Most UCLA students remember the moment they first became true
Bruins.
For some, it was when they participated in their first
eight-clap during orientation, throwing up one too many fists or
clapping a ninth time as they were swept up in a mix of confusion
and excitement.
Others recall going to the bonfire for Beat ‘SC week
during their freshman year and experiencing the energy and vibe of
a student body united by a common hate.
And then there are students who were brought up with rivalry
stories in houses where mentioning the word “Trojan”
was forbidden and parents decided which college their children
would attend before they could even walk.
The storied UCLA-USC rivalry is more than just a game for many
people: It’s a tradition shared by generations of UCLA
students and cherished by alumni.
“If the rivalry mattered to you as a student, it becomes
more important and intense as you get older,” said Keith
Brant, director of the UCLA Alumni Association.
“You will take it with you once you graduate, and it will
always be something you can associate with,” he added.
Brant said the uniqueness of the rivalry lies in the proximity
of the two universities within such an important metropolitan
area.
Because Los Angeles has no professional football team, the city
experiences a true division during rivalry week when residents
choose to support either USC or UCLA, Brant said, with allegiances
varying even within families.
But some students knew they would be Bruins from a very young
age, including Mike Hammer, a fourth-year political science
student.
“My parents were Bruin fans when I was growing up, so
there was no way I was going to USC,” he said.
Such an induction into the Bruin tradition seems to be common
among many students.
“I first got into the rivalry when I was 12 years
old,” said Plutarco Carrillo, a second-year mechanical
engineering student. “My older brother came here and got into
the rivalry, so I came here and now I’m into it.”
The UCLA orientation program also proves to be important in
developing Bruin faithful, with a new batch of dedicated freshmen
fans produced each year.
Third-year physiological science student Elizabeth Morgan
remembers attending a show put on in the Cooperage during her
orientation program.
“They performed this song that bashed USC and was really
funny,” she said. “That kind of got me into
it.”
While also being a 75-year-old tradition, the USC-UCLA rivalry
also serves an important purpose in creating a community, according
to sociology Professor Jack Katz.
“Institutions build artificial conflicts to create
identity among members,” he said. “Conflict breeds a
certain consensus in the community.”
Intercollegiate rivalries have long been an important part of
most higher education institutions.
One of the nation’s oldest rivalries pits Harvard
University against Yale, while other prominent national rivalries
include the Alabama-Auburn game and the Ohio State-Michigan
game.
For a school as culturally and racially diverse as UCLA, a
rivalry can provide important common experiences for students to
rally around, Katz said.
“It certainly provides a history of events students can
relate to and can override fragmentation,” he said.
And even if the game against UCLA’s crosstown rivals has
not been as fiercely contested in the last few years, Katz
suggested that the tradition would endure because it is greater
than both schools.
“Whether there is a rivalry is not up to students or
administrators,” he said. “People in Los Angeles
attribute importance to this rivalry, and this will not
change.”
According to Brant, Beat ‘SC week ““ organized by the
UCLA Student Alumni Association ““ is an effort to keep the
rivalry in the forefront of student’s minds.
He said the rivalry game adds to the college experience,
especially given its history, the pranks surrounding it and the
excitement in the build-up of the contest.
“It definitely makes the college experience for the
average UCLA student much more memorable,” Brant said.
“In a year like this, when odds are stacked against us,
the rivalry isn’t something you should take too seriously
““ just go out to the game and enjoy yourselves,” he
added.