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). 

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
Namandjé Bumpus ’03
With heart, energy, and a passion for research, Namandjé Bumpus ’03 becomes a role model for others as a trailblazing director at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Ming Cho Lee '53 in 2003
From Summer 2003: Designer, professor, and Medal of Arts recipient Ming Cho Lee '53 reflects on half a century's work in American theater
Compton Cowboys founder Randy Hook
Whether he's ranching. riding, or rapping, Compton Cowboys leader Randy Hook '12 brings swagger to the saddle
Leslie Garcia, Class of 2024
No global pandemic can keep the Class of 2024 from chasing their academic dreams—only a bad Wi-Fi connection
Benjamin Weiss,
Behind the screens with the College’s largest-ever entering group of tenure-track faculty
President Harry J. Elam, Jr.
Opening Conversations and Common Threads
Miss America, Margot Mifflin
From swimsuit competition to social platform, Margot Mifflin ’82 goes Looking for Miss America
Karen and Steve Casner
Steve Casner ’73 and wife Karen ’74 share a love for Occidental—and have endowed a computer science professorship to build on that protocol
Harry J. Elam Jr., Occidental College President
Harry J. Elam, Jr. prepares to take center stage as Oxy’s 16th president as the College faces a new set of challenges—and he’s ready
Dan Fineman, Adelaida Lopez, Linda Lasater
Professors Dan Fineman, Adelaida Lopez, and Linda Lasater had a lasting impact outside the classroom—just ask their students
Dan Springer DocuSign
At the height of his career in 2014, Dan Springer ’85 stepped away from the daily grind to raise his two sons. Then a dream job with DocuSign lured him back to the office—and personally and...
Kayla Nolan, Girls Gotta Run
Using running as a foundation for a better life, Girls Gotta Run executive director Kayla Nolan ’11 brings hope to school-age girls in Ethiopia one step at a time

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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