Daily tip Trojan
Vol. LXVII. No. 7
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
Tuesday, September 24, 1974
PAC elections scheduled for fall may be canceled
A NEW LOOK — A painter works in Birnkrant Dining Hall as part of a program to improve dining atmosphere. New booths, paneling,
partitions and tables are some of the improvements that have already been made. See story on page 2. DT photo by Bob Selan.
Faculty pay number one priority — Hubbard
By KEVIN McKENNA
Associate Editor
President John R. Hubbard pledged to make faculty salaries the university’s number one priority and called for the faculty’s help in achieving the university’s academic goals in a speech Saturday at the annual faculty breakfast.
Hubbard covered a number of points of faculty concern in the speech, including promotion and tenure, the Academic Master Plan and Centennial Campaign, the financial status ofthe university and his philosophy of the university’s role as an institution.
He repeatedly emphasized that the university’s most important resource is its people.
“Universities are no longer dependent upon their physical locations, and the traditional associations of bricks and mortar with excellence are loosening,” he said.
“Intheirplaceisagrowingcon-viction thal the modern university’s excellence is most closely related to its human resources.”
Hubbard reassured the faculty that among these human resources, they were the most highly valued, and said that faculty concerns were the top priorities of both the university administration and the Board of Trustees.
“Without doubt, the improvement of faculty and staff salaries is our number one priority,” he said. “I can pledge to you... that your representatives who compose the Advisory Committee on Faculty and Staff Compensation will know how much is available, and will play a substantial role in deciding how those available monies will be distributed.”
Hubbard said the Board of
1	rustees was of the same opinion.
“The Board of Trustees was polled to discover their conceptions regarding the goals of this institution," he said. “At the top was the goal of securing the necessary endowment to — and I quote
—	‘maintain and replenish USC’s; truly preeminent faculty.’ ”
Hubbard admitted that faculty salary increases have barely kept pace with the rising cost of living and thanked the faculty for its
loyalty to the university in light of the situation.
He also asked for the faculty’s helpintheCentennialCampaign, a $265-million project to meet the goals of the university’s academic master plan in the next six years.
“If USC is to forge ahead to the attainment of our stated aims, your continued involvement will be absolutely essential,” he said.
“Our Centennial Campaign is not a bricks-and-mortar scheme, but a plan designed entirely to support people, for academic programs are only as strong as those who design, implement and execute them.”
Among the Centennial Campaign goals Hubbard outlined were:
•	Replenishing the ranks of master professors and endowing ‘a new generation of outstanding faculty.”$68millioniscommitted toendowed chairs and professorships.
o	Personalizing the education of USC students.
•	Designing academic programs along multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary lines. ($38 million).
•	Increasing the university’s
commitment to international programs.
•	Improving the quality of urban living and enhancing the cultural and environmental quality of the university community ($20 million).
•	More career-oriented teaching and learning programs ($11 million).
•	An increase in student aid $25 million .
Hubbard said that because the project is being undertaken in a time of economic malaise and because the projects are the type which, unlike buildings, “the donors will neither be able to see nor to touch,” the project may be difficult to accomplish. However, he expressed confidence. /
“I can reiterate that USC is weathering the storm better than most,” he said.
Gifts and grants totaled $41.5 million last year, a decrease from the previousyear, although funds from public sources increased. Sponsored research drew $30 million in funds, the highestinthe university’s history.
However, Hubbard w'as not as optimistic about avoiding another tuition increase.
“Unless a miracle occurs, tuition must continue to rise steadily if inflation remains unchecked,” he said.
BY MARJ1K LAMBERT
Assistant Kditor
Elections for undergraduate representatives to the President’s Advisory Council from the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences may not be held as announced last spring.
Because the voter response was notatleast33%asspecifiedbythe Commission on Elections and Credentials for the election to be valid, the election was supposed to have been run again in the fall.
The 12 students receiving the most votes from their respective constituencies were tohave been seated on an interim basis. Those 12 students, in addition to the three runner-ups in each category, would have been placed on a ballot this fall and a new vote was to have been taken.
Hesitant to hold election
When only 17% of the students voted, it was announced that new elections would be held this semester.
But now, the Student Caucus — the 33 students on the President’s Advisory Council — is hesitant about holding another election. For one thing, some of the students say, another election by mail would be too costly, and the same students would probably be reelected anyway.
In addition, the voting requirement was later changed from 33% to 15%, which would make last spring’s elections valid ex post facto.
Only 12 of the 33 students are interim—the others were elected by their individual schools.
Positions jeopardized
Frances Feldman, chairman of the President’s Advisory Council, said that the decision whether or not to hold elections was up to the students and to the Student Affairs Division.
James R. Appleton, vice-president for student affairs, referred the matter to theCommis-sion of Elections and Credentials. The commission, however.
Committee proposes 5% salary increase for teaching assistants
By MIKE MEYER
Staff Writer
The Graduate and Professional Schools Committee has asked for an immediate 6% salary increase for all teaching assistants for the 1974-75 academic year.
The committee unanimously approved a recommendation forthe increaseatitsmeetinglastThurs-day, and also requested a 15% increase for the academic year 1975-76.
The recommendation, which will affect approximately 600 graduate students if approved, will be sent to the office of Milton C. Kloetzel, academic vice-president, before the end of this week for consideration.
Harold von Hofe, interim dean of The Graduate School and chairman of the Graduate and Professional Schools Committee, said the recommendation asks for an immediate reply, but Kloetzel’s decision will probably not be known until the committee meets again in mid-October.
The Graduate Student Compensation Commission, a subdivision ofthe Graduate and Professional Schools Committee, has held about five meetings in the past year to discuss proposals for salary in-
creases. Teaching assistants have not received an increase in pay since the summer of 1970.
The commission met Sept. 13 and drafted a letter containing nine points of justification for the salary increases, and sent it to the Graduate and Professional
Schools Committee.
One reason for requesting the salary increase was
that stipends have not been increased in four years, w hile the cost of living has risen 31% since 1969 in the Los Angeles area.
The letter also said salary increases are necessary to attract quality graduate students to USC, and that quality students are necessary to insure the retention of quality professors.
A teaching assistant at USC earns between $3,000 and $3,400 per year, while his counterpart at UCLA makes between $4,400 and $4,900 for the same number of hours worked.
In the May, 1974 issue of Graduate Student News, Diane Richey wrote, “Not only are T.A.’s and R.A.'s (research associates) experiencing a continual erosion of their financial position, but USC's ability to attract outstanding graduate students is also just as surely
(Continued on page 6)
was dissolved last spring and it
will be some time before a new-one is set up.
So it seems that the responsibility for a decision lies with the members of the Student Caucus, 12 of whom would put their positions in jeopardy by votingto hold new elections.
“Generally, you shouldn’t change the rules ofthe elections afteryou hold the elections.” said Joe Flanagan, a senior in political science and one of the 12.
Elections scheduled for fall
However, David Blackmar, a juniorin philosophy and another interim representative, said, “The caucus has much more crucial issues to worry about than whether or not we should hold another election that would produce the same results and the same voter response.”
The interim representatives were seated with the understanding that the full President’s Advisory Council would vote when it came time to hold elections for the representatives.
Butthe understandingwasthat the new elections would be held in the fall, probably at the time of fall registration.
Some of the representatives have expressed the opinion that no one would care whether the elections were held again. But a secretary in the council offices reported receiving numerous questions about when the new elections would be held.
A decision by the caucus would have to be approved by the full council.
The caucus will meet Wednesday afternoon, and a discussion of elections should be among the items covered.
If new elections are not held, the 12 representatives will remain seated until the next student elections are held sometime late in the spring semester.
2 drawings stolen; $500 reward set
A reward of $500 is being offered by the Schoenberg heirs for the recovery of two drawings by Arnold Schoenberg that were stolen from the Fischer Gallery Thursday afternoon.
The value of the drawings has not been determined.
Investigating officer for the Los Angeles Police Department said the theft took place between 1:30 and 3:45 p.m.
They said inadequate security was the reason for the theft. Drawings in the gallery' have only a thin glass partition for protection and there is no permanent security guard.