Each year, USC programs and faculty research are highlighted in print, broadcast and online stories throughout the world. Highlights of recent news coverage are compiled by USC Media Relations.
USC in the News 11/15/2012
The New York Times reported that USC has the most international students of any U.S. university, according to a new report from the Institute of International Education. USC enrolled 9,269 international students in the 2011-2012 academic year.
Los Angeles Times featured the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll, which found that California Democrats and Republican voters aren’t willing to give ground when it comes to taxes and budget cuts. The poll found that three in five voters want elected officials to compromise. But when asked what to give up, Democrats strongly opposed benefits cuts, and Republicans strongly opposed revenue hikes. “Obama said the wealthy should pay their fair share. Romney said it would kill jobs. But neither one of them told voters that balancing the budget is a lot tougher than that,” said Dan Schnur of the USC Dornsife College. The poll was covered by a second Los Angeles Times story and Star-Tribune.
Los Angeles Times featured a study by Michael Cousineau of the Keck School of USC and colleagues, finding that Californian children are more likely to be uninsured than children nationwide. In 2011, 56 percent of California’s children had private coverage, while 38 percent had public insurance; some were covered by both. Enrollment in state public insurance has stalled over the last three years, which the study’s authors attribute to budget cuts.
USA Today featured an effort by USC student athletes to raise awareness of breast cancer. USC student Giuliana Olmos proposed a tennis tournament, called the Rose Cup in honor of the mother of USC student and teammate Kaitlyn Christian. Olmos said she had been planning to launch a charity tournament and decided to focus on breast cancer after hearing that Christian’s mother had been diagnosed with the disease. “In addition to the athletes, my academic advisers, coaches and friends back home showed up. I’m very fortunate to have all those people in my life,” Christian said. Olmos said that she’s working to coordinate future charity events in the USC athletic community.
International Business Times featured research by Stacy Smith of the USC Annenberg School and colleagues finding that females make up a third of primetime TV characters, and that for every five characters with STEM careers, there is only one female character in a STEM profession. The study surveyed 275 primetime programs on 10 channels, finding that on primetime shows, men are more likely to be promoted than women. The research was also covered by Radio Bio-Bio (Chile), BeritaSatu TV (Indonesia) and The Huffington Post.
National Journal highlighted an analysis by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at USC, finding that U.S. citizen Latinos under the age of 18 make up at least 20 percent of children in about a dozen states. “The growth of the Latino electorate is not subject to any future decisions on immigration policy,” said Roberto Suro of the USC Annenberg School, director of the institute.
The Economist featured exposure-therapy work by Albert “Skip” Rizzo of USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies and colleagues. The virtual reality research is being used to help returning veterans confront traumas sustained on the battlefield. Rizzo and his team are building a training regime from this research to prepare troops before they are deployed; soldiers would go through traumatic scenarios, then speak with a virtual mentor to learn stress-reduction tactics.
Liberation (France) ran a Q&A with Steven Ross of the USC Dornsife College about his book “Hollywood Left and Right.” Ross said that, contrary to the opinion of Republicans who love to criticize “Hollywood leftism,” the right has had a presence in Hollywood for much longer than the left.
Daily Press featured research by Behrokh Khoshnevis of the USC Viterbi School on how Contour Crafting technology could be used to quickly build concrete shelters on other planets. Khoshnevis will speak at the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts symposium in Hampton, Va., this week. The original application of his research was to build simple, affordable homes for the poor and homeless, especially after natural disasters. “You give it time, you can build anything,” Khoshnevis said. The research was also covered by Reuters.
Los Angeles Times quoted John Matsusaka of USC’s Initiative and Referendum Institute about California’s initiative system.
U.S. News & World Report quoted Edward Kleinbard of the USC Gould School about the alternative minimum tax.
Associated Press quoted Dan Schnur of the USC Dornsife College about California voters’ approval of various tax and bond measures this year.
Star-Telegram quoted Stephen Krashen, professor emeritus of the USC Rossier School, about the link between kids’ reading proficiency and information retention.
Ars Technica cited a paper by Edward Kleinbard of the USC Gould School regarding the “Double Irish” tax shelter technique.
The Chronicle of Higher Education covered a complaint filed by a USC professor regarding denial of tenure.
Inside Higher Ed mentioned that tech company 2U helped develop online master’s programs for the USC Rossier School and the USC School of Social Work. Forbes and The Business Journals also mentioned the partnership.
The Washington Times cited USC’s Initiative and Referendum Institute regarding the number of ballot measures up for vote on Election Day.
Yahoo! News ran a column by Susan Estrich of the USC Gould School on the 2012 election and whether President Obama has a mandate.