An update on L.A. wildfire relief efforts at USC — for faculty and staff
Dear Fellow Trojans,
Last week, President Folt and Board of Trustees Chair Johnson shared information on the Trojan Family Relief Fund. Today, we write to share an update on the grant application process and other Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts at USC.
The Trojan Family Relief Fund grant application process is now open.
Faculty, staff, postdocs, and students who have been displaced by the wildfires and need support with transitional expenses, such as temporary housing, family care, and emergency supplies, are welcome to request a grant. For details, including eligibility and a list of frequently asked questions, visit the L.A. Wildfires Relief Grants page.
We sincerely appreciate the tremendous support of the community to this Relief Fund. Our community has serious needs and we encourage anyone interested in donating to visit https://giving.usc.edu/LAfire.
USC is relaunching the Major Disaster Leave Sharing Plan.
With the LA wildfires declared a major disaster, USC is relaunching its Major Disaster Leave Sharing Plan, which last operated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This plan allows faculty and staff to voluntarily donate their accrued vacation or paid time off to a pool of hours that other employees – who have exhausted their own accrued hours due to a declared major disaster, like the LA wildfires – can utilize.
The program will open for donations tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, with the vacation request process scheduled to launch on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. Faculty and staff wishing to make a donation or submit a request are encouraged to visit the USC benefits section of the community resources page for eligibility and other detailed information.
USC Admissions is offering flexibility for affected students applying to the university.
Undergraduate Admissions: For students and their families facing significant challenges from the L.A. wildfires, USC Undergraduate Admissions is offering flexibility with upcoming deadlines. If you or a student you know will not be able to submit their application by the Jan. 15 Regular Decision deadline, please contact your admission counselor to discuss an alternative option.
Graduate Admissions: Students applying to a graduate program are encouraged to contact the program to which they are applying as soon as possible to discuss their situation.
The following programs will be available to benefits-eligible faculty and staff who lost their primary residence or whose primary residence is uninhabitable.
We recognized the tremendous amount of time, energy and effort it will take to rebuild or repair homes impacted by the LA wildfires. That is why the university is launching the following two programs for benefits-eligible faculty and staff who lost their primary residence or whose primary residence has been deemed uninhabitable by a local municipality due to the local wildfires.
Vacation cashout program: Eligible employees will be able to cash out a maximum of 10 accrued vacation days. The program will launch on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, and be in effect through June 30, 2026. Be sure to check the USC benefits section of the community resources page on or after the launch date for more information.
Temporary bank of up to 40 hours of time off: Eligible employees will be provided a time code with up to 40 hours, which they can then use to work with cities, insurance companies or contractors without having to use their accrued time. Hours will be available in Workday by Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. If you meet the criteria for this program but do not see the hours in Workday by this date, please contact your HR Partner.
Time given must be used by June 30, 2025. Any time off needs after that date will first be addressed through accrued vacation, followed by applying for donated vacation hours (once accrued vacation is exhausted) under the vacation donation program that is being launched.
The following resources continue to be updated to keep you informed on the latest.
The community resources page is kept up-to-date to provide USC community members displaced by the fires with the most current resources available to them. The page includes a list of evacuation centers and temporary housing options, animal shelters, state and federal assistance links, USC benefits, vendors offering discounts, information on state and federal assistance, and more.
The USC Emergency site, the central hub for information impacting our university community, provides the latest operational updates from USC.
We admire the selflessness, strength, and resilience of our Trojan Family. Together, our Fight On! spirit will guide us forward as we heal individually and as a community. Be well and stay safe, Trojans.
Sincerely,
Andrew T. Guzman, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs
Steven Shapiro, senior vice president for health affairs
Stacy Giwa, interim senior vice president of human resources
Scott Rabenold, senior vice president for university advancement
