The war over open dialogue
Tomo Chien
February 23, 2026
Good morning. It’s Monday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
1.
A battle is raging at U.S. colleges over new programs attempting to foster civil discourse. The programs, similar to USC’s Open Dialogue Project, appear to be broadly popular among students who participate. But that has not stopped critics from casting them as part of a conservative takeover of university life.
2.
USC is launching a revamped summer term with more courses, discounted full-time tuition, and a new option to take classes asynchronously. “We really want people to think of summer not just as an afterthought, but as something to help them achieve their academic goals,” said Vice Provost Andrew McConnell Stott.
3.
USC’s attorneys want a former student who sued professor David Kang over alleged sexual harassment to undergo an independent psychological examination. It’s the latest development in one of three lawsuits accusing Kang, an international relations professor, of sexual misconduct, including one by a woman who was in high school at the time.
4.
The Daily Trojan said it has received so many suspected AI-generated story submissions that it has “decided to go public about our policies and experiences.” In a letter to readers, the paper’s editors described killing four stories this semester that were apparently written by AI, and pulling two stories after publication last semester.
5.
Bacari, the chichi bar-restaurant that’s a go-to for USC students, is on an expansion tear across Southern California. Not everybody’s stoked. “It is taking up valuable space that would be better occupied by a Jersey Mike’s,” wrote Substacker Tasbeeh Herwees. “I’m so serious here. We cannot let it spread any further than it has.”
