Murder suspect arraigned
By John Antczak
Staff Writer
The prime suspect in the murder of a Doheny library employee and the rape of another university student was arraigned Thursday and may face the death penalty if convicted.
Citing the nature of the crime, Ronald S. Coen, deputy district attorney, said special circumstances make the death penalty a possibility for Steve Fields, the prime suspect.
These special circumstances include the deliberate and premeditated murder of Rosemary Cobb, a library employee, who was shot four times at close range and bludgeoned Sept. 28.
Fields, 22, and his sister Gail, 20, were arraigned before Judge Gabriel A. Guitterez who denied bail for both.
Fields was charged with one count of murder, 3 counts of kidnapping for the Oct. 5 abduction of an 18-year-old student, 2 counts of rape, 6 counts of robbery with the use of a gun and 3 counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm.
Gail Fields faces murder and robbery charges. Another brother, Lonnie, earlier reported as Larry, was not charged.
Coen said the Fieldses would be tried separately if the special circumstances were taken into consideration.
Coen said the evidence against the Fieldses was enough to bring them to trail and "as to Steve Fields, there is the possibility of the death penalty."
He said Gail Fields was an"active participant" in the murder and that at the most she faced life imprisonment.
Steve Fields stood passively as the charges were read and was temporarily given a public defender. Fields was released Sept. 13 from Soledad Prison, where he served two years for the manslaughter of a homosexual he beat to death.
He was acquitted of an earlier charge on the basis of self-defense in the death of another man.
Gail Fields' only previous arrest was for petty theft in 1977.
A preliminary hearing was set for Oct. 25.
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University of Southern California Volume LXXV, Number 19	Friday, October 13, 1978
Veteran security officer receives death threats
STEVE FIELDS
Campus Security received a series of telephoned death threats Wednesday including one telephone call that mentioned an officer by name.
The threatened officer, Lt. Douglas Van Pelt, said the caller mav have been one of the burg-glars he caught breaking into a car.
The man reportedly said, "If any of you (security officers) cross Vermont Avenue, you're dead."
Van Pelt said the burglars saw his name badge.
"If I'd answered the call, I would have told him to take a number and stand in line with all of the other people who've threatened to kill me in the last 10 years," Van Pelt said.
Capt. William Burke of Campus Security said he did not know what prompted the threats. The first of the four calls reportedly came from a person in
the community, Burke said.
Burke said the calls were "no big deal" because security receives threats from time to time.
"We will continue to do what we have to do," he said. "If we have to cross Vermont Avenue in the line of duty, we'll do so."
Campus Security patrols the Row, the parking areas near Menlo Avenue and Exposition Boulevard, the student apartments and areas adjacent to campus, including west of Vermont Avenue.
Van Pelt felt the threat was real because the caller mentioned his name.
"I run into a lot of outside residents on my rounds. They look at my badge and read my name," said Van Pelt, who has worked for Campus Security for 10 years.
Campus Security will not stop patrolling the area west of Ver-(continued on page 2)
Americans encounter difficult admission to European universities
By Mary Bird
Staff Writer
University students across the nation are encountering difficulties gaining admission to universities in Western' Europe.
One problem is that space for American students is declining as local enrollments increase due to easing restrictions and broadening access to the European university systems.
In addition, many countries in Western Europe feel students from wealthier countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the United States, take advantage of the relatively lower cost of their government-subsidized education. England is
the only country that charges foreign students modest tuition.
For example, the University of Rome has an enrollment of about 150,000 students, although they only have facilities for about 20,000 people. The reason is that tuition costs $200 a year, and the Italian government pays the rest, said Mariam Gouskin, a program specialist for the Institute of International Education in Los Angeles.
Student strikes over inadequate facilities prompted the Italian government to close its doors to foreign students a few years ago, although this decision has been reversed since then.
European universities attempt to regulate and decrease the number of foreign students in two ways. The first requires fluency in the language of the country where the student wants to study. This has become a major barrier since there is decreased language study in the United States, Gouskin said.
A student must also provide evidence of adequate funding before he will be admitted to a growing number of universities. However, this stipulation is true for all foreign students desiring to study in the United States.
Many universities in Western Europe now emphasize technical and scientific curricula rather than the traditional
cultural and historical courses. This change may discourage students who study abroad to learn about a country's particular culture and lifestyle.
For students interested in studying abroad, Gouskin recommends doing research on what studying abroad encompasses. Students should plan early so they can master the language of the country in which they want to study. In addition, they should understand the country's monetary system and the costs of schooling, and then plan an adequate budget.
The university offers 14 different overseas study programs all over the world, including Western Europe, through the Office of International Programs. Connie Horack, coordinator of the International Summer Session, said there are year-round, semester and summer programs in England, France, Spain, Japan and Peru. About 300 to 350 students participate in these programs each year.
The German department also sponsors its own programs through this office. They have one in Vienna and have fellowship programs funded by the Conrad Adenauer Foundation and the German Academic Exchange. Other programs in Austria and Switzerland will be offered soon.
(continued on page 2)
Student council questions alterations in policy board
By Gail Harris
Staff Writer
Changes affecting the Petitions and Policy Board have upset members of the Student Community Council.
Administrators divided the board into two separate groups, the Housing Policy Board and the Petitions Board and altered the ratio of students to staff.
Ron McElhaney, the president of the Student Community Council and one of the students appointed to sit on the policy board, said he had tw’o major grievances about the matter.
McElhaney said more students should be on the board because there are six administrators on it w’ho represent Auxiliary Services and the Office of Residential Life and only three students from three different organizations.
Originally the board said only two students, one from the Residence Halls Coordinating Council and one from the Student Community Council, would be involved.
After receiving several complaints, the board agreed to add an additional student from the Student Senate Housing Task Force to the group, McElhaney said.
Last year, four staff members and four students comprised the board, which was collectively still the Petitions and Policy Board.
In addition to this, McElhaney accused the group of having several meetings this summer without consulting students.
Jerry Stringer, director of residential life and chairman of the board, said no meetings were held during summer to his knowledge.
(continued on page 6)
BARE NECESSITIES—Students in a course taught class wearing only the bare essentials. The demonst-by Judith Stiehm, a professor of political science, ration was to protest the lack of air conditiong in Von found a way to beat the heat Thursday. They came to KleinSmid Center. DT photo by Denis Wolcott.