ANNOUNCEMENT OF REVISED SOCIAL EVENTS POLICY Dear USC Students, Welcome back.

We hope everyone has enjoyed a relaxing holiday break and is ready to begin the spring semester. Last fall semester, student leaders representing Undergraduate Student Government, Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, Graduate Student Government, National Panhellenic Council and Program Board participated in a series of discussions with USC administrators to explore ways to enhance the quality of student life on campus. In October we hosted a town-hall forum to gather input from students and followed that with a daylong meeting of students and administrators to examine issues and develop action items. We also conducted weekly discussions with student leaders. One of the most important discoveries of our conversations was the need to update USC social event policies. Social event policies are intended to offer guidance and ensure safety, but at times the previous version of those policies may have hampered efforts to provide healthy outlets for students to socialize. We also reviewed the previous social policies to make sure they did not inadvertently encourage students to act in dangerous or unwise ways. Policies should reward moderation and safety, make it easier for students to enjoy the social aspects of campus life and the city of Los Angeles, and allow groups to responsibly host lawful parties. We are excited to announce progress. Your student leaders together with University administration are now ready to introduce a revised Social Events Policy. Through our discussions and by benchmarking other institutions and best practices, we have jointly devised a policy that aims to keep students safe and allows everyone to enjoy vibrant social events. The revised policy will contribute to an environment for the responsible social behavior we expect from USC scholars. We still have a great deal of important work to do. Keeping students safe from the dangers of overconsumption of alcohol cannot be resolved solely through policy actions. Our discussions also revealed the need to (1) rethink approaches to alcohol education for students; and (2) align environmental cues throughout the University to remind students about lawful, responsible consumption. An immediate outcome of the revised policy will be increased opportunities for students to enjoy late-night entertainment that does not involve alcohol. We are grateful for the partnership of student leaders and members of the university administration for the time and dedication invested in considering how to enhance the quality of life for students at USC.

Ainsley Carry, Vice Provost for Student Affairs Christian Kurth, USG President Melody Shekari, GSG President Tanner Sandoval, IFC President Katherine Grabar, PHC President Rayven Vinson, 2013 NPHC President Monica Parra, Program Board Executive Director John Thomas, Chief/Executive Director, Department of Public Safety