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This past year many of our peers expressed having been offended and hurt by some instances of cultural appropriation on our campus. Most notably, in the fraternity and sorority register/exchange themes--both the advertised and underground themes. Despite conversations with Greek leaders and even published Daily Trojan articles discussing cultural appropriation, these parties continued to happen. People often turn to other campuses and are shocked and appalled by the bigotry that exists and then want to consider USC exempt.

Today, we would like to highlight one of these instances on our very own campus. On April 2, 2015 Phi Psi fraternity and Alpha Phi sorority of Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC) and Panhellenic Council (PHC), respectively, hosted an exchange where the official party theme was supposedly "Medieval Times & Busta Rhymes." However, a student reached out to us to express their discontent and discomfort as a result of a photo that came up on their timeline with the caption "USC: University of South Central." In the photo was one of the student's friend. That individual and others were dressed in attire that they felt was a representation of South Central. A look at the entire album only illustrates that the party has to do with more than just Medieval Times and Busta Rhymes. Additionally, the fact that students referred to the party as "USC: University of South Central," puts the "theme" and intentions further into question. Individuals wore grills. Can you surface an image of Busta Rhymes in a grill for us? Don't worry...we'll wait. Individuals dressed in basketball jerseys. How is that representative of Busta Rhymes or Medieval Times? People seemed to have attempted to dress as Riff Raff, which inherently seems appropriate because they weren't attempting to be someone of a different race; however, it is important to understand the implications of that costume as well. Riff Raff is a prime example of cultural appropriation in that his persona is a caricaturist's impression of rap culture which is a genre that is predominately made up of Black people. By doing so, Riff Raff has actively attempted to reproduce stereotypes of a marginalized group. Individuals wore chains, drew dollar signs on their faces, cornrowed their hair, wore bandanas, and posed in ways that seemed as if they were attempting to represent a scene in Boyz in the Hood.

This party was held after many other offensive parties also took place at USC. Last academic school year (2014-2015), there were multiple parties with Mexican themes, Lambda Chi Alpha’s “Colonial Bros and Nava-Hoes,” and even ZBT’s Emergency register which was also referred to as “ZeBolaT.” We would like to note that the President of Alpha Phi sorority reached out to us to apologize, offer an explanation, and facilitate conversations once being advised that the photos would be published on I, Too, Am USC. However, we thought that it was necessary to post these photos to show that these things happen on our campus, that we must be more aware of our actions, and to explain how this was offensive. So while it might be fun to dress up to such party themes--it is important to be sure that these themes are not offensive to your peers. It is important to consider ways in which a theme that may seem harmless to you could potentially lead to individuals capitalizing on and mocking stereotypes of minority/marginalized groups.

‪#‎ITooAmUSC‬ ‪#‎USC‬ ‪#‎FightOn‬ ‪#‎TrojanFamily‬ ? ‪#‎CulturalAppropriation‬ ‪#‎PhiPsi‬ ‪#‎AlphaPhi‬ ‪#‎TheRow‬ ‪#‎TurnUp‬ ‪#‎OrNah‬ ‪#‎Offensive‬ ‪#‎Offended‬ ‪#‎MyPWI‬ ‪#‎NotJustSAE‬ 

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We are gracefully sipping our tea this morning 🐸☕️ as our peers, our fellow Trojan “Family”, provide us with more reasons why we need a safe space. #ITooAmUSC #Trojans #USC #sipstea #USCGOP #TrojanFamily #FightOn #myPWI (at University of Southern California)

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In the spirit of finals coming to an end tomorrow...

"I'll show you that affirmative action had nothing to do with it!" --Joy Ofodu, c/o 2018.

#ITooAmUSC #USC #FIghtOn #BlackExcellence #beautifulisBLACK #necessaryBLACKNESS #education #equality #women #womyn #brains #smart #scholarly #TrojanFamily

----------------------- Photography by Corey Deshon http://instagram.com/CoreyDeshon | http://ThirteenthFloorMedia.com -----------------------

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"I fight on because my parents immigrated to the U.S. in flee of a civil war and in pursuit of the 'American Dream.' Sigo luchando por que yo soy parte de ese sueño (I am part of their dream). My community's struggle fuels my passion for social justice...for the pursuit of the 'American Dream.'" --Miriam Joya, Master's of Social Work, c/o 2015. #ITooAmUSC #USC #FightOn #Dreams #AmericanDream #SocialJustice #community (at University of Southern California)

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Color Blind: University of Secluded Children (USC)

We would like to thank Agazi Desta (class of 2015) for writing and sharing a letter he wrote about his USC experience to President Nikias for his Writing 340 assignment. #ITooAmUSC Color Blind: University of Secluded Children To President Nikias and The Entire USC Admissions Committee, Since the day of my acceptance into the University of Southern California, the promise of an all-inclusive “Trojan Family” had resonated with me so deeply that I had committed myself almost instantaneously to this institution, asking for nothing more than what this campus seemingly already has to offer. In fact, it was one of those “pressure points” that prompted my decision to join a network of mindfully committed groups of students. Especially coming from the East Coast, it goes without saying that finding a community is an important part of a student’s general well being on campus, and so naturally, I felt comfortable knowing that USC builds community upon the five traits of a Trojan, which is rigorously mentioned in your admission pamphlets. And yet while I accept the reality that I am not a freshman anymore, but a graduating senior, I am still compelled to ask: what would our campus look like if these traits were truly represented? If I am not being clear enough, where do black students fit in these descriptions? I am not writing to express my concerns with the growing problems of the black community because truthfully you are not equipped to answer these questions without a clear understanding of how these issues are treated at the micro-level, specifically in our own campus. I am writing to question why I have been a part of this community for four years, and still have to show my Student ID to get into Leavey Library before night hours. I am writing to question why I have to carry a backpack at night because clearly I cannot be a student if there is nothing characteristic about me that would support my cause when I say, “I am just walking home.” I am writing to question why DPS authorities walk me to my classrooms, not for my safety, but for the safety of the other non-black bodies to ensure that I actually attend school here. Like I said, you cannot answer these questions, but maybe I would not be asking them if the picture of the Trojan Family had not painted such a brightly tantalizing image. While I admit it is difficult to confront these problems almost every day I walk this campus, I think what saddens me the most is that even when the “Trojan Family” is not acting definitively as perpetrators, the faculty and student body at large are unprepared to respond in supportive ways. I would like to think that if minority students were truly part of the family, somebody would stick up for me in class when I am being escorted by a DPS officer for the wrong reasons. You would be surprised how much I am begging to accept that we have an intuitive community of individuals who would lend a voice or an ear when issues affecting any part of our community arise on campus. Still, intuition can be wrong, ignorance cannot always be bliss, and representation is all that is necessary. I propose that if black students were represented more on campus, then there would be more conversations concerning issues that affect our demographic of people. In the last year, the black incoming class of freshman at USC, including athletes, had been 4% of the entire student body. In concrete terms, this statistic means that for every one hundred people you find, there are only four black bodies. That seems crazy, right? Granted, I understand that the admission process is getting tougher every year, and that standards for USC are getting higher (which we should be proud about), but what are the metrics that are being evaluated for a candidate, and how are they being evaluated in comparison to the other demographic of students in the pool? I mean, let’s be honest, USC is becoming a reach for everybody, so it is not enough to say that there are more black bodies walking campus than there ever have been before. That is not the point. The point is that in a world where higher education is getting increasingly sought after by students, it is important to contextualize why this 4% number remains relatively constant every year. Of course, economic interests of the school could perhaps be more paramount than financing students’ education, but I would not like to think that the place I have accepted as my home for the past four years would condone this behavior. All I am calling to do is to create more platforms for students of color to enroll in our university. It simply is not okay to pride ourselves as one of the top schools with the most diverse student body when we do not feel that all of us are accurately and rightfully respected enough on campus. I look forward to the day that I would not be asked if I feel “weird being the only black student in class, ” because my responses as of lately have been “don’t you?” Fight On, Agazi Desta

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“I'm tired of people seeing ‘not being like other girls’ as a compliment.” --Caitlin Tran, c/o 2018 #USC #FightOn #TrojanFamily #beauty #woman #women #womyn ----------------------- Photography by Corey Deshon http://instagram.com/CoreyDeshon | http://ThirteenthFloorMedia.com -----------------------

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Check out these awesome poems from some women at USC. http://youtu.be/rEW2rMfhObo

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“Being truly a part of the Trojan Family means not feeling like certain parts of the community are off-limits to people like you.”--Janelle Toussaint, c/o 2017. #USC #FightOn #TrojanFamily #inclusion

----------------------- Photography by Corey Deshon http://instagram.com/CoreyDeshon | http://ThirteenthFloorMedia.com -----------------------

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"Just because I am an African-American at USC doesn't mean I am an athlete." --Jasmine Johnson, c/o 2018. #ITooAmUSC #USC #Trojans #FightOn #beautifulisblack (at University of Southern California)

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"I am the dream & the hope of the slave, but still I rise." -Maya Angelou. --Tiffany Smith-Cofield, c/o 2017. #ITooAmUSC #USC #Trojans #FightOn #MayaAngelou #Dreams (at University of Southern California)

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"To the girl who called me an Oreo in the 7th grade I DO NOT apologize for falling short of YOUR EXPECTATION of what a black person should I act like. I DO NOT apologize for falling short of the expectation of what SOCIETY thinks a black person should act like."-- Nosakhare Ogiamien, c/o 2017 #ITooAmUSC #USC #FightOn #WCW #exceedingexpectations #unapologeticallyblack #NecessaryBlackness #beautifulisblack #PREACH #enoughsaid (at University of Southern California)

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The Color of my skin SHOULD NOT be a reason to downplay my abilities. I got into my dream school for a reason! -- Margella Elad, c/o 2018 #ITooAmUSC #USC #FightOn #NecessaryBlackness #beautifulisblack #brains #intelligence #speakonit #thoughtprovoking (at University of Southern California)

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"I am INTELLIGENT, I am POETIC, I am a USC SPIRIT LEADER, I am a SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT (not because I'm black), I fight on to encourage the hopeless!" --Jay Dent, Master's in Marriage & Family Therapy, c/o 2016. #ITooAmUSC #USC #FightOn #SpiritLeader #MFT #BlackExcellence (at University of Southern California)

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"I know you want me to apologize for being black, Muslim, and a woman, but I won't. I'm happy." --Newal Osman, c/o 2018. #ITooAmUSC #USC #FightOn #TrojanFamily #Diversity #WCW #Woman #Womyn ----------------------- Photography by Corey Deshon http://instagram.com/CoreyDeshon | http://ThirteenthFloorMedia.com -----------------------

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"To only be here for a degree would be missing out on the whole point of education. This space is meant to cherish new ideas and expand one's understanding of others' cultures and experiences.”--Natalie Reyes, c/o 2017. #ITooAmUSC #USC #FightOn #TrojanFamily #Diversity #Understanding #Embrace ----------------------- Photography by Corey Deshon http://instagram.com/CoreyDeshon | http://ThirteenthFloorMedia.com -----------------------

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"I fight on because women need to work harder for equal pay." --Helen Chung, c/o 2018. #ITooAmUSC #USC #Women #Womyn #Equality #EqualPay #FightOn (at University of Southern California)

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"Science, Technology, Engineering, Math is more than just for MEN." --Amy Dai, c/o 2018. #ITooAmUSC #USC #FightOn #Equality #Feminism #STEM #WomenInStem #Representation (at University of Southern California)