USC Dean Resigns After Admitting To Relationship With Student


Monday, July 20, 2020

David Bridel, former dean of the University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts, resigned last month after admitting to having had a relationship with student.



The dean of the University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts resigned last month after information surfaced about a relationship he had with a student.

The day after another woman described the relationship in a town hall meeting, former Dean David Bridel wrote a letter to USC faculty to acknowledge that he had briefly dated a BFA senior in 2009. According to Bridel, the relationship ended amicably, and described the public characterization of the relationship as “grossly inaccurate”.

Bridel, however, also wrote, “I fully accept… that my behavior in 2009 demonstrated a failure in judgment and evidence of irresponsibility. I apologize, profusely, for any harm I caused by my conduct in 2009.”

The Provost, Charles Zukoski, announced that he accepted Bridel’s registration. Zukoski added that USC was looking into the allegation. Elizabeth Daley, Dean of the School of Cinematic Arts, is now the interim dean.

The relationship between Bridel and the student was revealed during a meeting for faculty, students and alumni of the MFA in acting program.

One alumna who graduated in 2016 expressed disappointment in Bridel, saying that his actions were a “severe lapse of judgment.” Pallavi Srinivasan said that his leadership, which included creating a diversity board, made her believe that the school was on its way to becoming more inclusive for people of color.

“Now I realize that I don’t know who he was, even though the version of him that was presented to me was everything that I’d ever wanted,” said Srinivasan in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Srinivasan, who said she suffered from inappropriate interaction with former USC gynecologist George Tyndall, said that Bridel’s actions contribute to a general “culture of abuse” that USC still needs to address. “[USC] hides a lot of dirty laundry in some really beautiful buildings.”

Bridel is the latest USC leader to depart from the university since April 2016, when former medical school dean Carmen Puliafito resigned after a woman overdosed in his presence in a hotel room three weeks prior to his resignation. President C.L. Max Nikias also resigned after criticism over his handling of the Tyndall case, and numerous athletics department leaders were also fired over involvement with the college admissions scandal.




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