2. University of Southern California
• 1880: USC was
founded by Judge
Robery Maclay Widney
in Los Angeles.
• 1884: First
commencement
ceremony with a
graduating class of
three students.

3. University of Southern California
• 17,414 undergraduate students; 20,500
graduate and professional students
• 7,200 international students
• 162 majors; 155 minors
• Two major campuses: University Park in
downtown Los Angeles and Health Sciences
Campuses on the west side of LA.

4. Two Chinese Students Shot and Killed
• April 11, 2012: Ming Qu and Yung Wu were
shot and killed at 2:00 a.m. while sitting in a
BMW in a neighborhood west of campus.
– Both victims were 23-year-old electronic
engineering graduate students from China.
• Police performed ballistics tests and used
forensic evidence to arrest Javier Boulden and
Bryan Barnes two weeks later.

5. Wrongful Death Lawsuit
• May 17, 2012: Qu and Wu’s parents sued USC
for the wrongful death of their children based
on intentional and negligent
misrepresentation and negligence against the
parents.
– Claims USC intentionally lies by claiming to be
ranked among the safest universities in the U.S.
– Blames USC for knowingly misleading in order to
attract more international students.

6. Organizational Response
• Vice President of Student Affairs and Senior
Vice President of Administration issued a
letter to the USC community.
• USC held a memorial service for friends and
family.
• University president, USC Department of
Public Safety and LAPD all issued statements.

7. Organizational Response: Security
• LAPD and USC worked together to increase
security on campus and in surrounding
residential areas:
– Sharing crime data with USC Department of Public
Safety
– More security cameras
– City prosecutor who will focus on USC and
surrounding areas.

8. Organizational Response: Lawsuit
• USC denied responsibility for Ming Qu and
Ying Wu’s deaths.
• Debra Yang, USC’s attorney, called the lawsuit
baseless and an inaccurate description of
campus safety and security.
• USC asked judges to have the lawsuit
dismissed.

9. Media Response
• Mixed response from local mainstream media:
– Huffington Post complimented USC saying the
memorial and candlelight vigil for the victims was
heartwarming.
• Campus newspapers Neon Tommy and Daily
Trojan were very critical of USC’s security and
safety measures.
• Chinese media coverage was brutally critical
of the two students socioeconomic status.

10. Stakeholders Response
• Students were critical of USC’s off-campus
security.
– Many students claimed they were forced to
choose between safety and affordability.
• International parents said this incident would
cause them to rethink sending their children
to USC for undergraduate/graduate education
• Students and parents had mixed feelings
about the lawsuit.

11. Recommendations
• Safety is perceptual; if the USC community
perceives the campus as unsafe, it will have a
large impact on enrollment.
– USC should release reports on crime statistics in
and around campus.
– USC should also remain transparent in ongoing
efforts to increase security personnel and cruisers
that operate on and around campus.