Social Event Trends at USC

By Paul Samaha ‘17

USC is traditionally known as a school that has big social events Thursday-Saturday, and this tradition is very much so held true today. However, different party trends come and go. Here are some social event trends that I’ve noticed so far in the 2014-2015 school year. 

Off the Row Parties: With more restrictions being placed on The Greek Row, more socials are popping up at other locations near campus. Some of the biggest, and most fun social events are now held at off-campus houses occupied by organizations like the USC Ski & Snowboard Team, the USC Surf Team and KXSC (the on-campus radio station). 

Double the Fraternities, Double the Fun:

While the University has limited the number of registered fraternity parties to six on Thursday and four on Friday and Saturday, fraternities have begun to band together to create one big, registered party. And it works. This has long been a tradition in the South that USC is slowly picking up on. By putting aside any fraternity competition and putting on a party together, more Trojans come out to the event and guests get to meet others that might not necessarily be in their social circle. A win-win situation for everyone. 

Making Friends with the Bruins: 

Is UCLA still our biggest rival? Absolutely. But this year, the stigma against hanging out with our cross-town rivals has diminished. In today’s ever-connected world, we all have a Bruin friend or two. And that connection has only grown, as it’s not uncommon for a fraternity to pay to have a UCLA sorority bussed to and from USC during a weekend night. Similarly to the fraternities putting aside any competition and teaming up to have a good time, putting aside the UCLA rivalry, if just for a night, can lead to a great night with some Bruins.

No matter what the trends at USC are, one thing is for sure: the Trojan mantra is “work hard, play hard”. We are successful students we get our work done, but we also know how to have a fun time in a safe manner. This can be displayed by USC’s current academic ranking of 25th in the nation (according to U.S. News World & Report) while being ranked No. 4 on Playboy’s 2013 Top Party Schools. Work hard, play hard indeed.