President Carol Folt, Provost Andrew Guzman, Vice President of Student Life Monique Allard, and Associate Senior Vice President of Safety and Risk Assurance Errol Southers,
We, the undersigned faculty, graduate student workers, post doctoral scholars, and staff of the University of Southern California are writing to express our frustration and discontent with the continued restrictions to our workplace. As academic workers and staff, the nature of our work often requires us to be physically present on campus, whether working in laboratories, researching in library archives, or teaching in a classroom. Central to the work of our world-class schools, departments, and institutes is collaboration, which includes holding conferences, workshops, and seminars, which normally include non-USC participants.
Unrestricted access to campus is therefore crucial for executing our job descriptions and carrying-out our day-to-day university activities. The continued limitations to our campus access are disruptive, burdensome, and present significant accessibility, equity, and safety violations. Additionally, many members of our community have faced discrimination at these checkpoints based on race, ethnicity, gender, and political affiliation. Since the imposition of the security perimeter, several international conferences, which took years of work by faculty, staff and students to organize, were severely disrupted. Many participants were turned away, and the message we sent was that USC is too afraid to be a world leading university that fosters open collaboration.
Overall, the fortification of our campus with fencing and checkpoints staffed by private security companies has created a climate of fear and distrust which does not align with USC’s mission statement that purports to support students, faculty, and staff with well-being, open communication, and accountability.
With restricted access to campus, members of our university community have experienced increased commute times, have been barred from their worksites, and have had their belongings subject to unpredictable and arbitrary searches. In particular, with the closure of many entrances including the Trousdale South entrance across from the Expo/USC Metro Station, those of us who rely on public transportation to get to campus are forced to use campus entrances that are significantly further away, delaying commutes and presenting unequal conditions of access for disabled workers and students.
Furthermore, those of us working in buildings on the south side of campus, where many scientific and engineering labs are located, have severely limited access to nearby entrances. Although the Watt Way entrance on the south side of campus has re-opened, the hours are restricted, forcing workers to walk all the way around the perimeter of campus to reach public transportation, our homes, and our parking spots at all hours of the night. For those of us who are lab scientists who work irregular hours, this can result in needing to navigate the perimeter of campus at late hours. The restriction to campus access also poses a serious accessibility issue for those who may have mobility impairment and are not able to walk long distances to reach an entrance. This inconvenience in accessing campus is extremely frustrating and greatly hinders our ability to perform our work.
Bag search and ID checkpoints as well as a large private security force, some of whom are visibly armed, add little to the public safety of our USC community and contribute to a broad feeling of unease and unsafety among faculty, staff, and students. Students also face invasive bag checks which have led to the confiscation of personal safety items that some choose to carry to protect themselves, leaving those who are on campus at irregular hours for work purposes vulnerable.
Furthermore, these ID and bag checks are unequally enforced, targeting our community members based on race, ethnicity, gender, and/or political affiliation. This is especially alarming, allowed and paid for by a university president who, almost exactly one year ago, emphasized USC’s “commitment to creating a campus that is welcoming, diverse, and inclusive to talented individuals from every background.” It is categorically unacceptable for members of the USC community to face discrimination and unfair suspicion as they come to campus to teach, work, or study.
We strongly urge the administration to end the restrictions placed on campus access to foster an open and accessible work environment.
We further urge the administration to remove the draconian and expensive security measures placed on campus in response to peaceful protest.
We strongly urge the administration to uphold the values of an open university that embraces the challenge of confronting and engaging with the world's most divisive issues, where, “diversity — of experiences, cultures, identities and perspectives — is a cornerstone of our community.”
As members of the Trojan Family, we share a commitment to peaceful dialogue free of hate and intolerance. We also share a commitment to inclusivity, trust, and care for the students, faculty, and staff that entrust USC with their time and abilities. As a university community, we simply cannot move forward in compassion and respect for all until the administration changes course away from suspicion and separation.
President Folt and Provost Guzman: we call on you to tear down this Trojan Wall.
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