More than midway through her college career, Charlotte Krovoza ’13 learned that her aspirations of becoming a credentialed teacher would not be fulfilled at Occidental. Krovoza once balanced 20 units in a semester in order to pursue a minor in education, in addition to majors in Urban and Environmental Policy and Spanish Literary Studies. But the 2011 probation and eventual...

United States Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson will be the keynote speaker at Occidental's May 17 commencement, according to a Feb. 9 post on the college's website. According to Occidental's Director of Communications James Tranquada, Johnson's connections to Occidental made him the ideal candidate to speak at graduation this year. The secretary's son, Jeh Johnson Jr., is a sophomore...

The Neighborhood Partnership Program (NPP)—an on-campus organization that hires Occidental students to support youth in at-risk schools—is taking steps to address concerns of inefficiency raised by tutors working in the program. NPP is an umbrella organization that encompasses Title 1 and GEAR UP 4 LA, federally funded programs that provide tutoring and mentoring services to underrepresented schools in the Los...

Art History and Visual Arts Professor (AHVA) Mary Beth Heffernan and College Photographer Marc Campos are spending two weeks in Monrovia, Liberia to implement an in-the-field art project in Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs). Heffernan said that the project—affixing portraits of health care workers to the outside of their protective equipment—will aid in improving the psychological comfort of both Ebola patients...

Under a freeway overpass on Alvarado Street, just 15 minutes away from Occidental, the sidewalks are not lined with oak trees and rose bushes, but with camping tents and cardboard boxes. The residents of these improvised shelters rouse themselves as early as 8 a.m. to walk between the traffic lanes, holding signs that ask for money, food or simply for...

The proposal of a merit pay scheme for Occidental professors sparked debate at the annual faculty retreat Jan. 15 and inspired the creation of a new task force. The idea of giving raises to tenured and tenure-track professors based on individual merit—a combination of excellence in teaching, publication and service to the college—is controversial at Occidental, where they are generally...

When it comes to sexual assault on campus, Occidental students and coaches are saying "No More 'What's the big deal?'" "No More 'Not my problem,'" and "Here at Oxy we will not look the other way."The Department of Athletics and Project S. A. F. E. recently released a minute-long video featuring an array of coaches, student-athletes and students representing different...

Occidental’s new synchronized swimming club, Synccidental, is hitting the pool deck. The fledging club, co-founded by president Audrey Shawley (first-year) and vice president Gillian Mangan (sophomore) had their first information session Jan. 31. According to Shawley, 15 people attended the first session. They plan to hold weekly hour-long practices starting in the next two weeks.“We’re not looking for a huge...

This Valentine's Day, some Occidental students will inevitably celebrate with a romantic night out, while others may attend the RiFF RAFF concert at the House of Blues or simply try to ignore the holiday altogether. While they may gush about their plans to friends and significant others, most students are clueless as to the Valentine's Day plans of other familiar...

It is the eve of men’s bid night at the University of Virginia (UVA), and Greek Row is unusually quiet. On most weekend nights “Rugby Road” is teeming with women dressed in brightly colored themed party attire, pouring into a wide array of noisy fraternity houses. Yet on one of UVA’s largest party nights of the year, sorority women are...