Housing costs to rise despite rent control laws
By Randy Oliver
L-Jespite the recent passage of rent control legislation, rent for university-owned fadlities is still expected to increase six to nine per cent in the fall.
Randy Olwer, a Daily Trojan staff writer, is a junior in public relations.
“Rents will go up in general, although nonuniversity apartments w’ill be affected by rent control restrictions," said Susan Brown, assistant director of commuter affairs for the Office of Residential Life. "It will probably take six months to determine how university-owned apartments are affected."
Brown said the rent control restrictions probably would not apply to the university.
"Educational housing is not affected quite the way private housing is," she said. "At least that is what the courts seem to have said."
Brow'n said room and board rates as a combined package will be within the federal wage and price guidelines.
"In the initial rent control ordinance we did not address students/' said Robert Farrell, councilman of the 8th district. "The ordinance was addressed to senior citizens, low' income families and individuals whose apartments were converted to condominiums, who did not collect the benefits of Proposition 13."
Jacqueline Hickman, an assistant to Farrell, said
students were not considered in the ordinance because no students provided any feedback about their housing problems.
//T1
JL he ordinance essentially covers all rental
units in the city of Los Angeles," Hickman said. "Increases in rents are not allowable unless there has been major rehabilitation or the residents moved out voluntarily."
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University of Southern California
Volume LXXVI, Number 49
Monday, April 30. 1979
unqualified admissions
By Bob Conti and Sean Dunnahoo
President John R. Hubbard released a statement Friday saying that the president has the power to admit unqualified students if he feels that it is in the university's or student's best interests.
The announcement was made in response to claims by minority groups that the university discriminated against minorities in the admissions process.
The Associated Black Students of Southern California and MEChA both alleged at a press conference Thursday that the university had admitted white students who were not well qualified for admission over minority students.
In the statement, Hubbard said that students are admitted on the basis of past academic performance, Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and estimated potential for success in coliege, without regard to race, religion or national ongm.
Hubbard also said that from time to time, he has the power, with the full support of the Board of Trustees, to act on admissions decisions when he feels that the student's admission would be in the best interests of the university and the student.
Hubbard said that this form of special admissions is in keeping with practices at other universities but the number of students admitted to USC under such
provisions in any given year is less than 1 10 of 1 % of the total
Several university officials admitted that the university makes special considerations for children of wealthy alumni or people who make, what some describe as "considerable" contributions to the university.
Randall Craig, the spokesman for the associated black students, had no comment after Hubbard's statement.
Mercy Marquez, chairman of MEChA, could not be reached for comment.
Both groups had called for the dismissal of jay V. Berger, director of admissions, James L. Jones, executive director of Student Administrative Services, and Thomas P. Nickel, Jr., vice-president of University Affairs, because the groups said they have documented evidence of the administrators' involvements in . . immoral and quite possibly illegal practices."
Berger said he has no intention to resign and has received no pressure from the university officials.
He also said he has never been confronted by' the groups demanding he be removed. "I've only heard about complaints through public forums," he said.
Jones made a comment on the affairs after Hubbard released his statement.
Jones said that he was asked to
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DT photo by Doug Hoover
NEARING COMPLETION — The track stadium finally begins to take shape after months of intermittent rainfall slowed progress. The painting of lines on the track will mark near completion of the project
Questions raised regarding track’s construction, contract specifications
By Carole Long
Assistant City Editor
While continuous outbursts of rain made progress in the construction of a new track facility almost impossible during the fall, another storm was brewing behind the scenes that involved the companies working on the project
The plans and design for the stadium were drawn up by Parkin Architects, Engineers, and Planners in Los Angeles.
Moulder Bros, was hired as a general contractor. In turn, they then subcontracted out to Advanced Coating. Inc. to do the track surfacing. The only job that remained to be sub-contracted was the iine-marking . .and troubles arose over the selection of a company to do this task.
Line-marking involves measuring and computing
where the lines for the lanes go, marking off the starts and the finishes and, finally, painting the lines.
There are a number of U.S. companies that paint the lines for not only parking lots and tennis courts but also for track line marking. Only one company is devoted exclusively to track architecture, design and engineering — Wilkins International, Ltd.
Wilkins, under the leadership of Vernon Wilkins, founder and president, has done more than 600 track projects in the past 22 years.
During the search for a company to do the university's line marking, Wilkins International was considered. Wilkins, however, was not selected and during the months prior to and after the selection, the president of Wilkins wrote numerous letters
to Moulder Bros., Advanced Coating, Parkin architects and university officials. In the letters Wilkins listed his overwhelming qualifications and expressed his concern that unless his company was chosen for the job, a less than superior product would result.
"The choice of the people and firm that is going to be selected to complete the official track markings and measurements is not easy. . Wilkins said in a letter to Larry Tyler, project manager at Moulder Bros
"Most often in these situations, price alone is the equalizer (between bidders), not qualifications, not experience and not knowledge.. .Based on qualifications instead of low price or low bid, no one else can even come close to us. . .
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CARDINAL GARDENS
TROY HALL