<p>I guess I might as well throw out a couple thoughts. I think the ban on alchohol in the Coliseum is a great idea, and enforcing rules against it in the dorms and such is something that should definitely be done as well. But what matters most is having a great educational experience, and that's where money and rankings come in-- I'm glad Sample is president because he seems to be doing perfectly. If whoever comes next steps up and accomplishes at least as much, that would be really awesome. Sample is a model president to look up to.</p>
<p>Sample's done a good job cleaning up the school...my friend goes to UCSD and even though it's a fairly "dry" campus (compared to SDSU or UCSB, for example), from what I hear from him, it sounds like it's a lot worse down there than USC.</p>
<p>A lot of people complain that banning alcohol in the coliseum just makes things worse because people get hammered before the game...but I say, I'm glad that this year I don't have drunks nearly running me down as I leave.</p>
<p>I'm very happy with what Sample's done, especially discouraging alcohol on campus. My daughter spent the night at one university where she (then 17) was offered vodka, vodka bottles were displayed for all to see in the dorm windows, etc. The "culture" was centered very strongly around drinking. Likewise she turned down another prestigious university in part because alcohol was a dominant issue in the campus culture -- in both these cases she didn't feel like she'd be able to find much of a social life as a nondrinker. The universities seemed to just look the other way.</p>
<p>To our pleasant surprise the situation in the dorms at USC was much healthier in that regard. Like most things, I'm certain you can find alcohol if you look for it, probably on the Row (grin), but the overall atmosphere is good, more "live and let live" and supportive of a non-drinking lifestyle than at some universities; if you're not interested in drinking you can still have an active social life with plenty of activities available (i.e., daughter has seen two plays on campus over the last two weekends). </p>
<p>I think building a more interesting campus life, in general (speakers, plays, concerts, movies, plus the sports), which helps make living on campus more desirable than commuting, is an area where Sample seems to be doing a good job, and hopefully he'll continue to build on that. They've had at least one free weekend movie screening this fall but I'd love to see them offer some sort of regular film series, for example.</p>
<p>Sample is the best thing that ever happened to USC. Better than all the Heismans. Hopefully he'll live a long life.</p>
<p>I think that most current USC students would not have choosen to come to USC at all if not for the drastic improvement's Sample has overseen since his arrival in the early 90s.</p>
<p>Amen to that!</p>