Student Workers Raising Funds for Usc Describe a 'Culture of Fear and Intimidation'

Summer Trojan Wednesday, June 9, 2021 | STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SINCE 1912 | VOL. 203, NO. 4

Art & Design by Lauren Schatzman and Alyssa Shao | Daily Trojan STUDENT WORKERS RAISING FUNDS FOR USC DESCRIBE A ‘CULTURE OF FEAR AND INTIMIDATION’

One year after the closure of USC’s call center, former “SCallers” say they feel ambivalent about their time spent working the phone lines.

By JOSH CODE “I think getting people to part with Ward made connections not only Thomas recalled one Chinese Daily Trojan their hard earned money is definitely with donors but also with his co-work- American SCaller who quit after her hard to do, especially when you’re em- ers. He met supervisors Mariah Breit first week because a client complained n a windowless room on South broiled in so many scandals,” said Ethan and Thomas while working in the call that there were too many Asian stu- Grand Avenue, dozens of phone lines Ward, a former SCaller who graduat- center, and the three enjoyed lasting dents attending the University com- came abuzz every night as student I ed in 2021. “There were plenty of mo- friendships with their fellow SCallers, pared to when he had graduated. workers chatted up USC alumni, hoping ments when people were pissed off that many of whom were USC students. The “I was very, very surprised that, even to get a donation by the end of each call. you were calling asking for money, but managers would sometimes order pizza at that time, USC wanted to contin- This off-campus facility was home I feel like the positive interactions out- for the SCallers, organize Christmas gift ue with the call center,” said a former to “SCallers,” a cohort of student work- manager, who asked to remain anony- ers who raised money for USC through weighed those.” exchanges and facilitate team-building Despite the monotonous nature of activities. mous in the interest of job security. “I phone conversations with alumni. They think it actually took a toll on the stu- called former Trojans and shared news dents themselves because we can train of facility upgrades, new programs for re- them on how to combat or rebut … the search and positive personal anecdotes complaints. But, still, that’s a lot of emo- about USC, aiming to convince clients “I think getting people to part with their hard tional and mental abuse they all have to to open up their purses to their alma ma- earned money is definitely hard to do, especially deal with.” ter. SCallers followed a script that asked The former manager — though not them to “smile while you dial,” and re- when you’re embroiled in so many scandals.” a USC student — was part of a staff quired they ask each client four sepa- · · · hired by Ruffalo Noel Levitz, an institu- rate times for money before hanging up. tional fundraising contractor that over- This number was later lowered to three ETHAN WARD sees call centers at more than 1,900 uni- on account of a recent spate of University A former SCaller and 2021 alum versities and non-profit organizations scandals, said Alice Thomas, a former around the world. USC’s call center was USC student and supervisor. one of the biggest money-makers for The call center closed in May 2020 RNL, she said. after a few scandals of its own, includ- scripted phone calls, Ward looked for- “The fun part was the conversations But for years the money raised for ing a controversy over employees’ paid ward to work. He fondly remembers that we had amongst each other,” Ward USC by RNL belied an opaque manage- sick leave and a bathroom break policy building rapport with clients and devel- said. “Being able to build friendships, ment style which penalized SCallers for that penalized workers who used the re- oping the courage to make multiple re- leaving there, and then going to hang quests during his time at the call center. out afterwards. A lot of my good friends bathroom breaks and misled them stroom for too long. But in reflecting on | see CALL, page 1 | the history of SCallers, some former em- The job was a fun challenge to his per- now — I met them there.” ployees also value the friendships and suasive skills. But on the phone lines, the conver- skills that emerged from their work ex- “My favorites were the people who sations were sometimes less friendly, perience amid these drawbacks. The answered the phone saying ‘I’m not go- Thomas said. Daily Trojan interviewed seven former ing to give any money today,’” Ward “You get a lot of rude people, a lot of employees who worked at the call cen- said. “Then they would give money by upset people, a lot of racist people some- ter between 2015 and 2020. the time we got off the phone.” times,” she said.

INDEX 2 · News 4 · Opinion 5 · Lifestyle 6· Sudoku 8 · Classifieds 12 · Sports PAGE 2 June 9, 2021 | WWW.DAILYTROJAN.COM NEWS Student named Goldwater Scholar for disease research

Bryson Choy’s research understanding of diseases. Rohs “I never regretted about [taking] directed Choy to various labs, in- him because he actually is a fast focuses on understanding cluding the Katritch Lab, where he learner, and he quickly learned the chronic diseases treatment would begin research during his ropes,” Katritch said. second semester. In addition to working with By SYDNEY FIORENTINO “That was my very first experi- Katritch, Choy also began research Staff Writer ence [performing research], I had with William Padula, assistant Originally from Honolulu, no previous exposure to research, professor of pharmaceutical and Hawaii, Bryson Choy enjoyed his- but that’s when I really began to get health economics in the School of tory and economics in high school, engaged in different projects,” Choy Pharmacy. After onboarding onto but his interests shifted to drug said. “My interest in research be- Padula’s research team, Choy com- discovery and quantitative biolo- gan to build … but the prospect of pleted tasks that required data gy when he enrolled at USC three discovering new things, of making analysis, computer programming, years ago. After pursuing research new discoveries and being able to systematic literature review and during his freshman year, Choy was advance your knowledge of, for ex- identified important data points to one of two USC students to receive ample, a specific disease or a specif- build the lab’s research. the Barry Goldwater Scholarship in ic protein and how it works, was re- Padula said that it takes a cer- March. Out of 1,200 applicants who ally enticing.” tain type of person to dedicate received nominations from their Choy has continued working at themselves to such research initia- school, 410 students received the the Katritch Lab and is currently tives, as it takes a lot of work and Photo Courtesy of Bryson Choy $7,500 award for their works. writing a manuscript based on his time before one can get their work Bryson Choy conducted research with two professors, Vsevolod Choy, a rising senior studying discoveries, after which he will con- published in a journal. Katritch and William Padula. quantitative biology and pursu- tinue working on another project “Bryson showed me that he was ing a progressive degree in quanti- related to the discovery of anoth- very patient, [was thinking] ana- “His accomplishments and what Biology and Biological Engineering tative and computational biology, er selective small molecule. While lytically and was learning the right he’s doing [is] a challenging prob- at Caltech. Following the comple- had family members who had a his- first beginning at the Katritch Lab, methodology to contribute to the lem, and how he approached it is tion of his progressive degree pro- very competitive for the highest tory of chronic diseases. He wanted Choy was mentored by Arman type of work that we were doing gram next year, Choy hopes to apply to understand how different treat- Sadybekov, took on a few pilot proj- in my lab, so I could tell right away level.” Katritch said. “I was not sur- to doctorate programs in computa- ments worked and was interested ects and started to work on an in- that he was a good fit,” Padula said. prised that he was chosen.” in learning how research could bet- dependent project, which included As Choy continued his research, Padula called Choy an “up and tional biology. He said that being ter address how diseases are treated modeling and analyzing the func- he heard about the Goldwater coming star.” Choy seemed to be a Goldwater Scholar will not only with different therapies. tional role of sodium ions in recep- Scholarship — an award for stu- very altruistic, with a desire to do help him pay for tuition, but con- “[The award] is really a manifes- tors and how the ion impacts acti- dents interested in doing STEM research to help people and to im- nect him to a valuable network. tation of the work that you did in vation and various functions. field research as a future career — prove social services, Padula said. “I think the opportunity to con- your undergraduate research,” Choy Vsevolod Katritch, associate pro- from another student from Hawaii “He wants to be a researcher in nect to others, like Goldwater said. “It’s a good stepping stone for fessor of quantitative and computa- who had previously received the the field of social services, whether future research fellowships that you tional biology and chemistry, said scholarship. In his scholarship ap- that’s healthcare and public health or Scholars, and being able to talk and might apply to for graduate school.” that it was unusual for a freshman plication, Choy wrote about his in- whether that’s somewhere else is re- connect to other students who are Beginning freshman year, Choy to be interested in his lab. However, terest in drug discovery and dis- ally up to him at this point, but … he also interested in the same research talked to his professor, Remo Rohs, Choy’s interests and enrollment in cussed his contributions to the has the right training and quantita- as you, or just research in general, professor of quantitative and com- the second cohort of the quantita- Katritch Lab regarding the role of tive methods and this blend of com- gives you a community of students putational biology, chemistry, phys- tive biology major, which was creat- sodium in the activation of GPCRs, puter science and programming to be that are also interested in going to ics and anatomy, and comput- ed in 2017, matched what they were or receptors that allow molecules able to make it a reality,” Padula said. er science, about his interests in doing in his lab, so Katritch decided to bind to it, and how this can bet- This summer, Choy is conduct- graduate school pursuing research computational tools to better un- to make an exception to take Choy ter inform future drug design ap- ing research under Mitch Guttman, as a career,” Choy said. “I think that derstand disease and advance the into his lab. proaches. a professor in the Division of in itself is really valuable.” NEWS June 9, 2021 | WWW.DAILYTROJAN.COM PAGE 3 Annenberg implements new AAPI journalism course

The course was created in wanted to be white because that’s response to the rise of anti- all I knew. I wanted to have blonde hair, I wanted to have blue eyes. Asian racism nationwide. I wanted to change my name to Mary because that sounded more By EMMETT FUCHS white ... Instead of being proud Assistant News Editor of [my identity], I was trying to In the days and weeks following dismiss it and push it away.” the Atlanta shooting that killed Later on in Lee’s life, as she eight women, six of whom were found her first journalism job and Asian American, May Lee noticed navigated her career, she experi- a stark difference in the media enced racism both while on the coverage of the event. The cover- job and within the industry itself. age, Lee said, by mainstream, pre- She plans to use those experiences dominantly white media outlets, in the course, viewing sharing her versus that of Korean and other own stories as a way to build em- Asian outlets was “very different.” pathy and hopes that students will Lee, a journalist and adjunct be able to have open, and poten- professor at the USC Annenberg tially painful or uncomfortable, School for Communication and conversations. Journalism, said that mainstream “I hope that I will be able to cre- outlets, unaware of cultural sensi- ate a class where people will really tivities and what Asian Americans want to dig deep, and maybe also were going through “skew[ed] the question themselves about our narrative,” dehumanized the vic- own biases, our own microaggres- tims through hypersexualization and “show[ed] more sympathy to- sions, our own stereotypes that ward the shooter than the actual we’ve carried for a long time, not victims,” as in the case with the even aware of it,” Lee said. sheriff spokesman. On the oth- The new course is being intro- duced now as journalism schools er hand, Asian and Korean media Daily Trojan file photo outlets told a more complete and across the country are experi- Journalist and adjunct professor May Lee worked with School of Journalism Director Gordon Stables accurate story, Lee said, because encing an evolving definition of to create and begin offering the course in a few weeks for students to take the course in Fall 2021. of their awareness of cultural sen- what objectivity is in journalism, sitivities. Stables said in an interview with While the Atlanta shootings are the Daily Trojan. a recent example, Lee said media “Journalism schools are under- bias against Asian Americans has standing that the core value of ob- persisted throughout American jectivity is providing high-quali- history, citing the media’s pro-gov- ty information. It’s not trying to ernment stance during Japanese pretend that everyone comes from internment. With the knowledge the same starting point,” Stables of those biases in media and the said. “So that subtle movement anxiety and fear from the past has meant a lot of our efforts and year, in which hate crimes against interventions [are] about saying, Asians rose 114% in Los Angeles ‘How do you better report on a from 2019 to 2020 according to the community that retains the truth- Los Angeles Times, Lee pitched a telling part of objectivity, without class that would tackle these is- the false notion that everyone is sues to Gordon Stables, the direc- tor of the School of Journalism. the same?’” Over the course of just a couple of Students will learn about the months, Stables fast-tracked the long historical discrimination course, and Lee wrote the curric- against Asian Americans in the ulum in a few weeks. The class, ti- United States, including the 1882 tled “Asian American History and Chinese Exclusion Act, Japanese Journalism,” will be open to stu- internment, the Atlanta shootings dents for the upcoming fall semes- and the murder of Vincent Chin, a ter. Chinese American man who was The class “combines the idea beaten to death by two white men. of [Asian American and Pacific In addition to learning about the Islander] history and how journal- history itself, students will exam- ism played a role in perpetuating ine the media coverage that fol- stereotypes, misleading the public lowed the events, deconstruct- into thinking certain ways, cover- ing how media bias against Asian ing stories in a very biased way just Americans shaped public opinion. because of the area, and then also Nathan Hyun, a rising senior because of the lack of knowledge majoring in journalism and co- when it came to different Asian president of the USC chapter of cultures in America,” Lee said. the Asian American Journalists In addition to learning about Association, said he often no- AAPI history, a subject that many ticed that he is one of few Asian students have not been taught in schools, students will examine Americans, especially Asian the ways in which coverage from American men, in the Annenberg AAPI outlets differ from main- School — and the media industry stream outlets, the ways that me- as a whole. Because of that aware- dia has historically misrepresent- ness, Hyun said he is excited by ed the AAPI community, cultural the new course and other steps sensitivities and past AAPI social that Annenberg has recently taken movements. The number one goal to address anti-Asian racism. of the course, Lee said, is that “stu- “I definitely think it was an dents will develop empathy.” area, a topic, that Annenberg “Empathy is so powerful, but lacked, even the last couple years. empathy only comes when you But I’m really encouraged, and I’m are better educated, better in- really excited to see what more the formed and more aware of a situ- University and what Annenberg ation,” Lee said. “After [students] can do moving forward,” Hyun go through [this course] and learn said. a lot about AAPI history and how At other points in history, Lee our stories and narratives have said there have been “little waves” been skewed by the media, then I of focus on Asian American issues. hope that there’s going to be a lot Now, she hopes the movement will more empathy and understanding, last. and they’ll become much better “This time the whole idea of the journalists.” Lee grew up in Dayton, Ohio model minority myth is just being in the 1970s and 80s as the only shattered, and a lot of Asians, es- Asian kid in town aside from her pecially younger Asians are saying older brother. She often felt like an ‘No, we’re not the model minor- outsider and less than, she said, ity, we’re not going to stay silent. and was exposed early on to the We’re going to speak up, speak “idea of being a foreigner.” out and really engage and become “Being Korean American, very much like the activist move- being Asian American was not ment,’” Lee said. “That’s why I’m something I was proud of or made very hopeful that the changes will to feel proud of,” Lee said. “I continue.” PAGEO 4 | Wednesday,pini June 9, 2021 | WWW.DAILYTROJAN.COM/OPINIONon Bo Burnam’s netflix special scratches inside his mind Burnam’s “inside” is a and sardonic reactions to Jeff Bezos’ masterful approach to business practices. A common theme that finds itself mental health and death. replicated throughout the special, however, is the overarching suicid- By KENNETH KIM al feelings Burnham struggles with, Staff Writer both in his understanding of his own Content warning: This article con- loneliness and his relationship to the tains information regarding death concept of suicide itself. Burnham and suicide. Students dealing with constantly mentions death, both as mental health concerns can walk an overly personal moment and an into USC Student Health centers or apocalyptic, end-of-world concept. contact the 24/7 phone line (213) He discusses suicide by gun with 740-9355 for professional assistance. a candor that demands the audi- ence’s attention. Further, the death Bo Burnham’s new special, “Bo of a mother makes an entirely un- Burnham: Inside” is unsettling, expected appearance in a bit about candid, ironic, sincere, hectic and white women. This obsession with awe-inspiring in a way that both il- death culminates halfway through luminates Burnham’s incredible the special, where he sits solemnly in performance abilities and casts a the dark, alone, a projection of him- shadow over what appears to be a self as the only source of light on his dark, depressive state of loneliness body. He gives advice to an alternate scratching at Burnham’s mind. version of himself, one that’s been It’s a twist on the one man show, stuck in quarantine for a longer pe- a solo Tiny Desk performance-esque riod of time, but this version of him comedy special. One that utilizes its acts as a stand-in for the audience; title to point fingers at both the har- Burnham is talking directly to the rowing isolation that the corona- viewer when he’s discussing death. virus pandemic has brought to the It’s dark, but, more importantly, world and the personal withdrawal it has a sliver of hope to it; not once into Burnham’s own mind. “Inside” does Burnham ever end a joke about is a wonderfully tender, comedic and suicide without ever qualifying it sobering look into mental health within the context of the joke or out- and the loneliness that comes with right telling the camera (and as such, the pandemic. It reminds audiences the audience) to “Just, don’t” in ref- that it’s okay to feel isolated, but that erence to suicide. It never becomes Huong Nguyen | Daily Trojan they should always continue push- too depressing without swinging ing forward. back to the empathetic — pushing song “Turning 30” that by “2030, I’ll coronavirus, and, yet, Burnham disheartening situations Burnham In that way, “Inside” is a true mas- audience members to not wallow be 40 and kill myself then” but al- chooses not to dwell on the upset- finds himself in, ends with Burnham terpiece: It pushes the primary idea in their own depression (ironically, most immediately backtracks on the ting circumstances for too long. watching a recording of himself, that, even through the suffering of in a setting almost completely de- depressing sentiment. Although “Inside” doesn’t shy away with the final few frames being a loneliness, consistently trying to live fined by Burnham wallowing in his There’s something to be said from thinking about existential cri- shot of him beginning to genuine- is the best you can do. own sadness). The special revolves about that: a focus on the positive ses, it doesn’t specifically dwell on ly smile. It’s an uplifting shot, one Burnham’s special is just as cha- around the vulnerability Burnham even through a noticeably more de- these problems excessively; the spe- otic as one would expect from a co- opens himself up to through to an pressing, chaotic and shut-in special cial only takes the time to look back that drives home the central theme median locked inside for more than audience that isn’t there, for a view- than his grandiose “Make Happy” at the pandemic to contextualize his of “Inside:” Through all the isolation a year, jumping from discussions ing party that will never see “Inside” and his wonderfully well-put-to- thoughts on death. and the pain that naturally comes about FaceTime calls with his moth- in person and yet, never strays into gether “what”. Indeed, “Inside,” for all of its dis- with, there’s always a better ending er to parodies of Twitch streamers darkness too much. He notes in the It’s a special born out of the tressing material covered and the to work toward. Spending time with loved ones

here, and that’s what inspires me.” deal of loss in our life, whether it be force to help me pursue gerontology be an incredibly arduous and emo- Lois The process of aging is one filled losing a family member, falling out in an effort to reconnect and create tionally draining process, especially with love and loss, which both often with someone you considered a close new memories with the older genera- for those who may be experiencing Angelo intertwine with one another. The cre- tion. A breakup, similarly, can teach friend, or breaking up with someone it for the first time. Again, indepen- ation or maintenance of new rela- us that maybe dating is just not our BACK IN MY DAY you had thought to be the one. Loss is dence always coincides with some tionships can often be met with them an incredibly difficult part of life that thing yet or that we still need to fig- form of loss, certainly, but it also pro- ending or falling through. However, surrounds us each and every day. But ure out what we really want in a rela- the memories of those journeys are as the saying goes, love finds a way. tionship. vides new opportunities for love to he tidbit of advice that I will be what many consider life to be all Many of us will begin the transi- To avoid sounding like a pastor at grow. It is crucial to take some time discussing today really takes about. College students often experi- tion back to campus or even move out Sunday sermons, I hope that you, too, for yourself and those loved ones a jab at the heart. In tradition ence a lot of love and loss in terms of for the first time. For some, the notion T can appreciate and cherish the mem- around you, maybe taking that one with the gerontology column, all of relationships, with dating and friend- of independence and liberation from the quotes that we dissect come from ships built upon convenience; how- ories that come prior to loss. Often, nagging parents or siblings can be a minute or two with those who you interviews and casual discussion ever, the nature of the pandemic, as while it does stab and tear the heart weight lifted off your shoulders. The may leave behind as you head off to posts with individuals who are in the you have probably guessed, has made apart, loss simultaneously puts life world can present an incredibly ex- college. field of aging, are older adults them- things a whole lot more complicated. into a new perspective, one that often citing adventure, jumpstarted by the selves, or both. Love has become more complicat- suggests making a change and living promises of the college experience. Lois Angelo is a rising junior writing “If I could have one more minute ed with relationships in the virtual life in a new way that honors yourself And, if we are honest with ourselves, with my mother, I would do any- space straining emotions and men- or the one you lost. For me, losing my college is a less serious, more fun ver- about the timeless lessons learned thing. Every older person has some- tal health. grandparents in a very short frame of sion of the real world all around us. from older adults. He is also co-chief one that loves them and wants them We have all experienced a great time at a young age acted as a driving But often, leaving our families can copy editor of the Daily Trojan.

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REVIEW “In the Heights” is a theatrical, cinematic and cultural masterpiece

MOVIE

IN THE HEIGHTS

Genre: Musical Rating: PG-13 Release Date: June 10, 2021

By SENWIN PAREJA Staff Writer Just breathe. Another musical is coming to the big screen. Movie adaptations of famous Broadway musicals are increas- ingly becoming the norm. It’s hard to believe that we are getting at least three of them this year, start- ing with the Tony Award-winning musical “In the Heights.” In it, Lin-Manuel Miranda re- turns with another one of his be- loved musicals, following the sur- prise proshot of “Hamilton” that was released on Disney Plus only last July. The latest installment in musical-to-movie adaptations over the years, “In the Heights,” di- rected by Jon M. Chu, nearly per- fects what it means to be one in this day and age. Actors and cre- Photo Courtesy of Macall Polay ators from the film shared their The movie adaptation of “In The Heights,” starring Anthony Ramos and Olga Merediz, was adapted to screen by Jon M. Chu. thoughts at a college roundtable interview May 24. Barrera, who plays Vanessa in the book. “To me, the lead character is effects to bring stories to life on very current.” Despite making some chang- film adaptation. “It’s ingrained the community ... When we moved stage. Film productions embrace It’s without a doubt that the es that die-hard fans would defi- in us that we’re ‘dreamers,’ in the from the stage play to the screen- that same creative freedom film adaptation’s release could not nitely notice, the movie neverthe- broad sense of the word. Every play, we knew we would have to through the magic of editing. come at a more vital time. less stays true to the authenticity person in the ensemble of the eliminate some elements to [give] “There were so many techni- “Coming through this pandem- of the original musical. The plot movie has different dreams … but the ones that remain in the tapes- cal parts and moving pieces that ic and having to reckon with not centers on characters doing what every single dream is as important try … room to breathe on screen.” we weren’t even aware of,” Grace only health issues, but a lot of so- they can to achieve their own per- as the next.” But, despite the changes, said. “I can’t even imagine all the cial issues, whether it’s LGBTQ+, sonal measures of success within Theatre-goers may also be skep- Merediz’s reprisal of her Tony- things that the film crew had to do immigration or BLM, it’s all of their community of Washington tical at first of certain decisions nominated performance as Abuela to make sure that we got this illu- these things that have made us Heights in New York City. made in regards to what made the Claudia allows audiences to feel as if sion. It’s … magical.” more in tune,” Smits said. From the very beginning, the final cut to the big screen. they were watching the original pro- And director Chu uses this as- With the increased awareness movie introduces us to the over- These decisions include the duction. pect to his advantage to further in social-political movements in arching concept of the Spanish removal of Nina’s (Leslie Grace) “Reprising the role in the movie, evoke the cultural vibrance of the past year, “In the Heights” bril- word sueñito, or little dream, mother Camila’s storyline from I definitely [was] very hard on my- the Latinx community for “In the liantly focuses on and lifts up the which was a theme heavily implied the Rosario family picture, along self,” said Merediz. “I felt like I had Heights.” voices of the Latinx community through the characters in the orig- with fan-favorite songs like Benny to, again, … get it from the depths “I think he was the person that by placing audiences in intimate inal musical. Despite being a ver- (Corey Hawkins) and Nina’s love of my soul and be true to this char- was supposed to direct this film,” settings that are representative of bal theme unique to the movie, duet “Sunrise” and Abuela Claudia’s acter.” said Jimmy Smits, who plays Kevin their cultural experiences. the idea of sueñito gives audienc- (Olga Merediz) tear-jerking And with stage-to-film chang- Rosario in the upcoming film ad- “It’s part of our culture to have es clarity to better understand the “Hundreds of Stories.” es, comes stage-to-film enhance- aptation. “He [does] these beau- intimate moments [in the] salon motives of the characters. “‘In the Heights’ has always been ments. tiful scenes for ‘Paciencia y Fe’ … because it’s a therapy session,” “I think it’s in our blood as chil- a tapestry,” said Quiara Alegría Plays and musicals already uti- and ‘96,000’ that are odes to old said Dascha Polanco, who plays Hudes, writer of the musical’s lize clever maneuvering of special Hollywood, but at the same time, dren of immigrants,” said Melissa | see HEIGHTS, page 7 | The perfect shows to stream during Pride Month Check out these must-watch things easier. The series follows him on their cross country journey is filled conjugal, blended and same-sex house- Bob the Drag Queen and many more. shows celebrating the and his adventures as he goes on a se- with laughter, tears, fun and lots of cra- holds. “Modern Family” was one of the With two seasons, she has recorded a ries of dates and meets a wide range of zy adventures. very first primetime TV shows that total of 156 episodes which is definitely LGBTQ+ community. different people. This comedy-drama starred a gay couple, Mitchell Pritchett enough to enjoy throughout the entire- series is filled with real-life experienc- Pride: The LGBTQ+ History (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron By NIA MITCHELL ty of Pride month. es that highlight the ups and downs of Series (Peacock) Tucker (Eric Stonestreet). Throughout Staff Writer the online dating world. Are you curious about how Pride the 11 season series, audiences get to For & Against (Hulu) Pride Month is a time for everyone You can watch “HANDSOME” on is celebrated around the globe? Then follow Mitch and Cam as they experi- Looking for a grittier show to to acknowledge and celebrate the Devon O’Kane’s YouTube channel, or “Pride: The LGBTQ+ History series,” ence milestones from adopting a child lives of those who identify as part of stream? “For & Against” is an LGBTQ+ on Instagram @handsometheseries. the six part Peacock docuseries, is the to getting married. It’s an amazing, political TV series that focuses on is- the LGBTQ+ community. Whether show for you. unforgettable journey that everyone you personally identify as a member sues gay Americans have faced over AJ And The Queen (Netflix) Mark Kenneth Woods and Micheal should watch. the years. They cover a wide variety of the LGBTQ+ community or are an If you’ve ever watched “RuPaul’s Yerxa take you along as they travel to ally, this month is the perfect time to of topics including the issue of HIV Drag Race,” how could you not love international Pride celebrations in cit- A Little Late With Lily Singh curl up on the couch and binge-watch criminalization and the separation of RuPaul? Since the meteoric success ies like New York, Salt Lake City, Hong (Peacock) shows that celebrate Pride. Here are six church and state. of his reality TV competition took off, Kong, Alberta and many more, all Comedian, author, YouTube sensa- essential shows for your consideration The series also features an inter- this distinguished entertainer has con- while learning more about LGBTQ+ tion and member of the LGBTQ+ com- to get the party started: view with gay Republican, Fred Karger, tinued to create TV series celebrating history. Since the coronavirus pan- munity, Lily Singh has ventured into who formally ran in the 2012 United Handsome (YouTube) the LGBTQ+ community for every- demic has halted most travel plans, the world of late-night talk shows, be- one to enjoy. In his show, “AJ And The this show is the perfect way to escape coming the first LGBTQ+ woman to States presidential election. In addi- If you are looking for something tion, the series highlights interviews quick to watch, check out the new Queen” — which he directs and stars your home and travel with them, all host a late night talk show. Her show, in — RuPaul plays the role of Robert, while viewing the extravagant ways “A Little Late With Lily Singh,” is the with Gregory T. Angelo and Stephen LGBTQ+ web series “HANDSOME,” Sherock, Republicans who identify as which dropped June 5 on YouTube. a luckless drag queen (Ruby Red) who that Pride is celebrated. perfect mix of sit-down interviews gay. They express their reasoning as Created and directed by Devon is robbed by her boyfriend, preventing with celebrity guests, comedic sketch- to why they are affiliated with a po- Matthew O’Kane, the series follows the her from opening up her own drag club Modern Family (Peacock) es and musical performances. main character, Devon, as he reenters as she’d hoped. If you’re looking for an excuse to re- If you are interested in more light- litical party that has historically been the dating world. As Robert heads out on a road trip watch “Modern Family,” this is it. The hearted content, her show is perfect to discriminatory towards the LGBTQ+ After coming out of a long-term re- for a cross country tour, he is accompa- Emmy award-winning show chronicles watch. Laugh, listen and learn as you community. If you are interested in lationship, Devon must figure out how nied by AJ, a 10-year-old who tags along the lives of multiple families (who are get to hear from some of your favorite seeing how the lives of the LGBTQ+ to navigate the world of online dating. in hopes of making some extra cash by all interrelated through Jay Pritchett, entertainers such as transgender ac- community are affected by politics Being in his early 30s doesn’t make swindling adults into giving her mon- played by Ed O’ Neill) and highlights tresses MJ Rodriquez and Laverne and political leaders, this is the perfect ey. This 10 part series following them the day-to-day struggles that arise in Cox, Caldwell Tidicue, also known as show for you. A&E June 9, 2021 | WWW.DAILYTROJAN.COM PAGE 7 It’s not white people music COME SAIL WITH US! Marlize USC Duncan NAUTICAL SCIENCE

HUSTLE AND FRO PROGRAM Sailing adventures, s a lover of all music — and yes, that includes country navigation and A— I was really excited when seamanship I first heard Willow Smith’s pop- punk song, “Transparent Soul,” the other day. It’s not often you see instruction. young Black women in punk and *NO EXTRA ACTIVITY FEE* rock genres … or is it? Nowadays, in the music space, REGISTER NOW people associate rhythm and blues and rap genres as being the basis of For Fall Semester 2021 Black music. But, in reality, they’re priceschool.usc.edu/naut/ Naut 301A & Naut 301B completely disregarding the im- pact Black musicians have made on music in its entirety. In many cas- es, people don’t even mention Black Alyssa Shao | Daily Trojan artists in genres like country and rock. So, in honor of Black Music and Johnny Cash were mentored her new musical era of punk and Month, now’s a great time to talk by Black musicians such as Rufus rock music. about exactly why this is. “Tee Tot” Payne and Gustavus “Gus” Following in her mother’s foot- Let’s start with one of my fa- Cannon. steps as a rock artist — Jada Pinkett vorite examples, “Old Town Road” This pattern isn’t only true for Smith was the lead singer of the nu- by Lil Nas X. After the song was country music either — it can also metal band “Wicked Wisdom” — first released back in 2018, it de- be seen in the rock and roll mu- Willow recognizes the discrimina- buted at number 19 on Billboard’s sic realm. Black progenitors of the tion that her mom faced in the rock Hot Country Songs and then was genre like Little Richard, Chuck quickly relocated to the Hot Rap Berry and Sister Rosetta Tharpe music space and explains in an in- Songs chart. each made great strides in the cre- terview with W Magazine that she Though the song incorporat- ation of rock and roll. was still willing to give it a try. ed everything from a banjo-laced But, just like the aforementioned “A lot of people weren’t hap- HOUSING beat to lyrics about horses, boots country artists, the white artists py about seeing a Black woman in and tractors, it just wasn’t country that were inspired by Black origi- that space. I saw her [Jada Pinkett enough, as explained by a Billboard nators got significantly more rec- Smith] gracefully do her thing while representative to Rolling Stone. GUIDE ognition. Back in the 1950s, white so many people were being racist “While ‘Old Town Road’ incor- pop singer Pat Boone covered three and sexist and just not being nice,” porates references to country and of Black rock and roll singer Little Smith said. “I never thought I could cowboy imagery, it does not em- Richard’s songs, like “Tutti Frutti,” do rock music, because I was trained brace enough elements of today’s and was met with substantially country music to chart in its cur- since I was 8 to sing R&B. Then I higher levels of success. was just like, You know what? Eff it.” rent version,” the representative This, unfortunately, was ex- With more Black country art- said. tremely common across the music While some thought race had industry. When The Beach Boys re- ists on the scene like Jimmie Allen, played a role in it (see: Tweet corded “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” it was note who was recently met with a stand- from Ski Mask The Slump God), for note Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little ing ovation by Garth Brooks while Advertising Supplement Spring 2021 it doesn’t seem far off, especially Sixteen” with new lyrics. While honoring him at the Kennedy Center when so many Black artists are al- “Surfin’ U.S.A.” became an instant Honors, as well as Black rock artists located to rap and R&B. It’s crazy classic, Berry’s music isn’t currently like the Black woman fronted band to think that, in a genre paved by as recognizable. Berry got songwrit- Alabama Shakes, who’ve won mul- Black musicians, country music is ing credit for The Beach Boys hit but AVAILABLE ONLINE: so white-centric now that many tiple Grammys for rock and alter- not before legal action was taken. blamed discrimination for “Old native music, it’s pretty safe to say Black artists have historical- dailytrojan.com/housing Town Road’s” removal from the that the future of these genres is in ly been cast out of the genres that country charts. good hands. I look forward to the Country music was born from they originated and popularized, so day where music better reflects its genres that Black people created, much so that country and rock are Black roots in history and Black art- socially considered white. like religious hymns and blues. But ists aren’t left fighting for a rightful in many cases, as country music Fast forward about 70 years, Black artists are seeing a ton of suc- spot. So, for now I simply say, it’s not gained popularity, Black people “white people music.” weren’t credited for songwriting or cess in the genres that worked so Advertise Here! hard to erase them out of. Willow in musical covers, and white art- Marlize Duncan is a rising ists graced posters and album cov- Smith’s “Transparent Soul,” the song junior writing about Black social ers instead. And, funnily enough, that instantly piqued my interest in Small space. Big Visibility. country stars like Hank Williams all of this, features blink-182’s Travis issues and their intersection in Barker and has ushered Smith into the entertainment industry. For rates: [email protected] HEIGHTS | Film marks a turn in Hollywood representation SUDOKU | Look for puzzles weekly in the Summer Trojan Puzzle 4 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.48) beginning for the necessary and more authentic representation of the Latinx and minority commu- nities in the future of film. 4 8 “[‘In the Heights’] goes to show this can work,” Polanco said. 5 7 9 6 “These stories do work and there’s a yearn for it ... Now, the question is ‘what’s next’ and who’s willing 6 3 2 8 to take that risk and leap forward.” “In the Heights” comes out in theaters and will be available for 9 3 6 2 streaming on HBO Max on June 11. 1 3

8 3 7 5 JOIN THE Photo Courtesy of Macall Polay 2 9 4 8 “In The Heights” was based on the Tony award-winning musical, whose music and lyrics were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. 7 4 8 9 | continued from page 6 | Daily women that raised us within our Cuca in the film. “It’s a moment community, as well.” for us to not only beautify but ex- Considering the cultural im- 2 4 press ourselves in a safe place, for pacts that “In the Heights” made Trojan us to feel at home and belong. And as a stage musical and will make so, playing the roles of women that as a film adaptation, audienc- Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Tue May 18 04:30:55 2021 GMT. Enjoy! own [this] business represents es can be assured this is only the dailytrojan.com/apply Summer Trojan PAGE 8 | Wednesday,C Junela 9, 2021 | WWW.DAILYTROJAN.COM/CLASSIFIEDSssified s

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Haoda “Harry” Wang’s Since then, Wang’s research in- terests had continued to devel- research specializes in op even after he enrolled at USC. building secure computers. During his freshman year, Wang be- came involved in computer science By TRICIA SAPUTERA research at the USC Information Staff Writer Sciences Institute. His first research When Haoda “Harry” Wang read project involved abnormal attacks the email notifying him that he on code. had been named a 2021 Goldwater According to Wang, computers Scholar, he immediately went back can generally be attacked by to bed, the accomplishment not overwhelming them with false, settling in until a few hours later. “garbage” data, whether or not Wang had been up late the night the contents of the code are before working on his research known. In his work, Wang helped internship with NASA. develop a system to find elusive Wang, a rising senior majoring “packets” of data within large in computer engineering and com- piles of “garbage data” that would puter science, was one of two USC “break everything” on server students named a 2021 Goldwater computers when received. Through Scholar, receiving a $7,500 scholar- this project, Wang discovered an ship. The Goldwater Scholarship is interest in cybersecurity. aimed towards students intending “[Wang] was at the level of ex- to pursue a research career in the perienced master’s students when natural sciences, mathematics or en- he started in our lab, even though gineering. Wang competed against he was just a freshman,” said Jelena over 5,000 college students at 438 Mirkovic, research associate pro- academic institutions for the award. fessor at ISI and Wang’s principal Wang’s main research motiva- investigator. “He was immediately tion, he said, is “building secure able to contribute to the first project systems that are reliable.” he was in, and then I assigned him “It is really cool what you can do to the second project and wherever I with a computer that you don’t re- put him, he was contributing and he Photo Courtesy of Haoda “Harry” Wang Haoda “Harry” Wang ally think about on a daily basis,” was moving the project forward. I’ve conducted research with the Department of Energy, NASA, including work on the Wang said. “There’s so much that been very impressed with his work Mars 2020 Rover for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and more. ethic and his skills and his ability you could do with it to generate new “In a life-threatening situation, determining the program’s function in terms of researching and so on.” scientific insights and data that to be very proud in his interest and contribute to a number of projects.” like you’re a firefighter and the from its composition. From mid-May to mid- never really was possible before. I’m phone or the satellite that you use “Most [projects] were involving August, Wang will be working on working on really the foundation of The summer after his freshman year, Wang worked at Sandia to communicate with the other fire- binary analysis, where you take the reconfigurable networking circuitry what makes all this other stuff that fighters suddenly drops out, that’s a compiled version of a program, and with a lab at Harvard University. we do possible.” National Laboratories, a lab run by the Department of Energy, where problem, and I thought it would be try and figure out what the program His next plans are to apply for Wang initially entered USC cool to work on this sort of problem,” does from just the assembly code,” PhD programs and work on his unsure of what area of computer he worked with high-performance computing and became interested Wang said. Wang said. undergraduate honors thesis about science he wanted to do. He knew Wang worked for NASA full- Another binary analysis project field programmable gate arrays. he wanted to pursue computer in constructing secure and reliable computer systems, especially for time from January to August 2020, Wang worked on at ISI involved bi- Not limiting himself to computer science, a field Wang first found including with the Mars 2020 Rover nary runtime code that were used in science, Wang looks toward interest in at the age of seven. His emergency applications. Working with such high-quali- for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, satellites, drones and other autono- electricity, where he plans to explore dad, a physicist, once left a book before beginning to work part-time mous vehicles and translated into how field programmable gate arrays lying around the house about basic ty technology led him back to the basics. According to Wang, foun- until May. He created kinematics mathematical equations. can be programmed to any kind of programming. simulations, reproducing the flight “He’s been an invaluable asset to circuit desired. “I kind of got curious about it dational technology today, like random-access memory and cen- software on the rover, discovered the team,” said ISI research comput- “I don’t really limit myself to re- because there was nothing to read several critical bugs, and more. With er scientist Luis Garcia, who worked search questions that are in my … It was just the only book in the tral processing units, can be un- reliable at times, or even untested. the extra time he had after switching with Wang on this project. “You field,” Wang said. “There’s a lot to be house and I was completely bored to part-time work, Wang took on would think he’s another graduate gained just by seeing something in- so I was like, ‘I’ll take a look,’” Wang Vulnerabilities such as calculation errors and malfunctions can cause some new projects at USC ISI that student, with the level of the skill set teresting or a weird correlation and said. resembled reverse engineering, or that he has and the level of maturity trying to figure it out.” problems in emergencies. The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 ForFor Release Release Wednesday,Thursday, June June 10, 9, 20212021

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NEWS June 9, 2021 | WWW.DAILYTROJAN.COM PAGE 11 CALL | ‘SCallers’ center violated bathroom break and sick leave labor laws | continued from page 1 | employees with written notice that anxious because I had been totally employees for using sick leave, a prac- clarification — the call center officially about their right to paid sick leave, sets forth the amount of paid sick leave manipulated.” tice prohibited by California Labor closed less than a month later. Thomas said. available to them. Breit and Thomas decided to tell Law Section 246. Cass, who is no longer employed Thomas began working at USC’s Upon further investigation, Thomas their co-workers anyway. “I was like, ‘That still does not seem at RNL, declined to comment on how call center in 2015, where she described found she had accrued 90 hours of Hanson noted to employees that right,’” Breit said. “If someone can only he managed the controversy over paid a strict workplace rule under which sick time in her four years working at sick leave policies were outlined in a work 10 hours a week, and they’re sick, leave for SCallers. only one employee was permitted to SCallers. A typical call center employee nondescript labor rights flyer post- that’s really not their fault.” The paid leave controversies stoked use the restroom at any given time. worked for 10 hours every week. These ed on the back wall of the call center. The Daily Trojan reached out to distrust between management and SCallers were also prohibited from us- hours did not appear on her pay stubs, If SCallers wanted to be paid for their Hanson on three separate occasions to students, Thomas said. ing the restroom during their first and make clear the allegations that she had “At the end of the day, what they last 30 minutes of shift, she said. misled call center employees about cared about more than anything was One employee defied this rule and sick hours. She declined to comment their bottom line and how much mon- was told by the manager on duty to “At the end of the day, what they cared about for the story. ey we were making,” Thomas said. sit back down in her seat, an incident more than anyting was their bottom line and The call center amended its sick “If we were able to call out sick, that which escalated as the employee threw leave policy in April 2020 in response would really affect their numbers, be- punches and threw a water bottle at how much money we were making.” to months of employee pushback. cause we wouldn’t have to come in and her superior. She then knocked over · · · However, RNL Vice President of Client make that time up.” several computers and fled the scene, Success Brian Cass maintained that Thomas said. ALICE THOMAS the policy of asking employees to make Read the full story at “Turns out, it is illegal to tell some- Supervisor at SCallers and USC alum up their sick leave was an “acceptable dailytrojan.com one that they can’t go to the bath- practice,” according to an email ob- room,” she said. tained by the Daily Trojan that he sent California Labor Code states that to a student worker. employees are entitled to a “reason- Thomas said. sick hours, they had to contact RNL “I’m sorry you were not aware that able” amount of bathroom breaks of The two supervisors met with management to claim them. as an employee in California you ac- “reasonable” duration. Though the def- Hanson again, who told Breit and “Hours missed due to being sick crued sick time,” Cass wrote in the inition of a reasonable restroom break Thomas that she knew little about the should still be made up,” Hanson email. “[I] encourage you to take ad- can vary between workplaces, employ- call center’s official sick leave policy. wrote in an email to the SCallers. vantage of this moving forward when ers are prohibited from limiting rest- Hanson promised to resolve the issue Shifts missed due to illness had to you aren’t feeling well.” room breaks to certain times during an but told the supervisors not to mention be completed within a week and with- As of April 20, 2020, employees uti- employee’s shift, according to the law. paid sick leave to the other SCallers un- in the same calendar month and fail- lizing sick hours were no longer re- Jenna Hanson, another RNL em- til she made a decision, Breit said. ure to do so would merit a write-up, ac- quired to make up shifts, according to ployee, took over as the call center di- “I literally had a sleepless night cording to Hanson’s email. This policy Cass’ email. But there were few oppor- rector in May 2016 following this in- over it,” Thomas said. “I was super constitutes disciplinary action against tunities to redeem sick hours after this cident. Hanson presided over a new policy, which entailed a seven minute limit on restroom breaks, after which employees would have their pay docked for a 15 minute portion of their shift. “We had to time how long people were in the bathroom,” Breit said. “The supervisors were all USC students, so we didn’t enforce it super strictly.” A former call center manager con- firmed that she and her RNL colleagues told Breit and other student supervi- sors to enforce limits on SCallers’ bath- room breaks. “I know a few people who got fired for using the bathroom too many times,” Thomas said. “But, on official paperwork, it says it’s because they were inefficient or they weren’t dialing for as many hours as they should have. But it’s because they were in the bath- room.” One of these employees was Gabbi Soong, who worked at the call center for a few months in 2019 before gradu- ating from USC in 2021. Breit and oth- er supervisors reprimanded Soong for lengthy restroom breaks despite co- workers vouching for her presence at her desk, she said. “Supervisors would come up to my desk and say, ‘Hey, you were in the bathroom for way too long,’” Soong said. “And I would say, ‘I was sitting here. I wasn’t in the bathroom.’” Soong was written up twice for these alleged bathroom breaks, the second of which led to her termination. Three write-ups are grounds for dis- missal from the call center; Soong had accrued one additional write-up unre- lated to bathroom breaks. She was not informed of the final write-up until a manager called her into a meeting to fire her, Soong said. Official RNL paperwork obtained by the Daily Trojan cited “constant in- terruptions with calling,” as the rea- son for Soong’s dismissal. These in- terruptions constituted a “violation of department work rule,” according to a termination document provided by Soong. At the time of her dismissal, Soong did not know that she was entitled to paid sick leave. When asked about sick hours, Hanson initially told SCallers they did not receive sick hours because they were part-time workers, Breit said. After hearing this, Thomas and Breit said they became suspicious of the policy because many of them received paid sick leave at previous or concur- rent jobs. According to California Labor Law section 246, employers must provide PAGE S12 | Wednesday,port June 9, 2021 | WWW.DAILYTROJAN.COM/SPORTSs USC athletes qualify for Track & Field Championships

Design by Alyssa Shao; Photo courtesy of USC Athletics

The Trojans set personal championship in a variety of events, alongside Terry and Ojora to quali- among the other Trojans to advance records and advanced to the with multiple records and personal re- fy for the championships began with with impressive times. cords set. national championships. the men’s 4x100-meter relay team. Some of the USC men and women Senior sprinter Twanisha “TeeTee” Davonte Burnett, Brendan Stewart, athletes to qualify in individual events Terry added on to her spectacular sea- Kenan Christon and Eric Allen Jr. put include Davonte Burnett (100-me- son, setting a women’s Pac-12 100m By ANTHONY GHARIB together a season-best time of 39.20 ter, 200-meter), Angie Annelus record (10.89 seconds) and Cushing Sports Editor seconds to be the first Trojans to qual- (200-meter), Breanna Bernard- Stadium record in the 100-meter and ify. The men and women’s 4x400-me- Joseph(400-meter Hurdles), Anna After a top-three Pac-12 fin- 200-meter dash. Her 200-meter dash ter relay team qualified as well. Cockrell (100-meter Hurdles, 400-me- ish, men’s and women’s track & field time of 20.54 seconds is also her new USC will have representation out- ter Hurdles), Brian Herron (400-me- took to the track at E.B. Cushing PR. side of relay teams. They had five Stadium in Texas for the 2021 NCAA Outside of Terry, freshman jumper 400-meter women move on to the ter), Isaiah Jewett (800-meter), Tade West Preliminary Rounds. The top Temi Ojora improved her PR and USC Championships. Senior sprinter Ojora (110-meter Hurdles), Cameron three finishers in each event, plus the freshman record in the women’s triple Kaelin Roberts and junior sprinter Samuel (400-meter Hurdles), Lanae- three next best times, would move jump competition. Her jump of 44 feet Bailey Lear outperformed themselves Tava Thomas (100-meter, 200-meter) on to the 2021 NCAA Track & Field and 8.25 inches or 13.62 meters also with PRs. Redshirt senior and All- and Nicole Yeargin (400-meter). Championships. improved her third-place position on American sprinter Kyra Constantine, The Track & Field Championships USC had 15 women and 14 men USC’s all-time list. redshirt senior Nicole Yeargin and will be held June 9-12 at Hayward Field advance to compete for the national The laundry list of athletes freshman Kimberly Harris were in Eugene, Ore. What is happening with the sport of boxing? 2000’s and early 2010’s papered over fight for nearly three years. The rea- Extremely talented and highly- neighbor into your living room on cracks, helping boxing cling to its son is likely a combination of pro- marketable fighters, like Crawford a Saturday night — are not happen- David last bit of relevance. moter politics and hesitance from and Spence Jr., miss out on ing anymore. The longer boxing pro- Ramirez Since Mayweather Jr.’s retire- both Crawford and Spence Jr. incredible opportunities to advance moters rely on gimmicks to sustain ment, Dana White and the UFC as- Both fighters likely see them- their careers because of the recency relevance, the harder it will be for PLAYING FOR serted themselves as the dominant selves as the top fighter in the wel- bias that favors Mayweather Jr. the sport to return to the interest PROFIT force in combat sports, taking the ti- terweight division. Instead of fight- If Crawford and Spence Jr. fight and respect levels of the NFL, NBA tle that belonged to boxing through- ing each other to find out, as things and the product is at least somewhat and, now, the UFC in the eyes of the s anyone else worried about the out the 20th century. would have played out in boxing’s entertaining, they can probably run American public. sport of boxing? Was Sunday’s In the UFC, there are eight weight prime years, both Crawford and it back for a rematch, regardless Regulating organizations need Ijoke of a “prize fight” enough to classes for men and four for women, Spence Jr. have settled into comfort- of the outcome. If the rematch to take a page out of the UFC’s help fans realize how far the sport split by 10 to 15 pounds with one able routines of fighting two oppo- is decent, there will probably be playbook: Condense weight classes has fallen? champion at each level. Pretty sim- nents they know they can beat every substantial demand for a third fight and unify belts to increase the ple, right? year and collecting their respective I find it hard to believe the best between the two. level of competition and create fights boxing has to offer involve In the ever-confusing sport of pair of checks. Not only will everyone involved boxing, there are 18 weight classes, This mentality is exactly what’s meaningful fights. When true “prize an out-of-shape Roy Jones Jr. and with the fight line their pockets fights” are back on the table, fighters split by 5 to 7 pounds each. Fighters ruining the sport, and it will likely with prize money, but the fighters Mike Tyson sweating on each other need to look a little further back for half an hour or the Paul brothers created arbitrary “catch weights” to be what buries it. Excessive weight popularity will skyrocket from the sanction fights across weight divi- classes and an absurd number of magnitude of being in a major pay- into history and realize one loss claiming superiority by repeatedly won’t end their career. defeating non-boxers. sions in the past, despite such a rig- belts allow more fighters than ever per-view title fight. Stars are made id weight class structure. to claim “champion” status without in big-time matchups, not by win- Once fighters are more willing to So what’s wrong with the sport take on a challenge, weight classes that once captivated entire neigh- If the classes are enforced loosely, facing any real challenges along the ning 40 consecutive fights against what’s the point of having so many way. borhoods for multiple Saturday eve- part-time dental assistants. And can be condensed and belts can be in the first place? Instead, these fighters are choos- don’t get me started on the belts. unified. Or vice versa, perhaps. With nings every year? Well, a lot. With the abundance of weight ing to adopt the “Mayweather Jr.- Top fighters avoid challeng- There are seven different fight- just one belt to fight for in fewer classes in boxing, there are fewer model” with increased frequency. ers that technically hold at least ing fights in an attempt to protect “top” fighters at each weight level, The “Mayweather Jr.- model” is a weight classes, the path to becom- meaningless, “undefeated” records. making it harder to create intrigu- term I use to describe fighters who one belt in the welterweight divi- ing a champion would become a lot There are so many title belts it feels ing fights. When there are multiple turn down fights that could poten- sion right now. Seriously. There’s the clearer and boxers would be forced like every weight class has 15 so- popular and talented fighters in one tially vault their career because they World Boxing Organization champi- to take on the best competition. called “champions,” and there are weight class, they rarely fight each don’t want to risk losing. In this on. Then the World Boxing Council, Or we can keep watching so many weight classes it seems al- other when they should. case, Crawford and Spence Jr. are International Boxing Federation YouTubers and retired boxers take most impossible for boxing to find The world had to wait over a de- obsessing over protecting their “un- and World Boxing Association the ring as boxing fades into oblivi- its next pound-for-pound star. cade to see Manny Pacquiao get a defeated” status in fear that a loss champions. I forgot to mention the on. The choice is theirs, I guess. Since Floyd Mayweather Jr. left shot at Mayweather Jr., and even would somehow derail their careers. interim, regular and “franchise” the sport in 2017, boxing’s biggest that fight underwhelmed as both As a boxing fan myself, I still can’t champions too. Bored yet? David Ramirez is a rising senior headlines have involved the Paul fighters were well past their prime. wrap my head around their way of writing about the intersection brothers, a 54-year-old Tyson and Between the meaningless belts Similar situations happen right thinking. Almost every legend in of sports and business. He is Mayweather Jr. himself. The sport now, as two of the sport’s big- the history of boxing lost at least and celebrity cameos, boxing has has declined in popularity for near- gest stars in welterweight champi- one fight. looked more like the WWE than an also an associate managing ly two decades now, but the show- ons Errol Spence Jr. and Terrence Muhammad Ali lost multiple actual sport in recent years. editor at the Daily Trojan. His manship of Oscar De La Hoya and Crawford have deprived the public of times. So did Julio Cesar Chavez Boxing’s most marketable fights column “Playing for Profit” Mayweather Jr. throughout the the sport’s most highly-anticipated Sr., Marvin Hagler and Joe Frazier. — the ones that would pack every runs every other Wednesday.