Nepo Baby U
Tomo Chien
October 01, 2025
Good morning. It’s Wednesday, and the federal government shut down. Here’s what it could mean for you. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
1.
USC will continue weighing legacy status in admissions decisions, defying a new state law banning the practice and the school’s previous promise to abide by it. Interim President Beong-Soo Kim said it would be “perverse” not to prioritize qualified legacy students who “really wanted to come here.”
2.
This year’s freshman class includes 33% more international students than last year, defying predictions that Donald Trump’s policies would shy away visa holders. Other takeaways from data released yesterday: The class of 2029 is the biggest of any current class and is also the only one that includes more reported Asian than white students.
3.
In case you missed it: USC laid off an additional 55 employees, according to a notice filed yesterday. Viterbi started its layoffs in earnest this week, though it wasn’t immediately clear how many were affected. And Thornton avoided layoffs but reduced hours for several employees earlier this month.
4.
A controversial top USC security official will retain his seat on the LA Police Commission despite never receiving approval from the City Council. Erroll Southers, who benefited from an obscure scheduling loophole, has been criticized for failing to hold the LAPD accountable for police shootings and aggressive treatment of protesters.
5.
We all already knew it, but Business Insider just confirmed it: USC is the most expensive college in the U.S. This year’s $96,069 estimated cost of attendance was enough to beat out other pricey California institutions like Harvey Mudd (13th), Pepperdine (19th), and Claremont McKenna (22nd).
Correction: Thanks to reader Tom H. for pointing out that the “cocaine quarterback” mentioned in yesterday’s newsletter actually wasn’t a quarterback — Owen Hanson was a walk-on tight end at USC before he become a drug kingpin. Prime Video fudged the title and TIME magazine incorrectly reported his bio.