Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California Since 1912 | www.dailytrojan.com | VOL. 165, NO. 5 | Friday August 29, 2008 DAILY TROJAN
InDEX
2 · News Digest
4 · Opinion
5 · Lifestyle
7 · Sudoku
8 · Classifieds
12 · Sports
Weekend Pick: F Yeah Fest
brings its outlandish fun to
the EchoPlex. PAGE 6
Coastal Clash: USC heads to
Charlottesville for a cross-country
game against UVA. PAGE 12
Cheers at ’SC and in Denver for a promise of change
By Alexander comisar
and catherine lyons
Daily Trojan
With more than 80,000 cheering supporters packed
into Invesco Field in Denver and millions more watch-ing
on television — from Times Square in New York to
the Annenberg lobby on USC’s campus — Sen. Barack
Obama accepted his party’s nomination Thursday
night and readied his base for the sprint toward
November.
Though many speculated that Obama would shy
away from negative comments about his Republican
rival, Sen. John McCain, he wasted no time in call-ing
out his opponent for failing to break ranks with
President George W. Bush.
Obama aimed to respond to his critics’ claims that
his language was too vague, outlining his policy plans
for the economy, foreign policy and a laundry list of
key domestic issues.
The speech was well-received back on campus, as
almost 300 students filled every corner of the lobby
and flowed up the staircase to watch the Illinois sena-tor’s
historic moment.
The viewing party, hosted by USC Annenberg School
for Communication and the USC Unruh Institute of
Politics, began with a discussion panel composed
of former McCain Communications Director Dan
Schnur, Director of the School of Journalism Geneva
Overholser and professor of communication and
speech adviser Tom Hollihan.
The panelists discussed what they hoped to hear
from the speech, what they thought Obama needed
to accomplish in his address and how journalists are
covering the Democratic National Convention, partic-ularly
last night’s culmination of the weeklong event.
Throughout the speech, students cheered along
with the crowd at Invesco as Obama rallied his sup-porters
with talk of patriotism and the promise of a
reinvigorated American spirit.
For Abim Oduguwa, a junior majoring in interna-tional
relations global business, Thursday’s speech
was a first.
“This is my first time really taking the time to hear
what Obama has to say and it was empowering to
watch someone, almost like a father figure, to accept
the nomination,” Oduguwa said.
Brian Reich, a sophomore majoring in economics,
agreed that the speech succeeded in uniting the party
for the upcoming election.
“I think he’s a really great speaker,” Reich said. “He
has a way of unifying America that transcends party
lines.”
In Denver and on campus, thousands watch
Obama accept the Democratic nomination.
| see obama, page 3 |
By Catherine Lyons
Daily Trojan
On Aug. 28, 1963, a scorching
hot and humid day in Washington,
D.C., 200,000 people from all across
the nation gathered on the Mall to
march for civil rights. It was the
same day Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. delivered the most poignant
speech of his short life, listing his
dreams and hopes for America’s
future.
Bryce Nelson, a professor of jour-nalism
at the Annenberg School
for Communication, was a young
twenty-something who had just
| see nelson, page 2 |
Quincy Dein | Daily Trojan
Mile High · A packed Invesco field cheered as Sen. Barack Obama accepted the
Democratic nomination (top). The enthusiasm was equally strong on campus, where stu-dents
gathered at the Annenberg School for Communication (below) to watch the speech.
By alexander comisar
and quincy dein
Daily Trojan
The window of a Department of
Public Safety SUV was shattered
on Thursday by what Los Angeles
Police Department and DPS offi-cers
said they believe was a bullet,
according to officers at the scene.
The gunshot, from an unknown
shooter, shattered the window near
the intersection of 37th Street and
Vermont Avenue just after 1 p.m.
Thursday, according to DPS and
LAPD officers.
DPS Capt. Dave Carlisle said the
DPS officers in the car heard “a bang
and then the windows shattered.”
But a DPS incident notice would
not confirm that the broken win-dow
was because of a gunshot, call-ing
whatever shattered the window
an “unidentified projectile.”
Carlisle also said other witness-es
did not hear anything, and the
incident report said officers could
not find a bullet.
Officers on the scene referred
to shots being fired. DPS Officer
Montgomery, who was directing
traffic near the scene, told passers-by
that there had been shots. Two
LAPD helicopters, LAPD police
cars and at least a dozen DPS offi-cers
were dispatched to the scene.
Authorities closed Vermont
Avenue between Exposition
Boulevard and 36th Place at Gate
Six for part of the afternoon.
The Trojan Alert system noti-fied
students and faculty via text
message and e-mail at 1:54 p.m. of
a “police related incident” near the
intersection and asked that they
stay away from the area.
The DPS incident report stressed
that there is no longer any threat
near the intersection. But Jesjit
Birak, a sophomore who lives a
block from the intersection, said
he’ll remain worried nonetheless.
“It’s horrifying to think that
we’re at a polished, well-guard-ed
university and just 200 meters
away, this is happening,” he said.
“We joke about living in South
Central, but when this happens, it’s
not so funny.”
Carlisle said DPS will continue
to take every precaution.
“When something like this
happens, you always want to be
prepared for the worst” he said.
“Playing it safe and airing on the
side of caution is how we make sure
our community is protected.”
‘Gunshot’ shatters DPS car window
DPS could not confirm a shot;
officer heard bang, according
to DPS, LAPD officers at scene.
Photo courtesy of the Democratic National Committee
For one professor,
memories of a
different speech
Quincy Dein | Daily Trojan
Shattered · Helicopters, LAPD cars and a dozen DPS officers
responded to what appeared to be a shooting at a DPS vehicle Thursday.