Recruiter Event - 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m.

The recruiter fair held in conjunction with the Forum will take place from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. along Trousdale Parkway, a broad, tree-shaded pedestrian walkway at the center of the University of Southern California campus. The famous statue of Tommy Trojan and Bovard Auditorium, where the opening plenary session will be held, anchor one end of the recruiter fair area, while all of the lecture rooms used for Forum workshops are in other buildings facing the parkway. The recruiter tables will be set up under canopies in four widely spaced rows. A fully annotated campus map showing the relevant locations will be sent to all recruiters registering for the Forum. The day’s scheduled events include:

9:00 a.m.        Opening Plenary Session (in USC’s Bovard Auditorium)
10:00 a.m.      Recruiter table set-up begins
11:00 a.m.      Recruiter lunches available
12:00 noon     Recruiter fair begins (NO workshop sessions are held from noon until 2:00 p.m.)

Hotel Accommodations

Blocks of rooms have been reserved at two hotels.  The Radisson Hotel Midtown Los Angeles is at 3540 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA  90007, directly across from the USC campus.  This hotel has the most convenient location, but it is also the more expensive choice and the one with the fewest rooms available.  The Radisson can provide 10 standard single rooms at $120 plus applicable taxes and 40 executive-level single or double rooms at $150 plus taxes.  These rates are available for the nights of April 20 through April 22.  Reservations must be made by February 20 by calling (213) 748–4141 and mentioning the California Forum for Diversity at USC.

A much larger block of rooms has been reserved at the Holiday Inn Civic Center, 1020 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA  90015, which is directly across from the Los Angeles Convention Center and the Staples Center and two miles north of the USC campus.  Rooms for the nights of April 20 through April 22 are $99 plus taxes for single or double occupancy. Reservations must be made by April 1 by calling (213) 748–1291 and mentioning the California Forum for Diversity at USC.

Recruiter Reception

On Friday night, April 21, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., the Forum will host a reception for all registered recruiters and for the 2005–2006 Sally Casanova California Pre-Doctoral Scholars in attendance.  The reception will be held in the Vineyard Room of the Davidson Executive Conference Center, 3415 South Figueroa (at the corner of Jefferson Boulevard), on the USC campus.  Come visit with old friends, meet new colleagues, and be introduced to the Sally Casanova California Pre-Doctoral Scholars.

Shipment and Handling of Materials

If you wish to ship materials in advance of the Forum, please use the following guidelines:

1. Materials should not be shipped until after March 30 but must arrive by April 20. Beginning on Monday, January 16, and continuing on each Monday thereafter, the Forum will e-mail pre-printed address labels to those recruiters who registered during the preceding week.  (Recruiters who registered during the Fall 2005 for the USC Forum were sent their confirmation packets in December.)  We prefer that you use these labels for addressing your boxes.

2. Packages should be addressed:
Attn: Clive Usher
USC Office of Summer and Special Programs
3434 South Hope Street
Los Angeles, CA  90089–7009

Hold for Diversity Forum on April 22, 2006

If you are using an express company that requires a phone number for the recipient, specify (213) 740–5679.    

3. Please be very careful in packing your boxes.  They should not be sealed until they are full.  Use filler materials if necessary.  When boxes break apart in transit, it is usually because the contents shifted about inside or because the boxes were not solid enough to support others piled on top.  Make sure to save your tracking number and bring it with you in case your box does not arrive as expected. 

4. Any extra materials that need to be shipped home at the end of the day should be boxed and sealed.  A pre-paid shipping label must be affixed to each box.

Directions to the Hotel and to the University of Southern California

Four commercial airports serve the Los Angeles area.  The largest by far is Los Angeles International (LAX), with 1,200 flights and 165,000 passengers a day.  International flights make up a quarter of the total.  The leading domestic carriers are Alaska, American, America West, Continental, Delta, Northwest, Southwest, and United.  Ontario Airport (ONT), 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, has 265 daily flights.  In addition to the carriers serving LAX, Frontier and JetBlue have scheduled flights to Ontario.  Burbank Airport (BUR), with 185 daily flights and service by Alaska, American, America West, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and United, is actually the closest to downtown Los Angeles.  Long Beach Airport (LGB) has fewer than 40 flights a day, but it is the West Coast hub for JetBlue and also has limited service by Alaska, American, and America West.  LAX obviously offers the most choices, but the other three airports have a higher proportion of flights from discount carriers and are easier to negotiate.  For example, at Long Beach and Ontario all rental car agencies are in or directly adjacent to the terminals; at Burbank some rental car agencies are in the airport itself, while others require a shuttle ride to a location outside the airport.  At LAX all rental car agencies are outside the airport itself.  On the other hand, if you prefer not to rent a car, your best bet is LAX.  Neither of the Forum hotels provides a courtesy shuttle, but SuperShuttle and Prime Time shared-ride vans stop frequently at all LAX terminals.  A reservation is not required, and the one-way fare is about $25.

From Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to USC and the Forum hotels:
Most of the rental car agencies are north of the airport, between Airport Boulevard and Aviation Boulevard.  From your agency go north to Manchester Boulevard, turn right, and then take Manchester to Interstate 110, the Harbor Freeway (which is about 6 miles east of Aviation Boulevard).  Turn right onto Interstate 110 North, go 4 miles, then take the Exposition Boulevard exit.  Continue on the exit ramp for 2 blocks, turn left onto Exposition Boulevard for 0.2 miles, and then turn right onto Figueroa.  The hotel will be on your right, the USC campus on your left.  The total distance is about 10.5 miles.  For the Holiday Inn Civic Center, stay on Interstate 110 North for an additional 1.3 miles, and then take the exit for Interstate 10.  You will go another 0.7 miles, then follow the signs to West Pico Boulevard.  Turn right onto Pico Boulevard, go past the convention center which will be on both sides of the street, turn left onto South Figueroa, and the hotel will be two blocks ahead.  The total distance is about 12.5 miles. 

From Burbank Airport to USC and the Forum hotels:
Drive east on Thornton Street for about two-thirds of a mile, turn left at Buena Vista Street, turn half-left onto San Fernando Road, then take the entrance ramp to Interstate 5 Southbound.  Stay on I 5 for 10 miles, then take I 110 South for 6 miles.  Exit at Exposition Boulevard, bear right onto Exposition, then turn right onto Figueroa.  The hotel will be on your right, the USC campus on your left.  For the Holiday Inn Civic Center, take I 110 South for only 4 miles, exit at West Olympic Boulevard, turn right onto Olympic, and go 3 blocks.  The hotel will be at the corner of Olympic and Figueroa.

From Ontario Airport to USC and the Forum hotels:
Take Archibald Avenue north to Interstate 10.  Take I 10 West for 38 miles, then U.S. 101 North for a mile and a half, and finally I 110 South for 3 miles.  Exit at Exposition Boulevard, bear right onto Exposition, then turn right onto Figueroa.  The hotel will be on your right, the USC campus on your left.  For the Holiday Inn Civic Center, take I 110 South for only 1 mile, exit at West Olympic Boulevard, turn right onto Olympic, and go 3 blocks.  The hotel will be at the corner of Olympic and Figueroa.

From Long Beach Airport to USC and the Forum hotels:
Take Donald Douglas Drive to Lakewood Boulevard.  Turn right.  Go 0.8 miles, then take Interstate 405 North toward Santa Monica for 9 miles.  Take the transition to I 110 North and go 10 miles.  Take the Exposition Boulevard exit.  Continue on the exit ramp for 2 blocks, turn left onto Exposition Boulevard for 0.2 miles, then turn right onto Figueroa.  The hotel will be on your right, the USC campus on your left.  For the Holiday Inn Civic Center, stay on Interstate 110 North for an additional 1.3 miles, then take the exit for Interstate 10.  You will go another 0.7 miles, then follow the signs to West Pico Boulevard.  Turn right onto Pico Boulevard, go past the convention center which will be on both sides of the street, turn left onto South Figueroa, and the hotel will be 3 blocks ahead.

Parking for the recruiter fair on Saturday, April 22: You should enter the USC campus at Gate 5, Jefferson Boulevard and McClintock Avenue, which is on the northeast side of the university.  You will receive a prepaid parking permit from the attendant in the entrance booth and be directed to turn right onto 34th Street and park in Parking Structure D.  There will be signs and student volunteers to guide you.  If you have boxes of recruiting materials to drop off, use the designated area at 34th Street and Trousdale Parkway before proceeding to the parking structure.  Recruiter registration—a simple process involving checking in, picking up a name badge and a packet of materials, and then being directed to your table—will also be held at the 34th Street end of Trousdale Parkway.