• Residential Education & Housing Services
• Residence Halls
• Themed Living Communities

Themed Living Communities

Themed Living Communities at Occidental College are intended to create strong links between students living on campus and their learning experience. Each themed living community has the support of a faculty/staff advisor and the Residential Education staff. Students living in themed living community will enrich the opportunities available to the students, faculty, and staff of Occidental College by providing educational programming around this shared interest.

The Office of Residential Education and Housing Services is very excited to offer themed living community options! Students interested in living in themed living communities should fill out an application for each of the themed living community options that interest them.  APPLY TODAY by clicking on the links below – application deadline is March 7, 2013 at 5pm.

"Create Your Own Theme"

Create-your-own-theme living communities are intended to give students the option to specialize their living environment. They allow students the freedom to pick an area of specialized focus while giving them extra support throughout the year in terms of staffing and resources. Students will be able to explore and grow with a group of their friends in this themed living community.

Multicultural Hall 

The Multicultural Hall provides a safe and aware community where diversity and multiculturalism are promoted, nurtured, and applied to residential living and to the Occidental community as a whole. The experiences that are the result of living here are intended to prepare all residents to lead and thrive in an increasingly globalized society, with an emphasis on social justice and service for the communities from the residents come. The Multicultural Hall is a safe space, where students may discuss their differences and pluralistic identities without fear of slurs, attacks or discrimination.

Berkus House (all female) 

Berkus House is an all-female living option that focuses on developing a strong sense of community among women that want to live with and be surrounded by other women. Berkus House is a close-knit community that provides women with a safe space for discussion, communal living, and personal development.

E.Norris Hall (Norris)	PAULEY (Multicultural Hall)
Constructed in 1966, Norris Hall was built to give students who were interested in specific languages the opportunity to live together in a suite set-up with four double rooms centered around a common living room. Today, Norris is the second largest residence hall, home to 155 residents in 20 suites with all double rooms, and it is home to the create-your-own-theme communities. Suites can be either single-gender or coed, and students can choose to live together in groups of six to 16 during the room draw process. Eileen Norris Hall is named in honor of Mrs. Kenneth T. Norris in recognition of the gifts from her and her husband.	The mission of the Multicultural Hall is to provide a safe and aware community in which multiculturalism and diversity are promoted, nurtured, and applied to residential living and to the Occidental community as a whole. The experiences that result from living here are intended to prepare all residents to lead and thrive in an increasingly globalized society, with an emphasis on social justice and service for the communities from which we have come. Multicultural Hall is a space in which students may openly discuss their differences and pluralistic identities with neighbors of different identities and backgrounds so that we may learn about our differences and celebrate them. By no means is Multicultural Hall intended to be an exclusive community, but rather an institution open to all who wish to engage in dialogue, serving as a living and evolving embodiment of the four cornerstones of the Occidental College mission statement: excellence, equity, community, and service.
1480 (Pet House)	4863 (FOOD JUSTICE HOUSE)
1480 is currently home to the Pet House. The students living here are not only caring for Nutella, a family pet of one of the residents, but they will be volunteering at a nearby shelter as well as hosting programs on campus to raise awareness about pet issues.	4863 is currently home to the Food Justice theme. The Food Justice House creates a community within Occidental College that fosters the development of sustainable food practices and instills awareness of the possibility of an environmentally conscious and socially aware lifestyle outside of a campus setting.
Berkus House	SAE
Berkus House is an all-female living option that focuses on developing a strong sense of community among women that want to live with and be surrounded by other women. Berkus House is a close-knit community that provides women with a space for discussion, communal living, and personal development.	SAE is a group of individuals who believe in the importance of academic success, career development, and social interaction,  and who pride themselves on dedication to academics, community service, friendship, and tradition. SAE is comprised of approximately 20 brothers involved in numerous areas of campus life and leadership.

Themed housing is comprised of two residence halls and three houses. The area includes Pauley Hall (the multicultural hall), E. Norris Hall (where the create-your-own themes reside), Berkus House (all-female housing), 4863 (the food justice house), and 1480 (currently the pet house). The area is staffed by one community director, two graduate hall coordinators, and 11 resident advisors (RAs). Through intentional programming focusing on themes and outreach, the RAs work to create a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment for the students to succeed academically, thrive socially, and become connected and involved both on campus and in the greater Los Angeles area. 

Other Special Interest Housing Options Available:

Gender-Neutral Housing

Gender-Neutral housing is an environment where student housing is not restricted to traditional limitations of the gender binary. This housing option is ideal for students whose gender identification and/or gender expression varies from the standard paradigm and for students who believe that their gender should not factor into the decision of whom to live with.

Transfer and Exchange Housing

During the room draw process students apply to be matched with a transfer or exchange sudent as their roommate. These students then are paired up in the summer with students who are accepted as either transfer or exchange students. This gives current Oxy students an opportunity to share their love of Oxy with new students coming in and gives them an opportunity to learn about a different area or culture as well.

Housing Accomodations

Housing accomodations are not made through our office. Please contact the Dean of Students Office to go through the accomodations process.