USC Welcome Week acclimates students to college life


Matt Karatsu | Daily Trojan

The last vestiges of summer are slipping away, with school and classes back in session. Welcome Week is winding to a close as well, as students try to figure out their new schedules and begin settling back into campus life. Here’s a brief recap of what took place.

Move-In Day

Wednesday was the designated campus-wide move-in day, ushering in a veritable flurry of luggage, suitcases and moving bins. Thousands of bright-eyed, bushy-tailed freshmen arrived, teary parents in tow, along with considerably less fresh-faced sophomores, juniors and seniors.

New Student Convocation

Bright and early Thursday morning, the new students donned black caps and robes and marched in a procession to the rousing tunes of the marching band in the middle of Alumni Park. President C. L. Max Nikias delivered his signature speech welcoming freshmen and promised a year filled with even more excitement and opportunities than the last.  

USC Village grand opening

Attendees of the convocation barely had time to process the moment before they were ushered to the new USC Village for its official grand opening. The indefatigable Spirit of Troy was there to mark the occasion, and a bevy of speakers were present to heap praise on the expansion. The highly anticipated Hecuba statue was also unveiled in a flurry of confetti and to a chorus of applause from spectators.

SPARK!

Thursday was a busy day for USC Village, which subsequently hosted Visions and Voices’ signature kickoff event, SPARK! Spoken word poet Javon Johnson, stand up comedians Jessica Sele and Atsuko Okatsuka and L.A.-based band Chicano Batman tore up the stage as staff members doled out their trademark t-shirts and backpacks. This was the first year that SPARK! was held at an outdoor venue rather than Bovard Auditorium, but the performance appeared to go off without a single hitch.

Welcome Back Carnival and Concert

USC Concerts Committee turned McCarthy Quad into a rave Saturday night. DJ Drezo sent pulses skyrocketing with his thumping EDM beats, while Smino amazed the crowd with his smooth rap verses. Hyped-up students fist-pumped, jumped along to the beat and even tossed tortillas into the air at one point.

Explore L.A.

Intrepid USC orientation advisers led several expeditions across Los Angeles, allowing the new students a chance to discover the delights of a dizzying new landscape. Locations included Culver City, Olvera Street & Union Station, Grand Central Market, Universal City Walk, Little Tokyo & the Arts District, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and two trips to Santa Monica. Free Metro fare was provided and the students eagerly took advantage of the opportunity to freely roam and explore for a few hours.

Welcome Back Comedy Show

USC Special Events Committee saw summer off with some laughs with their annual comedy show on Sunday night. Master of ceremonies Sam Tripoli, opening act Jamar Neighbors and headliner Tiffany Haddish each took a turn on the mic and managed to cheer up students depressed at the prospect of returning to the daily grind the next day.