Student Services
Residential Education
Director of Residential Communities: Carol Schmitz
Office for Residential Education
Student Union 200
(213) 740-2080
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’s residential college program has expanded to support all first-year undergraduate students. USC’s eight residential colleges provide an opportunity offered by only a few universities in the United States. These programs allow residents to live alongside USC faculty. Each residential college 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 the on-campus programs are primarily for freshmen.
- International Residential College at Parkside: Oliver Mayer, Faculty Master
- Arts and Humanities College at Parkside: Angus Fletcher, Faculty Master
- University Residential College at Birnkrant: Stan Rosen, Faculty Master
- New Residential College: Faculty Master to be named
- North Residential College: Tim Biblarz, Faculty Master
- South Residential College: Ed McCann, Faculty Master
- Fluor Tower Residential College: Stanley J. Huey, Faculty Master
- Webb Tower Residential College: Ellen Seiter, 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: Arts and Architecture Floor, Dance and Drama Floor, Creative Writing 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 Advisers (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 Advisers 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 adviser or visit 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, ArtSCapades and the Music Floor Showcase
- Parkside International: Soiree Spec-taculaire, Reel World Series, Project Black Canvas, Persian New Year, Reel L.A., Indus Valley Week, IHOF (International House of Fash-ion), Performance Café and Lan-guage Tables
Student Government Groups
Getting involved in the University Residential Student Community (URSC) or building government is a tremendous opportunity to enhance your leadership skills and the residential experience for everyone in USC Housing.
University Residential Student Community (URSC)
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. The URSC Website is ursc.usc.edu.
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.
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