Favoritism is failing the fine arts

The memory of entering USC’s campus for the first time is probably a pinnacle moment for most students here. Being blinded by the beating Los Angeles sun that reflects off the breathtaking buildings, students adorned in flashy brands zipping past on skateboards and your charismatic tour guide adamantly reinforcing that USC’s impact is just as impressive as its exterior. What hit me — harder than said students speeding posthaste along Trousdale Parkway—was just how not-so-impressive some facets are. 

As a student pursuing my Bachelor of Arts degree in art in the Roski School of Art and Design, it is overwhelmingly apparent which programs at USC receive the most endowments and funding (spoiler alert: I am pretty certain that we are not one of them). 

Unfortunately, since I was accepted into USC during the pandemic and then delayed my attendance by transferring in as a sophomore, I never got the false pretense of an iconic USC tour. Instead, I fell for the carefully crafted images and promises on the website. 

My first experience on campus was with my parents after move-in, and it started off the same as everyone else’s—smiling brightly with wide eyes at the impressive buildings, rethinking my entire wardrobe and feeling as though I would be set up for success after my years of studying here. However, my excitement instantaneously dimmed upon arriving at my destination south of campus. 

I can still hear the sharp inhale my mom sucked in, and can still remember how my dad looked puzzled and asked, “Oh…this it?” accompanied by nervous laughter. I proceeded to stand in front of Roski’s Watt and Harris Halls and reinstate the smile I had when I passed by the buildings of the Marshall School of Business, Gould School of Law and Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. 

The building feels old—and not that cool, gothic-esque old that seems unique and vintage— just old. Plain, a bit quiet and dreary, seemingly tucked away in the back of campus. I remember looking at my parents, thinking, “No, no, this cannot possibly be right. Where’s the vibrancy? The inspiration? The physicality of paying over $60,000 a year to attend an institution in sunny California of all places?” 

Well, I was rudely awakened that those promises do exist—just not for my school.

After journeying to practically every building on a fun, yet stressful adventure to finish off my apartment meal plan, I discovered that USC lives up to its physical reputation in other parts of its campus.

Marshall has tablets outside of nearly every room to show its spatial occupancy. Gould has its own (extremely difficult to find) café with an extensive menu. Annenberg has an entire newsroom with accessible, state-of-the art technology. Roski has an abandoned C&G Juice Co. shop since it was moved to Ronald Tutor Campus Center.

My qualms are not with Roski as an institution. Access to 24-hour studio spaces, printing labs, education from established artists and access to the Fisher Museum and on-campus galleries are nothing to complain about. What makes me hesitant about expressing any sort of USC pride—which is already difficult enough considering the price of merchandise at the bookstore—is that USC does not seem to take pride in the fine arts. 

Visual arts are notorious for taking the backburner when it comes to school funding. 

According to The Guardian education correspondent Sally Weale, cuts and lack of resources for the arts sends the signal that “the arts are not a strategic priority.”

This is no exception when it comes to USC. Roski does not get a career fair that occupies the entirety of Trousdale like the Viterbi School of Engineering. Our opportunities appear on a password-protected website. Roski does not get well-known speakers for shows and panels like the School of Cinematic Arts and School of Dramatic Arts; we get talks strictly in the Arts District, a $20 Lyft ride away. Roski does not get necessary resources covered like Annenberg; we must purchase supply kits up to nearly $200 per studio class. 

I remember introducing myself as an art major last year and being met with confused stares and having to explain that yes, USC does, in fact, have an art school and no, it is not a part of Dornsife (Yes. Someone asked me this.).

These disparities are not going unnoticed, but they are going unchanged. I find it extremely discouraging to be reminded each time that I walk on campus that the visual arts, quite ironically, lack visibility. It feels as though I was secretly handed the tail end of USC’s shining glory, enough to sound ungrateful if I complain, yet unfulfilling when compared to the rest of the University. 

It really is a shame considering the amazing creations that both Roski students and professors produce and are involved in. All-nighters in studios resulting in independent and class exhibitions on campus, works in local galleries, published pieces and more.

Let our exterior embody our work. Let our resources reflect our dedication. Let the visual arts be visible. It’s the least the University can do.