CAMPUS NOTES
This past weekend, the College welcomed more than 1,000 guests to campus for Homecoming and Family Weekend. Families, students, and alumni cheered on student-athletes, celebrated student creativity at Oswald's Spirit Parade, experienced the results of The Oxy Campaign For Good throughout campus, and headed back to class for immersive Student for a Day lectures led by faculty. See photos from the weekend here. Thank you to the entire Occidental community for making the weekend successful and sharing the Io Triumphe spirit!
OXY NEWSMAKERS
Billboard Magazine Names Occidental College a 2023 'Top Music Business School'
Billboard magazine has again ranked Occidental College in its annual list of Top Music Business Schools, praising the College for a music program that will solidly position graduates for careers in an increasingly complex music industry.
Occidental College Celebrates Success of the Oxy Campaign For Good
Occidental has become a member of the Academic Preservation Trust (APTrust), a consortium of higher education institutions with a shared commitment to maintaining digital archives and creating services linked to that content.
Occidental College Joins the Academic Preservation Trust
Since 1987, the Tiger Club has presented annual awards to Occidental’s most outstanding scholar-athletes. Criteria for nominations include a minimum GPA of 3.0 and high achievement in intercollegiate athletics at the varsity level.
Robin Wall Kimmerer Featured in Occidental's Fourth Annual Community Book Program
Occidental’s Community Book Program offers a full year of programming that engages with themes from this year’s community book selection, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
HR CORNER
Mark your calendars for the following HR events:
- Oxy's Annual Open Enrollment will take place October 23 through November 3. All elections will be effective January 1, 2024. Annual Open Enrollment is the time to enroll in or make changes to your Oxy benefit plans and/or apply for Tuition Exchange scholarship(s) for eligible dependent children for the 2024-2025 academic year.
- October 31: HR will be hosting the annual Boo Bash outdoors on the North Patio surrounding AGC from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Highlights include a musical performance by students from Oxy’s Child Development Center led by “Mr. Mario” Hidalgo ’80, staff individual and departmental costume contest, department pumpkin carving contest, and refreshments so delicious, it’s scary!
Here is the latest list of arrivals and departures from September 17 to October 23:
Arrivals:
Marcus Baird, Campus Dining, Banquet Manager, Catering & Special Events
Octavio Brito, Campus Safety, Campus Safety Officer
Amber Chavez, Campus Safety, Campus Safety Officer
Vianca Ferrer Garcia, Cleaning Services, Cleaning Services B
Rosina Ghedle, Registrar’s Office, Associate Registrar—Data and Reporting
Natalie Greenhouse, Advancement Services, Senior Director of Advancement Services
Christine Hipa, Athletics, Head Softball Coach
Juan Mancilla-Salgado, Residence Life, Assistant Director of Student Conduct and Restorative Practices
George Recinos Mejia, Neighborhood Partnership Program, Academic Adviser
Jose Briceno Perez, Neighborhood Partnership Program, Academic Adviser
Paolo Velasco, Office of the Dean of the College, Director of Academic Support Services
Alison Wilkinson, Facilities Management, Sustainability Coordinator
Departures:
Rafael Pardo, Campus Dining, Cook B
Chad Pawlowski, Utilities & Energy Management, Plumber A
Andrew Henson, Institutional Advancement Management, Executive Assistant & Staff Support Group Leader
STAFF SHOUT-OUTS
From Ashli Lomeli, department services coordinator for physics, geology, and biochemistry: “Shout-out to Faculty Services Assistant Pedro Gonzalez, who recently navigated 205 pages worth of international transactions, receipts, and exchange rates to complete a faculty member's reimbursement over the course of a month. (A typical reimbursement runs between four to five pages, so 205 is quite a challenge and feat.)”
From Frankie Fleming, manager of education and community engagement: “Shout-out to Meldia Yesayan, director of Oxy Arts, who recently curated a major exhibition that opened at the Ford Foundation Gallery in New York.”
From Julie Tanaka, director of special collections and College archives: “Special Collections and College Archives extends its appreciation to everyone who helped make the grand opening of the Lowercase Printshop on October 11 such a success. We extend a special thank you to Ardeline Seymour, Manny Cortes, and Silvia Escobar from Catering. You were so gracious, polite, and welcoming to all of our visitors. Much appreciation to Leslie Garcia ’24, Matan Birnbaum ’25, Liam Sampson ’27, Quinn Sidor ’26, and Jonathan Richards of the Oxy Jazz Ensemble for the wonderful music during the reception. Thanks to Erin Sulla, Kathleen Makarewicz, Kevin Mulroy, Nick Velkavrh, Phil Erwin, and Sam Hilton for helping before, during, and after the event. I also extend my appreciation to my team—Alanna Quan, Helena de Lemos, and Jocelyn Pedersen—not only for their heroic efforts to make the event a huge success but for being such an enjoyable, hardworking, collaborative group of colleagues. And thank you to everyone who attended this event!”
CAMPUS CALENDAR
Thursday, November 2, 12:30 p.m.: Oxy's Newman Catholic Community invites the Occidental community to attend an ecumenical bilingual Christian service for All Souls Day in Herrick Chapel. All Souls Day is a day dedicated to the remembrance of those who have passed. You can submit names of people whom you would like to commemorate and include in our prayers using this form.
Friday, November 3, 8 a.m.: Moore Lab of Zoology hosts a guided community bird walk. Meet outside the Anderson Center for Environmental Sciences near Sycamore Glen. Bring binoculars if you have them, or pick up a pair to use at the event! RSVP with Jenny Wong.
Friday, November 3, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Join the Office of Sustainability for the inaugural Olive Harvest. Students, staff, faculty, and alumni are invited to harvest lives from our campus Mission Olive trees in Olive Grove. The olives will be pressed locally into Oxy's very own extra virgin olive oil. Stay for as long as you're able and enjoy catered refreshments from Campus Dining! Gardening gloves will be provided. Register to attend here.
Saturday, November 11 at 4 p.m.: The Occidental Symphony Orchestra presents its fall concert in Thorne Hall. As the community orchestra for Northeast Los Angeles, the Orchestra includes not just students but also alumni and community members.
November 2-5 and November 16-19 (times vary): Take a seat and enjoy the fall plays from the Theater & Performance Studies Department this November. A Dream Play (directed by Resident Professor Laural Meade ’88) runs Thursday, November 2, through Sunday, November 5, in Keck Theater. Ticket info for A Dream Play here. Slanguage (directed by Assistant Professor Will Power) runs Thursday, November 16, through Sunday, November 19. Ticket info for Slanguage here.