USD Magazine, Summer-Fall 1993

terns from this editor's mailbox for the week of July 19-25: •Two mail-order catalogs for books and one book club solicitation; •Six mail-order catalogs for clothing; • A solicitation brochure from a "save

the children"-type organization; •Three identical full-color brochures from Volkswa– gen of America, each addressed with identical labels; • An invitation to join a bizarre encounter-type group in Los Angeles; • A sales catalog for cycling equipment (never mind that I don't own a bike); • Eight pieces of mail addressed to former residents; •Three magazines; • Six pieces of personal, first-class (i.e. real) mail; • And 16 fliers from local businesses, addressed to "resident," most duplicated in my Thursday news– paper. Sound familiar? Environmental implications aside, the deluge of mail with which we are bombarded on a daily basis is both a benefit and a curse of the high– tech computer age in which we live. "Benefit," because such advances as cordless telephones, online computer services and mail-order have offered us greater flexibility and convenience in daily living. "Curse," because with that convenience has come the danger of misused information as mailing lists are bought and sold and consumer profiles are compiled by companies whose main business is to watch and record what we buy. Our cover story in this issue, "The Right to Remain Silent," deals with the type of information disseminated by USD's Privacy Rights Clearing– house, a program established in 1992 as part of the School of Law's Center for Public Interest Law. The PRC staff has taken on the task of informing the public about how personal information can be abused, and how to prevent it. We hope you find the information useful in your own life. Also in this issue of USD Magazine is "Great Inspirations," our tribute to seven longtime univer– sity faculty members whose influence over genera– tions of students at Alcala Park has been immeasurable. We hope you will join us in wishing only the best to Professors Fred Bahr, Ross Ding– man, Marjorie Hart, Henry Kolar, Irving Parker, Del Schneider and John Swanke.