BOB STAAKE
DT cartoonist pens commentary with flair
By Robin Oto
Assistant Citv Editor
“When thev tell vou you're an asshole you're doing the right thing," said Bob Staake, contributing political cartoonist for the Daily Trojan.
Staake and professional political cartoonists familiar with his work think he will be famous somedav soon.
Paul Conrad, political cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times, thinks Staake will win a Pulitzer Prize for his cartooning.
Staake agrees.
“I'm going to do it. Ifl weren't to win it I'd think there's something wrong," he said.
Staake 2k began cartooning in high school.
His work has been published in trade magazines and university publications and he has been interv iewed bv magazines including People, Sevetiteeii and Los Angeles. He has also been contacted bv major television networks, local stations and public broadcasting stations.
Staake's cartoons have also appeared locally in the Daily Breeze, San Pedro News Pilot and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner.
Staake will enter the university this spring as a freshman.
“The main source of my education for the past two years has been reading, human reactions and studying people. I try to get that into my cartoons — gut feelings," he said.
Staake said he decided not to attend college after he was offered several lucrative contracts with various syndications and newspapers.
“I needed a rest, I was very indecisive. I'd love to have X number of thousands of dollars but I'm not really motivated by money.
“I figure if I get contract offers now. I'll get them in two vears or so," he said.
United Features Syndicate, the Los Angeles Times, The Register and Tribune Syndicate and King Features have offered him contracts but Staake plans to join United Features of New York in the future.
Conrad, Staake's childhood idol, has been his friend and mentor since the two met at a high school journalism contest.
Conrad said he has been urging Staake to attend college. “I think he's got a tremendous future. He's got a marvelous concept on drawing but he's not broad enough to reason issues through, which is the essence of political cartooning.
"That’s where college comes in," he said.
Staake said he hopes to take Conrad's place somedav.
"That's fine. Anytime anyone can do a cartoon better than me, fine," Conrad said.
Staake began political cartooning at the age of 15 without any prior experience.
"I knew absolutely nothing. I had to learn by trial and error. But I found I did wield a certain amount of power.
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Potential gerontology donors concerned about Mideast center
Potential donors of substantial gifts to the Gerontology Center have expressed concern over the university's proposed Middle East Center and the surrounding controversy.
One potential grant totals over $5(X),(XX).
The three private nonprofit foundations, two in Northern California and one located in the Los Angeles area, may establish separate programs, said a spokesman for the Ethel Andrus Peres Gerontology Center who wished to remain anonymous.
The spokesman refused to identify the foundations.
“It happened in the first part of
November after a lot of information (about the Middle East Center) broke out in the media. Some (from the foundations) said things off the cuff but others had specific questions.
“We haven't, lost anything, we've just had people bring it (Middle East Center) up," the spokesman said.
"We have not received any statement from any prospective donor that they would not proceed further because of this (Middle East Center controversy)," said Warner Schaie, acting director of the Gerontology Center.
The spokesman said the foun-
dation boards meet quarterly to allocate funds and the proposed donations to the Gerontology Center will not be decided until the next meeting in March.
The spokesman said the administration was informed of the questions about the Middle East Center by potential Gerontology School donors in a meeting last month.
-it's a public relations thing and it can impact heavily on (general) fundraising," the spokesman said.
"We haven't seen significant problem in our Toward Century II fundraising," said Roger Olson, associate vice president of university affairs.
trojan
Volume LXXV, No. 49 University of Southern California Wednesday, December 6, 1978
Students Against Mideast Center files to obtain official recognition
By Susan Ritchie
Staff Writer
A student organization called Students Against the Mideast Center has filed for official recognition with the Office of Campus Life and Recreation.
The group was formed during the Middle East Center controversy several weeks ago. Its purpose is to present the student point of view to the administration and protect their own interests as students, said Curt Baker, group chairman.
Baker, a trustee scholar, said students are interested in protecting the academic integrity of the university and concerned that their diplomas be of the highest quality.
"We're not trying to be rabble-rousers. We just want to make sure things are done right," Baker said.
The original members of the group are students who live in Trojan Hall. They discussed the Mideast Center and the problems it could possibly create after Paul Conrad's cartoon appeared in the Los Angeles Times, depicting Tommy Trojan dressed in Middle Eastern garb, with the caption, “University of Saudi California" (Daily Trojan, Nov. 7). The group is responsible for dressing the real Tommy Trojan statue in similar attire.
The student organization has filed with the Office
of Campus Life and Recreation to become a recognized student group. They are now in the process of writing a constitution, a requirement for recognition.
The organization was active in circulating 71) petitions in the dorms and on the Row. The petition expressed concern with the planning and proposals of the center involving the university's academic integntv.
University officials knew of the petitions before they were circulated, and were willing to talk about the situation, Baker said
The petitions were never turned over to the administration because by the time the petitions could be collected, the President's Advisory Council committee was formed, outdating the petitions. Baker said.
The group's major concern now is that the university put the memo for understanding in the Mideast center contract and that Willard Beling, a professor of international relations, not be given the directorship of the school.
For now the organization is laving low and awaiting the council's recommendations.
"We re sitting here, waiting for something to happen. If it s good, we'll be quiet but it it s bad. we'll be there," Baker said.
STUDIES BLACKOUTS
Council requests safety guidelines
By Mary Bird
Staff Writer
The Residence Halls Coordinating Council requested that certain safety guidelines be adopted to protect dorm residents in the event of future blackouts. A power failure affected several residence halls on Friday.
Craig Settles, chairman of the council, met with David Lee, director of residence halls, Tuesday to work out guidelines for steps to be taken about the requests.
Although no decisions were made, Lee said, "I personally take it (the safety problems during blackouts) as a very high priority and will be investigating it."
A statement issued bv the council said there wasn't an emergency power system for fire alarms or lights in residence halls and there also weren't any emergency lights. The statement
also said the residence hall staff didn't know what precautions to take if a blackout occurred since they weren't trained to deal with the emergency. The staffs also are not equipped with flashlights, it said.
The council made a number of
*	requests to deal with blackouts and other emergencies. It requested the installation of an emergency backup system as a priority for auxiliary services.
Emergency lighting is presently being tested in the Birnkrant Residence Hall and the council wants it expanded to all. facilities.
The council also wants all head residents, resident advisers, dorm presidents, vice-presidents and floor presidents or safety marshalls to be issued flashlights and an initial supply of batteries.
The council recommended that a safety program dealing with blackouts, fires and earthquakes
be established to provide a comprehensive policy in case ot emergencies.
The last request was that ft Hid services develop plans to feed students if a food facility is unable to accommodate them.
The council wanted plans and answers to the requests in writing from auxiliary services. Settles said "It seems to me that iux-iliarv services underplays the necessity of it (safety measures for the dorms)."
Settles said many ideas for safety measures were discussed in the meeting with Lee. He said all resident advisers were given flashlights and Paul Copeland, director of food services, would be encouraged to develop a list of variable programs on how to deal with food problems.
Residence complex managers may be asked to develop safety programs enabling them to in-(amtinued on page 2)