any other student.
"Many people believe these students are dummies, but they're no different than anyone else. They just happen to come across situational problems," Hirsch said.
(Continued on page 11)
Staff photo by Steve Hyman
BUNNY HOP — Playboy’s April playmate Liz Gla-zowski dances to the sounds of the Cretones.
Director suspends 4 Copy Center workers
By Carey Jue
Staff Writer
Four student employees of the Copy Center were suspended last Wednesday due to an investigation into alleged thefts and losses to the center. The investigation was initiated by the Graphic Services department.
Out of the seven student employees under investigation, only three of these students are still employed by the center.
Gordon Kemble, administrator of Graphic Services, said out of the three employees who were not suspended, two of them are new employees. The center did not have sufficient information to warrant a suspension of the other student.
Only two of the suspended employees have worked five to six days during the investigative period.
"I can't give any more information until the investigation is over," Kemble said. The investigation of the center should be completed shortly.
The investigation stems from charges that the center had been losing $500 a month due to student employees giving away free copy services and taking cash from registers.
Sources within Financial Services blamed the losses on poor money management and lack of security measures by the center.
When Kemble learned of the allegations, he immediately ordered an investigation of the center reviewing security measures and checking into possible thefts by student employees.
Kemble said he had not noticed any unusual losses incurred before the investigation.
The overall operations of the center are doing well, he said. The center is financially in the black.
Don LaPlante, manager of the center, said he did not have any problems with the cash register receipts and was not aware that student employees were giving away free copies.