Our long-time readers may be surprised to see that Daily Trojan isn’t endorsing candidates for the Undergraduate Student Government race for president and vice president this year. Ultimately, we felt this was the most appropriate decision as some of the candidates in the race have previously been affiliated with Daily Trojan. Instead, we are choosing to endorse five policies we think all of USG should focus on and invite you to vote for who you think would promote these priorities best as leaders of the undergraduate student body. 

         1. Gates

The University — an effective practitioner of erasure, eviction and exclusion — installed 24-hour monitored gates and scanning systems in Spring 2024 at its existing entrances in response to divestment protests concerning the University’s involvement in Israel’s war in Gaza.

Los Angeles is packaged as USC’s accessory: a living laboratory to supplement our education while embracing the intersections of culture, class and community. However, the University has architected its own isolation. The campus borders determine, track and schedule who and what students know. Exploration becomes a liability; inclusion is a radical act. Fear is repackaged as safety, as walls reject organic organization and beliefs before they can be founded.

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This is the infrastructure of ideology — the gatekeeping of knowledge and the choreography of interaction. The walls manufacture echo chambers. They do not make us safer; they only make us more streamlined, isolated and afraid of the structures that our education is tasked to reimagine. 

To even begin to rectify its relationship with South Central, the University must multiply and demilitarize its entrances during the day. The University Park Campus cannot be a space commandeered from the community and exploited for the education of the elite. 

The Editorial Board seeks a USG representative willing to advocate for an actionable agenda: opening more of the University’s gates, increasing access points and reducing the gated hours to class days so weekends have more liberty of movement. Additionally, the University must remove the gates surrounding Alumni Park and Bovard Auditorium to cultivate student connections without containment. The University and USG must recognize and remove our campus’ segregationist walls.

         2. Financial Information and Resources

It’s no secret that USC is one of the most expensive colleges in the United States. Each year, the Board of Trustees raises tuition by another 5%, adding thousands of dollars to students’ financial burden, contributing to the cost of attendance increasing by about 18% over the last five years. This brings us to the question: What is USC doing to alleviate this stress, and how can USG help transform the tedious financial aid system?

While USC provides aid to many students, navigating the system is unnecessarily complicated. The financial aid department must streamline and simplify applications to accommodate students’ needs and prevent them from being overwhelmed by paperwork and bureaucratic roadblocks.

When students encounter such problems, they can go to the financial aid office. However, wait times are often long, creating additional stress for students who are trying to navigate how they can afford tuition. These wait times — both virtually and in-person — need to be cut down because it’s unreasonable to expect students to spend weeks navigating monotonous processes just to secure the financial support they need to stay in school.

Another way students can learn to manage their aid is through USC’s financial literacy resources. USG should work with the Financial Aid Office to market its resources clearly and in a well-organized manner so that these tools are actively and constantly promoted. This grants easy access so students can easily find information about financial literacy services like iGrad, Moneythink and Lemonade USC.

Lastly, students deserve full transparency. A 5% tuition hike is around $3,000. We should know if our money is invested back into us and our education or if it’s used to pay the senior administration’s exorbitant salaries. We implore USG to advocate for publishing a clear, itemized breakdown of expenses, not just broad categories, as this would help establish trust between students and USC administration. 

Because of USC’s extortionate tuition, the University must ensure students understand their financial options while being transparent about the school’s finances, especially after the 5% tuition hikes. USG is responsible for ensuring students understand their financial resources and can continue to study at our institution. 

           3. Student Publications 

In the wake of budget cuts that have left the Daily Trojan unable to pay staffers and a limited print schedule, the University has come under scrutiny for administrative decisions that create new obstacles for student publications. As the next cycle of student government elections approaches, the possible candidates must seriously consider how they will work to foster a collaborative culture that supports free speech and inclusivity. 

After the University significantly reduced funding for student life, student journalists collectivized to petition the decision — despite it gaining over 2,400 signatures, the budgetary decisions remained final. It has become clear that if change is going to occur regarding support for student publications, it has to also be advocated for at an administrative level. 

It’s time for USG to prioritize independent student journalism. Platforms advocating for student publications must implement changes that allow journalistic units to have autonomy over their budgets and not be controlled by the same University that funds a $130 million computer science building while writers at the Daily Trojan are relieved of an already-low wage of $15 per article. 

In addition, USG must consider its role in fostering a healthy student culture — overly competitive student organizations contribute to a toxic environment where students already trying to maintain academic success are forced to tackle an additional level of stress. USG needs to actively hold organizations accountable and ensure students aren’t reliving the daunting college application process as they make an effort to get more involved. 

We won’t accept hollow campaign promises; we need genuine effort toward resisting what has become far too normalized at USC. We cannot let an environment that diminishes independent student journalism and over-competitive clubs flourish — as elections are decided and the next candidates take their offices. It is imperative that they follow through with their calls to listen to the people and push for changes in how the administration handles student publications and organizations.

            4. Third spaces

Despite USC being home to around 36% of its over 47,000 students, few students know of accessible third spaces on the 226 acres of the University Park Campus. Third spaces known to the student body — classics like Tutor Campus Center, Dulce or Leavey — are inundated with students around the clock, leaving people looking to congregate out of luck. 

However, the University doesn’t lack third spaces; rather, it’s underutilizing and under-promoting the spaces that it already has. TCC’s food court and outdoor area are constant, near-deadly shuffles of friend groups looking to secure a lunch spot yet these areas are surrounded by endless and often forgotten spaces dedicated to student use.

On TCC’s left lies the Wilson Student Union, which houses six cultural centers and their respective lounges. Spaces like the University’s Asian Pacific American Student Services or Native American Pasifika lounges are open to all students, not just those who identify with those affinity groups. By just swiping their USCards, students can access a multitude of spaces where they can eat a meal, get some homework done or just hang out with their friends.

Similarly, there are three experiential programs for different financial backgrounds, each with a lounge above the TCC food court. Whether or not a student actively utilizes the services of the First Gen+ Success Center, Student Basic Needs or the Veterans Resource Center, all of the experiential programs have physical spaces that are open to all students. These spaces are equipped with seating, microwaves and snacks, all of which are amenities that students appreciate in more popular campus spots. 

Whether posting on the USG social media accounts to feature underutilized space or using them for campus-wide events, student government should take the opportunity to bolster the social and academic lives of University students by showing them that places exist on campus where they can make more friends and study outside of their academic activities. Campus is their home, even when class is over.

          5. Sustainability

The University markets itself as an enterprising institution, a leader in innovation and progress. Yet, regarding sustainability, the University’s efforts are performative at best. As the climate crisis accelerates, USC’s approach remains fragmented, reactive and woefully inadequate.

While USC does promote sustainable initiatives, its physical infrastructure and the associated environmental footprint are lackluster and detrimental. The occasional recycling bin is simply not enough. USC must commit to a comprehensive green energy remodel within its architecture, mandating renewable energy and solar panels in all new construction, and retrofitting existing structures to be more environmentally friendly.

It is equally critical to embed sustainability into the fabric of student life. USC requires incoming students to complete educational modules on topics ranging from drug and alcohol mitigation to sexual assault prevention, yet it remains silent on the urgency of the climate crisis. Adding a mandatory sustainability module covering recycling, energy conservation and waste reduction would equip USC’s nearly 50,000-person student body with the necessary knowledge and tools to make a meaningful impact in the fight against the climate crisis.

Food waste is another pressing issue that demands immediate attention. Dining halls generate significant amounts of uneaten food daily, much of which ends up in landfills. Instead of discarding this surplus, the University should partner with local shelters and food banks to donate meals to those in need.

In 2021, USC set the goal to be carbon neutral by 2025. We’re in 2025, and USC’s goal remains unmet. The climate crisis is not a distant threat — it is here, now, and its consequences are undeniable. The urgency of this moment demands that the incoming USG champion a vision of sustainability that is not merely aspirational but actionable.

The Daily Trojan strongly advocates for prioritizing these policies and for this year’s USG candidates to make positive strides toward better inclusivity, transparency and campus livelihood. As undergraduate students cast their votes, we recommend you keep these transformative goals in mind so that together, we can create a better future for USG and USC.