Mark Ewalt, USC’s executive director of operations and compliance, said during Wednesday’s  Academic Senate meeting that the United States Secret Service will establish “stop and search zones” in specific parts of campus during the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics. 

During Summer 2028 and Fall 2028, people passing through those zones will be searched. It was not immediately clear which parts of campus would include the heightened security.

Ewalt said the security changes that will come to USC are a part of hosting “the highest level security for any event in the world.” USC will host the marquee track and field events and the opening ceremony in the Coliseum, as well as badminton and rhythmic gymnastics at the Galen Center. Additionally, University Park Campus is slated to be the home of press and media operations.

“All the details are not worked out, even though we’ve been working on this for the better part of three years,” Ewalt said. 

Julie Cederbaum, a professor of social work, said she was concerned about the impact these zones would have on student and faculty experience at USC.

“[I] would just like culture and morale [of USC students and faculty] to be a part of the conversation,” Cederbaum said. 

Prior to the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, USC installed barbed wire fencing around the University perimeter to manage security and crowd control. In the years that followed, the wire evolved into the permanent brick and wrought-iron fencing that now encloses the campus.

In response to the Spring 2024 pro-Palestinian encampment, the University put in place enhanced security measures at campus entry points, including mandatory ID scans and bag checks. Bag checks and mandatory ID scans during public operating hours were removed in August 2025, soon after President Beong-Soo Kim took over as interim president.

Ewalt also said USC has not yet decided if it will be able to sustain a summer program in 2028 because of the increased security. Earlier this month, University administrators said USC will implement a new scholarship model to improve the affordability of summer enrollment, as well as expand access to popular summer classes and offer more small, in-person classes. 

Ewalt said that while the Olympics should have no financial impact on USC, there will be costs involved that the University will have to figure out how to quantify in order to be reimbursed properly. 

Less parking will be available at USC during the Olympics and Paralympics, Ewalt said, but USC is committed to finding a “creative solution.”