@CADREAMIN That’s understandable. Maybe the Spring will be better for the option of in-person classes. Yes… mine is over it all. Her “cabin fever” is getting pronounced, and she is more than ready to return. It may be a different version of something similar, but it is still bound to be more brimming with energy and vigor there among her friends and peers. College campuses, even in this time, offer an extra element… and I could not imagine her senior year lacking such.
@JoonBee2002 Per FA, they will adjust a student’s FA summary based on the reality of projected expenditures. So if any student has USC Housing or Non-USC Housing contratced for, and is facing those real expenditures, they will adjust the FA accordingly. While they may urge remote learning, FA will be based on what you are actually paying.
Here is what USC FA says:
"WHAT YOU NEED TO DO: Once you receive notification that your Financial Aid Summary is available, log into your Financial Aid Summary and Tasks (FAST) page to view it.
If you will be living in non-USC housing (but not with parents or relatives), you will need to request a change to your housing status. To make this change, complete a Financial Aid Supplement, which can be found in the Document Library. Adjust your housing status for the fall and spring semester. Once you submit your request, you will be asked to upload documentation to verify your housing status.
If you will be living in USC housing, we will update your Financial Aid Summary when USC housing is finalized.
If you will be living with parents or relatives, no action is required.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: The cost of attendance for a student living with parents or relatives is less than the cost of attendance for a student living in USC-owned housing or in non-USC-owned housing (not with parents or relatives). Your Financial Aid Summary will reflect this reduced cost. However, if you will not be living with parents or relatives, your aid will be adjusted to reflect the additional cost."
From the USC coronavirus website:
“In the past few days, a cluster of 15 positive cases of COVID-19 among houses located on 28th Street has been identified and is being evaluated.”
Ya, that was gonna happen. LA is getting hit overall - not a surprise with all the protests and everything opening up in various locations…I assume it will sweep through most colleges - for goodness sake, UA students have been having COVID parties to get it overwith, crazy stuff. UC Berkeley and UW are taking big hits through their Greek systems with many positive cases. USC also posted that the current positivity rate for L.A. County is 11%, which is up from 5% about three weeks ago. I think that means 11% of those tested are positive, not that 11% of LA is positive. I think that is how to interpret that…the data put out everywhere is so confusing and at times misleading, so I’m not sure of anything. I do know many students will be returning to the area in August regardless.
I am comfortable that USC will be on top of the tracking and tracing within it’s community. But it is all unsettling at best. Hopefully these next four weeks go in a good direction (which we have been saying since March). ugh.
Interesting email from the head of Financial Aid…
July 14, 2020
Dear Students,
Many of you have reached out to us with financial concerns about the coming year. This pandemic has uprooted so many lives and created so much economic devastation in our communities. The challenges are real, and we are doing our best to address your concerns and to keep up with an evolving situation.
For most of you, it has been difficult to plan for the year ahead without knowing where you will be living in the fall. With COVID cases on the rise in Los Angeles, there continues to be uncertainty in our fall plans, and we realize that is a particular challenge to students receiving financial aid.
As explained in our recent letters on aid packages, we did not include room and board costs yet, because we cannot calculate your total financial aid package until your housing plans are finalized.
We are addressing these expenses now and your full package will be adjusted to cover room and board once your housing plans are finalized, in the following ways:
Students who would have received financial aid for room and board, but who have decided to live at home due to COVID – will receive an Undergraduate Living-at-Home Scholarship in the amount of $4,000 for the fall semester and $4,000 for the spring semester if you remain at home.
Students who plan to continue living in USC housing – we are in close communication with the Housing office and will automatically increase your financial aid award to the maximum amount based on need. For those who have chosen to cancel their contracts, we have already refunded everyone’s confirmation fee ($800). For those students who are considering cancelling their contracts, they may do so at any time and your full application fee ($55) will be refunded.
Students in non-USC (off-campus) housing who are not living with parents or relatives – will receive an increase in cost of attendance and financial aid award once you provide necessary documentation (rental or lease agreement). Your financial aid award will automatically be increased to the maximum amount based on need. Many of you have already submitted your documentation, and we are working hard to process your award.
Thank you for your patience as we re-process thousands of financial aid packages. Our goal is to have these updates completed by August 3 for students in confirmed USC housing and those who have submitted their non-USC rental or lease agreement by July 24.
Another financial concern we want to address involves your technology needs, including connecting online and accessing a computer. If you need help in these areas, please contact Student Basic Needs at basicneeds@usc.edu. They can assist with WiFi access and/or loan laptops to students in need.
We’re all in this together, as one Trojan Family. We are listening to your concerns and will be in touch with updates as we have them. In the meantime, information can be found on the Financial Aid site. Please stay safe and well.
Sincerely,
Thomas McWhorter, Dean of Financial Aid
We noticed for my incoming freshman daughter the language on the Undergraduate Living-at-Home Scholarship was changed from “…will receive an Undergraduate Living-at-Home Scholarship in the amount of $4,000” to “…will receive an Undergraduate Living-at-Home Scholarship in the amount of up to $4,000.”
The email you’ve copied above is for continuing students. I wonder why they would need to add the “up to $4,000” for incoming freshman?
https://coronavirus.usc.edu/2020/07/15/7-15-update-on-your-financial-aid-package-incoming-students/
@UCSDDad Good question. I suspect that they are giving themselves leeway based on perceived need.
I guess my question is, does this qualified statement of “up to $4000” only apply to incoming students? The message that was sent a day earlier to continuing students did not use the “up to” language and so indicates they will receive a flat $4000 in financial aid in the Fall’20 and Spring’21 semesters
@UCSDDad I guess that time will tell.
Not sure if anyone on this thread is aware of the protest to defund USC DPS? The facebook page is blowing up…
^^^ Unfortunate. Reform-minded individuals should focus their attention on actual worthwhile endeavors. DPS is critical to the USC community.
Couldn’t agree more @WWWard. I didn’t know what to post in reply to that, except smh. USC can’t exist or function safely without DPS.
@CADREAMIN and @WWWard I concur wholeheartedly! Hoping USC does as well. And btw, correction to my original post. They don’t want to defund, they want to “abolish.” This plus an attack from a man hiding in a female student’s bedroom closet with a knife at Gateway has this freshman parent concerned.
@5OnTheHill Abolish is even worse. And as a parent of a daughter heading to Gateway next month, I would clearly like an update and explanation from Gateway directly themselves.
@WWWard I read the parent’s description of what happened which was posted on one of the Facebook groups for parents. The mother said her daughter “saw the guy hanging around, but thought she was safe since there was a housekeeping staff working, Unfortunately when she went to put things in her car, he had somehow got in her room and hid in the closet and came at her.” She said he was middle-aged with tattoos on his face. Someone else posted on the thread that the Gateway doors don’t lock automatically - I assume you can lock them from the outside though so maybe this student did not lock her door when she went to put things in her car? Clearly that is something students have to always do in light of this incident. Luckily it sounds like he did not hurt the student physically but apparently took her cell phone. Not sure if he took anything else. The strange thing was that it took Gateway 45 minutes to call the police and report it apparently. I would think the student could have called to report it herself but she was probably quite shaken up, understandably!
@CAtransplant Thanks. I spoke to Gateway briefly, and they have suggested making a public statement on the matter soon. The USC email via DPS described a different suspect… 20-25. I simply hope that he is eventually caught (maybe security cameras will aid that effort) and that Gateway takes the matter seriously and alters their security practices to prevent such from occurring again.
I emailed Peak Management in Atlanta today, the company that manages Gateway. I requested a response from them regarding the incident and a plan of action (possibly a security guard at the door?) to address safety. I will let you know what I hear back.
It’s not a security guard issue. You have to have a key card to get in, then use the key card just to access the elevator area outside of the lobby, then you need the key card to open the elevator and to get to your floor in the elevator. And from the parking garage, those doors are like vaults, again you have to have a key card/key to get in. Then use the card again if getting in the elevator from the garage to go to another floor.
If kids prop doors, or let someone come in behind them, that is how someone gets in the complex. I have not heard of this happening in years we were there or been in the area. My guess is the guy got in when someone was loading car because they propped the door, perhaps left their apt unlocked for this quick errand to the garage, or someone doesn’t think to say anything when someone walks in like they belong there. Kids have to report things that seem out of place even if at risk of offending someone. Safety first. Also, there is currently not that many people living there to keep an eye on things. This is an anomoly, while concering, it should not be a worry any more than the usual risks around USC. Just stay vigilant and lock doors, always.
@CAtransplant Excellent. Thanks.
@CADREAMIN Agree. Hopefully the residents themselves become vigilant themselves. My future resident and her roommates plan to be so.
Gateway’s reply…
We understand your concerns about the police activity on site yesterday. We issued a statement to residents via email. I hope that answered your questions about the incident and the safety measures we have implemented here. Much like COVID-19, it is up to everyone in the community to work to keep each other safe; that includes not propping doors open, not letting people tailgate into the building, and reporting when you see or hear something suspicious. We have security here, elevators and doors that are key-activated, and security cameras that are all in place to help keep residents safe. Since the incident, we have increased security patrols, asked the police to visit our area more regularly, and have discussed additional security options. We are working to keep residents safe and ensure that an incident like this never happens again. We need everyone to be working together to help make that a reality.