November 15, 1976 Vol.54No.fl Loyola Marymount Universily
§§|f 4'-
Photos by Jose Garcia
Resident students sue University
for damages in carpeting flap
Third Annual Conference on Hydrology Engineering met at the LMU
campus on Wednesday, November 10. Dragging themselves to the early
morning seminar on “The Aquaplaning Functionalities of the Human
Torso,” prominent hydrologists from eleven western states were the first
to reach the University’s new Foley Aquatic Research Facilities,
completed recently with the aid of a National Science Foundation Grant. In
the afternoon, hydrologists again gathered at the site to test the
feasibility of a presentation given at the morning session by a Catholic
hydrologist, “The Theoretical Probabilities of Walking on Water.”
Four LMU students, all resi¬
dents of the same apartment on
campus, have filed suit against the
University for rent reduction which
they claim is owed them because of
repairs the University promised to
make, but then delayed.
Craig Asato, Frank Fiedler, John
Hollinrake and Robert Nash, who
live in Loyola Apartment 43, filed
their complaint in Municipal Court
in Culver City last Friday.
John A. Pfaffinger, vice presi¬
dent of Business Affairs, and
Richard Baker, Director of Hous¬
ing, were named as co-defendants
in the suit.
Both Baker and Pfaffinger were
off-campus Friday, however, and
were unavailable for comment.
The residents’ action stems from
what they called “an unhealthy and
hazardous condition” which ex¬
isted in their apartment since last
February, due to “rotting car¬
peting [which exposed] the bare
floor, padding, and nails, causing
plaintiffs to trip on flapping pieces
of carpeting, attracting pests, and
contributing to the breakage of
furniture, making the safe and
reasonable occupation of the pre¬
mises by the plaintiffs impos¬
sible.”
The four, who lived in the same
apartment last spring, claimed that
they extracted an oral agreement
from Helen Meek, former Execu¬
tive Housekeeper, that new car¬
peting would be installed in the
apartment no later than September
2, 1976.
, The University finally installed
the new carpeting, as well as other
repair items, on October 26.
The students stated in the suit
that while they made numerous
requests to the Housing Office, to
Meek, and to the apartment man¬
agers, apartments on either side of
their own received new carpeting
instead.
Since the repairs were eventually
made, the students decided to sue
LMU for a reduction in their , rent
of one-half for the mbnths of May
and September, 1976, a total of
$332.44, or $83.11 per plaintiff.
Besides actual damages, they
are also seeking the awarding of
court costs and “other and further
relief as the court may seem just
and proper.”
The students decided to bring
the action against the University
after Pfaffinger failed to respond to
their formal request of the rent
reduction, which Baker had left up
to Pfaffinger to decide.
In a letter dated October 15,
Baker told Pfaffinger, “The ques¬
tion of compensation for having to
live in- an apartment which was
substandard in their eyes, I leave to
y°u.’\
Baker also said the. flowing in
the letter: “I can say, however,
that the condition of the carpet was
horrible.”.
One of the plaintiffs, Craig
Asato, said that the four would
represent themselves in any .court
action. No court date had been set
as of Friday, however, because
neither of the defendants had been
served with the lawsuit. Once
served, they would have 30 days to
reply.
Dr. Thomas Quinlan, vice presi¬
dent for Student Affairs, hoped
that the matter could be settled out
of court. “I would like to see an
amicable settlement of this filing. I
hope we can resolve the matter
internally,” he said.
Although he said he wash’t
aware of the details of the case,-
Quinlan added that, should the
matter go to court, University
attorney William Stein would re¬
present the defendants.
Student Affairs tightens
policy on dorm parties
Former mental patients detail
abuses of involuntary therapy
They told stories of a body going
unnoticed for a week inside a linen
closet that was used tlaily, of
patients being administered tran¬
quilizers several hours after they
had died, and of dead inmates
dangling from leather bedstraps.
The Network Against Psychiatric
Assault spoke last Tuesday at a
meeting sponsored by the Psycho¬
logy Society.
Richard Reed, Richard Stanley,
and Karen Freedom domprised the
panel of ex-mental patients. Their
presentation was intended to make
students aware of how mental
patients’ rights are allegedly
abused or ignored in modern
institutions.
Patients, once committed, find it
very difficult to leave, according to
the speakers. Other people are the
ones who determine who is in need
of hospitalization, usually not the
patients themselves. On the first
day at the institution, looked on by
some as a prison, the patient is
immediately put on drugs that
confuse his mind. Most do not
know that it is possible at the
beginning to leave by a writ of
habeas corpus, and it is not
explained to them. The few who do
know about the writ and file for one
are double-dosed with drugs the
day of their hearing, Freedom
said.
NAPA feels that this involuntary
commitment of mental patients is
wrong. They are also opposed to
involuntary electro-shock treat¬
ments, drug administration, and
psycho-surgery.
Both Stanley and Reed had
received involuntary electro-shock
therapy (EST). Stanley, who was
first committed at age 12, felt
especially helpless due to his minor
status in a court of' law. He
discussed his survival technique.
“After realizing that the more I
enjoyed something, the less often it
occurred, I pretended to look
forward to my electro* shock
therapy, hoping that the the techni¬
cians would cut down on the
frequency,” he said.
Reed, who referred to EST as
“torture,” stated that prior to his
hospitalization he had broken
several fingers, and had a severe
head concussion. “Electro-shock
was worse than all* of that put
together. It’s difficult to bring this
to public attention,” due to Reed’s
(Continued on P*ge 3)
By Terry Dunn
Definite guidelines concerning
оП
dorm and apartment
parties have recently been estab¬
lished for resident students
at LMU,
According to Susan Hanan, as¬
sistant dean of Student Affairs, no
written statement that strictly out¬
lined LMU’s party policy existed
when she was appointed head of
the Resident Life Program last
year.
“We spent last year evaluating
the program’s policies and proce¬
dures and felt there weren’t
enough firmly established guide¬
lines in the area of on-camp, us
parties,” she said.
“The decision was made at the
beginning of the year that wing-
parties were no longer permis¬
sible,” Hanan continued. A wing-
party is defined as a party that
extends outside a dorm room and is
open only to the members of that
wing and their guests.
This decision, made by Hanan
and approved by Dr. Thomas
Quinlan, vice-president for Student
Affairs, was based on the Univer¬
sity policy that alcohol is not
allowed in any of the common or
public areas of residence halls or
surrounding grounds.
Hanan said she informed head
resident advisors of the policy and
that they were supposed to inform
Resident Advisors. ^‘ Apparently
there was a misunderstanding of
what constitutes a wing-party so
the students were left unaware of
the policy,” she said.
Parties earlier in the semester
unknowingly challenged the policy
and the need for clarification was
made apparent by confusion among
RA’s and students.
“I immediately jbegan investigat¬
ing the legal aspect of the policy by
consulting city and state ordi¬
nances and found I was more or
less free to determine what controls
were necessary to carry out these
ordinances,” Hanan said. The
policy of no wing-parties was then
changed to ‘ ‘wing-parties with
. stipulations.”
Hanan outlined the new proce¬
dure for planning any party that
will extend outside a dorm room or
apartment. Parties on weekends
are not to continue past 1 am.
Parties on week nights are not
allowed unless the day following
the party is a holiday.
An activity form must be ob¬
tained from the Student Activities
office and must be signed by a
moderator or faculty member, and
the head resident advisor of the
building the party will be held in.
This form must be approved by
(Continued on Page 4)
Inside
Features. . . . . . *..... ... . . . . page 8
Those who have experienced death only to be revived by doctors say dying
is a most wonderful feeling. Often they resent being revived . Helen Cowan
looks at this fascinating subject in her article “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”
Cul tureV • . . . . . v. . ... | . . . . . .page 9
For some, betting on horses is a way of life, but for Jim Hillson it’s just a
favorite pastime. He rarely takes home, money, but he has brought back
thoughts on the fear, sex and greed he sees at the track.
Commentary . . . . . . . page 10
Leon Perahia watches tne'“girl watchers” during an afternoon at a local
shopping mall. His experience makes a serious comment on today’s
attitudes toward sexuality and male-female relationships .
