In attempts to open up more classroom space and salvage the reputation of our recently fallen law school, USC has finally decided to do something about the law school’s dilapidated, asbestos-ridden building.
In recent announcements, USC plans to build a new law school and renovate the current one to house the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management. The renovated law school building will also be used for more USC classrooms, something we’ll need for our massive student body. But among the $81 million it’ll cost to build a new law school building, the $25 million to renovate the current law school building and another $5.2 million to renovate two houses the law school will use as supplemental centers in the future, USC might as well be directing one expensive game of musical chairs — and its piggy banks are already empty.
Despite the expenses and the increased debts the project will cause (an additional $35 million), this long-term investment is important for the law school and for USC. Already operating at losses each year, new facilities could draw in more students and bring the law school’s overall ranking and reputation back up to par. In our cramped campus, the classrooms that result from the renovation would also benefit us greatly. But USC must act quickly if it wants to successfully carry out this plan. That means raising the money it needs as soon as possible and renovating before HRSM moves in and new students flood in.
USC’s most recent expensive project, Self Service Carolina, cost many millions of dollars and four years to get rolling. Let’s not let that happen again.