Celebrating the differences and similarities of all USC students strengthens the university not only as a community but as a welcoming environment regardless of gender, race, religion, and sexual orientation.  The following resources are available to all students who are interested in learning more about the diversity of the student population or want to become active participants within individual communities.

Asian Pacific American Student Services (APASS)
Asian Pacific American Student Services (APASS) is a resource unit designed to assist you in your cultural and personal development and to increase the overall awareness of the Asian Pacific American community at USC and in society. Programs and services supported by APASS include leadership development, involvement in community based programs, mentoring opportunities, new student welcome, and the APA Network, to name a few.

For a complete description of APASS and its services, please visit their website at www.usc.edu/apass, or contact them at (213)740-4999.

Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs (CBCSA)
The Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs (CBCSA) provides a wide range of support services, programs, and activities aimed at the development of undergraduate and graduate students. CBCSA is committed to creating an environment that encourages intellectual, professional and cultural growth of African-American students entering and completing degree programs. CBCSA targets five major areas of focus, including cultural and community awareness, leadership, professional development, social enrichment, and retention.
Aside from helping monitor the academic progress of first-year African-American students, CBCSA also programs Welcome Week activities, the Black History Month celebrations, and the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Exchange Program.

To find out more about CBCSA and its services, visit their website at www.usc.edu/cbcsa, or contact the center at (213)740-8257.

Center for Women and Men
The Center for Women and Men serves as a haven for students, staff, and faculty. The center fosters an environment that enriches the USC experience across lines of gender, race, ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation by providing educational programs that help prevent sexual violence and create healthy relationships. Offering a safe, confidential space for counseling for survivors of sexual assault and other gender-based harm, they advocate on behalf of and provide resource referrals to survivors of sexual assault and other gender-based harm. The center also supports student groups committed to addressing gender-related issues.

Visit The Center for Women and Men’s website http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/cwm/home.html to obtain a list of serves and programs available for first year and continuing students. You can also contact them at (213)740-4900 or cwm@usc.edu

El Centro Chicano
El Centro provides culturally sensitive programs that foster and promote the academic and personal success of Latino/a students. In addition, it strives to educate the campus about Latino/a issues and the ethnic diversity represented within the community (i.e. Central & South America, Caribbean, Mexico). El Centro also offers student advocacy, personal support, assistance for Latino/a student groups, and transitional/beyond USC programming. El Centro programs and services also consider gender, class, religion/spirituality, bi/monolingual, continuing generations, sexual orientation, and bi-racial/ethnic identities, among other factors.

Visit El Centro Chicano’s website at http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/elcentro to obtain a list of services and programs available for first year and continuing students.  You can also contact them at (213)740-1480 or through e-mail at ecc@usc.edu

Cultural Special Interest Residential Communities
The Office of Residential Education offers Cultural Special Interest Residential Communities as part of an ongoing effort to students who want to come together under a common interest.  The current residential communities described as cultural or special interested are the Somerville Place for African American students, the Latino Floors, the Rainbow Floor, the Muslim Floor, and the SChalom Floor.

Spaces in these floors are open to any student who is interested in learning more about the culture, wants to meet students from these cultures, or wishes to connect to their respective community.
For more information about the Cultural Special Interest Residential Communities, please visit the Office of Residential Education website at http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/ResEd/

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Resource Center
The LGBT Resource Center works in collaboration with different campus departments, organizations, and community members to create an inclusive, welcoming, and safe environment for all students, faculty, and staff. If a student self-identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, ally, curious, questioning, or is simply interested in learning about LGBT issues, they are encouraged to visit the center in Student Union 202B.

In addition, the center works with the GLBT Student Assembly to sponsor the LGBT Freshmen Advocacy Board (FAB), the official voice for freshmen LGBT and Ally students. It is comprised of freshmen representatives that hold regular meetings and coordinate monthly events (i.e. freshmen excursions around Los Angeles, museum trips, movie screenings, etc.).

For more information regarding the LGBT Resource Center and other community support programs, please visit the center’s website at www.usc.edu/lgbt or call the center at (213)740-7619.  You can also e-mail them at lgbt@usc.edu.

USC Office of Religious Life
The USC Office of Religious Life sponsors a variety of opportunities for exploring the spiritual dimensions of student life and learning. Their professional staff helps students find a religious home base, form a new group, handle an ethical dilemma, or research a paper topic. The Office of Religious Life sponsors campus programs with a moral, religious, or spiritual focus, and it cosponsors events with other university units and partnerships of student religious groups.
Whether you’re searching for direction or already committed to a faith, the Office of Religious Life will respect your individuality and honor your convictions. They’re here to help you move toward wholeness— of mind, body, psyche, and spirit. The university’s support of the Office of Religious Life fits within its overall mission: “the development of human beings and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit.”

To find out more about the services and programs of the USC Office of Religious Life, visit their website at http://www.usc.edu/programs/religious_life. 
They are located in Room 102 of the University Religious Center (URC), just east of the Student Health Center & just south of Jefferson.  You can also contact them at (213)740-6110.