Homecoming ’15 carnival held in McCarthy Quad

In anticipation of USC’s homecoming football game this Saturday, a homecoming carnival and parade was held Thursday night in McCarthy Quad. Hosted by the Office of Campus Activities, the homecoming throwback theme “#TBTUSC” was a prominent feature of the carnival.

The night of “#TBTUSC” throwback festivities included free food along with games and activities.

One of the event’s main attractions, organized by Trojan Pride, USG Program Board and the USC Graduate Student Government, was a 40-by-60 foot roller skating rink equipped with a disco ball and throwback tunes. The event also included a popular enlarged foosball table.

Shawn Rhoads, special projects coordinator for Campus Activities, explained that he and his team has been planning homecoming since the beginning of the semester.

“Back in September, we organized a committee with all the other student organizations,” Rhoads said. “We wanted to revamp spirit programs by encouraging collaboration among more USC groups.”

The Office of Campus Activities offers involvement opportunities for students by promoting different organizations and leadership programs. It is also responsible for putting together annual USC traditions and events such as Conquest and Friends and Neighbors Day.

Rhoads mentioned that this year was the first time the committee incorporated a theme for homecoming.

“We wanted to jump back in time and celebrate all things retro,” Rhoads said. “That’s why we went with #TBTUSC and had each student organization organize their own throwback activity.”

Among other activities, a photo booth, hosted by Program Board, served as a popular attraction of the evening. The Women’s Student Assembly hosted face painting, the Environmental Student Assembly hosted a vegan pie-eating contest and the Latina/o Student Assembly contributed to the theme of the evening with a selection of “throwback candy” such as Gushers, Nerds, Pixy Stix and Fun Dip.

Other elements of nostalgia included an arcade area and a tie-dye shirt-making booth that was hosted by the Performing Arts Committee.

The Trojan Marching Band also performed an outdoor concert to pump up school spirit in preparation for homecoming weekend.

Neil Dang, a sophomore majoring in biology, said the skating rink was what attracted him to the event.

“The carnival sounded like a fun thing to do,” Dang said. “I heard about the events, and I was excited and looking forward to roller skating.”

Alina Tang contributed to this report.

This article previously stated that Campus Activities plans Springfest. They do not. It also stated that there was free food from food trucks. The free food was not from food trucks. The Daily Trojan regrets the errors.