Rams parade excites, moves classes online

Excitement could be felt within every part of Exposition Park as the Los Angeles Rams celebrated their Super Bowl victory with a parade down Figueroa Street, ending in a rally at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Wednesday. The victory is the third professional championship for the city of L.A. since 2020; however, parades for both the L.A. Dodgers and L.A. Lakers did not take place because of coronavirus concerns.

The event prompted major road closures on both Jefferson Boulevard and Figueroa Street near USC, blocking many major entry and exit points to the University. To avoid traffic and ensure access to parking, the Department of Public Safety advised both students and staff to arrive to campus before 8 a.m. in a communitywide email Tuesday. Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Charles Zukoski encouraged professors to accommodate the event, such as by moving classes online during peak hours, in a communitywide message sent the same day.

Campus entry points along Figueroa Street and Exposition Boulevard, including the south end of Trousdale Parkway and Royal Street entrance on Jefferson Boulevard, were closed to all pedestrian traffic.

George Yi, a freshman majoring in English, recognized the difficulty of getting onto campus Wednesday, primarily for those living off campus.

“Especially if you live on the north side, it’d be really hard for you to cross Jefferson [during the parade],” Yi said. 

Matthew Williams, a graduate student studying geologic science at UC Santa Cruz who also works as a teacher assistant at USC, said trying to enter campus was “impossible” and said he would have liked the University to have provided an earlier warning. 

“I got an email at 5 a.m.,” Williams said. “Just a little bit more notice would have been nice.”

Some professors, however, embraced the parade and took classes online. Mark Shroeder, a professor of philosophy at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, said he used shutdowns to unite his class for the first time in weeks. 

“Having an excuse to just be online so everybody can see each other and participate equally … I thought that was a good excuse,” Shroeder said.

Students were not immune to disruptions either and some said they had trouble reaching campus, such as Sami Haq, a sophomore majoring in astronautical engineering. 

“It was pretty disruptive in regards to getting on campus because we have to circle all the way around to get in,” Haq said.

The event’s general by students interviewed during the parade was overwhelmingly positive, and many said they enjoyed the atmosphere the festivities brought to campus and the surrounding area. Lindsey Huguet, a sophomore majoring in communications, attended part of the parade without missing her classes. 

“It definitely boosted my spirits on campus, and I think the whole campus environment,” Heughan said. “Just stepping outside and seeing all of the madness and all of the L.A. fans just bringing so much energy to our campus is amazing.”

Kushal Murthy, a freshman majoring in business administration, said he saw value in seeing the players in person enjoying themselves even if you weren’t a follower of the home team. 

“I’m a Colts fan, but I just love football,” Murthy said. “And it was just great seeing the home team win.”

Some students said they felt the celebration merited a day off from their classes. Many who attended the parade with groups of friends enjoyed the atmosphere that having the celebration nearby incited. 

“We’re not really Rams fans, but we’re from L.A.,” said Raymond Lu, a sophomore majoring in environmental science and health. “It was kind of a burden with classes, but we all came and skipped our classes. I think it’s really cool having it right next to campus.” 

“There’s a lot of Angeleno pride for everybody, and it’s really exciting for everyone here. I know the players went to practice at UCLA, but USC is excited because they brought the parade and celebration here.”

Krista Nguyen, a sophomore majoring in health and human sciences.

The parade at Exposition Park energized the USC community after the Rams had their final week of practice at UCLA, where coach Sean McVay moved practice to avoid heavy wind gusts as the team prepared. 

“There’s a lot of Angeleno pride for everybody, and it’s really exciting for everyone here,” said Krista Nguyen, a sophomore majoring in health and human sciences. “I know the players went to practice at UCLA, but USC is excited because they brought the parade and celebration here.”