re: Cowherd doesn't get out much

I went there...the campus is sweet...and they groom the place immaculately...especially in the center in front of Doheny library with the Roses and fountain.

It's just the area around the island that is ghetto (or was really ghetto - it's a LOT better now.) But people like to assume the worst without even seeing it.

I think he's speaking from the perspective of, going to schools in smaller towns or up north where the weather is terrible versus being in LA, movie stars, center of the universe as far as the western US is concerned, beaches, bikini's, etc....

why wouldn't you consider that campus nice?

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but I don't think it's the same as it was in the 80's/early 90's by any stretch.

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Especially right after the Rodney King riots...there were buildings still burned out long after.

But Steven Sample changed everything...the academic status of the school, the endowment, the surrounding area...made it way more residential than inner-city commuter.

It used to be legacies, frat crowd and rich girls...case in point...in the early 90's 60th percentile on your SAT would have gotten you admitted to USC...now you need to be in the 95th percentile.

It wouldn't be a world class university now if the surrounding area weighed heavily on students or detracted from the positives of the campus. It's amazing what he did, triumphing over the area...it seemed USC would always be doomed stuck in South Central.