USC Launches ‘We Are Considerate’ Campaign
Five traits are etched on Tommy Trojan’s pedestal: faithful, scholarly, skillful, courageous and ambitious. Through its new long-term campaign, the USC Division of Student Affairs hopes to unofficially add “considerate” to these classic traits of a Trojan.
Launched on Nov. 1, the “We Are Considerate” campaign reminds all members of the USC community to be courteous, especially while riding bicycles and skateboards on the university’s pedestrian-friendly campuses.
“The overall goal is to encourage all of us to be more respectful and courteous when using bikes, skateboards and carts on campus so that pedestrians feel safe and do not worry about getting hit while walking the campus,” said USC vice president for Student Affairs Michael L. Jackson. “A number of students ride through campus carelessly while talking on cell phones, texting or listening to their iPods with earphones on. They do not pay attention to pedestrians and cause accidents.”
On Nov. 1, the campus community received a joint letter from Jackson and USC associate senior vice president for Career and Protective Services Charles E. Lane, as well as the presidents of the Graduate and Professional Student Senate and the Undergraduate Student Government.
To stress the letter’s message of consideration, the university will be holding the official campaign kickoff at noon on Nov. 7 next to Tommy Trojan.
“Obviously, we have the five traits that are etched on the statue, but the goal is to try and get the community to see ‘considerate’ as that sixth trait moving forward,” said director of orientation programs Tom Studdert, who is spearheading the campaign.
To this end, the kickoff will give students and other members of the university community an opportunity to fill out pledge cards promising to be considerate toward their fellow Trojans.
The Department of Public Safety will attend to oversee on-site bicycle registration. In addition, the event will feature a live concert, a Sprinkles vendor truck and T-shirt giveaways.
Five weekly advertisements highlighting aspects of the campaign will run in the Daily Trojan. Eight large signs will be placed around campus to remind the campus community that bicycle and vehicle traffic is restricted in protective zones from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The campaign will relaunch at the beginning of the spring semester, and an outside consulting firm will give additional recommendations about bicycle safety on campus in summer 2012.
“We have become the Indy 500 of bikes around Hahn Plaza, and we have to figure out a way that pedestrians, cyclists, carts and trucks can share the campus environment in a peaceful way,” Studdert said. “Our goal is to remind people to be considerate Trojans. I’m optimistic that the community will respond.”
For a video on bicycle safety, visit youtube.com/watch?v=rfHxkjhxvFo
Students line up to receive campaign T-shirts.