Trouble Brewing in Troy

The USC student body is shaken and now it's going to cause a stir. At least 300 protesters plan to descend on Traddies, the on-campus bar, for a rally at 6:00pm on Thursday, March 22. According to Facebook, a popular college networking site, an additional 100 people are listed as "maybe" and over 400 have yet to RSVP for the "Boycott Traddies" event. Confirmations are likely to increase after next weekend as students are on Spring Break until Monday, March 19.

The campus fervor is being caused by the recent firing of all but one of the bar's student workers. According to the Daily Trojan, the University's decision to replace students with professional staff was "instigated by unsatisfactory operation and oversight." The paper also indicated that some students were planning a protest on Tuesday, March 20th.

Tuesday's gathering will likely pale in comparison to Thursday's. Over 1,000 people were invited or signed themselves up to attend the later rally. While more than 200 of the invitees responded that they are not attending, several made comments to declare that they would be there "in spirit." Others will be there with spirits. One of the confirmed attendees announced, "I'm bringing a flask, signs, and a lot of obnoxious drunken yelling."

Formally known as Traditions, the underground watering hole was opened in 1987 and is owned by the University. It's popular on football game days and was recently mentioned in Sports Illustrated On Campus. A video report about the bar and its staff changes is available from Annenberg TV News.

Online reaction to the changes at Traddies doesn't seem positive. The unofficial Traditions Campus Bar group on Facebook now reads, "A great Tradition at USC has ended." One student on the boycott page wrote, "I'm ashamed to say that I actually went to Traddies on Tuesday, just to see how bad it really was ... not only were there only 4 people there besides me and Bailey (thank God at least he's still there), but the friggin bartender had to look off a sheet to know what goes in an Adios! And had to ask someone else how much it cost!"