University, city agree on construction of new low-income housing for community
DARK SHADOWS — The columns and railings in Olin Hall of Engineering create a striking pattern of shapes in this corridor, laying an imaginary railroad for students to ride between classes. DT photo by Paul Rodriguez.
Students file petition to return tram service to residential area
A petition to have trim service returned to the Ellendale Place residential area has been filed by approximately 60 students who live on the street, located about three blocks from the university.
The petition, signed by the students last month, was first presented to the Office of Commuter Affairs, which forwarded the list of signatures along with a tram survey to Samuel Lee, supervisor of Transport and Utility Services.
“It was a student-generated petition and the reason for the concern was simply a matter of security for the students who are living there,” said Susan Brown, assistant director in charge of commuter affairs for the Office of Residential Life.
Brown said the tram survey was submitted with a commuter survey that dealt with the new tram schedule and route this year.
The survey was conducted during the first week of December.
“Our staff members, who were conducting the survey, were stationed at a table in front of Tommy Trojan. Another student who was concerned about getting the tram service reinstated inquired about the matter and was told he could start a petition.
“When we received the results of the survey we decided to put the petition and the survey together because we felt they both dealt with the same subject and it was forwarded to security, who in turn forwarded the package to the Physical Plant,” Brown said.
“The tram service had run on Ellendale Place because the university leased several apartment buildings there.
“The housing office pays for the tram service and, since there are currently no university-owned housing facilities there now, the service stopped,” Lee said.
Lee has been investigating the matter and a decision will be made after a series of meetings.
There are no funds now to keep the service going in that area, he said.
Lee doesn’t know how long it would take to come up with a decision, but there is a definite possibility the service will be reinstated within a week or two.
“Again the big problem is money and, if the service is continued, we don’t know where the funds will come from,” he said.
Lee said his office had been looking into the matter before the petition was filed.
Negotiations between the city and university officials have assured the construction of 300 new low-income housing units as students began moving into the university’s new housing units at Vermont Street and Jefferson Boulevard.
The university recently moved to purchase 102 of the 150 newly completed units of the Hoover Redevelopment Project, adjacent to Cardinal Gardens. These units were originally intended for low-income families and the elderly. Only 48 of the units will now be available for these persons.
The agreement was developed in response to the university’s need to provide additional housing for its students and the community’s need for additional subsidized housing.
The agreement attempts to aid the employment problems in the community. According to Los Angeles City Councilman Robert Farrell and Zohrab Kaprielian, executive vice president of the university, the agreement specifically provides for participation by black subcontractors and land developers with Watt Industries and the Chastain Companies, the managing partners.
The agreement also calls for a cooperative effort by the School of Business Administration and a minority enterprise investment corporation in the establishment of business ventures in south central Los Angeles.
The lack of student housing has had a serious impact on this year’s enrollment, Kaprielian said.
“This will help the university maintain an important income from tuition sources,” Kaprielian said in a news release. “This is an urgent and immediate need that affects the economic stability of the university. At the same time, USC is concerned about the pressing housing shortage in the community.”
Anthony Lazzaro, vice-president of business affairs, said the university approached Farrell with its housing needs but also expressed an awareness of the community’s problems.
“I think the agreement permits the achievement of the goals that Councilman Farrell has for this district and also meets an urgent need of the university,” Lazzaro said.
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Daily § Trojan
University of Southern California
Volume LXXIII, Number 3 Los Angeles, California	Thursday,	February 9, 1978
Campus Security’s jurisdiction policies being investigated for state law violations
Campus Security is being investigated for violation of state laws by the California Department of Consumer Affairs.
A complaint, filed Jan. 1 by the university’s Security Officers’ Assn., said Campus Security may be exceeding its jurisdiction as a security force and many of its policies may constitute illegal acts.
The university could face the suspending or revoking or its license if the allegations are found to be true. Spokesmen for the officers said filing of the complaint was a last resort after the administration of Campus Security was unresponsive to the officers’ complaints.
“We attempted through verbal and written communications to get the university to realize the problem and to put forward a written set of rules and guidelines so that our officers would not be placed in legal jeopardy,” Charles Robb, president of the officers’ association said.
Robb said the officers are concerned that, as agents of illegal policies, they would personally be liable to criminal proceedings. “We did not want to force this incident to the extreme, but the iniversity has left us no alternative. Our members have always advocated working with the university rather than against it,” Robb said.
Carl Levredge, director of Campus Security and Parking Operations, had no prior knowledge of the investigation. “We had heard a rumor to that effect but nothing official,” he said, declining to comment further.
In April, 1977, the entire department met with
officials from the Los Angeles Police Department and a representative from the office of the City Attorney. At the meeting, the personnel were informed they were exceeding their legal authority and could, in the future, be subject to criminal prosecution for policies.
These policies, enumerated in the complaint, include:
•	Patrol of public streets in the vicinity of the university.
•	Conducting field interviews with individuals on public property solely on the basis of suspicious conduct.
•Responding to calls from individuals on public property or on property not owned or contracted for security by the university.
•	Apprehending and/or arresting misdemeanor suspects for crimes not committed in an officer’s presence and reported by witnesses unwilling to sign a criminal complaint.
These are violations of sections of the California penal code, insofar as they are rights delegated to peace officers and not security guards (the status of the university’s officers).
John Lechner, director of Campus Security at the time of the April meeting, told officers to disregard the officials’ instructions, saying there would be no revision of the department's working policies, according to officers present at the meeting.
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PAC committee to update ‘SCampus’
Sections of SCampus, the university’s student guidebook, are presently being revised for the 1978-79 edition by the Student Affairs Committee of the President’s Advisory Council.
The new edition of SCampus, which is scheduled to appear next fall, will be the university’s major policy statement. The
revised SCampus will include newly-updated versions dealing mainly with student rights and responsibilities.
The section on student rights and responsibilities includes topics concerning students such as student-faculty relations, protection of freedom of expression, standards in student
WHERE'S THIS? — Most students at the university have a problem trying to find parking spaces. There was one spot on campus, however, that remained uncongested for those lucky enough to find it. DT photo by Marsha Traeger.
disciplinary proceedings and investigation of student conduct.
Glenn Sonnenberg, chairman of the PAC committee, said the revised SCampus will appear in a more simplified form than in the past.
“It will be a statement of policy, more than procedure, aimed at the students,” Sonnenberg said. “The language will be less stilted so the students can have a clear statement of their rights. We want to eliminate the legalese.”
The new edition of SCampus will also feature a paragraph at the end of each section that will inform students where they may obtain more information on a subject.
Paul Moore, administrative associate for student affairs, implemented the updating of SCampus.
The individual sections of. SCampus relating to students are revised on a rotating basis.
Sections to be revised later this spring include the student conduct code and university judicial structure.