Students Petition To Save United University Church

A petition started circulating on social media last week titled “Save The Historic Campus Church Building at USC.” The petition called for the preservation of the United University Church, a historic building on campus. 

But USC’s office of religious life says the church is not in need of saving. 

The church has never been owned by USC - until now. The Methodist owners of the church decided to sell to find a cheaper space off campus. Students are concerned that once USC owns the building, they’ll repurpose it for non-religious uses, or even rebuild it entirely. 

The dean of religious life, Varun Soni, said that the building is not being torn down, and that officials have yet to even begin discussing potential uses for the building. He stressed that USC works with all students to create places of worship that meet their needs, such as the new Caruso Catholic Center and the Center for Religious Life. 

But students are worried that without the church, they’ll lose the only remaining historic Christian landmark on campus.

The petition already has over 800 signatures, and it’s been live online for less than a week.