August 1, 2024
Dear USC Community,
We hope you have had an opportunity to enjoy the summer and take some time to rest and connect with loved ones and friends. With the fall semester quickly approaching, we write to share a Title IX policy update, remind you of reporting responsibilities and resources available, and introduce our inaugural community impact report.
Title IX Regulations
Since April 19, 2024, when the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released new Title IX regulations, we have been actively working to incorporate the requirements into our policy and processes, where needed, to comply with the regulations by the August 1, 2024 deadline. However, due to a recent federal court injunction preventing OCR from implementing and enforcing the new Title IX regulations at certain schools, including USC, we are pausing the implementation until we have clarity on the finality of the law.
Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation
Accordingly, the current Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation (the Policy) remains in effect. The Policy applies broadly to the university community, including students, faculty, staff, clinicians, and physicians. It is consistent with informed practice, prior OCR directives to USC, and state law, and already includes many of the elements of the 2024 Title IX regulations. For example, as required under California law, the Policy already prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of protected characteristics such as gender identity, sexual orientation, and sex stereotyping, as well as related retaliation. These protected characteristics are also listed in the university’s Notice of Non-Discrimination.
Reporting and Accessing Resources
The USC Report & Response website is the front-door portal for reporting concerns and getting the support you need. It provides options to report as a Trojan (through a Shibboleth-protected page), as a guest, or anonymously. You can also report by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 213-740-2500. Reporting concerns centrally enhances the university’s ability to respond in a timely manner and create an environment where our community can feel safe, heard, and protected.
The site is also home to a list of confidential and supportive resources, frequently asked questions, information on what to expect after a report is made, and Faculty and Staff Reporting Responsibilities. As USC community members, each of us plays an essential role in fostering an environment free from sexual and gender-based harassment and violence. We encourage faculty and staff to take seriously their responsibilities to report and reach out to the Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX (EEO-TIX) if you have any questions.
USC Responds: Fostering a Welcoming and Inclusive Environment
To learn how the university has engaged in a multi-tiered, multi-year set of initiatives to redesign and build systems to consistently assess, equitably address, and remedy the impacts of sexual and gender-based harassment and violence on university climate and culture, please refer to our inaugural community report “USC Responds: Fostering a Welcoming and Inclusive Environment .” The report delivers information and data on reports, response, and outcomes from EEO-TIX and the Office of Professionalism and Ethics, and also provides a summary of related university-wide initiatives and efforts.
The university remains committed to reinforcing a culture of care, responsibility, and accountability across all programs and activities so that each of us can learn, live, work, thrive, and know that we belong and matter at USC.
Fight on!
Felicia A. Washington
Senior Vice President
Human Resources, Equity, and Compliance
Linda Hoos
Vice President
Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX
and Title IX Coordinator