WELCOME
TO THE RESIDENTS OF
PARKSIDE ARTS & HUMANITIES RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE
FOUR PILLARS OF THE RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE EXPERIENCE • Life of the Mind • Life of the Body • Life of Service • Sense of Belonging
CARDINAL & GOLD EVENTS
Cardinal & Gold events take place every Thursday and Friday night and are free to all residential students. There are activities and outings for every interest — from feature film screenings in McCarthy Quad to evening hikes in Griffith Park to concerts at LA Live. Be on the lookout for the weekly schedule of events in the Fall!
WELCOME!
We are incredibly excited to welcome you onto campus as an official member of the Trojan Family! We hope you are looking forward to your transition and excited about meeting and living among 450 of your peers. We know you’ll love the vibrant, prideful and scholarly living-learning community Parkside residents have fostered over the years. Through offering you diverse programming opportunities and faculty and staff support, we’re confident that you’ll feel at home in no time! HISTORY AND CULTURE
Although intended for students of all disciplines, its theme allows for special interest floors dedicated to music, the visual arts, poetry and architecture. Living in Parkside Arts & Humanities Residential College is not limited to majors in the arts and humanities. Everyone who appreciates the role of culture and the exploration of ideas is welcome. PRB is home to 450 primarily freshmen residents and three Residential Faculty members and their families. Residents live in suite-style apartments, amidst state-of-the-art study lounges, music study rooms, recreation room with pingpong, foosball and air hockey tables, and a Performance Café, all designed in response to student requests for more shared space.
TO THE RESIDENTS OF
PARKSIDE ARTS & HUMANITIES RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE
MEET THE FACULTY & STAFF OF PARKSIDE ARTS & HUMANITIES Faculty in Residence serve as your mentors, advisers, and advocates. They facilitate and lead the academic focus, in partnership with the Residential Education staff, for your living-learning community. Residential Education staff work to support your holistic development and success at USC. They directly supervise your resident assistants, develop community through programming, resolve conflict through mediation, and serve as resources for residents.
BRETT SHEEHAN FACULTY IN RESIDENCE
EDWIN HILL FACULTY IN RESIDENCE
Sheehan is a professor of Chinese history at USC, and director of USC’s East Asian Studies Center. He received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 1997 and has been at USC since 2006. Teaching Chinese history is actually his second career. He turned to academics after obtaining a degree in finance and spending six years working as a commercial banker. He researches and teaches about Chinese and East Asian history, especially the history of business and capitalism. One of the highlights of his year is taking students to China to learn about globalization. For fun, he loves working out, hiking, playing board games, and hanging out with Parkside students.
Hill is associate professor of French, Italian, and American studies and ethnicity in USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. His research seeks to highlight the marginalized intellectual cultural dialogs of the black Atlantic diaspora that have taken place, and continue to take place, in France. Hill has published and presented on contemporary Caribbean writers, Sub-Saharan francophone literature, African-American popular music, French chanson, and francophone hip hop. Similarly, his teaching interests, while focused on black vernacular culture and France, extend from the poetry of Negritude writers to postcolonial explorations of contemporary francophone writers and musicians.
HEATHER BERG FACULTY IN RESIDENCE
ABIGAIL MESGANA RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE COORDINATOR
Berg is a lecturer in the gender studies department at USC Dornsife College. She teaches classes on social justice, feminist theory, gender history and labor studies. Her research explores how workers navigate and resist late capitalism, and her current book project is on labor in the porn industry. She holds a bachelor’s degree in individualized study from New York University, a master’s degree in women’s studies and public policy from George Washington University, and a PhD in feminist studies from UC Santa Barbara. Berg loves to mentor students and think together about ways to build a better world. She also enjoys hiking, cooking, and listening to records. She lives at Parkside with her partner, Kit (a historian) and their dog, Gus (an expert snuggler).
Mesgana received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of California, Merced, where she served as a resident assistant for first-generation college students. It was then that she confirmed her passion for helping students navigate through college successfully. After working at an educational tech company, she went on to complete her master’s degree in education with an emphasis in student affairs and organizational leadership at University of the Pacific. While at Pacific, Mesgana served as a residence director. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, running, exploring new places, and spending time with family and friends.
MORE ABOUT LIFE IN PARKSIDE A&H ARTS IN THE PAHRC
PARKSIDE HOLI
PARKSIDE PROM
Arts in the PAHRC is a celebration of resident work in the fine arts, film, dance, comedy, and theater held during the spring semester. Previous Arts in the PAHRC lineups have included resident musicians and actors, art gallery, arts and crafts activities, and catering through local L.A. vendors.
Holi is a spring festival celebrated all across the country of India and several nations with large Indian subcontinent populations. Most commonly referred to as the “festival of colors,” there are several meanings behind the celebration including the triumph of good over evil, playfulness, forgiveness, and thankfulness. Parkside Holi includes a wide variety of Indian cuisine through local vendors, an array of activities and traditional music, and of course, a selection of colored powder fit for friendly fights between attendees.
The newest signature program, Parkside Prom is held every spring semester in the last two weeks of classes. Students can enjoy great food, music, and the company of others on this spectacular night. Each year brings a different theme, decided by the students themselves, and the past two years have included themes “A Night in Ancient Athens” and “Old Hollywood.”
OPEN MIC NIGHT PERFORMANCES
The Open Mic Night Performance series is frequently facilitated throughout the academic year. Students share their talent with their peers in smaller spaces throughout A&H itself. Participants have truly enjoyed the opportunity to share their passion, move through exercises from class, and fine-tune their craft.
PARTY AT THE DARKSIDE
Party at the Darkside is a huge Halloween bash that occurs on the weekend closest to Halloween. You can find costume contests, carnival-like activities, candies and chocolates, pumpkin decorating, and more at this popular event. One of Parkside A&H’s greatest contributions is the transformation of Parkside Performance Café (a popular programming space) into the scariest and spookiest haunted house.
TUESDAY PARKSIDE FACULTY DINNERS
One of the greatest traditions of the Parkside area is the weekly Parkside Faculty dinners held every Tuesday. Beginning at 6 PM, students are able to experience high-quality dining in the Parkside Performance Café where they are joined by the faculty for an evening of conversation. The menu is crafted specifically by a USC Hospitality Chef and each week, a different cuisine is introduced to all dinner attendees. Faculty bring a different guest speaker to each dinner to provide a glimpse of their path from age 18 to today.
GET INVOLVED! RESIDENTIAL HOUSING ASSOCIATION (RHA)
Founded in 1988, Residential Housing Association (RHA) serves all students who live in USC Housing by providing them with ways to enhance and contribute to their residential experience at the University of Southern California. One of the largest organizations on campus, RHA strives to build community, empower residents, and create opportunities for academic success and leadership development. RHA acts as a resource by coordinating and promoting all phases of student development and self-government, while representing the residential community on both regional and national levels. Check out the RHA welcome back event during Welcome Week! COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Do you want to gain valuable leadership experience while making lasting friendships, planning events, and serving as a resource to your fellow residents? Consider joining Community Council! Community Councils are responsible for a wide variety of fun, social, and engaging programs throughout the academic year for their individual communities. Student leaders are elected or appointed into their Community Council by their peers. Community Council members represent their residents at Residential Housing Association (RHA) meetings and gain valuable leadership experience!
CAMPUS RESOURCES OFFICE FOR RESIDENTIAL EDUCATION
STU 200 213-740-2080
CAMPUS ACTIVITIES
SKS 410 213-740-5693
HOUSING
OFFICE OF RELIGIOUS LIFE
620 McCarthy Way 213-740-8488
URC 106 213-740-6110
USC STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES
ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN STUDENT SERVICES
Engemann Student Health Center 1031 W. 34th St. 213-740-9355
STU 410 213-740-4999
CENTER FOR BLACK CULTURAL AND STUDENT AFFAIRS
STU 415 213-740-8257 EL CENTRO CHICANO
STU 402 213-740-1480 LGBT RESOURCE CENTER
STU 202B 213-740-7619
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