In addition to the work that Student Equity and Inclusion Programs is doing to address equity and inclusion, USC Student Life is currently addressing E & I across all of their departments. Here are some highlights of E & I work in action:
- First-Generation Mentor Program: This program provides “real world” exposure to their field of interest through a mentoring program that focuses on professional and career development. Students are paired with USC alumni who were also first-generation, USC students to serve as their mentors. Students gain professional development and career direction. They foster a relationship and discuss any concerns or challenges they face as a first-generation student at USC, while gaining support, direction and connectivity from their mentor. They help the USC first-generation college students develop career awareness, identify their career goals and understand how to take that information and apply it to reach those goals. Throughout the course of the year, the cohort will participate in monthly programming that will aid students with their professional growth by focusing on topics such as resume and cover letter writing, interview preparation, networking strategies, first-generation identity exploration, financial literacy, and the application process for graduate school and fellowships.
- Diversity Meet & Greet: The USC Career Center’s Diversity Meet & Greet, held in collaboration with the Cultural Advocacy Centers, and five of the student assemblies, attended by over 100 students and nine employers who recognized the importance of supporting underrepresented interns and employees. Participating organizations included Blizzard Entertainment, JPMorgan Chase, Oracle, Target, and Visa. Student organizations that attended included Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association, Latino Business Student Association, the LGBT Resource Center, National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, SpectrumSC, and others. With this event, students can chat about workplace values, company culture, hiring opportunities and how companies support interns/employees from underrepresented populations.
- Veterans and Military Families Breakfast and Recruiting Night: Host of the Veterans and Military Families Breakfast and Recruiting Night, which is a campus-wide partnership between the Office of the Provost, Career Center, Sol Price School of Public Policy, Sol Price Office of Career Services, Center for Innovative Research on Veterans and Military Families (CIR), Student Veterans Association, Marshall Master of Business for Veterans, Alumni Veterans Network, United States Veterans Initiative, and the Veterans Resource Center. Past Employers Include: Amazon, PayPal, IBM, BMW of North America, Cedars- Sinai Health System, Booz Allen Hamilton, The Boeing Company, FBI, and many more!
- Alternative Break Grants: Alternative Break (AB) programs cultivate unique opportunities for students, staff and faculty to engage in service-learning and volunteerism in communities outside of USC. AB Grants open up these opportunities for students who do not have the means to attend.
- Late Night Programs: Give our students a chance to engage with other students while participating in an activity in a safe space. Events are open to all our USC students to give them safe alternatives to the typical college student weekend activities, where entertainment, giveaways, activities and food are provided.
- Undergraduate Student Government and Graduate Student Government: Fund several cultural assemblies which produce over 200 events each year to promote cultural awareness and celebration. Themed months of celebration include: Global Culture Month, Black History Month and Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival.
Fraternity and Sorority Leadership Development
- Fraternity and Sorority Leadership Development (FSLD) focuses on academics, civic engagement, well-being, safety, leadership and cultural understanding. FSLD comprises 50+ organizations in five unique student communities: Asian Greek Council, Interfraternity Council, Multicultural Greek Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Panhellenic Council.
- Student Advocates: The primary duties of the SAs are to assist students with interpersonal issues, which often-times stem from issues of equity and inclusion. The SAs are instrumental in steering students to existing university resources, or offering an experienced ear to listen to everyday problems.
- Diverse Recruitment: The Trojan Marching Band has representation from 11 majors from each of the 17 schools that offer undergraduate degrees. Additionally, band-member diversity demographics exceed overall USC student diversity demographics.
- Identity Based Residential Floors: These floors focus on helping first-year students navigate their first year at USC in a supportive environment, find community/sense of belonging, and learn about campus resources that are in place to help them succeed: El Sol y La Luna, Sommerville Place, Rainbow Floor, Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American (APIDA), Women in Science and Engineering, and Religion and Spirituality Floor.
- Resident Assistant Student Leadership Development: Each summer, two days of RA training to diversity and social justice. This acts as a primer terminology, team building, and gives them a foundation upon which their supervisors can continue the conversation. The ultimate goal is to equip student leaders to have conversations with their residents in an effort to build an inclusive community.
Disability Services and Programs
- The core business of their department is to ensure students receive equal access to the University environment and educational experiences through accommodations and auxiliary services. These range from classroom to testing, to housing/dining, to physical and programmatic accessibility. Their work involves on-going education and negotiation with academic units, to ensure accommodations and services are implemented effectively, and that students with disabilities are experiencing equal access, as well as non-discrimination (including privacy and terminology)