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Volume LXXVII, Number 2 University of Southern California Tuesday, June, 19, 1979
Survey reveals decline in number of low income students
by Therese Wells
Editor
The proportion of freshmen from high income families entering the university has nearly doubled since 1975. while the percentage of lower income students has declined bv more than TIPc in the same time period, according to results of the annual Freshman Survey.
The survey, which is conducted yearly at the university by the Office of Institutional Studies, is conducted nationally under the joint auspices of the American Council on Education and the Cooperative Research Program at UCLA. Its purpose is to attempt to provide an overview of the characteristics of current freshmen as compared to incoming students of the past three years.
Uunng the Fall 1978 semester, a specially selected group of 437 of the approximately 2700 first-time domestic university freshmen participated in the survey-
As in previous years, the survey requested that students estimate their parents' combined total income. Based on these estimates, the proportion of higher income students (above $30,000) has continued to increase in 1978.
Higher income students now comprise 38% of the incoming population, compared to 19% four years ago. The proportion of students whose families earn upwards of $50,000 per s ear has jumped trom 8c/( in 1975 to 19% in
1978.	This is due in part to an increasing number of high-income non-California residents.
The percentage of lower income students (below $20,000) has decreased noticeably (22%) from 63% in 1975 1.1 41% last fall, reflecting the effects of inflation upon income and the difficulties of lower-income families in meeting continuing increases in college expenses.
Surprisingly, this has had no effect on students from middle income families, for that group has maintained a relatively stable influx over the same period.
Despite the decrease in lower income admissions, USC still continues to attract more students from lower income families than the national norm which also showed a decrease. Nationally. other private universities enroll a
higher percentage of both middle income and upper income students than does USC.
The survey also dealt with methods of financing a year's education at the university — specifically through parental assistance, grants, scholarships, loans, employment and other resources.
The most significant distinction is the higher proportion (60%) of grants and scholarships to lower income groups and the higher proportion (80%) of parental support from
Despite the decrease in lower income admissions, USC still continues to attract more students from lower income families than the national norm, which also showed a decrease.
families with high incomes. Students from middle income families showed a more balanced distribution of support from many income sources than the lower or upper income groups, which were dependent primarily on one type of contributing resource.
A greater proportion of financial responsibility is being assumed by the middle and upper middle income students themselves. Freshmen in these groups contribute about 23% from their own employment towards their education. This is compared to 11% contributed bv students from the $50,000 bracket and 17% by the lower income group.
Overall, contributions through loans and other sources such as Social Security an® veterans benefits offer minimal assistance in financing a university education, accounting for substantially less than 10% in each economic group.
Responses were further categorized by in-state and out-of-state residence status. As might be expected, grants and scholarships were sources of greater financial support for California students from lower income brackets.
Non-resident students do not have state support available to them and therefore grants and scholarships make up a minimum of their financial support. Lower income non-Califomia students contribute a much greater proportion of their college cost from their own funds as compared to Californians in the same economic group, approximately 30% to 12%.
The Basic Educational Opportunity Grant was received by about 24% of the freshman class. Eligibility for this grant is based on need and provides for a maximum of $1600 per year. However, 5% of those receiving BEOG grants were awarded less than $500.
Over one-third of the entering freshmen were awarded USC grants in varying amounts, most receiving between $500 and $1000. Only 17% of incoming students received any type of private grant.
Of the 1978 freshman class, 41% received California State Scholarships, as compared to 45% in 1977, 47% in 1976 and 51% in 1975. The increasing number of freshmen from out-of-state and from higher income families is reflected by the change in participation rates in the State Scholarship program.
Of those who were eligible for State Scholarships, 31% received the maximum $2700 towards tuition.
Neither the Federal Insured Student Loan or the Guaranteed Student Loan Program is viewed favorably as a method of financial assistance. Only 6^ of those surveyed indicated they would use the FISL or GSL as a means of financing a college career. In addition, only 2% are employing any type of university loan. However, the National Direct Student Loan provided financial aid to a little over 26% of those surveyed.
The proportion of students who expect to contribute to the cost of their college education at USC is similar to the national norm. A minority of first year students are employed part-time during the school year, but most work during the summer.
CATCH THAT MAN — When Trojan sprinter James Sanford hit the wire at Saturday s AAU track meet, he became the world s fastest man this year. Story on page 6.
Retiring social work dean reflects on 30 years of progress in school
by Joan Vincent
Staff Writer
Thirty years ago Maurice Hamovitch dean of the School of Social Work began his career at the university as a full-time lecturer under a one-year contract. He will resign from his position as dean effective July 1980, while remaining on the faculty.
Hamovitch decided to leave his position while teaching a social policy course this semester.
"I was thoroughly enjoying the class, and then it occurred to me — I could be doing it full time," he said.
During his three decades at the university, he has tried to clarify the public's picture of social workers. "A lot of people think social workers are people who dispense welfare checks," Hamovitch said. "Most of that work is done by untrained persons. Social work has branched out."
Social workers now staff hospitals and mental health facilities, help in adoption proceedings, handle child-abuse and delinquency cases, counsel families and marriage partners and aid in community organization.
A social worker must obtain a master's degree from one of 85 accredited programs in the United States, complete two years of practical experience, and pass written and oral examinations
given bv the state in order to qualify' for the state license.
"There has been increased recognition that social work, as a profession, can provide services not just to poor people but to people in all income brackets,” Hamovitch said.
Hamovitch said he thinks industrial sociui work might be the next subsperialtv.
"Some of the European cities have had programs in industrial work for some time," he said. Industrial social workers in the United States could work effectively with industry management and with union officials, helping mainly in the areas of employee and interpersonal relations.
I
Maurice Hamovitch
Social workers could also help organize employee aid programs, such as the establishment of company day-care centers.
"I've talked to people in the industry' about industrial social work, and they get very excited," Hamovitch said.
"I think there will be a resurgence of social work in the health areas, including hospitals, health maintenance organizations and the new health service agencies. I think there may also be more social workers involved in community planning and in policy-making at all levels in the future," Hamovitch said.
The curriculum of USC's School of Social Work has changed greatly over the years in order to reflect developments in the field of social work and to keep abreast of new directions.
In 1965, USC had the first school of social work in the country to develop an integrated curriculum. Before, training for social workers was very specialized. If a social worker wanted to be a caseworker, for example, he would take only classes that stressed working on the kind of one-to-one basis a caseworker normally encounters.
Hamovitch and other faculty members soon realized that the specialization was too great, and he set out to design a more general curriculum.
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