Despite a policy that restricts independent businesses on campus without administrative consent, Occidental has become a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity in recent years. In 2014 alone, students and alumni channeled their innovative spirits into three burgeoning enterprises. Strolling Wild Last March, Ty Cobb '14, Adam Pierce Lawrence '10 and Jake Kahane (senior) started Strolling Wild, a company that sells fun,...

Under the dim light of Branca Patio, folksy septet Behon prepared for their Nov. 18 show. With the brass section, guitar, bass, drums and keyboard all warming up at once, it was anyone's guess what their music would actually sound like. The band is almost entirely composed of Occidental students and alumni, with the exception of founder Brendan Han. The...

Students packed Choi Auditorium Nov. 20 to watch the premiere of “I, Too, Am, Oxy,” a short film by Mika Cribbs (junior) and Adrian Adams (sophomore) that shed light on discrimination at Occidental. The students created the film for their Diplomacy and World Affairs (DWA) 281 Media and Global Change class, which examines the impact of media on social and...

Visitors to the Weingart Gallery exhibit "Anticipatio" last month were first met with mysterious instructions: “For this exhibition, each participant presents one score for you, dear visitor, to realize, create, or perform.” A collection of 15 asymmetrically-sized and vibrantly-colored posters lined the white walls of the exhibit, each with a "score" for the visitor to contemplate. But these scores were...

Former graduate hall coordinator Joel Gutierrez was hired Nov. 25 to replace Dominic Alleto as the new assistant director for Intercultural Affairs (ICA). Gutierrez is the first permanent ICA professional staff member to be hired following the exit of Alleto, Assistant Dean Paula Crisostomo and Program Coordinator Sean Ford. He will begin working Dec. 15. According to his official job...

Out of all the media I consume, the most consistently enjoyable production has to be "The Comedy Button" podcast. Unscripted, hilarious, and definitely not safe for work, the podcast has molded my overall outlook on comedy in daily life. The show consists of conversations between co-hosts Brian Altano, Scott Bromley, Anthony Gallegos, Max Scoville and Ryan Scott. The five are...

Switzerland. An animal rights group officially petitioned to ban cats and dogs from Swiss cuisine. The petition was submitted to the Swiss government in retaliation to the uncommon tradition of eating cats and dogs. Old-age rituals involve serving cats for Christmas dinner or making dog sausages. According to the animal rights group SOS CHATS Noiraigue, three percent of Switzerland’s population...

My trip to the Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh, is the closest I have ever come to celebrity status. On Monday, my stoic translator and I hopped off an overnight train in Rewa district to continue our work for CGNet Swara, an organization that recently started a mobile-phone based news forum. My mission is to study the forum's usage in the...

On my first day of French class in seventh grade, I learned a simple exchange: "Bonjour, ca va? Oui, ca va bien." I have used this exchange countless times while I have been in France. So why was the rest of my seventh grade language class based around a textbook? Having spent about two and a half months learning to...

Over 20 cleaning and grounds employees from Facilities Management (Facilities) met with Vice President of Finance and Planning Amos Himmelstein on Thursday to discuss the termination of the cleaning services supervisor position, currently held by eight-year employee Ruben Campos. Facilities Director Tom Polanski met with Campos personally on Tuesday to inform him that his position would be discontinued at the...