March 6, 2016

USC Community,

Early Sunday morning a member of our USC community reported an incident of discrimination and prejudice that was threatening and unconscionable. An undergraduate student notified us that while sitting outside his campus residence he had eggs thrown at him accompanied by racial slurs. This act was shameful and will not be tolerated at our university.

We are grateful that the student who experienced this immediately reached out to our Department of Public Safety so we were able to respond quickly and involve the Los Angeles Police Department in the investigation. Our Bias Assessment, Response, and Support committee will work to further investigate this incident and determine the next steps moving forward.

At USC, we expect our university community to abide by our Principles of Community, and we have a zero tolerance policy for any conduct that threatens or intimidates our students. Please visit bit.ly/uscbias for more details.

Although the constitutional right to free speech may protect offensive and discriminatory speech, it in no way allows for threats or acts of violence. We urge anyone who has experienced bias or discrimination to report it so that we may respond appropriately and work together to promote a university culture of inclusion and equity. The following website provides a link for reporting bias and discrimination and as well as resources for assessing what constitutes bias and discrimination: https://studentaffairs.usc.edu/bias-assessment-response-support/

All of us are responsible for creating a campus climate that reflects the ideals and aspirations of our Principles of Community. It is when we act in unity to combat such incidents that we send the strongest message that there is no place at USC for bigotry and prejudice.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ainsley Carry

Vice President for Student Affairs