<p>I realize that crime can and will happen in the most idealic rural campuses as well as an urban campus like USC but, as the parent of a child who has just applied to USC, this makes me concerned.</p>
<p>Hard to comment without all the details.</p>
<p>It appears that a student org partnered with a party promoter to host a Halloween event on campus that was open to the public. If so, I doubt that will ever be allowed again.</p>
<p>Halloween in LA can get dangerous: [Police</a> probe Halloween shootings in Hollywood, Pacoima - latimes.com](<a href=“Archive blogs”>Archive blogs)</p>
<p>More info: [USC</a> shooting: Former Crenshaw High football star targeted, police say - latimes.com](<a href=“Archive blogs”>Archive blogs)</p>
<p>Of course I was worried at 3 am eastern last night when I got a text from my child saying there had been a shooting and campus was locked down. Details quickly emerged and it seems to me that campus police and LAPD did a great job. As parent of a freshman from a small town, let me say 1) the surrounding area is not nearly as bad as USC’s detractors would have you think; and 2) after sitting through extensive presentations during orientation on emergency preparedness and security on campus, I walked away a believer. </p>
<p>Bottom line, USC is a gorgeous, urban campus. You and your child will need to be able to deal with the urban part.</p>
<p>Slightly different subject, but I am signed up for both email and text message alerts. The first message I got regarding this incident was the one which said the threat was over. It came at 5:17EST this morning. I received no emails at all. Earlier today I went to the Trojan Alert site and confirmed that both my cell number and email address were in the system correctly. I sent myself test messages and received both. Does anyone know why I am not getting all the texts/emails or who to call to get the problem resolved? Thanks!</p>
<p>As a current junior at USC, I can offer some insights here:</p>
<p>Regarding not receiving texts/emails, you should probably contact DPS. I, as well as a lot of other students, did not receive texts so I think the university will address this. </p>
<p>Regarding more details, apparently the Black Student Association had rented out a ballroom in Campus Center for a big party with a local party promoter doing most of the promoting. As such, the party, with attendance from the hundreds to over 1,500 being reported, was mostly attended by non-USC, local people. As they had reached capacity inside, many were waiting and loitering in the outside Campus Center area. At this point, two people in the crowd, non-USC affiliated got in an altercation and one pulled out a gun and shot this other individual 3 times, with two others getting collateral damage. The shooter and a friend or accomplice ran off and DPS, who had been monitoring the party quickly tended to the injured and pursued the suspect. </p>
<p>This quickly spread on social media as all the people outside, including a good number of students, ran for their lives. Around half an hour later, USC send out a text and email about the incident, saying a shooting happened at CC and to not let strangers into buildings and to stay indoors. Long story short, campus was locked down until around 2am when they caught the shooter and found his gun. LAPD and DPS were all over campus not allowing people to leave places or come on campus to pick people up. </p>
<p>During this time, USC continued sending vague statements via text and e-mail. Classes continued as usual today with some midterms postponed but most going on with the show. General student feeling is disappointment/anger with administration but relief that no students were injured. Major issues: response time of USC in letting people know, local/USC relations, private parties on campus?, overall general feeling of not being safe.</p>
<p>My D called me from LA. Her room mate was at campus center & rushed herself home to get away from the chaos. They both hunkered down in their apartment (which is near campus). The reports I have read was that the people involved in the incident–shooter and victims are ALL non-students and had no connection with USC other than being party-crashers that were not being allowed into the party.</p>
<p>Reports are that within 10 minutes after the incident, two people had been apprehended and t urned over to LAPD. Only one of the people was reported to be seriously injured and up to 3 others are said to have gotten stray bullets.</p>
<p>My S attended USC for 4 years & D has now been there for nearly 3 years. Neither have been around any violence and D called me to reassure me that she was no where near the shooting (having just completed a midterm paper in her apartment rather than being at a rowdy party).</p>
<p>For the most part, USC is considered pretty safe, as long as you avoid drunks, unruly crowds and lots of folks that are not connected with the campus. Neither of my kids have ever been the victim of violence, nor have any of their USC friends. They live(d) in apartments in the “safe” area of town and exercise normal precautions for their safety.</p>
<p>Was curious so came here. This morning I read that party was for USC students only. I understand no USC students were involved in shooting. However, if was for USC only why would it be promoted to non USC students.</p>
<p>I tihink details are still pretty murky. Reports I read said the party was ONLY for about 100 USC students who were INSIDE. The fight (& shooting) broke out among the large non-USC community members OUTSIDE who were trying to crash the party. </p>
<p>I have no understanding as to why ANYONE would be encouraging non-USC students to crash a USC student party in the center of campus, other than perhaps social media? With social media, folks can create a lot of havoc and easily gather a crowd that may be difficult to control. My only information is from what I’ve pieced together from web reports. My D and her apartment mate were upset, especially her apartment mate who was in the rough vicinty and heard the gunshots.</p>
<p>I suspect there will be a VERY quick and THOROUGH review of policies that in any way encourage large numbers of non-community members to come to campus for any reason.</p>
<p>Dear HImom, my thoughts were pretty much same as yours. This thread is first I read about promotion to outsiders.</p>
<p>I have STRONG doubts that USC would encourage large numbers of non-USC community to come to campus in the evening for any social events, particularly late at night, and especially if there may be alcohol or other drugs potentially involved. This would be VERY contrary to what we have experienced in our six years of association with USC. </p>
<p>USC tries to work well with its neighborhood through community service, but does NOT encourage folks to come to its campus to potentially socialize or incite violence. It is an “open campus,” but does have a very large campus security presence.</p>
<p>Taken from the University’s paper the Daily Trojan:</p>
<p>The shooting occurred about 100 yards from a Halloween costume party, “Freak or Greek,” which was held in the Ronald Tutor Campus Center’s ballroom. The event, which began at 9 p.m., was hosted by a USC student organization and LA Hype, a night life and entertainment group. The party drew a crowd of about 1,500, according to the Dept. of Public Safety.</p>
<p>and</p>
<p>In a statement posted Thursday, USC President C. L. Max Nikias addressed the shootings that occurred on campus and assured parents and students of USC’s continued safety.</p>
<p>Nikias wrote that the individuals involved in the shooting were not affiliated with the university. USC’s policy allows student parties to be open to USC students and students from other colleges with a college ID.</p>
<p>This policy allows student with any student ID from junior colleges etc.
The group that put on the party was the Black Student Association.</p>
<p>Dear southerncalimom, Thanks, I didn’t catch the any student with college ID when I read the Daily Trojan’s update on my phone this am. Now it all fits.</p>
<p>As a parent I am troubled by this shooting incident. It seems that allowing a student organization to have a Halloween dance/party on campus, marketed by an outside promoter and advertised to young people not affiliated with the university is a recipe for trouble. I hope the University revisits this practice. People say that SC students weren’t involved, but any SC students in the area were put at risk that evening.</p>
<p>practice.</p>
<p>I am with Minnymom on this one. Gun fire on campus is not acceptable. I take no comfort in the quick response from security. Bullets should not be flying around the campus in the first place. I also take no comfort in the fact the victims were not students. Victims are victims.</p>
<p>The administration’s email to parents said they had been talking about security, especially since the two students were murdered off campus in April. Talking will not protect our kids. It also said the students need to watch out for themselves. How do kids take precautions for gun fire on campus short of not going on campus?</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong. USC is a great school. My daughter loves it. My wife and I enjoy visiting the campus. The administration needs to come forward quickly with a plan that protects people on campus as much as humanly possible. </p>
<p>I encourage parents to press the USC adminstration to take effective action to make the campus safe.</p>
<p>I STRONGLY suspect that such a situation will NOT be allowed to happen again. It seems like what was allowed through the exception that were granted made the situation larger and volitile. It should NEVER have even been permitted and we parents should make that loud and clear. Our kids should NOT have to worry about potential bullets on campus.</p>
<p>This.</p>
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<p>And this.</p>
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<p>I , and many other parents on the Daily Trojan comment pages are outraged by the University continuing to try to brush off the violence by saying " No USC student’s were involved".But the kids were! students who were on campus were running in a panic when they heard shots. Girls in sororities were doing headcounts to make sure all of their members were accounted for.
After last years tragedy involving the Chinese students who were murdered I actually felt like maybe USC would be more safe than it had been, as the University promised higher security. But there appear to be many lapses of judgement, most importantly allowing a group to have a party on what is always a crazy night.
I have been uneasy by things I have seen while visiting. Our first trip, I saw DPS with a man down on the ground in cuffs. I know it is in an urban enviroment, but I feel the campus should be less porous. I am tired of USC saying “the kids need to watch out for each other”. They shouldn’t need to dodge bullets.</p>
<p>Lucymom, no students were involved means no students were shot. Yes there were students around as this was a STUDENT party. I have not yet heard of a college campus that is completely closed to the public with security at every gate and whatnot even in the most urban of areas. As a USC student, I did not feel very threatened by this situation as there was DPS on the scene who saw the whole incident occur. I did however make sure to lock my doors and check in those close to me until all details were released. The security generally around campus has been the same, because they are always present everywhere.</p>
<p>
lucymom, aren’t you contradicting yourself? You say that you want “higher security,” but when you see it it makes you uneasy.</p>
<p>I am not making light of the dangers of the real world, but I would challenge you to find a university where nothing bad has ever happened. As far your implied suggestion that a university should be a fortress where no students can leave (the graduate students a mile from campus) and no non-students can enter (the recent incident) - that would not be a place I would choose to attend.</p>
<p>I have chosen to stay in Los Angeles after graduating from USC (May '12), and though I have moved to a neighborhood that is considered better (not a lot better, but somewhat better…), I actually felt safer living 3 blocks from SC knowing that I could call DPS whenever I felt uncomfortable. I called LAPD about a guy looking through my window a few weeks ago and got no help at all. Nothing. DPS would have been there in 5 minutes.</p>