SIPS TEA: MO’ CHANGES, MO’ PROBLEMS?


Photo courtesy of Jessica Raw Sommer

The first week of classes are over and you might still be nursing a bad hangover after all the LITivities you attended over the weekend, but hold off on sippin’ another until after you’ve read the rest of this blog.

Whether you’re a freshman or a senior, you have to have noticed all the construction going on around campus. We aren’t known as the “University of Summer Construction” for nothing. It seems like every year I come back to school there’s a new building, another road closure, and a different fountain being built. As a senior, I have seen my fair share of changes over the past three years, having lived both on and off campus.

So let’s talk about some of the things I’m not sad to see go, the ones I will miss, and the ones I wish I was going to be around for.

  1. The Old UV Movie Theatre

If you’ve ever seen a movie here, I’m sure you starting shaking your head and reminiscing on what a mistake that was. I saw two movies here my freshman year, and while the prices were low, the cockroach count was high. It definitely beats paying almost $20.00 for a movie ticket at LA Live, but 10/10 would not recommend to a friend.

  1.  Superior Grocery Store

I’ve never been the type of person to only eat organic foods, mainly because I don’t feel the need to spend all of my coins on kale ice cream or overpriced eggs to make a trendy emu omelet (yes, you can actually buy these at your local Whole Foods). Superior was the “kween” of off-brand cereal choices, conchas, and a very convenient place to get supplies for your next party. But that’s about all it was good for, so it is with little sadness that I say “goodbye” to it and “hello” to Trader Joe’s – coming soon to a UV near you. *Beyoncé voice*  Let me upgrade you.

  1. Del Taco Became Starbucks

If you’re anything like me, this change was more than welcomed. Although we all love a good fast food taco (or do we?), we have plenty of better options at Taco Bell or Chipotle down the street. Most of us have probably erased the memory of this Del Taco ever existing now that we get our coffee fix from Starbucks instead. I very much approve and I will continue to sip on my venti Strawberry Acai with light ice and a splash of lemonade on the daily.

  1. Clear Bag Policy at Football Games

Let me start by saying I totally understand why this policy is being implemented, but a big part of me still asks, “Why?” I’ve had many discussions with my friends who are in sororities about how they will have to retire their cute fanny packs and essentially replace them with a Ziploc bag on a belt – and that ain’t cute. They don’t want you to be poppin’ at the football games. Congratulations, you played yourself, USC.

  1. R.I.P. Senior Fountain Run

If you were excited to pregame an adventure around campus complete with jumping into all thirty of USC’s fountains, you can pack up those swim trunks and put away the tequila because the fountains are now closed for business. After the last fountain run resulted in a broken arm and a belligerent altercation with DPS, the long-held tradition was laid to rest. I guess we’ll just have to hit up the 9-0 like everyone else.

We will pour one out for all the other small changes, such as Chanos renaming itself as El Huero. We’ve all done our Spanish interview projects here, and if you have any respect for the establishment, you will always recognize it by its OG name. These many changes weren’t the first and they most certainly won’t be the last around USC.

Samantha Johnson is a senior majoring in communication. Her blog column, Sips Tea runs every Friday.