Save & Splurge: Culture in Columbia

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, on any given night, 672,000 people are homeless in the United States. To most, this is just a number. It doesn’t have a frail body, sad eyes, a growling stomach or cold, bare feet. One USC student, however, has seen the reality of this statistic.

It’s like something out of a futuristic society. A new local business venture has put the power of knowing where law enforcement is hiding into the hands of the people—a backwards “big brother.” The brainchild of USC student Alex Waelde, DrinkingTicket, has quickly grown into more than just a crowd pleaser to many Gamecocks; It has become a weekend necessity.

South Carolina’s Midlands grapples with a low literate population, an issue so great that over 150,000 adults in the region cannot read and comprehend the newspaper.

If you’re new to USC, or unfamiliar with the off-campus living situation, you’ll soon learn that pickings can be slim if you haven’t reserved an apartment six months in advance. Don’t panic yet! Check out these interesting living quarters before you consider a cardboard box.

After their friends’ wave of appeals for them to start a band, Kelsey Lopezdevictoria, a fourth-year psychology major, and Randy Moore, a second-year social work student, met last spring and, after getting to know each other, gave it a shot. 

Check out our Q&A with WUSC DJ, Rixon Lane of "The Fast Lane," as he discusses his sports show here at USC.

If you’ve drooled over a foreign exchange student with a hot accent or dreamed of backpacking through Europe, but you aren’t confident that you can make those things happen, acting cultured will convince people (like your parents and mysterious Latin eye-candy) that you’re worth their time and money. Thanks to globalization and modern technology, appearing more cultured than you really are is easy as…una, due, tre!

Quiz: What Karaoke Song Are You?