USC’s gilded promise
When Los Angeles received an unprecedented amount of rain two weeks ago, I thought for sure that USC was going to turn into Atlantis. A simple walk to CVS was nearly impossible due to flash floods rising above the curb and spilling onto the sidewalk. My walk from my writing seminar to Tutor Campus Center left my shoes completely inundated with rainwater.
While I don’t claim to be an expert on environmental issues, it’s no secret that an efficient drainage system can help nourish the environment and conserve water. It’s also not a secret that a water shortage is one of the most pressing environmental issues we face today. However, while it’s not a secret, it’s not something that is often addressed. An ongoing and aggressive drought in California has left the state in a predicament where 3% of its population — ore than 1 million people — lack access to safe drinking water. As the nation’s largest provider of agricultural goods, and with the population steadily increasing, it’s become apparent that it’s time for everyone to do their part — now or never.
Climate change must be addressed from both a micro and macro level. From a micro level, it’s important to recycle and limit how much electricity and water an individual uses. Buying sustainable products and limiting waste have slowly started to become the norm. However, institutions that make sizable impacts through large-scale operations and productions also need to reassess the impact they have on the environment. USC is one of these institutions.
Every single night, the University wastes gallons upon gallons of water with an inefficient lawn sprinkler system. In the USC Village, half of the water oversprays or runs off onto the sidewalk. Students dodge to avoid puddles and the concrete is dark and damp as the morning sun rises. While it might seem like a small inconvenience for students, the repercussions are anything but.
This egregious waste of water is incredibly ironic when one considers the responsibility the administration placed upon students by advising they tak five-minute showers. Passively placing a basket of shower timers in the dorm lobby is nothing more than performative in comparison to a suitable drainage system.
While it’s undeniable that the campus’ beauty and status feel like a secret garden within a manor of concrete and air pollution, it inherently places itself into a precarious position where the school has no choice but to toe the line between sustainability and beautification. This doesn’t seem to be something that the school has realized. The 39 decorative fountains permeating campus serve as a visible reminder.
The damage actively committed by USC isn’t just limited to water usage. The University’s recent decision to join the Big 10 athletic conference, while a financially astute decision, will result in teams traversing at least 3,000 and up to 6,000 miles by airplane on a weekly basis. This will make an entire legion of schools complicit in egregious greenhouse gas emissions from jet fuel. It’ll become the sisterhood of the traveling environmental damage.
Instead, USC has effectively communicated that fighting climate change is in the hands of the individual rather than the institution. They seem to think that unenforced recycling stations are only available in certain parts of campus and a gentle reminder at convocation to avoid single-use plastic water bottles alleviates the University from large-scale environmental reform. It’s ignorant and performative at best, dubious and hypocritical at worst.
USC wants its students to learn about the infrastructure of society so that they can change the world and become the leaders of tomorrow. As an institution with undeniable financial and cultural privileges that outshines many others, this should be possible. However, all of that will be rendered pointless if USC continues on its current course of doing the exact opposite. Making a meaningful impact on the climate takes more than aluminum water bottles and bold promises. It takes institutional change and a reevaluation of priorities. Had efficient drainage and water collection systems existed, that rain could have been recycled and preserved as a replenishment resource. Although it prides itself on a “green campus,” the time is now for it to reassess just how green it actually is.