Good morning. It’s Thursday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

The newsletter will be off tomorrow. I have a WRIT essay to complete.

1.

USC is experiencing a boom in religious participation by students, according to a new feature commissioned by the university. Catholic Mass participation rose 17% over the last year. Muslim iftar meals and Shabbat dinners are anecdotally more popular than ever. Varun Soni, dean of religious life, called it a “golden age” of religion on campus.

2.

A USC freshman who lost an eye after a DHS agent shot him with a projectile plans to sue the federal government for $100 million, the LA Daily News reported. Tucker Collins, an 18-year-old studying astronautical engineering, said he was photographing a protest before he was shot. “I was in no way an agitator,” he said.

3.

If you’ve been aggressively solicited by more petitioners on campus than usual, you’re probably not alone. This ballot initiative season is flush with cash, allowing well-funded campaigns to dispatch swarms of petitioners across the state. The New York Times reported on the unscrupulous tactics of some signature-gatherers.

4.

A collection of the country’s founding documents will be on display at USC’s Fisher Museum of Art starting tomorrow. The exhibit, which ends May 3, is part of a national “Freedom Tour” that’s parading an original engraving of the Declaration of Independence, among other documents, across the country. Entry is free, but you’ll need a reservation.

5.

USC is looking for a new student to be the Tommy Trojan mascot. You can apply for the gig here. Fun fact: The cartoonish costume that’s so recognizable today only debuted in 2013, and it was originally paired with a (slightly unsettling) bipedal Traveler who was quickly put to pasture, the Daily Trojan reported.