Audit of School of Medicine may aid in setting federal funds policy
A federal audit of the university’s School of Medicine is expected to aid Congress in determining alternate methods to finance medical education nationwide.
The audit, which includes 11 other American medical schools, comes at a time when Congress is debating the use of “capitation funds" — government monies allocated to medical schools based on their enrollments.
A law passed in 1976 placing enrollment rules on schools receiving the grants raised a question in Congress about the use of the program as a vehicle for accomplishing public policy objectives.
This factor, along with the opposition to the rule by 15 medical schools, served as the impetus for the audit now being conducted by the General Accounting Office of the federal government.
The 1976 law required medical schools receiving federal funds to hold varying numbers of spaces open for medical students in foreign countries returning to the United States.
Criticism of the government’s role in medical school financing resurfaced when President Carter signed a bill modifying the requirements of the enrollment law last November. The law requires medical schools to add 5% more spaces to their third-year classes for transfer students.
The increased enrollment requirements <jf the new law Will become effective with the 1978-79 school year, said Allen Mathies, Jr., dean of the School of Medicine.
The law won't affect the university’s program much, he said. “It requires us to admit graduates of two-year medical schools and holders of PhD s (along with American students in foreign medical schools). Our same admissions criteria still applies (to all students).
“The new law doesn’t infringe on our admissions requirements at all,” Mathies said.
One effect the new law will have is on the number of spaces for students at the medical school beginning in 1978-79.
The school will add 7 spaces to its current freshman class of 136 because of the new requirements, Mathies said.
Auditors from the government accounting agency have been on the Health Sciences Campus for the past five to six weeks reviewing the school’s expenditures in relation to the capitation monies received by the school, Mathies said. They are expected to complete the audit of the School of Medicine by the end of February, he said.
Congress requested the General Accounting Office to conduct the audit before the end of March, with the results of the university audit being studied along with that of other schools. The techniques used to audit the medical schools are the same, Mathies said.
“The audit will give the best picture possible to members of Congress,” Mathies said. He also said Congress is considering either discontinuing the program or making changes.
University of Southern California
Volume LXXIII, Number 12 Los Angeles, California	Friday,'	February	24,	1978
Allocation board reduces budgets proposed by student organizations
WORKS TO INFORM, ENLIGHTEN, ENTERTAIN
‘Newsweek’ editor notes new magazine permissiveness
By Robin Oto
Staff Writer
Have you seen the buxom blond wearing only a wisp of lingerie on the cover of Newsweek magazine this week?
“There is greater permissiveness in news magazines. But it doesn't have anything to do with quality — it reflects society,” said Mel Elfin, a senior editor of Newsweek, speaking to a journalism class Thursday.
“American society has moved a long way and most publications I know of have moved with it,” he said.
Newsweek has changed its format and style according to changing times, often utilizing sensationalized color photographs and four-letter words to produce a slick and hopefully marketable news package, he said.
“The formula has worked and it is possible because it’s been imitated from every side of the world. I admit the failings — that we have a long way to go... but the formula works," Elfin said.
“I believe there are three functions of journalism: to inform, enlighten and entertain. I think the news magazine fulfills all three of these functions.
Magazines that have no sense of humor are missing out on the quality of life,” he said.
Newsweek publishes 52 cover stories each year and there is definite competition between Time and Newsweek for news material, he said.
“We’re very sensitive over cover stories. There is rather intense competition for pictures and words,” Elfin said.
Some ideas for cover stories come out of the news such as the “Son of Sam” arrest and the Panama Canal treaty issue, as well as the presidential and government stories.
“Then we do a number of soft stories. One of our best sellers was (an article on mental) depression,” Elfin said.
Every Wednesday, the magazine staff holds a meeting with the cover design schedules set 12 to 14 weeks ahead of publishing.
There are alternative cover suggestions for each week, as well as potential or “below-the-line” covers still being researched.
The later in the week, the more expensive it is to change cover stories — and Newsweek will change only for important
news items, like the Nixon pardon by former President Ford, which was announced the day before the magazine was to hit the streets.
Time and Newsweek have come out with the same cover stories in the same week, such as the recent editions-on the diet craze and food fads.
“That was one of the few cases we didn’t know what they were up to. It was pure coincidence we came out at the same time,” Elfin said.
Elfin came up with the diet craze idea, with the increased publicity over health foods, diets, etc., which personally interested him.
“From someone who has always been a fattie, diet was of interest to me,” he said.
Bruce Springsteen was also featured on both magazine covers as a rising phenomenon in rock music.
“Both magazines were conned by a successful press agent. So it was a race
—	the press agent sold both magazines upon the cover idea when the record was released,” Elfin said.
Elfin feels Newsweek does not have any particular political approach, or slant
toward political issues.
“Magazines and newspapers, successful ones, are non-ideological. We've only had two or three (editorials) in the entire history of the magazine,” he said.
Elfin said he felt Newsweek covered the Bert Lance financial affair in a fair manner.
“Too fairly maybe. I think Bert Lance is a charlatan. I love him, he’s a great con man,” he said.
“Nothing in any of the stories that was subsequently disproven. . .it was a fair picture of Bert Lance presented to the media — he very well might have gone to jail by now,” he added.
Elfin feels people no longer consider Newsweek an alternative to Time, and believes his magazine has cornered a profitable chunk of the market.
“We’re a news magazine, we deal with news in all its form, hard news and soft news. The big difference between the two magazines is that we work harder, we re in the office longer hours,” Elfin said.
“But they’re a very good magazine," he added.
The Campus Activities Allocation Board reduced the funding requests to four of five student groups at its meeting Wednesday.
The Jewish Culture Festival,-sponsored by the Hillel House, was allocated $2,110. Hillel House members were upset, as the figure represented a cut from their original request of $5,000 and from last year’s allocation.
“They cut back our supplies, our PR, our advertising — everything,” said Avi Schulman, assistant programs director of the Hillel House. “It seems to me that if the program has been successful in the past, it should have received similar funding this year; to be cut by that much
is shocking.”
Nancy Somers, CAAB chairman, said the allocation for the festival was less than its organizers expected due to lack of funds. One of the most expensive events on their proposal was a concert by Klezmorim featuring traditional Jewish music, scheduled to be held a Monday night at an off-campus location.
“The board did not feel that enough people would attend the concert under these conditions,” Somers said.
Schulman said his group would appeal CAAB’s decision. He added the concert could be scheduled for a Tuesday afternoon on campus to help their plea for more funding.
Members of the planning committee for Women’s Week, which was alloted $3,576 to cover expenses, also expressed surprise at the cut in their funding.
“We do not intend to appeal the decision,” said Mary Le Blanc, director of the YWCA. “The items CAAB cut out of our budget will just have to be cut out of the program unless alternate funding can be found.”
Rodney Hoffman, a member of the Gay Student Union was upset about the board’s allotment for the union. “We proposed a $600 budget, but we were only allocated $90,” he said.
(continued on page 2)
ALL SYSTEMS GO—A student tests the direction of the wind before sending his paper airplane into flight. The paper airplane contest was part of Engineering Week activities. DT photo by Marsha Traeger.