EDITORIAL BOARD: In Trump era, student press is crucial

On the day President Donald Trump delivers his inauguration address, we deliver our inaugural spring 2017 editorial board.

From the night after the election until now, we have witnessed an impenetrable incoming administration. We grimaced as Trump assembled incompetent cabinet members who lack the experience and compassion to effectively represent the people. We quivered as the new leader of the free world so brazenly dismissed intelligence briefings and foreign policy decorum. We marveled at the hacking of the candidacy and now the presidency.

All the while, we took it personally when professional members of the media, stalwarts who we aspire to be, raised questions about the state of our union but were devalued as “fake news.” And at the same time, real fake news — fabricated headlines generated by illegitimate sources for clicks — went unquestioned and often applauded by the highest office in the land.

Thus, it has become increasingly clear that the media is crucial now more than ever. During a time when the President does not feel the need to provide people with transparency, there is a need to challenge, to hold people accountable and be critical.

In the words of former President Barack Obama, as members of the student press corps, we will continue to be skeptics, not sycophants. There’s a lot of work to be done, especially for our University and the surrounding community.

What is immediately transparent is that sexual assault continues to be a pervasive issue, especially on our campus. The statistics are alarming — according to a survey conducted in 2015, 29.7 percent of USC undergraduates have experienced sexual misconduct, a jump from the previous year’s 17.3 percent and the national citation of one in five. Since then, a survey attempting to reach out to the entire student body has yet to be published. We recognize the need to analyze sexual misconduct on our campus on a wider scope to fully understand this epidemic. During this process, we will continue to place the onus on members of the University to increase response rates and create new initiatives.

In a move that has become  typical of private universities nationwide, USC continues to raise tuition by $2,000 each year. At the same time, the University of California has proposed tuition increases for the first time in years. As students — and as journalists — we are deeply concerned by the unchecked and continuous rise in tuition, and we hope to take an active part in challenging this trend. We will continue to ask critical questions, to gather information and to make student voices heard.

Finally, after being sealed for construction for the past three years, the USC Village will open its gates to the outside world by the beginning of next fall. Once a common space for students and the surrounding community alike, the Village must reinstate affordable commercial establishments in order to replace what was previously taken away from families now facing food deserts. We owe it to the surrounding community to embrace them in our Trojan family.

These issues barely scrape the surface of what needs to be done on our campus in order for our University to better support its students. In the nature of the journalism that is our bread and butter, we will continue to chase the truth and hold the University to the highest standard.

The Trump administration’s tone toward journalists will undoubtedly set a precedent for the treatment and consumption of media. Though national norms for news have been stripped, the Daily Trojan Spring 2017 editorial board will help members of this campus decide what kind of university we want to be.

Daily Trojan Spring 2017 Editorial Board