Pack up your togas. Following the ban of on-campus dances placed late last October, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Life Tamara Himmelstein has confirmed that she is open to allowing dances again this year, but bringing Toga back is off the table. The ban will continue through the anniversary of last year’s Toga dance, Oct. 26, at...

It is a question every college student in Southern California hears: “Oh my god, are you going to Coachella this year? The lineup’s, like, super sick!” Unfortunately, no matter how “sick” the lineup is, those who want to make the hipster pilgrimage down to Indio, Calif., are often stopped in their tracks by the staggering cost of attendance. Standard passes...

Occidental students officially elected Diplomacy and World Affairs (DWA) major Chris Weeks (sophomore) as president of the Associated Students of Occidental College (ASOC) for the 2014-2015 school year. 1,060 people voted in the election this year, the largest number of voters for an ASOC election in the past five years. “I feel relieved that it’s over," Weeks said. "I think...

Four months ago, economics major Aseem Mangaokar (junior) was simply DJing off-campus house parties at Occidental. He now flies around the country with co-DJ and finance major Chris Gavino (junior) —a student at George Mason University— playing shows in front of hundreds of people as part of the duo Hotel Garuda. Though Mangaokar and Gavino met as classmates in Singapore...

Emmons Student Wellness Center adopted a new medical insurance policy that will allow students to opt out of enrolling Occidental’s heath insurance plan for the 2014-2015 school year. The policy change, scheduled to take effect Aug. 1, will also include a potentially higher rate for students who elect to stay on the school’s plan, as well as a new $250...

Dean of the College Jorge Gonzalez announced the drafting of a proposal for a new minor in Africana Studies following a yearlong campaign by students and faculty to add the program to Occidental’s academic curriculum. The proposal represents the first concrete step toward the implementation of the minor. "We are currently recruiting up to five faculty members to develop an...

They are the unsung heroes of KOXY radio: the playlist crafters, the mix masters, the tastemakers of Occidental. They are the KOXY DJs. Whether they started their show in pursuit of fun or fame, these gurus dictate much of the musical conversation on campus. Here are four interviews with a selection of DJs that aim to represent the quality and...

Facilities Management increased its sustainability efforts following the reinstitution of Occidental’s sustainability committee last semester. With projects that range from solar panel experiments to water and energy conservation, the committee is working closely with Sustainability Coordinator Emma Sorrell ’13 and Facilities Management to oversee all of the college’s sustainability plans. According to Sorrell, one of the sustainability committee’s most ambitious...

After four years at Occidental, the graduating class receives one final opportunity to tell the school about their experiences through the College Senior Survey, a comprehensive college assessment from UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute (HERI). The survey, part of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), is administered every three years during commencement rehearsal, the survey examines more than 500 variables...

Adam Bock’s play “The Thugs" ran its course on the stage of Keck Theater this past weekend, exploring the characters' panic after they get stuck in a building plagued by mysterious deaths. Written in the aftermath of 9/11, the play poses the question of how people react in crisis situations. The hour-long show is set within the confines of a...