Since Raja Bella Hicks ’25 transferred to Occidental as a sophomore, she’s wasted no time immersing herself in the community. She has worked with local high school students as an Upward Bound mentor; she volunteered on the campaign of Los Angeles’ first female mayor, Karen Bass; and she has taught community dance classes to fourth and fifth graders through Oxy Arts.
Each year, Occidental’s enrollment team sets out to fulfill the needs of over 40 academic programs and 20 athletic teams, admitting a diverse and talented set of students who are going to enrich the Oxy community.
When Sohaib Khan was looking at tenure-track teaching opportunities, “Two things about Occidental stood out to me: its urban campus in the middle of a bustling metropolis and the Equity and Justice Agenda,” he says. “Los Angeles is a mini-mosaic of the Islamic world and home to a rich variety of Muslim communities. As a first-generation immigrant and a Muslim faculty of color, it was really important for me to live and work in a diverse environment.”
As a sophomore at Occidental, Bill Griswold ’50 was active in the College’s Student Church and aspired to a leadership role in the organization. He heard about a new student named Jean Stiver ’51 “who was going to do great things” for the group, “and I was not at all sure that we needed that change,” he recalls with a laugh.
On August 22, days before the start of the new academic year, President Harry J. Elam, Jr. shared some unexpected news with the Occidental community: “I was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a neuro-degenerative movement disorder. Please know that I am doing well, with excellent medical care and a strong support system. But in order to prioritize my health and time with family, I have made the difficult decision not to serve the final year of my five-year term as president. June 30, 2024, will be my last day.”
Montana’s Rut Mountain Run is a challenging 50k race with steep ascents, rugged ridgelines, and demanding descents. This race is so technical, there is a disclaimer on the website highlighting the extreme nature of the course that warns, “The result of a fall in these sections could be injury or death.” The average person would be unable to hike this, let alone run for time. Put another way, the 10,500 feet vertical gain/loss over the 31 miles is double the elevation gain and distance of Mount Wilson, a popular hiking spot for Los Angeles locals.
As part of The Oxy Campaign For Good, one key initiative that was not measured in dollars was “Tiger Connections”—a metric that includes alumni gatherings on campus, online, or elsewhere; mentoring a student; or volunteering in an affinity or leadership group. (Class notes—a vital component of the magazine and the Oxy community—also counted toward that total.) Over the last seven years, we tallied 261,171 connections—roughly 10 engagements per alum.
“Oxy Live!”—a conversation series highlighting a diverse lineup of cultural luminaries at the forefront of their fields—launched its inaugural season October 3 with internationally celebrated writer, artist and nonbinary activist ALOK (above, talking to interviewer and cultural interlocutor Paul Holdengräber). Upcoming guests include sociologist Ruha Benjamin (11/20), historian and activist Rebecca Solnit (11/28), visual artist Julie Mehretu (2/21/24), and multimedia artist Laurie Anderson (spring 2024).
Professor of Biology Shana Goffredi has used submersibles for almost 25 years as part of her work in marine biology. “There is really no substitute for seeing the ecosystems with your own eyes, making observations, conducting seafloor experiments, and selecting samples,” she says.
Adam Kinzinger, a former congressman and member of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6, 2021, Attack on the U.S. Capitol, made his case for the protection of democracy and stressed the importance of the 2024 presidential election in a spirited address as Occidental College’s 2023 Jack Kemp ’57 Distinguished Lecturer.