By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20

Hi, all! I hope classes are going well. And I hope you’re taking self care procedures to make sure your well-being is at its greatest. I figured that since I started my sophomore year at SC, I’d let the freshmen know what I learned as a freshman last year (hence the title). So, let’s get into it!

By: Joy Ofodu ‘18

Every Fall, Black undergraduate students and friends of BSA don super-fly fits and bust out summer dance moves at the highly-anticipated Labor Day BBQ. It’s a prime opportunity chow down on prime rib and watch as our peers are communally roasted for their line-ups, kicks and dastardly UNO moves. 2017′s BBQ did not disappoint, uniting freshman and alumna of Somerville Place, staff from the Center for Black Culture and Student Affairs, officers from DPS (with some mean Cupid Shuffle moves) and students from the Brothers Breaking Bread and SC’s Finest Melanin Queens social groups. I have the guilty pleasure of capturing the attendees with my DSLR annually.

By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20

As the school year is rollin’ by, some of you might already be in need of some stress relief (like moi). And fortunately for USC students, we have some special companions that’ll be just the right being to help us. And yes – I’m talking about therapy dogs (or puppies, as I like to call all dogs).

By: Ayman Siraj ‘18

USC Speakers Committee, USC Service Student Assembly, and Desis That Politic hosted an important talk on activism through art and mental health with Riz Ahmed and Heems of Swet Shop Boys on Monday, April 17th. I figure T360 readers would prefer videos as introductions instead of long Wikipedia like life histories so here they are:

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Between you and me, I’ve had a pretty rough day. This morning my laptop refused to turn on and since then, I’ve been rather bitter. (Please learn from my mistakes and back up your computers!) Also, s/o to the Laptop Loaner Program for enabling me to write this post. There’s one person who is getting me through these dark and stress-filled times. No, not my mom. Although she’s a constant source of comfort. It’s John William “Will” Ferrell. With Springfest shut down before the headliners and the USC administration forcing Lil Bill’s Bike Shop to move off campus, many USC students, myself included, have been feeling disappointed and frustrated as of late. (Sign the petition to show how much Lil Bill and his shop mean to this campus)! There’s one person who won’t let us down, one person who will always be our ‘Buddy,’ one person willing to be our Anchor(man) when our metaphorical ship veers off course. And that person is Will Ferrell: USC’s 2017 commencement speaker!

By: Terry Nguyen ‘20

On Friday, April 5, USC hosted its fifth annual FemFest, a festival dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments and promoting women within the music industry. The event was made possible through the joined efforts of various feminist organizations on campus, including the Undergraduate Student Government, USC’s Student Assembly for Gender Empowerment, and MUSE at USC. On the Facebook page, USG Program Board and USC FemFest also contributed to hosting the event. FemFest 2017 was a six-and-a-half hour event that took place in Founder’s Park, starting at 5 p.m. with a variety of female musicians headlining the show. The event was free and open to the public, featuring local community vendors, musicians, and even members of the Trojan family.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

It recently came to my attention that I am graduating in less than 2 months, which means these last few weeks as a USC undergrad will be both the best of times and the worst of times. I’m as curious as you are to see what I do after graduation! These last few weeks aren’t all fun and games and increasingly desperate job applications! We, the seniors, have some decisions to make before Commencement 2017.

By: Terry Nguyen, ‘20

As a dorm-residing freshman, it is easy to complain about the culinary scene of the dining halls: The food is too bland, they serve the same options weekly, the cooked meat sometimes looks suspicious, they added cheese into your omelette again — you get the point — the list can go on and on. Nevertheless, as your days at the dining halls are coming to an end, you realize that you have developed some clever food hacks over the past months dining at EVK, Parkside, or McCarthy. It is an acquired skill, and dining hall food is also an acquired taste, especially after months and months of the same salad bar with the same offered options of condiments. You learn to look past EVK’s strange-looking edamame, and un-avocado-like “avocado” sandwich spread. The period of super salty kale and sauteed greens are also fading into the memories of first semester. As a soon-to-be sophomore, here are a few easy food hacks to make the most of your time at a dining hall before that all-you-can-eat privilege is replaced by an apartment meal plan — or, no meal plan at all.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Last Friday, I met some amazing and inspiring peers at the Diversity Networking Mixer at SCA through several rounds of “speed dating.” The event was hosted by Acción Latina, USC WCA (Women of Cinematic Arts), African American Cinema Society, the Asian American Cinema Association, and Queer Cut, the School of Cinematic Arts’ diversity organizations.

By: Terry Nguyen ‘20

What do you meme you haven’t heard of USC’s meme page? For the latest college trend this past semester, students are turning to a new fascination within internet culture: college-related memes featured on Facebook meme “pages” within a university subculture. As meme culture continues to grow in popularity, college campuses are adopting their own, specific brands of humor. USC is no exception. USC’s page, titled USC Memes for Spoiled Pre-Teens, takes its name inspiration from UC Berkeley’s — UC Berkeley Memes for Edgy Teens. UCLA consequently named its group UCLA Memes for Sick AF Tweens, but the Trojan meme-makers would like to believe pre-teens are arguably cooler than “sick af” tweens. But the real question is: what makes USC’s meme page so iconic? An average USC student’s humor consists of more than simply bagging on UCLA students; it’s a combination of poorly Photoshopped Nikias memes, the slow burn torture of rising tuition, and the strange neo-Gothic pointy structures that guard USC’s gates.

By: Terry Nguyen ‘20

Dark eyebags and the overwhelming aura of desperation are all too common during midterm season, but there is a special treat for the despairing: coffee and café goods. Although Starbucks drinks add little to improve the aura of dark energy literally leaking out from Leavey, you might be feeling as if everyone is rushing to Starbucks and clogging up the Tapingo virtual lines. Have no fear — this listicle is here to guide you to the hidden gem cafés and coffee shops around USC that will help you survive midterms and bolster your energy levels into spring break!

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Last Tuesday, USC’s School of Cinematic Arts aired a pre-screening of ABC’s new miniseries, “When We Rise,” which officially premieres next week on February 27. Queer Cut, the LGBTQA Student Association of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, hosted the event, which my friend and I were very excited to attend. All SC students, faculty, and guests had the opportunity to attend, but if you missed it, I highly encourage you to watch when it airs on Monday. If the rest of this post doesn’t compel you, then maybe the trailer will. ABC provided feedback forms for those in attendance to fill out after the screening. Fortunately, one of the co-presidents of Queer Cut reminded everyone that leaving sections of the form blank was absolutely fine, as ABC seemed to view gender as a binary concept. The feedback forms were definitely not made with this specific screening in mind.