University of Southern California
Volume LXVII, Number 80_Los Angeles, California	Wednesday, February 26, 1975
Proposal limits right to search residence halls
Fraternity affairs adviser resigns, takes new post
Daily
Trojan
m iohn mmoN
Staff W riCer
A proposed revision of the student judicial code, which clarifies the university's right to search on-canipus student housing, has heen approved by the President's Advisory C ouncil's Committee on I nivcrsity and Community Life.
1 lie proposal is a modified version ol a recommendation made in I‘>72 by the university's Commission on Student Life that had been rex tsed In members of student ludicial bodies .ind staff members in the Student Mfairs Division.
1 lie proposal recommends that university housing occupied by students and the personal possessions of students on campus be protected from any search by universitv personnel except under emergency circumstances. Such a search would require written authorization from the vice-president lor student affairs or his designate.
1 he proposal stipulates that the individual or agency requesting an investigation of this nature must speedy the reasons for the search and the object or information sought, and that the student should he present, if possible, during the search.
" I his prov ision does not give the university the right to go on a fishing expedition." said James R. Appleton, vice-president for student affairs.
He said that this search procedure would only he used as a last resort and that a student would not he penalized for anything discovered during the search which was not sought by the written authorization.
“(.Hir concern is that off campus. no one can search your room without a search warrant. It should be that way on campus too." said Akram Masri. a student member ol the committee.
1 he proposal also states that
HEALTH EXPO ’75—A volunteer takes the blood pressure of one of the many visitors of the health fair as part of the numerous services offered by the Student Health and
Counseling Services and the Student Health Advisory Committee. Exhibits are in Founders Park and will continue through this week. DT photo by Larry Condelli.
Greg Lagana. assistant director for residential life and fraternity affairs adviser, has resigned and will he leaving the university today
Lagana has accepted a new position as editor of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity magazine and director of the organization's fund-raising program at the fraternity's national headquarters in Indianapolis.
He was offered the post in December by the executive director of Lambda Chi Alpha.
In Ins present capacity. Lagana
serves as adviser to the Interfrater-mty Council and acts as a liaison between fraternity chapters and university administrators.
His duties also entail working with alumni and organizing fraternity social events.
A permanent replacement for Lagana has not been named. In the interim, two graduate resident advisers will fill the post.
One. Scott Spicer, a graduate student in finance and management. will be in charge of hiring graduate resident advisers.
The other vacancy is still open.
pending action on charges or an appeal, the status of a student should not be altered, nor the right to be present on campus or to attend classes suspended.
Lxeeptions to this could be made for reasons relating to phy sical or emotional safety of the individual or others, or in situations where the student's regular status poses “a clear and present danger" to the university community, as determined by the vice-president for student affairs.
Appleton pointed out that judicial precedents set down by the courts have established the administration's right to carry out searches and to suspend students in emergency situations.
He said that the proposal is beneficial for the students because it sets guidelines for these searches and provides a suspended student with a hearing within five days of the emergencv suspension.
1 lie proposed code also con-taineci sections dealing with conduct m professional and graduate schools, provisions for emergency and interim judicial hearings and guidelines of academic discipline.
Most of the changes in the document are considered to be procedural in nature and not controversial.
The proposal contains certain changes which are not in the existing code but are currently in practice, specifically the combining of the Women's and Men's flail Association Judicials into a single judicial for the residence halls, and the combination of the Panhellenic and Interfraternity C ounctl Judicials into one body.
“I think the changes the committee made in the document were very balanced. I feel this is a good document for the students and the administration." \ppleton said.
“I'm pleased with the document because it clarifies and makes
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UP AGAINST THE TREE—A local youth recently demonstrated the latest development in tennis shoes—which allows the wearer to climb trees without the aid of hands. The manufacturer claims these shoes
will become a hot item among would-be human flies. The only disadvantage to the shoes is that the chewing-gum soles have a tendency to squeak. DT photo by Shuji Ito.
Caucus will vote Monday on elections commission charter
BV MARJIE LAMBERT
Campus F.ditor
The Student Caucus will vote Monday on a proposed charter for the Student Elections Commission. If approved, the charter will give the newly appointed commission full power to run the caucus elections later
this spring.
1 lections for most caucus seats will probably be held in mid-April, although representatives from some graduate and professional schools may not be elected until next fall.
The membership of the commission was approved at a caucus meeting last week; however, due to duplicating difficulties, the proposed charter was not distributed to caucus members in time for a vote.
Until such a charter is approved, the commission has power only to do background work on the elections, such as reserving ballot boxes or contacting the American Arbitration Association to count ballots.
It has no power to make any policy decisions.
In another resolution passed at last week's meeting, the caucus asked that the power to run student elections be given to the caucus.
The caucus was unhappy with the way the December election was handled by the Commission on Elections and Credentials of the President's Advisory Council. Specifically, many members felt that the commission was wrong in recommending that the election be held by on-campus balloting.
Charles Solomon, a senior in history and chairman ofthe student commission, said that while a mail ballot is more costly than on-campus balloting, it is also more accessible to students.
"Recent experience proves that on-campus balloting
in general is inconvenient and produces an excessively low turnout," he said.
The election for caucus members held last spring was conducted by mail ballot. About 17% of the students voted in that election.
But at that time, the bylaws of the council provided that one-third of the student body must vote for the election to be valid.
A new election was scheduled for the fall, but the council later voted to delete sections of the bylaws that required any minimum voter turnout, as well as mail balloting.
The result was less than a 4% voter turnout in December's election.
The caucus has also asked that the existing Commission on Elections and Credentials be dissolved, and a new one set up only after the charter of the commission is reworked to be more specific.
Due to the vague wording of the charter, no one was sure who was responsible for running December’s election.
Under the caucus proposal, the student commission would run the election and the council commission would act as an appeals body.
Caucus members felt that student input on the committee was poor. The members have been dissatisfied not only with the change from mail balloting, but also w nh a proposal by the commission that undergraduate representatives from the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences be elected from the three academic divisions—humanities, natural sciences and math and social sciences and communications—instead of through their living units.
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