Spikers to play the unknown in SDSU

By Eric Branch
Daily Bruin Staff

San Diego State women’s volleyball head coach Myles Gabel spent the day before his team’s match with No. 3 UCLA searching for advantages. He found exactly one.

“Well, I’m happy we’re home rather than going up there to play,” Gabel said. “When you play UCLA, advantages are hard to find. I try to use all the positives I can but that’s probably the only one I can see, unfortunately.”

Making the Aztecs (10-4 overall) challenge even more daunting in tonight’s non-conference match in San Diego is the inexperience in their starting lineup. SDSU will trot out three freshmen, two sophomores and a junior against the Bruins (13-1, 4-0 in Pacific-10). Despite the young lineup the Aztecs are coming off a successful weekend, handling Texas-El Paso on Friday, 3-0, and then shocking No. 17 New Mexico in five.

“Green would certainly be a fitting adjective to describe us,” Gabel said. “We are talented but inexperienced. I don’t know, maybe we’re so young we won’t get caught up in the mystique of UCLA.”

While Gabel continues his search for a silver lining, UCLA head coach Andy Banachowski is looking for any information on tonight’s opponents.

“Frankly, I don’t know a whole lot about them,” Banachowski said. “We play them every year, but I don’t know much about this year’s team.”

Banachowski will quickly learn who the Aztecs go-to players are at game time. Sophomore outside hitters Juliana Cezar and Ginger Ernest lead the SDSU attack. Ernest leads the team, averaging 4.96 kills per game with 248 overall. Cezar, the 1993 Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year has been immune to the sophomore jinx. She has racked up 166 kills to complement her team-high 143 digs on the year.

As a sidelight, it will be a homecoming for UCLA freshman outside hitter Kara Milling. According to Gabel, Milling, out of Poway High School in San Diego, will receive a warm welcome.

“I know a lot of people are coming out to see Kara play in the area again,” Gabel said. “It should be a great atmosphere.”

* * *

The Bruins will continue to play the “Guess the Setter” game tonight. Sophomore setter Kelly Flannigan started in the win over Washington on Friday night before being removed for freshman Kim Coleman at the start of the fourth game. The following night, Coleman started and played all the way in a victory over Washington State.

However, Flannigan will be back working the controls against SDSU.

“The setter situation is still unresolved,” Banachowski said. “Kelly and Kim are getting equal practice time right now so when we make a switch it’s not a big adjustment for the team.”

Despite the constant flip-flopping, Coleman is undisturbed by the situation.

“It doesn’t bother me at all,” Coleman said. “I’m just thrilled to be here playing volleyball for UCLA.”

Polo hauls in third-place finish at NorCal

By Esther Hui
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

The UCLA men’s water polo team proved they are in contention for a national championship last weekend, placing third at the Northern California Tournament at Stanford, and beating No. 3 California along the way for the first time since 1991.

The Bruins (10-4 overall, 1-1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) beat No. 4 University of Pacific 11-6, Davis 17-9, and California 12-10 in the two-day tournament, and lost a close match to top-ranked defending national champion Stanford, 13-12, in the semi-finals.

“We wanted to make a statement that we were a force to be reckoned with,” UCLA assistant coach Matt Emerzian said. “We really showed that instead of always hunting, we are the team to be hunted.”

The Bruins’ Saturday morning win over UOP set an aggressive tone for the rest of the tournament as UCLA scored three points within the first few minutes, and never let the Tigers back into the game. The Bruins converted seven out of 12 man-up situations while Pacific converted just two out of 11.

Jeremy Braxton-Brown scored three points and Adam Krikorian and Mark Sutter scored two apiece.

The victory was also aided by 12 saves from goalkeeper Matt Swanson, who missed practice all last week because of a groin injury.

“We came out hard against UOP,” Swanson said. “It was three or four to nothing within the first few minutes and it gave us a lot of confidence. We knew we had to win that game.”

Due to scheduling conflicts, the Bruins faced Davis Saturday afternoon in a 25-yard pool rather than the regulation 30-meters. Freshman Luther Weidner led the Bruins with six goals while the starters were given a break.

With two wins behind them, the Bruins began the second day of competition in the semi-finals, playing No. 1 Stanford – a team unbeaten by UCLA in over three years.

The Bruins remained within striking distance throughout most of the first half, but with Stanford leading 5-4 toward the end of the first half, the Cardinal capitalized on a steal with a two-point shot.

A second mistake occurred in the fourth quarter when Stanford stole the ball from UCLA during a fast break, and the resulting goal put Stanford ahead at 12-11.

“We shouldn’t be making those kinds of mistakes,” UCLA head coach Guy Baker said. “I know they happen, but it’s something we can work on before we play (Stanford) on Thursday.”

Stanford scored again with two minutes remaining to put the score at 13-11, but the Bruins were unable to make the necessary two-point shot to tie the game. They did, however, manage a one-point goal, ending the game one point away from a tie with the defending national champions.

“Stanford was a good game for everyone, and it was the most confident we’ve played in a long time,” junior driver Tommy Wong said. “The game could have gone either way, and it just so happened that (Stanford) was ahead when the clock stopped.”

Most players express confidence that correcting the slight errors they made playing against Stanford could make the difference in the rematch on Thursday.

“It’s not Stanford that’s beating us,” Swanson said. “We’re beating ourselves. We have no fear of Stanford.”

The most grueling match of the four-game tournament came in the third-place contest against arch-rival California. The Bruins battled fatigue and a rough start, but led by senior driver Scott Turner’s four goals, overcame a 7-6 half-time deficit to beat Cal 12-10 for only the second time in six years.

“The last game of the tournament is always the hardest,” Turner said. “We weren’t playing well the first half and then Guy sat us down and gave us a talk. We pulled together at the right time. We still have a lot to work on, but it was a good all-around victory.

“In order to keep the No. 4 seeding, we need to keep knocking guys below us down and attacking the guys above us. We did both during this tournament.”

“The feeling was indescribable,” Emerzian said of the win.

Football optimistic despite 2-3 record

By Scott Yamaguchi
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

To all those UCLA football fans who were not glued to the television set Saturday afternoon watching the Bruins’ 37-10 beating at the hands of Washington, UCLA head coach Terry Donahue would probably seem a madman.

Donahue, whose team has struggled through recent weeks with three consecutive losses, asserted after the UW loss that UCLA was back on track, and his statements at Monday’s weekly press conference echoed such a sentiment.

“I really felt good about the effort, the tempo and the enthusiasm with which our team played the game,” he said. “I thought it was the best since the opening game against Tennessee, I really felt that our players went up and competed well, and I think that is an important first step in us trying to get our season turned around and get on a winning track.”

Is Donahue correct in his midseason assessment that the Bruins have finally picked up the pieces? Indeed, UCLA’s offensive performance at Husky Stadium was a vast improvement over the 21-0 loss to Washington State Sept. 24, in which quarterback Wayne Cook completed 11 of 25 passes for 90 yards and tailback Sharmon Shah rushed 15 times for 71 yards.

Against Washington, Cook was 14 of 30 for 194 yards, and Shah ran the ball 19 times for 93 yards. But while the Bruins produced 320 yards of total offense, Washington had 434, and more than half of those were gained by senior tailback Napolean Kaufman.

Kaufman finished with 227 yards on 34 carries, including a four-yard touchdown run and a 79-yard gain that led to a 22-yard John Wales field goal.

“I really felt that the difference in the two football teams was Napolean Kaufman and their kicker, Wales,” Donahue said. “If there were two difference makers on the field, those were the two guys that made the difference for Washington. Other than that, I really felt that the two teams were extremely comparable in almost all areas, despite the fact that we were beaten by such a score.”

Wales was three-for-four on field goal attempts, splitting the uprights from 47, 22 and 39 yards and missing from 47.

* * *

Perhaps more important than Wales’ numbers were those of UCLA place-kicker Bjorn Merten, who missed on two attempts before Wales had even tried his first. Merten, an All-American last year as a freshman, missed from 40 and 46 yards in the first quarter, was successful from 44-yards out in the second quarter, and hit the upright on a 47-yard attempt as the first half ended.

Through five games this season, Merten is 6-of-13 and has made only four out of ten from 40-yards out or further. Last season, he made 21 of 26, but only four of those attempts were from further than 40 yards out.

“I think I know what the problem is, but I don’t know what, completely, to do about it,” Donahue said. “Bjorn was a guy that had a phenomenal redshirt-freshman year, was an All-American, and he comes back and he must feel some pressure and some sense of expectation with that kind of accomplishment the previous year.

“In the games, Bjorn just is not kicking the ball like he is in practice. He’s a different practice player than he is a game player, and I have to find out how we can make the transition from practice to the games.”

* * *

While Donahue was obviously concerned with his slumping place-kicker, the head coach was optimistic in regards to the strides made by Cook.

“I think the mark of a good competitor is someone who will come back after a poor performance and improve his next weeks performance,” Donahue said. “Wayne played better Saturday than he did the week before.”

Still, Cook was obviously not at the top of his game, and Donahue offered several explanations for his continuing struggles.

“There are times when he is not getting set and is too herky-jerky, too unsettled and too skitterish,” Donahue said. “One of the reasons is that he is trying to get used to a new offensive line – one that the week before didn’t do an adequate job of protecting him. At times, his running backs aren’t doing a good job of getting him protected, and at times, his receivers are not doing a good job of getting open, so I think there are reasons why Wayne may be lacking some confidence in certain areas, but I think he’s going to fight through it.”

* * *

One receiver who should not be blamed for failing to get open is junior flanker Kevin Jordan. Jordan, who might be the most underrated receiver in the nation, ranks second nationally and first in the Pac-10 with 108.2 receiving yards per game, and fourth nationally and first in the Pac-10 with seven receptions per game.

In five games this season, he has made 35 catches for 541 yards. Of the 35 receptions, 24 have produced first-downs, and three were touchdowns. After five games in 1993, Stokes had made 26 receptions for 413 yards and eight scores.

* * *

Add inside linebacker Shane Jasper to the ever-increasing list of injured UCLA players. Jasper, the Bruins’ most experienced inside linebacker, suffered a hip pointer in the Washington game and could be out for several weeks. He currently ranks third on the squad with 38 tackles.

* * *

Having lost three straight games, UCLA must now travel north for a game at California.

The Golden Bears, who lost to San Diego State and Hawaii in their first two games, are on a two-game winning-streak with victories over Arizona State Sept. 24 and a 55-0 shellacking of San Jose State last Saturday.

“This is a big, big game,” Donahue said. “We’ve got to start winning some games and acting like we’re a good team. We’ve got to do a better job, and when I say ‘we,’ I’m talking about me, the coaches and the players. We’ve just got to do better.”

UCLA leads the series with the Bears 41-22-1, but Cal has won the last four meetings and is attempting to become the first conference team to take five consecutive games from the Bruins.

Eric Billigmeier: Fearfully familiar fate for football

Sixteen years old without a care in the world except who the Bruins played in football on Saturday. That was me in 1989. After purchasing my first car that year, my first thought was not of the beckoning, scenic highways of America. No, it was more along the lines of, “Cool, now I can get to the Rose Bowl by myself.” Basically speaking, my very happiness depended on the Bruin gridders.

Poor fool.

The year 1989 has been bounding around my noggin lately, as a result of the, ahem, performance of the 1994 UCLA footballers. Now, I don’t hark back with similar UCLA-wins-or-Mom-catches-hell-for-a-week emotions. Because, as a few of you know, I couldn’t give two rat dookies what happened last Saturday in Seattle – maybe one, but most certainly not any more than that.

Sure, I admit I threw some inanimate objects – including my roommate – across the apartment at certain junctures Saturday. (Fourth down and short. Seventy-two thousand maniacal fans barking against you. Time for … an audible? Are you serious?)

But still, my reaction to Washington, 1994 was nowhere near that of, say, Tennessee, 1989. And not even in the same universe as USC, 1988 and ’87. Yet while my heart feels more stable (and less attached to UCLA’s fortunes) this year than ever before, my gut keeps yanking me back to the last football season of the 1980s. As hard as I try, I can’t get away from that 3-7-1 feeling.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before …

UCLA football at its pinnacle. Confidence riding high. Good deal of talent returning. Upon first (and second and third) collision with a quality opponent, Bruins get ripped a new, um, earhole.

Fairly accurate description of this year’s bunch, yes? Well, for those of you who didn’t realize we had a football team before you came to campus (perhaps there are a few Cornhuskers out there who would claim we still don’t), the preceding message was brought to you by the Society for Reminiscing About the Worst Year in UCLA Football History (that’s 1989 for all the slow types out there).

I’m the president of that club, probably because I’ve metamorphosed into a bit of an emotional masochist of late. But don’t you agree, ye historians?

Here’s a fun game for those who can remember back to the mid-high school era. Hold up both hands and start counting the similarities between the 1989 and 1994 seasons/teams. With each comparison, lower one finger. I bet when you’re done, you end up eating straight off the plate.

Here’s my version:

Left thumb – High expectations. In 1989, the Bruins were coming off one of their most spectacular seasons ever, having held the No. 1 ranking for a week in 1988 and ranked sixth to kick off ’89. This year, UCLA entered play eight months removed from a Rose Bowl appearance. Plus, the Bruins had their quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate wide receiver returning for their senior seasons.

Right thumb – Major losses to the NFL draft, but optimism not particularly dashed. Five years ago, UCLA watched seven players go pro, including five in the first four rounds. Among them Sir Aikman and everybody’s favorite role model, Darryl Henley. This past spring, five more Bruins flew the coop, all in the initial five rounds.

Left index – Season opens with Tennessee. (I cheated, that was an easy one. Hey, I’ve gotta come up with 10 of these, so cut me some slack).

Right index – Early-season squeaker against horse-crud-opponent. In ’89, it was the beloved San Diego State Aztecs, bless their hearts, who took us to the wire but fell, 28-25. Those poor bastards, they’ll probably never find a way to beat a Pac-10 team – oops, sorry, Cal.

This season, we almost (should have, perhaps?) fell to mighty Southern Methodist, the proud alma mater of Eric Dickerson, Craig James and my Uncle Tim.

Left middle – Performance in September match-up with a highly-regarded national power gives cause for optimism. Five seasons back, the Bruins hung tight, losing 24-23 at Ann Arbor against a Michigan club then ranked fifth in the country. This year? How about Tennessee? So we know now that they suck eggs. Nobody knew that on September 3. As far as we could all tell then, the close call this year in the season opener was a great win over a doggone good football team.

Right middle – Bruins take one on the chin from cross-sectional rival. In ’89, the Volunteers spanked UCLA in Pasadena, 24-6. Granted, Tennessee was unranked at the time and not nearly as worshiped as the 1994 Nebraska club that handed the Bruins their collective lunch last month. But it’s food for thought, at least.

Left ring – Uh, Terry Donahue was the coach. (So I cheated twice. Sue me.)

Right ring – In first real test of conference schedule, Bruins look doggedly piss-poor. Arizona provided the 42-7, eye-opening thumping five years back. This year, it was the booooo! Washington boooooo! State boooooo! Cougars. Did someone hear complaints about the UCLA crowd’s behavior? Twenty-one points for the Palousers, zero for the just-plain-losers.

All that leaves is a pair of pinkies. If any of you Bruins were following along, you might want to save those last two fingers for the Oregon State game, when – if you put on another Wazzu-like performance at the Rose Bowl – the students (if any choose to show up) will undoubtedly let you have it once again.

Scary as it is to admit in a “Defending Pac-10 Champions” year, 3-7-1 just doesn’t seem all that far away right now.

USAC revives debate of IFC sponsorship

The Undergraduate Student Association Council will discuss the
fate of the fraternity community tonight, the latest addition to
the contentious debate about the greek role in campus
government.

Student officers have stressed they will not vote on
"responsoring," or re-admitting, the Interfraternity Council, which
is the umbrella organization for fraternities.

Student government rules require a two-thirds vote to add items
to the agenda during the meeting.

The debate has galvanized the campus for two years.

The Interfraternity Council was expelled October 1992 from
student government after fraternity songbooks filled with racist
and misogynist lyrics were made public.

The sorority umbrella group, Panhellenic Council, removed itself
in protest.

Last year, the student council made several attempts to re-admit
the greek councils, usually following strong debate.

The council managed to approve IFC’s responsorship but the
decision was invalidated by the Judicial Board – student
government’s supreme judiciary body – upon appeal by MEChA, the
campus Chicano/a student organization.

Tonight’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Kerckhoff
400.

From Bruin staff reports

State prosecutes UCLA in wage suit

By Alisa Ulferts
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

UCLA is fighting in court a ruling by the state that claims the
university owes its construction workers a higher wage for working
on publicly funded projects.

The problem is that no one can agree on whether the construction
is publicly funded.

According to the California Code of Regulations, a "prevailing
wage" must be paid for projects financed in whole or part with
public funds. A prevailing wage is an average of the going regional
wage — generally close to the higher union wage scale.

The state board of labor has determined that the ongoing $50
million UCLA Mar Vista family student housing project is publicly
funded. As a result, the school must pay project workers the higher
wage.

UCLA administrators have a different view.

"We disagree with the conclusion of the director (of Industrial
Relations)," said Sam Morabito, assistant vice chancellor for
Business Enterprises. "There are no public funds being used."

At issue is whether the monies collected in the form of rent are
considered public funds and are thus subject to the state labor
law, said Richard Slawson, a building trades counselor for the Los
Angeles County Building and Construction Trades Council.

"(UCLA) has refused to acknowledge that the prevailing wage rule
applies (to the Mar Vista project)," Slawson said. "This is not the
first time the university has taken this position."

Union groups accuse UCLA of seeking out private lenders in an
attempt to circumvent public funding, and thus the prevailing wage
rule.

That is not the case, according to Morabito.

Morabito said the university decided several years ago to
replace rather than refurbish the student family complex, and that
funds for the project were acquired through a private loan with
First Interstate Bank. Wayne Kennedy, senior vice president of
business and finance for the University of California, then issued
an exemption to the prevailing wage requirements, citing UCLA’s
exceptional need for housing that could not be met if prevailing
wages were paid.

"We had to consider what graduate student families could
afford," Morabito said, adding that paying the higher wage would
have increased the construction project’s budget and forced the
university to raise the rent to a level above what student families
could afford. The university plans to repay the loan using rent
from future tenants.

Lloyd Aubry, director of industrial relations, refused to
confirm whether the rent was the public money in question, but did
clarify what constituted a public work. "The source of the funds is
not the only criteria used (for determining public funds). If money
passes through the hands of state agencies it becomes state money
and is subject to prevailing wage rule."

Union groups and labor activists also accused UCLA of using the
appeals process to avoid paying the higher prevailing wage.

"UCLA is trying to use the appeals process, hoping the project
will end before the process is over," said Michael McGrorty, a
compliance officer for Southern California IBEW-NECA
Labor-Management Cooperation Committee. "UCLA has been informed (of
the requirements) and has refused to act. It’s one state agency
telling another state agency to go to hell."

Morabito denied that UCLA was using the appeals process to avoid
paying the higher wage. "Our option is to appeal and adjudicate a
solution in court."

Marilyn Manson strikes out against conventional

By Nisha Gopalan

Not since the Revolting Cocks’ "Beers, Steers & Queers –
Drop Your Britches Mix" has a band so provocatively incorporated
the subject of sodomy into a song – until now. Enter Florida’s
Marilyn Manson.

Marilyn Manson, the group, manipulates voice textures and
bizarre soundbites to add to the disturbing tone of their heavy
metalesque album, "Portrait of an American Family."

"I am the god of fuck," drones lead singer Manson in "Cake and
Sodomy," as a woman’s voice in the background repeatedly chants,
"white trash." Within the song, Manson manages to cover all the
talk-show favorites – a "red-neck-burn-out-mid-west-mind," "libido
fascination," "oral defecation" and "VCRs and vaseline."

The very name of the band represents an extreme – the contrast
between the glamorous Marilyn Monroe and the criminally notorious
Charles Manson. Each band member – guitarist Daisy Berkowitz,
bassist Twiggy Ramirez, multi-instrumentalist Madonna Wayne Gacy,
drummer Sara Lee Lucas and lead vocalist/lyricist Mr. Manson –
incorporates the names of glamour figures and criminals into his
name. The band remains serious enough about its philosophy that
these created names endure off stage.

"It’s a two-edged sword," says Manson, sounding over the
telephone vaguely like Arnold Schwarzenegger, minus the accent.
"Marilyn Manson is fueled by sensationalism and it fuels
sensationalism. I’m making a mockery of sensationalism."

Manson points out the irony in "the fact that society wants to
reject it (sensationalism) and be offended by it when it has
created it."

Shedding light upon the larger picture, the band embraces
paradox.

"I hate what I have become to escape what I hated being," sings
Manson in "Organ Grinder."

"I’m a living contradiction," says Manson. "I thrive off of that
extreme – the positive and negative extreme, the male and female
extreme, the kindness and violence extreme."

Manson cites the Hegelian dialect to illustrate his point: "It’s
the juxtaposition of two diametrically opposed archetypes. And
that’s what Marilyn Manson really is, taking those two extremes and
putting them together to come up with this gray area that
transcends, for me, morality, sexuality. It gives you the freedom
to go in any direction you want."

Manson’s intrigue toward children’s films inspired the album’s
first track, entitled, "Prelude (the Family Trip)" – Manson
reciting the tune sung by Willy Wonka during the boat ride in
"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

"When you’re a kid, you’re fearless. You’re more of an
individual as a kid." Fittingly, a 6-year old, Robert Pierce, sings
on the album.

"When we originally wrote that song, ‘(My) Monkey,’ I tried to
make myself sound like a kid because it sounded like a nursery
rhyme. And I heard that kid singing it because his parents had our
demo tape. It sounded perfect to me. In the song, his voice and my
voice kind of melt together and you can’t tell which one is which.
I like that."

Manson, who attended a strict Christian school, lashes out
against adults masking reality with morality. "Morality is used to
control. Morality was designed to benefit the people who created
it, not the people who are controlled by it," says Manson, echoing
Nietzsche. "That’s why you have to create your own morality. But
with that, you have to be responsible."

In "Dogma," Manson shrieks, "Burn the witches, burn the witches,
don’t take time to sew your stitches," seemingly pointing his
finger at the atrocities morality can breed. "Goddamn your
righteous hand," he whispers at the beginning of "Get your Gunn."
According to Manson, hiding reality from kids sparks behavior like
suicide and murder.

"I think in America everyone’s always trying to protect you from
yourself," explains Manson. "I’m not saying to open the doors to a
kid and let him do what he wants. What I’m suggesting is just a
little more open, just a little more honesty and not using morals
all the time, using more reality and explaining to kids their
options in life."

Manson defends his lyrics from accusations that he advocates
racism, violence against women, murder and drug use. To Manson, his
lyrics simply reflect a brutally honest depiction of reality. In
truth, he neither advocates nor condemns actions.

In fact, Manson contends that "any woman who feels alienated can
relate to that (Marilyn Manson’s philosophy). Any person who
behaves sexually different than the norm can relate to that.
Anybody who is a different race that doesn’t fit in with the rest
of their city, or whatever, can relate to that."

"I don’t think we aim to offend. I think we aim to get a
reaction."

Marilyn Manson opens for Nine Inch Nails at the
Universal Amphitheater on Oct. 4, 6 and 7.