Internet Made Easy for Starters
Carmen Brito
The Trojan Internet Connection opened its doors to the public in January, and local residents are reaping the benefits of the low-cost Internet access available in their neighborhood.
The new Internet café is part of the USC Community Computing Center, the Neighborhood Outreach-funded program that provides low-cost computer training to families involved in USC Community Education Academy programs. Graduates of the eight-course program receive a free PC to take home.
Located in the University Village shopping center, the café has 14 refurbished computers with high-speed Internet access and laser printing available at a nominal fee. A USC student worker is on hand to offer technical support and to answer any questions the users may have.
“I haven’t come across anyone who has been intimidated by the Internet,” said Carmen Brito, the community engagement manager who is pleased with the relative comfort the users feel when poised at the keyboard.
Brito and the center’s staff try to underscore the many benefits of the Internet in their training program. By emphasizing features such as online banking and instant communication with distant friends and relatives, they show their students how they can use the Internet to benefit themselves and their families. The café, she said, is a way for the community to cash in on these possibilities.
“A lot of people come in to do things like find community events and do out-of-state car-shopping,” she said. “But many just want to just explore what is out there on the Internet.”
The Trojan Internet Connection offers unlimited Internet time to its members, but certain time caps may be implemented as membership grows. Right now, Brito said, the café is fairly quiet, but the center is still actively recruiting members. As more people join, Brito also will consider expanding the café’s hours of operation.
In the meantime, the center is working to make the café as homey as possible, hanging colorful artwork on the walls and crafting plans to add music for the Web surfers’ listening pleasure.
The Trojan Internet Connection is open from 3 to 9 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Families can purchase low-cost family membership for $25 for six months or $48 for 12 months. Individuals also can purchase membership for $20 for six months and $37 for one year. The café also welcomes non-members for a rate of $5 per hour.
For more information or to find out how to donate a computer, call (213) 821-3946 or visit www.usc.edu/ext-relations/ccc/.
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USC in the News
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The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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