The Beacon Project

The Beacon Project is a student journalism initiative supported by the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism to report on USC. It is independent of the university’s administration.
‘They watch us closely’: Black students describe patterns of racial profiling at the hands of USC’s DPS
Black students and alumni recount stories of their ID cards being checked or parties being shut down when DPS did not treat white students in the same manner.
  • Sofia James
  • November 17
It pays to be City Manager in Moreno Valley
Moreno Valley City Manager Tom DeSantis retired in December, but the paychecks kept coming
  • Myra Wu
  • September 30
One year ago today, Matthew Olson died on the I-110
Grief and questions still linger around the first student death of the fall 2019 semester.
  • Natalie Bettendorf
  • August 24
Indicted USC administrator’s side business spotlights the university’s oversight
The indicted senior associate athletic director ran a thriving side business that was tightly entwined with her duties at USC and involved more athletics department personnel than has been publicly known.
  • Kaidi "Ruby" Yuan and Ashley Zhang
  • December 5, 2019
More USC staff accepted bribes and helped admissions scam, feds say
Prosecutors confirmed that these new figures who they allege assisted Donna Heinel are not the three indicted coaches,
  • Kaidi "Ruby" Yuan and Ashley Zhang
  • December 4, 2019
How USC fired one dean, hired another, and kept itself mired in controversy
A faculty member on the nine-person advisory search committee told the Beacon Project that the committee had a list of more than 50 possible candidates for the Marshall deanship, but he was only given one person to interview: Geoffrey Garrett.
  • Sam Kmack and Consuelo Cifuentes
  • October 22, 2019
USC benefit helps children of employees earn free college degree
  • Consuelo Cifuentes
  • August 27, 2019
“Like The Kremlin”: USC’s broken promises of transparency
The contrast between USC’s promises of transparency and its actions has fueled mounting criticism.
  • Austin Peay
  • August 19, 2019
A former UCLA student said the doctor accused by 48 USC students sexually abused him too
The former graduate student said Dennis Kelly subjected him to invasive procedures during two visits.
  • Sasha Urban
  • August 17, 2019
48 male patients say campus doctor sexually abused them — and USC was warned
Five of those patients, all of whom were students, say they told the university that Dr. Dennis Kelly subjected them to invasive exams and made sexual remarks.
  • Sasha Urban
  • August 8, 2019

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