YOUTH S BODY DUMPED NEARBY
Murder linked to Helena fight
Homicide detectives have established a definite link between the stabbing death of a 15-year-old youth whose body was found Sunday morning behind Century Apartments and an alleged fight which occurred several blocks away near the Helena Apartments early Saturday morning.
Sgt. Robert Ramos, an officer from the Los Angeles Police Department's southwest division, said the youth was probably killed behind the Helena complex and the body later dumped behind Century Apartments. He said the dead youth was a gang member and the stabbing was gang related.
Residents of Helena Apartments reported hearing loud
screams near their complex early Saturday morning. A University Security officer who investigated found only blood stains and took no further action, said Steve Ward, chief of University Security.
A neighborhood man discovered the youth's body in the alley behind 1214 W. 30th St. around 7:15 a.m. Sunday.
Ramos said police are in the process of obtaining arrest warrants for several individuals.
He said police are working with the rival gangs involved to help apprehend the suspects and avoid further violence.
“We don't expect retaliation between the gangs." said Sgt. Rudy Ticer of the LAPD
“Especially after we arrest those individuals involved. Some gang members are looking for them as hard as we are," Ticer said.
Security to respond to residents’ needs
By Aida Bustos
Staff Writer
Residents of Helena Apartments said fear of becoming victims of crime is more often on their minds than studying. They said the murder which police are currently investigating as having occurred within a few feet of the complex confirms their belief that residents (Continued on page 11)
Prof teaches etymology to high school students
By Gina Becchetti and James Grant
Student’s lifeguard duty causes broken neck, hindered lifestyle
By Brandon Bailey
Assistant City Editor
Rick Bender broke his neck to save a kid's life.
He says he doesn't mind telling the story. It happened 3 p.m. last Aug. 28 at Capitola beach near Santa Cruz.
Bender, a sophomore studying business and economics, worked as a lifeguard at the beach. There was a shallow lagoon where a river empties into the ocean near his lifeguard's chair. Mothers take their children to play in the water there, although the shallow water ends abruptly a few yards out from shore, he said.
“It was just a routine. I'd been running in and pulling kids out of there all summer," Bender said.
"It was a typical thing. I was sitting there talking to a girl when I saw the kid go under," he said. Bender ran into the water and dove into what he thought was the deep part. But he miscalculated and his head slammed into the sand.
“I thought I was going to black out, but I didn't. I couldn't move — I was paralyzed for about a minute. Then I finally got feeling back. There were pains shooting through my arms and head," Bender said.
There were other people on the beach — swimmers and sunbathers — but no one seemed to realize what was happening to Bender or the child m the water.
“The kid was about 20 feet off shore, thrashing around and going under. It was just a typical rescue and it turned out to be a freak."
Bender said he felt sick and dizzy as he sat in the water of the lagoon and he was frustrated that he couldn't go out to help the child.
“I was just sitting there, watching the kid drown. But no one else was doing anything. Everyone was watching it happen." Somehow Bender managed to swim back out to where the child was thrashing in the
water.
"I went out and put on what they call a cross-chest carry. It was really weird to feel so weak." When he got the child back to the beach, Bender could do nothing to help the child or himself.
"I didn't feel in shape to be filling out an accident report card. He (the child) was coughing up water but seemed to be OK. He went over and sat down with his mother."
Bender had to sit down as the other lifeguard came up to call emergency medical technicians on his radio. "I was real shaky.
I was going 'S—, man, I'm the lifeguard. It's not supposed to be happening to me.'"
Bender said the pain was like "when you hit the funny bone in your elbow, multiplied ten times.''
After a painful ride to the hospital (the car had manual transmission and the driver had never used it before) and an extended delay in the hospi-_(Continued on page 7)
JUST LIKE MAGIC — Viewers are being tricked by the illusionary artwork in pictures, such as this one. which appear so realistic. “The reality of Illusions ehibit is in the university s Fischer Gallery until Nov. 25. More than 80 artists have work on display there.
Bovard refurbishment to be finished next month
By David Romero
Staff Writer
The refurbishment of Bovard Auditorium, originally scheduled for completion by the beginning of September, will not be finished until the middle of November.
The major delay is because the contractor responsible for installing new seats in the auditorium has not yet completed work.
Although some university officials are unhappy about the delay, it is not likely that the university will take legal action against the contractor, said James Massey, director of facilities planning.
Massey said the delay was probably a result of saturation of the construction industry, which has caused some contractors to promise deadlines they are unable to meet.
No comment was available from the contractor installing the seats.
Most of the other renova-
tions, including carpentry and painting, were to have been completed earlier this week by another contractor.
As a result of the delay in seating installation, students in two classes that meet in the auditorium have had to sit in plastic folding chairs.
The two classes are introductory sections of biology and psychology, each with approximately 800 students enrolled.
Some of the students in the classes complained about taking tests while sitting in folding chairs and of echo problems stemming from a portable public address system used at the beginning of the semester.
But Massey said that the echo problems have decreased since the portable system was abandoned in favor of an public ad-dress system for the auditorium.
He also said the padding on the main floor seats should provide better acoustics for the building.
MOUTHFUL OF CULTURE — In an effort to reach out to the community. Jean D'Amato, an assistant professor of classics here at the university, teaches a class in etymology to students at Manual Arts High
School.
Seeing a need for increased university interaction with the community, Jean D'Amato, an assistant professor of classics, began teaching an etymology course at Manual Arts High School last year.
Since that time she feels the benefits of the program have clearly exceeded the costs. "I couldn't be more convinced that this course helps the students in whatever they do. It provides them with a cultured foundation they otherwise wouldn't have."
D'Amato's course at the high school is similar to the Greek and Latin Elements in English course she teaches at the university -Students le* n the Greek and Latin roots of EngLih woros and receive instruction in Greek and Latin culture and civilization. Approximately 25% of the course is history 30%Greek and 45% Latin. A brief history of the English, Greek and Latin languages and discussion of Greek and Latin grammar are included. The o urse is taught through the university's Joint Education Project (JEP).
D'Amato has strong feelings that a university should not isolate itself from its surrounding community.
"I really think the university's role is to encourage faculty to participate in JEP, although I realize lack of time is a constraint," she said.
D'Amato, who has an A.B. in classics and Italian from Tufts, an M.A. in Italian from Middlebury College, and a PhD in classics from Johns Hopkins University, believes that etymology should be taught at the high school level to strengthen basic grammar skills.
(Continued on page 10)
Volume LXXXVII. Number 23
trojan
University of Southern California Wednesday. October 17. 1979