UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT—This
young man was seen floating through space above Founders Park Wednesday.
However, a strong breeze swept him away before his identity could be learned. He and his pet saucer were last seen flying over Von KleinSmid Center bell tower. DT photo by Marsha Traeger.
Daily § Trojan
University of Southern California
Volume LXXIII, Number 39	Los	Angeles,	California	Thursday,	April	13,	1978
Security officers await disciplinary action for violation of news policy
Ballot counting awaits campaign investigation
By Charles Swenson
Staff Writer
No disciplinary action will be taken against Charles Robb and Russ Peterson, security officers, until Anthony Lazzaro, vice-president for business affairs has been consulted. The officers violated department policy by appearing on a KABC-TV news report without permission Tuesday.
‘ The matter’s being looked into. I will meet with Lazzaro before deciding what course to take,” said Carl Levredge, director of security and parking operations.
Lazzaro, who is Levredge’s superior, has been out of town since Tuesday and is expected to return Friday.
Department policy requires officers to consult Levredge before talking to the press.
Both officers had previously violated the regulation when they allowed themselves to be interviewed on a KABC-TV series about crime on campus. Robb was suspended for 60 days without pay March 13 and Peterson received a reprimand.
Peterson, who was on a one-day suspension Wednesday for an unrelated incident, said he had talked with some of his fellow officers by phone. “They said everything was quiet. A few of them talked with (Campus Security) Chief (James) Bowie and he told them the matter was up to the university’s attorney.”
The university has repeatedly refused comment on the Robb affair. “They told me they didn’t want to try the case in the media,” said Wayne Satz, a reporter for KABC-TV.
“Our legal advisers suggested we not talk to the press and some high university administrators have been pretty incensed at Satz’s handling of the case," said Charles Weisenberg, director of the university news bureau.
“His reporting is neither responsible nor objective,” said Leonard Wines, director of university relations. He said Satz ignored the fact that UCLA has more incidents of crime than USC because it did not fit into the mold of his story.
“The university knows as well as I do that absolute numbers are meaningless,” Satz said.
Robb and Peterson have filed a complaint against the university and are seeking restitution for damages.
“We won’t know how much money will be involved until the complaint comes to trial,” said Michael Shaw, attorney for the officers. He explained the case will not be tried for at least 9 months, and if the university wishes to stall may take as long as 10 years to be resolved.
Robb has also filed an unfair labor practices suit with the National Labor Relations Board against the university. Attorneys for the university are in the process of responding to the suit.
University denies legal assistance to allegedly attacked dorm adviser
The ballots for the independent-student community race for the Student Senate will be temporarily left uncounted due to appeals concerning the campaign expenditures of Lisa Lawrence and Steve Johnson.
The votes will be tallied after the senate’s Joint Elections and Credentials Committee has decided whether a violation of campaign procedure has occurred.
The committee was acting in accordance with a request made by Jay Savage, chairman of the President’s Advisory Council. Savage asked that the counting of the votes be withheld until the committee had made a decision on the appeals by Paul J. Montgomery, a senate candidate from the student community, Tom Verdegem, former senate cabinet member, and Alan Zada, Paul Krekorian and Robert Alvarado, commuter candidates.
The decision follows Tuesday’s ruling by the committee to leave the ballots for commuter candidates uncounted.
“The ballots were sealed because of the appeals currently
before the President’s Advisory Council. It would be inappropriate to count the votes prior to a decision being reached,” said Seth Zachary, vice-president of the committee.
Steve Pacini, president of the committee, said that decisions will be made at the next council meeting on the appeals made against Lawrence and Johnson, as well as those against the five-member commuter slate whose votes were sealed as a result of Tuesday’s decision.
Pacini said he will continue the committee’s investigation into the value of printed campaign materials used by both groups and present his findings, along with the committee’s reasons for their decision, at the next council meeting, which will occur either Friday or the following Monday.
Montgomery’s appeal stated that Johnson and Lawrence exceeded the senate’s $75-campaign expenditure limit by printing over 2,000 pamphlets.
The candidates were found not guilty of Montgomery’s accusation based upon the facts presented to the committee during a hearing Tuesday.
By Carole Long
Staff Writer
A resident adviser allegedly attacked by six nonuniversity students attending an Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity party may file a lawsuit against the parties involved.
The university has refused a request by Richard Lopez, a resident adviser, to initiate the lawsuit on his behalf, claiming that since the act was classified as a misdemeanor and the victim was not severely injured “there was really no reason to go into a lawsuit,” Lopez said.
Lopez said the six students approached him at his room in Men’s Residence West Feb. 5 at 2 a.m. and asked him whether he had been throwing eggs at students dancing in a courtyard below.
Men's Residence West faces the courtyard on the east side. Some eggs had reportedly been thrown from that direction, hitting one student in the eye.
“When those guys came to my door they were really mad,” Lopez said. “I told them I had not been throwing any eggs, but then they said they were going to search the building to find out who had done it. I told them they had no right to do that and asked them to leave the building.
“They refused, saying Campus Security had given them permission to search the building. I didn’t believe them, so I said I was going to call Campus Security and find out. Just as I turned around to go call, one of the guys hit me in the mouth. Then five more guys jumped on me and started beating me up.”
Campus Security, who was already in the area investigating the egg throwing, apprehended the students as they were fleeing. Los Angeles Police Department officers arrived soon after and gave the students a citation and a request to appear in court.
(continued on page 2)
Hearing begins on record card alterations case
A closed hearing on the case of four international students who were charged with having their permanent record cards illegally altered began Wednesday.
The hearing, which consists of one student, one faculty member and one administrator, is being held by the University Judicial Council.
“It was decided that an administrative judicial hearing rather than a student judicial hearing would be held because the integrity of university transcripts is in question,” said Robert Mannes, dean of student life and in charge of the hearing.
Three of the four students who are charged attended the hearing.
If the students are found guilty, their punishments could range from suspension to expulsion from the university.
After finding these four transcript alterations, the registrar’s office reviewed every transcript and found that a fifth transcript had been altered in the same manner as the first four had been.