InTheNews20MostInfluentialPeopleUSC

president steven b. sample ruthie pyles
admissions dixon johnson c.l. max
nikias mike garrett lizzy paulson
michael jackson chief carey drayton
editor in chief drew casper ifc/
phc presidents sam gordon pete
carroll arthur bartner corliss
bennettgeorge lucas roskifamilylouis
galentrojanalumnipresidentsteven
b. sample ruthie pyles admissions
dixon johnson mike garrett c.l. max
nikiaslizzypaulsonmichaeljacksonchief
carey drayton editor in chief
drew casper ifc/phc presidents sam
gordonpetecarrollarthurbartner
corliss bennett george lucas
roskifamilylouisgalentrojanalumni
president steven b. sample ruthie pyles
admissions dixon johnson c.l. max
nikias mike garrett lizzy paulson
michael jackson chief carey drayton
editor in chief drew casper ifc/ phc
presidents louis galen lizzy paulson
the
20most
influential
20 people who affect the lives of each
Trojan who walks Trousdale
Whether it was the cheery tour guide or the
dominant athletics program, something brought
you to USC. Here’s a look at some of the biggest
influences on prospective students.
From the administration to student organiza-
tions to USC’s marquee professors, we break
down major influences on current Trojans.
Someone has to organize Trojan Family
reunions, right? A look at impacts on Trojans
after they leave University Park.
S2
S3
S8

November 29, 2006S2 SUPPLEMENT
Strengthening
the international
communityTour guide
organizer
Steevens Alconcel | Daily Trojan
Before Troy
A look at the influences on prospective students
Raking in the Heismans, attracting the masses
MIKE GARRETT
By MICHAEL MIDDLEHURST-SCHWARTZ
Daily Trojan
For most USC athletes, winning a Heisman Tro-
phy would be the ultimate way to give back to the
Trojan Family.
But for Athletic Director Mike Garrett, a jersey
hanging in the peristyle of the Coliseum wasn’t
enough.
Since becoming USC’s ninth athletic director in
1993, Garrett has energized Trojan Athletics across
the spectrum.
He is credited with hiring Pete Carroll as coach in
2001, a decision that sparked the current renaissance
in Trojan football.
His hiring acumen has proven equally strong in
men’s and women’s basketball and track and field,
bringing in Tim Floyd, Mark Trakh and Ron Allice.
But Garrett’s impact can’t solely be measured in
wins and losses. He was instrumental in wooing do-
nors for the construction of the $125-million Galen
Center — a project the university had pursued with
varying degrees of vigor since the 1940s.
Hard to believe as it might be, the Heisman sit-
ting in Heritage Hall might be the least of Garrett’s
gifts to USC.
DIXON JOHNSON
By ARIN MIKAILIAN
Daily Trojan
Ask anyone in the USC administration why
the university has the most international stu-
dents of any U.S. university for the fifth-straight
year and they’ll point in the direction of Dixon
Johnson’s office.
Having served as the director of the Office
of International Services for 23 years, Johnson
seeks to help make international students feel at
home at USC.
The OIS has helped foreign students in the
past to find housing and employment and pro-
vided programs to learn English.
By providing services to ease their transition
into American society, Johnson said his office al-
ways leaves a positive impression on foreign stu-
dents, creating a ripple effect when they go home
and share their experience.
“A proud alumnus is your best recruiter,” he
said.
Johnson also goes beyond providing these
necessities by creating opportunities to make
America feel a little bit more like home.
With activities such as the International Food
and Culture Fair, Johnson tries to expose dif-
ferent cultures to one another to decrease any
feelings of isolation and established a sense of
unity.
It might be too soon to find out if USC will
hold its title next year, but Johnson and his team
at the OIS plan to continue providing a memo-
rable and culturally diverse college experience for
international and domestic students alike.
Making
every first
impression
count
TOUR GUIDES
By COLLEEN MURRAY
Daily Trojan
While most high school seniors take college
tours to learn about the school’s academic prow-
ess, its setting, or even the student body, USC
potential admits usually leave learning some-
thing about biology: unless you are Tommy Tro-
jan, it’s physically impossible to flex every muscle
in your body.
But Ruthie Pyles, associate director of admis-
sions and Admission Center manager, said she
doesn’t mind seeing the visiting teenagers try the
impossible.
“I enjoy watching the guests get a kick out of
it,” she said.
Pyles selects tour guides, leaving it up to her
to figure out which students take USC’s future
in their hands for 50 minutes — a daunting task,
especially while walking backwards.
After what Pyles calls a “very intensive train-
ing process,” students chosen as tour guides are
able to basically mold their own tour.
“I leave it to them,” Pyles said. “There are obvi-
ously some places that they have to hit, but the
tour guides have a lot of freedom.”
This freedom comes with the trust Pyles has in
her selections. For many people, the tour can be
the deciding factor or extra push a student needs
to decide to be a Trojan.
Keeping USC the
best and brightest
ADMISSIONS
By COURTNEY WILLIS
Daily Trojan
For the past few years, the
academic quality of USC stu-
dents has steadily increased.
With a jump to 27 in the U.S.
News and World Report maga-
zine rankings, one below cross-
town rival UCLA, USC has
caused quite a stir around the
nation.
The rise in the magazine’s
America’s Best Colleges 2007
national universities rankings
has been one of the fastest
over any university in recent
years thanks to undergraduate
admissions.
Admissions has the respon-
sibility of increasing USC’s
reputation and overall aca-
demic quality. And according
to Jerome Lucido, Ph.D, vice
provost for enrollment policy
and management, it has taken
on that responsibility.
“How the public views USC
is very often wrapped in its per-
ception of the undergraduate
program here and undergradu-
ate quality. Admissions has the
opportunity to influence both
the public’s perception and the
institution by virtue of the stu-
dents it recruits and selects,”
Lucido said.
The fabric creator of the
USC community, admissions
has taken active steps to in-
crease the overall quality of
students. Admissions visit 700
high schools around the nation
and, as a whole, has become
more selective. Admissions is
taking one out of every four
applicants, Lucido said.
Five years ago, USC would
have stood for South Caro-
lina to many east coast college-
bound students.
But all that is changing “dra-
matically here in California and
the west, and perceptions are
changing slowly but steadily in
the east where they know less
about (USC),” Lucido said.
USC prides itself on the di-
verse backgrounds its students
come from, and, thanks to ad-
missions, that pride is valid.
Admissions considers “the
academic ability (our students)
bring as well as their talent,
diverse perspectives and back-
grounds and the attitudes of
mind that they bring, how they
see the world,” because that is
what makes USC great, Lucido
said, and will bring it both na-
tional and international recog-
nition.
Admissions is “cultivating
an image of USC that is cur-
rent and contemporary. This
is a very fine, highly selective
research university,” Lucido
said.

S3November 29, 2006
SUPPLEMENT
Keeping an eagle’s eye
over the Trojan Family
By BLESSING WAUNG
Daily Trojan
A Stanford University alumnus,
Michael L. Jackson might have had
the cardinal all along, but it wasn’t
until he came to USC that he struck
gold.
Jackson served as Stanford’s dean
of students until March 1995, when
he left his alma mater to become
USC’s vice president of Student Af-
fairs.
Upon his arrival, Jackson recalls
then-Alumni Association President
Gerald Papazian as saying, “You
may not know it now, but given
what we’re trying to do here, you
have a chance to really have an im-
pact on the long-term development
of USC as an institution.”
And he has.
“He has his finger on everything
… (He) really knows what’s going
on,” said Ali Fahmy, director of Stu-
dent Outcomes Research.
According to the Student Af-
fairs Web site, Jackson oversees
more than 35 distinct programs and
services, all geared toward, in his
words, “making sure USC works as
an educational community.”
In his 11 years on campus, Jack-
son has championed programs such
as SCholars. The program relies on
a $1 million grant to increase oppor-
tunities for low-income, first-gen-
eration college students to transfer
from local community colleges.
Along with heightened efforts
to recruit these high-achieving stu-
dents, the program provides them
with academic workshops, subject
tutoring and career advisement.
“His work speaks for itself,” said
K.C. Mmeje, director of the SChol-
ars Program. “Without his support,
none of this would be possible.”
In addition to providing such
programs for students, Jackson has
twice served as interim dean of ad-
missions and currently teaches a
graduate class at the Rossier School
of Education.
On teaching students his phi-
losophy and how to enter his field,
Jackson said, “You can’t even calcu-
late what a beautiful thing that is.”
From his post, Jackson enjoys a
bird’s-eye view over the university’s
vision.
“He has the combination of a
soul of somebody who wants to
make a university great, along with
the requisite level of toughness to
At TroyA look at the influences on current students
| see jackson, page S8 |
Taking USC to new heights
By ZACH FOX
Special to the Daily Trojan
President Steven B. Sample
doesn’t want to work for the Stan-
ford of the south. And he even bris-
tles at the notion that USC is the
Harvard of the West.
Sample does not emulate other
top-level universities because he be-
lieves USC can be the best college in
America.
“He thinks big,” said Martha Har-
ris, vice president of university rela-
tions. “And he has a way of bringing
everyone along for this vision of the
best university possible.”
Sample was hired as president
in 1991 after serving as president of
the State University of New York at
Buffalo for nine years. When Sam-
ple arrived, USC was in a fiscal cri-
sis and incoming freshman classes
were mediocre.
Sample’s first task was creating
a one-page mission statement that
set lofty goals. Then, he pushed to
change USC’s admissions policy
to make it much more competitive
— a contrarian idea (as he likes to
call it) that was a hard sell for a cash-
strapped university.
But USC was more selective,
and applications didn’t drop, they
boomed. An electrical engineer by
trade, Sample’s greatest asset might
be his people skills. Over the next 15
years, the same ability of coercion
that won over the Board of Trustees
would solve all of USC’s financial
troubles.
Sample has led a record-setting
fundraising campaign and has gar-
nered five gifts of $100 million or
more. His charisma and ability to
convince people to buy into the
Trojan Family has allowed USC’s
endowment to explode: from $470
million in 1991 to about $4 billion
today.
“Ithinkhe’sthebestintheUnited
States (at fundraising),” Harris said.
“Just look at the numbers. I don’t
think anyone can argue with that.”
Michael Sugarman | Daily Trojan
STEVEN B. SAMPLE
MICHAEL L. JACKSON

November 29, 2006S4
By MATT BRENNAN
Daily Trojan
Lizzy Paulson, a senior majoring in visual anthro-
pology and communication and the executive director
of Program Board, won “Most Likely to Plan a Revolu-
tion, Serve Hors D’Oeuvres Before the Event and Give
Party Favors to the Overthrown Government” as her
senior superlative in high school.
Paulson, who has worked with Program Board in
a variety of capacities since freshman year, is a born
promoter: Effervescent and easygoing, she immedi-
ately conveys a sense that she does not take herself too
seriously.
She and Grant Hoover, a senior majoring in busi-
ness administration and Program Board’s finance and
administration director, embody Program Board’s dual
faces, one external and diplomatic, the other internal
and fiscal.
The nexus of event planning on campus, the Pro-
gram Board office in the basement of the Student
Union Building is strewn with papers and fliers.
“Realistically speaking, this is a full-time job,” Paul-
son said. “If you followed Grant and me around for
a day, you would wonder if we were students.” She is
in charge of an organization whose 2005-2006 school-
year budget exceeded $1.9 million.
As overseers, advocates, colleagues and friends,
Paulson and Hoover make sure the directors, who
generate ideas for and then execute events, have solid
backup.
Describing what, exactly, that job consists of can be
an arduous task: The labyrinth of programming con-
tains seemingly endless contortions and diversions,
and getting from the conception to the event itself
might, to the outsider, seem impossible.
The Welcome Week comedy show serves as an ex-
ample. It is the biggest event of the entire year for the
Special Events Committee, with a budget of $35,000.
Paulson, last year’s Special Events director, began by
deciding on talent. After compiling a list of 40 possible
comedians, she started calling agents. In negotiating,
the most common approach is to “half-price it” — of-
fering half of the talent’s going rate and then compar-
ing multiple comedians. “You sit down with all of this
information and think to yourself, ‘What’s going to be
the best show for the best price?’” she said.
No matter the turnout, every Program Board event
is free to students. “We want people to get their mon-
ey’s worth (for their Programming Fee),” Paulson said.
“‘Go Big or Go Home’ is Program Board’s official unof-
SUPPLEMENT
Curing student Board-om
Joseph Zuniga | Daily Trojan
USG running smoothly
after a semester of Sam
By TOREY VAN OOT
Daily Trojan
When Undergraduate Student
Government stepped up in the
wake of changes to student seating
at the Coliseum, one diehard Tro-
jan fan in particular was fighting on
the frontlines for the student voice:
USG President Sam Gordon.
Gordon’s focus on building re-
lationships — both internally to
create more cohesion and coopera-
tion among the many branches of
student government, including
Program Board, and externally to
improve USG’s visibility and com-
munication with administrators
— has paid off.
“I got involved in student gov-
ernment to try to make the school
better and saw that this organi-
zation had a real capability to do
that,” Gordon said.
The broad scope of projects USG
was able to address and the oppor-
tunity to work with administrators
drew Gordon into the organization,
he said.
Gordon’s co-workers said his ef-
forts to forge relationships have
benefited USG’s overall effective-
ness.
“When I came in August, Sam
had already met with … all the key
administrators,” USG Vice Presi-
dent Sahil Chaudry said. “If I had
ever needed to get anything done,
I could speak to Sam, and he knew
exactly who I needed to talk to.”
As president, Gordon has filled
his executive cabinet with people
he trusts, a management style he
says emulates an example set by
USC President Steven B. Sample.
“Some bosses try to delegate all
their work and do little work, and
they assume they have the author-
ity to do that. But I think what
Sam’s done is he has authority
because he has developed respect
because he makes sure he works
harder than anyone else,” Chaudry
said. “We can look to Sam and say,
‘Look, if he’s putting in more hours
and he’s not letting up on his goals,
there’s no reason I shouldn’t be
working on mine.’”
Gordon’s laundry list of campus
involvement during the past four
years includes a two-year stint on
the Trojan Marching Band, a sum-
mer as an orientation adviser, late-
night Wendy’s runs with residents
as a resident adviser in Troy Hall
and a year on the funding board
and building government for Uni-
versity Residential Student Com-
munity.
Although Gordon describes
himself as “the kid who always
wanted to grow up,” his friends and
co-workers say Gordon drops his
hard-liner image when he punches
out for the day.
“When it’s time for business,
Sam’s all business. But outside of
that, I mean, Sam is a lot of fun just
to hang out with,” Chaudry said.
“Sam is, like, ‘Look, this is who I
am. Take it or leave it.’ And that’s a
fun person to be around. And that
gives you a deep friendship, too,
because you know you’re not hav-
ing to deal with that extra fluff,”
Chaudry said.
Gordon keeps the “extra fluff”
out of his policy decisions as well,
his peers say.
When it comes down to making
decisions for USG, peers say Gor-
don is a man of his convictions.
“I thought that in the Senate
that Sam always voted the way he
| see GORDON, page S7 |
Gifted student-
journalist who ran
the Daily TrojanTour guide
organizer
ZACH FOX
By CARLEY DRYDEN and TOREY VAN OOT
Daily Trojan
Who is your voice on campus?
Roughly 9,000 issues of the Daily Trojan hit cam-
pus each morning, produced entirely by USC stu-
dents led by an elected editor in chief.
During his three-and-a-half years at USC, Zach
Fox, a senior majoring in print journalism, rose
through the ranks of the paper’s staff and became
editor in chief in fall 2006.
Under Fox’s leadership, the Daily Trojan broke
several big stories ahead of the local and national
media, provided students with in-depth coverage
of campus issues and launched a redesign aimed at
bringing students a more readable newspaper.
Whether manifested by his byline on a break-
ing story or behind-the-scenes effort to produce the
highest-quality paper each day, Fox always had stu-
dents in mind.
Next summer, Fox will take on a renowned intern-
ship at The Washington Post, but at USC he will be
remembered for his commitment to producing a pa-
per packed with stories students care about, his keen
sense of journalistic values and for making “Slim” a
household name.
The down-home director of CBCSA
CORLISS BENNETT
By DAN LOETERMAN
Daily Trojan
A cell-phone ring interrupted Corl-
iss Bennett’s lesson a few weeks into
her EDCO-030 class, “The Process of
Paraprofessional Counseling for Young
Adults,” for prospective residential ad-
visers. Students glanced around ner-
vously, looking to their teacher apolo-
getically. So she started dancing.
“I stopped, and I’m trying to figure
out the song. Everybody else is like,
‘Uh oh,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh that’s the
jam! Everybody! Everybody move with
it!’” Bennett said.
“I said now if you’re going to have
your cell phone accidentally come on,
at least make it be something we can all
dance to. So all my students changed
their ringers, just in case they forgot. In
a chemistry class a teacher isn’t going to
look at you and be like, ‘Oh that’s the
jam.’”
This is Corliss, aka “The Diva,” the
director of the Center for Black Cul-
tural and Student Affairs. For some,
her straight-talking, smash mouth, tell-
it-like-it-is style is too over the top. For
others, it’s a welcome break from the
monotonous droning of other profes-
sors and administrators. Either way,
most people agree it’s totally unique.
“It’s shocking because you have a
lady that’s getting a doctorate-level de-
gree, but she can still talk to you about
the latest fashion, the latest music,” ex-
plained Devin Brown, a senior major-
ing in biological sciences who worked
at CBCSA last year.
Bennett has CBCSA responsibilities
ranging from recruiting black students,
helping to administer the 41 black stu-
dent organizations on campus and
making sure CBCSA offers support
services for black students.
She works with student senators
and Program Board, helps select R.A.s.,
sits on the panel for religious services
and frequently represents the univer-
sity off campus.
But Bennett is determined not to be
one more faculty member lost in a bu-
reaucratic university. She wants to be
a resource for students with problems
in a class or with a significant other, a
woman who attends board meetings
on weeknights and parties on the week-
ends, and who — above all — is 100
percent candid.
“I’m just a down-home-sistah girl-
friend, who also is an administrator.
It’s just that keep-it-real spirit and just
being straightforward,” Bennett said.
“Some people can handle it, and
sometimes you can’t. You love me or
leave me. They know I’m bringing the
heat; I’m bringing the truth. My whole
feel is that whole down-home, down-
to-earth, sometimes-in-your-face bam!
Corliss is in the house.”
A new look
The CBCSA headquarters is a homey
office on the fourth floor of the Student
Union. Books and plants line one wall,
a couch sits unceremoniously next to a
front desk, and photographs climb like
vines on the walls of adjoining rooms.
The root of the vines is Bennett’s of-
fice, with hundreds of photos envelop-
ing her door and walls. USC adminis-
trators and CBCSA members alike vie
for a chance to land their mug shots in
her montage.
The laidback atmosphere contrasts
with what Bennett found when she
took over as director in 1999 after
| see corliss, page S6 |
LIZZY PAULSON
SAM GORDON
Michael Sugarman | Daily Trojan | see paulson, page S8 |

S5November 29, 2006
SUPPLEMENT
The best coach
in the game
By CATHERINE LYONS
Daily Trojan
The Greek community com-
prises 20 percent of USC’s student
population and maintains one of
the highest profiles of any student
community.
Fraternities and sororities are
governed by the student-run In-
terfraternity Council and Panhel-
lenic Council with IFC and PHC
presidents serving as chief moni-
tors of Greek behavior.
Anne Heestand, current PHC
president, oversees 10 sorority
houses and recently finished the
process of adding a new sorority,
Alpha Gamma Gamma, to the
council.
Heestand said her major goals
for the year included an increase in
programming and the unification
of the board as a whole.
“We held Up ’Til Dawn that
brought all five Greek councils
together, and overall our relations
have really improved,” she said.
“And the All Row Show was bigger
than I could’ve ever imagined.”
Proceeds from the All Row
Show benefited the Invisible Chil-
dren Foundation and USC’s Troy
Camp.
Randy Herrel, a senior major-
ing in business administration, is
the current president of IFC, the
council in charge of fraternity rela-
tions for 20 different houses.
Herrel said The Row became a
more unified community during
his time as leader of the council.
“Before, everyone was into
their own houses, and this year
the presidents realized they each
needed the other houses,” he said.
“The unification of (The Row),
and really being able to bring the
presidents together was this year’s
greatest accomplishment.”
Herrel began the process of
expanding The Row, which presi-
dent-elect Andrew Skotzko, a ju-
nior majoring in business admin-
istration, will continue when he
takes office in January.
Unifying the
Greeks for
greatness
HEESTAND/HERREL
PETE CARROLL
By Phil Stephan
Daily Trojan
Five years ago, USC football was
a ghost of its former self, and had
less energy and momentum than
Charlie Weis after a 10K. Enter Pete
Carroll.
After a less-than-ecstatic recep-
tion from critics, and a less-than-
stunning 6-6 first-year record, Car-
roll has since gone on a 58-4 tear,
guiding USC to a BCS bowl game
in every year. The run has included
three games with national titles on
the line, registering wins in 2003
and 2004 for back-to-back national
titles.
Carroll revived USC football,
and the energy he exhibits carries
over to anyone watching his pro-
gram continue to grow, and espe-
cially to those choosing to play for
USC, as top recruiting classes have
become the norm under Carroll. He
displays a spirit that is the epitome
of “Fight On,” and the optimism
and enthusiasm that he brings to
the table engulfs all of those that
participate.
The determination and will of
Carroll have led him to make bold
decisions that require an astound-
ing level of belief and confidence,
and his gutsy decisions have paid
off, earning Carroll his own chant
of “Big Balls Pete”. USC now has
its swagger back, reeling off five-
straight Pac-10 conference titles, and
with Carroll leading the way, the run
does not show any signs of stop-
ping, or even slowing down.
Five straight wins over
UCLA and Notre Dame.
v
Four top ranked recruit-
ing classes.
v
Three Heisman Trophies.
v
Two national
championships.
v
One program restored to
greatness.
— Dan Greenspan
What’s Your Message?*
* To find the answer and to learn more about classes you
can take this Spring 2007, visit the Division of Occupational
Science and Occupational Therapy link at
www.usc.edu/ot/courses
It’s All About Life.
“My life is my
message.”
Mohandas K. Gandhi
USC
USC COLORS 3 11/16/06 12:12 PM Page 1

November 29, 2006S6 SUPPLEMENT
The icon: Professor introduces generations of ’SC students to film
By LUISA MONTES
Daily Trojan
Cultivating the minds of Hol-
lywood’s next generation at a film
school as renowned as USC’s is
no easy task, but through the
years, Drew Casper has shown
he is more than qualified for the
job.
As the Alma and Alfred Hitch-
cock Professor of American Film
in the School of Cinematic Arts,
Casper brings his love and ad-
miration for cinema to the lives
of students from all areas of the
USC community.
While movies have enchanted
Casper since a young age, his path
to USC was circuitous and un-
conventional. Casper first came
to USC to pursue his doctorate
in cinema production during his
time in the Jesuit priesthood.
After completing his degree,
Casper intended to bring his
production experience to Jesuit
institutions, such as Georgetown
University, across the country.
Everything progressed as
planned until Casper met his fu-
ture mentor, Irwin Blacker, best
known as a writer on the televi-
sion series “Bonanza.”
Blacker was so impressed by
Casper’s work that he offered
Casper a tenure-track position
once his doctoral degree was
completed.
The opportunity conflicted
with his priesthood plans and
left Casper in a difficult decision.
“I took a leave of absence from
the priesthood,” Casper said,
“And I decided this is where I
wanted to be.”
Although Casper would have
been qualified to teach as a Jesuit
priest, the position in USC’s crit-
ical studies program gave him the
unique opportunity to combine
his love of film with the “ability,
grace and potential to affect lives
in a very minute way.”
“I didn’t set out to do that,”
Casper said. “I’m just doing my
job.”
Although Casper knew stu-
dents enjoyed his class, he had
no idea students were culling
more meaningful lessons from
his curriculum.
Casper realized this only re-
cently when the cinema school
celebrated its 75th anniversary in
2004. At a celebratory banquet,
“literally hundreds of students”
lined up to talk with Casper
about how much he impacted
them.
Casper admits he might not
have remembered all of them
— proof of the sheer numbers of
people he has impacted. Amber
Degn, who graduated with a de-
gree in cinema-television critical
studies in May, now works on
a television show and says she
regularly encounters people who
remember their interactions with
Casper.
“For anyone who went through
USC film school, he is the one
common thread in the industry;
no one forgets him,” she said.
Many of Degn’s memories in-
clude times she worked hard to
earn his respect. Casper responds
harshly to some students’ an-
swers in class, a technique Degn
came to understand as a “test to
see how strong you are.”
“I kept trying, kept raising my
hand and I got past the fear of
being criticized and just went
for it,” which she said helped her
develop an attitude of persever-
ance very useful for any creative
industry.
Aside from learning to face
criticism, students remember
Casper’s sheer passion for the
subject he loves most.
“It has really encouraged me
to be more passionate about cin-
ema because when someone who
is knowledgeable and passionate
and trustworthy is teaching you,
you can’t help but love it,” said
Amanda Maynard, a senior ma-
joring in broadcast journalism
and minoring in cinema-televi-
sion critical studies.
Casper’s influence extends be-
yond the classroom through his
work on DVD commentaries
and books. A book scheduled for
a March release focuses on post-
war Hollywood and gives Casper
a chance to “take the classroom
out to the world.”
In spite of all these new proj-
ects and opportunities, Casper
maintains all of his “perspiration
and love is in the classroom.” In
showing students classic films
such as “Pillow Talk” or, his per-
sonal favorite, “A Place in the
Sun,” Casper hopes to help them
return to an era of higher quality
filmmaking.
“I want to teach them not only
technique, but the old values of
the films so they may resurrect
them in their own picture-mak-
ing,” he said.
Drew Casper is many things
to many people: an expert, a
teacher, but perhaps most im-
portantly, an unforgettably sup-
portive influence.
“It’s a tough industry with a
high failure rate, so a lot of fami-
lies think that movies don’t mat-
ter,” Degn said. “But he makes
you feel like you’re doing some-
thing important.” Courtesy of Phil Channing
At the helm of
’SC academics
C.L. MAX NIKIAS
By ZACHARY FRANKLIN
Daily Trojan
For someone whose official title technically
puts him second in command at USC, Provost
and Senior Vice President C.L. Max Nikias’ job
description would make you think otherwise.
As USC’s chief academic officer and the sec-
ond-ranking officer under President Steven B.
Sample, Nikias is responsible for maintaining
communication with all the university’s deans,
as well as the divisions of Student Affairs, In-
formation Services and Enrollment Services.
He also serves with the senior vice president for
administration as the chief operating officer of
the university.
Nikias had served as dean of the Viterbi
School of Engineering since 2001 before he ac-
cepted the provost position in 2005. As dean of
the Viterbi School, Nikias was instrumental in
making the Viterbi School a “research power-
house,” consistently ranking among the top 10
engineering schools in the nation.
Nikias was also the founding director of two
national research centers at USC while dean:
the National Science Foundation Engineering
Research Center Integrated Media Systems
Center and the Department of Defense Center
on Communications Signal Processing.
Nikias has authored more than 100 peer-re-
viewed journal articles, 180 referred conference
papers, three textbooks and eight patents. Ni-
kias has also received numerous awards and
honors for his research and teaching.
A native of Cyprus, Nikias graduated with
honors from the Famagusta Gymnasium, re-
ceived a diploma from the National Technical
University of Athens and earned a master’s and
Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo.
DREW CASPER
By PHILIANA NG
Daily Trojan
Every home-game Saturday inside a packed Los An-
geles Coliseum, Art Bartner, the general of one of the
most recognized bands in the country, directs the Trojan
Marching Band with animated movements of his arms
without pause, the fight song and the student favorite
“booty shake” song encompassing the entire stadium.
Bartner yells and barks, his distinctly hoarse voice
heard from well across the Coliseum. Bartner’s innate
ability to capture the electricity in the air drives him to
the top of the list of influential people in the USC com-
munity.
As a member of the Trojan Family for almost 40
years, Art Bartner has contributed to the Spirit of Troy
in a way only an elite group can say it has. Mark San-
tos, a graduate student studying music education and
a trombone teaching assistant, believes that Bartner is
the Spirit of Troy.
“Bartner is the Spirit of Troy itself because, as much
as the band is an element, we would not be the way we
are without Bartner,” he said. “He’s brought so much to
the program, some amazing musicians, and has, in part,
embodied it.”
Samantha Ancona, a freshman majoring in music
performance and an alto saxophone player in the Spirit
of Troy, has heard stories about Bartner’s early days
from her father, who was a member of the marching
band in the ’70s. Apparently, not much has changed.
“He has been an enormous part of the Trojan spirit
for such a long time,” Ancona said. “He was instrumen-
tal in bringing the band and the football team closer
than they are at any other university.’”
THE FIELD
GENERAL
ART BARTNER
CORLISS
spending three years in Admis-
sion & Financial Aid.
“It was my hope to make this
kind of your hub away from
home,” Bennett said. “I didn’t
even feel welcome here (while
working in admissions), and I
was staff.”
Bennett also reworked CBC-
SA’s entire set of programming.
She reorganized Black Gradua-
tion and Black Family Weekend,
transformed “The African Amer-
ican Resource Handbook” from a
stapled paper to a sleek, profes-
sional booklet and revamped its
Web site.
At work, where she stays until
6 or 7 p.m., Bennett focuses on
her four main action verbs: at-
tract, recruit, retain and graduate
black students.
“She’s a presence,” Ebner said.
“People know the name ‘Corliss’
who don’t even know what CBC-
SA stands for.”
Bennett has faced her share of
adversity. Neither of her parents
is college-educated, although her
mother did attend community
college. College counselors said
her scores were too low for col-
lege admissions and that she
wasn’t their target student. Ben-
nett didn’t care; she applied and
was accepted to UC Riverside,
where she received a bachelor’s in
liberal studies with an emphasis
in sociology and education.
Bennett earned her master’s in
international cultural education
at the University of San Fran-
cisco. She is now working on her
doctorate at the Rossier School
of Education.
The demands of running an of-
fice of this size at a school such as
USC while simultaneously work-
ing toward a degree are daunting.
But Bennett, more than anyone,
knows how important it is that
she be available for her students.
“I know as a first-generation
college grad, someone was a Corl-
iss for me,” she said. “I know the
importance of being a Corliss.”
| continued from page S4 |
Courtesy of Corliss Bennett

S7November 29, 2006
SUPPLEMENT
By KAELYN FORDE
ECKENRODE
Daily Trojan
Few Trojans call him “Dimples,”
and to many students, his job is
a humorless one, but his charac-
teristic smile — rolling by on a
brand-new T3 electric vehicle — is
as predictable as bike theft itself.
Department of Public Safety
Chief Carey Drayton has been at
USC for a little more than a year,
but he is already a face — and a
name — that’s easily recognizable.
Since November 2005, Dray-
ton has installed more cameras,
networked surveillance, increased
officer mobility, posted lost and
found items online and podcasted
safety seminars.
Drayton, 45, started as a “Ragin’
Cajun” student-officer at the Uni-
versity of Southwestern Louisi-
ana. He said he saw campus polic-
ing as a more lucrative and intense
way to pay for his tuition.
At 18, Drayton was dispatched
to a murder scene for the first
time, and at 26, he was appointed
chief of the department.
“I had only been a student-offi-
cer for three weeks when I was dis-
patched to my first murder scene,”
Drayton said. “Someone had shot
a pizza delivery man in the head.
His brain was on the ground.
“The first time I strapped a
gun on, it was to roam through
the woods, searching for someone
who had killed someone else. It
was an experience — but I loved it
and wanted to stick with it.”
USC is Drayton’s fifth univer-
sity in his 27-year campus-policing
career.
“I get to deal with the best and
the brightest the world has to of-
fer on this campus,” Drayton said.
“In many cases, law enforcement
in the city itself deals with the
very worst society has to offer.”
Drayton is responsible for the
security of USC’s 33,000 stu-
dents, and 220 authorized officers
and administrators report directly
to him.
“He’s influential because he and
DPS touch everyone on campus,”
said Shane Hapuarachy, a DPS
special projects manager. “Among
students, staff, faculty and the
outside community, no other de-
partment — or leader — is as far-
reaching.”
Two months before starting at
USC, Drayton, a New Orleans na-
tive, drove from Florida to Louisi-
ana to evacuate his mother before
Hurricane Katrina.
“My family home was under 7
feet of water because of Katrina,”
Drayton said. “In my line of work,
preparation is everything. I be-
lieve when you have people’s lives
in your hands, you better plan for
the worst and hope for the best.”
“He’s very knowledgeable and
respected in the field of campus
law enforcement,” said Capt.
John Thomas, DPS captain of op-
erations. “He empowers you. He’s
very good at bringing people in
that have a wide variety of skills.
He mentors you, but gives you op-
portunities to be creative.”
Hapuarachy said Drayton is al-
ways smiling.
“He’s always got a big smile
on his face,” Hapuarachy said.
“That’s where his dimples — and
the nickname — come from. He
solves problems in an out-of-the-
box way, and though his job is de-
manding, he gets a lot done.”
Colleagues said Drayton is
committed to using technology to
better deal with crime.
“A lot of leaders in law enforce-
ment are intimidated by technol-
ogy,” Thomas said. “He’s not. He
has put live-feed video cameras in
high-crime areas where students
live. That’s led to many arrests,
and we only expect more.”
Drayton said he has a techno-
logical advantage his peers don’t:
his PlayStation 2.
“I own a PlayStation 2, and
many of my peers don’t,” Drayton
said. “I look at technology as a way
to work smarter and free up offi-
cers to work on other things.
“Hiring people is expensive, but
it’s possible for us to maximize
our capabilities by coupling new
technology with existing person-
nel,” he said. “It just makes it a lot
easier to get your job done at the
end of the day.”
Drayton said the new safety
seminar podcasts are another way
to reach his customers where they
already are — plugged into their
iPods.
“Students have iPods in their
ears most of the day,” Drayton
said. “If we can take five minutes
of their time while they’re wait-
ing for their burger ... to tell them
about how to prevent identity
theft and bike theft, it helps.”
“We’re modifying existing tech-
nology slightly to make it more
available to the population we
serve,” he said. “If we reach even
10 percent of people we wouldn’t
have reached normally, we’ve put
better information into the hands
of our users.”
Drayton has been married for
15 years to his wife, Mary. He has
a daughter, Tiffany, 30, and a 6-
month-old grandson.
“I plan on taking time off to
teach him how to throw a foot-
ball,” Drayton said.
Thomas said Drayton is under-
standing of his employees’ need
to spend time with their families,
too.
“Heencouragesbalance,”Thom-
as said. “He’s very family oriented,
and he supports us being fam-
ily oriented. He’ll come in late at
night and tell me, ‘This work will
be here tomorrow, go home.’”
Drayton said he still looks at
his job at USC as a challenge.
“I left Florida State because I
was looking for more of a chal-
lenge,” Drayton said. “The spot-
light at USC is something new
and exciting. For me, work to me
needs to be fun. When it’s fun, it’s
not work; when it becomes drudg-
ery and ceases to be fun, it’s time
to move on.”
As for his nickname, Dimples?
“I’ve gotten used to it,” Drayton
said. “It’s followed me around my
whole life.”
DPS’ own ‘Ragin’ Cajun’
CHIEF CAREY DRAYTON
believed, and that was some-
thing that I think really sepa-
rated him from the rest,” he
said. “Sam, he acts on his
convictions. And even if he
knows it’s unpopular, he does
that, and he’s very loyal to
members of student govern-
ment and people who work
with him and work for him.”
USG Treasurer Jeremy
Avila also described Gordon
as decisive when he sets his
mind to something. Although
Gordon’s strong-mindedness
“sometimes borders on being
stubborn,” Gordon strikes
him as a thoughtful, listening
person, he said.
Chaudry and Residen-
tial Sen. Max Slavkin both
recalled instances in which
Gordon invited USG mem-
bers from opposite sides of
an issue to argue out the issue
in front of him, a technique
that displays an openness to
criticism Chaudry said gives
legitimacy to the decisions
Gordon makes on behalf of
the executive board.
Gordon’s dedication to
student government and im-
proving the student experi-
ence at USC stems from his
own love and pride for the
Trojan Family, he said.
“I love the tradition. I love
that everyone is so proud of
the school. I love it,” he said.
“I just wanted to leave here
saying … I left a mark, I did
something good for it.”
GORDON| continued from page S7 |
Dining Guide
Difficulty: Turbulence
Sudoku Look for it each day in the pages of the Daily Trojan
Answers online at DailyTrojan.com
8 5 3 6 1 7 9 2 4
6 7 9 4 3 2 5 8 1
1 2 4 5 8 9 6 3 7
7 3 5 9 2 4 8 1 6
9 8 1 7 6 3 4 5 2
4 6 2 1 5 8 3 7 9
2 1 8 3 4 6 7 9 5
3 9 6 2 7 5 1 4 8
5 4 7 8 9 1 2 6 3

November 29, 2006S8
say that we owe it to students to give them
the quality of education they’d get at Princ-
eton,” said Geoffrey Cowan, dean of the An-
nenberg School for Communication.
Jackson holds his colleagues’ opinions in
high esteem, calling them “dynamite people.”
“Part of the genius is to stay out of people’s
way. Not try to micromanage them,” Jackson
said.“Supportthem,encouragethembecause
I think if you hire really good people … they
just shine because you express confidence in
their abilities.”
On a national level, other professionals
have also expressed their confidence in Jack-
son, as he was elected president of the Na-
tional Association of Student Personnel Ad-
ministrators in 2002. With more than 11,000
members, the board is the largest network of
student affairs professionals in the nation.
“When I go and travel throughout the
country and folks meet me and they know
I’m from USC, they’ll ask, ‘Oh, do you work
with Michael Jackson?’ … They’re very im-
pressed by that, because they know of him,
they know his reputation for his good work,”
said Lynette Merriman, associate dean of
Student Affairs.
As for the future, Jackson remains im-
mersed in a multitude of projects.
“He allows the campus to evolve as the
students want it to,” said Patrick Bailey, as-
sistant dean executive director of Student
Life and Involvement.
According to the students’ needs, Jackson
has advocated for a new student center for
10 years. The center, whose construction is
slated for late 2007, is expected to become an
important meeting space for students and
faculty. Additionally, Jackson is working on
a new student health center.
“The students (should) really appreciate
how much of what is positive about their
experience is a result of his work,” said Ken
Taylor, assistant vice president of Student
Affairs.
Whether his ever-smiling face is spotted
on the Jumbotron at a football game or be-
hind the scenes at an alumni reception, Jack-
son is everywhere. Just keep your eyes and
ears out for him.
“I’ve just had a lot of fun,” Jackson said.
“From the very beginning, it’s been ’SC. Win,
lose or draw, it’s ’SC.”
SUPPLEMENT
The visionary
By MATT BRENNAN
Daily Trojan
Back in 1967, the same year
that American filmgoers saw
“The Graduate” — and the year
the Hollywood Renaissance
was born — George Lucas
studied film at USC, working
on his thesis from a treatment
by Matthew Robbins called
“Breakout.”
Lucas turned the two-page
treatment into a 15-minute
short that would go on to win
top honors at the 1967-1968
National Student Film Fes-
tival. With “Electronic Laby-
rinth THX1138:4EB,” a star
was born.
In a film career spanning
nearly 40 years, Lucas, in col-
laboration with the techno-
logical savants from Lucasfilm
and Industrial Light & Magic,
changed the film industry, re-
placing the David O. Selznick
or Cecil B. DeMille epic with a
Lucas blockbuster.
Lucas has become a major
force in an industry full of
them, gaining unmatched clout
from his wildly successful “Star
Wars” series (the six films have
grossed somewhere in the area
of $4 billion worldwide). Now
that the films are complete, he
is free to work, as he has said,
on more “personal” projects.
Even now, the Lucas name
appears throughout the USC
cinema complex: The George
Lucas Instructional Building
and the Marcia Lucas Post-Pro-
duction Building, built after a
major donation in November
1981, are name-recognizable.
Lucas recently became USC’s
greatest-ever benefactor, do-
nating $75 million toward
the construction of a 137,000-
square-foot building and a
$100 million endowment for
the renamed USC School of
Cinematic Arts.
His commitment to multi-
media literacy and the use of
computer technology in film
embodies the school’s modern
embrace of all of the “cinematic
arts,” and his continued influ-
ence in the world of film con-
tributes to the dominance of
the so-called “USC Mafia,” the
large group of film-industry
workers of all stripes tied to-
gether under the Trojan ban-
ner.
By JON HABER
Daily Trojan
Thanks to Louis J. and Helene Galen, a 100-
year-old dream of USC became a reality on Oct.
12 when the university opened the Galen Cen-
ter, the stadium that replaced the Los Angeles
Sports Arena in Exposition Park.
The Galens were by far the biggest donor
to the 10,258-seat arena, which lies just across
Figueroa Street from campus.
A 1951 graduate of the USC Law School, Lou-
is Galen and his wife have given generously to
USC in recent years.
In 1997, he and his wife Helene — whom Ga-
len proposed to in front of 3,000 people during
a USC-Notre Dame football rally — donated
$1.25 million for the Galen Center dining hall
next to Heritage Hall.
But it was the $50 million Galen contributed
for the new arena that vaulted him to the top
echelon of USC donors and cemented his place
as one of the Trojan Family’s most influential
members.
By MOLLY MCKIBBEN
Daily Trojan
Los Angeles power couple Gayle and Edward P.
Roski Jr., recently donated $23 million to their alma
mater’s fine arts division. The USC School of Fine Arts
was renamed the USC Gayle Garner Roski School of
Fine Arts in commemoration of the couple’s gift.
The money will be used to expand the school’s ten-
ure-track faculty with world-class appointments, sig-
nificantly increase student fellowships in the graduate
programs and enhance technological support for in-
novative undergraduate teaching.
Gayle Roski is an alumna of USC’s fine arts depart-
ment and is an accomplished painter. Her husband,
Roski Jr., is the CEO of Majestic Realty Co., one of
the nation’s largest privately held real estate firms. He
graduated from USC’s Marshall School of Business
with a bachelor of science in business administration.
He is a part owner of both the Los Angeles Lakers and
the Los Angeles Kings.
The couple has been a longtime patron of the arts
community throughout the city, and especially at
USC — Mrs. Roski serves on the Board of Councilors
of the School of Fine Arts, and Mr. Roski has been a
member of the USC Board of Trustees since March
2000. The Rosskis also serve as board members for
various regional organizations, including the Los An-
geles County Museum of Art.
Keeping ’SC
arts alive
By JOANNA LIN
Daily Trojan
Born with just eight men and women, the Trojan
Family has left no doubt that it is one of the stron-
gest communities there is.
As a modest bunch, we don’t need to drop names,
such as, you know, Neil Armstrong, Frank Gehry or
Will Ferrell, to know and show we are a proud and
fiercely loyal family.
As Trojans, we never forget our alma mater. In
this semester alone, alumni George Lucas and Ming
Hsieh gave a combined total of $210 million to help
Trojans for many generations to come.
“The phrase ‘You’re a Trojan for life’ means some-
thing, there are illustrations of it all the time,” coach
Pete Carroll told the Daily Trojan in 2005. “It’s not
something you just yap about and is a good recruit-
ing technique, it’s the real deal; guys feel it and love
being part of it.”
But the spirit of Troy is not unique to the football
field — with more than 200,000 alumni and more
than 100 alumni organizations across the world,
whether they’re at the University Park Campus,
Nashville, Tenn., or Seoul, South Korea, Trojans are
always in the company of family.
After TroyA look at the influence of former students
GEORGE LUCAS
GALEN FAMILY
ROSKI FAMILY
An enviable family
Trojan alumni
Giving life
to Trojan
basketball
PAULSON: Programming USC
ficial motto.”
The itemized budget for each proposed
event must also account for costs the aver-
age student attendee probably would not
consider, including the professional-quality
stage, food and drink for the performer and
electricity.
“Students don’t understand that it costs
$1,000 to turn off the lights on McCarthy
Quad,” Paulson said.
Even then, the process has only just begun.
Julie Wakefield, a senior majoring in political
science and Program Board’s director of pub-
lic relations, begins discussing advertising
strategies with the event director five weeks
or so in advance of the event itself.
Wakefield was adamant about the impor-
tance of publicity, and not just to fill the audi-
ence, saying “a lot of students hear about an
event but don’t know it’s Program Board. …
It’s hard for us to succeed as an organization
when students don’t know where their money
is going.”
After reserving the space and securing
an event permit (concomitant with wading
through a tidal wave of paperwork), the event
director enters the hectic final phase.
“Things are crazy the day of the event,”
Paulson said. “It’s about how you compose
yourself and how you prepared. … We prepare
for the worst, hope for the best.”
Paulson’s calendar, seemingly shellacked
with the black ink of meetings, lunches and
events, testifies to the fact that balancing Pro-
gram Board and student life can sometimes
be trying, even if one loves the work as much
as she does.
“You always have to remember that you’re
a student. … We’re so passionate that we tend
to neglect our studies,” Paulson said. “It ab-
sorbs your life.”
Despite the stress and responsibility of the
job, however, the buzz in the Program Board
office conveys a camaraderie and enjoyment
characteristic of these passionate program-
mers.
Celebrating each other’s successes (and,
one imagines, commiserating in the rare fail-
ure), the members of Program Board are, not
surprisingly for people who spend so much
time together in the office, a tight-knit group.
The night of the meeting, plans were un-
derway for a Program Board party. After the
Undergraduate Student Government’s weekly
brief is handed out, the group begins to dis-
cuss time and place and, seeing as it’s Hallow-
een, costume selections. Someone calls out
a joke about strippers and Paulson stands,
hand on hips, in mock dismay; she can only
hold the pose for a moment, however, before
dissolving, like the rest, into laughter.
Jackson: VP student affairs
enjoys national reputation
Nick Hernandez | Daily Trojan

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