Miami Hurricane, September 09, 1975

              RENTEX:
Rental Agency Investigated
By Dade's State Attorney
JOAN DONAHUE
City Editor
'I was new In town and paid Rentex $30 to get listings of apartments near the University The apartments they told me about were rotten and falling apart, if they even existed at all.' said a new UM student from Chicago
Rentex is a nationally franchised company that advertises low-priced rentals of apartments or houses For their service a $20 fee is charged
The Miami office of Rentex is currently under investigation by the Dade State s Attorney's office and the Florida Real Estate Commission Charges range from *slse advertising to having employees without Real Estate licenses working in their Miami Office.
Complaints have also been filed with the Consumer Protection Agency, the Better Business Bureau and both branches of the Florida Tenants Association
The Rentex offices reopened Monday morning after the doors closed without explanation three weeks ago New manager David Webster explained why the offices were closed but refused to comment on the pending Investigations
‘We weren't aware of the problem our Miami office was
having until recently The previous manager took off with most of the tees collected from this office and he left town The office was then closed until today We're trying to clear up the complaints but we are back in action and ready to go.' Webster said
Though the office has reopened. the complaints have not been cleared up, according to Allan Krueger, director of the Consumer Frauds division of the State Attorney's office
Rentex is still a problem with us, as they have always been Not only is the Miami office under investigation. but also Seattle. Baltimore, and N Y C The Federal Trade Commission is putting strong moves on the Seattle office to close It down. Krueger said.
Krueger advises students to stay away from the Rentex agency and find an apartment on their own They II find a place, avoid headaches and save $20 I don't know of any satisfied Rentex customers, but I sure can tell you about the many unsatisfied customers that have filed complaints.' Krueger said
A reliable source at the Real Estate Commission also was doubtful that Rentex would change its ways and added. In the past. Rentex has hired undesirables' to
work for them, in the office It is a shady operation, one that sets up shop in an area and as soon as the heat is on. leaves for cooler places'
A woman of the Florida Tenants Association, who asked to remain anonymous, wants Rentex closed, the sooner the better Because of a shortage in low-income housing, our people go to them and pay the $20 fee for low-income apartment listings Whan you get there, they are already rented out or are a much higher price than Rentex said Man. it is such a rip-off! We have heard over 200 complaints of one kind or another, about Rentex '
Joan Hall reporter for WTVJ news produced one story about Rentex and is working on a second
‘My investigation was helped by a former employee of Rentex This girl was employed as a check
runner, whose |Ob was to drive immediately to the bank of a Rentex customer and cash the check That i. sv Rentex had a policy of accep -g only local checks. If any at all T . ty preferred dealing on a cash-only basis
She further explained the check cashing operation, saying. Checks were not endorsed to Rentex either This was left blank and on many occasions, the check runner would fill in the name of an employee and it would be a personal bonus to them
When a customer was dissatisfied with the service of Rentex. it would be too late to put a stop payment on their check A nd of course, there was little chance of a cash refund, of any kind 'It sure seems shady to me.
So. while the investigations continue. the Rentex office Is again open and ready for business

7 i.


'Beware Rentex Agency Ads' Says Consumer Frauds Office
If you are looking for an apartment, stay away from the Rentex agency and find an apartment on your own advises Allan Krueger, director of the Consumer Frauds division of the State Attorney's of fice.
Classified ads similar to the sample above have been placed in Miami newspapers by the troubled agency which is under investigation for talse advertising by Dados State Attorneys office

THE AMA/V\i| HURRICANE
Vol. S1 No. 3
TUE8DA Y/8EPTEMBER 9,197$
(90S) 994-4401

Library Lack Of Funds Acute
VICTORIA SIMON
HurriCEf»« Writer
Students searching library stacks for recent publications are likely to come away empty-handed
The Otto G Library has been without funds for new book purchases since last December as a result of shrinking budget allocations and soaring periodical costs
The library has been Inadequately supported for the past ten years.' said Director Archie L McNeal, who has requested that the University Budget Committee grant first prlortty In considering $50.000 in few funds for library needs
The Annual Library Report stresses the importance of library resources to the University . careful thought should be given to the place of the library in the performance of the miasion of an academic institution It seems obvious that if the purpose is quality education, books and periodicals, both current and retrospective, are indispensable '
Budget allocations for book purchases declined from $170.000 in 1969 to $91.467 in 1974-75 while costs of books have increased by 50 per cent.
Despite a freeze on new subscriptions. periodical costs have also been increasing at 13 per cent per year to exceed a $100.000 allowance by $38.000 and the libray is threatened with its first deficit in over twenty years
In a further effort to cut coats, department surveys requesting faculty to rate publications In order of importance were uaed as a basis lor dropping subacrtpOewa.
Currently, the only money for few books comes from gifts and memorial funds specifically designated A $25.000 grant from the estate of car rental magnate John Hertz, for example, is being transferred to the library for book needs within the College of Arts and Sciences
When available, library funds are distributed among departments by a Library Com-
We're On Time
A mechanical failure in a brand new web offset press delayed the delivery of the Miami Hurricane last Friday for seven hours The printing company under contract by the Hurricane was unable to repair the press and was eventually forced to print the newspaper using the faulty equipment. We apologize for the delay and inconvenience
mittee appointed by the Dean ol Faculties and Director of Libraries Each department then issues book
purchase requests to the library in accordance with their appropriations
The combined general, law and medical libraries contain over one million volumes But numbers
alone are not important said Dr McNeal. no library can afford to remain static '
Cost Of Textbooks Rising
SHAWN HOLLANDER
Hurncsn« Stitt Writ
Textbook prices are on the rise,
according to Bookstore Managei
Georg« Mitchell.
He said this year s hike resulted
in students paying an additional 15 per cent lor books
Mitchell said the book publishers have raised their prices forcing individual bookstores to do the same to keep from losing money
There Is little that a college bookstore can do to combat a monopolistic publisher. Mitchell said Textbook companies are among the biggest ripotf artists I've ever came in contact with
Current publisher policy limits bookstores to a 20 per cent profit on new textbooks, he said, and profits are further curtailed by publishers transferring paperback books, selling at the bookstore for profits of 33 to 45 per cent, to textbook versions
Included in their profit Mitchell said bookstores must deal with a 5 per cent postage and freight cost, operating and maintenance costs, and the risk of buying back used books that may be discon-
Books cost 15% more	S,IVF nsu t.nued by professors
Are Signatures A Key To Sex Life ?
Clarence
Grant
KUNA SCLEZ
News Editor
A one-time Hungarian banker has offered to examine UM students' handwriting and determine If they're prone to sexual deviations
Clarence K Grant says years of research have shown him that people with triangular lower loops on their g’s are likely to be disturbed in their sexual performance among other things
Since handwriting shows the persons physical makeup, what we call vitality, and his psy
chological abilities, it is a strong indication of hia sexual performance or inclinations.' he says Grant believes the size, ahape and speed of handwriting reveal many aspects of the writer's personality
His first step In analyzing someones handwriting is determining the fantasy factor
A creative person does everything his own way, including his style of expressing himself through writing,' he says
A person with no imagination will write the way he learned pen manship in the first grade He follows the routine.’
The second factor in evaluating sexuality is vitality, which Grant explains as the coordinated physiological and biological aspects
Grant says a person s physical condition, whether he is healthy well-fed or properly developed by physical education, is also revealed through his writing Naturally, that plays an important part in determining sexual performance Anyone who is healthy and vital writes with strong and usually heavy lines Grant explains
Somebody who is sickly or shy would produce very fine handwriting that you need magifying glass to read
A native of Budapest. Grant says he has been involved in the study and teaching of graphology all my life '
‘I was a banker and business hours were eight to two he said I became interested in graphology in order to fill my afternoons He |Oined the Hungarian Graphological Society and worked in a research institute keeping records of school aqed childrens handwriting patterns and their changes from year to year He used a device similar to a modern electrocardiogram machine that measured the amount of pressure exerted by the student's pen onto the paper The rolls of paper with the distinct etchings were kept on file for comparisons and future reference
After World War II, he moved to New York City where he resumed work in banking
One day I was fortunate enough to bump into the leader of the Hungarian institute Professor Klara Coldziher Roman Grant recalls
She had started a new school for social research and I became the technical assistant
In 1960 he made his way to Miami Beach
Grant feels the mam impact of graphology lies in its use for testing and identifying criminal patterns and as a psychological aid to teachers
Not only writing but scratches in the sand with a stick a small child s dabbing on the wall, and doodles are all forms of self-expression and are very characteristic, naturally, he says
Grant believes kindergarten teachers should be skilled in graphology so that they know how to interpret childrens protective drawings
In a college class, the instructor would immediately be able to sort out the leaders from the followers, the intelligent from the stupid, and the ambitious from the lazy
Grant compares handwriting analysis to astrology and palm reading They all have large followings he says, but at the same time are not accepted by ‘official' science
Grant claims he is offering his (see pege 3)