CAMPUS NOTES
Over the course of the fall semester, College Videographer Marc Campos filmed four class trips to sites around Southern California, from the desert to the sea. These trips, along with interviews with faculty and students, are featured in a video that we recently premiered spotlighting experiential learning. It showcases part of what makes an Occidental education a unique and rewarding experience. Watch the video here.
HR CORNER
Mark your calendars: The week of May 1-May 5, take a moment to stop by the HR Benefits Kiosk each day between 10 a.m.-12 noon at the North AGC Patio to pick up a wellness item of the day, along with information regarding free wellness apps and resources that are available to you through the College's health plans. Click here for more details.
In an effort to continue identifying ways to meet the growing demand for behavioral health and wellness services, Oxy's Blue Shield of CA medical plan has added a new CredibleMind platform that houses over 230 mental health topics, linking members to science-based information and tools to improve mental well-being. For easy access to additional mental wellness resources available through the College's Employee Assistance Plan and Oxy medical carriers, visit the Wellness Resources section on the HR webpage.
Newly added! A free monthly Wellness Webinar series open to all employees on topics that focus on managing life's stressors. There is no limit on the number of sessions that you may attend, but registration is required. Note: To access past webinar recordings, slideshows and handouts, visit lifereferrals.com and enter the access code: BSC. Webinar recordings are posted in the On Demand Learning section under Member Services.
Here is the latest list of arrivals and departures from March 21-April 24.
Arrivals:
Jasmine Delgado, Neighborhood Partnership Program, academic advisor
Laura Fettig, Emmons Wellness Center, health promotion specialist
Rod Leveque, vice president of marketing and communications
Melissa Lirag, Financial Aid Office, administrative assistant
Ashli Lomeli, Physics, department services coordinator
Karen Oliva, Neighborhood Partnership Program, academic advisor
Neydi Pineda Torres, Campus Dining, food production/service assistant
Paola Ramirez, Neighborhood Partnership Program, academic advisor
Lauren Rejvani, Institutional Advancement, corporate & foundation gifts, senior director, strategic initiatives
Irma Tovar Moreno, Campus Dining, events services assistant
Lalaine Willison, Institutional Advancement, gift and data management analyst
Nicholas Velkavrh, library materials, assistant director of collections, systems and services
Departures:
Mario Arguello, Neighborhood Partnership Program, academic advisor
Charles Cardillo, vice president for institutional advancement
Yahaira Montoya, Neighborhood Partnership Program, academic advisor
Marsha Kay Schnirring, Office of the President, secretary of the College
IN THE NEWS
Tim Sanford '75 To Receive Honorary Degree
Tim Sanford '75, whose 25 years of leadership at Playwrights Horizons made the New York nonprofit one of the leading incubators of modern American theater, will receive an honorary degree from Occidental at Commencement on May 21.
Ron Buckmire Named 2023 SIAM Fellow
Professor of Mathematics Ron Buckmire has been named a 2023 Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), the world’s largest professional association devoted to applied mathematics. (This new honor was reported in the Los Angeles Sentinel.)
Piscopo Speaks at Mexican Senate About Her Research
Associate Professor of Politics Jennifer Piscopo recently presented at the Mexican Senate in Mexico City on her work related to women's political representation.
Emerita Professor Lynn Mehl Honored By SCIAC
The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honored Occidental’s Lynn Mehl with its Distinguished Service Award for 2022 at a March 16 ceremony.
STAFF SHOUT-OUTS
From Kathryn Leonard, associate dean for curricular affairs and professor of computer science: I would like to give huge props to OMC's Allie Gordon, who has done much of the heavy lifting for the Community Book Committee this semester. She organized an outing for students to watch Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 and to have a follow-up discussion with President Elam. She has kept us on track with our book selection for next year. Whenever there is something to be done that the group of busy people has been challenged to do, Allie has stepped up and filled in the gaps, even in illness. Thank you, Allie! We see you and appreciate you!
From Jasmine McKay, executive assistant to the vice president for equity & justice: To Fun Committee members Anaid Garcia, Gaby Ortega, Israel Colon, Uriel Gomez Martinez, Sabrina Willison, Tiffany Wright, and Jacie Feigelman: Thank you for your guidance, imagination, and spirit of fun as we create more opportunities to foster community across campus. You guys rock! Can't wait to do it again in the fall.
From Mary Maher, associate vice president & chief human resources officer: Finally, after great struggle, facing extreme challenges while keeping the "wheels on the wagon," I am offering recognition to Linda Escobar, Jessica Ochoa, Ron Silizear, and the HR team involved in the implementation of PageUp Applicant Tracking and Recognition System and their bringing forth significant change in how we do the business of recruitment, selection and hire. This team was/is phenomenal in what they have achieved ... and believe me, while what it took and the fortitude required remains invisible to our community, those of us who witnessed you at work, we know. Your extraordinary efforts were seen, at times with a critical eye and at odds with different stakeholders, nonetheless you prevailed and I couldn't be more proud of what you have achieved.
From Jim Tranquada, director of communications: With new Vice President for Marketing and Communications Rod Leveque having arrived on April 24, I want to recognize the extraordinary efforts of the OMC staff--Dick Anderson, Marc Campos, Allie Gordon, Scotty Mitchell, Laura Paisley, and Jasmine Teran--over the past eight months. Despite vacancies in three key positions, the OMC team has ensured that the wide-ranging work of the office has continued uninterrupted and that our usual high standards have been maintained. They have functioned as a real team, supporting each other at every opportunity and uncomplainingly taking on other duties as required. Their professionalism and dedication have been exemplary.
From Courtney Stricklin Burgan: The Office of Admission extends a huge thank you to Facilities and Campus Dining for going above and beyond in supporting our April Experience Occidental events. The campus looked gorgeous and Facilities staff was so helpful in keeping track of our updated site plans while also making sure Collins House was ready for Saturday campus visits after each event. Campus Dining continues to be a highlight of our programming with all of our guests complimenting us on both the meals and the staff who are so accommodating for every kind of dietary restriction. Additionally, 70 faculty invited admitted students to visit their courses during the Experience Occidental program and 358 admitted students were able to experience an Occidental classroom firsthand. This was an amazing opportunity to highlight the strength of Oxy's academic program and the participatory and collaborative student body.
KUDOS
In a new study published in Nature Food, Associate Professor of Economics Andrew Jalil and co-authors examine the long-term effects of an informational intervention designed to increase awareness about the role of meat consumption in climate change. Using a dataset of more than 100,000 meal selections, they conclude that informational interventions can be cost-effective (~$14 per metric ton CO2eq).
The combined effects of exclusion and policy threat can motivate women to seek office, Associate Professor of Politics Jennifer Piscopo and coauthors argue in The American Political Science Review. Combining focus groups with women candidates and experimental evidence, they show that seeing all-male groups of decision-makers discussing women’s rights causes women’s political ambition to increase.
In a new article in Tectonics, Visiting Assistant Professor of Geology Nikki Seymour and co-authors find that young mountain ranges in Arizona have a multi-phase history. Their field and laboratory observations show shear zones in those mountain ranges began developing in the time of the dinosaurs and the old shear zones were reactivated during renewed activity 20 million years ago.
Can Santa get COVID? Can he spread COVID? Should he wear a mask? In a new paper in Developmental Psychology, Professor Andrew Shtulman and colleagues find that children believe fictional beings are susceptible to COVID if they have a body but are confused about why bodies matter, claiming that fictional beings should engage in COVID-mitigating behavior even if they cannot get or give COVID.
Just published in Langmuir, Eileen M. Spain's co-authored article focuses on using atomic force microscopy to probe living Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus cells occupying either a predatory or non-predatory lifestyles. Strikingly, predatory B. bacteriovorus exhibit virtually no adhesion whereas nonpredatory cells demonstrate many adhesion events attributed largely to Type IV pili.
Professor of History Marla Stone was interviewed by Sylvia Poggioli of NPR about the persistent presence of fascist monuments in Rome. Stone was quoted in an Associated Press article on the firing of a Florida charter school principal for showing a photo of Michelangelo's David.
The L.A. Philharmonic's commissioning Associate Professor of Music Adam Schoenberg to compose a piece honoring the iconic L.A. mountain lion P-22 was reported in The New Yorker and the Los Angeles Daily News.
Kenturah Davis '02's Oxy Arts exhibition, Dark Illumination, was reviewed in Hyperallergenic.
For more information on faculty scholarship and accomplishments, visit the Center for Research & Scholarship.
CAMPUS CALENDAR
Music events:
April 28 - Jazz Ensemble concert in Booth Courtyard
April 29 - Occidental Symphony Orchestra concert in Thorne Hall
April 30 - Spring choral concert in Herrick Chapel
May 1 - Composition seminar concert in Bird Studio