President John Brooks Slaughter in 1988
The Journey of John Brooks Slaughter
Occidental's 11th president arrived on campus in 1988 amid national fanfare and great expectations—and in the 11 years to follow, John Brooks Slaughter brought out the best in Oxy

Occidental magazine brings you campus news, in-depth features, and profiles of exceptional alumni. For the 2023-24 academic year, the magazine will publish two print and digital issues (Fall 2023 and Spring 2024) and two digital-only issues (Summer 2023 and Winter 2024). 

Oxy soccer players posing on field
Oxy soccer roars back into action—and the Tigers are in the hunt for goals and glory
Members of the Emmons Wellness Center staff in August 2021
From Dining Services to Residential Life, and Facilities to ITS, scores of dedicated people kept the College ticking throughout the pandemic
Dr. Anthony Fauci and Kate Rope '95
Journalist Kate Rope ’95 documents a little-known program during the Vietnam War that produced cutting-edge medical research, nine Nobel laureates, and the nation's best-known immunologist
Filmmaker Cooper Raiff '19
Cooper Raiff ’19’s coming-of-age movie with an unprintable name became the Cinderella story of the 2020 SXSW Film Festival. He only had to drop out of Oxy to complete it
Reimagining the Sciences, Occidental College
From interdisciplinary majors to increasingly diverse classrooms, Oxy positions itself to take the lead in developing future generations of ethical scientists
Multicultural Summer Institute students at Occidental in July 2021
A variety of summer programs restore the in-person element to the Oxy experience—and students are happy to be back on campus
Occidental College Commencement, June 12, 2021
For the first time in 71 years, Occidental held two Commencement ceremonies in a single year, with separate, socially distanced, in-person events on Patterson Field taking place for the...
David Carreon Bradley
A new voice for equity and justice at Oxy and other newsmakers from a busy summer
Madam C.J. Walker
An illuminating new biography by Oxy professor Erica J. Ball examines the rags-to-riches story of America's first self-made woman millionaire
Occidental College President Harry J. Elam, Jr.
During the last week of August, we will be welcoming students back to the beautiful Oxy campus. What joy it brings me to write that!
Linh Lai Telefund
With a new home and a new supervisor, Oxy's student calling program gears up for the fall
Professor Emeritus Andrew Rolle '43
As prolific in the library as he was in the classroom, Andrew Rolle '43, who died in March, chronicled California, the American West, and Occidental with an honest and unflinching gaze
Barbara Valiente and daughter Alexandra
Thanks to the generosity of our community of alumni, parents, students, friends, faculty, and staff, our second annual Day For Oxy was a tremendous success.
Motoko Ezaki
NTT Professor of Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture Motoko Ezaki is retiring after 32 years at Oxy. This tribute to her career is part of the Spring 2021 magazine.
Professor Irene Girton, Occidental, Music
As the College says goodbye to an unprecedented 11 retiring faculty, we called on some of their brightest students to share their memories, tributes, and an extra box of tissues

Features

Lori Howard ’81 of Pinch Me Provence
A Pinch of Provence
Lori Howard ’81 kept a place in her heart for France following her study abroad experience at Oxy. Now she’s curating custom holiday experiences for a growing clientele in the French...
Minnesota Court of Appeals Judge Keala Ede
Longboard of the Law
As the first Native Hawaiian judge in Minnesota history, Keala Ede ’00 brings a commitment to justice to his courtroom—and a taste of surf culture to the shores of Lake Superior
Members of the Occidental Class of 2027
New Faces of 2027
Occidental’s 140th-anniversary class is among its most diverse—and they have a lot to say about everything from activism and athletics to culture and chocolates
Roland Griffiths '68
The Other Side of Roland Griffiths
The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine professor, who died in October, was lauded for his ‘mind-blowing’ studies of psychedelics. But Barry Sears ’68 remembers his ‘wicked sense of humor’

First Word

From the Quad

Coach Rod Lafaurie and members of the 2023 men's soccer team
Kicking and Dreaming
From its first SCIAC championship to a berth in the Sweet 16, Oxy men’s soccer soared to new heights this season. But Coach Rod Lafaurie and his players are hungry for more
Adam Kinzinger, 2023 Jack Kemp ’57 Distinguished Lecturer at Occidental College
Making the Case for Democracy
Jack Kemp ’57 Distinguished Lecturer and former Congressman Adam Kinzinger has a message for students: “You will be the generation that changes everything”

Mixed Media

A performance of Fetch Clay, Make Man featuring four Black actors onstage
Power Dynamics
Exploring the unlikely friendship between two Black cultural icons—Muhammad Ali and Stepin Fetchit—professor and playwright Will Power’s Fetch Clay, Make Man packs a punch with L.A...

Oxy Talk

Professor of History Emeritus Wellington Chan
One for the History Books
An estate commitment from Gary Kaplan ’71 honors Professor Emeritus Wellington Chan—whom he helped bring to Occidental more than 50 years ago
Assistant professors Sohaib Khan (religious studies), Season Blake (philosophy), Jamie Amemiya (psychology), and Zachary Silver (psychology).
Thinking Globally
Occidental’s largest-ever cohort of new tenure-track faculty brings a world of ideas to the classroom

Last Page

Dean of Students Emerita Brig Knauer
Flowers for Brig Knauer
Over 25 years of leadership in Occidental’s Office of Student Affairs, Brigida Knauer (1935-2023) shepherded residential life into the modern era
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