A weekly spiritual escape
Alpha Gamma Omega offers students a religious alternative on The How.
By JODIE OXMAN and TOREY VAN 00T
Staff Writers
A handful of fraternity brothers lounged in the living room of Alpha Gamma Omega Tuesday night, joking around and watching a movie. When the clock struck 10, the guys switched off the TV and began to clean: Soon their guests would arrive. Participants in AGO’s weekly evening
worship gathered under the floodlights and basketball hoops in the fraternity house’s courtyard.
Members pushed aside a foosball table and weight machine to accommodate more than 50 students, most of whom are members of the Greek community, filling the chairs, couches and stoops under the evening sky.
"I just want to encourage you guys to take this time to listen to God and hear what he has to say to you,” said worship leader Aaron Pipkin, a senior majoring in electrical engineering, encouraging his peers to reflect on the presence of God in their lives as he led the group in song.
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RELIGION ON THE ROW: SECOND OF THREE STORIES
-----by Michael Sugarman I Daily Trojan
Unison. Students fill the courtyard of the Alpha Gamma Omega fraternity house for a weekly evening worship service, which includes music and song. AGO, which joined USC’s Interfratemity Council in 2004, is a fraternity founded on Christian ideals.
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Galen Center to open on time despite setbacks
The center, first expected to cost $70 million, will cost more than $100 million.
By CATHERINE LYONS
Staff Writer
The construction of the Galen Center, USCs newest athletic and entertainment facility, is overcoming several recent setbacks, including a steel workers strike and several days of bad weather, to finish on schedule.
The center, primarily built to house the USC men's and women s basketball and volleyball teams, is expected to be finished Sept 12
A recent steel workers strike that lasted more than three weeks prevented deliveries of necessary trusses to the construction site, leaving the center roofless.
The situation was exacerbated by last week's late-spring rain.
"We got behind about four weeks. We're not behind in terms of the construction contract, which schedules us for completion at Sept 12, but we hoped to open at an accelerated date in early August Unfortunately that will not happen," said Carol Dougherty, senior associate athletic director and director of the project
Other than these setbacks, the I see Galon page 11
Canceled event draws controversy
USC called off an appearance by two Turkish ambassadors late last month.
By ADRIAN FL0RID0
Staff Writer
An event at the USC Center for Public Diplomacy featuring two former ambassadors from Turkey was canceled late March, days before its scheduled date, amid complaints and controversy about its intended subject
Former Turkish ambassadors Gunduz Aktan and Omer Lutem were scheduled to speak at USC to coincide with their visit to Ixis Angeles for an event at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.
The event was canceled, however, after administrators at the USC Center for Public Diplomacy realized that the original topic of the event had been changed, said Joshua Fouts, director of the center.
"When we first scheduled the event it was described as an event about Turkish civil society and Armenian relations,’’ Fouts said. "The final description that was e-mailed described the event as a discussion about the genocide.”
But despite the official reason given by USC, members of both the Turkish and Armenian communities in Los Angeles expressed differing opinions regarding USCs decision
Days before the event was scheduled to occur, members of the Armenian community, including the Western region office of the Armenian National Committee of America, sent a letter to Fouts encouraging the university to cancel the event
In the letter, Steven Dadaian, chairman of the ANCA Western region office, wrote that the event would provide a forum for the Turkish ambassadors to make false statements and deny historical facts about the Armenian genocide.
"(Genocide) denial is a deliberate misrepresentation of fact and a scientific fraud which must not be tolerated by the university,” Dadaian wrote. “This panel will undoubtedly be considered an extremely offensive event which disrespects the rights and dignity of not only your students but to all the hundreds of thousands who are the victims and surviving children of the Armenian Genocide.
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Vol. CXLVIU, No. 57
Students can participate in special ceremonies as well as traditional commencement exercises.
By ALLISON SOVEY
Staff Writer
This spring, many minority groups on campus will hold smaller graduation ceremonies in addition to the main commencement ceremony. El Centro Chicano, the Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs and the Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Transgender organizations are each hosting such ceremonies.
"The El Centro commencement provides a cultural touch." said Teresa Gutierrez. El Centro commencement student cooH'na tor. “It4 more personal, and students share their celebration with the people they spend their time with at USC. It lets the whole family graduate with them.”
El Centro has been holding separate commencement ceremonies for 35 years.
This year, the ceremony will feature Aztec dancers, a class speaker and 20 seconds q gjy students participating in the El Centro I se Graduation* p^e 10 Chicano graduation wear cotorful woven panels