The neighborhoods within


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Divisions mark the 4,752 square miles that comprise what we consider to be “Los Angeles.” After all, the county includes 158 cities. And the city itself is composed of 87 neighborhoods. What’s more, most neighborhoods have a definite character that carries with it various perceptions and stereotypes.

The University Park Campus, in many ways, is no different. The campus, which spans 226 acres, is a neighborhood in its own right, with its own character and demographic makeup. Nearly 40,000 students call this university home, a significant number of whom come from other cities, states and countries. USC enrolls more international students than any other university in the United States.

And within the neighborhood of USC, with more than 850 student organizations, students associate and identify with many different communities.

We’re often used to thinking of demographics on the basis of race and ethnicity. And, over the past few weeks, the Daily Trojan has scratched the surface of what it means to belong to USC’s three highest-represented groups categorized by race and/or ethnicity. Our long-form series has explored the university experience for students who identify as black, Asian and Latino or Hispanic.

In this special edition of the Daily Trojan, we intend to not simply build off the series but to widen its scope. In these pages, you might read about the demographics of student government or about what it means to be an athlete who was recruited from a foreign country.

Admittedly, this is not an exhaustive exploration of every group on campus, but we feel that it’s a good starting point to begin a dialogue about how different groups manifest themselves at USC and within Los Angeles, a city known for its vibrant diversity. We also hope to use this opportunity to highlight aspects of groups and organizations that get lost in our daily coverage.

For us, covering the issues underlying larger organizations and populations is an ongoing project. We plan to continue building off this supplement with more content on our website and in our pages.

Though the following stories are the product of pitches from Daily Trojan editors, we encourage you, as always, to send us your letters or comment on our website to let us know what you think. Tell us about your experience at USC, and help us track the demographics of this university.

The Daily Trojan Staff