The General Assembly recently conducted a survey on future policies for Residential Education and Housing Services (REHS) in regards to specific aspects of the 2013-2014 Room Draw. The first question of the survey asked how rooms should be divided between the academic classes. The second question asked when seniors should be held financially liable for an on-campus room. In both...

Obama biographer David Maraniss delivered a much anticipated talk on his book “Barack Obama: The Story” Monday ahead of the Nov. 6 presidential election. “I’m looking to demythologize people, as a historian. A lot of myths are created by people who fear Obama and the changes he represents. I try to carefully deconstruct those myths,” Maraniss said in a phone...

The college's General Counsel Carl Botterud removed language about affirmative action hiring from the college's webpage this summer, since the college is not technically an Affirmative Action institution. In place of language about Affirmative Action, the college's Affirmative Action committee is working to articulate a more refined policy of the college's commitment towards diverse hiring, which will be available for...

After returning a healthy 19.5 percent investment earnings rate in the 2011 fiscal year, Occidental’s endowment took a hit last year, despite the college’s fundraising success and 125 anniversary. College officials note that the endowment has started moving in the right direction the first quarter of this fiscal year, making up for some of the losses. Vice President for Finance...

Colleges Against Cancer (CAC) a student-run group on Occidental’s campus, is taking advantage of Breast Cancer Awareness month to jump-start their cancer awareness initiatives. From guest speakers to blood drives, CAC hopes to educate and motivate the student population even after the month of October ends. The student organization CAC, an affiliate of the American Cancer Society, is the only...

As the nation’s economic woes persist, an increasing number of liberal arts colleges are leaving a need-blind financial aid approach and opting to go need-aware. Rumors have sprung up among the student body concerning the Board of Trustees's implementation of a new financial aid policy, but Director of Financial Aid Maureen McRae dispelled that speculation. "I’m often at Trustees meetings,...

Pounding hammers and raging drills aside, this year's gutting of the Johnson Student Center has displaced many departments and student services, including the Office of Student Life, the Office of Community Engagement and the ASOC Senate Offices. But no office is as more important of a day-to-day resource than the oft-forgotten Student Activities Center (SAC). The SAC boasted marked-down amusement...

From flyers on newsstands to emails from Student Affairs, the Occidental campus has been buzzing recently with news about changes to the college’s Sexual Misconduct Policy. Although the online Sexual Misconduct Policy page shows updates as recently as Sept. 18 of this year, the most recent substantive change to the policy was made this past summer. The most recent change...

Emmons Health Center increased its psychological services staff this year by hiring a part-time psychologist. The decision comes because without an increase in staff this year, Emmons would not have been able to meet student demand this year as more students have been requesting the psychological services over the last few years. The Mose and Sylvia Firestone Foundation awarded an...

Student Philanthropy Club has changed its name to the Council for Alumni and Student Engagement (CASE) to provide a more accurate description of the club's mission and to spread awareness about Occidental's reliance on alumni contributions. The decision was made on Sept. 25, during the club's first meeting of the year. "We started Student Philanthropy club as a way to...