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.

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

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

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

Consuelo Cifuentes

October 22, 2019

Why Students At LA’s Richest Public Schools Are Far More Likely To Get Extra Time On The SAT

Part of the college admissions scam was getting extra time on the SAT & ACT. In LA, experts say wealthy families may be exploiting the system to get that benefit, leaving poor kids at a further disadvantage

Austin Peay

Sam Kmack

August 29, 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

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

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

Latest News

T-Time: The NCAA’s decision on athlete eligibility is unfair to winter-sport seniors

The NCAA had the opportunity to make one thing right by granting winter-sport athletes an extra year of eligibility. Instead, they opted to only hand it out to spring-sport athletes, even though the winter seasons were never completed.

Trevor Denton April 8 at 10:02 PM

USC to provide face coverings for students and employees remaining on campus

USC will provide face coverings for students remaining in university housing and essential employees on campus, university officials said in an email Tuesday.

Kaidi "Ruby" Yuan April 8 at 9:12 PM

USC, UCLA students work together to solve COVID-19 disruptions through online hackathon

USC and UCLA may be long standing crosstown rivals, but COVID-19 is making them teammates. The two universities joined together on April 6 for Hack for Hope, a two-week online hackathon, to help communities solve problems created by the pandemic.

Yuki Liang, Elizabeth Barineau, Presley Baker April 8 at 6:28 PM

Charlie begs for a golden ticket in a Valorant beta Twitch stream

Riot dropped the first batch of tickets for the Valorant beta yesterday to Twitch streams packed with millions of pining gamers.

Oliver Scott April 8 at 5:34 PM

Bernie Sanders ends 2020 presidential campaign

In a video address, Sanders said that he believes he and his supporters won the ideological battle, but acknowledged that the path to the Democratic nomination seemed “virtually impossible.”

Haeri Kim April 8 at 4:58 PM

USC student to appear on game show ‘Jeopardy!’

Xiaoke Ying is one of 15 competitors in the annual College Championship. How'd she do? You'll have to watch on Thursday.

Robert Acosta, Lola Akinlade April 8 at 4:58 PM

Bernie Sanders suspends presidential campaign

Experts and student leaders react to the departure of Sen. Bernie Sanders from the Presidential race

Sofia James April 8 at 3:37 PM

Everything But The Bagel: It’s Ok to Not Be Ok Right Now

How to take the pressure off and be kind to yourself in times of uncertainty.

Ella Katz April 8 at 3:00 PM

Levi’s launches 5:01 live concert series

The iconic denim brand is doing its part to help encourage people to stay home in light of the COVID-19 global pandemic. On March 23, Levi’s held its first “5:01 Live” on the company’s Instagram page, a mini-concert featuring one artist performing from his or her own home.

Mia Roginson April 8 at 10:18 AM

West L.A. icon closes its doors for the first time in over three decades

Captain Ron, owner of The Galley for 30 years, remains positive and optimistic despite uncertainty about when his restaurant will reopen.

Kellie Miller April 8 at 9:42 AM

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