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). 

Summer16_Jemelka
Bringing American craft brewing to the island nation of Taiwan, Spencer Jemelka '08 blends both cultures to produce a better beer
Chris Ballinger '06 sold his house in 2014 to make a business out of viral videos. Today he's got more than 650,000 subscribers, a New York Times bestseller, and a Netflix series starring...
Summer16_CruzR
Early last fall, Cruz Riley '17 began taking portraits of schoolmates for a photography class. By the end of the academic year, he had completed a campuswide exhibit that challenges the...
Summer16_Parsons
Over the last four decades, Sally Ann Parsons '62 has stitched together costumes for more than 100 Broadway shows and touring companies, as well as ballets, Bette, Barnum & Bailey … and...
Summer16_Zika
As Zika disrupts travel plans and throws a scare into the Rio Olympics, CDC epidemiologist Paul Mead '81 M'83 tracks the virus closer to home
Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice talks foreign policy, immigration, and presidential politics as the Jack Kemp Distinguished Lecturer
New books by Janette Sadik-Khan '82 professors Movindri Reddy and Xiao-huang Yin, and John Engle '72 M'75. Also: Rachel West '15 pursues her "wildest dreams" of a music career on L.A.
From waiter to U.N. intern to foreign correspondent for The New York Times , the onetime DWA major urges aspiring journalists to 'just go for it'
SpringMag16_Brown
Rhonda Brown, Oxy's new vice president for equity and inclusion, describes diversity as a catalyst for action—and she wants to get the dialogue going across campus
Facts and figures pertaining to all things Oxy
Oxy's new Hameetman Career Center brings the College's career service, pre-health advising, and awards and fellowships offices under one highly visible roof
SpringMag16_3rdLA
Oxy's 3rd L.A. series returns with a new set of conversations on Olympic dreams, urban revolutions, homelessness, technology, and the suburban lawn
Harvard Law Professor Randall Kennedy encourages the Class of 2016—and Occidental itself—to nurture intellectual and moral qualities that will lead to informed debate
SpringMag16_DancePro
For two days each March, Dance Production lords over Thorne Hall as the biggest student show on campus. But it takes many hands to pull it off
Sophomore Hugh Pegan surges to a national title in the 200m as Oxy track and field races toward the top

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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