Our Mission: The L.A. Encounters program supports initiatives within Occidental’s academic program that expand the depth and breadth of opportunities for students to engage with the community, culture, and environment of the greater Los Angeles region.
LA Encounters: Funding for Off-Campus Community Engagement
The L.A. Encounters program supports this mission by providing funding for faculty members who wish to enhance their courses by taking advantage of resources within the greater Los Angeles area. Past trips have included visits to museums, libraries, film screenings, plays, operas, concerts, walking tours, lectures, botanical gardens and zoos, cultural festivals, local schools, government agencies and NGOs, community events, and more. In all cases, these trips are intended to connect with the academic experience and to allow students to more fully engage with the city and people of Los Angeles .
Fall 2026 Information
We will begin accepting proposals for trips taking place during the Fall 2026 semester on August 3, 2026. Proposals received by Friday, August 14 will receive priority consideration and will receive a response from LA Encounters by Friday, August 21. Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis thereafter, but we ask that they be submitted at least four weeks prior to the planned trip so that we have adequate time to prepare
Note: The LA Encounters Program no longer provides support for First-Year Seminars. For trip funding and logistical support connected to an FYS course, please contact the Core Program at coreprogram@oxy.edu.
How to Apply for Funding
Proposals can be submitted using the online form linked below, beginning on August 3, 2026. If you have questions about a request, please contact laencounters@oxy.edu.
Transportation Request Form for Academic Affairs
Beginning in Fall 2026, Academic Affairs will be using the Transportation Request Form linked below for all requests for College-owned vans, chartered buses, and rideshare (i.e., codes or vouchers) for field trips, practica, and other off-campus experiences that are part of the academic program. This form should be completed once you have secured funding (from LA Encounters or other sources) and know the exact time and date of your trip.
Please use this or this for help completing the form. Additionally, we can help with any questions you may have about the form at laencounters@oxy.edu.
This is a first step in enhancing the College’s logistical support for this work. This change will help us to streamline and standardize processes across Academic Affairs and to keep consistent, reliable data on the use of transportation services. We welcome feedback as we work to get this right.
LA On Campus: Funding for On-Campus Community Engagement
The LA On Campus program advances the Oxy community’s connection to Los Angeles by hosting LA-based practitioners on campus to engage with our community.
All events/projects that involve hosting LA-based experts and practitioners ("community partners") on campus are eligible for funding. Priority will be given to events/projects that
- are open to the community (i.e., not restricted to students in a particular course);
- include interactive learning (e.g., workshops, discussions, trainings);
- involve direct collaboration between the LA-based community partner and an Oxy community member (faculty, staff, or students); and/or
- are about Los Angeles (broadly understood).
Funding can be used for honoraria or speaker fees, materials, food/refreshments, facilities costs, or other logistical support for the event/project. The expected funding range is $500-$3000 per event/project; cost-sharing is welcome but not required. Priority will be given to applicants who have not yet received funding through this program. All faculty and staff members are eligible to apply.
Applications will open on August 10, 2026 and will be accepted on a rolling basis. A link to the proposal form will be available on this page, beginning August 10. For questions about LA On Campus, please contact lacenter@oxy.edu.
Student Learning Outcomes & Assessment
There are many different ways in which an L.A. Encounters-sponsored trip might complement or add to a course's learning outcomes. When you propose a trip, we ask you to indicate whether any of the outcomes listed below are applicable. You also have the option of providing your own learning outcomes. Following your trip, we will provide you with an anonymous survey to distribute to trip participants containing questions linked to your indicated outcomes.
Common Student Learning Outcomes:
- Trip participants will gain a better understanding of topics/concepts covered in the course(s).
- Trip participants will feel more connected with Los Angeles and/or the surrounding region.
- Trip participants will develop a sense of community with others in the course.
- Trip participants will connect with a community organization or community partner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Funding is limited, so we may not be able to approve all requests. In some cases, we will be able to offer partial funding with the hope that the remaining costs might be covered from other sources (departmental budgets, etc.). While we try to support as many trips as possible, priority will be given to proposals that clearly articulate a connection between the proposed travel and a course's learning objectives.
The primary objective of the LA Encounters program is to support field trips and other travel that are directly linked to an academic course (or, in some cases, multiple courses). Requests for funding for course-related trips should be submitted by a faculty member. In rare cases we may be able to support proposals from other members of the college community, though typically only in cases where the proposed trip has a strong connection with the college curriculum or can be demonstrated as providing a significant benefit to the cultural and intellectual life of the campus.
We can provide some advice regarding the planning of a trip. However, the person requesting funding is ultimately responsible for organizing and overseeing the excursion, including completing the Transportation Request Form.
The most common requests are for funding for transportation and admission costs. For longer field trips, we may able to provide funding for a snack or meal. If there are other costs associated with your planned trip, please be sure to include them in your proposal.
The most common modes of transportation for L.A. Encounters trips are rideshare vehicles (Uber), College-owned vans, chartered buses, and public transit. All transportation methods must be requested using the new Transportation Request Form on Kuali. Here is some brief information about transportation options:
- Renting college-owned vans is convenient and economical, though the trip organizer MUST identify an authorized driver for each van before a van reservation can be made. Vans can only be driven by students, faculty, or staff who have completed the training and verification process. The cost is $10 per van per day plus $0.46 per mile driven.
- Rideshare services are another option when authorized van drivers are not available. You can use the Uber app to estimate costs in advance of your trip, which can vary greatly depending on both travel time and demand. Starting in Fall 2026, LA Encounters-funded rideshares can ONLY be ordered using Uber vouchers. If your request for rideshare travel is approved, you will receive instructions for requesting vouchers via the Transportation Request Form.
- Chartered buses are available in sizes ranging from 38 to 58-passenger coaches. Please note the 25-passenger minibus is no longer available. The cost of chartering a bus is considerable (minimum $1200), but it can be the best option for larger groups (over 24), longer distances, or in cases where authorized van drivers are not available.
- Public transit can be a good option. Metro rides within LA County are FREE for Oxy students with an active UPASS (cost fully subsidized by ASOC). New UPASS cards and renewals (cards must be renewed each semester) must be requested from SAC by submitting the UPASS request form. The two closest bus routes to campus are the, which runs down York Boulevard, and the, which runs down Eagle Rock Boulevard. Both buses travel to Downtown LA in approximately 40 minutes. In addition, the LADOT stops at the intersection of Campus Road and Avenue 51. All three of these buses have connections with the light rail, providing convenient access to areas such as Pasadena, Chinatown, Union Station, El Pueblo de Los Angeles, Little Tokyo, and East LA. The is a useful tool for planning journeys via public transit.
- Personal Vehicle mileage can be reimbursed at the current IRS-authorized rate, which is 72.5 cents per mile as of 01/01/26. Please note that individuals driving a personal vehicle on College business must complete the training.
Once your proposal has been approved, you may submit the in Kuali. Please use this or this for help completing the form. Additionally, we can help with any questions you may have about the form at laencounters@oxy.edu.
No. The LA Encounters program exclusively supports off-campus activities. If you are seeking support for on-campus programming, see the "LA On Campus" section above.
Contact us at laencounters@oxy.edu and we will be happy to help!