The Ghetto?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
61

<p>Hello student4u:</p>

<p>I never implied or suggested that USC is a “ghetto university.” I said that some don’t want others to think that you’re getting a degree from a “ghetto university” so they are attempting to censor any negative comments. I used the quotes around “ghetto university” to declare that I was quoting from others. You need to read with a bit more care.</p>

62

<p>Bob, if you'd like to debate logical fallacies, then please further explain this: "You also go off on a red herring proclamation discussing boundaries... That’s irrelevant."</p>

<p>Enlighten me as to how I'm trying to draw attention away from the topic under debate (a red herring) by directly contesting your definition of a ghetto with facts? Since when is a fact-centric counterargument that deals directly with your definition of a ghetto a means of ignoring the issue? I'm directly debating your definition of what a ghetto is. Is the entire city of East St. Louis a ghetto? Is Flint, Michigan a ghetto?</p>

<p>I could be hyper-nitpicky as well and point out every single logical error and non sequitur in all of your posts, as well as defend the points you've made above, but frankly, there are much better things to do with one's time. </p>

<p>All we're collectively trying to say is that we, who've lived here for spans ranging as much as three to four years, have a much better grasp on reality than you do and it's rather irritating to see someone misrepresent the facts to would-be applicants and concerned parents.</p>

<p>Imagine this: Let's say I catch up with a hypothetical long lost friend who lives in New York City. Upon hearing this information, I proclaim, "New York City?! But it's full of gangs and everyone gets mugged and robbed!"
He responds, "Well no, not everyone gets mugged and robbed. Sure people do in a city with upwards of 8 million people, but come on. I live there."
I respond, "But I read about it in the newspaper all the time! Come on man, the newspaper!"</p>

<p>Now how silly would I look, Bob?</p>

63

<p>Hello uschicka:</p>

<p>Thank you for the instruction for unsubscribing to the emails.</p>

<p>Posting here is like going to a religious forum and declaring that god is a myth so I am going to retire from the subject rather than to unnecessarily upset too many incoming students. So I’m going to end it unless someone has a serious inclination to draw out the debate. Have fun at USC.</p>

64

<p>Boballende,</p>

<p>you are not upsetting anyone. Posting information with regards to crime in the area is welcome as the more we know, the more careful we can be. Afterall, we need to be informed of what goes on as responsible students. However, thats not the problem we have with you. Your point in being here is not to simply point out these things. You're a Bruin here to start trouble, as very common of Bruins these days. There's no debate here. USC is based in a major urban setting and crime does occur. Is this what you're debating?</p>

65

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<p>A “Ghetto University,” do you actually believe these words coming out of your mouth? Yes, we do try and protect our investment as any sensible person would, if you got accepted to a University that is hailed to cost as much if not more than the Ivies wouldn't you want to protect what your investments? </p>

<p>Additionally, no one tried to censor the issue, it was stated that USC being situated in the 2nd largest city in the Country does indeed have big city problems as that is what it is.</p>

<p>We didn’t disrespect anyone, your haphazard behavior in posting purely negative aspects and trying to elevate the situation is ok w/me simply because of the fact that being disrespected by someone such as yourself would mean that I would have had to respected you at one point, which I don’t/didn't so that’s ok ;)</p>

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<p>And BTW, don’t pretend as if somehow your taking the high road by dropping the issue…just leave peacefully w/out trying to instigate by leaving such absurd comments as the above….you aren’t trying to declare God is a myth, in that sense, what you attempted was to show all the devastation of worldly atrocities and or bad stuff that has happened to you and try and cry out, there is no God because all this happened to me or can’t you see it like I see it w/out any justification</p>

<p>Serious inclination to draw out the debate?...this is a debate?...hm, I thought it was something else…don’t let the door hit you on the a$$ on your way out</p>

66

<p>"What? You’ve posted here over 400 times and you say that I don’t have a life? "</p>

<p>b/c ive been here for a while, buddy. so has everybody else, smart guy. look theres gonna be a point where either nobody is going to care about what you are saying or youll finally just call it a day and give up. either way, just turn off the computer, and have a nice day, alright? ok, just to make you feel better: you win. happy?</p>

67

<p>Hello 2skys1imit3: </p>

<p>Your posts weren’t worth the time of a reply. </p>

<p>However, if you want to play, let’s play. I’m not inclined to waste any time with some unidentified phantom who will sneak back into the Internet when it’s all done.</p>

<p>Instead of hiding behind some pseudonym, who precisely am I speaking with?</p>

68

<p>well if you're such a tough guy, lets see you give out your personal identity. please post a picture of yourself why don't you. and whats youre phone number by the way?</p>

69

<p><a href="http://www.geocities.com/r_allende%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.geocities.com/r_allende&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

70

<p>My old USC student card. I deleted my SSN.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.geocities.com/r_allende/USCID.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.geocities.com/r_allende/USCID.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

71

<p>Fair enough Bob. I congratulate your willingness to be forthcoming and post such. I also welcome you as a fellow Trojan. With that, however, I wonder: did you ever consider that perhaps the situation may be different now than back when you were a student? Being a USC alumnus, surely your familiar with USC's plethora of outreach and community involvement/improvement programs. Further, it has not only been through USC's PR where the University Park Neighborhood has been described as undergoing a renaissance. There are almost weekly articles in the LA Times mentioning how the contruction of the Galen Center is just the beginning of a whole new era for Figueroa St... the new student apts. on the Fig/Jefferson intersection, the beautification of Exposition Blvd and now Vermont Ave, construction of Tuscany retail on Fig/Expo, etc. etc. Simply by driving around the perimeter of USC, one can easily see a considerable difference from just that of two years ago! </p>

<p>Sure, some of these that I mentioned are merely aesthetic augmentations and I'm sure you'll point that out, so I reiterate that with USC's countless number of community improvement programs, and with the obvious fact that not only USC but the private sector as well (there are two major, non USC, residential projects underway on Figueroa and two major commerical projects underway immediately adjacent to USC) seems to think UP is a place worthy of investment, did you ever think that maybe things have changed? </p>

<p>They have; all it takes is a 5 minute drive to notice.</p>

72

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<p>Instead of hiding behind some pseudonym, who precisely am I speaking with?</p>

<p>What’s the point?...i see that you are an Alumni of USC and your Background, if true, is commendable…I’ve got nothing but respect for those in the Armed Forces as Members of my Family are apart of them, if your in Law Enforcement, great…I’m studying to be a Lawyer and have nothing but respect for the Law…nonetheless, to me, your perception of the facts is distorted</p>

<p>I’ve got no personal beef w/you but the way you came across, made you seem like just another Troll from “another School” trying to cause trouble…if that wasn’t the case, and if you are who you say you are, then let it be</p>

73

<p>dude you're way toooo old to be involved in this discussion. Furthermore, only a nut with a deathwish would reveal their identity on the world wide web. I would edit that part out if I were you.</p>

74

<p>
[quote]
redski59’s assertion is false. USC does not email every crime to students and parents.

[/quote]
Well bob, perhaps they started that system AFTER you graduated. Looking at the design of your ID card, I believe that may well be the case.</p>

<p>Here's the latest email they sent; this was on August 6:</p>

<p>----beginning of message----</p>

<p>The USC Department of Public Safety wants you to know about crimes occurring in our community. Informed citizens are better able to ensure their safety as they go about their daily activities. The following information is provided with your safety in mind.</p>

<p>On August 6, 2005 at 12:30 a.m. A male student was walking alone north on the 2700 block of Menlo Ave. A Suspect approached him from behind and pushed him to the ground. The suspect demanded his property. He complied and the Suspect fled south on Menlo Ave.</p>

<p>SUSPECT: Male black, approx 6'3", 180 lbs. in his 30's with a shaved head, mustache, and thin build, wearing a black jacket, blue jeans, grey shirt, and boots</p>

<p>IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THESE CRIMES, CALL THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AT (213)740-4321 OR LAPD SOUTHWEST AREA (213)485-6571</p>

<p>SAFETY TIPS</p>

<p>1.MOST IMPORTANT-BE AWARE. When walking be aware of what is going on around you. Walk assertively. If you look like you know where you are going and what is happening around you, you are less likely to become a target for this type of crime.</p>

<p>2.Do not walk or travel alone, especially after dark. Ask a friend to walk or ride with you to your car or residence. If you walk with someone, make sure you wait for them to get inside before you leave. If you don't have anyone to walk with call for an escort. The USC Campus Cruiser (740-4911) will send an escort to give you a ride or walk you to your car between 5 P.M.
and dawn. When you go jogging, use the track or pick a route inside the campus where there is less traffic. This will reduce the potential of becoming the victim of an act such the ones described above.</p>

<p>3.When you go jogging, use the track or pick a route inside the campus where there is less traffic. This will reduce the potential of becoming the victim of an act such the ones described above.</p>

<p>4.Trust your instincts. If something "feels wrong" (with a person, a building, a situation, etc.), something probably is wrong. Even if you don't know why you are uncomfortable, change your plans, move away from the person, get out of the area -whatever is necessary to make the feeling go away.</p>

<p>5.If you feel like you are being followed stay in well-lit areas and go into a building where there are other people such as a store or restaurant. If these aren't available, join a group of people and ask them to walk with you until it is safe.</p>

<p>6.Know the locations of the Emergency Phones (phones outside will have a blue light on top).</p>

<p>7.Report Suspicious Activity. If you see a person who is acting suspiciously or some type of activity that doesn't look right, or feel like you're being followed, call Public Safety immediately 213-740-4321.</p>

<p>----end of message----</p>

75

<p>Okay, I’m done here. Have fun!</p>

76

<p>good riddance!</p>

77

<p>After reading all that, I still don't quite understand what all the fuss was about. And why did it take so long until we found out Bob went to USC a while ago? Whatever, I'm done with this. I'll forget all about it by tomorrow morning.</p>

78

<p>Yeah, good riddance for all this.</p>

<p>Whoa, missed the time! I better get out of here; I got a morning flight to catch to LAX! Cya all @ USC!!</p>

79

<p>I transfered here from UCR, and UCR is right next to downtown Riverside, which has twice as many crack heads than USC. That's why I see USC as being not that bad. Obviously, if you're gonna do something stupid like not using the campus cruiser at 11:30PM and are alone and obviously don't look too tough, something bad MIGHT happen. Even then, getting attacked would be rare. I just came back from USC and I talked to a senior who said he would walk home late at night after football games and, while he admits they were bad decisions, he also said that nothing ever happened to him. My cousin also attended USC and just graduated last year. He told me USC can be dangerous and it can be harmless. As long as you don't do anything stupid, it should be pretty rare that anything bad would happen to you. Plus, if you're living in the north side of campus, you can pretty much walk/bike to your apartment without worrying too much.</p>

80

<p>Just thought I'd throw in my 2cents.</p>

<p>I would not characterize USC as being in a ghetto. It is not the nicest neighborhood, but it is pretty well populated with hard working, albeit lower income families. Homes are old, but pretty well maintained. </p>

<p>Immediately around campus, At night, I would not recommend venturing too far off campus, but that can be said about many, many places. Basically, I think you have no reason or business going too far south of campus and Exposition Park, nor to the west of campus. Directly to the east of campus is merely the Harbor freeway and not much more. To the north is pretty much all student housing and n/e is the downtown/staples arena area, which is not bad at all and definitely undergoing rejuvenation.</p>

<p>The campus itself is very safe IMO and frankly, I think USC is an excellent neighbor and has done a great deal to help improve and support the neighborhood and that the school is respected for it by the neighbors. </p>

<p>Bottomline, it is not like you are venturing into an upscale neighborhood and you'd be wise to know where you are going and stay on main streets, but gangs, crime, etc. is anywhere and everywhere to be found in an urban setting and I would NOT consider the USC neighborhood as a negative factor in considering whether to attend.</p>