USC’s Official Student-Run Blog

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Little Known Clubs to try at USC

By: Angela Wang ‘22 and Sophia Pei ‘22

Want to try something new? Try joining a new student organization here at USC! We know how overwhelming involvement fair can be, so we sat down and interviewed the Eboard of three new, exciting clubs! From magic to public speaking practice, keep reading to learn more about some cool organizations and expand your horizons!

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I Finally Tried One of Those Electric Scooters

By: Alexis M Peters ‘20

Yes, I did it. I gathered my courage and used one of those electric scooters that have been spreading like the sickness that’s been going around lately. I mean they’re everywhere. When they first popped up, I figured they’d never catch on. It seemed too dangerous, too expensive, too inconvenient. Being from Chicago, I sort of forgot that an electric scooter business could actually be quite profitable: there’s no snow in LA. And living at USC, I’ve realized that certain distances are too far to walk, too close to Uber, and too far to Fryft. But I put off trying those scooters for so long. To be honest I was terrified. I had never stood on a motorized board of any kind, and I was almost certain I would fall on my butt. Or worse: my head. (They tell you to wear a helmet, but hello, I didn’t want to look like a complete dork. [Especially when there are ten-year-olds out here doing wheelies on these things!… I digress.]) Anyway, I finally hopped on one of those scooter-things because I am an avid movie goer and was spending entirely too much money on Lyfts to and from LA Live. It’s about 1.8 miles away, which took me about 14 minutes by scooter. So: to Lime or not to Lime?

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Spotlight: The Freshman Football Experience

By: Maddie W. ‘20

Football season is a staple of the USC experience, and nothing beats going through it for the first time as a freshman. Most first year students spend the fall semester assembling the perfect game-day outfit, bouncing between fraternity tailgates, and navigating an overcrowded campus on their way to the coliseum, but for a select group of freshmen, game-days don’t involve any barbecues on the row or a crammed student section. No, for the freshmen football players, game-days are all about lining up with their “brothers” and watching their hard work pay off. I had the opportunity to sit down with red-shirt defensive linemen Jay Tufele and Marlon Tuipulotu who told me all about their first year being a part of the team, and how the football team takes the phrase “Trojan Family” to a whole new level.

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What’s my favorite place on campus?

By: Jamie Wu ‘18

USC is a busy campus. There are 44,000 undergraduate and graduate students walking on campus at any moment. So what is a good place to get away from all that hustle and have a quiet moment to myself? Watch this video to find out!

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Spotlight: Nail Garden To Go or Not To Go?

By: Maddie Walsh ‘20

If you have been to the University Village recently, you’ve probably walked past Nail Garden, that fancy-looking nail salon by Honeybird. My initial reaction to having a nail salon in The Village was negative. It seemed extra and unnecessary. With Baked Bear, Cava, and Wahlburgers in place, the additional temptation to spend money felt cruel. Then came this past weekend. I had a free Saturday for once and my nails desperately needed attention. Curiosity and laziness propelled me towards Nail Garden and before I my wallet could protest, I was sitting in one of the high-back chairs with polish colors in hand. Was it worth it? In my case, YES! Keep reading to see the list of reasons why I would recommend the Nail Garden experience.

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10 Reasons to Consider Building Government

By: Maddie Walsh ‘20

When building government (BG) elections came around last year, I completely rejected the idea of running for a position as something I would NEVER do. However, when the application to campaign opened this year,I thought why not? I was looking for more leadership opportunities and wanted to be more involved on campus, so I decided to run for president of the Cale and Irani Residential Colleges. At the time, I really had no idea what I was signing up for, but being a part of residential student government (RSG) turned out to be an extremely formative experience.

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How Catholic Trojans Do Easter

By: Maddie Walsh ‘20

If you know anything about Catholic families, you know that we don’t mess around when it comes to Easter, and my family is no different. Not only do we attend mass throughout Holy Week and invite my entire extended family over for The Big Day, but we go hard for the forty days leading up to Easter, also known as the holy period “Lent.” For as long as I can remember, my father and I have given up all processed sugar during Lent as part of a symbolic fast intended to strengthen our relationship with God. For someone who eats as much ice cream as I do, that is NOT an easy sacrifice (I guess that’s the point) but it makes me appreciate Easter that much more. Fortunately, there’s always plenty of sugar available to make up for lost time. After Easter mass in the morning, my family makes a ceremonious trip to Dairy Queen for extra large blizzards, soon followed by a buffet of desserts courtesy of my talented aunts and cousins. I look forward to this day all year long. This year, however, I dreaded it.

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5 DiSCounts for USC Students

By: Maddie Walsh ‘20

If you’re balling on that #BrokeCollegeStudent budget, then activities like seeing a movie at LA Live or spending the day at Six Flags can be very cost prohibitive. Fortunately, USC gets it, and the university has created a magical place where you can go and get discounts just for being a Trojan! This wonderland is called the USC Ticket Office. Tucked away in the Student Union building (1st Floor, by the pharmacy), the USC Ticket Office is the place to go if you’re looking to save a few bucks on movie tickets, amusement park passes, and gift card packages. Keep reading to learn about the top 5 discounts available!

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The Community’s Hidden Gem: Mercado La Paloma

By: Maddie Walsh ‘20

If you’re growing tired of going to the same fast food places on Figueroa over and over again, then it’s time for you to check out Mercado La Paloma. It’s a food court-style market with a number of restaurants and small shops offering everything from vegan Ethiopian food to traditional Yucatan cuisine, and it’s only two blocks away from campus! The food isn’t even the best part. Mercado La Paloma is a project overseen by the Esperanza Community Housing Corporation whose goal is to “promote business-ownership opportunities” and “living wage jobs” while building a stronger community. On the second floor of the building there are non-profit offices and spaces for classes and community meetings. So, when you go to get some delicious food, you’ll be supporting a great cause, as well! Keep reading to learn more about the restaurants waiting for you there.

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Professors’ Pet Peeves

By: Maddie Walsh ‘20

Everyone has pet peeves, whether it’s the sound of cracking knuckles or slow walkers taking up the whole hallway, and professors are no exception. I spoke with a number of USC professors to learn about the little things that students do that stand out as particularly annoying. You can get on your prof’s good side by avoiding these 5 things!

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