Newsletter #20

First off, for those who have already been impacted by the first set of layoffs at USC, my heart goes out to you. I know I speak for most when I say it has been devastating. For those of us in the My15atUSC community, this is a second and even more extreme traumatization.

In the past week, one of the most heartbreaking things I've heard was a staff member of almost 30 years who said that they “tried their hardest to keep their job”- they worked long hours, planned vacations around their job but still found themselves working, they completed projects after hours, and even unpaid tasks at the request of their supervisor- “and their efforts just weren't good enough”. That's bullshit. We were all absolutely good enough, we have always given our all. We’ve given them everything that was asked, and always a little more.  Hell, I planned my wedding, my honeymoon, and two bonding time leaves around the dates published in the academic calendar. I know I’m not the only one. None of us bear ANY responsibility for the layoffs we’re now enduring.

Another close friend wanted to return to his unit immediately after being laid off just to finish the day so the transition went smoothly for his staff. The fact is, so many people at USC who are now unemployed wanted nothing more than to ensure their colleagues weren't impacted by their departure. And while they certainly didn't deserve to lose their job, it's actually USC that doesn't deserve them. In the long run, I am confident that they will be fine without us. I can't say the same for us without them. They are irreplaceable in their character, experience, and dedication. We just haven't yet fully entered into the “find out” stage. But we’re about to.

The fact is, if all of this was so necessary, it really should have happened a year ago, when it became apparent (to a very select few) that we had just run our first NINE FIGURE DEFICIT. However, instead of taking decisive action, they cut OUR benefits, including one of the most prized ones, vested tuition for our children. Mind you, all of this happened before the election, and before there was ANY indication that there would be a significant shift in federal funding. They can spin that as part of the narrative now, but that wasn’t in play when the decisions were made. And so we waited, and they opened new buildings. Ones that weren’t fully paid for. Meanwhile we were promised that they would tell us more about the “financial sustainability” of our university just as soon as they were ready. And instead of doing this, apparently they just kept on spending, while those tasked with the fiduciary responsibility of monitoring them stood silent. Now we need “Financial Resiliency”. Gaslighting at its finest.

Perhaps then, at the beginning of the calendar year, it could have happened. Were there not flashing red lights that our situation wasn't actually getting better? Maybe there were, it just wasn’t the right time to bring it up. Or perhaps strategically and carefully planned layoffs could have occurred on July 1st to coincide with the new fiscal year. Was USC somehow not aware in March, or April, or May, that we were about to close the books on an even more appalling financial performance- $200 million dollars in the red- 33% WORSE than the year before? They were aware, but the legacy was more important. It's now clear, it was a mirage, a facade, and we were played the fool.

Looking back, taking our TAB was just the first wild, flailing attempt to fix what is now clearly proven to be horrendous financial neglect. The truth is, this school was left in financial tatters by the previous administration, and they left no plan to fix it. We were hemorrhaging money, with leadership in denial, or oblivious. Or even worse, indifferent. Because they had already gotten theirs. The grift was complete. Yet again, they sail away on golden parachutes, with names on buildings, praised for their leadership, leaving us, the lifeblood of the university, to pick up the check.

I've shared that my efforts over the next few months are going to be focused on leading Staff Assembly through these changes. But don't interpret any change in frequency of this newsletter as a lessening of my commitment to restore TAB in full. My mission- our mission- is never-ending. When I leave this Earth, if TAB is still not restored, my kids will take the fight forward. I promise you this. Because their TAB was worked for, and earned, by me. It is owed to them. Full stop. And if USC is to achieve what it claims it wants to be, a beacon for future generations to come, that future must include our children. If it doesn't, it won't even be possible for USC to become what we once were, before they blew our future with their financial neglect.

As I shared in the last newsletter, when telling the story about my son temporarily losing color vision, trauma just doesn't go away. But as we reach the end of an era, we also start a new one. And while TAB isn't likely to be restored soon, I think there's a chance the new administration will consider the past transgressions, and our trauma, and attempt to right them. We can only hope- and fight- for TAB to be a part of that. 

Thank you for being here. We are 380 strong.

Table of Contents

• Surveys and Open Docs

• Discord

• Other Resources

Surveys and Open Docs

Holy crap, if my last survey wasn't an absolutely terrible one! Not just in the number of responses, but the questions were terribly out of alignment with our mission, and thus, completely unusable on our Instagram posts. It did however, give me some insight as to how you feel about the current situation. Well, at least 4 of you did. Golf clap.

I think it's especially rich because I touted myself as a great survey writer as I launched it. So before I walk away with my tail in between my legs, I'll give you one more chance. If anything, perhaps it'll at least be a little cathartic for you. The Thoughts and Questions Survey is still live, and it’s waiting for your raging pontification.

In an effort to humbly ask for a do-over, I created something more…TAB focused. As is appropriate. IF YOU DO ONE THING, please take the time to contribute to the TAB in Retrospect survey. Much of what we do with these surveys drives what we post on Instagram. We’re running out of TAB related content, and we desperately need your help. I’m looking specifically at you, the 356 who passed on my last survey. If you want our TAB back, you’re gonna need to help me with this. I’ll give a little grace to the 20 that just got here…

Other docs and surveys still open:

• Feelings v2.0. It’s an open doc for you to contribute to, no pressure. 

• Leads - if you want to help me with the cause

• Storytelling - I’m looking for good TAB stories. It’s just a contact form, not asking you for the whole thing.

Discord

I'll be completely honest, I've kind of let Discord run itself. I haven't peeked in a little while, hopefully folks are still there. Here's a new link to join, I promise I’ll still pop in at least once a week (or two). But it's a space for the community to interact with each other at your own pace. It’s also less words from me, more words from you. 

Here’s the link to join: https://discord.gg/PZZDTKn6 (good for 7 days)

Other Resources

I know I'm not the only one, but as an unpaid and completely voluntary fanboy, I really suggest you sign up for Morning, Trojan. It seems to be the only place where there's prompt and reliable information on breaking USC stories. In addition to signing up for the newsletter, you can check the layoff tracker, a web exclusive. Maybe I'll try one of those sometime. Or maybe I already have! (P.S. I haven't…just yet)

Staff Assembly also has a place for you to submit your feedback. This can include a story about layoffs, your experiences within your department, or your thoughts in general. It’s intended for members of the staff community, it's confidential, it’s shared with leadership in aggregate, and helps identify themes and patterns in our current environment. I'd encourage all of you who are current staff to put your thoughts in there. You can submit as many as you like.

As we head into the return of students, and despite all of the chaos, I know we will continue to deliver on the promise of our academic mission. This is something we don't need reminders on. We've lived it for decades. I don't begrudge those who are sending the message, it is understandable, but we don't need them for inspiration. We need them for consistency, transparency, and integrity. The things that trust is built on. But again, we can only hope.

Take care as best as possible, and reach out with any suggestions, or if there's anything I can do to help.

Fight On,

Phil

[email protected]