We are a coalition of students, faculty, alumni, and community fighting for a better USC. For years we’ve witnessed skyrocketing tuition put higher education out of reach for many in our city. We’ve seen our faculty and graduate students’ work go under-rewarded and under-appreciated, teaching and conducting research without an adequate voice in the decisions affecting their work and their students. We’ve seen our university shift from an institution of higher learning to a business – focusing on profits over quality education.

Our university is becoming a luxury for the wealthy instead of a pathway to the American Dream. Students spend their entire lives trying to pay off debt, yet too many professors are paid so little that they qualify for food stamps – all while top administrators pay themselves millions. Together, we are fighting to restore the promise of higher education: a commitment to quality, accessible instruction that graduates students without debt, pays our educators a living wage, and generates more opportunities for everyone in our communities.