BIRNKRANT RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE 2017-2018
TABLE OF CONTENTS Move-In Day Schedule
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History
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Meet your RAs
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Residential Staff & Faculty
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Residential College Ambassadors
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Campus Resources
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WELCOME BIRNKRANT RESIDENTS Welcome to your new home in Birnkrant Residential College! 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 259 of your fellow peers. We know you’ll love the vibrant, prideful and scholarly living-learning community Birnkrant residents have fostered over the years. Through offering you diverse programming opportunities, faculty and staff support, and “Seven Floors of Open Doors,” we’re confident that you’ll feel at home in no time!
MOVE-IN DAY SCHEDULE Wednesday, August 16th Move-In 8:00am-3:00pm Family and Friends Reception hosted by Faculty in Residence 3:00pm Birkrant 102 (Faculty in Residence, Ashley Uyeshiro’s Apartment) Floor Meetings 7:00pm See your RA for location Welcome Event 8:30pm
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BIRNKRANT RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE History Constructed in 1963, Birnkrant has been a part of USC over the last several decades. Created in honor of Cecele & Michael G. Birnkrant, the eight-story tower originally provided housing for 308 women. Over the many years of Birnkrant’s existence on the University Park campus, co-ed floors were created, and in 2011, the community began functioning as a first-year Honors community. First-year Presidential, Trustee, & Mork Scholars live in Birnkrant’s tight-knit community after an application and interview process. Commonly referred to
as “Seven Floors of Open Doors,” the Birnkrant community is strong, as friendships and relationships are created that often span the course of the students’ time at USC. In 1994, Birnkrant began operating as a Residential College, with a full-time, live-in Faculty Master residing in the building and working to bridge the experiences inside and outside the classroom. Residents take great pride in living in Birnkrant and often refer to it as one of their favorite memories and experiences as a USC student.
CARDINAL & GOLD EVENTS Cardinal & Gold events take place every Friday and Saturday 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!
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MEET YOUR RAs Aboelela Ayham
Business Administration
Uluwehi Baldemor Linguistics
Evan Celaya Mathematics
JOIN BUILDING GOVERNMENT Are you looking to get more involved in your residential college? Eugenia Hee
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Richard Hvisch
Cognitive Science
Writing for Screen and Television
Pratima Manga
Kyle Xia
Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation
Chemical
Do you want to gain valuable leadership experience while making lasting friendships? Are you interested in planning events and outings or serving as an advocate for your floormates? Consider joining Birnkrant Building Government! Each BG is comprised of five core elected positions (President, Advocacy Chair, Community Outreach Chair, Funding Chair, and Programming Chair) and multiple supporting roles (including Floor Senators, Intramural Chairs, Advertising Coordinators, Inclusion Chair, and Eco Rep). Look for election information during Move-In and Welcome Week!
RESIDENTIAL STAFF & FACULTY IN RESIDENCE
Assistant Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Ashley Uyeshiro Simon practices Lifestyle Redesign® at the USC OT Faculty Practice, and works predominantly with clients in the pain management, chronic headaches, multiple sclerosis, and ergonomics programs. She teaches the Optimal Living with Multiple Sclerosis course, is a National MS Society Partner in MS Care, and is a Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist. Uyeshiro Simon coordinates the Quality and Process Improvement projects for the Faculty Practice. She has an interest in animal-assisted therapy for mental and physical health. Uyeshiro Simon received her Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree in 2011 from the University of Southern California. She completed her residency at the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice, where she saw clients and conducted market analyses. She received her BA degree in psychology and her MA degree in occupational therapy from USC.
Ashley Uyeshiro Simon
Residential College Coordinator
Angel Maxwell
Assistant Director
Derek Murakami
Angel Maxwell is originally from the Inland Empire in Southern California where he received his BA in entrepreneurial management and minor in psychology at California State University, San Bernardino. He also received his MEd in higher education leadership at Valdosta State University in Georgia while maintaining a graduate assistantship within their housing & residence life department as a residence hall director. Maxwell has worked closely with diversity and inclusion initiatives as well as on-and off-campus programming that emphasizes both personal and professional development through community involvement and networking for both first-year and upperclassmen students. His love and strong passion for student engagement and leadership development stems from his undergraduate involvement working as both as resident assistant and hall coordinator. On his downtime, he enjoys going to museums, hikes, working out, attending concerts/sporting events, video games and going to the beach.
Derek Murakami oversees the North Area (consisting of New North Residential College and Birnkrant Residential College) and South Residential College (consisting of Marks Tower, Pardee Tower, Marks Hall and Trojan Hall). Born and raised in Southern California, Derek attended Colorado State University where he earned his bachelor’s in social work and master’s in student affairs in higher education. He served three years as a resident director at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, three years as a residence director at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL, and the fall 2016 semester as resident director for Semester at Sea, which traveled to 12 different countries and 13 cities. Derek has developed a passion for LGBTQIA equity, and social justice and cultural competency education, especially focused on support of Asian Pacific Islander and Desi American student populations. He is excited to return to Southern California, particularly for all the great food, and to be at an institution where he can cheer on competitive athletic sports teams.
Check out more of the Birnkant Residential College experience at http://resed.usc.edu/residential-colleges/birnkrant
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RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE AMBASSADORS Beginning in the Fall of 2017, Birnkrant will welcome back former residents and student leaders who have enjoyed their experience living in Birnkrant, and wish to give back to the community and our incoming residents. Birnkrant's Residential College Ambassadors will join the residents on move-in day to assist new students with their transition to USC and the honors community. Our Residential College Ambassadors consist of sophomores, juniors, and seniors, here at USC, and are well-versed in what it means to be a Birnkrant resident, an honors scholar, a Thematic Options student, as well as what it means to be a Trojan! Throughout the course of the year, Ambassadors will continue their involvement in the community, as they will help promote events on campus, serve as academic mentors for Birnkrant residents, as well as participate in the many activities the Birnkrant staff and faculty hosts over the course of the academic year. Each year, Birnkrant residents will be given the opportunity to similarly, come back and serve the community as Ambassadors for the following year. Building a community with Birnkrant pride is important to us, and we look forward to sharing our experiences and helping you find your place and feel at home in Birnkrant Residential College! 7
GET INVOLVED WITH RESIDENTIAL STUDENT GOVERNMENT Residential Student Government serves all students who live in University housing by enhancing their residential experience at USC. RSG consists of representatives from each Residential College, making up six boards: President, Advocacy, Community Outreach, Funding, Programming, Social Justice & Inclusion. One of the largest organizations on campus, RSG is a voice to build community, empower residents and promote leadership development.
Meet the RSG Executive Board: President: Heather Lee / leejiali@usc.edu VP of Advocacy: Isaac Lemus / ilemus@usc.edu VP of Community Outreach: Erica Mast / ericafma@usc.edu VP of Funding: Tristan Caparas / tcaparas@usc.edu VP of Programming: Selamay Seife / seife@usc.edu VP of Social Justice & Inclusion: CJ Wechsler / cwechsle@usc.edu Administrative Coordinator: Grace Martinez / glma@usc.edu Public Relations Coordinator: Lauren Klass / klassl@usc.edu Keep a look out for our RSG booth on Move-In Day, and don’t miss the RSG Kick-off Festival: Summer Spectacular! (check welcome week schedule for more details) Applications and elections for each Residential College are held at the beginning of the Fall semester. Questions? Email any E-board member or adm.uscrsg@gmail.com
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CAMPUS RESOURCES Office for Residential Education Office for Wellness and Health Promotion STU 200 213-740-2080
ESHC 203 213-740-4777
STU 201 213-821-4710
Engemann Student Health Center (ESHC) Housing
RSVP (Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention and Services)
1031 W. 34th St. 213-740-9355
620 McCarthy Way 213-740-8488
Counseling Services
Department of Public Safety
ESHC 304 213-740-7711
3667 McClintock Ave. 213-740-4321
GET SOCIAL WITH RESED!
Student Support and Advocacy
Engemann Health Center 213-740-4900 213-740-6000 (non-emergencies)
usc_res_ed USCResidentialEducation ResEdUSC 9
Office for Residential Education (213) 740-2080 resed@usc.edu resed.usc.edu