The Glenn S. Dumke Commons, built as an extension of the recently renovated John Swan Hall, opened its doors to faculty and students in time for the current academic year. Dumke, after attending and teaching at Occidental, served as the Chancellor of the California State University system during two decades of unprecedented growth and expansion. Prior to his Chancellorship, Dumke...

The California State Assembly election this year will be effected by a range of structural changes, from re-redistricting to the overhaul of the primary system. The race for State Assembly District 51, the district housing Occidental College, will be a of particular interest because it contains the only openly gay male candidate in the Assembly race. The 51st District, home...

New college ratings released by The Princeton Review rank Occidental as No. 20 on their list of colleges with the happiest students. The Princeton Review ranks colleges on various factors and then chooses the top colleges in those categories. This ranking is based on student responses to the question: "Overall, how happy are you?" The Princeton Review ranks the schools...

Programming Board is announcing GLOW as the dance to replace Splatter. The advertisements for GLOW boast the event as Occidental's first ever official black-light party. Students are encouraged to wear white and neon colors that will glow beneath black lights set up in the JSC Quad. The Facebook invitation from Programming Board promises entertainment with DJs and glow sticks from...

Occidental has taken initiative in becoming a more eco-friendly learning institution. This summer, Occidental used money from the Renewable Energy and Sustainability Fund to implement programs such as PeopleTowels and Green Tours to reduce the college's environmental footprint. These programs are an addition to the other green initiatives by Occidental, such as the solar panel project. A key force in...

Informal Recruitment, the period in which Occidental's Greek organizations recruit new members for the fall semester, will proceed with participation from only three organizations this year. This is a decrease from the six that usually participate in the process. Only Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta), Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), and Zeta Tau Zeta (Zeta) will be recruiting new members. Alpha Lambda...

The inconvenient class times, loud banging noises on the quad, and eyesores on campus all come down to one thing: construction. The construction can be expected to be partially finished in Jan. 2013 when the renovated lower level of the Johnson Student Center (JSC) is expected to be up and running. The concurrent renovation of Johnson Hall, including the construction...

The First-Year Residential Experience (FYRE) program slotted to start this year has been postponed due to issues concerning implementation. The new program, designed to help incoming first-years adjust to on-campus life, was to be used as an extension of orientation for the incoming class. The program was described in the new student packet mailed to first-years during the summer but...

The Occidental Bookstore's new policy, which forces students to prove that they dropped a class in order to return books, represents the continuation of a broader Bookstore effort that attempts to protect itself from the free market rather than compete within it. The Bookstore ought to change course and compete in the free market instead of instituting anti-consumer policies designed...