Alleged break-in may violate privacy statute
By Bob Conti
Staff Writer
The alleged break-m at the School of International Relations by a professor and three students Friday night has raised questions about conflicts in the school, including possible violation of the Buckley Amendment.
Ihe students involved in the alleged break-in (Daily Trojan, March 14) said they were assisting a professor examining applicant files for research positions in the school .
The university's guidelines for the Buckley Amendment state that the files may be available to those who need the information “for the normal performance of their assigned duties," said John Marburger, dean of The College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
Other cases, in which the files need to be examined, must show "legitimate educational interest " and must receive special approval, the statement said.
Although the professor did not receive
the approval regarding their "legitimate educational interest," Marburger said Friday's incident does not support charges of illegality.
Although currently nocharges are being brought against any of the participants, action could be sought later, said James Appleton, vice-president of student affairs. Appleton stressed there was no indication yet whether charges would be brought up. The students involved in Friday's incident called the events described in the Daily Trojan (March 14) inaccurate. However, they refused to comment on their position and did not go on record saying what transpired that night.
A source who wished to remain anonymous said the professor had per-
mission to view the applicant files. Another person knew the group was viewing the files and called Hammond Rolph, assistant director of the School of International Relations.
Rolph then called Campus Security according to Campus Security's dispatcher log for Friday. Carl Levredge, director of Campus Security and Parking Operations, confirmed Rolph s call.
The source said the officers broke the school's door and entered with their guns drawn. However, other sources are not willing to agree on that fact.
The officers were called on a possible vandalism case, but when the officers arrived, thev found the people working in
the office. Levredge said. No evidence of any vandalism existed, Levredge said.
Campus Security received a second call from Rolph, asking the officers to check the people's identification and escort them out of the offices.
One of the persons in the office said the officers checked them for any property, such as files, before they left.
The International Relations Undergraduate Assn. discussed allegations brought against various student and faculty members in the school.
The association's proposal said there was rampant "accusations, bickering, character assassination and pettiness. . . " Committee members hoped to solve these problems, but one source said the problems still existed.
At the meeting, association members discussed two graduate students who were accused of breaking and entering into the office and their possible expulsion
THE UNKNOWN COMIC
Unknown Comic has audience ‘in the bag’
By Teresa Watanabe
Staff Writer
A girl once told me she was a magician. I didn't believe her until she put her head on my leg and I turned into a motel."
Risque quips typified the dynamic show of Murray Langston, better known as the Unknown Comic, as he joked, sang and danced before a capacity audience at Hancock Auditorium Wednesday.
Wearing a brown paper bag, his trademark, over his head, Langston delivered blunt one-liners that sent the audience into gales of laughter.
"Constipation means never having to give a shit," Langston quipped.
Moving energetically from act to act, the Unknown Comic also combined	ven-
tnloquism, impressions and magic into the hour-long show.
The crowd delighted in the good-natured fun aimed at the police, people in the audience and even his own band
—	a drummer and pianist sporting bright yellow	shirts
emblazoned with "The Brown Baggies."
"Someone stole the toilet at the L.A. police station,” Langston quipped. "The police have nothing to go on."
Midway through the show, Langston ripped the sack off of his head, revealing the moustached comedian's face But the audience appeared to love him no less without the mask.
Langston's jokes dealt heavily with sex and drugs ("I tried snorting coke once but the carbonation wrecked my sinuses. ')
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MURRAY LANGSTON
trojan
Volume LXXVI, Number 24	University of Southern California	Thursday, March 15, 1979
Computer programs, clerical errors cause mistakes in grade cards
By Brandon Bailey
Staff Writer
You mav have dropped a class last semester and found an extra F on your grade report this month. Don't feel alone.
An estimated 150 students have brought this problem to the registrar's office for correction, "judging from the rate in the last .hree or four davs," said an anonymous source.
John Osborne, acting registrar, said these incidents could be attributed to clerical errors or student failure to carry out the drop-and-add procedure completely. He also said it was possible that faulty computer programming caused some of the mistakes.
Osborne and Fred Dear, acting associate registrar, said the new on-line computer registration system should alleviate this problem when it replaces the present
system in spring 1980.
A regular number of these mistakes have occurred every semester for the last 12 years, as long as the present system of class registration has been in use.
"These are problems we've sort of learned to live with VVe correct them internally and of course it leads to some frustration for students — but at least we have the internal system of correcting mistakes," Dear said.
The internal correction procedure usually requires authorization from the professor of the class in question.
One office employee said the computer fails to recognize several dropped classes every semester.
With the new system, Dear said, the computer will know that a class is dropped because the information will be typed into
the computer when the student drops the class.
Dear and Osborne said one source of errors under the current system has been that classes dropped and added are recorded manually and then entered into a computer all at once.
Sources indicated that while the mistakes in grade reporting
have been occurring for 12 years, an alternative system to solve the
problems was not implemented earlier because of the prohibitive cost of an on-line computer system.
Osborne commented that the university had assigned a lower
priority to solving problems with the registration and grade-
reporting system because it was felt that the admissions and financial aid systems needed attention first.
DRAFT REVIEWED
Proposed center needs funds
By Sean Dunnahoo
Staff Writer
The Student Senate will seek funding for a proposed university center that would provide space for athletic events, recreation and meetings.
The plans for the center have been in existence since August 1978, when a draft for the center was drawn up by the student affairs division and the Department of Athletics.
Although the work toward starting the building of the center has been slow some progress has been made since the draft was first drawn up, said James Appleton, vice-president of student affairs
Architectural services is reviewing the draft to decide which portions are most important and could be designed first.
The job is so large, involving several million dollars, and will take so much time to build it is possible that the entire plan may not be instituted, Appleton said.
"The entire job will be broken down into increments and after architectural services completes their analysis of the plan, we will be able to see which increments should be done first," he said.
Under the draft, the center would utilize old facilities as well as new ones to adequately serve the needs of students.
The draft calls for better utilization of existing facilities and paramount use of all available space.
New facilities must have an international emphasis that would integrate international and American students in programs related to the facilities.
The lounging and cultural facilities of the proposed center include lounges, meeting rooms, a cot room, recreation room, music practice rooms, an international students's office and managerial offices.
Two physical recreation spaces would be allotted. One would include an indoor and outdoor pool and a sauna. Plans for the second physical recreation area calls for ft gymnasiums, 10 racquetball courts, 2 handball courts, a locker, shower and laundrv area and recreation offices, occupying a total 92.450 square feet.
The senate will begin to step up efforts to build a fund for the center and will begin by trying to get alumni support.
"By drawing up the draft for the center, the cart has been put in front of the horse, so to speak. The plans are laid, but there's no money to put them to use. It's like we re all dressed up with nowhere to go," said Jeff Gates, chairman of the student affairs committee of the Student Senate.
There is no space allotted in Toward Century II funds and so far, no section of campus has been earmarked for space for the center, he said.
"We've realized how poor the recreation and meeting facilities at the university are, but we haven't been able to act," Gates said.
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