By: Grace Carballo ‘17

November 20th is International Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender prejudice or hatred. And tragically, there are many victims to remember; according to TDoR’s founder, Gwendolyn Ann Smith, every two weeks, on average, someone is murdered in the United States in an act of anti-transgender violence and internationally, these killings occur almost daily.

By: Lauren Brose ‘15

When I came to USC, I was on the fence about joining Greek. I disliked how outsiders would dismissively remark how people in Greek are essentially paying money to be friends with people who were chosen to be in a house based on their appearance. To be honest, the notion that I was paying for friends really got to me. I knew I didn’t need to do that. As a transfer student, however, I recognized I didn’t have the same opportunities those who were at USC since freshman year had; namely, the chance to mix with students who were all freshmen just like them. So I joined a house. I had two amazing years in the sorority but when my final semester at USC came around, I decided against staying.

By: Paul Samaha ’17

I began this post as I embarked on the annual USC “Weekender”– a weekend-long trip where Trojans travel to the Bay Area for either the Stanford or UC Berkeley football game. This year we play Berkeley, and I’ll be staying in the heart of Downtown San Francisco: a beautiful metropolis in Northern California filled with free spirits and views of the sparkling San Francisco Bay. This same city is also where my past LGBTQ community members shed their blood, sweat, tears and in the worst case, their lives for the sake of basic human rights. Let’s dive in.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Last night, I had the distinct pleasure of attending Navy Ball with my most cherished friend, Evan. He is in the NROTC program here and through him, I have gotten to meet some amazing people and future Navy and Marine Corps. officers. Also thanks to his patience and my incessant questions, I like to think I have a better understanding about what ROTC and serving in the Navy really means.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

If you are still around campus this weekend and feel a little homesick or miss your family, don’t worry- there are lots of opportunities to celebrate Easter with your Trojan Family and maybe make some new memories.

By: Ama Amoafo-Yeboah ‘15

On Monday, February 23, 2015 my purpose in life was confirmed. That day, Dr. Angela Davis came to USC for a speaking engagement.

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

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.

By: Lauren Brose ‘15

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

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!”