By: Lauren Brose ‘15

Alexis Jones is wearing fitted black jeans with tears at the knees, a loose black tank top and a pair of long necklaces. Her long brown hair bounces effortlessly as she walks over to a number of familiar faces sitting in the audience. Sharing the captivating story of how she found her passion, wrote a book, and founded I Am That Girl, Jones’ inspiration was first sparked at her alma mater, USC. Before she dove into the meat of her story, she first asked the audience a question:

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

If there is one thing I like more than watching a movie it is watching a movie during a class. And if there is one thing I like even more than that, it is watching a movie created by a USC graduate. So naturally I was thrilled when last Wednesday night, my Advanced Screenwriting (CTWR 415A) class went to the Visions and Voices Screening of Llyn Foulkes: One Man Band, Tamar Halpern’s first feature-length documentary film.

By: Paul Samaha ‘17

Holding a position in the Greek System comes with a certain level of social responsibility; this applies to both fraternity and sorority leaders. I believe now is the time to educate ourselves on what some of these specific responsibilities are– not just responsibilities to our own chapter’s constituents, but to our university’s student body as a whole.

By: Judy Lee ‘17

Trojans can’t be expected to fight on (or study on) without eating on first, right? Thank goodness these food places are here to save us (hyperlinked for your perusal):

By: Lauren Brose ‘15

The 9-0 is literally across the street from Row and is conveniently located next to Panda Express and McDonalds. What more can I ask for?

By: Lauren Brose ‘15

USC’s School of Cinematic Arts’ award winning architecture is undoubtedly one of the best parts about USC’s Campus. Established in 1929and with more part time academic staff than full time, USC’s SCA is a premier private film school located conveniently at the heart of the entertainment industry. A number of famous filmmakers are connected with the school including George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Judd Apathow, Jason Reitman and Will Ferrell. Unsurprisingly, USC’s campus has been known to be filming locations for over 20 films and television shows.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

On Friday, or Valentine’s Day Eve some might choose to say, I attended USC’s annual performance of The Vagina Monologues at Ground Zero. I went into it with very little prior knowledge about the show itself and left with tremendous respect for the performers, organizers, and even the audience. Oh, and of course, vaginas.

By: Judy Lee ‘17

Valentine’s Day is sweeping across the world, and the fair land of Troy is no exception. Here are some insights into love, grand romance, and Valentine’s Day…brought to you by USC Yik Yak.

By: Paul Samaha ‘17

A few months ago, I was sitting in Nature’s Brew café studying. I saw that the Undergraduate Student Vice President Rini Sampath was calling me, and I could only think two things: this is either something really good, or terribly bad. Thankfully, it was the former. Rini Sampath explained to me on the phone that she was running for president with Jordan Fowler as her running mate. Rini asked me if I would be interested in being on the Rini Jordan “core 5” team and help them with the PR for their campaign. As someone who looks up to both Rini and Jordan with immense respect, I was so stunned and honored that I screamed “YES!” before Rini could even finish her question.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

The word “midterm” is in fact a misnomer, because though we are still in the first few weeks of the semester and not the middle, I have 2 next week. Still, like stoplights and spiders, they are a necessary evil, and as a freshman I learned how to come out of these trying times relatively unscathed.

By: Mark Love ‘16

The Row. Aside from Tommy Trojan himself, the Row may possibly be the most famed site at USC. I’ve had the luxury of attending a few Greek parties — without actually rushing any of the fraternities— and the experience was like no other. The raging house parties with boundless amounts of alcohol pretty much mirrored a modern American Pie movie. But besides the rowdy soirees, the Row lauds itself for promoting brotherhood and sisterhood throughout each perspective fraternity and sorority. Many actives proclaimed they have created bonds that will prosper far beyond the barriers of USC. However, a recent scandal in one of the sorority houses disputed the claims of affability and enforced the superficial reputation that hovers over the Greek life.

By: Judy Lee ‘17

There’s been a lot of talk about sexual assault and domestic violence with Valentine’s Day and the upcoming movie, Fifty Shades of Grey (which is a whole other can of worms), as there should be. In my opinion, these are morose and heinous topics, but also a reality of the world we live in. By keeping silent, victims will continue to be hurt and abusers will not be stopped.