Married students protest change of housing policies
BY MARK PATTON
Editorial Director
A group of married students has issued a protest against the university for its decision to use the married students apartment complex as housing for undergraduates.
Beginning next fall, married students will no longer be assigned apartments at the three buildings and four duplexes located at 3730 MeClintoek Ave. Married students who currently live in the apartments will be allowed to stay until they graduate
Guy D. Hubbard, director of auxiliary services, said the move was necessary because of the lack of on-campus housing for single undergraduates. The decision, made by the Admissions and Recruitment Committee, was announced Friday.
The Married Student Committee, a group which has twice fought rent increases at the complex, anticipated the move by the administration and submitted a petition against the plan to President John R Hubbard last Wednesday.
There are 217 units at the married students complex. Students in 152 apartments signed the petition. Most ofthe remaining apartments are occupied by single graduate students who were not solicited.
President Hubbard was out of town last week and has not yet had a chance to study the petition. One of his secretaries said that James R. Appleton, vice-president of student afTiars. and Anthony D Lazzaro, vice-president ofbusiness affairs, are collecting background information on the situation for President Hubbard to study.
"This is a very serious issue which I don’t think has been studied in depth." said Arnold McMahon, a doctoral candidate in philosophy and author ofthe petition. “The administration had made no request for input from the married students.
“We just want President Hubbard to sit down and discuss this issue with us. Perhaps then he might understand our point of view."
Guy Hubbard said the decision to assign only single undergraduates to the married student apartments was not necessarily permanent and that the complex could eventually be reverted back for married students only.
“The overall decision on housing will be reviewed year to year." he said. "The initial impact will be on those married students who are now on the waiting list to get an apartment.
"They will be offered off-campus housing. These will be university owned and highly desirable. The university is making an effort to create additional space for married apartments.”
Guy Hubbard said that the apartments would be between the campus and \dams Boulevard and would be on the tram route. He said, however, that not all students on the waiting list could be guaranteed an apartment. He said he could not comment on exactly where the apartments will be or what their quality or rent rates will be.
“It would be premature to say anything about them since we are still looking.” he said
McMahon said, however, that nearby housing for married students is almost nonexistent.
"Before I came to these apartments. I looked around the surrounding area for a place to live,” McMahon, a father oftwo, said. “I couldn't find even one place that was both suitable and safe for married students and their children.
"But this complex, with its large, fenced-in area and playground, was designed specifically for families with children.”
Madeline Hamblin, a doctoral candidate in philosophy who has lived in the complex for nine years, had a similar observation
"This community is unique,” she said “University life is hard on marriages and family life, but this type of environment smooths things out ”
One of the family-geared facilities in the complex is its pre-school for the children of married students Fred Wilson, manager ofthe married students apartments, called the decision a "kick in the head to the preschool since the number of children living in the complex will dwindle as students move out
McMahon said the university's policy of accommodating single students first and married students second is a form of discrimination Another married student pointed out the policy that assures all incoming freshman an apartment, but does not for married students.
“It seems as though married students are being sacrificed for the sake of single students.” McMahon said. “Now the married students will be exposed to the dangers and inconvenience of living off
Continued on page 31
campus.	K a '
NO PLACE TO PLAY—A new university policy regard ing married students housing may force these two children and their friends to seek another playground Beginning in the fall, undergradautes will be assigned
rooms in the complex due to the on-campus housing shortage. Married students currently living in the complex will be allowed to stay until they graduate. DT photo by Bob Chavez.
University of Southern California
Volume LXVII, Number 79
Los Angeles, California Tuesday, February 25, 1975
5.8% salary increase for TAs backed bv resource committee
BY STEVEN HAWKINS
Staff Writer
A salary increase for teaching assistants that would place them almost 11% above last year's stipend level has been recommended to the President's Advisory Council.
The Resource Management and Planning Committee recommended an average 5.8% increase for all three categories of teaching assistants next year.
Combined with the recent 5% retroactive raise TAs received this year, the total average increase is 10.8%.
Prior to this year’s 5% increase, the last stipend increase for TAs was approved in 1969 I i September. 1970. the three categories of TAs were paid $3,000. $3,360 and $3,570 The proposed increase for next year would bring the levels to $3,375. $3,555 and $3,735.
TAs classified as Category One are in their first year of graduate study and provide 20 hours per week of classroom or laboratory assignments.
TAs in Category Two must have successfully completed at least 24 units of graduate work at the university or hold a masters degree from another institution.
Category Three TAs must have successfully completed at least 48 units of graduate work at the university, or 24 units of graduate work at the university beyond the masters degree from another institution.
Since a graduate student usually moves to the next highest category for each complete year he teaches, he will get an even greater increase under the proposed scale.
A TA moving from Category One this year to Category Two next year will receive a 12.9% increase. or $405.
Assuming the enrollment in classes that need TAs next year remains constant, up to 5% will be set
apart from the general fund to cover the stipend increases.
The university budget for stipends covering 691 TAs this year is approximately $18 million, said Joseph P. Mayer III. a senior fiscal analyst.
The 5% figure would represent approximately $90,000 from the general fund Mayer said that lfthe amount did not cover the increased stipend levels, it would be up to individual schools and departments to allocate their TAs "in a more efficient manner."
He said this could be achieved through a cutback in the number of TAs. in the number of higher-paid TAs. or cuts in other areas of department funding.
TAs further benefit from the university's tuition remission program, said Richard O. Stone, professor of geological sciences and chairman of the Teaching Assistants Compensation Commission.
TAs are entitled to tuition remissions of up to 12 units during the semester in which they do assistant teaching. Depending upon the amount of teaching a student has completed the previous year, he is eligible for a tuition remission of up to 13 units during summer sessions.
"USC is a leader in tuition remission." said Stone, citing a study his commission completed of 30 institutions across the country
Stone said the stipend increase is imperative in order to attract top quality graduate students.
He is satisfied with the proposed stipend increases. “I'm personally very happy. We never really met any opposition It was just a matter of where the money would come from I think the ad ministration has done the best it can under the circumstances.”
The stipend increase will be considered by the council at its March 5 meeting. If approved there, it would be sent to President Hubbard for approval as policy.
16 students arrested on gambling charges
BY TOM ROSA
StafT Writer
Casino nights have been popular attractions both on the Row and in the dorms. However the arrest of 16 students and three of their friends early Friday morning could put an end to the future scheduling of these parties.
Sixteen members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity were booked on gambling charges after police raided an apartment in the West Adams Garden Complex rented by Phil Elardo. a fraternity member, and his roommates.
The men were taken to the Central Division of the Los Angeles Police Department Mug shots were taken, fingerprints made, and bail set Trials were scheduled for March 4 Elardo said the gambling party was simply a private affair and the police overreacted "We thought we might be fined by the police, but never arrested." he said The police received a disturbance call
at about midnight from someone in the apartment complex, located at 1164 W. Adams Blvd.
Lt. Matthew Hunt, community relations officer for the L.A.P.D. Southwest Division, said that officers overheard comments regarding gambling when they approached Elardo’s door.
"They requested the vice squad to be sent to the apartment, then proceeded to confiscate the gambling equipment,” Hunt said
He said two crap tables, a roulette wheel, a blackjack table, a number of poker chips and about $4.50 in cash were confiscated.
“Most of the money had been removed from the tables when the police confiscated the equipment and this money was left unclaimed, so they confiscated it as evidence," Hunt said
"We thought it was a joke." said Dan Potts, a member of the fraternity, referring to the approximately 12 uniformed police officers who came into the apartment.
“The vice squad soon came over and told the police to arrest us," Elardo said The police arrested people standing around the gambling tables as participants. and arrested Elardo and two of his roommates on charges of permitting gambling in their home.
A few of the people in the room were released by the police because they were not gambling. Some women and ROTC men were included in this group
Fifteen of the men were put in a police paddy wagon and four were handcuffed and placed in the back of police cars.
"Even in the paddy wagon we were not taking it too seriously," Potts said.
The men were booked and bail was set at $20 for the participants and $250 for Elardo and his roommates.
We had to pay the bail money out ofour pockets and*lo.st the entire morning at the police station. Elardo said He said the whole affair has been blown out of proportion “It was reported in the news media that
we had a mini-casino going on." Elardo said. "That's hogwash. ’
Elardo’s and Hunt’s versions of what was confiscated by the police were in con flict
Elardo said there was a crap table he had rented from a local dealer and a makeshift blackjack table
"We put two tables together, put some place mats on top and that was our black jack table." Elardo said
Hunt said the police had confiscated professional gambling equipment “The crap table was the only real piece of equipment in the apartment.” Elardo said
He said the fraternity members want to get the table back from the police so they can return it to the dealer who is charging them $20 a day in rent Craig C’hamtion. graduate resident ad viser at the fraternity said the casino party was not a fraternity function "This was a private party at which many ofour members were present hf> «»>'•
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