By Lulu Boutros

USC ULC President

Since the beginning of the school year, USC’s Lebanese Club has been busy with fun and exciting events! We began the year on September 8, 2011, with a Welcome Back Mixer on the roof top of USC’s newest apartment complex, Gateway. It was wonderful to catch up with returning members and even some alumni, but the most exciting part was meeting all of the new faces. The night quickly ran late as time flew by.  This was the biggest turnout for any USC Lebanese club event to-date. Everyone got a chance to introduce themselves and mingle with others over delicious appetizers. We closed the night with a hookah raffle, won by new member, Nadime Khalousi. New friendships were made, and the upcoming 2011/2012 USC Lebanese club held a promising foundation for the semesters ahead. 

This semester, we also had a Hookah Night at Gypsy’s Cafe in Westwood with UCLA’s Lebanese club. It was a great event with yet another excellent turnout. Although traditionally rival schools, by the end of the night we were not able to distinguish between a Trojan and a Bruin.   

On November 9, 2011, we had our very own Hookah Night at a new sushi-hookah bar, Lotus on Flower, located across from USC’s campus. This first annual Hookah Night was a night of fun, laughter, and hookah with all of our fellow members. Many people supported our indulgence in hookah as well as shabu-shabu, an Asian delicacy. 

That same weekend, on November 12, 2011, while USC was having their Homecoming Football game against Washington, we held our first official tailgate! We all joined together to eat and play games on campus among other fellow Trojans. Showing both Trojan and Lebanese spirit, we had a large Lebanese flag hanging from our tent. To top off the successful event, USC beat Washington 40-17!  

To celebrate Lebanon’s Independence Day, USC’s group of students went to the Ice House Comedy club in Pasadena; it was a great deal of fun, as we spent the night full of laughter. The talented comedians kept us entertained, and we are excited to go back for another event soon. This event also helped raise funds for our charity, as we sold tickets to this comedy club for $10, in hopes of raising money for an orphanage in Lebanon. We are off to a great start with this idea and are continuing to work toward raising more for the children. In addition to the comedy club tickets, we are also raising funds through cookie sales and donations.