Background

The Latino Floors at the University of Southern California were established in 1974. The Latino Floors are a Special Interest Housing Program at USC designed to allow students with common interests an opportunity to live and grow together in a residential community. The Floors promote cultural awareness, community involvement, and academic success with the following purpose: to facilitate a smooth transition to university life and create an unforgettable first year experience!

Who lives on "The Floors"?

The floors are open to all students who have an interest in the Latino culture and those who want to experience their first year at USC in a supportive and close-knit multicultural community. You do not have to consider yourself "Latino" to live on the Latino Floors. If you have an open mind and are willing to learn about the Latino culture, then the floors are a fit for you. Residents come from all areas of the globe, some are International students, some are immigrants and many are of mixed backgrounds.

The Latino Floors house 64 first time freshman residents. In addition to the 32 residents on each floor, each floor houses two Resident Advisors (RA’s). These student staff members are older students who are trained to help first year residents adjust to USC student life and plan programs and floor activities.

Why live on "The Floors"?

The Latino Floors provide a fast-paced, rewarding first year experience. The Floors are designed to be a "launching pad" for you to begin your networking and involvement at USC. Residents benefit from having two residential life staff members on the floor, extra activities and opportunities as well as several non-resident Faculty Fellows, faculty members who have a strong interest in supporting and interacting with first year students. As a resident you will benefit from one-on-one interaction with University faculty, staff and student leaders who have been connected to the program for many years. In addition to support from a core group of faculty and staff, The Floors are closely connected to El Centro Chicano ( El Centro ).

The connection with El Centro consists of many programs and services, including receiving a Latino Resource Handbook at the New Student Welcome Program held at the beginning of the year, along with receiving Weekly E-newsletters. In addition, in 07-08, three new programs were created to help new student’s successfully transition into USC. They are the following, The Latino Floor Seminar, which will now be known as The First Year Leadership Seminar, is a series of dialogues and discussions during fall semester about various issues, topics and resources pertinent to the retention of first year students. This program is co-sponsored with the Latino Floors. Also, we created Class Reunions: One Stop Shop. This program focuses on students’ class status, i.e. Freshmen-Senior, Graduate, Transfer, etc. Each class would be offered a One Stop Shop Panel once a semester, which would specifically address what those students academic and personal needs are. A panel assembled by the needs of each specific class consists of departments/offices, faculty, alumni and upperclassmen. This program also encourages networking and helps establish a supportive class identity. Finally, we launched a new mentor program called: ¡CONEXIONES! In order to maintain the retention of Latina/o students, this program pairs up a new student (freshmen/transfer/graduate) with a current student. Mentors would help new students navigate the greater USC campus, including clubs/organizations, classes/majors/minors, and other important aspects of campus life.

Latin American and American traditions are celebrated side by side. The highlight of the fall semester is the traditional Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Residents learn about the traditional Latin American holiday and build altars and teach local school children about the holiday. In addition, suites are converted into traditional American haunted houses complete with twisted mazes and masked monsters. Hundreds of local school children visit the floors to participate in the educational workshops. The night is wrapped up with a dinner and party for residents.

By choosing to live on The Floors will I be segregating myself from people of other cultures?

Simply put, NO! The floors are as culturally diverse as you can get. Just because you live on the Latino Floors does not mean that you will be attending classes with your floor-mates or that you will be joining all of the same student organizations. You will experience cultural diversity every step of the way at USC, and The Floors are no different. Meeting others beyond those living on The Floors will be a part of everyday life for you. You should also remember that The Latino Floors are ethnically, nationally, culturally, religiously and politically diverse. So if you're ready to embrace diversity, sign up !

Where are The Floors located?

The Latino Floors are located in Fluor Tower , an 11-story suite style residence hall. Fluor Tower is a popular choice for freshman and home to three special interest communities. Fluor has a pool table, television area and a Customer Service Center in its lobby, and 10 floors of living space. Each floor has four suites (two male, and two female). A suite houses eight students in four separate double rooms. Each suite has a common living area, a kitchenette (microwave and rangetop), air conditioning and a suite bathroom with double facilities. The Lyon Recreational Center (the gym) is close by and Café 84, a cafeteria style dining hall, is located conveniently next door in King Hall. King Hall boasts a 24 hour computer lab. Freshman residents have a required meal plan.

Does it cost extra to live on the floors?

No, there are no additional costs related to living on the floors. Room rates can be found in the Living at USC brochure. For a double room (two person occupancy) the rate for the 2005-2006 school year is $2970/semester.

Meal Plans can be found on page 33 of the Living at USC brochure. Fluor residents can choose from the Cardinal, Gold or Trojan meal plans ($2019-$2592 per semester). Questions about meal plans can be directed to Hospitality Services at (213) 740-0256.

Student Quotes:

"Although i was originally opposed to living on the Latino floors, i really enjoyed it. Being a resident there gave me at least sixty familiar faces at a new school, an instant network of people, and provided opportunities to get involved in the USC community. Because of that, I have been able to take advantage and become an active member of the Latino community as well as other communities on campus."
-Noel Viramontes, Downey, CA; former resident 2005-2006; nviramon@usc.edu

"Living on the Latino Floors was definitely a good way to start my freshman year at college. I was able to establish connections throughout the Latino community. I was able to bond with people from different backgrounds. The memories are so many that I don't even know where to begin. The friends I made are even greater. I definitely recommend the Floors to anyone that enjoys Latino culture and is ready for new and amazing experiences."
- Misael Ochoa, Fallbrook, CA; former resident 2005-2006; mochoa@usc.edu

"My experience on the Latino Floors was amazing. It was a great way to network with different students, organizations, administrators, and professors within the Latino community. I was automatically surrounded by individuals with very similar backgrounds, which provided a strong sense of family and belonging as I transitioned from high school into my first year of college. Often times incoming students develop a negative misconception of the Latino Floors by falsely believing it "segregates Latinos from the great USC community" but this is certainly not the case. It was my home away from home. I went to class with the USC community, interacted with everyone on campus, then went back to my tight knit group of friends on the Floors at the end of the day. It has definitely been one of my most memorable experiences as a Trojan thus far."
-George Bahamondes, East Los Angeles, CA; former resident 2004-2005; bahamond@usc.edu

"The Latino Floors were a home away from home. Living there gave me an awesome cultural, educational, and social learning experience."
-Allen Chavez, former resident

How do I sign up?

There are two easy steps:

1. Submit your USC Housing Application by May 1, 2009. On your housing application, designate the Latino Floors (LATF) as your top choice.

2. Submit a Supplemental Application to El Centro. This can be found online or mail us the supplemental application we mailed out to you.

What if you already submitted your housing application, but didn't mark the Latino Floors as a priority?

No problem. Submit the supplemental application and notify the Housing Office in writing, by fax at (213) 740-8488 or by email (housing@usc.edu), that your preferences changed.

I'm not quite sure yet, can I visit?

Yes! We'd be glad to host you. If you are visiting campus for EXPLORE, give us a call before you get here so we can pair you with a host. If you would rather come on a weekend or during your spring break, call us ahead of time to schedule a visit or an overnight visit. We can be reached at (213) 740-1480.

Latino Floors Resident Advisors 2008-2009

Deidra "Didi" Smith
deidrasm@usc.edu

Rebeca Medina
rvmedina@usc.edu

Eddie Barrows
ebarrows@usc.edu

Andrea Martinez
andreama@usc.edu

Latino Floor Alumni

El Centro welcomes comments from former residents and alumni. If you'd like to be included in our mailing please e-mail the following information to ecc@usc.edu

Please send the following information:

Name:
Year on Floor:
Mailing address (street, city, state, zip):
Graduation Date:

Alumni Fund

A Latino Floor Alumni Fund was established in March of 2003. The purpose of the fund is to provide additional resources for current residents and staff's programming needs. 100% of the funds collected will go directly to supporting student initiated programs and events. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation or have further questions, please feel free to contact El Centro 's Director at (213) 740-1480 or ecc@usc.edu .

Donations should be made payable to:
USC-El Centro Chicano
with "Latino Floor Fund" in the Memo Line

And mailed to:
El Centro Chicano
817 W. 34 th Street , UUC 300
Los Angeles , CA 90089