University continues dramatic rise
To my fellow Trojans, new and old alike, I say welcome. Welcome to perhaps the most exciting year yet at both the University of Southern California and the Daily Trojan.
Entering its 136th year, the University is on the brink of great change. Our school now sits just roughly half a billion shy of its $6 billion multi-year fundraising campaign, and the ambitious campus expansion of the University Village is only a year from completion.
It is no surprise then that the “University of Summer Construction” has been in full swing, and students returning might notice a swath of aesthetic differences to their ever-evolving campus. The once-landmark “Finger Fountain” at the intersection of Trousdale and Jefferson no longer stands in salute to our crosstown rival. And at two opposing sides of school, both the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and the Jill and Frank Fertitta Hall now dot our skyline.
To match the campus’ physical evolution, the student body is changing, too. This year, USC is celebrating its lowest admission rate at 16.5 percent with an increasingly diverse set of backgrounds.
With any great change, however, has come controversy. Many question our University’s rising rates of tuition at a time when the price of going to college has reached an all-time high. And while USC continues to extend into the South L.A. community, the future of the area stands on edge. In our orientation issue, the Daily Trojan hopes to show you how these changes have come to pass and where USC stands to go in the months and years ahead.
That mission, of course, does not stop today. We, too, are looking to the future. For the past 104 years, the Daily Trojan has served tirelessly to provide the best source of campus news to the USC community. This upcoming year will only work to extend that tradition.
It is no secret that the nature of newspapers today has changed radically since the Daily Trojan’s founding. What was done even five years ago must be overhauled. At our newsroom in the Student Union, we understand this and hope to continue to make this paper an essential fixture of campus life.
Look to expect a greater focus on multimedia content and investigative pieces, areas that allow us to both better connect with our audience and also serve journalism’s higher, civil purpose. Our online presence will continue to foster a diverse set of original stories, blogs and graphic elements. While our tangible paper will continue to mark campus newsstands, we understand the importance of meeting our readers where they work best: on their mobile devices. As we work to adapt to the ever-changing media landscape, we want to make sure you, our reader, benefit from it every step of the way.
USC is a special place, and only for a short time do people get to call it home. The Daily Trojan’s goal is to both inform and monitor the comings-and-goings of this University, and we hope that while you are here, you can see that mission come to fruition.
matt lemas
FALL 2016 editor-in-chief