1. The University of Southern
California
Crisis Analysis Presentation
Christie Latimer

2. USC
 Private research institute located in the south central
part of Los Angeles, California
 Founded in 1880
 33,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional
students
 2011-2012 Academic school year – 17,500
undergraduate students

3. Students shot near
campus
 Two international graduate students from China were
shot and killed on April 11, 2012
 23-year old electronic engineering students were shot
in a double-parked car around 1am in a neighborhood
6 blocks away from campus
 Parents of victims filed a wrongful death lawsuit again
the university seeking unspecified damages
 Parents allege USC falsely portrayed campus as
being safe

4. University’s Response
 Consistent, official statement from USC’s attorney
Debra Wong Yang
 Added police officers to LAPD station in charge of
patrolling USC area
 Increased video surveillance, police escorts, and
patrol officers
 Offered monetary reward for information regarding the
shooting

5. Media’s Response
 United States media coverage was unbiased
 Statement of facts of the crisis
 Respectful of families and friends of victims
 Chinese media coverage was biased
 Insulted victims
 Insulted U.S. universities

6. Stakeholder’s Response
 Candlelight vigil and memorial service
 Stakeholders’ comments and responses online and on
social media sites were divided
 Some felt USC was at fault
 Some felt USC was not to be blamed for the crisis

7. Conclusion and
Recommendations
 No other lawsuits or fines, other than original suit filed
by parents of victims
 Good adjustment information was presented to
stakeholders
 Need more consistent source of information, so that
stakeholders aren’t ill-informed
 Need to address Chinese and other international
prospective students to recover international image