CAMPUS NOTES
As the spring semester gets underway, the College is welcoming two amazing speakers—and staff and faculty are invited to join the conversation. This year’s Community Book Program has centered on Potawatomi professor Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. The yearlong programming will culminate on Tuesday, February 6, with a Zoom conversation between Kimmerer and President Elam. Register here to join the lunchtime event.
Up next in the Oxy Live! series is a conversation with world-renowned painter and MacArthur Fellow Julie Mehretu, on Wednesday, February 21, at 7 p.m. Acclaimed interviewer Paul Holdengräber will interview the Ethiopian American contemporary visual artist—Sotheby’s top-selling African artist of all time and one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2020. Register for a free ticket here.
The Career Fair is coming up and the Hameetman Career Center could really use the help of staff! There is a great need for volunteers to greet and direct employer guests in addition to our students. The Fair is taking place on the Academic Quad from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, February 22, but volunteers are needed from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The HCC provides lunch and coffee for every volunteer! Please email PJ Lutz at lutzp@oxy.edu to learn more.
OXY NEWSMAKERS
President Elam Signs Second Nature Climate Commitment
On Jan. 21, President Harry J. Elam, Jr. signed the Second Nature Climate Commitment to combat climate change and support sustainability at Occidental College.
Occidental College President Emeritus John Brooks Slaughter Dies at 89
John Brooks Slaughter, Occidental College’s 11th president, died on December 6 at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, surrounded by family and friends.
Occidental Expands Admission Outreach Through New Community Partnerships
Occidental College has launched two new partnerships that will expand the College’s admission outreach to underserved populations.
HR CORNER
2023 Flexible Spending Account Deadline Reminder: You will have until March 15 to spend remaining 2023 Flexible Spending Account funds and until April 30 to submit a claim to request a refund for a 2023 remaining balance (for eligible out-of-pocket expenses incurred during the period 1/1/23 through 3/15/24), per IRS guidelines. Items purchased on the online FSA store, fsastore.com, are eligible for reimbursement under the Medical Spending Account. If you have questions, please contact the PrimePay customer participant line at 855-892-6272 for assistance.
Here is the latest list of arrivals and departures from November 29, 2023, to January 22, 2024:
Arrivals:
Michelle Hernandez, Upward Bound, Program Coordinator
Benjamin Greenberg, Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, Associate Director of Jewish Student Life
Erin Phillips, Residence Life, Residential Director
Eric Robinson, Emmons Counseling Services, Staff Therapist
Departures:
John David Stabenfeldt, Athletics, Men's & Women's Water Polo Head Coach
Linh Vo, Mathematics, Department Services Coordinator
KUDOS
Kat Wang, director of pre-health advising, and Dr. Mia Mattioli, visiting assistant professor of biology, will be presenting at the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP) '24 Conference "Focusing on the Future of Health Professions Advising" in Ohio this June. The title of their presentation is "HOPP into the future of pre-med education: Introducing how doctors think at college." HOPP—short for the Huntington-Occidental Pre-med Program—is the Bio 298 course that Kat and Mia teach at Occidental.
CAMPUS CALENDAR
John Branca ’72 & Jim Sebenius present two Harvard Business School case studies on negotiating Michael Jackson’s "Thriller" and the buying of The Beatles’ catalog this Friday, January 26 in Choi Auditorium at 4 p.m. This event is open to students, staff and faculty.
The Glee Club presents its Homecoming concert on Sunday, January 28, from 4 to 5 p.m. at Herrick Chapel.
On Friday, February 2, from 12:50 to 2 p.m., Oxy Music faculty and pianist Galina Barskaya performs a recital of chamber music in Bird Studio.
Join President Harry J. Elam, Jr. in conversation with Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass, on Tuesday, February 6 from noon to 1 p.m. on Zoom. Register here.
On Friday, February 16, at 12:50 to 2 p.m. flutist and Oxy Music Instructor Rachel Mellis will perform a recital in Bird Studio.
Oxy Live! presents a conversation with Julie Mehretu on Sunday, February 21, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Choi Auditorium. Register here.