Birren, DeBross had closer ties
Alleged misuse of federal money; PAC-10 investigates
By Richard Bonin
Associate Investigations Editor
Accounts from two former debaters indicate that Jeff Birren and John DeBross, on one occasion, tried to defraud the federal government and, on another, actually misused a federal scholarship program for students on the debate squad.
Meanwhile, the Pacific-10 Conference, governing body of Western universities' athletic programs, is investigating the university's football team for violations of conference rules. Mike Slive, Pac-10 assistant executive director, would not comment about the nature of the ruling body's investigation. "It's our standard policy not to comment on something we are investigating/' Slive said.
Birren and DeBross lost their respective jobs of academic adviser to the football team and debate team coach for their combined effort to grant 34 football players unearned academic credit.
Sophie Lee Betchlev, who debated for the university during the 1978-79 academic year, said DeBross had promised her a full tuition scholarship when he recruited her in 1978. At the time, Betchley was a freshman at the University of Texas in San Antonio.
Betchley said she received a "grant in the 1978 fall semester to cover the university's tuition rate of more than $2,100. But for the next semester she said she received a modified financial aid package that substituted part of the grant for a College Work Study Program allotment.
The federal government created the program to promote part-time employment of students, particularly those who need additional income to defray the cost of college.
Under the work study program, an employer only has to pay 20% of a student's wage. The federal government subsidizes the other 809!. An employer, for instance, who hires a student with a work study award ol $1,000 is required to pay $200, or 20% of the total award. The government pays the remaining $800.
Betchley said she received a work study award of $730, which meant the federal government would pay $584. Betchley, however, said she could not find a job, and told DeBross of her predicament.
"DeBross told me to go to the athletic department to see a man who is in charge of the athletes' financial aid," Betchley said. She added that the person's name at the athletic department ‘was "Birren."	(Continued on page 8)
Southern news editor fired, found guilty of violations
Staff photo by Michael Yada
GRAY POWER — A group of demonstrators called the Gray Panthers gathered in front of Tommy Trojan Friday protesting issues, such as draft registration, defense spending, and war. See story on page 2.
Volume LXXXVIII, Number 29 University of Southern California	Monday March 17, 1980
University in running for right to house 1984 Olympic swimming, diving pools
By Paul Escobar
Staff Writer Joe Dillon, the controversial editor of the Mississippi State University Rcflector, lost his job in an impeachment hearing last Wednesday night when the student senate determined him guilty of violating its constitution.
The senate charged Dillon with reporting inaccurately and unobjectively, not maintaining his student eligibility and allocating himself unearned income.
Dillon had been conducting an investigation of National Collegiate Athletic Association
(Continued on page 5)
By Roger Gray
Staff Writer
The university is delicately trying to "ace out" Los Angeles Southwest College and gain support for the idea of holding the 1984 Olympic swimming and diving competition on campus, a university’ official said Friday.
He said the university would like to see Olympic swimming and diving events held in the proposed University Center.
The center was planned six years ago to update inadequate student recreation facilities, but it could easily be used for the Olympics, the official said.
Plans for the center will continue, whether or not it is used for Olympic competition.
New report rates academics low
Author feels university emphasizes athletics
By Holly Houston
Staff Writer
The university's academic undergraduate programs are rated low across the nation because of an overemphasis on athletics, according to The Gourman Report, a survey conducted by a political science professor at Cal State Northridge.
"SC spends a lot of money on athletics, instead of building up their academic level," said Jack Gourman, author of the report.
He conducts a survey on undergraduate and graduate departments in American and international universities. His report examines the entire academic complex of major departments in each university. His first report came out in 1967-68. "It takes several years to tabulate the data. Now that we have a beginning we update the academic standings for each report," Gourman said.
"If SC would put the money it has to bum into the academic field, their ratings would be a lot higher. Students should be aware how much money is being allocated to faculty research, better libraries and sports."
Gourman feels the university is not matching the money it spends on sports with the money needed to supply better education for the students.
"Private universities get a lot of money through grants that could be used to aid the student, but that's not where it's going," Gourman said. "SC spends a lot of money on athletic recruiting to get the best athletes. The school is caught up in satisfying the alumni by leading in football, instead of academically."
The university's athletic department receives a lot of money from alumni and through its winning in sports, Gourman said, some of the money from the athletics
should be spent on better academic programs for the students.
"Athletics shouldn't be so far removed from the student. They are out of the mainstream and not a real part of the college."
The results of the latest Gourman report of 1980 standings show the university improving in their academic standards as compared to three years ago. But Gourman
'The school is caught up in satisfying the alumni by leading in football instead of academically.'
feels the improvement is slight for the amount of talent within the university.
"The school's name and reputation alone should draw a stronger faculty, and when it doesn't, you know something is wrong," Gourman said. "The whole public relations at SC is focused around athletics and the academics suffer. You can have both together, but once an imbalance is started it is hard to correct. The administration should reassess its emphasis to accommodate the academics, unless athletics are dictating to the administration.
If the athletic department is dictating to the administration, Gourman said, it determines the way the school is going academically. "No athlete should be admitted to the university if he can't handle the college work. Athletes are encouraged by their recruiters to get through school, but the only real challenge to them is
(Continued on page 7)
The university needs to convince the Los Angeles Olympic Committee that the privately-fund-ed university center would be more desirable than a publicly-funded swim stadium at L.A. Southwest College.
Currently, the Los Angeles Olympic Committee and Tom Bradley, mayor of Los Angeles, favor building a $30 million-plus swimming and diving complex at L.A. Southwest.
Because the university is involved in negotiations over seating renovations in the Coliseum, it must be careful not to antagonize Bradley or the Olympic committee over the swim stadium, the official said.
As a result the swim stadium has been put on hold.
L.A. Southwest College, located in a predomi-natly black area with poor athletic facilities, is seen as politically attractive for Bradley, according to a November Los Angeles Times article.
However, the Olympic committee has had some problems arranging federal funds and may need the private funding the university could provide.
Another advantage of holding the events at the university would be proximity to other Olympic events, the official said.
With gas shortages and the problem of transporting thousands of spectators across Los Angeles during rush hour, "it makes good sense to have things as close together as possible," he said.
"I think we've got as good a shot as anybody of getting the stadium," said Richard Perry, director of athletics.
L.A. Southwest College has already drawn up plans for its swim stadium, which calls for indoor and outdoor swimming and diving pools, a restaurant, auditorium, and amphitheater, along with exercise, warm-up and locker areas.
The university's proposed center will house two 25 by 50 meter swimming pools (one indoor and one outdoor), including a "deep well for high diving" according to a draft report.
Pool support facilities — including lockers, showers, dressing rooms and a sauna — were proposed in the draft. The center will also house squash courts, racquetball courts, handball courts, meeting rooms, music practice rooms, lounges and student office space.