the academy news - march 8, 2012
DESCRIPTION
In this issue: University Day, Spring Break ideas, Ronaldo v. Messi, parrot love, & more!TRANSCRIPT
PHOEBE ZHANG
Last Thursday, the Lan-
guage Academy organized an
attractive and entertaining ac-
tivity for students to watch the
basketball game at the Galen
Center, USC Trojans against
the Washington Huskies. Al-
though it was a pity that the
Trojans eventually failed by a
score of 58-80, we all had a
great night to cheer on the
Trojan team.
We met at JEF to set out
for the Galen Center at 7 p.m. The game
began at 7:30 on time. Over 2,000 peo-
ple gathered in the indoor basketball
arena. People who supported Trojans
wore red clothes and USC accessories.
On the other hand, people wore purple
clothes to support the Huskies. Because
we were the home team, our supporters
were many more than the opponents'.
The whole field was filled with our
shouting. We sat next to the band. The See Basketball on p. 3
Spring Break (March 12—16, 2012) Hope you all have the chance to relax, experience something new and enjoy your week-long vacation. There will be NO Language Academy classes during USC’s Spring Break from March 12-16, 2012 and the office will be closed from Wed to Friday.
Spring Forward March 11, 2012 Don’t forget to set your clocks forward one hour at 2am on Sunday, March 11, 2012. This means that at 2am, you should change your clocks so that it is 3am. You don’t necessarily have to stay up until 2am to change your clocks, but don’t forget to do so before going to bed!
Basketball at Galen Center
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
Language
Labs
2
Announce-
ments
3
Ronaldo or
Messi
4
Miami Heat 6
Active
Applicants
6
The Amazing
Parrot
7
Upcoming
Stories
8
UP C O M I N G AC T I V I T I E S
The Academy News M A R C H 8 , 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E 5 3 , I S S U E 8 Who is the best
soccer player-
Ronaldo or Messi?
Howard gives us
the facts, pp. 4-5.
Still thinking about
your plans for
Spring Break?
Yara recommends
Miami, p. 6
What are all these
food trucks around
campus? Sara
explains, p. 7
Language Academy students show their Trojan colors.
P A G E 2
Tuesday, March 20th
Time Location Description Facilitator Levels
12:00—1:00 VKC 101 IELTS Test Preparation James Hutzell All Levels
12:00—1:00 VKC 160 Writing Skills Jimenah Espinoza Levels 3, 4, 5, & 6
12:00—1:00 VKC 111 Life Skills : Apartment Hunting
Jemal Williams Levels 1, 2, 3, & 4
12:00—1:00 VKC 209 American Culture : American Cuisine
Natalie Reyes Levels 1, 2, 3, & 4
11:00—12:00
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1 Bella Narvaez Level 1
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 2 & 3 Justin Chang Levels 2 & 3
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 4 Dorothy Chang Level 4
12:00—1:00 JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 5, 6 & 7 Hannah Yoo Levels 5, 6, & 7
Please remember to sign up for Language Labs starting TODAY at
NOON until MONDAY, March 19th at 8:00am. Don’t forget over Spring
Break! If you have questions or problems signing up, please email Sky at
Remember, you will need to create an account on the Language Lab
website to sign up for University Day, which will take place on March
27th. Instructions on how to create an account and sign up are
available online—Go to: bit.ly/mzYTQm to find instructions.
Thursday, March 22nd
Time Location Description Facilitator Levels
11:00—12:00 THH 113 Statement of Purpose Prep Heather Robertson
Levels 3, 4, 5, & 6
12:00—1:00 VKC 101 GRE/GMAT Test Prep James Hutzell All Levels
12:00—1:00 VKC 111 Life Skills : Apartment Hunting
Jemal Williams Levels 1, 2, 3, & 4
12:00—1:00 VKC 209 American Culture : American Cuisine
Natalie Reyes Levels 1, 2, 3, & 4
11:00—12:00
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1 Bella Narvaez Level 1
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 2 & 3 Justin Chang Levels 2 & 3
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 4 Dorothy Chang Level 4
12:00—1:00 JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 5, 6 & 7 Hannah Yoo Levels 5, 6, & 7
For this week, Life Skills AND American Culture will be on Tuesday and Thursday. Each lab will have the same topic on Thursday as on Tuesday, so everyone can get a
chance to attend. Check out Jemal in Life Skills and Natalie in American Culture!
P A G E 3
UNIVERSITY DAY On Tuesday, March 27th, your regu-
larly scheduled classes will be replaced with one USC class which you will choose and sign up for online (JUST LIKE LANGUAGE LABS). You will get the opportunity to attend a real uni-versity class with real USC students on this day! On Friday, March 23rd, you will be able to sign up online for ONE class that you find interesting.
This is your chance to test your listen-ing and note-taking skills, as well as to see what a U.S. university class is like. You will also have an assignment in Oral Skills class to complete after you have attended your USC class.
For more information, students should check The Academy News in the March 23rd edition. You will find the
different courses listed here.
Former student Jennifer Lee wrote in The Academy News, “Through this class, I could get confidence that I could un-derstand a regular class in the U.S.”
University Day Surprise Ryan Huang from Taiwan describes his experience of University Day in this arti-cle
International students had many surprises on University Day. This was my second time to join the special class. Before I came to America, I always imagined I could study in U.S.C.
I took the Linguistics class at 11:00. When I arrived there on time, many students were quietly waiting for the professor. They had a special visitor who was Genie Gertz Ph. D from Cali-
fornia State University in University Day. She was a deaf and dumb person. I was surprised because I had never attended such an unusual class.
“What kind of way did she teach in class?” This question emerged from my mind. She used sign language to a per-son who was translating from her. She was a really smart, lively and kindly professor. She prepared a lot of infor-mation in Powerpoint. Every student really enjoyed the class and eagerly asked questions.
After this class I can’t forget this class, it was really special to me. I hope I can go to her class again. This was a won-derful and surpris-ing class.
Attention Students! Do you have class at the Radisson Hotel? Please remember that you
should always park your bicycles in designated bike racks, and lock it to
something secure. We have had complaints that students are parking their bikes in front of Rosso’s Pizze-ria. If you park your bike and it isn’t
locked to a bike rack, it could get stolen, or DPS will impound it, which means to take it away because you
aren’t following the rules. Please don’t forget!
Basketball Continued from p. 1
members of the band
were dancing to their
own melody. They
used their passion and
enthusiasm to bring on
the cheers.
Our basketball game
gave expression to not
only the physical
strength of the compe-
tition, but the embodi-
ment of the team spirit.
Meanwhile, it con-
tained skills and wis-
dom.
The passion of the
players and audience
also came from the
cheering squads’ en-
couragement. The two
teams’ girls danced en-
ergetically. Their vital-
ity and youthfulness
brought us a visual
feast. Even though I
was not a basketball
fan, the exciting atmos-
phere and Trojan’s un-
yielding spirit made me
start to love this game.
I believe in every Tro-
jan’s heart, their team
will never give up, no
matter how strong the
opponents are. Fight
on, Trojans!
P A G E 4
HOWARD WEN
Nowadays, there is an unwritten rule in the soccer world that almost all the soccer fans and experts think that either C. Ronaldo or Messi is the best soccer player now. These two most talented soccer players are compared all the time.
C. Ronaldo repre-sents the confident and wild style of soccer player, but Messi repre-sents the diligent and modest style.
Another thing I have to mention is they play
for the greatest rival soc-cer clubs—Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga (First Division of Spanish Soccer League), Spain.
Soccer is an all-round game. The size of the player is not a deter-mining factor. C. Ronaldo is faster and
stronger than Messi, but agility is Messi’s asset.
Both of them have nearly perfect soccer techniques.
Let’s make a com-prehensive comparison about their soccer tech-niques to see who is bet-ter.
See Soccer on p. 5
Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi
Happy Birthday!
March
Andrea Coates 8
Maithili Kiran Mokashi 9
Bader Ibrahim Al Sabti 10 Abdullah Sulaiman Alomri 12
Sheena Vira 21
Barbara Holmes 23
Mazin Alahmadi 23
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi dominate the soccer leagues.
Language Academy students show their Trojan Spirit at Thurs-day’s basketball game at the Galen Center.
P A G E 5 Soccer: Ronaldo or Messi? Continued from p. 4
Soccer Techniques C. Ronaldo Messi
Dribbling 10 10
Shooting 10 10
Tactics Awareness 10 10
Header Ability 10 8
Teamwork 6 10
C. Ronaldo Messi
Total Score 93 93
Player C. Ronaldo Messi
Age 27 25
Height 185cm 170cm
Weight 78kg 64kg
Highest Honor 2008 FIFA (International Federation of Associa-tion Football) World Player of the Year
2009, 2010, 2011 FIFA World Player of the Year
Physical Ability C. Ronaldo Messi
Speed 10 9
Power 10 8
Agility 7 10
Stamina 10 9
Spring Ability 10 9
P A G E 6
Travel Heat it Up in Miami by Yara Hadi
Spring break is right
around the corner. So
why not go somewhere
hot? Why not go to Mi-
ami?
There are many fun
things to do and exciting
places to visit in Miami.
Don’t forget about the
weather. The weather is
going to be pretty hot, so
you can hit the beach and
get tanned.
Miami is all about
beaches. Miami’s hot spot is South
Beach, which is located in the fa-
mous Miami Beach. South Beach
has everything from shopping to
restaurants to partying at night.
Miami Beach is the most fa-
mous beach in Miami because it has
seven miles of beaches and about 20
parks filled with culture.
Let’s not forget about nightlife.
Nightlife includes everything, such
as clubs, bars, and pubs.
If you are looking for something
more cultural, you should visit Little
Havana. Little Havana brings back
the history of the Cubans who came
to Florida. Little Havana offers Cu-
ban restaurants and shops, which are
great for all ages.
Every year little Havana holds a
festival called Calle Ocho,
which is one of the largest
festivals in the world with
over a million visitors. This
festival takes place from Feb-
ruary 19-March 11.
At this time, Miami’s
weather is the perfect get-
away for a little sun. The
highest temperature is about
80F (33C) and the lowest is
about 50F (11C). The plane
ride is around six hours.
I think visiting Miami is a
great way to spend your
spring break because they have
many festivals, beaches, and other
attractions that will satisfy many
ages.
Reference
www.about.com
www. Wikipedia.com
Miami has long beaches with white sand, a perfect getaway in March.
Be an
Active
Applicant
SISI LIN
March and April are
special months for many
Language Academy students.
Since many students have
already applied for under-
graduate schools or graduate
programs, it is the time for
schools to give students re-
sults.
Students become nervous
and anxious when they are
waiting for their results.
Many of them think they
can’t do anything else. How-
ever, although students have
already submitted applica-
tions, you can still do some-
thing before you get results.
Here are some tips for stu-
dents “in the last minute”.
Double check your email
addresses and mailing
address. Sometimes, the
delay of results is caused
by wrong contact infor-
mation. Update your con-
tact information immedi-
ate.
Keep in touch with the
programs that you ap-
plied. Some students
email or have conversa-
tion with the admission
officers before or when
they prepare the applica-
tion, which helps them
get the update informa-
tion about the program
and leave themselves a
positive impression on the
program. However, it is
also necessary to keep in
touch with the admission
officers after submitting
the application. This is a
good way to refresh the
impression and show your
enthusiasm of study.
Keep in touch with your
classmate to see if they
have any new information
about the application.
Don’t feel depressed if
you get the rejection.
Some other schools ac-
cept late application. Try
other schools or programs
that you are interested in.
Keep in touch with your
friends and classmates
will be the most effective
ways to get latest infor-
mation. You are not only
competitors, but also fel-
lows in the battle.
Don’t be depressed if
you don’t get any feed-
back about the program.
Some students don’t
hear anything from the
program in April or
May, but they get it in
June or even later. Some
programs are extremely
busy and popular, so
they need more time to
evaluate or compare the
applicants. Not receiving
the results in April or
May doesn’t mean you
are rejected. Be positive
and patient.
Hungry? Food Trucks are Here! By Sara AlShehri
Why wait for a reservation in a Chi-nese or Mediterranean restaurant, hoping to find a table when you can simply find the same food next to you!
Food trucks are catering trucks that serve many kinds of food. The main reason for creating food trucks is to make profits for many people who cannot afford to open their own res-taurants.
The idea of food trucks was founded a long time ago when sellers came to the town and tried to sell some of their homemade products, such as butter, cottage cheese, meats, and vegetables.
The variety of the food trucks is huge; American food, East Asian. Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican,
Mediterranean and for sure American chili burgers!
Additionally, let’s not for-get everyone’s favorite food which is dessert! There are trucks selling ice cream, chocolate crepes, cinnamon rolls, and muffins.
Big cities, such as New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are usually full of food trucks everywhere. Moreover, food trucks are usually located around university campuses, companies in major streets, and in large parks.
Here’s a tip: when you want to order something from a food truck, usually they have small menu that shows you the most popular meal. Therefore, you should check out this menu before ordering something you won’t like.
Maybe you can try some of the delicious food trucks around the cam-pus; it’s really an interesting experi-ence. I mean delicious and cheap food! You cannot ask for more!
Welcome Velkommen
Bienvenue Bienvenidos
Benvenuti Bem-vindo
환영
ようこそ
Қош келдіңіз!
Xush kelibsiz
Добро пожаловать
Courtesy of Google Translate
P A G E 7
The Love I Share with my Parrot by Lily Sabajan
I really like pets because they
form part of my family and particu-
larly of me. I have a big house with
enough space for my pets, including
three dogs, Scrappy, Sammy, and
Chuchie; my two turtles,Fasty, and
Swimmy; and last but not least, my
parrot named Chapis. I’d like to
share with all the students in Lan-
guage Academy my wonderful experi-
ence with my bird.
Chapis is a very nice parrot. He
has lived almost a year with us in the
house. He is green with a red crown
on top of the head; he is a Mexican red
crown. He came from San Luis Potosi
Mexico.
Having a parrot is incredible. You
need to be prepared for a very long
companionship for 30 or 60 years at
least.
Chapis likes to be adopted by
someone specific in the family. The
position of the cage is very important
because your bird is part of the fam-
ily. The cage has to be in an area
where your pet can observe household
activities. Chapis is placed next to us
in the living room. He likes to watch
us eating and talking about the day at
school and work.
Chapis is a very smart bird. In the
short year with us he has learned a lot
of words in English I am from Guate-
mala, and my native language is
Spanish. He also speaks Spanish. For
example, he says “Hello,” “For real,”
“Bye-bye,” “Arriba” (meaning up),
“Tengo frio” (I am cold), and “Hi,
papi.” He says that because my girls
call my husband “papi.” He really
makes me happy when he repeats eve-
rything I say. They are good imita-
tors.
In conclusion, I think having pets
in your life is very positive because
this gives you many opportunities to
share the love with them.
Top: There are a variety of food trucks around campus; Above: Food trucks have a long history in Los Angeles.
Chapis speaks both English and Spanish.
Student stories and lots of other in-
formation are available on our
blog—World of Mouth!
Here is the link: http://
www.uscrossier.org/langacad/
Sisi’s story is posted there: “Be An
Active Applicant.”
In the next issue of The Academy
News
Yara Hadi will write about an
organization that helps the in-
visible children of Uganda.
Sis Lin will explore the possibil-
ity of a second-hand exchange
on campus.
Sara Al Shehri will tell us about
St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.
Don’t forget to wear green, or
someone will pinch you!
Howard will report on the
Spring Break.
AND TELL US ABOUT YOUR
ADVENTURES OVER SPRING
BREAK!! HAVE A GREAT
TIME!!
St. Patrick’s Day
March 17
THE ARTS AND EVENTS
CALENDAR WILL BE BACK
ON MARCH 25!!
USC Language
Academy
Rossier School of
Education
Phone: 213-740-0080
Fax: 213-740-0088
Web: www.usc.edu/
langacad
ATTENTION
LANGUAGE
ACADEMY
STUDENTS
Do you have a story to tell?
Do you have an inspiration?
The TAN Staff invites all
students to write stories for
the newsletter. Send your
stories to Editor Sisi Lin at
Assistant EditorYara Hadi at
and we’ll publish them!
UPCOMING STORIES AND EVENTS
The Academy News is a weekly newsletter pro-duced by students in the Journalism Elective of the USC Language Academy. All students in the Lan-guage Academy Program are encouraged to send news stories and photos to Sonja Lovelace at [email protected].
Check out The Academy News online at www.usc.edu/langacad.Go to “Student Informa-
tion” and then click on “The Academy News.”
P A G E 8 M A R C H 8 , 2 0 1 2
WE HAVE A WINNER! Nedaa Al Hamadie is
the winner of last week’s quiz Disney Quiz!!
Enjoy your Starbuck’s Coffee Card!
Editor Sisi Lin
Assistant Editor Yara Hadi
Reporters Sara Alshehri
Tzekwan (Catherine)Cheung
Lilly Sabajan
Yining (Yvoon) Wei
Haoyang (Howard) Wen
Fengyi (Phoebe) Zhang
Advisor
Sonja Lovelace
THE TAN STAFF