'We just work here'
Tomo Chien
November 12, 2025
Good morning. It’s Wednesday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
1.
The LA Times interviewed USC officials to answer two questions: Why is the school in a financial crisis — and who’s to blame? Interim President Beong-Soo Kim pointed to factors outside USC’s control. Former President Carol Folt blamed “external pressures” and said she was “close to closing the financial gap.”
2.
New details emerged about a man who posed as a building manager to gain access to off-campus apartments. Female students said he rifled through their boxes of tampons, asked them questions about their romantic and sexual relationships, and left a message on a sticky note that appeared to threaten rape.
3.
The student government is offering free shuttles to LAX for the Thanksgiving break. Shuttles depart on the 25th and 26th from the Alumni House, and riders are allowed two pieces of luggage each. You’ll need to reserve your seat by next Friday.
4.
A UC San Diego report found that students’ academic skills have declined so much that 1 in 8 freshmen now can’t meet middle school math standards. The report blamed the pandemic, high school grade inflation, the elimination of the SAT, and “the expansion of admissions from under-resourced high schools.”
5.
When Fleetwood Mac recorded “Tusk” in 1979, the Trojan Marching Band was famously featured on the track. At last Friday’s football game, the band’s legendary drummer visited the Coliseum to play with the marching band. ESPN wrote a fun account of the song’s creation at the link below.