Senate postpones vote on Olympic panel


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Undergraduate Student Government postponed a vote to provide funding to host a panel of Olympic athletes during Homecoming Weekend at its meeting Tuesday. USG will vote on this funding request at its next meeting.

Motion · Vicken Antounian, a commuter senator, speaks during a USG Senate meeting about funding a panel of Olympians during homecoming week. The Senate moved to postpone a vote until its meeting next Tuesday. – Austin Vogel | Daily Trojan

The panel event, expected to consist of 10 to 12 current and former USC athletes who competed in the 2012 Olympics in London, is estimated to cost $3,884. This includes the cost for the venue, parking and gifts for the Olympians and posters and other advertisement leading up to the event.

Some USG senators are hesitant about the cost of the event, which would eliminate almost a third of the Senate’s yearly budget. USG has the option of partially funding the panel and paying solely for the venue, Bovard Auditorium.

Trojan Pride and the Alumni Affairs committee requested USG funding for this event because they believe it will benefit the student body and bolster athletic pride on campus.

“USC is unique in the fact that we’re so successful in athletics and that we’ve had a better Olympic record than some countries,” said Trojan Pride Director Amanda Schmitt, a sophomore majoring in international relations. “I think the panel will be a way to piggyback off of the hype of the [Olympic] games and bring it back to campus.”

The event would coincide with the athletic department formally recognizing the Olympians at the homecoming football game against Arizona State University.

The panel discussion would be free to all students on a first-come, first-serve basis and conclude with a question and answer session for students to engage with the athletes.

Trojan Pride and the Alumni Affairs committee are also working with the athletic department to incorporate a performance by the Spirit of Troy marching band and to have Los Angeles City Council members attend.

The list of Olympic athletes is still being finalized.