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STUDEN I NLWSPAPER OF 1 HE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SINCE 1912 1 VOL. 160. NO. 39 I WWW.DAILYTROJAN.COM
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Moving forward »
Wal-Mart Supercenters are banned from Los Angeles for being too successful, writes Daniel McFawn.
OPINION, PAGE 4
Facebook group lands USC football player in hot water
Trojan football players create and join ‘racist’ Facebook group as a ‘joke.’
By ELIZABETH GELI
Daily Trojan
An inside joke on the USC football team went awry when a Facebook group sparked students outrage.
The racist Facebook group was treated by a USC football player and showed a graphic of a black baby in handcuffs. An athletic department source said the group was a joke and had no serious purpose.
Junior linebacker Clay Matthews created the group, "White Nation," which featured a graphic with the caption, "arrest black babies before they become criminals."
Teammates David Buehler, Brian Cushing, Dan Deckas and Dallas Sartz joined the group.
“This group is not for the faint of heart," read the group's description. “All members are athletes of Cauca-sion (sic) descent. DISCLAIMER: In no way are the following meme-bers (sic) intolerant of others, we art-just doing our duty of protecting the Arian (sic) brotherhood.”
An athlctic department source who wished to remain anonymous said the group was a joke and had no serious purpose.
The "joke” began when a black f(X)tball player nicknamed some of his teammates “White Nation." thc source said.
Stefanie Gopaul, a freshman ma-
joring in psychology, discovered the group through her Facebook friendship with Sartz and Cushing and sent private messages to both, expressing her conccrn.
"Dajlas Sartz said that White Nation is a joke on thc team and that he’s not like that,” Gopaul said. "I was still really upset about it."
Gopaul created the Facebook group, “ Clay Matthews (USC football player) expresses anti-black sentiment,” and invited all of her Facebook friends to join.
"I honestly thought (Sartz and Cushing) were taking me as a joke,” Gopaul said. “I postal thc group so that they would know that (thc White Nation group) is inappropriate."
Thc group received a strong response, at one time having as many as 90 members, and students expressed their outrage on thc group message board and in personal messages to Gopaul.
“I received some very upset comments," Gopaul said. "A high school student wrote tq me and said he wanted to go to SC next year and that he was glad I created the group and that it made him kxjk at the school differently.”
Football player Sedrick Ellis sent Gopaul a message explaining that “White Nation" is an inside joke on the team and that Matthew s is not racist.
“My goal was that the picture and group be taken down," Gopaul said. “Even though you have this inside
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Grease is the word »
IFormer ITroian Chad iDoreck tries [to make it to |Broadway via ■reality TV.
LIFESTYLE, PAGE 7
Spring break »
The Daily Trojan will resume production Tuesday, March 20.
Groups lists USC’s top 12 remarkable women
The USC Women’s Student Assembly and Student Affairs host the awards.
By HANNAH KIM
Daily Troian
Estela Torres is the cashier you might see in downstairs Commons who gives you a friendly smile and knows your name when she rings up yoift- order.
Torres and 11 other Trojan women were honored last night in the Davidson Conference Center for their work to help USC students and the campus community
Torres' nomination described her as “the most courteous and gracious Hospitality Services employee," whose human touch makes thc meals of Trojan students brighter
“I’m very surprised and so happy, and I don't have words to explain what I feel,' she said. “I never imagined that this would happen to me."
Thc Fifth Annual Remarkable Women Awards, sponsored by The Office of Campus Activities and Women’s Student Assembly, recognized female faculty, staff and students for their contributions to USC.
Peers and students nominated the women for their contributions, and the winners were announced for the first time at the ceremony The women were chosen based on achievements in each nominee's field, significant contributions to USC. commitment to students, commitment to women's issues, community involvement, leadership accomplishments and professional recognition or honors, ac-
cording to thc application
The ceremony began with a speech by Elizabeth Garrett, vice president for acadcmic planning and budget
Garrett reminded the audience of the obstacles women have faced in attaining leadership roles, and lauded the nominees for their progress in removing those barriers
The 12 recipients were then called out of thc audience for recognition.
All of the women have positively affected thc lives ofJUSC students, said Director of Campus Activities Heather Larabee
Akiko Yamaguchi. a residential coordinator, was also honored for her commitment to her residents Yamaguchi assists in training new residential advisers and fellow resident coordinators
I tee WOMEN page 12
I’ll be back | A cardboard cutout of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger displays a sign supporting environmental legislation near Tommy Trojan. CALPIRG says it will send photos with the cutout to the Capitol
GET PUMPED | Political activism at Tommy Trojan