Over 1,000 students gathered on Blatt Field Wednesday evening to attend Blatt Bonanza, a night of free food, inflatables and music, hosted by multiple campus organizations.
For some students, it was just a regular university event. But others saw it as a distraction from Uncensored America's "roast" of Vice President Kamala Harris, which took place in Russell House at the same time. The roast featured controversial speakers Milo Yiannopoulos and Gavin McInnes.
Kristen Issa, a fourth-year graphic design and illustration student, said she attended because she said it was her "best option" to oppose the Uncensored America event.
“I wanted to oppose the event that was happening at Russell in some way and didn’t feel safe protesting and didn’t feel like there was anything that would actually come out of it,” Issa said.
Some students, such as fourth-year criminology and criminal justice student Jarissa Adams, said they were able to appreciate both the lighthearted and political aspects of the event.
“It's free, and I knew it would be fun and food, but also just to be able to come to a safe and fun environment instead of being in the center of campus, just so I knew that I would be safe and not in the presence of bad vibes,” Adams said.
But Student Body President Patton Byars said that the groups in charge of organizing the event were not trying to send any particular message, merely trying to serve students.
However, Residence Hall Association President Will Dorroh said that the event is not completely neutral.
“The university is not what's represented at Russell House right now, and there's a lot more that we can show off and represent ourselves (with) that is really important to us,” Dorroh said.
Still others, such as Kappa Delta Chi President Isabella Cuervo, felt that the event was a way to empower students to make their voices heard in the community.
“We have voter registration for a reason. It's the way that people can be seen," Cuervo said. "And we're noticing that people need to have a way to express themselves, have a way to actually affect what's going on in the world.”
The theme of student empowerment was echoed throughout the night among the event-goers, including university President Michael Amiridis.
“I think this is an initiative by the Student Government and a number of other organizations all together," Amiridis said. "I think it's an excellent idea. They're celebrating USC, and they're celebrating our culture, our people."
Student Government initially proposed the event, Amiridis said. It then collaborated with other student groups.
Several campus organizations came together to plan Blatt Bonanza, including the Student Government Association, Carolina Productions, Kappa Delta Chi and the Residence Hall Association.
“Carolina Productions was approached by a couple of other student organizations wanting to put on an event for students, by students, just how we always have, as we are the programming board on campus," Carolina Productions President Aniya Nelson said. "We just love to program events for students."
Students said they felt that the event underscored unity and positivity, and that the light-hearted atmosphere succeeded in bringing students together.
“I think it is a great way to shift all that energy and confusion into something positive," first-year biochemistry and molecular biology student Kirsten McCoy said. "I know some people see this as like a distraction, but I think it's just a way to get people together, instead of dividing us."