Dear Graduate Student,

USC Graduate School’s Vice Provost for Graduate Programs, Sally Pratt, invites you to attend one of the upcoming Spring 2020 Graduate Student Luncheons.

The luncheon will be an opportunity to create an inclusive community for graduate students from the University Park Campus and the Health Science Campus. You have the opportunity to talk with the Vice Provost about a variety of university-wide graduate and professional student topics Vice Provost Pratt is interested in hearing your news, updates, and concerns  and in soliciting feedback on aspects of the Graduate School that work well and how the Graduate School can improve its relationships with graduate students.

The event is open to all USC graduate students, and attendance will be capped at 15 students per luncheon. Space is limited; please note that your RSVP does not guarantee you a seat at the luncheon. The exact location of each luncheon will be communicated through a confirmation email sent to the first 15 students, per event, who have expressed interest in the particular meeting date.

Our Spring 2020 Graduate Student Luncheons will take place on the following dates:

• UPC: March 25, 12-1:30 PM
• UPC: April 6, 12-1:30 PM
• UPC, International Student Topics: April 8, 12-1:30 PM
• HSC: April 14, 12-1:30 PM

Reserve your space for one of the luncheons by filling out this form.

Dear students, faculty & staff,

Please join members across the university (Cinema, USC Race & Equity Center and UC immigrant Legal Services Center) on Monday, March 9th at 5pm in Taper Hall (THH) Room 420 for a teach in about the CAA/NRC and ongoing protests in India.

Speakers will include Dr. Priya Jaikumar (USC School of Cinematic Arts), Dr. Sumun Pendakur (USC Race and Equity Center), and Vivek Mittal (UC Immigrant Legal Services). Samosas will be served.

All are welcome!

A message from

Varun Soni, Ph.D.

Vice Provost, Office of Campus Wellness and Crisis Intervention

Dean, Office of Religious and Spiritual Life

USC is an inspiring place to teach and learn, but amid the constant whirlwind of activity and information, it can be challenging to feel fully present in our lives and in our work. As a way of proactively creating a culture of well-being on campus, we launched Mindful USC six years ago as a secular, university-wide initiative focused on positive health outcomes and learning experiences for our university community, especially in terms of stress reduction, workplace happiness, emotional intelligence, and artistic expression. Indeed, research studies have shown that mindfulness practices help us to be aware of ourselves in ways that increase attentiveness in the classroom, deepen the quality of teaching and learning, encourage creativity and innovation, and improve our ability to collaborate effectively.

Accordingly, Mindful USC offers free mindfulness courses for students, faculty, and staff, and since its inception, more than 6,000 members of our university community have taken a mindfulness course on campus. The overwhelming majority of participants report significant improvements in terms of addressing stress and anxiety, and in developing more meaningful interpersonal relationships.

This semester, we are pleased to offer two sessions of the popular courses Mindfulness Lab, Mindful Creativity, Mindful Writing, Mindful Parenting, and Mindful Self-Compassion. We are also pleased to offer two additional well-being courses: Click! (cultivating healthy friendships and relationships) and Sleep (developing healthy sleeping habits and perspectives). The first session starts on January 27^th and the second session begins on March 23^rd.

If you are interested in taking any of these free courses on campus, please visit the Mindful USC website as enrollment is open now. If you would like to take a course at the Health Science Campus, please enroll on the Health Science Campus registration page. And we encourage everyone to download our free Mindful USC app, which offers guided meditations and other mindfulness resources.

For more information about Mindful USC, please contact mindful@usc.edu.

Join the final two USC Town Halls to hear the university-wide results (non-school/unit-specific) of the USC Cultural Values Poll.  Nearly 20,000 Trojans shared their voice last October about our current and desired values. Come hear what we had to say, and how we move forward with change.

Monday, February 3^rd, 4 – 6 p.m.

UPC Town & Gown

This session will be livestreamed and recorded.

Click here  (http://bit.ly/uscculturejourney) to begin the livestream at 4:00 p.m. PT.

Thursday, February 6^th, 7 – 9 a.m.

HSC Aresty Conference Center (NRT)

And, join us for deeper-diver conversations, with 25 colleagues, to explore the USC-wide values, behaviors, and systems and processes and get your input. 53 in-person and 8 virtual sessions now available.

Register at Trojanlearn.usc.edu

Don’t miss the opportunity to share your voice. Start the change. Shape USC’s culture.

The Pullias Center is happy to host their annual community hike this year on Saturday, March 7th at 10:00am. 

They selected a trail in Griffith Park that is centrally located and should be beautiful this time of year: a <3.7-mile loop trail that will take attendees up to Glendale Peak and Mount Hollywood. There are picnic tables and benches near the summit of Mount Hollywood, if you are inclined to pause for a while and enjoy a meal with a view! Families, friends, and pets are always welcome, and more details are here: https://www.hikespeak.com/trails/glendale-peak-mount-hollywood-loop-griffith-park/

Where to meet: The Riverside Trailhead along Vermont Canyon Road, in view of the Greek Theater parking. Please arrive by 9:45am for a 10:00am departure from the trailhead. Please bring plenty of water, and wear sneakers or hiking boots.

Questions, contact Julie Posselt (posselt@usc.edu). No RSVP or sign-up required.

The USC Rossier School of Education Staff Advancement Committee strives to serve as a board to create programming opportunities for our staff to engage in professional development, community engagement, and wellness initiatives. In an effort to promote local community engagement we invite staff, and all who would like to participate, to donate a holiday gift for PreK-12 grade students assisted by the Los Angeles Unified School District Homeless Education Program. Our hope is that students receive an item that brings them joy during the holiday season. Participants who contribute will receive one raffle ticket per donated item for an opportunity to win our Grand Prize!

Please submit your donations no later than Monday, December 11^th. The LAUSD Homeless Education Program will distribute gifts to PreK-12 grade students just before they begin their winter break.

Donations may be submitted in the following locations: 

• University Park Campus- WPH 404 Suite D
• City Center- SCT 21^st floor breakroom or 5^th floor breakroom

Store bought age appropriate toys for students in Prek-12 gradeItems approved for donation include the following:

• Age appropriate books for students in Prek-12 grade
• Store bought age appropriate clothing items for students in Prek-12 grade
• School Supplies (Writing utensils, crayons, backpacks, etc.)
• Gift cards ($10-$20 Walmart, Target, Food4Less, etc.)
• Blankets
• Hygiene Items (Shampoo, body wash, tooth brushes, feminine care, etc.)

To read more information about the LAUSD Homeless Education Program please visit their website by clicking the link below, https://achieve.lausd.net/Page/12911.

The Staff Advancement Committee thank you in advance for your support and participation. If you have any questions regarding donations, please contact Kimberly Alvarez at kdalvare@rossier.usc.edu.