Today’s Events on the University Park Campus: a note from Michael Quick

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MEMORANDUM

To:                  USC Community

From:              Michael W. Quick

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Date:               October 2, 2017

Subject:           Today’s Events on the University Park Campus

We want to update you on the events that unfolded earlier today on our University Park Campus. Based on an unconfirmed report of an active shooter in Fertitta Hall, our Department of Public Safety issued a “police activity/shelter in place” alert shortly after noon. A search of the building quickly verified that the report was false. The university had counselors report to the area immediately to support those who experienced the unsettling event.

The Los Angeles Police Department and the university are looking into the incident, which the LAPD is stating appears to have originated erroneously from a faculty member in a classroom.

We appreciate the rapid response of our Department of Public Safety and the LAPD. We also want to praise our students, staff, and faculty who cooperated fully with the instructions provided.

In the aftermath of the tragic events in Las Vegas on Sunday, we understand this a time of stress and anxiety. We want to remind you of the counseling resources we have available. For students in the USC community who are in need of assistance, please contact Student Counseling Services at (213) 740-7711 or the Eric Cohen Student Health Center at (323) 442-5631. For faculty and staff assistance, please contact the Center for Work & Family Life at (213) 821-0800.

As members of the Trojan Family, we also should be mindful of the needs of others.  If you observe a fellow student, faculty, or staff member who may be in need of support, you can reach out confidentially through Trojans Care for Trojans, an initiative within the Office of Campus Wellness and Crisis Intervention: https://studentaffairs.usc.edu/trojans-care-for-trojans-tc4t/

We also urge you to learn more about how to best respond to emergencies on our USC Safety website at safety.usc.edu.  Meanwhile, today’s events provided important lessons to help all of us at the university improve our response.

 

 

Tragedy in Las Vegas: A Note from Michael Quick

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MEMORANDUM

To:                  USC Community

From:              Michael W. Quick

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Date:               October 2, 2017

Subject:           Tragedy in Las Vegas

We are deeply saddened by the horrific events in Las Vegas. The images from the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history are difficult to view, and it’s even more difficult to imagine the pain and anguish being experienced by the families and loved ones of the victims. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them.

As members of our university community, we care for each other in times of tragedy. Our Office of Religious Life is holding an interfaith candlelight vigil at 7:00 p.m. this evening in the courtyard of the University Religious Center to allow us to come together to honor the victims and survivors of the tragedy. We are reaching out to our students who are from Las Vegas and who might have family or friends affected by this event.

For students in the USC community who are in need of support, please contact Student Counseling Services at (213) 740-7711 or the Eric Cohen Student Health Center at (323) 442-5631. For faculty and staff assistance, please contact the Center for Work & Family Life at (213) 821-0800. If any students are impacted directly, please contact the USC Support and Advocacy team at (213) 821-4710.

 

Free tickets! An Octoroon Saturday, September 30 @ 2:30 p.m.

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Hello Rossier students,

Faculty affiliate of the Center for Education, Identity and Social Justice Professor Anita Dashiell-Sparks is directing An Octoroon written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins for USC School of Dramatic Arts this weekend at the McClintock Theatre on campus. Professor Darnell Cole has 9 pre-paid tickets available to offer to students for the show on Saturday, September 30, at 2:30 p.m.

Please sign up on this Google spreadsheet if you are interested in attending – first come, first serve: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fjQ6tDL01NwoGEPn6TjAfnosCrqnXYupmEOKGkw9mbY/edit?usp=sharing. If you are the first 9 to sign up on this google spreadsheet, you are confirmed a spot and you can pick up your tickets from Dr. Cole right before the play at the theater. He will be arriving earlier to the theater.

Information on the play:

Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, a provocative new voice in American theatre, brings a radical, incendiary and subversively funny riff on Dion Boucicault’s once-popular 1859 mustache-twirling melodrama. This Obie Award-winning hall of mirrors skewers outdated sensibilities about race and narrative with acerbic humor and spectacular theatricality. An Octoroon is “this decade’s most eloquent theatrical statement on race in America today.” – The New York Times

Thank you so much for your time!

Best,

Center for Education, Identity and Social Justice

USC Rossier School of Education, WPH 1003

Visit our website: socialjustice.usc.edu 

Safety and Emergency Information

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To:  All students, staff, and faculty members

From: USC Department of Public Safety

Subject:  Safety and Emergency Information

The university is constantly working to update and improve our safety and emergency capabilities to ensure the safest possible environment for our campus community. Our safety departments would like to make you aware of new resources, and remind you to make note of the existing resources that are in place.

New Safety Education Resources

USC Emergency Procedures are outlined in a new 9-minute video that provides basic information on what to do during emergencies, including best responses for earthquake, fire, and disaster recovery scenarios. Segments may be viewed incrementally, and reviewed by topic. Please set aside a few minutes to view this important video at usc.edu/emergencyvideos.

 

The university now has in place a web page with important information and videos about what to do in case of an active shooter incident.  In the event of such an incident, the generally acknowledged safety procedure is to:

Run—escape the area of danger;

Hide—lock the door, turn out lights, close blinds, silence mobile phones;

and as a last option if you have no other alternative,

Fight—if cornered, band together to attack and immobilize the attacker.

Important Reminders

Text alerts:All staff, students, and faculty members are enrolled automatically  in TrojansAlert to receive rapid notification of incidents by text message when an emergency occurs. During an emergency, authorized USC senders will notify you with real-time updates, instructions on where to go, what to do (or what not to do), whom to contact and other important information.  If you are not receiving alerts, you should check in TrojansAlert to ensure that the database contains the correct cell phone number.

Mobile App: Additionally, the USC mobile safety app (powered by LiveSafe) is a free digital tool for initiating contact with emergency responders, easily reporting suspicious activity or crimes in progress, and using location services to notify friends of your route through campus.

Earthquake Drill on October 19 at 10:19 a.m.: The Great ShakeOut is an annual earthquake drill involving millions of people across California, designed to remind all members of the campus community of the basic earthquake safety procedure—Drop • Cover • Hold On.

 

Our number one priority is to ensure the safety of all students, staff, and faculty members at USC, and as safety programs evolve we will continue to keep all members of the campus community informed.

 

 

USC Deaprtment of Public Safey

Emergency Contact Information

UPC: (213) 740-4321

HSC: (323) 442-1000

 

Non-Emergency Contact Information

UPC: (213) 740-6000

HSC: (323) 442-1200

 

 

Message from Dean Gallagher on DACA and Title IX Information and Resources

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Dear USC Rossier Faculty, Staff and Students,

Over the past several weeks, we have witnessed the impact that national events and potential policy changes can have on the students we serve as well as on our own well-being as faculty members and educational professionals.

The announcements to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) without congressional resolution and to begin changes to Title IX policy followed quickly after the events of Charlottesville; we all feel overwhelmed processing these events on a personal level while remaining effective and present in our professional lives.

First of all, I want to encourage any DACA students with questions or concerns to contact Darline Robles, Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion, or Kristan Venegas, Assistant Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Evaluation. There is funding available for DACA renewal, and they can describe the process to you.

I believe it is critical to add our voices of solidarity and opposition in times like these, and I commend those of you in the Rossier community who have spoken out, written letters, attended marches, organized meetings or simply engaged honestly with one another in and outside of the classroom. These efforts are particularly important to me because our actions during these times are just as valuable as our words.

I encourage all of you to bookmark and reread the recent messages from USC President Max Nikias and Provost Michael Quick on DACA, naturalization and Title IX:

·        Memorandum from USC Provost Michael Quick to USC students, faculty, staff and USC community about DACA resources available on campus, Aug. 28

 

These messages contain links to many resources, including information about free USC-based legal services, clarity on the rule of law related to Title IX and access to mental health services. DACA and Title IX present complex challenges that are distinct from one another, and we need to be especially vigilant in addressing the specific needs of those affected

I want to highlight some of the important work of our school community in addressing the many issues we are grappling with on a daily basis.

On Friday, Sept. 8, I attended the inaugural event of the Center for Education, Identity and Social Justice, co-directed by Shafiqa Ahmadi and Darnell Cole. Their summit on de-institutionalizing Islamophobia on college campuses featured panels presented against the backdrop of the Muslim travel bans set in motion earlier this year. Panelists included legal scholars and other experts—all of them immigrant Muslim women—speaking about their work in challenging policy through rigorous scholarship and appeals to the rule of law. This event was booked to capacity and welcomed attendees that represented 20 institutions from throughout the country. I was impressed and encouraged by the number of higher education professionals in the audience who I knew would be taking this knowledge back to their colleges and universities.

Last week, our Pullias Center for Higher Education hosted their final event to summarize a year-long set of meetings called “Dialogues on Campus as Sanctuary.” The result of these gatherings is a series of policy briefs offering guidance for college and universities and federal and state policy-makers.

What also became clear at that meeting is that USC Rossier, like other schools and departments on campus, needs to become more systematic about sharing information related to equity and inclusion. Starting in October, we will send an update on Rossier events and resources related to equity and diversity on a monthly basis.

I am conscious of the additional emotional and mental labor of this work, but I am encouraged by the cohesion and spirit of collaboration in our school community during these challenging times. I will continue to share resources in response to events and issues that impact our school community as well.

We are going to have moments that give us hope and other moments that will challenge our hope, but we have to remember we are always trying to move forward.

I am grateful to all of you who are engaging in this critical equity work.

Please continue to share information and support with one another.

And as always, Fight On!

 

Sincerely,

Karen Symms Gallagher, Ph.D.

 

Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean

USC Rossier School of Education

Waite Phillips Hall

Los Angeles, CA  90089-0031

Asst: hardison@usc.edu

213.740.5756 (office)

213.821.2158 (fax)

 

 

 

 

Graduate School Hosts Thesis Center Information Sessions

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Good afternoon,

I will be hosting Thesis Center information Sessions for students who are submitting their thesis or dissertation. The sessions will be about 50 minutes long. Advisors and faculty are welcome and encouraged to attend.

There will be one session on University Park Campus, and one session on Health Sciences Campus:

  • UPC: Wednesday September 27thst, 2017 @ 12:00, in THH 201
  • HSC: Wednesday October 4th, 2017 @12:00, in MCH 156

Topics will include important information for both students and advisors, such as:

  • Thesis Center navigation
  • submission deadlines
  • required documentation
  • Finalizing publishing information with the USC Digital Library

Please pass this incredibly valuable information along to your students and faculty! There will be an opportunity for questions following the presentation. These dates and times will also be listed in myGradSchool for reference. Hope to see you there!

Fight On!

Samuel Mantell

Academic Services Coordinator

The Graduate School

Office of the Provost

University of Southern California

3601 Trousdale Pkwy, STU 301N

Los Angeles, CA 90089-1695

(213) 740-9033

http://www.usc.edu/schools/GraduateSchool

 

DSC Weekend Writing Workshops

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Weekend Writing Workshops

All doctoral students are welcome to attend Weekend Writes as we support students in all phases of the program.  These workshops provide students the opportunity to commit to writing and have an advisor available to assist with questions regarding academic writing or the dissertation process. There is no cost for attending. Students are encouraged to develop individual writing goals and plans. You can attend as an individual or a writing group.  Bring your laptop, work materials (and ear buds) and go to work. Remember to bring your Student ID to access the building. RSVP at  http://www.doodle.com/mugk5tkh98nmz3m5 

Fall 2017 Weekend Writes

Saturday, Sept 23, 9 am – 4 pm, UPC WPH 601
Sunday, Sept 24, 9 am – 4 pm, UPC WPH 601

Saturday, Oct  21, 9 am – 4 pm, UPC WPH 601
Sunday, Oct 22, 9 am – 4 pm, UPC WPH 601

Saturday, Nov 11, 9 am – 4 pm, UPC WPH 601
Sunday,  Nov 12, 9 am – 4 pm, UPC WPH 601

Saturday, Dec 2, 9 am – 4 pm, USC Orange County Campus
Sunday, Dec 3, 10 am – 5 pm, USC Orange County Campus

This is a great opportunity to focus and get done!   I look forward to working with you soon.

Write On and Fight On!

Dr. Evelyn Felina Castillo
efelina@usc.edu
(213) 740-3845

Feedback on Proposed Rossier Mission Statement – Deadline September 21. RSO town hall

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Dear USC Rossier Students,

We’re writing to request your participation in USC Rossier’s ongoing discussion on the redefinition of “urban education” and the related process of drafting a new mission statement for USC Rossier.

Below is the proposed mission statement prepared by the Urban Education Planning Committee:

The mission of the USC Rossier School of Education is to prepare leaders to achieve educational equity through policy, practice and research. We work to improve learning opportunities and outcomes in urban settings and to address disparities that affect historically marginalized groups. We teach our students to value and respect the cultural contexts of the communities in which they work and to interrogate the systems of power that shape policies and practices. Through innovative thinking and research, we strive to solve the most intractable educational problems.

The committee is now asking students to share your thoughts on how you would operationalize the proposed statement. In other words, how should your programs best represent and serve this mission?

You can offer this feedback in two important ways:

First, you may submit your suggestions anonymously via this form. Please submit your response no later than Thursday, Sept. 21.

Second, the Rossier Student Organization will be hosting a town hall meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 20, from 3 to 4 pm in WPH B-49. There, you can share your thoughts with one another. This will be a student-centered and student-led event; members of the RSO board will be in attendance to help facilitate the discussion. At this meeting, comments from the online submissions will be shared as a representation of the students who can’t attend the meeting.

Student input has been critical to this process. Prior to drafting the proposed mission statement, the committee relied on feedback from students in a spring survey on “Redefining Urban Education.” Your responses helped inform the agenda of a retreat in May for a group of staff, student and faculty stakeholders.

More importantly, for several years students have been at the forefront in challenging faculty and administrators to think more critically about the meaning of “urban education” as it pertains to our mission: To improve learning in urban education locally, nationally and globally.

As we near the completion of this very important process, we encourage you to once again add your important voices.

Thank you for the considerable time, effort and thought you have devoted to this process. And thank you to members of the committee for their continued commitment.

Regards,

Karen Symms Gallagher

Dean, USC Rossier School of Education

Joanna Drivalas

President, Rossier Student Organization

 

Equifax Information Security Breach

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Dear Trojan Community,

Equifax—one of the three major consumer credit reporting agencies in the United States—has reported a major security breach that may have exposed the personal information of up to 143 million people. Compromised information may include names, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and some driver’s license numbers, as well as about 209,000 credit card numbers and about 182,000 dispute documents that may include personally identifiable information.

The Office of the Chief Information Security Officer would like to share the following tips on how to protect yourselves:

  1. Assume you are affected. Equifax and other credit reporting companies can collect information about you from credit card companies, banks, or other financial institutions without your knowledge.
  2. Freeze your credit reports with all three major credit reporting companies: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Credit Freeze FAQ page for guidance on how to freeze your credit.
  3. Set fraud alerts with all three agencies. For guidance on how to set fraud alerts, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Place a Fraud Alert page.
  4. Monitor activity on your credit accounts and reports carefully. Consider checking your credit rating regularly by asking for free credit reports from your bank or other credit service companies. Please note that while Equifax is offering free credit monitoring for those affected by this breach, there are reports (not confirmed by USC) that you may be opting out of your ability to join any class action lawsuits against the company if you sign up for Equifax’s credit monitoring.
  5. Be aware of tax return fraud. Criminals sometimes use stolen social security numbers and other personal information to file fraudulent tax returns and redirect tax refunds to their own accounts. For more information on how to protect yourself, see the Internal Revenue Service’s Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft.

As this is a major and well-publicized breach, identity thieves and other criminals are likely to send out phish emails appearing to come from Equifax or other credit reporting agencies. It is important that you do not click links in any emails asking for your personal information or login details, no matter how legitimate the emails may appear. Instead, open a new browser window, navigate to the company’s website by manually typing its official URL in the location bar, and conduct any required business there.

Please forward any suspicious email to the Information Security Office at security@usc.edu.

Sincerely,

Gus Anagnos

Chief Information Security Officer

University of Southern California

New Publications from Rossier Faculty

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NEW PUBLICATIONS

 

Ahmadi, S., Cole, D., Castellanos, M., Manson, S., & Zhou, J. (2017). Hate Speech and Hate Crimes on Campus: Anti-Muslim Speech and Cyberbullying. The Applied Scholarship of Melvin C. Terrell. Information Age Publishing Incorporated.

Bensimon, E. M. “Bridging the Artificial Gap Between Activism and Scholarship to Form Tools for Knowledge.” (forthcoming) in Advancing equity, inclusiveness, and social change in higher education: How academics connect research, advocacy, and policy, edited by Perna, L.W. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Malcom-Piqueux, L., Bensimon, E. “Taking Equity-Minded Action to Close Equity Gaps,” AAC&U’s Peer Review: 2017. 

*Fisher, O., *O’Donnell, S. C. & Oyserman, D. (2017) Identity-based motivation and social class. Current Opinions in Psychology, 18, 61-66. DOI: 10.1080/1047840X.2017.1337406 

*Fisher, O. & Oyserman, D. (2017). Assessing interpretations of experienced ease and difficulty as motivational constructs.  Motivational Science, 3(2), 133-163. 

Gehrke, S. & Cole, D. (In press). An Empirical Examination of the Relationship between Faculty Teaching Culture and Spiritual Development in College. Journal of College and Character.

Goodman, K. & Cole, D.  (Eds.) (In press). Supporting Students through Data-Driven Decision Making: Considerations for Student Affairs Practitioners. New Directions for Student Services: Supporting Students through Data-Driven Decision Making: Considerations for Student Affairs Practitioners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Heddy, B. C. & Sinatra, G. M. (2017). Transformative parents: Facilitating transformative experiences and interest with a parent involvement intervention. Science Education, 101(5), 765-786.

Heddy, B. C., *Danielson, R. W., Sinatra, G. M., & Graham, J. (2017). Modifying knowledge, emotions, and attitudes about genetically modified foods. Journal of Experimental Education 85(3), 513-553.

Kim, James S., Mary A. Burkhauser, David M. Quinn, Jonathan Guryan, Helen Chen Kingston, and Kirsten Aleman. (2017). “Effectiveness of Structured Teacher Adaptations to an Evidence-based Summer Literacy Program.” Reading Research Quarterly.

Oyserman, D. & Schwarz, N. (2017). Conservatism as a situated identity: implications for consumer behavior Journal of Consumer Psychology, 27(4). 

Oyserman, D., *Lewis Jr., N. A., *Yan, V. X., *Fisher, O., *O’Donnell, S. C., & *Horowitz, E. (2017). An identity-based motivation framework for self-regulation. Psychological Inquiry, 28(2-3), 139-147.

Quinn, David M. and James S. Kim. (2017). “Scaffolding Fidelity and Adaptation in Educational Program Implementation: Experimental Evidence from a Literacy Intervention.” American Educational Research Journal.

Quinn, David M. (2017). “Racial Attitudes of PreK-12 and Postsecondary Educators: Descriptive Evidence from Nationally-representative Data.” Educational Researcher.

Quinn, David M. and Joe McIntyre. (2017). “Do Learning Rates Differ by Race/ethnicity over Kindergarten? Reconciling Results across Gain Score, First-Difference, and Random Effects Models.” Economics of Education Review, 59, 81-86.