 Dear Trojans,We hope you are enjoying the summer, and we look forward to welcoming all of you to the University Park Campus for the start of fall semester. In preparation for the new academic year, we have taken many steps to modernize our campus to ensure a safe, secure environment for our university community, neighbors and guests. Security on campus remains our top priority, even more so as we still face safety concerns in our world today. We will remain vigilant and do our best to provide a secure campus that is also as open and accessible as possible. The operational plans we are sharing with you today will remain in place for the foreseeable future. We’ve long operated with open access during weekday business hours, and limited access after-hours and on weekends. Last spring, we moved to a 24/7 secured perimeter. We learned a great deal operationally and we listened to your feedback on ways we can make entering campus a smoother process. Expanded campus access: To speed up access to campus, all campus gates will be open beginning August 15. The McCarthy Way and McClintock Avenue entrances will have 24-hour access, while other entrances will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Please see the map here. Faster check-in: We are introducing a “fast lane” at most vehicle and pedestrian entrances for those with a USC ID. At each fast lane, you will be able to tap – or swipe – your USC staff, faculty and student identification card (USCard) to expedite the screening process and allow you quicker access to campus. There will be multiple lanes available. Most of you likely already have a USCard enabled for tap use. Those who don’t (mostly those who joined USC prior to 2020) will soon receive information from USCard Services on how to quickly upgrade to a tap card at no charge. Real-time guest registration: Just as we did last spring, if you have guests coming to campus, you must register them online. Registration is fast and simple, and promptly provides guests a QR code for entry. More information about registering guests is available here. New campus welcome services tents: Staffed tents will be located near our busiest entrances to assist visitors who need help navigating the entrance process. Anyone attending campus events who is not pre-registered can go to the campus welcome services tents to seek assistance. We will have campus welcome services staff available at the tents to answer questions. Additional support for people with disabilities and other needs will also be available at all entrances. Expedited parking access: All campus parking structures are open. Based on your feedback, to alleviate congestion, access for vehicles at the McClintock entrance will be available only to those with USC IDs and approved external vendors. The pedestrian entrance at McClintock will be open to all with a USCard or guest registration. New McClintock entrance gate: A permanent gate (similar to the gate at the Pardee Way entrance) will be installed starting next week. Temporary fencing will be in place until the permanent gates are completed in October. As we move toward more updated campus procedures, we ask for your patience and understanding. These steps are aimed at maintaining our welcoming Trojan environment for all our students, faculty, staff, alumni, visitors, neighbors and other partners who regularly enjoy our campus. More information about these measures is available here. There, you will find helpful maps, FAQs, videos and more details about our efforts. We look forward to seeing you at UPC. Fight On!  David Wright |
