The number of reported sex offenses increased between 2011 and 2013 while drug violations fell over the same period, according to this year's Annual Fire, Safety and Security Report (AFSSR). The report is submitted each year by Oct. 1 and provides a compilation of both on- and off-campus crimes from the past three calendar years. All crimes mentioned in the...

I finally learned how to say leftie in French. And it turns out none of my French professors ever got the translation exactly right. I've never actually heard anyone use the word gauche in English, but I have many adult friends who swear they once knew someone who used the word all the time. It's the type of word that...

There are no snakes in the Galapagos. That was until one was found dead in the middle of the road on Santa Cruz island in February of this year. The snake, most likely brought to the island by ship, made its way 600 miles off the mainland, past security and quarantine and into the ecosystem. In the Galapagos, if you...

Students can expect expanded key card access to residence halls and a revamped First Year Residential Experience (FYRE) program, thanks to changes made by Residential Education and Housing Services (REHS). Two new hires also joined the REHS staff this semester: Dustin Beech as the Sigma Alpha Epsilon's first graduate hall coordinator (GHC) and Thomas Wesley as the assistant director for...

Occidental's perennial debate over air conditioning (AC) in residence halls reemerged last month when a week-long heat wave and malfunction at the school's central chilling plant caused temperatures in buildings across campus to skyrocket."At the beginning of most school years we get an extra heat wave, almost without fail," Director of Facilities Thomas Polansky said. "And so folks coming in—especially...

Incoming Chief of Campus Safety Victor Clay wants to improve the frequently contentious relationship between Campus Safety and off-campus residents. He attributes much of Campus Safety's poor reputation with students to an inconsistent enforcement of policy."I was reading reports and they would say things like, 'disturbing the peace,' 'disorderly conduct,' and then you read the narrative of the report and...

Two weeks ago, I woke up in Stearns Hall feeling as if I was being suffocated. Drenched in sweat, I regretted my decision not to crash in my friend's air-conditioned room in Berkus Hall. Residents of Stearns, Chilcott, Stewie, Pauley, Haines, Berkus House, Food Justice House and Pet House were also forced to survive the heat wave without air conditioning...

Occidental Campus Dining incorporated a new labeling system in the Marketplace on Sept. 18 to increase students' awareness of food justice and sustainability efforts. The small, multi-colored labels—such as one near the salad bar mixed greens reading “RFC compliant: 250 miles”—indicate which options qualify as "real food" based on the Real Food Challenge (RFC) criteria. The RFC is a national...

Sustainability has become a hot-button issue in Eagle Rock in light of recent protests to shut down Glendale’s Scholl Canyon landfill. Located less than three miles from Occidental's campus, the landfill initially sparked debate about the garbage trucks that use Eagle Rock roads to truck in the waste. Increasingly, though, the debate has moved from one of back-and-forth local politics...

As an institution, Occidental College continuously strives for increased student engagement with surrounding communities. Off-campus living provides a vital opportunity for students to fluidly engage with their surrounding communities, while also gaining valuable life experiences. Despite this, current Residential Education policies hinder rather than support off-campus living. Per Residential Education policy, all seniors are allowed to live off campus, while...