Ginsburg Hall, the newest addition to the Viterbi School of Engineering, has been criticized by students who say they have been denied entry to spaces they believed they could access.

Hannah Fonseca, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, said workers questioned her and her friends about their major and then asked them to leave the study area. Fonseca said this experience raised concerns about the application of access policies, as she had previously seen students using the space without issue.

When asked how staff determine whether a student is eligible to enter certain areas, Fonseca said, “Yeah, they literally just ask them.”

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Fonseca expressed frustration that the policy primarily limits access to computer science students, even though the building is part of Viterbi.

“It’s so annoying, because I’m a Viterbi student too,” Fonseca said. “I’m working on a coding project too. I work in a research lab. So it’s kind of frustrating because they talk about this brand new building, but we can’t even use it.”

Kuan Liu, a junior majoring in computer science, computer science games and philosophy, said that while undergraduates are supposed to have card access, he believes the implementation process has been slow. Lau, however, said he has not seen anyone get kicked out of the hall and has never been asked his major by Ginsburg staff.

According to a Feb. 6 statement from the University to the Daily Trojan, Ginsburg Hall’s first floor and lower level are open to all students between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Faculty members and teaching assistants use designated spaces for office hours on the lower level. The Collaboration Space is reserved for computer science majors, while floors two through five are designated for researchers.

Abby Farhat, a senior majoring in computer science and computer science games, said the limited access policies feel “restrictive,” noting that while the building was endowed for upper-division computer science work, the full restriction seems “unfair.”

“If I go to [the School of Cinematic Arts], I can sit in there even though I’m not an SCA student. But if an SCA student comes here, they can’t sit here,” Farhat said.

In its statement, the University acknowledged the limited access, explaining that “while labs are still in the process of moving in, we are limiting access to the labs on the upper floors to PhDs and faculty researchers.” The statement added that “more and more student researchers will have access, but it will take time to roll-out as the building opens.”

Despite the University’s rationale, Fonseca noted inconsistencies in how access rules are enforced, as some students have entered restricted areas without issue while others have been asked to leave.

“I know some people will walk behind a grad student in the elevator and go upstairs,” Fonseca said. 

As USC continues its phased roll-out of Ginsburg Hall’s facilities, questions remain about how access policies will be enforced and whether they will change in the future. 

“I think it’s tricky, because I don’t know of another space like this. I can think of a closed off student lounge that has card access. But when you make a whole building restricted, especially a building that is clearly designed for kind of public workspace, I don’t know, it seems a little unfair.”