Students, faculty and staff will still have to scan their IDs to get on USC campus for the foreseeable future, according to DPS Assistant Chief David Carlisle.
Restrictions on campus entrances and increased security measures were implemented in the spring semester. After pro-Palestinian encampment protests, pushback against the cancellation of valedictorian Asna Tabassum’s speech and the subsequent cancellation of main stage commencement, USC closed all but three entrances to the school on April 24. The Office of the Provost wrote in an email that protests “escalated to the point of confrontation and have threatened the safety of our officers and campus community,” resulting in the closures. Long lines at one point made some students late for final exams.
Since then, measures have varied. At one point, students were required to scan their student ID and complete a bag search to go to class and take their final exams. Since summer started restrictions have loosened slightly, with the university forgoing bag checks and opening another entrance to the school.
As of Friday there are four entrances open, with campus security ambassadors (also known as “yellow jackets”) checking IDs: McCarthy Way and Figueroa Street (open 24/7), McClintock Street and Jefferson Boulevard (open 24/7), Watt Way and Exposition Boulevard (open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.), Exposition Boulevard and Pardee Way (open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., primarily for administration entry, according to Carlisle).
In addition to the yellow jackets, there are also armed security guards stationed at campus entrances. Carlisle says these ambassadors are former police officers managed by Allied Security, and were hired by the university for an additional layer of safety.
“They were just there as a precaution because we didn’t have enough staff to handle that ourselves,” Carlisle said. “They’re just a highly visible security presence that lends to the seriousness of the campus restrictions. Their presence is currently being evaluated.”
Carlisle said that the university assesses these precautions weekly for effectiveness, but the USC community can expect some changes come next semester.
“To be practical, we will probably have to open some additional pedestrian gates,” Carlisle said. “There’s some other ideas about how to accommodate our students, faculty and staff, but that will be a decision made by senior administrators before the beginning of the fall semester.”
Correction: In a previous version of this story, the headline read that restrictions would continue through fall. Our source only confirmed they would continue for the foreseeable future. The headline has been changed to reflect this correction on July 2 at 1:08 p.m.