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). 

Summer17_sports
From nine All-Americans and two SCIAC players of the year to a no-hitter in baseball and a tryout with the Rams, spring was a highlight reel for Oxy sports
Summer17_ClimateSurvey
A new study on sexual assault at Oxy underscores a perceptual gap between survivors and bystanders
Summer17_Commencement
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra implores Oxy’s Class of 2017 to swing for the fences in fostering change
Summer17_Manzanar
Seventy-five years after the Japanese-American ­incarceration, students in Paul Nam’s Modern Japan class visit an internment camp and discuss its legacy
Summer17_Scholarships
For seven out of 10 students, financial aid helps enable the path to Oxy. Three recent grads recount their journeys, discoveries, and what comes next
Quad_Boesche
Roger Boesche retired in May after 40 years at Oxy. He died two days later. Alumni, colleagues, and a U.S. president recall his immeasurable impact
Summer17_Lang
Friend, Mentor, and Model Philanthropist
Summer17_organ
Readers weigh in on the Herrick organ, Addie McMenamin ’40, the Rev. Dr. William Barber, and the “Faces of Oxy”
JoeRohde
Raconteur and adventurer Joe Rohde ’77 brings a world of influences and his liberal arts training to his work as a Disney Imagineer
Senior Comps
Senior comps can be time-consuming, mind-bending, and soul-crushing—but they inspire many Tigers to unimagined heights
Hoppy Swarts
As a teenager, Lewis “Hoppy” Swarts ’41 first dragged a heavy redwood paddleboard into the waves off Hermosa Beach. Decades later, with his beloved sport in dangerous waters, he became the...
EdibleComplex
Foodies, wonks, and utensil-minded gourmands chew over a buffet of topics as Oxy hosts an international gathering of food studies scholars
TomCarroll
Tom Carroll ’08’s YouTube videos explore the forgotten fringes of the City of Angels, while schooling viewers about some lesser-known landmarks—and there’s no test at the end
From Spring 2007: Junior diving phenoms Jon and Robert Dohring were "untouchable" all season, finishing 1-2 in the 1-and 3-meter events at the Division III nationals—and the sky's the limit...
Eleanor Helin
More than 75 years ago, Barbara (Wylie) Canright ’40 helped lift the Jet Propulsion Laboratory off the ground. Half a century later, Eleanor Helin ’54 discovered a staggering number of...

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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