UCLA students end a day of protest over fee hikes

After a day of protests over student fee hikes that roiled the UCLA campus, a final group of students who had taken over Campbell Hall left the building peacefully this evening.

There were about 25 students when the group dispersed shortly before 7 p.m. Students had been occupying the building since about 12:30 a.m. Students used a bike rack to block hallways and desks to block doors. Pizza boxes were strewn in the third-floor hallway.

"This is only the end of this moment," said Patricia Torres, 30, a first-year graduate student in the School of Urban Planning. "We are still dialoguing, but not stopping."

UC Regents committee approves student fee increases; at least 14 protesters arrested at meeting at UCLA

A University of California Board of Regents committee today approved a series of controversial increases in student fees that, if passed by the full board, will raise UC undergraduate education costs by more than $2,500, or 32%, in two steps by fall 2010.

The finance committee vote is expected to be endorsed by the full Board of Regents on Thursday. The two-day meeting is being held at UCLA, where today's session has been marked by raucous protests with at least 14 arrests.

The first step of the fee hike, costing undergraduates an additional $585, will take effect in January. Next fall, students will see another $1,344 increase, bringing the UC education fees to $10,302, along with about $1,000 in campus-based charges. That does not include room, board and books, which can add another $16,000.

Demonstrations broke out inside the meeting hall at UCLA's Covel Commons soon after the meeting began this morning.  A presentation on the budget and fee increase proposal by UC President Mark Yudof was interrupted.  Police cleared the public from the hall but a group of protesters refused to leave, standing and singing “We Shall Overcome.” 

They were escorted out and handcuffed and police said they would be cited for misdemeanor unlawful assembly. It was not clear whether they were students.

Outside the hall, meanwhile, an estimated 300 students and union activists faced off against a large contingent of UC police in riot gear and carrying non-lethal weapons.  At one point, bottles were thrown and police pushed the crowd away from the front door.  There were no reports of serious injuries or additional arrests beyond the 14 people arrested inside.

-- Larry Gordon at UCLA

Photo: UCLA students, from left, Frances Clark, 20, a history major, and Amanda Bahamonde, 20, a biology student, protest student fee hikes today at UCLA. Credit: Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times.

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Cal State trustees approve budget; protesters rally outside Long Beach headquarters

Cal State trustees approve budget; protesters rally outside Long Beach headquarters [Updated]

The California State University's Board of Trustees today approved a 2010-11 budget that seeks $884 million in state support to bolster a system struggling to recover from severe funding shortfalls.

The trustees, who were meeting in Long Beach as their UC counterparts gathered at UCLA, adopted the budget plan with little discussion, a day after it was approved by their finance committee. About 100 protesters gathered outside the Cal State headquarters, marching in a circle, chanting and carrying signs urging the trustees to "Stop the Program Cuts Now" and "Stop the War on Higher Education." The demonstrators did not disrupt the meeting.

The budget plan requests $305 million to restore one-time cuts imposed in 2009-10; $283 million to restore money for collective bargaining agreements not funded in 2008-09 and 2009-10; and $296 million for mandatory cost and compensation increases and improvements in student services and instruction.

The budget plan would increase Cal State’s general fund support from $2.3 billion to $3.2 billion. [Updated 1:59 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said the budget plan would increase Cal State’s support from $2.3 million to $3.2 million.]

State support for the 23-campus system has been slashed $625 million over the last two years, resulting in staff and faculty furloughs, reduced enrollment and student fee increases.

-- Carla Rivera in Long Beach

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Eight arrested at UC Regents meeting at UCLA

Soon after the UC Regents meeting began today, demonstrations broke out inside the hall, UCLA’s Covel Commons, disrupting a presentation by UC President Mark Yudof on the budget situation and his recommendation for student fee increases.

When the protesters refused to be quiet, university police cleared the public from the hall, but eight people refused to leave, standing and singing “We Shall Overcome” for several choruses.

They were escorted out and handcuffed and police said they would be cited for misdemeanor unlawful assembly. It was not clear whether they were students.

Outside the hall, meanwhile, several hundred protesters gathered, holding banners protesting the likely vote to increase fees and shouting, "Cut from the top!"

-- Larry Gordon at UCLA   

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USC again has most foreign students, followed by NYU [Updated]

For the eighth consecutive year, USC enrolled the highest number of foreign students of any U.S. university last year, a new report shows. USC, which recruits strongly in Asia, hosted 7,482 international students in the 2008-09 school year, according to the study by the Institute of International Education with support from the State Department. [Updated at 2:16 p.m.: In all, USC enrolls about 34,000 undergraduate and graduate students.]

New York University, with 6,761, had the second-largest international contingent and Columbia University, with 6,685, ranked third. UCLA was in eighth place, with 5,590. California had the most foreign students, followed by New York and Texas.

The "Open Doors" survey, released today, showed that the number of international students at about 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities rose 8% last year to a new high of 671,616. Big increases in students from China helped fuel the rise. As in other recent years, India once again sent the most students to the U.S., followed by China, South Korea, Canada and Japan.

But there are indications that the growth might have slowed this fall semester because of economic conditions and concerns about the H1N1 virus. A related but separate survey of 700 schools by the institute and seven other education organizations showed that 45% of those campuses reported an increase in foreign students this fall, compared to 56% last year.

-- Larry Gordon

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Personal data of Cal Poly Pomona applicants inadvertently put online

The Social Security numbers, home addresses and phone contacts for at least 300 students who applied for admission to Cal Poly Pomona six years ago were unintentionally disclosed online, the university said today. 

The applicants were notified this week and urged to contact credit-reporting agencies, school official said.

The personal information, which did not include financial data, “was mistakenly put in a publicly accessible folder on a university server in November 2003," and Google and other search-engine companies mined the data, according to a statement released by Tim Lynch, senior media communications coordinator for Cal Poly Pomona.

Lynch said a maximum of 355 applicants could have been affected.

Former L.A. Community College District chancellor takes Middle East post

Marshall Drummond, former chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District and of the statewide community college system, has a new job in higher education. He recently started as chief academic officer and provost for the Higher Colleges of Technology in the United Arab Emirates, according to an announcement made Monday.

Drummond twice served as chancellor of the nine-campus Los Angeles college district, most recently from 2007 until last summer. After placing him on a leave of absence in June without public explanation, the district announced that he had left the post with nearly two years remaining on his contract and that it would pay him $428,750 in severance. Drummond has not responded to requests for interviews about his unexpected departure.

He led the California community college system from 2004 to 2007.

In his new position with the Higher Colleges of Technology, founded in 1988, Drummond will guide academic policy for 18,000 students and 2,000 faculty and staff members on 17 campuses in several cities, including Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

-- Larry Gordon

Santa Barbara braces for last big night of Halloween weekend

It’s like the Mardi Gras of Halloween.

For more than 30 years, college students from across California have been descending on Santa Barbara County’s Isla Vista to party for the Halloween weekend. Between 40,000 and 50,000 people are expected tonight in the Isla Vista area, near UC Santa Barbara.

Police have increased patrols for the multi-day celebration, which started Thursday. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department along with the college police and the California Highway Patrol watch over the weekend’s revelry. Patrol units from Ventura County and Los Angeles are in town, too.

Over the last two days, 122 people were arrested for alcohol-related offenses, said Lt. Kelly Moore of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department. The area historically nets a large number of arrests on Halloween.

“This is one of the largest parties in California,” Moore said.

People come from out of town every year for the party. Hotels are full, and between 200 and 250 officers from various jurisdictions will be out tonight, Moore said.

Last year, police made 220 arrests and issued 438 citations. Fifty-five people were taken to the hospital, mainly due to alcohol-related problems. Two people fell off cliffs in the Del Playa area, one of whom sustained serious injuries.

The three-day party is expected to wind down Sunday, with a few scragglers who are “die-hard” partiers, Moore said. “They are going to get every penny out of that costume,” he said.

David Cunningham, a sophomore at UC Santa Barbara, said people get “packed like tuna” during Halloween.

Alex Cruz, a junior at UC Santa Barbara, lives in the most popular party area of Isla Vista. He held a party Thursday and Friday and plans to hold one tonight. “It’s a fun, fun atmosphere,” he said.

Cruz, who dressed up as a wizard in a Snuggie, said the Isla Vista Halloween experience might even be a little crazier than Mardi Gras.

“It’s probably the only place in California where you can find Lady Gaga, construction workers and ninja turtles all in the same street,” he said.

-- Nicole Santa Cruz

College costs up; California public universities hike fees by rates that beat the national average

The recession took its toll on college tuition costs this year, with students across the country facing bigger bills because of reduced state spending on higher education and diminished campus endowments, according to a College Board report released today.

And California’s public universities hiked their fees by rates well above the national averages.

Tackling severe budget problems, states raised annual tuition and fees by an average of 6.5% at four-year public colleges and universities across the country to about $7,020, not including room, board and other expenses, the survey found.

Pomona College gets $7.5-million gift for "green" residence hall

Pomona College in Claremont has received a $7.5-million donation to help build a new residence hall with high levels of energy efficiency and the use of solar power, officials have announced.

The gift for the "green" building comes from Rick and Susan Sontag, a couple with deep family connections to the college. Susan Sontag, a Pomona alumna, and Rick Sontag, a former aviation businessman who now manages his own investment firm, have a daughter who graduated from Pomona.

His late uncle was Frederick E. Sontag, who taught in Pomona’s philosophy department for more than 50 years. The $18.4-million Sontag Hall is under construction and is scheduled to open in May 2011, campus spokeswoman Cynthia Peters said. It is part of a two-building complex that will house 150 students.

-- Larry Gordon

California agribusiness pressures school to nix Michael Pollan lecture

Agribusinesses across the U.S. have a beef with sustainable food guru Michael Pollan, but at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo it has taken on a definite sizzle. 

Threatening to pull donations from the school, a major California agribusiness has succeeded in turning what was to be a campus lecture by Pollan tomorrow into a panel discussion involving Pollan, a meat-science expert and one of the largest organic growers in the U.S.

"While I understand the need to expose students to alternative views, I find it unacceptable that the university would provide Michael Pollan an unchallenged forum to promote his stand against conventional agricultural practices,'' David E. Wood, chairman of the Harris Ranch Beef Co., wrote in a scathing Sept. 23 letter to the Cal Poly president.

Wood has pledged $150,000 toward a new meat processing plant on campus. In his letter, he said Pollan's scheduled solo appearance had prompted him to "rethink my continued financial support of the university.'' He also criticized an animal sciences professor who said that conventional feedlots like the one run by Harris Ranch were not a form of sustainable agriculture.

Relatives of alleged UCLA throat-slasher shocked by his arrest

Relatives of the man suspected of slashing the neck of a fellow UCLA student were in disbelief today that the mellow young man who raided their refrigerator could commit such a violent act.

Damon D. Thompson, who was arrested Thursday after the attack in a chemistry lab on the Westwood campus, frequently stayed at relatives’ tidy brown home in Fontana with a basketball hoop in the driveway. He is an only child who left his mother’s home in Belize two years ago to attend UCLA.

His second cousin, Akilah Williams, 17, said she was shocked when she heard the news and skeptical that the 20-year-old could commit such a brutal act.

 “He cares about what people think about him too much,” Williams said. “He gets stressed out but that doesn’t mean he’d do something crazy.”

Suspected swine flu outbreaks reported at 4 schools

Suspected swine flu outbreaks have occurred at several schools in Los Angeles County since classes began earlier this month, according to the county Department of Public Health.

Health officials declined to name the schools because of privacy concerns, but spokeswoman Sarah Kissell said outbreaks, defined as at least five suspected H1N1 virus infections, have occurred at two elementary schools, a high school and a university.

“We had expected when schools would open up [that] we would start seeing an increase in flu-like illnesses,” Kissell said.

In addition, two infections occurred last week at Camp Paige, a county juvenile probation camp in La Verne.

Young people are particularly susceptible to contracting the virus, and are on the priority list to receive a vaccine when it becomes available next month. H1N1 is highly contagious, but symptoms tend to be mild in healthy people.

Unlike last spring, officials do not plan to close schools if there is an outbreak. Instead, they are urging prevention — washing hands frequently, sneezing into the elbow instead of the hand and getting the vaccine when it becomes available. Ill children should be kept home to avoid spreading the virus to their classmates, and can return to school once they are fever-free for 24 hours.

—Seema Mehta

UC protests loud but peaceful; no major disruptions or problems reported

About 700 students, faculty and staff attended a noontime rally at UCLA's Bruin Plaza today as part of a systemwide day of protests against UC fee hikes, class reductions and pay cuts.

The enthusiastic but peaceful rally did not seem to disrupt the rest of life on campus on the fall quarter's first day of classes.

Among those in the crowd was third-year psychology major Vico Melgoza of Santa Ana. He said he was skipping two classes today to be there. "This is more important. That's my personal belief," said Melgoza, 21, adding that he was worried about how fee increases will affect not only his future but also future generations of low-income students. The fee hikes and cutbacks, he said, "are beating the people who are already beaten."

Protest rallies underway at UCLA, UC Berkeley and other UC campuses [Updated]

Union members and supporters are marching and manning picket lines at UCLA, some classes have been canceled and preparations are underway for a large lunch-hour rally to protest rising student fees and cutbacks in state higher education funding. Otherwise, life on the first day of the fall quarter on the Westwood campus seemed to be proceeding much as usual this morning.

While activists throughout the 10-campus UC system called for protest walkouts today, students at UCLA report that most classes are being held, although some professors have said they will devote a portion of the time in their classes to discuss the harmful toll budget reductions are taking on course offerings and student services.

Fourth-year student Rebekah Aladdin said that she had been notified by e-mail that one of her two classes today was canceled in sympathy with the demonstration but she showed up anyway just to be sure. A Pasadena resident who is majoring in world arts and cultures, Aladdin said that was all right with her, adding "You have to make a statement and support the cause."

Cuts to Los Angeles City College student paper prompt accusations

Los Angeles City College’s venerable student paper had its budget slashed by 40%, and the publication’s adviser says it’s because journalists fought the institution’s president over press freedom.

Rhonda Guess, adviser to the Los Angeles City College Collegian, told the Board of Trustees at its regular meeting Wednesday that President Jamillah Moore retaliated against students for filing a formal complaint, saying she “bullied” them at a college meeting. The students said Moore demanded they identify themselves and seek permission to record the proceedings.
 
Ken Sherwood, president of City College’s academic senate, vehemently denied that Moore bullied anyone. The president, he said, was actually trying to save the paper from the fate of Cal State Dominguez Hills’ publication, which folded in the face of crushing budget cuts.

“It’s the only way to preserve the newspaper from being cut completely,” Sherwood told trustees.

Guess, assistant professor of journalism, said she does not know how she can keep the Collegian, in continuous publication since 1929, coming out on its regular biweekly schedule on the reduced budget. The paper and one of its reporters, Mars Melnicoff, are up for three honors, including sports story of the year, at a national college press awards ceremony in Texas next month.

“It would be the same as cutting chemicals from the chemistry budget,” Guess said. “The paper provides a window into the college, not just for the 30 students who help produce it but for all the students and the community.”

-- Gale Holland

Nearly 5,000 UCLA volunteers help out at schools, beaches, other sites

Paintbrush in hand, UCLA junior Jacob Casteneda was putting a fresh coat of brown paint this morning on the exterior of one of the many bungalows at Samuel Gompers Middle School. He was among an army of about 4,600 UCLA volunteers who came to the South Los Angeles campus and seven other spots around the L.A. area for a day of community service.

“It’s always nice to reach out to the community and it’s always great to help out kids,” said Casteneda, who recently transferred to UCLA from Santa Monica College. “We need to take the time to give a hand to kids who are without.”

UCLA’s first Volunteer Day brought painters, cleaners and gardeners to four other schools, Griffith Park, Point Dume State Beach and the veterans hospital and cemetery in Westwood. About a hundred buses ferried the UCLA students and faculty to those sites, with transportation costs and other expenses covered by a $250,000 grant from the Entertainment Industry Foundation.

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, who has said he wants to engage the university more with the surrounding city, joined in the painting work at Gompers and said he was delighted with the turnout. Wearing jeans and a T-shirt, Block said that a great public university needs to have excellent research and education but also “a sense of volunteerism and a sense of public duty.”

-- Larry Gordon

UCI graduate charged in shooting death of ex-wife

A graduate student at UC Irvine appeared in court this afternoon for a scheduled arraignment on charges of shooting and killing his ex-wife outside his campus apartment because of a custody dispute over their 4-year-old son.

Brian Hughes Benedict, 35, did not enter a plea during the hearing at the Newport Beach courthouse because his attorney is out of the country, said Michael Jacobs, who appeared on behalf of Benedict's lawyer, Ron Cordova.  The arraignment was continued to Oct. 2.

Benedict is facing charges of one felony count of murder with a sentencing enhancement for personally discharging a firearm and causing death.

About 7 p.m. Sunday, Rebecca Benedict, 30, went to pick up her son from her ex-husband at his Verano Place apartment on the university campus. She had recently received primary custody of the boy, and Brian Benedict was ordered to pay more money in child support.

Graduate student held in shooting death of ex-wife at UC Irvine

A physics graduate student living on campus at UC Irvine is in custody today, suspected in the shooting death Sunday night of his ex-wife outside a student housing complex.

Brian Benedict, 35, is being held on suspicion of shooting Rebecca Benedict, 30, to death as their 4-year-old son stood nearby. It is the first such death the campus has ever had, said Asst. Chief Jeff Hutchison of the UCI Police Department.

The victim, who had full custody of the boy, was on campus to pick up her son when the couple began arguing, Hutchison said. The suspect followed her outside the graduate student housing complex where he apparently lived alone and shot her, Hutchison said. Several people witnessed the shooting and tried to help the victim.

UCI police responded about one minute after they received the emergency call and were able to take the suspect into custody without incident, authorities said. The gun used in the shooting has been recovered, police said.

Brian Benedict had approached UCI police a little more than a week ago to ask about child custody, Hutchison said.

"I don't know exactly what he asked," he said, adding that the conversation lasted less than 10 minutes and that the suspect did not appear to be acting unusually.

UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake said today that “despite this isolated incident, UC Irvine is a very safe campus and we will continue doing everything in our power to keep it that way."

-- Paloma Esquivel in Orange County

Photo: UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake, right, listens to details being given by campus police during a press conference concerning the first homicide on the campus. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

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USC warns female students about van offering rides

Authorities at USC are warning that two men cruising in a minivan near campus have been trying to lure female students into the vehicle by offering them free rides.

The vehicle is similar to the vans that the university uses as part of its free shuttle service, according to the USC Department of Public Safety.

Female students have reported being approached by two men in the van on several occasions in recent weeks, school officials said.

The van has dual sliding doors and custom black and chrome rims. Witnesses have described the driver as having long hair and wearing sunglasses and a black beret or watch cap, officials said.

Authorities said the USC shuttle service only responds to calls from students and does not roam the streets to give people rides.

Anyone with information regarding the van is asked to call the USC public safety office at (213) 740-4321.

Photo: Image of the van captured by a surveillance camera. Credit: USC Department of Public Safety

School's in for L.A. Unified students

School opened today for the majority of students in the Los Angeles Unified School District, including thousands attending new schools built with voter-approved bond money.

The openings included two of the highest-profile sites in L.A. Unified's sprawling universe -- a new performing arts school at 450 N. Grand Ave., and two new elementary schools on the spot once occupied by the storied Ambassador Hotel.

"We're very excited," said a beaming Rex Patton, the executive director of the $232-million arts high school, still known only as Central High School #9 for the Visual and Performing Arts."We're all feeling very anticipatory and excited about everything that's happening."

Union membership grows in Southern California despite recession [Updated]

Despite the recession, union membership in Southern California is on the rise, according to a study released Monday by UCLA’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment.

The institute’s fifth annual report on the state of organized labor found that, between July 2008 and June 2009 — the peak of the current recession — unions gained almost 25,000 new members in Southern California and more than 131,000 statewide.

The gains follow decades of decline in union membership.

Union members still represent a minority all workers — about 18.3% of all employees in California and 17.5% in the Southern California region that includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Ventura and San Bernardino counties. However, the percentage of union membership has been rising the last two years, both in California and throughout the country.

Nationwide, union members represent about 12.4% of all workers. Across the country, the institute said, average hourly earnings are about $4 more for union workers than for non-union workers.

To mark Labor Day, Cardinal Roger Mahony celebrated a special Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of The Angels. He called on organized labor and employers to work together to put people back to work in lasting jobs.

“It isn’t just a matter of replacing yesterday’s jobs with more of yesterday’s jobs that may have no future,” Mahony told worshippers, including many union activists wearing T-shirts bearing their union affiliation. “That may have no future.”

Elsewhere in Southern California, union workers and their allies gathered for a parade in Wilmington and rally in Banning Park to press for government-funded healthcare benefits.

[Updated, 5 p.m.: Before celebrating Mass, Mahony blessed a sanitation truck, calling the act "a symbol of the dignity of our work." While delivering the blessing, he sprinkled the truck with holy water outside the cathedral.

"Bless this truck, and those who use this truck," he said as workers in union T-shirts watched. "May they travel and use it safely, with care for the safety of others."

The act was meant to symbolize the struggle of working men and women to earn a living wage, healthcare and respect in the workplace, a union official said.

-- Patrick J. McDonnell

Photo: Cardinal Roger Mahony blesses a sanitation truck in honor of Labor Day.  Hundreds attended a Monday mass at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.  Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

UC to close Sacramento center

The University of California has decided to close the doors on its Sacramento center for students learning about California government in the capital city.

The program, which Associate Director A.G. Block estimated has served 600 to 700 students since 2004, will continue operating for those arriving this fall, run by a skeleton crew including Block, the executive director and one other aide.

Other staff were informed of layoffs Monday, the same day several of this term’s 18 students arrived, he said.

The university expects to save as much as $850,000 through the closure, said Peter King, a spokesman for the UC Office of the President.

Block called the move shortsighted because “each one of our students is an ambassador for the university in the halls of power.”

“If you think about the total multibillion-dollar budget of the University of California, the money spent on the UC Center is not even a rounding error,” said Block. The center submitted a $635,000 budget this year, pared back from its nearly $1 million the previous year.

The closure of the popular center has already begun to reverberate in the Capitol, where many UC interns have worked in recent years. Assemblyman Dave Jones, a Sacramento Democrat, called the program a “practical opportunity to learn about how policy and legislation are made.”

“It’s one thing to learn about it in a book,” said Jones, who called on the UC Regents to reconsider the closure. “It’s quite another to actually participate in the process.”

Los Angeles man found guilty of murder in death of USC film student

A Los Angeles man was found guilty of second-degree murder today in the stabbing death of a USC film student last year during a street fight.

Travion T. Ford, 25, who sometimes worked as an usher at USC football games, faces 16 years to life in state prison in the Sept. 18 slaying of Bryan R. Frost, 23, outside Ford’s mother’s apartment near the university. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 29.

The jury of seven men and five women found Ford not guilty of first-degree murder, which would have required more evidence of premeditation. But the jury clearly did not believe Ford’s contention that he was acting to save his own life in the brawl when he stabbed Frost, a former West Point cadet who grew up in Idaho.

In what testimony portrayed as a random encounter, Frost and two friends were rowdily walking down the street after a night of drinking and Frost, on a whim, slammed shut a gate at the apartment building.

That led to an argument and fight with Ford.  Prosecutors said he ran into the apartment to grab a kitchen knife and returned to stab the student in the heart. Frost’s death shocked the campus and heightened fears about students’ security on nearby streets.

Jurors declined to discuss their deliberations.

-- Larry Gordon

Photo: Travion Ford appears in court Wednesday. Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times

Related:

The Homicide Report: USC area: Student, 23, is fatally stabbed

Jury starts deliberating in USC murder trial

A jury began deliberations today in the case of the Los Angeles man charged with the stabbing murder of a USC film student last September during a street brawl that started over the noise from a slammed gate.

Travion T. Ford, 25, pleaded not guilty in the death of Bryan R. Frost, 23, and said he had stabbed him with a kitchen knife he had in his pocket as a "last resort" to save his own life. Ford testified that he was gasping for breath as Frost, a former West Point cadet who friends said was drunk that night, pinned him on the ground outside Ford’s mother’s apartment near USC.

During the two-week-long trial in Superior Court in downtown Los Angeles, prosecutors sought to prove that Ford showed enough intent to merit a murder conviction. They contended that Ford, after a first round of fighting, ran into his mother’s apartment, grabbed the knife and then returned to the street to stab Frost in the heart. The Idaho native with dreams of becoming a film director was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

"This is not a self-defense case. It is a murder case," Deputy Dist. Atty. Kennes Ma told jurors.

Ford, a former warehouse worker with the street name "Poison," could face a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in prison if convicted of the most serious murder charges.

Frost’s death sent shock waves through the university community and heightened fears about security. It also revived debate about rowdy student behavior near USC since the fight began after Frost on a whim slammed the sliding gate shut while walking back from a local bar about 2 a.m.

--Larry Gordon