Update: In a Tuesday evening statement to Annenberg Media, the University said Trojan Knights and Helenes could continue their tradition of protecting the Tommy Trojan and Hecuba statues throughout the night.
“In recognition of their legacy of support for USC, the university has decided that these two groups – and these two, only – will be able to resume their traditional overnight watch shifts beginning tonight,” the University said in its statement.
Update: The president of Trojan Knights told Annenberg Media on Tuesday evening that they would be allowed by Student Life to stay overnight at Tommy Trojan. This allowance was made on the condition that the group adheres to rules against camping — they are not allowed to bring cots or camping supplies, and they cannot sleep on campus.
For more than 80 years, the Trojan Knights have kept 24/7 watch over the Tommy Trojan statue throughout Conquest Week, protecting the monument in the days leading up to the rivalrous USC-UCLA football game. However, the “Tommy Watch” tradition, which began in an effort to prevent vandalism from UCLA students, is changing, following a new policy in the University’s student handbook.
Traditionally, students have stayed overnight with cots, sleeping bags and blankets. Now, campus officials have threatened to penalize students who remain on campus beyond 11:30 p.m and before 8 a.m.
The student handbook change comes after pro-Palestinian USC students constructed an encampment in Alumni Park last spring to protest university action regarding the Israel-Hamas war. In April and May, DPS, along with the Los Angeles Police Department, went into the encampment to remove the tents and arrest occupiers.
In August, the student handbook was updated to prohibit the use of University grounds or facilities “for the purposes of living, sleeping, or camping overnight,” including the use of “cots, tents, or temporary, makeshift, or portable structures intended for living or sleeping.” In the past, the student handbook maintained certain exceptions for camping with the approval of Student Affairs.
In a statement to Annenberg Media, the University said: “All students and organizations are expected to follow the Student Handbook and event policies. Students with questions about event or activity planning can contact Campus Activities or Trojan Event Services.”
Julia Haffie, a senior studying human biology and president of the Trojan Knights, shared her sadness regarding the change to the almost century-old tradition.
“I felt like we did everything right in getting all the approvals and filling out all the reservation forms and figuring out what we were allowed to do,” Haffie said.
Within Trojan Knights, spirits are low, as new members who had been “looking forward” to their first Tommy Watch are disappointed and senior knights are just looking for a “nice time” at their last Tommy Watch.
However, progress — though slow — is being made. Haffie said she was told Campus Activities would be meeting with an event services group today to discuss the policies.
“We’re hopeful that they might be able to find a way for us to stay overnight and guard Tommy,” Haffie said.
Logan Christianson, a senior majoring in international relations and a member of the Trojan Knights, said the reasoning for the tightening restrictions hasn’t been fully explained. However, she said she speculates that the university’s actions are all in an effort to protect themselves from public scrutiny.
“My speculation is that [Campus] Activities are trying not to appear hypocritical because of the encampments last spring,” Christianson said. “They’re kind of doubling down and being particularly harsh to the Trojan Knights just because they got in trouble for being harsh in the past.”
She also said the Trojan Knights have been in contact with officials from the University to ensure compliance and safety, and have not experienced any issues with DPS so far. The group was out all night Sunday and DPS was present, but caused no disruption.
“I imagine their first priority is student safety,” Christianson said. “So if all of us are following University guidelines and not doing anything bad or illegal and just playing cornhole at midnight, I don’t think that we’re causing any trouble.”
This is not the first year the camping policy has created friction with Conquest Week activities. Christianson said last year the Trojan Knights were allowed to guard Tommy Trojan overnight, but were not permitted to sleep in the area due to safety concerns from the University. Guarding, which can draw upwards of 35 people, became more difficult with these changes.
“Since the University started imposing new rules, it’s been fewer people at night, just because it’s so difficult to stay awake and not be able to sleep here,” Christianson said. “Most people will go home. Sometimes it’s just one or two people.”
In response to the tightening restrictions last year, Christanson and USG Senator Christan Shaw authored a bill advocating for loosened restrictions. The bill stated that last year, DPS “took the unprecedented step of enforcing the University’s ‘no-camping policy’ against the Helenes and Trojan Knights during Conquest Week” in fall 2023.
The bill, which passed by the Student Senate, called on the university and USC Student Life to restore the groups’ abilities to sleep overnight at the statutes, as was previously allowed.
However, Christianson said that USG does not have enforcing authority to restore the Trojan Knights’ guarding capacity.
The Helenes, who guard the Hecuba statute in the Village during Conquest Week, have also changed their guarding to reflect the new University restrictions. Anusha Deshpande, a senior majoring in human biology and the director of athletics for the Helenes, said the organization also received permission from Campus Activities to guard Hecuba from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m.
While Helenes will not be sleeping or camping next to the Hecuba, members have been surrounding the statue in lawn chairs.
“I [guarded] last year, and it was super fun,” Deshpande said. “In the past, we have been able to do it overnight, but in light of a lot of different changes that are happening on campus, we have had to change a little.”
While defending the statues, the Trojan Knights and Helenes can parcitipate in various other organized festivities.
“We’ve been doing a lot of studying, but then later in the evening we have events that we plan for our organization,” said Deshpande.
On Monday, the Helenes held an “Intersectionality Potluck” where members from different cultural backgrounds share their cuisines. The Helenes will also host a toy drive and cake decorating event later this week. To cap off the week of celebration, the Helenes will match up against the Knights in an “olympic field day.” Additionally, restaurants from the Village donate food for the groups to enjoy while they defend these beloved University monuments.
This week, the decades-old tradition continues, but it looks far different from its start.
“It’s absolutely not gonna go over well with alumni, people that have been involved with this or for a very long time,” said Christianson. “It’s a huge loss to the community if we’re not able to continue this tradition.”