April 24, 2024
Dear USC community,
I want to give you an update on what has been happening on our campus today.
As always, our highest priority and responsibility is to protect the safety of our community and ensure our academic programs and university activities continue unabated.
I also want to affirm that the university values freedom of expression and protects the right of every member of our community to express themselves. We have well-established policies regarding limits on the time, place, and manner of free expression. These include a prohibition on erecting tents or other encampments, use of loudspeakers, signs on poles or stakes, and the disruption of classes and other essential functions of the university.
During a protest on campus today, which is taking place outside Doheny Library and in the center of academic buildings, participants – many of whom do not appear to be affiliated with USC – were repeatedly asked by security personnel to remove their tents and other prohibited items as well as relocate to a compliant location. In each case, protesters refused. Their actions have escalated to include acts of vandalism, defacing campus buildings and structures, as well as physical confrontation that threatens the safety of our officers and campus community.
As a result, we have closed the campus gates and are taking action to restrict growth of the protest and keep the rest of the campus calm. Until further notice, We are restricting unauthorized visitors from entering campus. Individuals with proper USC identification or verifiable business purpose will be able to access campus, attend classes, and participate in activities. This process is the same as our evening and weekend campus entry policies.
We want to be clear that we reject speech that is hateful and that causes harm to others. In these challenging times, we call on the Trojan Family to remember that every member of our community is deserving of respect, has the right to be safe on campus, take classes, and participate in other campus activities without fear of harassment or bullying. It should be everyone’s priority to treat each other with kindness and care.
Support resources for our community as well as policy information and more can be found on our webpage Network of Informational and Support Resources in Times of Conflict.
We are paying close attention to the situation as it continues to evolve. We will do all that is required to maintain the safety of every member of our community and provide more updates as we have them.
Sincerely,
Andrew T. Guzman
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs