On Feb. 9, Alan Lee took a nap in a classroom on USC’s Health Sciences Campus. Exhausted from his long hours in classes, completing homework assignments and doing medical rotations as a second-year student in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, Lee needed a few minutes to close his eyes. But instead of getting needed rest, he was given a “Professionalism Warning” by the school. 

A letter sent to Lee by Dr. Julie Tilson, associate chair of DPT education and director of the DPT program, said he “startled” a staff member that day when they turned the lights on in a classroom and found him sleeping there. Tilson wrote that Lee was then told via email to keep the lights on at all times when he is in a classroom to avoid further consequences. 

To comply, Lee obtained an eye mask from the health center and used that in lieu of turning off classroom lights. On June 20, however, this backfired when a well-meaning passerby earned him another warning from the school. 

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“The lights were also off, but I wasn’t the one who turned them off,” Lee said. “Somebody else saw me sleeping and turned it off. So in that case, there was nothing I could do, it wouldn’t make sense for me to turn off the lights and wear a sleep mask.”

Tilson’s letter reads that a staff member discovered him and issued a verbal warning about sleeping in classrooms, not about the lights. When Lee was meditating in a classroom on Sept. 3, a facilities worker found him and reported the incident as another instance of sleeping to administrators, who put him on Professionalism Warning. 

The first letter from Tilson notifying Lee of his status on Sept. 5 cited reasons “related to” Section 5.IV.A, item 7d of the USC DPT Student Handbook, which states students should observe health and safety regulations. After three more recorded instances of sleeping, Tilson sent a second letter Sept. 12 which cited the USC Student Handbook’s passage pertaining to sleeping on campus. 

“With the exception of designated university housing used by residents with a corresponding living agreement and their registered guests, university grounds and facilities may not be used for the purposes of living, sleeping, or camping overnight,” the passage reads. 

When this passage was quoted in the second letter, the word “overnight” was omitted. 

Lee said the reason he finds himself napping on campus is because of his commute. Rush hour traffic can turn a 20-minute drive into over an hour. To avoid this, he always arrives on campus before 8 a.m. and leaves after 8 p.m. 

“That extra hour takes a big chunk out of students’ lives,” Lee said. “As a student, we have a lot of asynchronous material to watch … so in order to make time to watch those videos, you want to minimize that traffic commuting time.” 

When Lee is on campus, he doesn’t always have a place to go. HSC has two libraries — the Wilson Dental Library and the Norris Medical Library — neither of which open before 8 a.m. While the medical library stays open until 10 p.m., if it fills up after 6 p.m. Lee is out of luck, as that is when the Dental Library closes. 

Josh Jackson, a senior majoring in chemical engineering, said commuting — which can be between 20 and 45 minutes depending on traffic — is often an issue. Jackson tries to leave campus as soon as possible, but isn’t always able to and sometimes naps on campus wherever there is space. 

“I know that [in] a couple of libraries there are sleeping pods to use, and I’ve used those before,” Jackson said. “Also, there’s just a lot of outdoor space that enables privacy, and if you want to take a nap on a bench or something, you’re more than welcome to do so.”

Tilson’s second letter recommended the use of a prayer and meditation space on campus, but specifically noted that it is not for sleeping. 

Alexander Burton, a junior majoring in game development and interactive design, said he and his classmates often take naps on campus because of the schedule for their major. 

“People sleep in [GDID] communal spaces. There’ll be blankets that people use and they wash regularly because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. We’re all tired,” Burton said. 

According to both letters, Lee will be removed from Professionalism Warning at the end of the spring semester if no more instances of sleeping in a classroom are recorded. If they are, Lee will be moved to Professionalism Probation. 

Both Jackson and Burton said they didn’t think the University should have a problem with students napping on campus. Burton said this should be the case, especially for students in majors with late hours. 

“I find it odd that someone who is in medical service who needs that sleep is being accosted for making sure that they are operating at best efficiency,” Burton said.