I was sitting in the outdoor patio behind Annenberg — one of my favorite spots to study on campus — thinking about what to write. Frustrated with my lack of progress, I began gazing at my surroundings — the hummingbirds buzzing from tree to tree, the diverse array of students rushing by, the immaculate new Annenberg building dressed in crimson brick and beige molding. Then it dawned on me — I must write about USC. I have one more year at USC, and I think it only just if I reflect on this institution. The first thing that came to mind was the string of scandalous, illegal, and, frankly, startling events that have occurred during my time here.
Here are just a few:
· December 2016 — USC Psychology Professor Murdered:
Bosco Tjan, a USC Psychology professor and co-director of the Cognitive Neuroimaging Center, was stabbed to death by a mentally insane doctoral student in his lab.
· March 2016 — Dean of the Keck School of Medicine Found Guilty of Drug Use:
During his time as Dean, Carmen Puliafito was involved with many criminals and prostitutes. He also was guilty of using methamphetamine. Puliafito partied heavily, even in his office at USC. Puliafito resigned three weeks after a 21-year old had overdosed in his Pasadena hotel room. He had found this woman on an escort website and continued seeing her in conjunction with heavy drug use (methamphetamine and heroin). Among other offenses, Puliafito would bring people to USC to “party” after hours and kept illegal drugs in his office. The infamous dean also had a wife and three children at this time. After Puliafito exited his position, Rohit Varma replaced him. However, Varma was later pulled from the position after claims of sexual harassment.
· June 2016 — George Tyndall, former USC Gynecologist, Guilty of Sexually Abusing Students:
USC Gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall was found guilty of sexually abusing hundreds of students during his time at USC. The charges came from nearly 400 women throughout his 27 years at the school. Even after dozens of students and staff reported that they were abused, Tyndall stayed in his job for much too long. Tyndall was removed from the position in 2016 and faces up to 53 years in prison.
· October 2017 — False Shooter Warning Causes Lockdown at USC:
A USC faculty member released rumors that there was an active shooter in Fertitta Hall. Stampedes of students rushed out of the building. Elsewhere on campus, student barricaded themselves in classrooms. There was no evidence found of a shooting on the USC campus. Luckily, the reports of gunfire per the professor were false.
· September 2017 — Assistant Coach Charged with Taking Bribes:
Assistant basketball coach, Tony Bland, was charged with fraud and corruption for receiving and administering thousands of dollars in bribes.
· November 2018 — Dean Ellis Unjustly Ousted:
After working in the Office of the Dean under Dean Ellis’ leadership, this one hits close to home. I remember being in the office on the day he was asked to leave. Hushed whispers and anxiety filled the back room, but as I sat at the front desk taking calls, I had no idea what was happening. A few weeks later, I found out that Dean Ellis had been forced to resign. I was in utter disbelief! This was a man who I had spent the past two years around. I had grown to admire and respect him. His joyful attitude and friendly presence complemented his leadership abilities — he was well-received by all. The decision was made by interim President Wanda Austin which sparked major controversy on campus — students even held a protest in his honor. Dean Ellis did a number of great things for the business school including achievement of gender parity in the MBA school and a 13th rank finish in Bloomberg Business Schools. The Dean was never suspect of inappropriate behavior and dealt with all complaints appropriately. Equally disturbing, the Dean was never allowed to see the report that was the alleged reason for his abrupt termination. My personal opinion is that President Austin may have falsified complaints about Dean Ellis so she could replace him with the Dean of the Wharton School of Business — Geoffrey Garrett. What confirms my speculation is the lack of search for a new dean — they announced Garrett as the new dean immediately after starting the “search.” The timing seems a little too close if you ask me. It seems as if the former interim president found any grounds she could to fire Ellis so her legacy included the addition of the dean from one of the best business schools on earth. Well, this is my personal opinion, of course. But whether or not Wanda Austin had a specific goal in mind when she terminated Dean Ellis, it remains unjust that she did so with little transparency or faculty agreement.
Link to Dean Ellis’ exit letter — a must read!
· March 2019 — Admission Scandal:
In this infamous scandal, many USC officials and parents were found guilty in a scheme involving bribery, falsified documents, and money laundering to ensure successful admittance of prospective students. Four USC athletic officials were found guilty of accepting bribes and dozens of parents were indicted. One of the most famous of the wealthy parents was, Loui Loughlin, whose daughter Olivia Jade Giannulli, is a famous “influencer.” What makes matters even worse, she found out the scandal was uncovered while on a yacht owned by Rick Caruso — chair of USC Board of Trustees!
· August 2019 — Village Restaurants sue USC:
BBCM Cafe and Rance’s Chicago Pizza filed a lawsuit over misleading promises the university made regarding village and restaurant operations such as USC meal cards to be used at restaurants, lower competition among the restaurants (the village is mostly restaurants though USC officials assured a “reasonable mix”), and the concealed fact that there would be a brand new dining hall feet from the restaurants.
The icing on the cake of all these events is the complete lack of transparency in administrative operations. In 2018, Nikias resigned as the president of USC after he was accused of hiding the administration’s problems and “creating a state of turmoil and uncertainty” on campus. Thus, Wanda Austin came in to replace Nikias as the interim president. As a student at USC, I have felt incredibly frustrated at the lack of transparency between the happenings at the administrative level and communication to students. With each and every one of these events, I received more information from the Los Angeles Times and other news sources than from the university I pay thousands of dollars to attend.
I love this school. I love the friends and memories I’ve made, and I would not trade it for the world. But it goes without saying, that something is in the water at USC. Michael Useem, a professor at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School commented on USC’s situation, “There are very few examples where you’ve had so many different parts of a university affected at almost the same time.” Maybe the school is trying to do too much, too fast. Maybe we need to focus on ethics and transparency rather than stats and rankings. No matter the problem, USC needs to turn its act around if it wants to remain a prestigious university.