2008 Homecoming Lowdown

From hip-hop to bar-hop, USC has a lot of entertainment ready to welcome alumni back for Saturday's homecoming game against the Washington Huskies. You probably missed the parade and a couple of rallies, but there's still plenty on the agenda. All events are free except for the games.

NOTE: You may want to print the map/guide listed below.

Thursday

• A big pep rally is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Galen Center. Football players will be there to pump up the crowd, along with the Trojan Marching Band and a hypnotist (appropriate for Halloween).
• At 8 p.m., Common will be performing in McCarthy Quad. The Knux will open. Seriously. Sweet. Lineup.

Friday

• The defending national champion USC women's soccer team will host Cal at 3 p.m. at McAllister Field.
• The top 15 ranked USC women's volleyball team will host Oregon at 7 p.m. at the Galen Center.
• It's Halloween, but try not to party too hard. There's a full day Saturday.

Saturday

• The football game kicks off 3:30 p.m. The ticket office was sold out a while ago, but the school's official resale partner is StubHub, and it has seats as low as $35 as of this posting.

Shots at the Nine-Oh

You spoke. We listened.

Last week we ran a poll (seriously) and found out that you wanted live blogging from the legendary 901 Bar and Grill, better known around USC as the Nine-Oh.

Unfortunately for Trojans fans, the game didn't turn out too well, and I scrapped a video project that was in the back of my mind. I also caught a cold this weekend and fell a little behind with posting.

The last few days, incredulous alumni have been asking me if the 9-0 has really changed.

Yes, yes it has. If you can handle the sight of a rhinestone-encrusted Rey Maualuga jersey, check out the photos after the jump.

-- Adam Rose

Fame and fortune ... or at least free food

If you're at USC tonight you can be in the audience for FSN's "Lexus Gauntlet Live" on the steps of Heritage Hall. Free Jack in the Box ...

Age-old question

An article ran in last week's Times about a petition to reevaluate drinking age laws. It's been signed by college and university presidents around the country, including several local ones.

UCLA and USC officials were approached to sign the petition, but they held off. A spokeswoman said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block wanted more time to confer with other university leaders and examine research about the age limit. USC President Steven B. Sample received the petition last week but hadn't yet taken action, a spokesman said.

Surveys show that almost half of first-year USC students drank before college, but by Thanksgiving, the percentage rose to 80%, [USC's Director of Health Promotion and Prevention Services Paula] Swinford said. "There are many, many first-time drinkers in the first few months of college," Swinford said. "What we have done is be very honest about this as an institution. And trained staff to deal with it." However, she said she doesn't know if a lower drinking age would reduce drinking.

Speaking of booze, USC banned alcohol sales in the Coliseum in 2005 and became the last venue in the Pac-10 to go "dry." The hope was to encourage a family-friendly environment. On a related note, check out this year's letter about fan behavior from USC's president (after the jump).

As of 2007, free alcohol was still being served during games in at least two of the Coliseum's VIP areas.

-- Adam Rose
Photo by Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

Moving Day

Whereas the football team has been on campus for a while, Wednesday was move-in day for most of the student body. Click here for a photo gallery.

Photo by Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

Familiar Site

The lead photo on the latimes.com front page is from a story on the Governor's move to cut trans fat out of fast food. Any Trojans recognize where it was taken?

Now THAT'S a Student Center

USC has a website up explaining what's going on with the student center being built on campus. Check out the plans and renderings, some of which are pretty stunning.

The old student center is being torn down this summer and the new one, all 151,000 square feet of it, is scheduled to be ready for the fall of 2010. The Italian Romanesque design seems to reflect the best of the campus' oldest and newest buildings (this blogger has never been a fan of those concrete block-ish buildings that somehow slipped in there).

End of Traditions

An era ends tonight at 10 when Traddies makes its last last call.

USC's only on-campus bar will be demolished, along with the rest of Commons, to make way for a new student center. I've been told there should be a substitute bar as part of the new facility opening in 2010, but nothing can truly replace the great memories and mediocre beer. Traddies has been around since 1987 and served as USC's version of Cheers ... an underground bar where everybody knows your name (plus beer pong and a lot of pre-game activity).

As posted on the Facebook group called Traditions...you've been here, you just don't remember:

We really appreciate all the support you have given us all year. Last minute things.

Tonight is the last night and we are expecting it to be extremely busy so come EARLY.

Being that it is the last night, DON'T wear anything you really value - you might get a little wet. INSTEAD, wear the gear that you plan on wearing to the fountain run tonight.

Pour out a little liquor for your Trojans ...

New Tradition Comes to the Coliseum

Traveler is taking up permanent residence inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

A 14-foot-by-14-foot mural is being installed at the edge of the stadium's tunnel and will be visible to most of the crowd during football games. Dubbed "Tradition," the artwork features USC's mascot being ridden back from another championship at the Rose Bowl (symbolized by a bed of roses on the horse's back) and the Roman numerals for 1888 -- the year of USC's first football game.

This is the third large-scale sports mural done by local artist Mike Sullivan. Trojan faithful are sure to remember the Mario Danelo tribute he created last year at San Pedro High School. Posters of that mural can be seen hanging in a number of restaurants and other local venues, and proceeds from their sale have gone to the Mario Danelo Endowed Football Scholarship Fund.

Stuff Cardinal and Gold People Like

The last year has yielded two of the Internet's most guilty pleasures: the Rick Roll and Stuff White People Like. Both are amusing and, on some level, awkward and disturbing.

With a nod to EDSBS's recent post on Stuff Black and Gold People Like, we present Stuff Cardinal and Gold People Like (not to be confused with the alumni organization by that name, which primarily likes football and tailgating) ...

Numbers - The nine-oh. The two-nine. The three-two. These all mean something to Trojans (though younger ones might now know the latter as "Superior"). Area codes fall into this as well. The 949 carries a different social meaning than 909 or 818. Those new to the area claim to be "still reppin' 213" when they get their new digits. And nobody knows what the Harbor freeway is anymore. It's the 110.

Whoever Is Playing UCLA/Notre Dame - When the Bruins and Irish face each other, USC fans will be satisfied only if both lose. Longtime Trojan broadcaster Pete Arbogast coined the term "The Perfect Day" for any time that USC wins and both of its archrivals lose. Trojan fans have been reported to have a toast outside of the Coliseum whenever a perfect day occurs.

Orange County - If they aren't from there, cardinal and gold people have usually watched their fair share of Laguna Beach or The Real Housewives of Orange County. And don't forget that The OC was produced by a USC alum. But mostly, cardinal and gold people are either from Orange Country or dated somebody from there.