Daily §p Troian
University of Southern California
Volume LXVII, No. 45
Los Angeles, California
Wednesday, November 20, 1974
Appleton may recommend fee discontinuation
BV MARJIE LAMBERT
Assistant Kditor
Unless the Student Caucus conies up with an alternative plan. Janies R. Appleton, vice-president for student affairs, will probably recommend to President John R. Hubbard that no programming fee be collected next semester.
“In view of the referendum and without any reference in hand from the caucus, I don't think the administration can recommend the continuation of the mandatory fee.” Appleton said Tuesday in an interview.
In a referendum last spring, students expressed a preference to have the $4.50-per-semester mandatory fee discontinued after this semester.
Although the official ballot explanation said that an independent group intended to set up a voluntary programming organization. this was not included on the ballot.
The Student Caucus, under the bylaws of the President’s Advisory Council, has the responsibility to appoint a board to allocate any programming fees.
Membership dues
However, some people have questioned whether a voluntary fee would be a programming fee or membership dues in an independent organization.
The caucus recommended to the Board ofTrustees that a voluntary’ fee be collected in the spring at registration. At the time of payment ofthe fee. students would indicate on a check-off list how they wanted their money spent. A caucus-appointed board would then be bound to spend at least 75of the funds as indicated on the check-off list.
It was then expected that the board would vote on those recommendations at its October meeting, but cn Appleton's advice, Hubbard did not forward the recommendations to the trustees.
Appleton said at the time that there was the possibility that Hubbard could make the decision without going to the trustees since the proposals only involved a change in the collection of the fees and not an increase.
Greater concern
He also sent a memo to the caucus expressing a greater concern—that of whether the university could implement the recommendations ofthe caucus in time for spring registration.
A committee to investigate this concern was set up under the caucus. The committee only met twice. Less than a quorum attended the second meeting, so no decisions could be made.
Peter Scolney, chairman ofthe committee and a graduate student in philosophy, resigned, but submitted his recommendations to Connie Seinfeld, chairman of the caucus.
Although Scolney reportedly retracted his resignation, the
committee never met again after it determined at the second meeting that there was insufficient time in which to implement a check-off system at spring registration.
The check-off system would have involved ordering and printing computer cards, as well as determining what programs would be included on the list. The committee members decided that they could not get this done by the Nov. 1 deadline for including materials in the registration packet.
Scolney recommended that the matter be referred back to the caucus.
Three alternatives
There seem to be three alternatives: continuation of the mandatory fee to be allocated by a programming board as is presently done: abolition of any fee; and collection of a voluntary- fee allocated by a caucus-appointed board, but without a check-off system.
In addition a student or group of students could set up an independent programming organization. The Student Activities Office has received constitutions for a Voluntary Student Association and a Voluntary Student Organization.
Both submitted budget requests to the Student Programming Board, which were denied.
Appleton said he is waiting for a further recommendation from the caucus, but would not speculate on the future of the fee.
“A number of possibilities stili remain. I ought not to preempt the caucus’ responsibility.
it is clearly in the jurisdiction ofthe Student Caucus which way we should go and what we should do.” he said, referring to the bylaws ofthe council.
UGLIEST MAN—Pictures of contestants for Ugliest Man and Best Legs on campus will be on display from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of Tommy Trojan through
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Thursday. Students may cast votes with money and the candidate earning the most money will be the winner. Proceeds will go to Troy Camp and Multiple Sclerosis.
EFFECTIVE NEXT MONDAY
Food prices to increase
BV QUENTIN SCHAFFER
Staff Writer
Increased prices at the university’s food services will go into effect Monday partly as a result of the sugar crisis but mainly due to overall inflation.
“We’ve had hardly any increases for the fall semester (in food prices)so I’ve had to put in a slight price increase.” Kenneth Bridges, director of Food Services. said.
All pastries will be going up due to the 5% increase in bread and pastry products. “I didn't have them priced where I should have.” Bridges said.
Pies will increase from 40 to 45 cents, cakes from 45 to 50 cents, doughnuts from 20 to 23 cents and cupcakes from 25to28 cents.
Meat products will also increase in price. Soft drinks, which contain a lot of sugar, will not increase in price.
“We get as good a price as possible for the Coca-cola we get.
We bid every year,” Bridges said. “In previous years we dealt with several soft drink companies such as Pepsi-Cola. But we’ve cut them off this year because it’s to our advantage cost-wise to go totally with one company.”
The wholesale price of granulated sugar rose from $13.50 per 100 pounds in April to $40.66 per 100 pounds in September. Bridges said the price has since gone up to $44 per 100 pounds.
“The sugar crisis has directly affected soft drink products, all cold cereals, syrups, pastries and anything with sugar in it,” Bridges said.
Recently the Commons Cafeteria managers, under instructions from Bridges, re-
moved sugar packets from the tables.
“People are just pocketing the sugar,” Bridges said. “I'm having my managers remove the sugar from the tables and having it available at the coffee urns. We put signs up so people will know where it is. We'retryingto create as little public inconvenience as possible.”
Bridges said he favors using sugar packets instead of jars of sugar because it is more sanitary and safer since people can’t mix things in with it.
“The only place I use bulk sugar is on the medical campus.” he said. “People have even found a way of taking it by bringing in plastic bags and pouring it into these.”
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Student aid forms due; more students eligible
California State Scholarship applications must be mailed no later than midnight on Friday. Applications are now available in the Financial Aid Office.
Because of a drastic revision in the parent contribution analysis system, students have a better chance of receiving a California State Scholarship, said Pamela Walbom. director of the Financial Aid Office.
“Far more students should receive aid.” Walbom said. “Since the College Scholarship Service is decreasing the amount expected from parents, a student may be eligible this year, even though he was denied aid last year.”
She said that although the maximum amount for a state scholarship would be held to $2,500, substantial increases should be made to students whose present state scholarships are lower.
“The drastic change in policy reflects inflation and the present economic picture,” Walbom said.
The new policy will allow more students from middle-income families to be eligible for aid. This, coupled with the recent higher funding for the State Scholarship Commission, is aimed at aiding more students.
Walbom said that interested state scholarship applicants have only until Friday to postmark their applications. She said applications for university scholarships are still available. Thedeadline is Dec. 20 for renewal applications and Jan. 31 for new applications.
Spanish Dept, asks for TA tax exemption
BY NANCY SHINABARGAR
Staff Writer
The Spanish and Portuguese Department is attempting to gain a complete tax exempt status for about 40 teaching assistants working toward graduate degrees in the department.
The Spanish and Portuguese Department is the first in several years to apply for a tax status which would exempt TAs from the Internal Revenue Service withholding tax. Presently, between $25-$40 in federal income tax is deducted from a TA’s average salary of $300 a month. The TAs are given a refund at the end of the year.
Under the proposed revision for Spanish and Portuguese TAs, they would keep all of their salary and pay no withholding tax.
“We’re try ing to find some way a TA can live on what he makes.” said Theodore A. Sackett, chairman of the Spanish and Portuguese Department.
“It doesn’t do any good to have a refund at the end of the year.
They don’t need it in a lump sum at the end ofthe year. They need it now,” he said.
Sackett said Carl M. Franklin, vice-president for university legal affairs, was working on the tax exempt status for Spanish and Portuguese TAs.
“I imagine the IRS might think it's a weak case. As far as I know, we are the only department doing it at the university. I think chemical engineering asked for the complete tax exempt status a few years ago. too. It probably doesn’t seem too convincing to the IRS. At UCLA a great many departments worked together for this,” Sackett said.
The Spanish and Portuguese Department was fortunate that there were enough classes for graduate students to teach, and the department felt there was a need for master’s and doctoral candidates to teach, Sackett said.
“Many departments don’t want graduate students to teach. They
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