The Beacon Project

Proposition HHH, Los Angeles' $1.2 billion program to build 10,000 units of housing for the homeless, has been criticized for not keeping pace with the rise of homelessness, as projects run behind schedule and over budget.

The Beacon Project spoke to 19 current and former students about their interactions in recent years with the university’s Department of Public Safety. The students and alumni argue these interactions highlight a pattern of racial profiling by the department.

Former Moreno Valley City Manager Tom DeSantis received a healthy payout after his retirement, causing some to question the true circumstances behind his leaving public office.

One year ago, freshman Matt Olson died after being struck by multiple cars on the I-110 freeway, just minutes away from campus.

When the “Varsity Blues” admissions bribery scandal broke in March, USC declared itself as a victim of fraud, asserting it had no reason to believe that senior administrators were aware of the wide-ranging scam, which helped unqualified students gain entry to USC by way of bogus application materials. Now, new details about Donna Heinel, the senior associate athletic director who prosecutors say was a key conduit in the scheme, shed light on just how expansive her role within the athletics department was — and on whether USC monitored her activities closely enough.

Additional employees at the University of Southern California were involved in the “Varsity Blues” admissions scandal beyond the four indicted so far, according to court documents and prosecutors’ statements.

USC officials were pleased to announce in June that Geoffrey Garrett, the dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s famed Wharton School of Business, would return to the university and take the helm of the Marshall School of Business. But details of how Garrett was hired — secretively and swiftly, with those involved in the process saying no other candidate was seriously considered — have raised questions yet again about how USC operates. This latest high-stakes administrative decision has provided fuel to USC’s numerous critics, from faculty to advisors and donors, who assail the university’s leadership for opaque dealings and stonewalling.

Guadalupe “Lupe” Vivar works at a restaurant where most of her salary comes from tips. Yet all three of her children have graduated from USC, where tuition alone exceeds $50,000 per year.

The contrast between USC’s promises of transparency and its actions has fueled mounting criticism.

The former graduate student said Dennis Kelly subjected him to invasive procedures during two visits.

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.