SCampus Student Guidebook

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The Ronald Tutor Campus Center

The new Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC) is a four-story 193,000 square-foot complex with more than 30 meeting rooms, designated lounges, an expansive ballroom, and several department offices and dining options, including:

Admission Center

Dining
California Pizza Kitchen
Carl’s Jr.
Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
Lemonade
Seeds Marketplace
Moreton Fig Restaurant and Lounge
Panda Express
Traditions
Wahoo’s Fish Tacos

Student Affairs Offices
Academic Recognition Programs
Black Alumni Association
Campus Activities
Campus Center Administration
Graduate and Professional Student Senate
KSCR Radio
Leadership Programs
Mexican American Alumni Association
Program Board
Scheduling Office
Student Organization offices
Undergraduate Student Government
Volunteer Center

Epstein Family Alumni Center
USC Alumni Association
Asian Pacific Alumni Association
Lambda LGBT Alumni Association
Alumnae Support Groups

Where Do I Park?

Trojan History cartoon
“Ah, brother, that is a problem. Last year’s Greater University Committee, armed with walkie-talkies, stop-watches, and traffic counters, surveyed the traffic and parking situation on campus. 8,502 students completed questionnaires and their replies were transferred to IBM cards for tabulation, from which a lengthy list of recommendations was passed by the Senate and transmitted to the administration.” SCampus 1950-51

Student Services

Residential Education

Section PDF

Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs: Lynette Merriman
Director of Residential Communities: Carol Schmitz
Office for Residential Education
Student Union 200
(213) 740-2080
www.usc.edu/student-affairs/ResEd

Residential Education provides a student-centered, academically supportive residential environment that challenges students to explore their commonalities and differences. This is accomplished with the support of staff and faculty who help foster an educational community in which all members are respected and valued.

Residential Communities

Residential Colleges

USC has five residential colleges, providing an opportunity offered by only a few universities in the United States. These programs allow residents to live alongside USC faculty. Each building has a faculty master and sometimes several additional live-in faculty members. These individuals are an important part of the building’s academic and social life, hosting dinners and lectures, leading excursions into Los Angeles’ rich cultural landscape or participating in student-oriented activities.

Our residential colleges house residents of all class standings, but are primarily for freshmen.

International Residential College at Parkside: Oliver Mayer, Faculty Master
Arts and Humanities College at Parkside: Angus Fletcher, Acting Faculty Master
University Residential College at Birnkrant: Stan Rosen, Faculty Master
New Residential College: Thomas Gustafson, Faculty Master
North Residential College: Ed McCann, Faculty Master

Academic Special Interest Communities

There are many interest-based special interest communities at USC. Resident faculty members and visiting scholars develop significant relationships with students while continuing to teach and conduct research.

These communities include:

Annenberg House: Annenberg Multimedia Program
Arts and Humanities Residential College: Art and Architecture Floor and Music Floor
Centennial Apartments: Occupational Therapy House
Century: Trojan Academy (honors community for upperclassmen)
Hillview Apartments: Residential Faculty Program and Chemistry Ph.D. Community
Honors House: Residential Faculty Program
New Residential College: Cinema Floor and Wellness Floor
North Residential College: Wellness Floor
Marks Hall: WiSE (Women in Science and Engineering Program)
Marks Tower: Great Outdoors Floor
Terrace Apartments: Law Program
Pardee Tower: Business Floor
Trojan Hall: Leadership Floor

Cultural Special Interest Communities

These communities foster understanding and respect for different cultures and faiths among residents.

These communities include:

Century Apartments: Rainbow Floor
Fluor Tower: Somerville Place; Latino Floor
Parkside Apartments: Muslim Floor; SChalom Floor

Residential Education Staff

Residential Education staff live in USC housing alongside students to help them get the most of their living and learning experience.

All housing facilities have a staff of Resident Advisors (RAs), typically consisting of one RA per floor or wing. RAs are responsible for helping residents form communities at USC. Specifically, RAs support students’ academic success, assist residents in working through personal problems, direct residents during emergency situations, work to help resolve roommate conflicts, create programs and ensure that university policies are followed by all residents.

Residence Coordinators and Assistant Directors are also part of the Residential Education staff. Residence Coordinators are graduate staff who oversee a residence hall or apartment building and supervise the RAs.

Assistant Directors are full-time, professional staff members who live in university housing and supervise an entire residential area. You can contact Assistant Directors at (213) 740-2080.

Residential Education Programs

Food for Thought

Resident Advisors are encouraged to apply for funding to offer a meal program that includes a faculty member and up to 13 participants. Events are held at an off-campus restaurant, campus eatery or a faculty home.

My Fresh Experience

My Fresh Experience promotes a successful academic and social integration for first-year students. My Fresh Experience consists of both a program series and a Web-based resource center, found at sait.usc.edu/resed/myfresh. The program employs a holistic, student-centered approach, understanding that the student experience consists of both academic and personal development. My Fresh Experience provides the opportunity for these lifelong learning tools: personal growth; academic achievement; leadership achievement; community outreach; and health/wellness.

Student-Developed Programs

A variety of student-developed programs are offered in USC’s residential communities. For more information regarding specific events, contact your residential advisor or visit www.usc.edu/student-affairs/ResEd.

North Area: Mardi Gras and the Ed Wood Film Festival
South Area: Deans’ Dinner, Snowball, Friday Night Scream and Spirituality Series
East Area: Community Block Party, Graduate and Professional Student Week
West Area: Players Ball, Westside Wellness Week, Cardinal Gardens Diversity Month
Parkside Arts and Humanities: Arts in the Park and the Music Floor Showcase
Parkside International: Soiree Spectaculaire, Reel World Series, Project Black Canvas, Persian New Year, Reel L.A., Indus Valley Week, IHOF (International House of Fashion), Performance Café and Language Tables

Student Government Groups

University Residential Student Community

The University Residential Student Community (URSC) serves all students who live in university housing by providing them with ways to enhance and contribute to their residential experiences. URSC is made up of five boards: Executive, Advocacy, Funding, Programming and the Building Government Chairs. At the beginning of each year, building government elections are held within each housing unit or community and one representative is chosen for each of the URSC boards. Among URSC’s many annual events are the Dive-In Movie and Welcome Dance during Welcome Week as well as Battle of the Cans, Save Tommy Night, Spirits at Troy, Shake Up and Shack Up, and Final Fling. For more information about URSC, call (213) 740-6467, email ursc@usc.edu or visit STU 200-I.

Building and Area Governments

Representative student governments exist in all the residential communities. These are affiliated with URSC and advised by Residential Education staff. These groups create such events as Spirits at Troy (a Halloween program for local schoolchildren) and Save Tommy Night (on the eve of the USC-UCLA football game), and participate in TrojanWars, the HICcup intramurals competition and other ongoing events.