As a major research university located in one of the most exciting and dynamic cities in the world, USC is proud of its urban tradition and the advantages our location provides for teaching, research and learning.

We are also aware of the challenges posed by such an environment. Accordingly, units across the university - including the USC Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the offices of Student Affairs, Housing, Transportation, Emergency Planning, Risk Management, Environmental Health and Safety, and Public Relations - work in concert to provide safety, emergency-preparation, communications and, as needed, emergency services for both the University Park and Health Sciences campuses.

USC keeps its community informed about potential risks in various ways:

• TrojansAlert: Through the TrojansAlert system, university officials contact registered members of the Trojan Family via text message, voice-mail or e-mail to apprise them of situations presenting an ongoing risk to public safety in our campus neighborhoods. (To register, click here.)


• Crime Alerts: DPS issues Crime Alerts via e-mail and/or on-campus flyers to notify students, faculty and staff of crimes against persons involving suspects who are still at large.


• Bulletins: USC Public Relations publishes bulletins on the university home page to provide news about emergency- or safety-related situations (e.g., fires, hit-and-run accidents, hoaxes) that do not present an immediate danger to the university community.


• USC Web: In the event of a major emergency, updates and information about the status of the university will be posted online at http://emergency.usc.edu. Backup Web servers are available on the East Coast if USC servers are incapacitated.


• Emergency Information Line: USC's emergency information telephone line, (213) 740-9233, also will provide information in the event of an emergency. The line can handle 1,400 simultaneous calls and has a backup system on the East Coast.

Additionally, because the key to safety and security is being prepared, this Web site presents information about services available to students, parents, faculty, staff and visitors to help them stay safe in an urban environment, as well as about earthquake and major emergency procedures.