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11 March 2011
Posted in
Advocacy -
Advocacy Letters
As students of the University of Southern California, we are writing to you in regards to an extremely important and valuable issue to our school. We are inspired by your commitment and dedication to our campus community, and your noble actions thus far serve as the foundations for our proposal. Your new administration inspires us to take an active role as students to make a positive impact on USC and beyond. As we work together to build and maintain USC’s legacy, we would like your support in honoring the Japanese American Trojans whose education was regrettably interrupted during World War II. Whether these former students are now senior citizens or have passed on, they are still Trojans through and through.
In the early 1940’s, over 120 USC students were forced to pull out of their education at this great institution due to Executive Order 9066. With the Nisei students’ struggles fresh in their minds, several Japanese Americans came to USC and made notable contributions as proud members of the Trojan family. For example, Julia Taniguchi Uriu, was a founding member of the Sigma Phi Omega sorority, which continues to maintain a strong presence in philanthropy on campus.
We are grateful for the measures that previous administrations have already taken to address this issue. We greatly appreciate the fact that a gala was organized in honor of these students in 2008 where President Sample and Senior Vice President Martha Harris presented certificates of recognition as honorary alumni. We also appreciate the fact that Mike Garrett dedicated halftime at a football game to these students and that there was talk of creating an Honorary Nisei Student Scholarship.
However, we write in hopes that you will consider granting honorary degrees to our fellow Trojans. In the past year, Assembly Bill 37 and the California Nisei Diploma Project, sponsored by the California Civil Liberties and Public Education Project, have allowed other California campuses to issue honorary degrees to formerly interned students. USC remains one of the few schools on the West Coast that has not issued such degrees. Although we understand that USC does not sign onto projects based merely on the fact that other institutions have, we believe that this serves as an opportunity to honor our worthy Trojans. This would serve not only to fulfill our former students’ dreams but also to demonstrate USC’s commitment to validating every Trojan’s education.
As students of the University of Southern California, we take it upon ourselves to stand up for what we believe in. Our principle goal is to give our fellow Trojans the opportunity to receive the honorary degrees they deserve. As official representatives of the graduate student body at the University of Southern California, we support the granting of honorary degrees to former students affected by Executive Order 9066.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and acknowledge our concerns. We greatly appreciate your commitment to fostering a campus community that truly encompasses the essence of the Trojan family.
Fight On!
Jenny Novak
GPSS President, 2010-2011
