Ethnic Student Programs

USC is strongly committed to enhancing the quality of life for all students attending the university. Unusual efforts have been made to build on the cultural diversity present in our student body. These efforts are coordinated through departments within the Division of Student Affairs. This focus provides opportunities for cross-cultural experiences for all students and a chance to identify a broad range of support services to these specific ethnic minority groups.

Chicano/Latino Student Services

El Centro Chicano was established in 1973 as a creative joint venture between the Chicano community and USC. El Centro provides an informative environment for the Chicano/Latino student. It gives students the opportunity to become involved in social, cultural and personal development activities that are geared to promote their full participation in campus life.

Some of El Centro's retention programs include: faculty/student luncheons, declamation contest, Proyecto Mexico, the Latino floor in university housing, the Motivation Institute, the Chicano-Latino graduate celebration, Latino Parents Association and Toastmasters.

In addition, El Centro supports and advises the Chicano/Latino student organizations. These are: M.E.Ch.A., Chicanos for Progressive Education (CPE), Latino Business Students Association, Trojan Gavel, Nuestra Alma Latina, Hispanic Pre-Law Association, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), Latinos for Health Careers, Minority Students in the Media Association, LA RAZA Political Action Conference, Policy Alternatives in Latin America, and Push United for Mexican American Students (PUMAS).

The office is located on the third floor of the United University Church and is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The telephone number for information and services is (213) 740-1480.

Asian Pacific American Student Services

The Asian Pacific American Student Services (APASS) department opened in 1982 to assist students in their academic, cultural and personal development during their years at USC. The department links students (over 22 percent of the total undergraduate population) to various opportunities both in and out of the university and to Asian Pacific American alumni and the Asian Pacific American communities.

APASS' mission is to enable students to complete their academic studies more successfully; to participate fully in university life through activities and programs; to develop leadership, communication and interpersonal skills; and to become knowledgeable about and involved with the Asian Pacific American community and identity.

APASS programs include leadership development, orientation, community resources and information, alumni mentoring, cultural and educational programs, academic collaborations, and individual and collective advocacy.

APASS also administers the Asian Pacific American Support Group (APASG) which offers alumni and friends the opportunity to contribute to the education and future of Asian Pacific Americans at USC. The mission of the APASG is to promote the advancement of Asian Pacific American students at USC in all aspects of their development. The APASG collaborates with APASS on mentoring, community relations, and supports the APASG Scholarship Endowment fund which awards over $30,000 annually.

Asian Pacific American Student Services is located in the Student Union Building, Room 410, (213) 740-4999. The hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Department for Black Students

The Department for Black Students supports academic and scholarly expression by providing forums for exploration of ideas, as well as programs and activities for the development and enrichment of both graduate and undergraduate students. The department takes a multifaceted approach to leadership, retention, scholarship and student initiatives.

Department programs include the USC-Howard University exchange, a protege mentor program for incoming students, faculty/student brown bag lecture series, information referral, problem solving, community interns, Thurgood Marshall Student Leadership Council, and national Panhellenic organizations.

The Department for Black Students is located in the Student Union Building, Room 415, (213) 740-8257. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

International Students and Scholars

The Office for International Students and Scholars located in the Student Union Building, Room 300, is concerned with assisting non-immigrant students in adjusting to, and fully participating in, the USC campus community. The office provides orientation for new students; counseling on personal, academic and financial matters; advisement on immigration matters; programs for international social and cultural exchange; advisement for student nationality clubs; assistance with registration for classes; and information about international employment opportunities.

A unique service offered by the office is the international peer advocate program. These experienced USC student counselors are trained to assist new and continuing international students in adjusting to the campus. The peer advocates are involved at orientation and registration for new students and are available on a year-round basis to assist with the problems brought to them. They also organize a variety of special enrichment opportunities during the academic year. Some of these programs include the International Speakers Program, Diner's Club, L.A. Today excursions, International Film Club and the American Host Family Program.

Learning Support Services: The Learning Center

The Learning Center is the location of the central resource and referral agency for learning enrichment at USC. The Department of Academic Services, the Department of Learning Services, the Undergraduate Access Program, the Academic Achievement Program, and the McNair Scholars Program all work with USC faculty, staff and students to complement and enhance optimal use of the educational resources of the university. The goals of each of these programs are to facilitate independent learning, critical thinking, integrative understanding and responsible action. The Learning Center is located on the third floor of the Student Union Building, Room 301, (213) 740-0776. The hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Tutoring and Learning Assistance Individual Tutoring

A competent and highly trained staff of tutors for high demand areas such as mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, economics and business, as well as learning assistants, who work on a one-to-one basis with students to teach learning strategies for all subjects, is available to USC students at no charge. USC students may receive a maximum of two tutorials per week in each subject.

Group Tutoring

Small groups consisting of two to five students are facilitated by a tutor. Groups meet once a week to reinforce concepts and develop effective content specific learning strategies. Group tutoring is offered in a variety of subject areas.

Appointments must be made in person, in advance for individual and group tutoring.

Supplemental Instruction

The Department of Academic Services offers Supplemental Instruction (SI), a national program for students enrolled in traditionally difficult courses. SI provides an opportunity to discuss important course concepts and develop strategies for study in selected courses. At each SI session, students are guided through course material by an SI leader, a competent student who has successfully completed the course and has been through an intensive instructional course in effective learning and study strategies. SI is free and attendance at sessions is voluntary.

Learning Disabilities Assistance

The Department of Learning Services focuses on mainstreaming and self-advocacy to enable students with learning disabilities to achieve and maintain a full level of autonomy on the campus and in the community. Assistance is given in preadmission and academic counseling, educational therapy, content area tutoring, learning skills and strategies instruction, special exam administration, liaison to textbook taping services and long term government loans of adaptive cassette players, and advocacy for academic accommodations when appropriate.

The DLS Office is located in The Learning Center, Student Union Building, Room 301, and is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., (213) 740-0776.

Peer Mentoring

The primary purpose of the peer mentoring program is to provide information and assistance to Academic Achievement Program students on the demands and requirements of the university from a peer perspective. Peer mentors serve as friends to new students, helping them become acquainted with the new college environment. The responsibility of the peer mentor is to monitor student progress during the year and to provide information, assistance and referral on academic, career, financial aid and personal matters as needed. Peer mentors also serve as links between the student and the university by helping to ensure that the full range of community and university resources is made available to students to assist them in their adjustment to the university setting.

Learning Enrichment Workshops

Workshops are offered in goal setting, time management, study skills and learning strategies, concentration and memory, writing skills, examination strategies and reduction of test anxiety, rapid reading and note taking.

Computer Learning Lab

The Computer Learning Lab is designed to enable students to use computer-aided instructional materials that encourage self-direction, self-pacing and self-evaluation. The focus is on computer assisted instruction for learning enrichment. This unique service combines tutorial and learning assistance resources with state-of-the-art technology.

Research Opportunities

Annually, 20 undergraduate students are selected to participate in the McNair Scholars Summer Research Institute. Each scholar is matched with a faculty mentor who is engaged in research in the student's general area of interest. Students may participate in an ongoing research project or develop one of their own in collaboration with the faculty mentor designated by the McNair Scholars Program.

Students with Disabilities

USC is committed to serving the needs of students with disabilities. The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) was created to provide a supportive environment to enable students with permanent and temporary disabilities to develop their maximal academic and personal potential. The office encourages students to work toward an independent lifestyle and in turn become self-sufficient and successful members of the USC community. OSD promotes the mainstreaming of students in all aspects of campus life.

Services provided to students include: counseling; auxiliary aids; registration; assistance in locating tutors, note takers, readers, interpreters; orientation; referral information and other individual assistance as needed. Disabled students have access to physical fitness weight equipment in the Lyon Center.

Information regarding services and accessibility to campus buildings and facilities is available upon request. The staff will be happy to assist prospective students in determining how USC can meet their individual needs.

The office is located in the Student Union Building, Room 202, and is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., (213) 740-2500 (voice) and (213) 740-2503 (TDD only).

Students with learning disabilities should refer to the Learning Support Services, Learning Disabilities Assistance section.

Student Athlete Academic Services

The SAAS program was established to provide student athletes with the academic support necessary for them to achieve their goal of a USC degree. By providing services through the Athletic Department such as general counseling, advisement and problem solving along with orientation, registration assistance, grade monitoring, study table and tutoring, SAAS helps student athletes fulfill the university's academic expectations for them and also helps each of them to achieve their own personal academic goals.

USC Career Center

The USC Career Center provides information and counseling to help students decide on a major, explore career options and choose potential employers. The center offers assistance in resume writing, interviewing, career decision-making, and job hunting and sponsors such programs as the career fair and the Trojan Network. In addition, it offers a comprehensive career testing program and teaches a two-unit course, EDCO 245 Career Planning Theories and Application. The center also offers new and traditional placement services: full-and part-time job listings, an electronic resume data base matching system, on-campus recruitment program and an alumni referral system. The Career Center is located on the first floor of the Student Union Building, Room 111, and is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, call (213) 740-JOBS (5627) or visit their home page on the World Wide Web, accessible from USCWeb.

Job Opportunities

The Career Center posts current part-time job openings available on campus. Many of the jobs listed in the Career Center are work-study positions which are a part of a student's financial aid package. In addition, job openings in the USC libraries, food services, offices and bookstore are posted. Students interested in obtaining a campus job should contact the Career Center and/or access the on-line job listing service available 24 hours a day at all USC computer user rooms. From USCWeb go to http//:www.Jobtrak.com.

Travel Service

The USC Travel Service, located on the first floor of the Student Union Building, Room 101, is a full-service computerized travel agency that provides a complete range of travel services to students, faculty and staff, as well as alumni, family and friends.

USC Travel Service views international travel as an intrinsic part of a student's education, and is involved in developing student travel rates and products as well as working with USC's Overseas Study Programs.

For family and friends visiting campus, special hotel rates can be arranged at nearby and downtown hotels. Discount airfares are also offered at all times. For summer orientation programs and other midweek visits, the lowest excursion air fares are available without the normal minimum stay requirement.

The Travel Service specializes in finding the most economical airfares for all clients. Special packages are offered for Spring Break and away football games, and a wide range of leisure and business travel services catering to faculty and staff is provided.

Student Health and Counseling Services

USC Student Health and Counseling Services is a full-service health center licensed by the state of California and staffed with dedicated, licensed professionals. Services include clinical care designed to meet most health care needs and referral services for professional medical care that the Student Health and Counseling Centers may not be able to provide. Supplemental health insurance will help to cover the cost of health care which cannot be obtained at the Student Health and Counseling Centers. For more information, call (213) 740-5344.

The University Park Student Health Center is located at 849 West 34th Street. The center is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. In addition to Sundays and holidays, the health center is closed on Saturdays and evenings (5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) during holiday weeks and university recess periods.

Eligibility for Services

All students taking six or more units during fall or spring semester pay the Student Health and Counseling Services fee and are eligible for services. Students with less than six units and spouses of students may choose to pay the fee and receive services. Students enrolled in the supplemental health insurance plan are required to pay the Student Health and Counseling Services fee. Most services are available at no additional charge. Moderate fees are charged for selected services such as lab tests, prescriptions, orthopaedic appliances, copies of X-rays and copies of medical records. Students may use the services of the Student Health and Counseling Centers throughout the semester, as well as during breaks between academic sessions, as long as they are continuing students and are registered for the following semester.

During the summer months, students may use the services of the Student Health and Counseling Centers if they are continuing students and pay the summer fee.

Note: Students enrolled at the University Park Campus receive care there; students enrolled at the Health Sciences Campus receive care at that campus.

Health Center

For the treatment of most acute illnesses and injuries, a primary care appointment can be scheduled Monday through Friday, for the current week only. Students can call (213) 740-2778 or come to the Health Center and make an appointment to see the practitioner of their choice.

Specialty Services

Specialty care appointments are booked on a referral basis. Students must first be evaluated by a practitioner through the primary care appointment system to receive a referral. Areas of specialization include: gynecology, orthopaedics, internal medicine, dermatology and allergy. Only routine gynecological appointments may be made without a referral by calling (213) 740-8303.

Urgent and Emergency Services

If you have an illness or injury which requires urgent medical attention, the Student Health Center Acute Care Clinic is open during regular clinic hours. If a student's medical condition requires attention during the hours the Student Health Center is closed, he or she may contact the USC Department of Public Safety at (213) 740-6000, which will place the student in contact with the physician on-call.

In case of a life threatening medical emergency, students should dial 9-1-1 for emergency medical services. USC's Department of Public Safety may also be contacted at (213) 740-4321.

Ancillary Services

The practitioners' services are supported by a clinical laboratory and a radiology unit. Students must pay any charges incurred for diagnostic tests and must occasionally be referred to outside facilities. Prescriptions may be obtained at the Student Health Center for a nominal charge. Short-term physical therapy services are provided at no additional charge.

Health Promotion and Prevention Services

One of the aims of the Health Center is to increase students' health awareness and encourage them to maintain or create a healthy lifestyle. By participating in programs Health Promotion and Prevention Services offers, students can get involved in the maintenance of their health and benefit from the many resources available to them.

Alcohol and drug education programs are a multifaceted effort to provide educational programs, referral and information about alcohol and other drugs to the campus community. The focus is on informed choice, positive peer influence and early intervention. The Drug Education Course (DEC) provides basic information to students experiencing trouble. For more information, call (213) 740-WELL.

Health advocates are specially trained students who provide and present outreach programs. Completion of PPMT 463 or PPMT 464 is a requirement for the designation. Each health advocate acts as a resource person and plans programs for other students on a variety of health and lifestyle topics. For information about becoming a health advocate call (213) 740-WELL.

Sexually transmitted diseases including HIV can be prevented. Outreach programs and workshops focus on stopping transmission. An anonymous HIV antibody testing program with pre- and post-test counseling is available for a small fee.

To schedule a healthy lifestyle workshop presentation in residence halls, greek houses or student organizations, call (213) 740-WELL. A trained student paraprofessional or health education staff member can talk with groups about a wide variety of health and lifestyle topics such as low risk drinking, stress, choosing contraception, nutrition and HIV disease.

Counseling Services

Counseling services are available on the University Park Campus at the Counseling Center in the YWCA Building. Services are provided to help enhance students' skills and attitudes in adapting to college life, creatively handle stresses and challenges, relate to new and different people and make their USC experience satisfying and productive. Eligible students may be seen in a group, as a couple or individually, and all personal information discussed in counseling is kept confidential.

The professional staff of the Counseling Center is an ethnically and educationally diverse group which includes psychologists, social workers and a staff psychiatrist. They are highly trained and experienced in helping students successfully cope with a variety of issues and concerns that are common during their college experience. Additionally, advanced graduate interns in clinical and counseling psychology and social work trainees provide a variety of services to students.

To make an appointment or for further information, call (213) 740-7711. For evening or weekend emergencies, contact the USC Department of Public Safety at (213) 740-4321.

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