As I write my final article, I rub my hand against the patchy beard that I started growing for Movember—my first opportunity to grow a patchy beard and get away with it. I live off campus next to the house where I took my first college shot: Sailor Jerry spiced rum, chased with a sip of pulp-free Tropicana orange juice....

When I woke up on Saturday to headlines and articles all blaring the news about Nepal, I knew exactly what was going to happen. Within hours, #nepal and #prayfornepal and the likes were trending, and filtered Instagram photos overlaid with the words, “Pray for Nepal” were all over Facebook, tagged with captions calling for people to think on and pray...

According to Occidental’s website, the Core Program is the “backbone” of an Occidental education. Such a backbone needs to be supportive, sustainable and resilient for the structure it serves. Yet the Cultural Studies Program (CSP), which is an integral part of the Core Program for first-year students, does not live up to these standards. The CSP courses, according to the...

Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson will speak at the Occidental class of 2015's commencement May 17. As head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Johnson ultimately bears responsibility for his department's brazen disregard for the United States Constitution. By choosing him as this year's commencement speaker, the college is directly supporting the illegal affront against innocent Americans by...

In the southwest corner of the New Zealand’s south island lies Fiordland. It’s the southernmost nob of the Southern Alps, a waterlogged region of mountains and coast that’s been gouged by glaciers, uplifted by crashing tectonic plates, and invaded by ocean water that’s transformed 14 steep valleys into fjords. Three out of the five Great Walks on the South Island...

In December, the diplomatic miracle that opened U. S.-Cuban relations shocked the world. For states with small Cuban immigrant populations, this news was less significant. However, for those living in New York and Miami the historic decision made by President Obama was long-awaited, and raised hope in the hearts of many Cuban-Americans and non-Cubans alike. Cuban food is one of...

Dear Occidental community members,With the opening of the ASOC ballot today, you will have the opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment that would give the Occidental Weekly a larger operating budget. Specifically, the Weekly would be allocated an additional 2 percent of all student body fees, or around $11,000. Our organization is in the process of expanding next semester,...

To the students of Occidental,As reported in Emily Shugerman's article April 14, 2015, ten Senators voted to impeach ASOC President Christopher Weeks without the knowledge or consent of the student body. Though President Weeks was impeached, it was the ten Senators who displayed ineffective leadership. This letter is not to condone nor denounce the decision to impeach Weeks, it is...

One of the biggest controversies between the Christian Church and women is the question of whether women should be allowed to lead. The general arguments that I tend hear against women leading go something along the lines ofa) women are just naturally the weaker sex, and men need to lead because they’re strong ones b) women are not necessarily weaker,...

A proposed constitutional amendment requiring a campus-wide vote to approve student body fee changes will appear on Friday's Associated Students of Occidental College (ASOC) election ballot. The petition to add the amendment had 667 student signatures as of Monday night, fulfilling the 600 signature minimum necessary to put it on the ballot. The petition, which was emailed out to the...