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April 10, 2014 | Volume 4, Issue 9 | Los Angeles, CA

YOLO? page 2 LA WEEKLY HOTSPOT: TRUE FOOD KITCHEN page 10

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2 Greek Life traditions

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YOLO?

As we move towards the conclusion of the 2013-2014 academic year; my first year here at USC, I think about Delta Tau Delta how quickly everything D a v i d i s a s o p h o m o re has happened. It feels studying communication. like I’ve received two You may contact him at epiphone504@gmail.com. semesters’ worth of grades, worked countless hours, had lots of fun and met lots of great people in almost no time at all. It definitely doesn’t feel like a full year has passed. I’m really beginning to feel like part of the Trojan Family, where I have countless friends and everyone is very helpful and supportive even though I’m from the other side of the country.

DAVID KARLSBERG

As things continue moving very quickly, I have been building a deeper understanding for what I want to get out of my short time left here at USC. I hope to stay in contact will all of my friends, as I am frequently very busy and don’t have time to contact people. I hope to continue to build strong friendships and meet people that I’ll be glad to have as friends for the rest of my life. I want to do well in my classes, but yet have

time to participate in philanthropies, brotherhood events, and do what I love while I’m attempting to survive, getting good grades and a great degree from an awesome and challenging school. After all, who knows where life will take me after I graduate? Sure I have some ideas in mind, but there’s really no way to know what will happen until you get there, as is the case with everything in life. So I’ve been thinking more about the expression, “You Only Live Once”. I see it as a reminder, to appreciate everything I have; as i have been given the opportunity to come to a great school, join a great brotherhood, run a great up-and-coming newspaper, and come to sunny Southern California. Too frequently we take what we have for granted. I just don’t even think about everything that I do because it feels like there’s no time. I’m sure I’ll appreciate sunny Los Angeles a whole lot more when the plane and I land in the much more humid Washington DC for summer break. I’ve had a great yet busy year and I hope to make the next one even better. So I will be doing my best to make the most of my last two years here. I advise everyone who has been feeling like time has been moving too quickly to have fun, get your work done, and do things that you can look back on and be glad you did. These opportunities won’t last forever, but you want to remember what you did and be proud of it when you look back and remember those college days at the University of Southern California; a school that everybody else in the nation just wishes they could be at.

THE ODYSSEY AT USC CREATIVE TEAM Editor in Chief David Karlsberg Delta Tau Delta Writers Jay Juster, Phi Sigma Kappa Kristen Garrett, Alpha Gamma Delta

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We want a representative from every house! To apply for a writing, photography or sales position, TheOdysseyOnline.com/creative © 2012 Olympia Media Group, LLC All Rights Reserved. The Odyssey is a private entity not associated or governed by The University of Southern California or USC Greek life office. The views and opinions shared in The Odyssey are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Odyssey and Olympia Media Group.


Scene on campus

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WILL TROJAN GROUNDS SERVE ALCOHOL?

Wit h Starbucks beginning to sell alcoholic beverages, how will this affect our campus? Who doesn’t want to hear info about the prospective of more alcohol on campus? Trojan Grounds might info just be our next location to serve. E arl i e r t h is ye ar, Starbucks announced that it was planning on broadening its new “evening menu” to over 2,000 locations. According to Washington Square News, this “Starbucks’ evening menu will be available after 4 p.m. and will include wine, beer and a selection of light, tapas-style menu choices. Menu items include a cheese plate, bacon wrapped dates, truffle mac ‘n’ cheese and chocolate fondue.” This business move has proven to have already caused controversy, and the debate is sure to ensue over whether USC’s Trojan Grounds, the infamous coffee shop located under Birnkrant that operates just as a regular Starbucks does, should pick up this new menu. In general, the perks of this new menu include reversing Starbucks’ universal trend of declining in sales after the morning and mid-day rush hour. The main goal of this business venture is to attract more business, especially in urban areas. This improvement to Starbucks stores across America is sure to take place in Los Angeles, for “after the initial success of this evening menu, the company expanded to offer the new menu at 26 different locations,” with Los Angels being one of the 4 greater areas they plan

CHRISTI CAMERON

on expanding to. Because USC’s Trojan Grounds falls into these basic preliminary requirements, the question remains of whether or not TroGro itself should expand their menu. However, there are a number of reasons why this late-night menu would be a positive attribution to the coffee shop. TroGro’s hours are among the most convenient of on-campus dining options. Because it is open later than many of the eateries in the Campus Center, the evening menu would provide a substantial yet intriguing meal to those students and professors who get out of class at later times. It also would act as an interesting meeting place between acquaintances or even students and their professors at later hours in the evening. Allowing students access to alcohol on campus would provide convenience to those students with jam-packed schedules, and would also provide for a different drinking atmosphere. The liquors that Starbucks will be selling are sure to be high quality, and presumably different alcohols than what students currently consume. Potentially, these alcohols could be changing the drinking scene at USC, and there is hope that it would in fact make it more controlled and safer. This would not be the first time that USC has allowed an institution to serve alcohol on campus. For example, Morton Fig, located on Trousalde, has a full bar that is available to students of age throughout the day. In a sense, this is no different than Trojan Grounds potentially selling alcohol to students and guests as well. If Trojan Grounds ultimately decides not to participate in this expansion, there is hope that the Starbucks located on Figueroa and Exposition will participate in this modern development. Exposure to new trends and different meals is something that all college students hope for, and Starbucks’ new menu would in fact to just those two things.

THE DOWNSIDES OF ALCOHOL AT TROJAN GROUNDS

Wit h Starbucks beginning to sell alcoholic beverages, how will this affect our campus? Who doesn’t want to hear Delta Delta Delta about the prospective of Paulina is a freshman that is more alcohol on campus? undecided. You may contact her at Trojan Grounds might just be our next location passaf@usc.edu. to serve. E arl i e r t h i s ye ar, Starbucks announced that it was planning on broadening its new “evening menu” to over 2,000 locations. According to Washington Square News, this “Starbucks’ evening menu will be available after 4 p.m. and will include wine, beer and a selection of light, tapas-style menu choices. Menu items include a cheese plate, bacon wrapped dates, truffle mac ‘n’ cheese and chocolate fondue.” This business move has proven to have already caused controversy, and the debate is sure to ensue over whether USC’s Trojan Grounds, the infamous coffee shop located under Birnkrant that operates just as a regular Starbucks does, should pick up this new menu. In general, the perks of this new menu include reversing Starbucks’ universal trend of declining in sales after the morning and mid-day rush hour. The main goal of this business venture is to attract more business, especially in urban areas. This improvement to Starbucks stores across America is sure to take place in Los Angeles, for “after the initial success of this evening menu, the company expanded to offer the new menu at 26 different locations,” with Los Angels being one of the 4 greater areas they plan

PAULINA ASSAF

on expanding to. Because USC’s Trojan Grounds falls into these basic preliminary requirements, the question remains of whether or not TroGro itself should expand their menu. However, there are a number of reasons why this late-night menu would be a positive attribution to the coffee shop. TroGro’s hours are among the most convenient of on-campus dining options. Because it is open later than many of the eateries in the Campus Center, the evening menu would provide a substantial yet intriguing meal to those students and professors who get out of class at later times. It also would act as an interesting meeting place between acquaintances or even students and their professors at later hours in the evening. Allowing students access to alcohol on campus would provide convenience to those students with jam-packed schedules, and would also provide for a different drinking atmosphere. The liquors that Starbucks will be selling are sure to be high quality, and presumably different alcohols than what students currently consume. Potentially, these alcohols could be changing the drinking scene at USC, and there is hope that it would in fact make it more controlled and safer. This would not be the first time that USC has allowed an institution to serve alcohol on campus. For example, Morton Fig, located on Trousalde, has a full bar that is available to students of age throughout the day. In a sense, this is no different than Trojan Grounds potentially selling alcohol to students and guests as well. If Trojan Grounds ultimately decides not to participate in this expansion, there is hope that the Starbucks located on Figueroa and Exposition will participate in this modern development. Exposure to new trends and different meals is something that all college students hope for, and Starbucks’ new menu would in fact to just those two things.


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Scene on campus

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GREEK OF THE WEEK

This Week’s Greek of the Week is a Sigma Nu pledge, who is also very active in many other activities on campus. This Week Alyssa interviews Sam Greos about why he loves USC and Sigma Nu.

ALYSSA POTEET Pi Beta Phi

Alyssa is a freshman studying Industrial and systems engineering. You may contact him at alyssapoteet@comcast.net.

Sam Greos truly displays what it means to be a well-rounded Greek. On top of pledging Sigma Nu this semester, he’s also a Trojan Knight, and very involved in the business program. He’s an overall amazing person and dependable friend despite his involvement. Year: Freshman Major: Business Hometown: Greenwood Village (near Denver) Colorado

Fraternity: Sigma Nu (pledge) Fun fact: He traveled to China over the summer with the business school. Who inspires you? “My older brother, who also happens to be a Sigma Nu from USC, inspires me because he makes me want to work hard in all aspects of my life to live up to the high standard he’s set for me.” What’s your favorite quote? “Rule #76: No excuses, play like a champion”- Vince Vaughn in Wedding Crashers, one of his favorite movies. What’s your favorite thing about Sigma Nu? “I love knowing that I have a good group of guys who I can trust and do crazy stuff with.” What are you interests and hobbies? “I like watching sports, hanging out with friends, skiing and seeing new places. I’m very interested in sports, biology, and economics.” Where do you see yourself in ten years? “In ten years, I’m going to be living the dream by either starting my own business or working in finance.”


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Scene on campus

LA WEEKLY HOTSPOT: TRUE FOOD KITCHEN

Paulina’s next Hotspot is “True Food Kitchen”

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The restaurant maintains an earthly vibe, as ingredients are raw and unprocessed. However, you don’t need to be a strict yogi to enjoy food PAULINA this good. The service is great and the food is reasonably priced. The ASSAF eatery also serves innovative refreshments such as honey lemonade and a Delta Delta Delta Another great hangover fix comprised of coconut water, pineapple, vanilla and orange Paulina is a freshman that is place to grab a snack undecided. You may contact her at juice. Additionally, the restaurant offers a wide variety of sustainable, is the “True Food passaf@usc.edu. organic and local wines, cocktails, beer and sake. Although the health Kitchen”.Located at food craze seems to be localized in Southern California, Los Angeles the end of the 3rd Street Promenade, True Food Kitchen is the best eatery to hit up with in particular, True Food is on a mission to expand health and wellness sandy feet after the beach or while carrying your bags after a day of around the country, opening restaurants throughout California, Arizona, shopping for an energizing and unique brunch, lunch, or dinner. True Colorado, and Texas. If you are looking for something new and different Food’s motto is “Honest food that tastes really good”, as the restaurant or trying to develop a healthier lifestyle, try True Food Kitchen for your works around an anti-inflammatory food pyramid, providing customers next meal out! with the freshest and cleanest ingredients to give the body the nutrients Address 395 Santa Monica Pl #172 Santa Monica, CA 90401 that it needs. The menu is comprised of numerous gluten free, vegetarian, Phone (310) 593-8300 and vegan options that are not only healthy but delicious. Choices range Website http://truefoodkitchen.com from quinoa pancakes, edamame dumplings and butternut squash pizza to chia seed pudding, flourless chocolate cake and lemon-ginger frozen yogurt, combinations sure to excite and please your taste buds.


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Ideas debate & discuss

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A SUMMER AT USC

A l y s s a w r i te s about what great opportunities are available to students over the summer.

In addition to work and school, there are many other exciting things to take advantage of in LA. There are Facebook groups for SC ALYSSA summer events and parties for help finding cheap, fun things to do. POTEET Pi Beta Phi Fraternities host weekly events, The Grove has free music events, Alyssa is a freshman Exposition Park has free movie screenings, beaches have bonfires, studying Industrial and systems engineering. and many other places in the LA are having fun things to do. 1iota. You may contact him at For those who alyssapoteet@comcast.net. com allows people to get free concert tickets, screening tickets, etc. don’t want to go in the LA area. With a little bit of research and preparation, there are home, there’s plenty endless places and activities to explore around USC in the summer to do right here on campus over the summer. time. All in all, if you haven’t gotten enough of the Trojan Family Summer is just around the corner, and although everyone’s excited during the school year, you might want to consider staying at school to be done with exams, a lot of students aren’t excited to leave SC. to take a class, get a job, or just have a fun summer experience. Thankfully there are many ways for people to stay connected to the Trojan Family during this summer season! If you can’t picture departing from USC’s beautiful campus, perfect weather, and stellar academics for three whole months, there are many options for living nearby in LA to take a summer class. Registration for summer courses at SC occurs at the end of the semester, and if one didn’t want to take a class at USC, there are many nearby community colleges as well. Most fraternities on the row rent out rooms during the summer for students to live in and are typically reasonably priced. There are also many apartments near campus, such as West 27th, the Lorenzo, Gateway, etc., that students sublease rooms out of when they take a summer abroad/go home. If these options don’t seem appealing, students received information about living in student housing over the summer and can apply to live on campus on the USC housing website. Students who attend other colleges sometimes live around SC during the summer, so it’s a good opportunity to meet other students from surrounding areas. If you wanted to stay connected SC over the summer, but not take a class, there are many job opportunities the university and LA have to offer. The USC career center has walk-in appointments available to help students improve their resume, find local jobs and internships in the area, and discover jobs and internships that have locations near student’s hometowns as well as Los Angeles. On campus jobs are also a possibility for those who stay in the area since the Lyon center, Campus center, and other buildings are open for operation.


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Greek Life traditions

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Ideas debate & discuss

TITLE ALYSSA POTEET Pi Beta Phi

Alyssa is a freshman studying Industrial and systems engineering. You may contact him at alyssapoteet@comcast.net.

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Ideas debate & discuss

THE HOOK-UP CULTURE: THE NEW MONOGAMY Written By Odyssey Writer Jay Juster

In a world where everyone is an advertisement, TV commercial/show, accidental Google search, or mouse-click away from porn, sex (or some fantasy along those lines) is the first, second, and third thing on our minds for most of the day. The last report done in 1994 suggested that 54 percent of men think about sex daily or several times a day, but I can only guess that the 20 year interim involving the internet and television porn explosion has changed things a little.Remember that ‘men think about sex every seven seconds’ myth? Well, it’s starting to hold some truth because of the instant access to sex and sexy things we have at all times. I mean, look at all these apps dedicated to sex: Tinder. This application is a hand-held version of ‘Hot or Not,’ where you scroll through photos and profiles of the opposite sex and indicate whether you find the person sex-worthy with the swipe of your thumb. When the other person reciprocates interest, you can start chatting and eventually meet up. The best part of this application is that you don’t have to know the potential sex-candidate. Your options are based on your location relative to theirs. Down (a.k.a Bang With Friends). Like Tinder except more narrow. You tag the Facebook friends you’d want to sleep with and you’ll be notified if/when you are tagged by them, as well.

Hook-Up Culture.”

Millennials are more open to new sexual experiences with new people than any other generation. In fact, we are having more sex than anyone since the 60s, and we have found ways to not have unwanted kids! And, what’s better, Millennials now have unique avenues for making even casual encounters turn into lusty sex flings. We can sext, send racy full-body photos, find each other at any time of day, and, if all else fails, booty call. The best part of this sexual revolution? We carry around the handy technology at the center of it in our pockets: our cellphones. We are constantly accessible and one “what’s up” message away from a sexual encounter that would’ve otherwise required those two to be in the same room or long-distance correspondence. (Remember Pride and Prejudice? HA!) Our private parts are becoming public parts. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The stigmas surrounding sex, sex work, homosexuality and fetishes are lessening It’s evolutionarily adaptive. Female chimpanzees and the females of other animals have sex many times, and with many males before having a single baby. May the fittest sperm win it, right? People are more willing to explore their sexuality rather than repressing or feeling ashamed of it

Blendr. More explicitly about sex. Blendr matches you up with other singles in your postcode who are immediately good to go.

As I’ve written before, Research suggests watching porn and having sex are actually great things for your health and happiness

Vibease. This one’s for the ladies who are tired of getting harassed by all of the creeps on the aforementioned apps. Utilizing cutting edge teledildonics (yes, teledildonics!), the app syncs an erotic narrative to a vibrator that responds to the specifics of the story.

In what other era of time could I meet a girl on the street, gather some intangible data on how to contact her directly regardless of distance, and then have sex with an extremely low chance of contracting any STDs or having a baby. This combination is the perfect sexual storm. What else could make things easier? (Besides nudism becoming a universal trend)

Not to mention that applications like Pure, the Dating Ring, Grouper, and others can be used for ‘dating.’ But, come on, who are we kidding? These dates almost inevitably lead to sex or something more serious. In reality, these dating apps are just easy ways to make the whole ‘one thing led to another’ justification let us all feel less weird about poking perfect strangers. Apparently, however, this casual, “Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, but you’re on Tinder, so let’s make babies,” mentality is the contribution that the Millennial generation gets to make to the sexual revolution. To put things into perspective, Tinder has made over 50 million matches out of 4.5 billion total ratings, Down has over 100,000 installs, and Blendr, over 500,000, on the Android alone! In fact, this collective attitude found in college students, and young adults more broadly, has spawned a unique label for our dating scene: “The

As a recent Rolling Stone article points out, this hook-up culture breeds a new kind of monogamy where two people commit to a primary relationship, and maybe even live together, but agree to sleep with other people on the side, as well. I love how Rolling Stone expresses this new sexual arrangement: “ Millennials are pioneers in their own right, navigating a wide-open sexual terrain that no previous generation has encountered – one with more opportunity, but also more ambiguity.” That’s right, Millennials! Screw those other pioneers who sailed across the Atlantic or landed on the Moon, we are exploring dimensions of sexuality Hugh Hefner could only dream about. We are reaching peaks of pleasure that dwarf Mt. Everest! And all from the comfort of a warm bed. Damn, it feels good to be a Millennial.


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Scene food review

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Sports local

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WHAT COLTER VICTORY MEANS FOR THE FUTURE OF COLLEGE SPORTS Written By Odyssey Writer Ben Sanders

If Kain Colter’s effort to transform college athletics has proven anything, it’s that the public shouldn’t discount someone’s dream just because it seems farfetched. Two weeks ago, the Chicago district of the regional National Labor Relations Board announced that Northwestern football players qualify as employees of the university and can unionize and collectively bargain. For Colter and other members of the All Players United movement, who have worked tirelessly on this case for months, this marked a huge victory.This decision only affects football and basketball players at private Division I universities, so if athletes at public schools wish to unionize, they would have to do so on a state-bystate basis.Colter, the former ‘Cats quarterback, who’s now the leader of the newly formed College Athletes Players Association (CAPA), has previously said he’s open to allowing more sports to be included, in the future. Basketball and football just made the most sense to him as a starting point. While many analysts and vocal protestors believe that the players went through this process for financial reasons, Colter stated from the start that the unionization effort has nothing to do with “pay for play,” and he made this quite clear on Thursday, on ESPN’s Mike and Mike. Instead, Colter is hoping to address the many health and academic issues that players face. With regards to health, Colter said, “Right now the NCAA doesn’t guarantee that any of our medical bills will be paid… as in all sports, injuries are a part of it, and when we are wearing our school colors and sacrificing a lot, we should expect that our medical bills should be taken care.” This whole effort generated a lot of media attention throughout the year, but it would have gained more credibility if people thought they had a realistic chance of winning. Prominent sports journalists and pundits have shut this idea down right from the start, as nothing more than an unrealistic goal. Even Northwestern stated, “Unionization and collective bargaining are not the appropriate methods to address the concerns raised by student athletes.” Nonetheless, after months of going through this legislative process, the players have come out on top, at least for the time being. Northwestern is planning to appeal the decision and a case of this magnitude might make its way up to the Supreme Court.Let’s imagine that after months, and possibly years of appeals, the initial ruling sticks. The result would transform college athletics. All of a sudden, we’d see players at private institutions all over the country start to unionize, under CAPA, and demand better treatment from their universities.Football has received a lot of negative attention, lately, because of concussions. It wouldn’t be surprising if the number of head injuries declined at these unionized schools because players

would have more of a say regarding the amount of rough contact that’s allowed in their practices. They might also gain more flexibility with their academic schedules. Colter has stated that the reason he was unable to graduate as a pre-med student was because practice times and class times were in constant conflict. Then, of course, there’s the issue of money. While I’ve already mentioned that money didn’t play a big role behind Colter’s petition, it’s too big of an elephant in the room to ignore.Since they would be considered employees, the athletes would be allowed to collectively bargain for their “fair share.” This is where things get really complicated because there are so many factors to consider. Do superstars get paid more than third stringers? If the system holds for just paying male football and basketball players, then wouldn’t that conflict with Title IX? One thing that I will foreshadow, is that players would demand to profit from their own names.This past summer, Johnny Manziel was making headline news when there was an investigation into whether or not he was receiving money for his autographs, which is an NCAA violation. In 2013, in his blog for the Washington Post, journalist Neil Irwin pointed out the absurdity of the situation. “I was in college, and I took money for doing journalism: a little freelance gig there, a paid summer internship there, and then I went back to writing for my college newspaper like it never happened. Good thing the National Collegiate Journalism Association never caught wind of it, or I surely would have lost my eligibility to continue on competing as a student-journalist, and the college paper could have faced big time sanctions.”Of course, there is no such thing as the National Collegiate Journalism Association, but Irwin was using it to poke fun at the NCAA and show how they would handle a similar situation, given the current way things operate.I could easily envision a distant future where athletes, like Manziel, wouldn’t be punished for signing a fan’s t-shirt. Then there’s the possibility, if athletes were allowed to unionize, that they would choose to stay in college for four years, rather than leave for the pros early, Over the past decade, there have been dozens of “one-and-dones,” those who leave for the NBA after their freshman season. This has caused problems in college basketball because it means that a program has a hard time maintaining success from year to year. While speculation is fun, it’s going to be a while before we begin to see change unless the case makes it through the appeal process. If so, it will send shock waves throughout the NCAA. Some believe that it’s not a not a matter of if the case will survive, but a matter of when. On Thursday, on ESPN’s Mike and Mike, legal analyst Lester Munson said that there is no question that college sports “five or eight years from now will be very different from what we see today.”


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campus Sceneconnections on campus


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Humor lol

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@totalfratmove: Informing the police officer that you’re a Criminal Justice major and everything is under control. #TFM

@totalfratmove: Talking about your former pledge brother who dropped as if he was dead. #TFM

@itsWillyFerrell: A cop stopped me and said “license please” so I offered him a donut and said “I donut have one” and we laughed and laughed and I’m arrested.

@totalsratmove: Giving up unhealthy food for lent: bonafide, or evil genius? #TSM

@totalsratmove: Saying “hashtag” out loud. #TSM

@CollegeTownLife: I think my liver just put in it’s two weeks notice

@CollegeTownLife: If someday we all end up in jail for downloading music illegally, I can only hope they split us up by genre.

@totalsratmove: Talking about Elsa from Frozen as if you know her. #TSTC

@tbhjuststop: here’s to all the kids who have never found their name on anything in a souvenir store

@CollegeTownLife: I hope I did better on my midterms than I did on my bracket

@CollegeTownLife: Let us all have a moment of silence for the girls in the world that are “literally dying right now” because “they just can’t”

@tbhjuststop: people who bite ice cream with their front teeth are on a whole different level @totalfratmove: Taking a personal week after spring break. #TFM @itsWillyFerrell: Mom, Dad, don’t worry, everyone failed that test... @CollegeTownLife: Put some whiskey in my coffee because it’s Ireland somewhere @totalsratmove: Getting anxiety over which size t-shirt to order. #TSM @itsWillyFerrell: That depressing moment when you dip your cookie into milk for too long, it breaks off, and you wonder why bad things happen to good people. @tbhjuststop: I have abs...........olutely nothing


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