What does USG even do?
Tomo Chien
February 13, 2026
Good morning. It’s Friday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
The newsletter will be off Monday for the holiday.
1.
The Undergraduate Student Government, whose paid staffers manage a $2.5 million budget, has passed just 16 bills this year. Half of those were related to internal operations like a logo change. When pressed, few members of USG provided coherent explanations for the drop in legislative productivity.
2.
USC sparked a micro firestorm on student social media yesterday when it announced that next year’s family weekend will be on Halloween — which is typically reserved for excessive drinking and other debauchery. “NONE OF OUR KIDS WANT US THERE FOR HALLOWEEN!” one mom wrote on Instagram.
3.
For days, mysterious flyers circulated on campus promoting an “ICE Out Rally” at Tommy Trojan Thursday night. But when the time came, fewer than 10 people showed up — and it wasn’t even clear who organized it.
4.
This year’s student government race is relatively boring. Not so at other schools: A UNC presidential candidate had to scrap her campaign after an incredible investigation by The Daily Tar Heel found that she and her staffers spied on a competitor and conspired to denigrate him on Yik Yak.
5.
Sorry for this one: A survey of 100,000 college students found that 35% admitted to texting or scrolling TikTok while having sex. “That’s because these idiots are so inept they need to look up things on their phone for help doing the job,” one internet commenter said.
