Daily f® Trojan
University of Southern California
Vol. LXVI, No. 104
Los Angeles, California
Wednesday, April 3, 1974
Timelimit postpones governance discussion
MAKING A POINT—George Bolanos, a member of the Student Caucus, participates in discussion at Tuesday's meeting of the caucus. Reports were made on USC's participation in the California Student Lobby and tax-deductable tuition. DT photo by Bob Chavez.
BY JON ALLEN
Staff Writer
The continuation of discussion on two constitutional alternatives of student government was postponed until today by the Student Caucus Monday because of time limits.
The two alternatives are the Voluntary Student Association (VSA) constitution, backed by Stu Mollrich, a senior in political science, and the USC Student Association (USCSA) constitution. authored by George Bolanos, a member of the caucus.
The USCSA constitution proposes mandatory fees and was prepared under the auspices of the caucus to present an alternative to the VSA constitution.
Of the USCSA constitution, Peter Scolney, caucus chairman, said, “It’s being prepared by us, but that is not to say that it is endorsed by us as a group.”
Scolney explained that there
FUNDS SHORT, SAY DEANS
Merit raise may cause problems
BY QUENTIN SCHAFFER
Funds for a proposed 1 7c pay increase for faculty members based on merit may be difficult to raise, Letters, Arts and Sciences deans and department heads said Tuesday.
“How can a department do it?” James H. McBath, chairman of the Department of Speech Communications, asked “The only department budget item available is for supplies, which are seriously underfunded today. If the supplies budget were divided among the deserving faculty, we would go without paper and typewriters next year.”
Grant Beglarian. dean of the School of Performing Arts, said, “We will have to use transfer funds for things that are already underfunded.
“The faculty should be compensated properly but not at the expense of bread and butter items,” he said.
“Why not do nothing?” Richard Stone, chairman of the Department of Geological Sciences, asked.
“A 17c increase is peanuts. For a man who makes $12,000 a year this will only amount to $120. This amount won’t change anyone’s lifestyle,” he said.
“We will be able to make the funds out of our meager resources; 17c is not a huge magnitude,” said Donald J. Lewis, dean of the Division of Social Sciences.
“Department heads are not asked specifically to raise this money. Faculty merit increases are higher priority thisyearthan other programs would have been.” he said.
William G. Wagner, dean ofthe Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, said that the increase can be met without having to go to department heads.
“Normally each year we have to reassign priorities on funding. We’ll make sure a certain amount is set aside for the increase,” he said.
“Normal retirement helps free funds for reallocation,” he added.
Recently a salary increase of 57c for 1974-75 was announced (Daily Trojan. March 26). This general increase, made possible through an appropriation of $2.2 million by the administration and Board of Trustees, differed from the university’s past policy of giving salary increases primarily on the basis of merit.
The 17c merit increase is in addition to this 57r across-the-board increase.
“The across-the-board increase is a one-year deviation,” said Zohrab A. Kaprielian. vice-president for academic administration and research. He explained that the reason forthe across-the-board increase, aside from inflation, was to give raises to faculty members who had not gotten raises for years.
“There’s a limit to how unhappy you want the faculty around you to be.” he said.
“Of the schools that I have heard from, over 507 have said that they could meet this (17c) in-
crease. Two big schools have already met it.”
A presentation of the merit versus the across-the-board issue was given last week. Kaprielian said that only about 257c of the faculty showed up. At these meetings the fiscal report was made and questions were answered.
“So far no school has complained about not being able to meet this increase,” he said. “This increase cannot be met under the existing activities.” Departments are going to have to cut down on supplies and other expenses in order to meet this increase, he said.
“The 17c merit increase has other priorities,” Kaprielian said. “One of its major functions is to be used for affirmative action purposes such as for women.”
“It’s possible that some of the women are paid below average. This increase is not automatically going to bring groups up to a certain level, just those that deserve higher salaries,” Lewis said.
Lack of rope ties up plans for tug-of-war
The tug-of-war scheduled as a featured event at the International Festival Tuesday did not take place because no rope was available for the activity, a spokeswoman at the Office for International Students said.
However, plenty of rope was available to cordon off an area at University Avenue and Childs Way for the event.
A large number of spectators sat around the area at noon in anticipation of the competition. The general 'vreaction from the group was.
“What happened?”
The International Festival will continue tdaoy with musical entertainment at noon on the Student Activities Center patio and on the steps of the Administration Building.
A Japanese tea ceremony will also take place at noon in Alumni Park and will be open for participation from the audience.
“The Year 2000 Olympic Relay Races” will begin Thursday’s activities. The marathon race around the campus is scheduled for noon beginning in front of Tommy Trojan.
Climaxing the events will be a variety program Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Hancock Auditorium. Music from around the world will be featured.
were two distinct feelings among students—that there should be mandatory programming fees and that there should be voluntary programming fees.
He said that the caucus wanted both sides to be presented in a student body election.
The caucus will also discuss arrangements for a constitutional election at its meeting today.
There will be a change in the membership ofthe caucus in two weeks because of elections and any action not taken by then will make it impossible to have an election before the end of the semester.
Most of the members of the present caucus feel that they must make provisions for a new student government now instead of letting it go until the next academic year.
The caucus also discussed participation by USC in the proposed Student Lobby, an organization that would employ students to lobby for student loans and scholarships in Sacramento.
Connie Seinfeld, a member of the caucus who attended a conference of private colleges at which the subject was discussed, told the caucus that USC has had a student lobby for three years.
A resolution to endorse in principle the establishment of such a body as the Student Lobby was passed by the caucus.
There was a short discussion
on tax-deductible tuiticn but Seinfeld, who also made the report to the caucus on this subject. recommended that no action be taken.
The subject of tuition remission to the offspring of university employees was discussed by Bolanos. He said that undergraduates who are so eligible are allowed to take a maximum of 128 units with tuition remission. and that if the student has a bachelor’s degree or is over 25 years of age. the student cannot have his tuition remitted.
Bolanos proposed a system whereby some graduate students would be allowed to take advantage of tuition remission. He advised the caucus that it should discuss the matter with the Human Resources Board, and the caucus resolved to do so.
The question of the availability of an office for the Student Caucus was brought up at the Tuesday meeting. At present, the caucus uses the office of Martin Levine, chairman of the President’s Advisory Council.
The new office of the Student Caucus will be upstairs in Town and Gown, as Levine’s office is. The most prominent plan consists of installing the caucus in a Xerox room after the machine has been moved to the lobby of a men’s restroom.
Such a moving job. however, apparently costs $2,025. and the caucus cannot seem to find a source for such a sum.
Panel urges colleges to extend financial aid
DALLAS—Students and financial aid administrators should join to promote a common goal of making postsecondary education available to those who want it, a student panel recommended here Tuesday.
“We should cooperate because we have much in common. For example, when federal programs of categorical aid expire next year, students and aid officers should both urge Congress to extend them,” Peter Wong, Daily Trojan editor and a panel member, said.
“These programs—supplemental grants, direct loans, work-study— help to meet student needs in addition to such direct-aid programs as basic grants and insured loans.”
The panel was part of the 20th annual conference of the College Scholarship Service being held near here.
Under categorical-aid programs the federal government allocates funds to student panels, which in turn award money to educational institutions. College financial aid officers then determine who receives aid.
In direct-aid programs, money is given to the students directly.
“In this way. you can continue to receive some discretionary funds to meet the needs of independent students,” Wong said.
He also suggested that campus aid administrators establish student advisory boards, which would determine priorities as to
what students, in very broadly defined categories, would get aid.
“No aid officers should continue to make specific case-by-case judgments. They should work under general policies established with the cooperation of students,” he said.
Kathy Brouder, of the National Student Association, also suggested ways in which students and aid administrators could cooperate.
She urged that students be placed on the governing boards of the College Entrance Examination Board, College Scholarship Service, and similar organizations so that they can advise the board on policy and procedural matters.
She also proposed that students serve on committees to plan how aid programs are to be administered, to hire and train aid administrators responsive to student needs, and to work with federal and state student-assistance task forces.
Janet Maciejewski, of the University of Wisconsin, urged changes in several federal programs so as to make them more flexible for students and aid administrators.
She proposed more money for the College Work-Study program and veterans educational benefits. and changes in the Basic Opportunities Grants program.
She also suggested an overhaul of federal loan programs.
(Continued on page 3)