By: Lauren Brose ‘15

Hikes are a great way of toning your body (a natural lift for your backside, ladies!), getting your suggested 30 minutes of cardio in, as well as simply venturing outside the concrete confines of USC and downtown. The best part: you get to chat to your friends throughout the entire trail and be close to nature. One of my biggest accomplishments was hiking the tallest mountain in South Lake Tahoe called Mt. Tallac. It took me nearly the entire day and I was gasping for oxygen as I literally crawled the last quarter mile. In my defense, oxygen was becoming sparse considering the increased elevation and change in altitude but I felt the greatest surge of endorphins imaginable when I finally reached the top. Never had a PB&J tasted so heavenly. Maybe you’re not about that 12.5 mile hike. Instead, I outlined a handful of hikes around Los Angeles that range from less than two miles to up to seven miles.

By: Lauren Brose ‘15

At the end of every semester, my lucky friends who are privileged with Trojan Plan tend to have over $1,000 dollars leftover in dining dollars. This is typically around finals week when I am practically living on campus and all sense of self-sufficiency has flown out the window. Fortunately, my friends are generous enough to order me meals on campus using their Dining Dollars (all hail free Lemonade!!). If you currently have dining dollars and aren’t clear on where to spend your funds, I’ve outlined where and what on campus you can indulge in during your breaks. Explore outside the confines of Campus Center. There’s a plethora of cafés and quick stop offs situated around campus and if you play it smart, you can find yourself sipping on boba and munching on a pitaya bowl during your gap between lectures. #fancy

By: Kelly Kinas ‘17

Much like most other college students, I constantly use social media. To stay relevant, you need to tweet 5-6 times a day. If you Instagram more than two photos a day, all of your followers will be annoyed with you and unfollow you. Do not send anyone game requests on Facebook because no one actually wants to help you play Farmville. I feel the need to post about my life on all of my social medias because that’s how people know I did them. If I don’t have a photo to show someone, did I really go to Venice or did I just watch The West Wing on Netflix all day? The line continues to blur on whether social media is for those who want to show off their lives or is it actually to stay in touch with old high school friends and family members? Social Media- positive or nah?

By: Lauren Brose ‘15

Last week I posted Part 1 of this two-part piece. Today, the story continues.

By: Kelly Kinas ‘17

A lot of people are pessimistic about the United States of America’s future. The economy hasn’t been doing amazingly well. The two main political parties are constantly at odds and are too stubborn to compromise. Many people are worried. Fortunately for us, on Friday November 7th at Bovard Auditorium, Former President Bill Clinton reminded us all that change can be our friend and must happen to ensure that the U.S. continues to be an amazing country.

By: Matthew Freihofner ‘15

Here is my interview with Luke Lenza the lead from USC’s play, The Dream of The Burning Boy. He is currently a senior at USC and in the School of Dramatic Arts.

By: Kelly Kinas ‘17

With everything that has been going on with USC football this season, I sometimes wish Los Angeles had a professional football team in the NFL. I still love the Trojans and will always support them but having an NFL team would be really sick. Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks this way. There has been a lot of talk about bringing an already existing NFL team to Los Angeles. Plans have been made to build a football stadium close to or in Downtown Los Angeles. Would this be a good thing for LA? Does Los Angeles need another professional sports team? Here is my list of pros and cons of Los Angeles having an NFL team.

By: Isaac Moody MA ‘15

Diane Winston, former journalist and scholar spoke at Ground Zero today about issues that matter most to her, both as a person and journalist.

By: Lauren Brose ‘15

So I am standing at Study Hall, the newly remodeled 2-9 off of Hoover that serves draft beer, sandwiches and shareable starters. It’s Saturday and USC is slaughtering Colorado at our home front. An older male wearing a Colorado shirt approaches me and my boyfriend and strikes a conversation. I learn he went to USC undergrad and is currently a grad student at Colorado. After getting the fundamental details of our backgrounds out of the way, he asks if I want to hear a joke. I love jokes and I am not easily offended—why not? He says: “What’s the best thing about duct tape?” By choice, I am not going to finish this joke because I do not advocate rape jokes of any type—but nonetheless he delivered a rape joke to me, a female. I was disgusted.

By: Kelly Kinas ‘17

This past Friday, October 31st, Residential Student Government put on a safe trick-or-treating event for children in the surrounding areas. Every building government, from Parkside to Pardee to Cardinal Gardens, had a booth for children to do some spooky activity and receive candy. One of my favorites was Mark’s Tower of Terror.

By: Lauren Brose ‘15

“Want to Hear a Joke?”

“Sure.”

“Women’s Rights!”

By: Kelly Kinas ‘17

Whenever I think about my life and where I am, I just feel so incredibly lucky. I am at the University of Southern California, I have a roof over my head, I’m listening to “How Deep is Your Love?” on a laptop computer. I have the opportunity to do some many things that a lot of people don’t have the chance to do. I am at THE BEST UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD AND I AM DAMN PROUD OF THAT.