Flu cases surge on campus
Tomo Chien
January 29, 2026
Good morning. It’s Thursday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
1.
In case your sick classmates didn’t clue you in: The seasonal flu is surging on campus. Health officials blamed this year’s virus for peaking in the U.S. in early January as students traveled back from winter break. Wastewater testing shows that Cowlings and Ilium has the highest flu level of any monitored residential building.
2.
Exposition Park will see a nearly $100 million influx of cash to upgrade infrastructure and beautify its grounds ahead of the 2026 World Cup. It’s unclear exactly what the cash will be used for, but the park’s general manager said she wants USC students to see it “as part of their own backyard.”
3.
Speaking of infrastructure upgrades: Leavey Library will get new study and rest spaces thanks to money allocated by the school’s student government. The spaces will occupy rooms on the library’s first and second floors.
4.
Relaxed ticketing rules mean it should be less of a pain to bring your family to graduation this year. Most schools — with the exception of Marshall and Iovine and Young — plan to host open ceremonies, though you’ll still need to nab tickets for the main ceremony in the Coliseum.
5.
The Sidechat masses weren’t too impressed with our mathematical frat and sorority rankings. “Tomo Chien's frat ranking was the worst Ive ever seen,” one user wrote in a now-deleted post. “I love u but u doin too much js put the fries in the bag,” another instructed.
