Letter on Ukraine

Message to the USC Community

Dear USC Community,

On Tuesday evening, our Office of Religious and Spiritual Life hosted a vigil in support of Ukraine, and our community came together to express our solidarity and profound sorrow. We’re horrified by the violence we’re seeing. Our hearts go out to the people of Ukraine.

It is difficult to bear witness to this devastation and to see so much suffering take place. We have conducted outreach to affected students, faculty, and staff, and we have been reaching out more broadly to members of our campus community who have ties to the region to offer our solidarity and support. We also stand for ideals that go to the heart of our global community: a respect for human rights, freedom, and international law.

Our scholars are examining the issues related to this evolving conflict. The USC Global Policy Institute is offering a series of ongoing crisis briefings, and the USC Center on Public Diplomacy has been exploring Russia’s propaganda campaign . We will continue to disseminate programming which allows our community to engage these issues in meaningful ways.

Let’s continue to look out for each other. We will be working with faculty on opportunities to support academics and students fleeing Ukraine in the weeks and months ahead. And if you wish to send help to the people of Ukraine, here are a few starting points: UNICEF is working to bring support to children and their families in Ukraine, and the Red Cross provides humanitarian support. Doctors Without Borders is helping people reach the health care they need, and Voices of Children works with children to support their mental health and wellness. There are many other worthwhile organizations. If you have suggestions, more ideas, or other contacts on how we can help, please feel free to send those to us at uscprovost@usc.edu or to vpsgi@usc.edu.

At the vigil, President Folt said we are all sharing a sense of connection in this moment: inter-faith connection, inter-community connection, and inter-country connection. As she put it, “This is such a human moment.”

Sincerely,

Charles F. Zukoski
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Anthony R. Bailey
Vice President for Strategic and Global Initiatives
Dean of Bovard College

cc: Office of the President
Academic Deans
President’s Senior Leadership Team
Provost’s Leadership Team
Academic Senate
Staff Assembly
GSG President
USG President

USC Resources:

Counseling and Mental Health
Provides counseling and support for student Reporting Parties and Respondents.
213-740-9355 (WELL)

Center for Work and Family Life
Dedicated to helping USC faculty, staff, and their benefits-eligible partners and dependents maintain a balance between their personal and professional lives, optimize workplace performance and relationships, improve wellness and behavioral health practices, and explore career development goals.
(213) 821-0800
cwfl@usc.edu

Campus Support and Intervention (CSI)
CSI connects with members of the USC community when they need support in achieving their academic, professional, and/or personal goals.
213-740-0411

Trojans Care 4 Trojans (TC4T)
A private and anonymous reporting option for students, faculty, and staff that is managed by CSI.
(213) 740-0411

Department of Public Safety

Emergency numbers:
213-740-4321 (University Park Campus)
323-442-1000 (Health Sciences Campus)

Non-emergency numbers:
213-740-6000 (University Park Campus)
323-442-1200 (Health Sciences Campus)