We are calling on USC to consider the health and safety of the Trojan family as well as the community of South Central Los Angeles and stand in solidarity with Trojans from all backgrounds in the midst of the current global pandemic and beyond. We demand that USC:

ONLY allow students that NEED housing to return to campus:

According to the latest announcements made by the Office of the Provost, “priority for existing applicants will be given to students whose study requires in-person education, are in named scholarship and athletics programs, who may require special accommodations, or are international students.” This disproportionately leaves out many underrepresented and underserved members of the Trojan Family. USC must remain firm in its commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion by providing sufficient resources for its most vulnerable students and ensuring a safe and effective learning environment for ALL. We are calling on USC to prioritize, guarantee, and subsidize housing for students that face violence, discrimination, or instability at home, or face significantly more risk of contracting COVID-19 at home, as well as students with significant mental health concerns, disabilities, and lack of access to adequate at-home learning environments.

Additionally, USC has also stated that outbreaks are likely to occur throughout the semester and that they will ONLY require international students to quarantine for 14 days, despite the U.S. being the world leader in coronavirus cases. This ultimately puts workers, students, and the surrounding South Central community at greater risk of contagion. Hospitality workers at USC, made up of predominantly Black and Latine people from the surrounding communities, are put at even greater risk as a result of systemic racism in healthcare and the workforce. By attempting to accommodate the larger groups mentioned in the email, USC is demonstrating a clear lack of understanding of the possible dangers and risks of reopening. Furthermore, USC has stated procedures for students who become infected but have failed to address how they plan to care for workers who become infected. We demand that USC commit to protect all members of the Trojan family and support students,  workers, and the community in these unprecedented times.

Guaranteed housing, dining, and work-study funds regardless of campus reopening:

Alongside the Office of Provost’s recent announcement that instruction will mostly be online, USC Financial aid plans to reduce housing and dining funds under the assumption that students are living rent-free and are able to afford basic living expenses without assistance or that living at home is relatively less expensive than living on-campus. This is not the case for all students. While there are plans that will allow students from the surrounding neighborhoods to enter campus, it is unreasonable to expect students to travel back and forth between their homes and campus for critical campus resources during a pandemic. Additionally, students in the surrounding communities that live with immunocompromised people or are immunocompromised themselves are put at even greater risk by this policy that expects students to expose themselves even more to COVID-19. While this is important for students who reside in the surrounding neighborhoods who will depend on these resources, the residents of South Central and the greater Los Angeles area only make up a small portion of USC’s most marginalized students. Furthermore, with administration failing to make realistic plans for the fall semester, students and staff were led to believe that they would be able to safely return to campus, ultimately resulting in many members of the Trojan family now struggling to make accommodations for the new semester. While we understand that these are unprecedented and unpredictable times, we are calling on USC to take accountability for their lack of transparency and commit to providing financial assistance to students who require lease or housing assistance, and are dependent on financial aid to afford their cost of living. As of now, USC is failing its community, disregarding the many Trojans who will become homeless in the fall as well as the families that must make accommodations to house and feed an additional family member.  

USC has also failed to acknowledge work-study compensation for the fall 2020 semester. Often being students’ main source of income, USC is failing to provide adequate financial assistance that many students depend on throughout the school year to purchase everyday necessities not covered by grants or scholarships. With a $5.73 billion endowment, USC must abide by its promise to support ALL members of the Trojan family and work to provide significant financial support for its marginalized communities. While we understand the uncertainty and difficulty with our current global situation, we demand USC stand by its commitment to diversity and inclusion by ensuring equal educational opportunity for its students and putting the health and safety of the Trojan Family and its surrounding community at the top on their list of priorities. With this in mind, we demand adequate measures be implemented to ensure the protection and stability of students, staff, and other community members regardless of whether or not students are required to live on campus.