Guidelines and Governance

I. Overview

Religious Life at USC: Governance and Guidelines comes after a careful, broadly-based review of religious life at the University of Southern California. From this review has emerged a document whose core sections outline the basic structures of USC religious life and the ethical framework under which those structures operate. Even as this document becomes university policy, the relationship continues to be re-negotiated between religion on the one hand and other societal elements and modes of understanding, including higher education, on the other.

That process of re-negotiation forms the implicit backdrop to this document. The process has several components: (1) enlarged religious diversity on the American landscape, (2) intensified spiritual focus on the part of Americans, and (3) intellectual currents within which reason and faith, academic rigor and subjectivity, are increasingly seen as compatible. Expressed spatially, we are witnessing increasing breadth along with increasing depth. At USC, religious breadth and depth support one another, as the number of student religious groups multiplies and the university milieu becomes increasingly permeated by spiritual concerns.

Religious Life at USC: Guidelines and Governance grounds and explains its core sections through the inclusion of several appendices: (1) a section that articulates the governing values and goals of USC religious life, (2) a historical survey that traces campus religious life over the university's  one-hundred twenty-five year history, and (3) a section that relates religious life to the university's mission and strategic plan. In addition, appendices 4-8 provide implementation documents discussed under section II.

Religious Life at USC: Governance and Guidelines comes at a time of accelerating change in American society, on American college campuses, and at USC. As such, it provides a benchmark for future developments and a foundation for continuing development. Adopted as university policy in 1999, this document is subject to regular review every five years as well as upon the request of the Dean of Religious Life. In addition, it may be amended as circumstances change and need arises, through a process paralleling that through which it has arisen; that is, a process that involves religious directors, the Religious Life Advisory Committee, and perhaps a special Working Group.  It was reviewed during the 2003-2004 academic year, and some additions and small editorial changes were made.


II. The Structure of Religious Life at USC

  1. Role of the university. The University of Southern California takes as its central mission "the development of human beings and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit." The USC Mission Statement goes on to explain the university's goal for its students: "excellence in teaching knowledge and skills to our students, while at the same time helping them to acquire wisdom and insight, love of truth and beauty, moral discernment, understanding of self, and respect and appreciation for others."

    As part of fulfilling its mission and achieving its goals, USC seeks to encourage the religious, spiritual, and moral development of its students and others in the university community. When discharging this responsibility directly, the university operates in a non-sectarian manner; thus the religious and spiritual components of university programming are planned so as to enable a wide circle of inclusion and identification. At the same time, diversity and depth of particular religious commitment, identification, and expression are facilitated within the campus environment to the greatest extent compatible with overall university purposes and other provisions of this document. Moreover, the university acknowledges and welcomes the presence and contributions of students, faculty, and staff whose ethical outlooks, teaching, and learning are grounded in principles other than religious belief.

    The university provides support for the Office of Religious Life and appoints the Dean of Religious Life, who provides leadership for university religious life and stands responsible for implementing this document. Ultimately, the Dean of Religious Life's success connects to the university's overall climate of spiritual and moral concern, of which students and faculty are the primary custodians. Religious life will flourish on the USC campus only insofar as faculty and students foster diverse and multiple avenues for spiritual growth and ethical inquiry, and only if they take the lead in maintaining and promoting a moral community.

  2. Role of the Dean of Religious Life. Reporting directly to the Provost, and working with the Associate Dean, the Dean of Religious Life provides leadership in fostering the spiritual and moral life of the USC community. The Dean carries out this mission by developing links, as appropriate, with offices, groups, and organizations campus-wide-such as Student Affairs (including Residential and Greek Life), Intercollegiate Athletics, student groups, academic units, the Staff Assembly, and the Academic Senate. The Dean facilitates and supports the development of programs that address important religious, moral and ethical questions of the day.

    Among the Dean's primary responsibilities stands promoting ecumenical and interfaith cooperation on campus. An important aspect of this work features the Dean's sponsorship of the Interfaith Council, in which student representatives from the various campus religious groups come together for the kind of shared reflection that provides a basis for mutual understanding and respect, as well as to plan interfaith programs. The Dean oversees the certification for recognition of student religious groups, including ethnic/cultural groups having a significant religious component, as part of the process governed under Student Affairs.

    The Dean also provides a measure of coordination among the multi-faith religious directors and their staff members, as well as religious advisors based on or outside the campus. The Office of Religious Life assists with the orientation of religious directors and advisors new to the campus and/or to their role. This orientation includes communicating the university's overall mission, the strategic plan under which it frames priorities, and the procedures and protocols that govern campus life. The Dean serves as the liaison between religious directors/advisors and their sponsoring agencies on the one hand and the university on the other, taking care to keep the directors/advisors and their agencies informed of university policies and procedures, aspirations and concerns. While not intending to limit or intrude upon the expression of religious beliefs or the usual structures of a particular group, the Dean's role includes helping to resolve conflicts that may arise as well as assuring that religious activities are carried out in accordance with the expectations and standards upon which the religious directors have agreed. When necessary, the Dean may intervene to maintain these standards and advance university goals.

    Among the Dean's additional responsibilities are working with the Provost's Office to provide the university community with a calendar of religious occasions, and negotiating conflicts that arise between that calendar and academic events; advising potential USC students and parents regarding campus religious life; annually producing a brochure that outlines Religious & Spiritual Life at USC and distributing it to incoming students and others; and providing religious leadership at ceremonial functions, particularly Baccalaureate, taking care to involve representative religious directors and advisors as appropriate. The Dean also provides pastoral consultation as needed, often in cooperation with one or more of the religious directors or advisors.

  3. Religious Life Advisory Committee. In consultation with the Provost, the Dean of Religious Life invites onto an advisory committee members of various campus constituencies: faculty, staff, administration, students, and religious directors and advisors. At the Dean's discretion, alumni and community members may also be invited to serve on the committee. The advisory committee advises the Dean on questions of policy, planning, and priorities; its members serve as informal ambassadors for the Office of Religious Life throughout the campus. Members will join and leave the committee on a rotating basis, serving one or two two-year terms. The committee meets at regular intervals during the academic year, and committee members are encouraged periodically to attend meetings of the religious directors association.

  4. Religious director status. One or two appointed persons from each group assigned to USC by their religious denomination or movement may gain from the Office of Religious Life the designation "religious director" if they focus on USC at least half-time (approximately twenty hour per week). While some portion of this focus may be achieved through distance modes of communication, it is understood that religious directors will maintain a significant physical presence on campus. While a group may be led by two religious directors and both may participate in the Religious Directors Association, if and when an issue comes to a formal vote within the association, each group will cast only one vote; in such cases, the religious director(s) of the core group, as well as those representing adjunct groups connected to the same sponsoring agency, will confer and cast one vote.

    Where an existing religious organization (with a religious director) wishes to have a sub-group recognized as a separate student religious organization, application may be made when a new religious director is appointed for that sub-group.  Sub-groups functioning under the leadership of one religious director will be considered as projects or ministries of the existing organization, rather than as separate organizations.

    Religious directors will have achieved a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent, and will also have gained whatever training is deemed appropriate by their supporting body, whether clerical ordination or some other training. USC encourages the appointment of religious directors who have completed a graduate degree or credential at an accredited seminary or university; however, it accepts the judgment of the denomination or movement as to the training of someone deemed by it to be qualified to serve as its representative-as long as this education or training is accurately described on the Registration Form for Religious Directors and Advisors.

    The university's liability for the actions of religious directors and off-campus advisors and their staff is strictly limited, as with anyone whom it does not employ.

  5. Responsibilities of religious directors. To maintain their status at USC, religious directors are required to fulfill certain responsibilities of participation and process, as well as the specified conduct norms outlined in Section III of this document. Positive responsibilities are as follows:

    1. When newly appointed to service at USC, submitting the following documents:

      1. a letter of appointment by the sponsoring ecclesiastical body or other national/local organization, on organizational letterhead, which includes a brief statement of why this person is suitable for the position of religious director,
      2. an up-to-date job description, and
      3. a completed Registration Form for Religious Directors and Advisors. (See Appendix 5).

    2. Participating in a fall and/or spring planning and orientation retreat of religious directors. Directors who are appointed from October-April will have an orientation meeting with the Dean of Religious Life within their first two months on campus.

    3. Participating in monthly meetings of the Religious Directors Association as convened by the Dean of Religious Life, unless there is a non-negotiable conflict with other professional responsibilities or a personal emergency.

      In that case, but under normal circumstances not more than twice per academic year, another religious director or secondary professional will attend as an alternate, if possible and applicable. In the case of organizations with two religious directors, both are encouraged to participate in monthly meetings; but one may choose to represent them both or they may alternate.

    4. Completing a short Year End Report Form for Religious Directors and Advisors (Appendix 7 below) at the end of each academic year, outlining the year's achievements and challenges, as well as accounting for all outstanding USC cards issued to the director's staff. This report will help inform the Dean of Religious Life in preparing her year end report for the Provost, and she may ask the religious director to meet with her personally to amplify or clarify aspects of the report,  or schedule a face-to-face meeting in lieu of a written report.

    5. Working with leadership of their student group to designate a representative and alternate to the student Interfaith Council, with the understanding that actual participation will depend upon the student(s) themselves.

    6. Informing themselves, their support staff and their student group(s) about The Ethical Framework for USC Religious Life as outlined below; and shaping their behavior to meet its specified conduct norms.

    7. In the case of religious directors who serve as non-resident faculty fellows in the residence halls, offering general support and counsel to students-rather than advocating, or intentionally recruiting students into, their particular group.

  6. Privileges of religious directors. The one or two professionals who are assigned to a particular religious community at USC and who attain the status of religious director gain a number of privileges and benefits.

    These do not include the fringe benefits granted to faculty and staff who are directly employed by the university. They do include the following:

    1. The holding of a USCard-which enables library privileges and a discounted rate at the bookstore, campus ticket office and Lyon Center, as well as qualifying the bearer to join the USC University Club dining facility.

    2. Eligibility to serve as a non-resident faculty fellow in the residence halls and to serve on university committees whose purview is student life. (See sections 5g above and III.9d below for clarification of this role.)

    3. Eligibility to participate actively in the Baccalaureate Service and other campus ceremonies as may be deemed appropriate by the relevant university body, and to be invited to campus events and receptions through affiliation with the Office of Religious Life.

    4. Being listed in the Campus Directory and pictured in the Religious & Spiritual Life brochure.

    5. Being eligible to serve as the official advisor to a recognized student religious group.

    6. Being eligible for an email account and internet access via the university network, as are religious advisors and staff who work with religious directors.

    7. Being called upon by the Dean of Religious Life to counsel and/or provide religious services to students and other members of the campus community, as well as to represent the Office of Religious Life at orientation and welcome activities.

    8. Being eligible for campus parking at long term rates through the Office of Transportation Services, or able to convey this privilege to another member of their staff.

  7. The role of the sponsoring religious agency. The Dean of Religious Life takes responsibility for communicating the university's mission and goals to the religious agencies that have a historic, or seek to establish a new, relationship to USC. The sponsoring religious agency is asked to consider this mission and then sign the Letter of Agreement indicating its acceptance of these terms of affiliation. (See Appendix 4.) After that process is completed, recognition will be granted to a religious director; the recognition process will be renewed each time that a new religious director is appointed. The Letter of Agreement should be signed and returned to the Dean of Religious Life at the beginning of the new religious director's appointment. During the continuing tenure of a religious director, the sponsoring agency is responsible for updating support information on file with the Office of Religious Life.

    In situations where a religious body seeks to establish a presence at USC even when the denomination or religious tradition to which it is administratively related is already present on campus, the denomination or tradition will need to work out the lines of responsibility in consultation with the Dean of Religious Life and the current religious director.

    Particular flexibility will apply to religious groups whose strong ethnic or language component distinguishes them from an existing denominational presence. In cases of denominational overlap by a recognized student religious group, the group is encouraged to obtain the written approval of the religious director within whose denomination their group fits as well as the written approval of their chosen faculty/staff religious advisor.

    In appointing a new religious director to work at USC, sponsoring agencies are encouraged, but not required, to consult the Dean of Religious Life during the selection process. Whenever possible, the final candidate or candidates should meet with the Dean to confirm their understanding of the USC environment and what it means to function as an affiliated religious director; if such a meeting has not taken place, the Dean will make a special effort to convey these ideas to the candidate selected as religious director. Religious organizations are encouraged to select religious directors who are people of professional accomplishment and who have strong potential to serve within a multi-faith campus setting.

  8. Religious advisor status. The category of religious advisor includes: (a) a USC faculty or staff member who agrees to advise a student religious group, as indicated by signing its application for recognition, and (b) an off-campus person who co-advises a recognized group along with a USC faculty or staff member.

    A USC faculty or staff member who serves as religious advisor to a recognized group is required to complete and sign the Letter of Agreement between the Office of Religious Life and Religious Advisors Employed by the University, included below as Appendix 6.

    Clergy and laity who work with a USC student religious group on a less than half-time, but ongoing, basis on behalf of a sponsoring agency, are required-in conjunction with the sponsoring agency-to complete the Letter of Agreement contained in Appendix 4 and to complete the Registration Form in Appendix 5 below. Appreciating the contribution of religious advisors and the multiple demands on their time, the Office of Religious Life invites but does not require their participation in monthly meetings of the Religious Directors Association, as well as other Office of Religious Life events. Unlike religious directors, those religious advisors who are not USC faculty or staff do not gain the privileges listed under section 6 above, with the exception of item (f) covering electronic access.

  9. Staff who work with religious directors. In addition to designating up to two religious directors for USC affiliation, a sponsoring agency may assign whatever number of staff it chooses to the USC setting on the condition that: (a) the Office of Religious Life is informed about people spending at least half time at USC, and (b) all staff are supervised by the religious director(s), who stands responsible for their compliance with the conduct norms of The Ethical Framework for Religious Life at USC. Beyond a group's one or two religious directors, up to four additional staff members who devote at least twenty hours per week at USC are eligible to receive a USCard. These staff members, as well as those who devote less than twenty hours per week at USC, are also eligible to gain campus internet access through the Office of Religious Life. However, staff who are not religious directors are not eligible for the other benefits outlined under section 6 above. The religious director and/or sponsoring agency is responsible for returning to the Office of Religious Life the USCard of a staff member who ceases to serve the university.

  10. Student religious groups. Student groups have the responsibility of presenting themselves for recognition according to procedures and criteria established by Student Affairs. As part of those procedures, the leaders of student groups that see themselves as primarily religious-as well as student groups whose focus is ethnic or cultural but which have a significant religious component to them-are required to schedule an interview through the Office of Religious Life. This interview brings together one or more representatives of the group with the Dean or Deans of Religious Life and perhaps one religious directors, to determine whether the Office of Religious Life confirms the group's being recognized.

    Certification as a recognized student group is required for inclusion within the brochure, for participation in the Interfaith Council, and to apply for program support from the Office of Religious Life. The signature of a group's representative(s) on the Application for Recognition as a Student Religious Group (Appendix 8 below) indicates its agreement to abide by the conduct norms within The Ethical Framework for Religious Life at USC, as elucidated in the introductory paragraphs of Section III.

    Any group of four students may discuss with the Office of Reigious Life their proposed application for recognition as a new student religious organization, in accordance with the long established practice of the Office of Religious Life in collaboration with Student Affairs.  Students wishing to start a new religious organization will be encouraged to consider whether their group will add something fresh and distinctive to the variety of religious life on campus, or whether they might better devote their energy to building up an existing group.  The Office of Reigious Life recognizes that healthy "competition" between groups of the same kind can result in a higher quality of offerings and services to students, but is also mindful of the potential for confusion caused by a multiplicity of similar groups with similar purposes.

    Groups are encouraged to integrate international students wherever possible into all activities, rather than to create separate sub-groups for them.  There are times, however, when for reasons of language or other cultural considerations a particular outreach to international students is helpful.  A sub-group created for the purpose of reaching out to international students may apply for recognition as a separate student religious organization when a new religious director is appointed with particular responsibility for that sub-group.

    Student religious groups are strongly urged to send at least one representative to the Interfaith Council's meetings and to support whatever events the Interfaith Council decides to sponsor, including the Religious Diversity Fairs. The Deans of Religious Life  make themselves available to student religious groups for planning and general support.

    In cases where a sponsoring agency does not support a religious director to work with students of a particular religious tradition or denomination, the students must designate a member of the USC faculty or staff to be their religious advisor if they seek to be a recognized student religious group.

  11. The Religious & Spiritual Life at USC brochure. The Religious & Spiritual Life at USC brochure includes comprehensive descriptions of all student religious groups at USC. All groups are encouraged to include a logo, as well as a photograph of either their director/advisor or members of the group. Community religious leaders and their organizations may be listed and/or pictured in the brochure only if they attain religious director status and/or work with a recognized student group. Student groups will be included within the brochure based on their having been recognized during the academic year just concluding as the brochure goes to press, except under unusual circumstances and at the discretion of the Dean of Religious Life. In addition to its section on Campus Groups, the brochure also includes material about the Dean and Office of Religious Life, as well as other material pertinent to religious life at USC. The Dean of Religious Life is responsible for deciding upon the scope and content of the brochure, in consultation with the Religious Life Advisory Committee and the Religious Directors Association.

  12. Religions new to USC. At the discretion of the Dean of Religious Life, some accommodation of the above stipulations may be made in the case of a religious or spiritual tradition whose presence is newly emerging at USC and/or that broadens the range of campus religious life.