<p>…to accept admission to UT Austin. This hits too close to home. USC would cost nearly $60K/year to attend, I may not have on campus housing after my sophomore year, and I can attend UT Austin for about $25K/year and live on campus all four years. Thanks for helping me decide.</p>
<p>“I believe this is the first shooting death of a USC student in many, many years.”</p>
<p>Technically this is true, but the fact that the other students who were shot in recent years didn’t die, or the one that did die was stabbed instead of shot, is not particualrly comforting.</p>
<p>Front page story from today’s LA Times:</p>
<p>[USC</a> shooting: Campus stunned; concerns about neighborhood revived - latimes.com](<a href=“http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-04-12-usc-shooting-20120412,0,6840970.story]USC”>Students' slayings stun USC)</p>
<p>Excerpt:</p>
<p>"In 2008, a 19-year-old star sprinter was shot and wounded while walking at night near campus. The same year, a film student was fatally stabbed in a fight after he slammed an apartment complex gate near the university. Last year, two USC students were shot and wounded when several students confronted a stranger who appeared to be stealing items during a party at a nearby apartment complex.</p>
<p>In a statement released hours after Wednesday’s killings, the university reassured students and employees that it was making strides to improve safety around the campus."</p>
<p>Very unfortunate timing for these latest murders - just as accepted students are deciding where to enroll.</p>
<p>It’s very disingenuous to include Bryshon Nellum (the sprinter who was shot). The way it is written it sounds like Nellum was shot because the neighborhood is dangerous at night. What happened is he was deliberately shot three times in the legs by people from his hometown in a different part of L.A. who knew who he was and targeted him (and his legs) specifically. I know those are the L.A. Times’ words, not yours.</p>
<p>Duke58, did you know that two women were assaulted and one was murdered less than a mile from UT Austin four months ago? </p>
<p>[January</a> 1 Attacks | The University of Texas at Austin Police Department (UTPD)](<a href=“http://www.utexas.edu/police/alerts/january1_attacks.html]January”>http://www.utexas.edu/police/alerts/january1_attacks.html)</p>
<p>And in July of 2009, a couple was murdered in their ON-CAMPUS apartment at UT Austin. Another woman was stabbed to death and mutilated on campus in 2005. Violence happens anywhere were tens of thousands of human beings congregate.</p>
<p>ilovemy2girls, I hope you know that one does not need to have committed to USC to register for housing, and while the $45 dollar fee is non-refundable if she doesn’t attend, it’s worth it to get a higher priority (they’re based on registration date) for her housing assignment. Not that she should need it. Parkside (my son lived there) is not too hard to get if she signs up soon.</p>
<p>I think visiting campus will be very reassuring to you, actually.</p>
<p>USC has posted this today about security and safety efforts:</p>
<p>[USC</a> News](<a href=“http://news.usc.edu/#!/article/33160/answers-about-usc-security/]USC”>http://news.usc.edu/#!/article/33160/answers-about-usc-security/)</p>
<p>Answers About USC Security
April 12, 2012</p>
<p>The following FAQs address questions raised on social media about security and student housing around USC. USC vice president for student affairs Michael L. Jackson and Chief Carey Drayton of the USC Department of Public Safety (DPS) provided the answers with assistance from staff in USC Media Relations.</p>
<p>New questions will be added and this story will be updated on a live basis throughout the morning.</p>
<p>Are you going to “step it up” and increase security, particularly in the area west of USC?</p>
<p>USC in the last year alone increased the number of security cameras, license plate recognition cameras, DPS officers and private security officers west of campus.</p>
<p>In total, USC now has approximately 70 cameras and 50 license plate cameras in the community. There are 34 security ambassadors. The department has 260 employees.</p>
<p>The added security has resulted in substantially reduced crime over the past several years.</p>
<p>The USC Department of Public Safety is one of the largest campus law enforcement agencies in the nation. Through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Los Angeles Police Department, armed USC public safety officers have powers of arrest and patrol the campus and off-campus areas in vehicles, on bicycles and on foot.</p>
<p>What guidance are international and graduate students given on where to find housing?</p>
<p>The USC Office of International Services provides a guide to off-campus housing near the USC campus. The guide notes that “Housing may be more affordable outside of the patrol areas but it is recommended for students to stay within these areas for safety reasons.” The guide provides maps to DPS patrol areas:</p>
<p>[Off-Campus</a> Housing](<a href=“http://sait.usc.edu/ois/housing/off-campus.aspx]Off-Campus”>http://sait.usc.edu/ois/housing/off-campus.aspx)</p>
<p>Under a “Safety and Security” tab, the guide also notes that “When searching for off-campus housing, it is very important to consider the safety and security of the apartment and the surrounding neighborhood.” The DPS website offers a range of information about safety in and around the University Park and the Health Sciences campuses, including crime statistics and safety resources.</p>
<p>Does this mean that neighborhoods outside the patrol area are unsafe?</p>
<p>No. Crime in the neighborhoods around USC, and in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, has dropped dramatically in recent years.</p>
<p>What are you doing to inform parents and students about safety issues?</p>
<p>Trojans Alert, administered by DPS, allows university officials to contact students during an emergency by sending text messages and emails.</p>
<p>Parents and students can sign up for alerts. More than 40,000 people are signed up to receive the alerts.</p>
<p>Sign up at <a href=“https://trojansalert.usc.edu/index.php?CCheck=1[/url]”>https://trojansalert.usc.edu/index.php?CCheck=1</a></p>
<p>DPS also notifies the campus community by email when a crime occurs in our area.</p>
<p>Why doesn’t USC provide more student housing near the campus?</p>
<p>USC and private developers have added thousands of student beds in recent years, and the university plans to add 5,200 new student beds in its proposed redevelopment of University Village. ([The</a> Village at USC](<a href=“http://village.usc.edu/]The”>http://village.usc.edu/))</p>
<p>USC Housing also operates more than 40 facilities, including houses, residential colleges, residence halls and apartments that provide students a variety of living options ([Housing</a> Options](<a href=“http://housing.usc.edu/]Housing”>http://housing.usc.edu/) ). And USC guarantees on-campus housing for freshmen and sophomores.</p>
<p>“And USC guarantees on-campus housing for freshmen and sophomores”…except for Spring admits.</p>
<p>Maybe this question deserves a new thread, but where do the Trojans-in-the-know recommend living off-campus for a new USC student in the Spring of 2013, and how much of a premium should one expect to pay over on-campus housing? (If you care to estimate how much that premium is going to increase after this incident, that information would be appreciated as well).</p>
<p>Your post confuses me a little, because off-campus housing is almost always less expensive than on-campus.</p>
<p>Typical off-campus costs:
2 bed 1 bath - $1500/month
1 bed 1 bath - $1100/month
Studio - $800/month</p>
<p>Those prices are for places like Menlo Avenue, Ellendale Pl, and the west-side.</p>
<p>There are other off-campus options like University Gateway, Tuscany, and that new luxury place on Figueroa and 27th that are nicer and a lot more expensive.</p>
<p>Also, this incident isn’t going to change anything as macro as housing costs.</p>
<p>Off-campus housing for our kids was as was listed above, cheaper than on-campus and our kids liked the flexibility of not having the meal plan. You can generally go on Craigslist to see what is available for off-campus housing which can be right beside or across the street from “on campus” housing and pretty indistinguishable from on-campus housing. I know our housing & food bills dropped when our kids no longer were officially using on-campus housing but they still lived within one or two blocks of campus and right next to frat & sorority houses. Our D did get on-campus housing in Webb when she was a Spring admit–it was GORGEOUS–much nicer than anything I stayed in as a student.</p>
<p>Interesting. I haven’t focused too much on the cost of on-campus housing vis-a-vis off-campus options and just assumed the latter was more expensive. I guess the convenience of being on campus and combining that with a meal plan more than compensates for what I thought (erroneously, it appears) would be some kind of “subsidy” built into the university’s housing pricing policy. I do have a friend whose daughter is staying at University Gateway, and her feeling is UG is more expensive than the dorms. I guess it all depends.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info.</p>
<p>Yes, our D lived at Gateway last year & she felt is was vastly over-priced, so much so that they had to offer incentives such as bikes and cruises and iPads to get people to sign up to fill the spaces. It was a nice place to live but she has chosen an older & less expensive apartment this year. Such places ARE available–at both ends of the spectrum (low & high).</p>
<p>Gateway, even tho it’s officially not a campus residence is very close to campus & many speculate it will eventually be purchased by USC & become one of it’s housing options. Many privately managed properties are similarly very close to campus and also very safe.</p>
<p>Our son is at Gateway this year, and will be again next - yes, it costs more, but there are many promotions to keep an eye out for (and group rates if you get a group to sign up together, or within a small timeframe). But the bottom line - secure and right smack across from campus. We paid for the secure feeling that comes from having him there.</p>
<p>Thanks, HImom and jazz/shreddermom. We are going to check out Gateway when we visit the campus. Unfortunately, neither a phone call nor an e-mail attempting to contact Gateway’s management to set up a visit were returned. Doesn’t give you a very good feeling going in.</p>
<p>I tend to disagree with BandTenHut’s assertion that housing costs are only macro in nature. Housing markets are local, as in location, location, location. Given an exogenous event such as the one that just occurred, all other things being equal (as the economists like to say), demand for student housing inside the USC security perimeter will definitely go up, and demand outside the perimeter will go down. The premium for security and peace of mind (as identified by jazz/shreddermom) will be more highly valued, particularly by out of state and international parents.</p>
<p>Does anyone know off the top of their head how much of the $6 billion capital campaign is designated toward increasing student housing at USC? I know the impact will probably not be felt until after our kids have graduated, but it still would be interesting to know.</p>
<p>lonelybottles, isn’t your S or D an incoming freshman? If so, why not the dorms? They are on campus and the best way to start the USC experience. ETA: Just saw that your S or D is a spring admit. Well, here’s hoping they get bumped up! (And dorm spaces do become available in Spring as well!)</p>
<p>Gateway has someone in the leasing office every day during business hours. You can pretty much walk in and get a tour. Having said that, it’s a large building and once you’re in, management can be frustrating. There are other large new buildings around campus, and many are managed by USC (check the housing site).</p>
<p>Although spring admits are not guaranteed on campus housing, which I agree is disappointing, in the past, USC has provided USC owned housing to all of them. This is sometimes in one of the apartment complexes directly to the north of campus right by the row. It is a heavily walked area that is patrolled extremely closely. On weekends, I have heard that there is a security officer on every single corner at night. Since so many students live on the row, it is a highly traveled area and there is often a throng of kids biking, walking back and forth. It is likely that incoming Spring admits will be offered housing in these university owned apartments if past years are any indication. It is not a bad idea, however, to check out other options.</p>
<p>My S1 lived at Gateway for one semester (before traveling abroad). It is located in an ideal location directly across the street from campus, and has a Seattle’s Best, plus other popular outlets on the ground floor. People have complained about the price, but the building is new, clean, secure, CLOSE, and has some upscale amenities like a gym and in-building parking (available at extra cost!!!) My S got a great deal on rent as it was not fully occupied.</p>
<p>lonelybottles and I are in the same boat; our children are spring admits, and USC specifically states that it will not guarantee housing. My daughter was conversing with a USC student on facebook who is looking to sublet her apartment for the academic year. She told me the price ($800 apiece and for either 2 or 3 students, I can’t recall) which we put aside until we can see the lay of the land after June 1.</p>
<p>The shooting is terribly upsetting. For 20 years I lived in central Philadelphia which is basically a war zone, but we were lulled into the narrative of gentrification around USC. I think it is highly desirable for the University Village project which will provide housing for 5000 students to get underway quickly - though it will all be too late for my daughter unfortunately.</p>
<p>On a macro level, I think this tragedy will have an effect on USC’s yield this year.</p>
<p>Do off-campus apartments require a year lease, or can you go month-to-month? If my son enrolls in January, and subsequently wants to pursue on-campus housing for his sophomore year, I’d hate to be on the hook for the 7 months he isn’t going to be in the off-campus apartment. </p>
<p>In general, it seems that if one-year leases are the norm, then it would be hard for off-campus housing to be cheaper than on-campus housing, notwithstanding the ability to sub-let the off-campus arrangement (but what a major headache and hassle).</p>
<p>^^^I agree, Snowdog.
It will affect families like ours who must strain financially to manage near-full pay at USC. Higher cost + Highlighted risks = possible re-evaluation of cost/benefit ratio. My husband is now leaning even more strongly against taking on any debt to send his only son to USC, that’s for sure. He’s a very rational man and knows how to weigh probabilities. This terrible incident represents a very low frequency event, but it’s an extremely salient one that hits any parent right in the gut. It’s a bell that can’t be unrung and will hang in the air for awhile. Every parent helping their child make this big decision will have to integrate and accommodate it somehow. </p>
<p>I’m guessing it will also affect some east coast and international students, for whom the distance and ‘unknowns’ at USC may tilt decisions in favor of East coast schools, campuses perceived as ‘safe’ and/or those in less urban settings. And for those who have money for full pay and other good options, an event like this is enough to reach the tipping point.</p>
<p>^Gladiatorbird…I agree with you. It has definitely been the topic of conversation in our house. My husband has always been concerned about the area, and this has incredibly sad event has opened my eyes. Even though it occurred 2 miles away from USC, that is too close for comfort. I wouldn’t buy a house that near gang violence in order to keep my family safe. So…is it is a good idea to send my son to live at a school for 4 years that is so near neighborhoods with gang violence (and for double the price of other schools)?</p>
<p>^^Yes, for us USC is more than double the cost of the ‘merit’ school in a safe area that our son also loves. We truly love USC, but are entering the tipping point zone ourselves.</p>
<p>lonelybottles, if your son were to move into Gateway (or most properties) in January, he would likely be taking over the last half of someone else’s lease for only the Spring semester, either privately or through Gateway. At Gateway (and probably the others) they don’t do one year leases that are Jan to Jan (12 month leases are August to August, and there’s also a 10 month option with the summer off, which is what we have).</p>
<p>As for whether off or on campus is cheaper, it seemed to us that only the brand new buildings off campus were MORE expensive than on campus. The older buildings, both USC run and otherwise, were cheaper. Also it can be cheaper not to be required have a food plan. With Fresh and Easy open now right downstairs, my son never uses the kitchen! He definitely spends less than his freshman year food plan. </p>
<p>Sorry if this belongs in a different thread!</p>
<p>On a more related note, I personally don’t think this horrible tragedy will affect USC’s yield at all.</p>