˿Ƶ

Sustainability activities at Occidental College.
Changing the Climate
Emboldened by a proactive student body, Oxy doubles down on its commitment to a more sustainable campus

Occidental magazine brings you campus news, in-depth features, and profiles of exceptional alumni. For the 2024-25 academic year, the magazine will publish two print and digital issues (Fall 2024 and Spring 2025) and two digital-only issues (Summer 2024 and Winter 2025).

FallMag14_OxyTalk
In a world of blogs, tweets, alerts, and clickbait, is there still room for news? Five Oxy journalists working in old and new media are optimistic. Here's why.
FallMag14_Quad5
As government officials train their attention on sexual assault at colleges, Oxy bolsters its policies, procedures, and personnel
FallMag14_Quad4
With an infusion of olive trees, drought-resistant plants, and grass, the main entrance to Occidental gets a beauty of a makeover
FallMag14_Quad3
Oxy welcomes its largest-ever international class for its 128th year. Also: 18 fast facts about the Class of 2018
FallMag14_Quad2
Nine new and familiar faces step into the classroom in tenure-track positions as the College cultivates the next generation of great minds
FallMag14_Quad1B
As the Board of Trustees extends Jonathan Veitch's contract through the end of the decade, the president hopes to build on the College's momentum
One alumnus expresses shock and dismay over the trustees' decision to keep Veitch, and Bob McMillen '53's Olympics moment prompts old memories and new questions.
Back in the Saddle
FallMag14_GoldBug
Pasadena's Gold Bug gallery is crawling with curiosities—from jewel-encrusted insects to stuffed critters who died naturally. After seven strange, successful years, Theodora Coleman '08...
FallMag14_Ippolita
Ippolita Rostagno '86 studied in Italy to be a sculptor. As an English literature major at Oxy, she aspired to be a choreographer. She ultimately found her calling designing luxury jewelry...
FallMag14_ike
Handicapper Bob Ike '85 has made a career out of picking the ponies. Now he wants to change the game as an owner and online cashier
FallMag14_Sitin2
In 1969, 42 Oxy students were suspended after protesting military recruiting on campus at the height of the Vietnam War. Nearly half of them never graduated. Forty-five years later, have old...
FallMag14_DJ
Cassidy Bednark '98 turned a turntable passion into a bankable profession with a mix of persistence, prowess, and more mixtapes than you can shake your booty at. After a decade with the...
FallMag14_Joanna
Joanna (Hall) Gleason '72 is Oxy's most-celebrated actress, disappearing into every role while wowing critics and audiences alike. This fall, as she ignites the screen in The Skeleton Twins...
Summer14_Commencement
Words of advice to Oxy's graduating Class of 2014: Step out, take chances, and embrace life's journey

Features

Campaign Semester participants Cady Carr '27 and Rachel Obbard '27
Ground Game
For Campaign Semester students in battleground Pennsylvania and 13 other states, the road map to Election Day entails knocking on every door
Actor Loren Lester ’83 in Times Square
Broadway Baby
In the third act of a career that spans stage, screen, and television, actor Loren Lester ’83 realizes a lifelong dream of performing on the Great White Way
The Occidental Gospel Choir in 1975.
Precious Memories
Founded by students in 1971, the Occidental Gospel Choir made music for a quarter-century—and a reunion of former members celebrates its nearly forgotten legacy
Sam Rubin '82 and Stacie Roshon '08
The Morning Showman
Sam Rubin ’82 became a fixture of the entertainment journalism landscape over his 33 years with KTLA—and his unexpected death in May resonated well beyond Hollywood's red carpets
Hats Off to Patt!
Patt Morrison ’74 shares a curated collection of books with Special Collections—and 50 years of words and wisdom in conversation with Larry Mantle

First Word

From the Quad

Tylor Lee '26 interned with Healthcare in Action, which provides healthcare and social services to unhoused people.
Summer in the City
A 10-week summer internship program pairs 28 Oxy students with 20 community partners to contribute to the work of advancing social justice in Los Angeles
Occidental’s women's basketball team after winning the 2024 SCIAC Post­season Tournament championship.
Bringing the Heat
Playing through injuries, fatigue, and in front of opposing crowds, Oxy’s ‘relentless’ women’s hoops team wins its way into the NCAA tourney
Coach Rod Lafaurie and members of the 2023 men's soccer team
Kicking and Dreaming
From its first SCIAC championship to a berth in the Sweet 16, Oxy men’s soccer soared to new heights this season. But Coach Rod Lafaurie and his players are hungry for more

Mixed Media

Author Susan Coll '81, photographed at Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C.
Mixed Media
Susan Coll ’81’s latest comic novel, Professor Amy Lyford’s examination of the art and life of Dorothea Tanning, and more

Oxy Talk

Suke Takayuki Kubota in an undated photo.
Oxy’s Samurai Grandmaster
Soke Takayuki Kubota (1934-2024) became a martial arts legend, developing his own karate style and amassing a worldwide following. And for more than 40 years, he taught his methods to the...
Spectators view the OCLAA oral history gallery in the Academic Commons in February 2024.
Voices of OCLAA
Realizing a long-standing goal of Occidental’s Latino Alumni Association, two dozen alumni share their stories with students for an oral history project

Last Page

Journalist Max Chun '19 in the offices of Lookout Santa Cruz.
Local Heroes
When disaster struck his native Santa Cruz last year, reporter Max Chun ’19 and a small team of journalists sprang into action for their community—and pocketed a Pulitzer Prize for their work
Contact Occidental Magazine
Arthur G. Coons Administrative Center


Office of Communications F-36
1600 Campus Road
Los Angeles CA 90041-3314