February 27, 2014 | Volume 2, Issue 3 | Los Angeles, CA
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tHiS week on tHe row: An editor’S tAke pAge 2
SAMMY pHilAntropY page 3 How to Survive: MidterMS... page 5
2 tHiS week on tHe row: An editor’S tAke greek life traditions
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tHe odYSSeY At uSc I’m sure the whole campus is looking forward to Delta Tau Delta reading about all David is a sophomore the philanthropies studying communication. that are about to You may contact him at epiphone504@gmail.com. occur and those that have just taken place. There are a lot of fraternities and sororities that have been holding preliminary in order to get participants excited about the main event. This past Wednesday night, the sisters of Alpha Delta Pi held a Movie Screening on their lawn, in order to get participants excited about the Row Cup on Saturday. This movie was a great experience.
DAVID KARLSBERG
CREATIVE TEAM Editor in Chief David Karlsberg Delta Tau Delta Writers Olivia Choi, Delta Gamma Jay Juster, Phi Sigma Kappa Kristen Garrett, Alpha Gamma Delta
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Students watched “Blades of Glory”, starring Will Ferrell, who the Row Cup is themed after. This was of great interest to me, as Will Ferrell was a member of Delta Tau Delta, my fraternity. As well as watching the movie, sisters of Alpha Delta Pi gave out popcorn, spoke with those in attendance, and were kind enough to take pictures with me for their “Pi Pics”, an element of the Row Cup in which fraternity members are supposed to take pictures with Alpha Delta Pi girls in order to gain points for the Row Cup. It was a great opportunity to participate in a couple of their events and meet a few people. I’m looking forward to the Row Cup on Saturday, which will have already happened by the time you read this.
Will McGuinness, Managing Editor
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3 SAMMY PHILANTROPY feature story
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On Saturday February 15, Sigma Alpha Mu (commonly known as the SAMMY fraternity) had their Field of Dreams philanthropy, benefiting the Alzheimer ’s Association. It was a multi-round kickball tournament that every sorority on campus participated in, and, in my opinion, it was a huge success.
Claire Logan, a student at USC, told me “My team may have lost early on but I still had such a fun time playing with my sisters, the other teams and of course the gentlemen of Sammy. Plus it was kickball and who doesn’t love kickball.” Sarah Schwartz, another student at USC, said, “I think it went very well! It was fun to meet some of the new Sammy pledges and to collaborate with them as a team in kickball.”
ADPi ultimately won the tournament, and Sammy raised around $3,500 dollars for the Alzheimer’s association.
KRISTEN GARRETT
Alpha Gamma Delta
Kristen is a freshman studying theatre. You may contact her at garrettk@usc. edu.
Max Lawlor, an active in Sammy, told me that “it was a great time. Last year was the first year we had a philanthropy and we grew by leaps and bounds this year. I think it was more successful than any of us could’ve imagined in terms of interest and money raised.” His fraternity brother Ben Schneider agreed: “It couldn’t have gone better. The three-day weekend helped us get a great turnout from all of the sororities, and led to some pretty fierce competition on the kickball field. It seemed like a lot of new friendships were formed, even though people were exhausted from Valentine’s Day the night before.” So, all in all, it was a very fun day benefiting a very worthy cause.
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campus connections
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5 How to Survive: Midterms… www.theodysseyonline.com
By Christi Cameron, Pi Beta Phi
As midterm season approaches yet again, tensions run high among members of the Greek community. Between making time for studying and attending social functions, Greek students have their hands full trying to maintain a balanced lifestyle. Being able to handle a full plate and a schedule that is jam-packed is something that most Greek students pride themselves on. However, during this stressful time, it doesn’t hurt to have some extra reminders of how to keep up both mental and physical health. Possibly one of the most important tips to keep in mind is to plan ahead. Although it’s one of the oldest tricks in the book; planning ahead allows cram sessions, sleepless nights, and emotional breakdowns to be avoided. By creating a study schedule, students are able to create “cheat days” and plan their social lives around their academic lives. In being able to know ahead of time that going out just cannot be an option, disappointment can be avoided. Making this study schedule with friends who are also in the class can make sticking to it much easier, and they can always be used as a form of motivation, or even a voice of reason. Many key elements go into planning how to study for a big test. This includes deciding what material to study, when to study, and how much to study it. “Dividing and conquering” is key to the studying process, whether that means chapter by chapter, section by section, or person by person. Breaking what seems like a big project into many smaller ones makes these feats seem attainable and promotes enthusiasm for conquering them.
greek life traditions
In planning ahead, be sure to include “cheat days.” These days are necessary to include in any long-term schedule. The itinerary of these cheat days can range from anything like staying in bed and watching Netflix all day, to planning a hike to the Hollywood sign with other people who are giving themselves the day off. These days of indulgence give students something to look forward to and make the study days leading up to it worthwhile. As the exam gets closer and closer, it is imperative to remember that eating well, getting lots of sleep, and maybe even some exercising will get you extremely far. A well-rested and functioning brain is one of the best tools to have on the day of a midterm. If the nerves are still there the day of the exam, write down each and every thing that is on your mind or anything you may be nervous about. According to a study conducted in 2010, doing this right before an exam allows you to relive stress and anxiety and boost your overall confidence. USC students know exactly what it means to have a balanced lifestyle. During midterm season, these balancing skills really come into play, and students are able to demonstrate that they can work just as hard as they can play. Although it seems as if it is just one midterm after another, they do start to seem bearable when they are thought of in comparison to all of the fun events and activities that there are to look forward to on The Row this semester.
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greek life traditions
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greek of the week
By Kristen Garrett Name: Taylor DuPont School: USC
House: Gamma Phi Beta Major: Undecided What is your dream job? For the beginning of my career I would really like to be a freelance video editor. I don’t really care what I’m working on: reality TV shows, just being on for a couple of episodes, in particular series, but I’d like to work my way up to becoming a film editor. Specifically, I’m really interested in documentary films. This past summer I worked on an internship with Showtime on their new show Years of Living Dangerously, which is coming out this Spring and should be premiering at USC. It’s about global warming, and I was able to do a lot of research for them, do a lot of office work for them, such as collecting data on campaign spending, specifically in regards to global warming and natural resources, and I was also able to give my input into the editing process for a few episodes, and was able to see the editing process as it was happening. That was really interesting, and it really inspired me to go down that line of work when I get out of school. How has your experience with Gamma Phi Beta been? I love Gamma Phi. I could not be happier. You know, going through the rush process is always weird. It’s a very nerve-wracking experience, but I went into it with the mentality that I just wanted to meet new people and find the house that was right for me, and Gamma Phi ended up being that house. I love everyone in the house, they’re all very supportive. They’re very inspiring people, I’ve learned a lot from them, and my biggest role models right now are definitely in my sorority house. There are a lot of very motivated people who know what they want to do with their life, and I think that’s very admirable. How has your experience with Greek life at USC been? I’d say it’s been, overall, very positive. There are a lot of different aspects of Greek life that are intriguing…that’s not the right word. Of course, the social aspect is great, I’ve met a lot of different people that I normally would not have met if I hadn’t been in the Greek system. But more than that, it’s been a great venue in which to meet people, and it’s also been a great way to participate in charity work, and that was something that drew me to the Greek system in the first place. Just a week ago, Gamma Phi had their Have a Heart philanthropy, in which we charged five dollars for all-you-can-eat food, and a lot of the sororities and fraternities have similar charities. But it’s great to be able to be a part of that, and be able to give back to the community around us. What is your favorite social event thus far? I would probably say—Sammy Warhol was a great register, and so was Phi Sig’s Masquerave. Sammy Warhol—I loved the enthusiasm that the Sammy guys had. We ended up leaving the venue with paint literally all over us, and I’m pretty sure I tracked paint throughout Pardee. It was a great time. And then Masquerave, there were just so many people there, costumes were crazy, and the DJs were awesome, so yeah. Social life has been pretty balling. What do you think of the new social rules? I’ll say that I’m not—I don’t think that they’re the best way to handle all the transports and problems that we’ve been having on the row. I think that there are a lot of loopholes to the new rules. I mean, not only four houses are having parties on any given night, which is the way they intend for it to be. Also, I think it was two weekends ago, there were seven transports in one night. They weren’t all row-affiliated, but they were throughout USC, and that’s a large number, and that’s pretty much around the same numbers that
we were having last semester. I think it would be more beneficial if individual houses, or individuals that are getting in trouble for multiple transports and that sort of thing, should be punished individually instead of punishing the whole sorority and fraternity row. I don’t think that anyone is really learning a lesson from this. What has been your favorite part of USC thus far? I think just the number of opportunities that I’ve been given at USC. I mean, I’m taking amazing classes. I think the GE program is really helpful in forcing students to take a big array of classes, and very diverse classes: for example, right now I’m taking a cinema class, a Russian prison literature class, and a religion class along with Spanish, so it just—it kind of allows us to explore different things that we’re interested in. And then also, back to Greek life, I have to say, Greek life has provided a home away from home, me being from Connecticut, it’s really been helpful, and that’s definitely something that drew me to USC from the get-go when I was applying. So both the academics and the social life go hand in hand. Favorite Book? Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes Favorite Movie? Like Crazy. I just love the music. Favorite food? Raspberries Favorite body of water? Not the pacific ocean. It’s freezing. Atlantic Ocean. Favorite quote? “Don’t burn the day away” Dave Matthews Band Any life advice? Kill It! #YOLO. Eat a lot but don’t get fat? I feel like I’m going for all the wrong sentiments. Live like you are dying-Rascal Flatts. Just have fun, I’ll leave it at that.
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greek life traditions
Alpha Phi’s Heart of Gold Brunch
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by jay juster
Every year, Alpha Phi hosts a Friday brunch to benefit the Alpha Phi
before the event to secure a spot.
Foundation. All the proceeds of this $5 all-you-can eat buffet of parfaits, cereal,
From what I gather, their efforts massively paid off. They had sold 300-400
pancakes, waffles, breakfast burritos, pasta, and a fountain of chocolate goes
tickets prior to the event even starting. By 12:30, 110 people had walked in and
to support women’s cardiac care through the Texas Heart Institute and the
paid for food. At the end of the Heart of Gold Brunch, they counted over 500
Tallahassee Memorial Health Care Foundation. Thus, the brunch is named
people in attendance.
“Heart of Gold”. On top of the buffet, for a $5 entry fee, you got both a tour of the entire house, including the often forbidden second floor, and to eat with the ladies of Alpha Phi on their patio deck while Josh Taylore and Brett Fromsom performed live music. Plus, the entire house was decked out. According to the two Philanthropy Vice-Presidents, Maddy Keavy and Holly Hepper, the sisters cut out and hung up around 12,000 hearts for the event. Now that’s dedication. Another highlight of the day was the “Kiss a Phi for Philanthropy” kissing booth where guys could pay $.50 to kiss an Alpha Phi’s cheek. The booth generated a lot of interest, mostly because the event was hosted on Valentine’s Day, but also because Maddy and Holly went to the fraternities before the event and marketed the booth exceptionally well (“What better way to find your Valentine than in a kissing booth?”). These marketing skills were pure genius. Speaking of marketing, the ladies pulled out all the stops, according to President Alex Kono. On Facebook, they created a specific event page, profile picture, and cover photo. The Vice-President of Marketing, Prianka Giridharadas, created a T-shirt that the girls wore throughout the week leading up to the event and were also available for sale. Lastly, they produced special tickets that people could buy
From all the different streams of income, Alpha Phi raised an impressive $3,000 for women’s cardiac care. Good job, ladies!
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debate & discuss
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debate & discuss
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campus connections
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500 Calorie Pasta? Sign Us Up!
Ingredients: Spinach-and-Ricotta-Stuffed Shells 18 jumbo pasta shells (about 6 ounces) 1 1/2teaspoons olive oil 1/4medium onion, finely chopped 4ounces fresh chorizo, crumbled 115 ounce can crushed tomatoes 3/4teaspoon sugar 1/4teaspoon salt plus additional for seasoning 1/4teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus additional for seasoning Olive oil cooking spray 2cups (about 2 ounces) baby spinach, finely chopped 1cup low-fat ricotta 1/2cup shredded part-skim mozzarella 1egg white, lightly beaten
DIRECTIONS 1. Cook shells according to package directions; rinse under cold water, drain and pat dry. 2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and chorizo and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain all but 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings and return pan to stove. Add tomatoes and sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste; simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Set aside. 3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and coat a 9-by-9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. 4. Combine spinach, cheeses, egg white and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spoon half the tomato sauce into prepared dish. Stuff each shell with 1 heaping tablespoon filling and arrange stuffed shells in baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over shells and cover with aluminum foil. Bake until pasta is cooked through and sauce begins to bubble, about 30 minutes. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
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special occasion
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Switch Up Your Drink
There’s nothing better than spicing up your weekly routing of chrystal light esk drinks with something way more delicious! Here’s an amazing drink recipe that your sorority sisters will love! Ingredients: 4 fresh strawberries 8 frozen strawberries 1 lime, cut into wedges + 1 lime, juiced 1 cup Lipton Diet Green Tea {Honey Ginseng} small handful of mint leaves 1 Tbls super fine sugar club soda Instructions: Muddle the lime wedges, fresh strawberries, mint leaves, and sugar together. Add the lime juice and rum. Stir. Add four frozen strawberries to each glass and fill each glass with half of the mixture. Top off with club soda. Garnish this cocktail with sprigs of mint, strawberry or lime slices.
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special occasion
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laugh out loud
@a_mctygue Call me a hopeless romantic but I just want to see a pinning that features the lyrical stylings of Sisquo’s “Thong Song”. @jordandaisies teen wolf: “tonight’s the coldest night of the year. it’s going to drop to the 20s!” HAHAHAHA @Rachel_Foxwell “You respect dibs, don’t you?” “I’m not a barbarian.” @ShelbyRohlff12 The majority of texts I get from my mom are photos of her coffee with the word “Yummm.” At least I know where my addiction started. @BrekkanBall Naps are definitely the most important thing in college.
ended..today’s a win already @tatboyd Maybe I don’t let myself sleep so I can have something to talk about in the morning. @DaddyWithIssues Why is Swiffer not sponsoring the US Olympic Curling team?
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@rarekeith When people ask me do I even lift bro, it’s like have you seen how many bags of groceries I can get at one time from my mom’s van? @_SouthernBlonde When Taco Bell doesn’t put the sauce on my cheese quesadilla it’s basically ruined
@JamesOggerino My mom just added me on snapchat. What is life.
@MattOverton_LS My Olympic bobsled would be sponsored by @TacoBell, resembling the traditional beefy burrito & named the American Supreme #Sochi
@Macar00ny The first time a girl walked up to me and gave me her number I didn’t know what to do so I ate it.
@kyle_thatisall I’m pretty bad at snapchat because I’m never not in a dark room watching Netflix and eating Oreos.
@sammyrhodes Had no idea Snoop was naming ice skating moves these days. #TWIZZLE
@ChristnHipster there’s just something odd about screaming ‘MERICA!’ while watching olympic figure skating
@WeAllKnowA We all know a girl who loves whales named Hannah
@howe007 A yawn is a silent scream for coffee.
@ibbysimcox Made it to McDonalds before breakfast
@HonestToddler “Go to sleep.” Do you think I’m voice activated?
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