Nikias and the very private boys club
Tomo Chien
February 27, 2026
Good morning. It’s Friday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
Reminder: Submissions for our tuition-guessing competition are due Sunday.
1.
A journalist published the membership list of the secretive Bohemian Club, an all-male group of powerbrokers that meets annually in Northern California. The list includes — surprise! — several USC figures, including former President Max Nikias, trustees William Siart and Blake Quinn, and faculty rabble-rouser James Moore.
2.
USC is still trying to find ways to put its expensive and largely empty Capital Campus to good use. The latest: a “Summer in D.C.” program that’ll let students take general ed courses in the nation’s capital. The school is offering guaranteed housing in fully furnished apartments.
3.
A new report found that while liberal professors outnumber conservatives on college campuses, studies that previously found dramatic imbalances, such as ratios of 82:1, may be based on faulty methodology. The findings by the Heterodox Academy add nuance to the conventional wisdom that colleges have shifted entirely leftward.
4.
An LA man was sentenced to 45 days in jail after feeding a hawk a BuzzBall — then posting it on Youtube. Cesar Gustavo Diaz, 25, also gave the hawk a joint in another video. "Chillin with the homie,” Diaz said. “Damn, pass that, you takin’ too long!”
5.
The LA Metro announced that its long-awaited D Line extension will open in May, allowing riders to travel from downtown to Beverly Hills beneath Wilshire Boulevard. To celebrate the announcement, the Metro debuted new “Ride the D" merch, which you can buy for $20 as a crop top or heavyweight tee.
