The Occidental Weekly, Volume 132, Issue 9

THE OCCIDENTAL WEEKLY THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE SINCE 1893 Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Volume 132, Issue 9

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New Cooking, ‘Dynamite’ Contrasts Class Wars, 100 Years Apart Gardening Class Offered Faryn Borella A new, student-driven two-unit gardening and cooking class was announced last Tuesday that will provide students with a hands-on educational experience in the fields of sustainable agriculture and cooking. The class is being organized by the student organizations FEAST and Well Fed. The class is currently scheduled to take place in a two hour block of time once a week and will consist of three components. In addition to hands-on gardening work and hands-on cooking classes, the class will bring in guest lecturers from across campus and from the Eagle Rock and the Los Angeles community to talk on issues such as food justice, health and nutrition.

“Our goal is to give students a real practice of the theories that we teach and to allow kids to really connect with their environment and their food,” economics major and Co-President of Well Fed Jeff Ross (senior) said.

The initiative to create the class began this fall, when economics major and President of FEAST Giovanni Saarman (senior) approached Professor Robert Gottlieb of the Urban and Environmental Policy (UEP) department and pitched the idea of a gardening class. Concurrently, Co-Presidents of Well Fed Ross and UEP major Tyler Morgan (senior) had the idea to start up a cooking class focusing on sustainability and local, organic food. The two approached Saarman, and the three decided to collaborate.

“After thinking about it, we realized we would have more leverage and an easier time if we combined them,” Morgan said.

Professor Gottlieb signed on in support of the class but told the students that they would have to take the lead in creating the curriculum, according to Saarman. In doing so, the three have run into some obstacles.

“I think number one is actually money,” Saarman said. In order to bring in guest lecturers and master gardeners, as well as to buy the supplies and equipment necessary to run the class, the student organizers are going to have to acquire a significant amount of funding.

The students are currently looking into possible funding options. They will apply to the Center for Community Based Learning (CCBL), as well as to the President’s and Dean’s Office.

Another option is to apply to the college’s Sustainability Fund, but the students stressed that turning to that option would be a last resort.

“It’s a class, so we should fund it through academic channels before we turn to the Sustainability Fund because otherwise it could become a precedent GARDEN Continues on Page 3

Courtesy of Marc Campos Juniors Giulia Davis (left) and Robert Lundgren (right) play two brothers accused of the 1910 bombing of the L.A. Times in the play directed by Laural Meade ‘88.

Ian Mariani The blinds and poles matched perfectly, almost eerily, to the design of any Occidental classroom. And as the audience settled in to their seats, the all-too familiar chimes faded in over Keck Theater’s sound system. At the bells, nine seemingly random audience members stood from the lower seats in the theater and filed toward the desks arranged center stage. Only those who had peeked at the program ahead of time and knew the theater majors would have noticed that the entire student cast had been seated, dressed just as they would any weekday afternoon,

among the theater patrons. The nine settled down as adjunct professor Laural Meade ‘88 took stage left, and without any fanfare whatsoever, Occidental’s first play of the year, “Dynamite,” was underway.

Meade, who is also the play’s director, began by taking on the persona, interestingly, of herself. She launched into what seemed at first to be a history lecture to her classroom of nine. But as she went on, she began to make statements about the play that was to follow.

“This is a play about death,” she said, foreshadowing the complexities that lay ahead.

At the surface level, the play details the story surrounding the 1910 bomb-

ing of the Los Angeles Times building by pro-union activists. After the bombing, Bridge and Structural Iron Workers of America union brothers John J. And James B. McNamara were arrested for the crime. As the Times at that time represented the loudest anti-union voice in Southern California, their arrest became the rallying point for a growing national debate of union versus labor.

It is in this clash that one can begin to see the salience of this story in the modern context. The pro-union rhetoric preached literally from the balconies by characters like American Federation of Labor president Samuel Gompers (Mandi Bossard ‘11) can very easily be applied to the current debate on wealth

inequality stemming from the Occupy movement.

It’s a connection Meade wants the audience to make. “It’s uncanny,” she said. “This is a classic lesson in history repeating itself, of how we’re condemned to repeat the past if we don’t learn from it.”

To say the play was “experimental,” to quote its bill, would be an understatement. The play flips back and forth between past and present, using the mock classroom as the forum for an overarching narration for the portions of the history not told through the historical characters of the play itself. One notable DYNAMITE Continues on Page 8

Redistricting Lessens Eagle Rock Representation Clark Scally The California state legislature redrew its district boundaries on Aug. 15 following the 2010 Census, moving Occidental College and the Eagle Rock neighborhood from the 44 State Assembly District to the 51 District. Eagle Rock will remain in the 21 senate district, but surrounding towns, such as Pasadena and San Marino, will not. This redistricting will cause Eagle Rock to have less representation in Sacramento, according the Eagle Rock Patch.

This redistricting of both the senate and assembly districts has caused the vast majority of Northeast Los Angeles to be merged with parts of East Los Angeles, one of the causes of Eagle Rock’s loss of representation. The change will also drastically alter the district’s demographics.

NEWS ................................... 3 OPINIONS ............................ 4 LETTERS .............................. 5

The redrawn 51 District, which includes Echo Park, part of western Silver Lake and East L.A., is home to 465,643 people. With approximately 72 percent of the residents being Hispanic, it’s the fifth most Hispanic district in California.

Much of the 51st District is made up of “unincorporated Los Angeles,” meaning it’s not part of the city of Los Angeles but still under direct L.A. County jurisdiction.

The district boundaries were drawn by a citizens’ commission given authority by the voter-approved Voters FIRST ACT that was passed by voters recently. Supporters of the change hope that transferring authority from lawmakers interested in protecting their jobs to citizens interested in more competition and less partisanship would help break the stalemate politics in Sacramento.

DISTRICT Continues on Page 3

FEATURES ............................ 6 A&E ...................................... 8 SPORTS ................................. 10

Courtesy of Luis Lopez Front-runner for 51 State Assembly District Luis Lopez is hoping to win the first election after the state of California changed its district boundaries.

The Occidental Weekly is recyclable.

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THE OCCIDENTAL WEEKLY

- November 16, 2011

THIS WEEK Vagina Monologues Friday, 11/18 - 7:00 p.m.

Lower Herrick

Oxy Spice Dance Saturday, 11/19 - 10:00 p.m.

The Cooler

How L.A. Invented . . .

Saturday, 11/19 - 2:00 p.m.

The Getty Center

College Chorus Concert Sunday, 11/20 - 4:00 p.m.

Upper Herrick

Sarah Silverman Sunday, 11/20 Largo at the Coronet

Perform, watch, enjoy the Vagina Monologues Open Mic Night in Lower Herrick. Food and merch will be available for purchase.

Bring a friend to this all night fiesta and dance away to Latina American music.

“How Los Angeles Invented the World” is a Getty sponsored talk on how L.A. is a global influence despite claims that it’s void of culture.

Check out College Chorus in Upper Herrick. This is a CSP 99 event.

Sarah Silverman will be performing some stand up at the Largo with friends for a Thanksgiving special.

INFORMATION: Student Events Calendar

INFORMATION: Student Events Calendar

INFORMATION: www.getty.edu

INFORMATION: Student Events Calendar

INFORMATION: www.largo-la.com

IN THE NEWS

This

Newspaper

AT OXY

IN L.A.

NATIONALLY

GLOBALLY

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine recently named Occidental one of the nation’s best values among liberal arts colleges, according to Occidental’s website. The College was ranked No. 49, and only one of nine western colleges in the top 50 selection.

The magazine factors in admission and graduation rates, SAT or ACT scores, student to faculty ratios, average debt after graduation, total annual cost, and financial aid from grants.

Occidental is also ranked highly in other journals. The College is No. 7 in the Newsweek/Daily Beast “Happiest Schools” list, and is also included into recent publications of Princeton Review’s The Best 376 Colleges, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes’ “America’s Best Colleges,” and The Ultimate Guide to America’s Best Colleges.

The College is also recognized for stellar financial aid support (the Princeton Review gave Occidental a score of 97 out of 100), the College’s commitment to research and service, and as one of a few institutions with the strongest undergraduate emphasis.

A recent bill introduced by U.S. Representative Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), if passed, would help police departments solve cold cases using a national database of DNA samples, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In particular, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) would have an easier time tracking down serial killers In the “Grim Sleeper” murder case, LAPD used a state database to identify the killer after acquiring a DNA sample. However, it was only possible because the killer was a California resident. Schiff’s bill would create a national model of this state system.

The “Grim Sleeper” roamed the streets of Los Angeles for nearly 25 years, until LAPD was able to use the statewide DNA sample database. The Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) originally resulted in inconclusive results; police agents could not identify anyone with the DNA sample match until July of 2010, and Lonnie David Franklin Jr. was identified as the killer.

A gradual trend towards leniency on gun control policies has led convicted murderers to easily regain their gun rights in several states according to the New York Times. Recent reports indicate that some of these once convicted murderers have returned to their previous criminal lifestyles, and, in some cases, murdered more people.

The once strong federal firearms prohibition for felons has been challenged by several pro-gun rights groups like the Buckeye Firearms Coalition.

The Coalition’s chairman, Ken Hanson, argues that the Second Amendment to the Constitution protects gun rights for everyone, even convicted murderers.

However, some groups are pointing to recent killing trends as evidence that the nation is better off when ex-convicts don’t have easy access to firearms.

Out of the 3,330 convicts who have been granted their gun rights back, more than 400 have committed new crimes. This is about 13 percent of the total ex-convicts. The gradual retraction of firearms prohibition has gone largely unnoticed in the general public.

In a last-ditch effort to save their fledgling economy, former member of the European Commission Mario Monti took charge of the formation of a new Italian government, according to the New York Times.

The large debt Italy holds is the largest among members of the European Union (EU). Increasingly skeptical investors have pushed Italy’s borrowing amount to increasingly dangerous levels. Monti delivered a blunt speech that calls for mass economic reform, something that the EU has repeatedly asked for in the past years. Monti’s agenda is expected to receive approval from Parliament to immediately begin the state overhaul.

Italy must repay 200 billion euros, approximately $276 billion. The recent political turmoil has driven the effective yields of Italy’s bonds to 7.4 percent.

Other E.U members have sought bailouts at this percentage yield. Monti declined to state how long he would govern, but is expected to remain in office until the end of the current legislature’s term in 2013.

Written and Compiled By Damian Mendieta

REPORTS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7

12:55 PM Johnson Student Center Received report of persons soliciting students in the Marketplace. Four subjects working for Abercrombie & Fitch were detained and warned regardign private property. F.I. Cards filed. Escorted off campus without incident.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9 11:50 AM E. Norris Hall (Orange) ResEd staff advised that while investigating a complaint of the heating system in E. Norris Hall (Orange) they observed marijuana and drug paraphernalia in plain view on a desk and request assistance in confiscating the contraband. Incident report filed.

11:50 AM E. Norris Hall (Orange) Received report that the driver of unknown white vehicle, accidentally

grazed the left front of a parked car, leaving minor damage to the bumper.

Incident report filed.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10

4:50 PM Bell-Field Received report of (3) male subjects climbing the fence and entering BellField. Responding Officers made contact with (3) Oxy students who were playing Frisbee. Students were escorted off field without incident.

6:45 PM Stearns Hall Concerned parent reports he was unable to reach his son by phone.

Responding Officer contacted student and asked him to contact his father.

10:10 PM Braun Hall Steam from students taking a hot shower in the men’s restroom, activated the fire alarm system.

Responding Officers observed a full building evacuation. No smoke or fire. Ventilate area, silence and reset fire alarm panel.

The Occidental Weekly

Occidental College 1600 Campus Road M-40 Los Angeles, California 90041 (323) 259-2886

EXECUTIVE BOARD Editor in Chief Dean DeChiaro

Managing Editor Aralyn Beaumont Senior Editors Ashly Burch Mitchell J. Cde Baca

EDITORIAL STAFF News Faryn Borella Ryan Strong

Features Sam Ovenshine Kirsten Wright Sports Ryan Graff Juliet Suess Opinions Ethan Weiss Rachel Liesching Arts & Entertainment Cordelia Kenney Ian Mariani Senior Layout Editor Christine Lew Photo Editor Evan Carter

BUSINESS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11

2:44 PM Newcomb Hall Student reports her water damaged laptop and Ipod were stolen outside of her room. Incident report filed.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12

4:02 AM 1800 Block of Campus Rd. Officer on routine patrol, observed a vehicle swerving in and out of lanes.

The vehicle came to a stop in front of 1824 Campus Road. Officers made contact with the driver (local) who appeared intoxicated. Officers subsequently contacted subject’s girlfriend via telephone and she responded to location and took custody of him.

1:50 PM Quad Received report that the Occupy L.A. tent was damaged when unknown person(s) moved it from its original location. Incident report filed.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13

12:02 AM Library Cleaning Services staff reports person(s) unknown locked in the Library exited the 1st floor south emergency exit door, activating the alarm system. Secured the door and reset the alarm panel.

12:33 AM Weller Road Observed a couple (students) engaged in a loud verbal altercation. Officers contacted both parties who agreed to return to their separate rooms and to discontinue disturbing the peace. No further action required.

12:50 PM 1601 Campus Rd. RHOPO Officers stopped two underage students who were in possession of alcohol. Officers warned students and had them pour out alcohol without incident.

4:45 PM Cooler Campus Dining staff reports no hot water. HVAC notified.

Advertising Manager Tucker Eason Business Manager Andreas Bloomquist Communications Director Arielle Darr

Founded in 1893, the Occidental Weekly is the official newspaper of Occidental College. Published by the Associated Students of Occidental College, the Weekly is distributed to 2,000 faculty, staff, students, parents and community members every Wednesday during the academic year.

RESOURCES If you would like The Occidental Weekly to cover a story, please write to weekly@oxy.edu, contact a section editor, or call The Occidental Weekly office.

If you would like to write a letter to The Occidental Weekly to express an opinion or address a current event, please e-mail weekly@ oxy.edu. Letters are capped at 700 words.

THE OCCIDENTAL WEEKLY

November 16, 2011 -

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Permits for Solar Panel Project on Mt. Fiji Delayed

Damian Mendieta

Occidental College has still not received the necessary permits for its $7 million solar array project, which school officials expected to have late last month. Director of Communications Jim Tranquada said the permits should now be ready by the end of this month, and construction is expected to begin on Fiji and the upper soccer field parking lot as soon as the City of Los Angeles grants approval.

One of the reasons for the delay is that the solar array system requires not just one, but several permits. Electrical wiring, parking lot construction and fire hazards are approved independently.

“There are a variety of permits that we need,” Tranquada said. “Each one of those involves a separate conversation.”

Permit discussion has caused some of Occidental’s original building plans to be challenged and delayed by the city. Occidental planned to construct eight-inch diameter steel pilings, but

the city called for larger base foundations to the hillside array.

“We thought eight-inch diameter pilings would be necessary,” Tranquada said. ”The city insisted on 12-inch.

To us we see that as overbuilding.” Additionally, the city may require that the college install a roof in between the solar panels and cars in the parking lot. “ The city’s demands have added to the permit delays and Tranquada said the college already expected the process to progress slowly.

“Dealing with the City of Los Angeles can be complex and sometime unpredictable,” Tranquada said. “Unfortunately, it’s not a simple matter of going up to a counter, signing some paper work and you’re all done.

Although the project will cost $7 million, Occidental will only end up paying half of the cost; the rest of the tab will be covered by a $3.5 million rebate from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) as soon as construction is completed.

The solar array will be situated on Fiji and the upper soccer field parking lot because maximum solar exposure

Newcomb Floods

Ryan Strong

Newcomb Hall sustained extensive water damage on Thursday evening after heat sensors triggered the sprinkler system in a dorm room on the third floor. Campus Safety and the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the dormitory but found no fire, though they encountered a large flood caused by a sprinkler head that had broken off in the affected room. The college has not yet committed to reimbursing students for the loss of belongings from the flooding.

Kirsten Wright (junior) and Elise Hampilos (sophomore) live in the room where the sprinklers were activated.

Campus Safety and Facilities managers at the college suspected a faulty “heater duct” may have triggered the sprinkler’s heat sensors. Those suspicions were further confirmed after speaking to the room’s residents, who reported that their room had been abnormally hot before the incident.

“The engine in the heater engine was faulty and the temperature got to 120 degrees, so it set the sprinkler off and then the head fell off,” Hampilos said.When the sprinkler head broke, water discharged the pipe at an uncontrolled and extremely high rate, causing much of the damage.

Much of Wright and Hampilos’ belongings were ruined by the greasy water that had been sitting in pipes before it was released, including Wright’s clothing, laptop, other electronics and futon as well as Hampilos’ laptop, electronics and art supplies, according to the students. Wright estimates her damages at $3,000.

Additionally, flood water spread to other rooms on the floor by flowing under the door, according to Campus Safety reports. Rooms on the second floor also experienced leaking from the ceiling.

Facilities has begun trying to clean up and repair some of the damage. Currently, Wright and Hampilos are staying elsewhere until the considerable mess in their room gets cleaned up, a job that has been left largely to them.

“Except my classes, I’ve been cleaning every waking moment,” Hampilos said.

Though the college has solicited damage estimates from all students affected by the incident, it has not yet committed to covering the damages.

Director of Risk Management Rebecca Dowling noted that while the college purchases insurance for water damage from sprinkler activation for their property, it does not cover students’ personal belongings. But Dowling noted that does not mean the college will not help these students. “…We encourage students to purchase renter’s insurance,” Dowling said. “That is not to say that we leave students on their own. If there is a loss, we consider the specific circumstances to determine our level of obligation to remediate the loss.”

The students involved think that the college should help them foot the bill because they have no control over the heater unit or the fact that the sprinkler head malfunctioned.

“I feel like if we had set it off, I would completely understand them not helping us with the damages. But it was the college’s heater that caused this,” Hampilos said.

Jai Levin Facilities has put a large fan, called a wind-handler, in the room to help it dry.

is critical for the efficiency of the array. An electrical maintenance facility is close in the proximity and the hook ups to the electrical grid there are more practical. The solar array would save the college approximately $250,000 per year, according to Tranquada. The savings will help payback the cost of the project.

Professor Dan Snowden-Ifft has been a key advocate for the construction of Occidental’s own solar panel system. He began lobbying two years ago after joining the college’s sustainability committee. He also chaired a solar subcommittee that included Associate Vice President for Facilities Management Michael Stephens, Director of UEPI Mark Vallianatos and former physics professor Adrian Hightower. Advocacy from the sustainability committee and administration officials led to the subcommittee hearing seven different presentations from installers over the summer of 2009.

The solar subcommittee decided upon the highest energy-efficient panels, Sunpower, while Martifer Solar will be the installer. Sunpower is also

Courtesy of Jim Tranquada Many of the solar arrays will face the upper soccer field for maximum exposure.

offering a 40 cents per watt with a maximum of $2000 off of installation for personal solar panels. Students and their families, alumni and employees will have access to these savings. All families and small business in Eagle

Rock, Mt. Washington and Highland Park are also eligible.

Contact professor Snowden-Ifft (ifft@oxy.edu) or visit www.sunpowercorp.com/asp/occidental for more information.

Luis Lopez Frontrunner for State Assembly DISTRICT From Front Page The redistricting will not take effect until the 2012 election, where candidates will run within the new districts. This could cause issues, such as in the San Fernando Valley district where an incumbent will be running against another incumbent.

Some Republican lawmakers have pledged to challenge the new boundaries in court, arguing that the new districts displace current lawmakers from their home districts. Some analysts have concluded that the new boundaries may help Democrats gain more seats in the state congress.

Republicans have already backed an effort to collect the 500,000 signatures necessary to put a referendum to overturn the new districts on the ballot next November.

One main concern is that the new senate districts dilute Latino voting clout in the state.

Despite the controversy, the

primary will take place on June 5, 2012, with a new open primary system. The voter-approved measure will allow the two candidates who receive the most votes to compete in the general election, even if they share party affiliation.

The general election for this position will then take place on Nov. 6, 2012.

The current front runner in the race for the 51 State Assembly District is Luis Lopez, a 38-year-old progressive Democrat.

“I feel very good about our prospects for the primaries,” Lopez said. “I was born in this district, I’ve served here all my life.”

The redistricting has depleted an already low number of Republicans in the 51 District.

“This is a heavily Democratic district,” Lopez said. “There may not even be a Republican on the ballot. They rarely even try to put a candidate up.”

There are between three and four thousand registered Republican voters in the 51 District.

One reason that Lopez remains confident is due to his superior do-

nor support in comparison to the support for his opponents. Lopez, an openly gay man, also received official endorsements from the LGBT community.

Despite the lack of a Republican opponent, Lopez has two rival Democratic candidates. The only other candidate that has a website online as of press time is Oscar Gutierrez, a moderate Democrat focusing on state budget, safety issues and insurance reform.

Lopez is currently the Planning Commissioner of the East Area Planning Commission for the City of Los Angeles.

Prior to this, he served for four years as Co-Chair of the Neighborhood Council of Silver Lake and served three terms on the Parks Oversight Committee: Central Regional Volunteer Neighborhood Oversight Committee (RVNOC) for Prop K Funds.

Lopez graduated from Pomona College and is the Healthcare Director of nonprofit AltaMed, the largest independent Federally Qualified Community Health Center in the U.S.

Students Seek Funding for New Class

GARDEN From Front Page

that any sustainability-related class that needs extra money, they’re just going to apply to the fund,” Saarman said. Therefore, the students are seeking out other alternatives for funding but are not feeling a great deal of support from the college.

“I feel like the college doesn’t want to give us funds until we prove that it’s a real, institutionalized thing, but we’re not going to be able to do that until we get funds,” Morgan said.

So far there has been a lot of student interest in the class, with over 40 students attempting to register.

“We have a lot of student backing behind this class, so I think we have a very good cause and a reason to ask for more funding,” Ross said.

“Basically, the more people hear

about it and the more it becomes institutionalized and the more the college sees that this kind of thing is wanted by the students, people will see it’s a real thing and not just another club,” Morgan said.

The students have also run into an issue in finding a location for the cooking component of the class.

Due to zoning codes, there are no kitchens on campus that students can legally cook in. All kitchens in the dorms are “warming kitchens” and are not supposed to be used for food preparation.

Students are looking into possible options, such as renting a facility off-campus or using an outdoor space equipped with a barbecue grill. Another option is to use the Rangeview kitchen, but that would require for the kitchen to be remodeled in order to fit zoning codes for student food preparation.

“That is the space that has the most potential to be used in the fu-

ture,” Ross said, but he also said that doing so would require a great deal of money.

Despite all of the obstacles, the student organizers were positive that the class will take place next semester.

“We have a number of good connections within the community,” Ross said. “There will be some guest speakers that have already said that they will come in for a very low price and may volunteer their time, which is very exciting to know that people support this area of study within our community.”

The students also hope to expand the program in the future.

“Going forward, it is important to institutionalize it and make it more part of the academic side of the college, not just students putting in their own time,” Saarman said.

“For me, I see a sustainable agriculture class offered on a regular basis that can fulfill a lab science.”

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- November 16, 2011

OPINIONS

THE OCCIDENTAL WEEKLY

When Students, Faculty Don’t Break Bread, Intellectualism Fails Jack McHenry

I

f one listens closely, there are stories of a bygone age at Occidental College when teachers and students mingled freely in the quad and in the Marketplace, competed in recreational sports together on the weekends and even socialized in settings outside of school.

While today such camaraderie would violate the stiff, professional relationship that at present exists between professors and students, and may create liability issues for the college, we should be aware that these kinds of activities used to be the norm on campus.

While interactions like these still occur in the context of office hours, small class sizes and professors who advise student organizations, it is with less frequency and less vigor than the relationships of the past.

In terms of the academic community here at Occidental, this lack of social relationships between professors and students affects the nature of intellectualism at school. While students are as intelligent as ever, oftentimes it seems that their focus is on an individualized, accomplishment-based criteria in which internships and resume building is more important than deeply engaging people and ideas. Additionally, with the advent of social media, communication in the form of in-person conversations that can be fertile soil for intellectual discovery are becoming few and far between.

For centuries the student-teacher relationship was the backbone of intellectual and academic culture. From the Greeks of antiquity to the twentieth century systems of English higher education, the relationship between teachers and students developed in seminars and casual social discussion as well as more formalized educational settings.

This complete, multi-faceted educational system was deemed necessary for a student’s education. It was understood that learning in the classroom had to be supplemented with informal conversations in social settings. And just as the informal side of education was critical in times past, its absence is now a critical gap in intellectual culture.

The dry relationship between professors and students at Occidental now lacks a mutual engagement that would otherwise be present if students and teachers engaged socially more often.

A student would be more likely to work hard for a teacher they respected as a friend, because to not give one’s all academically would amount to letting down a friend, not just a professional acquaintance. Conversely, a professor

benefits from having a personal understanding with a student because they can then relate concepts to that student in the clearest terms the student can understand. These relationships would create a social and collaborative intellectualism that thrived on engagement between students, as well as between students and professors, in less formal settings that still maintained their intellectual rigor. The potential for intellectual discovery and exploration is just as high while discussing a topic over a couple pints on a Friday evening as it is sitting at a desk on Monday morning.

The reasons for the decline of social intellectualism, particularly between professors and students, are varied and can be difficult to pinpoint. One factor that is easy to identify, however,

Mike Kralovich

is the role that liability and litigation plays in our society. With the chances for the school and professors having to deal with serious legal consequences if any kind of foul play with students in a social setting occurs, the college has developed protocols to prevent many types of personal interactions. On campus, there are rules in place that state a door must always be open during interactions between students and professors, like during office hours. Even where protocols do not exist, professors remain cautious because of the potential for facing backlash.

Legal repercussions are not the only reason for the decline in these sort of intellectual relationships. Students have seemed to adopt a sense of an individualized, atomized, instrumental approach

to education, where the experiences they have in school are seen more as resources, as means to an end, than for the sheer love of learning. This has been instilled in them since a young age, and often has them more concerned with things like a high GPA and finding the right internships and volunteer work to round out a resume, rather than enjoying academia as a social lifestyle. This is not the absolute truth for all people at Occidental, and compared with many other colleges and universities, it is hard to imagine Occidental’s intimacy being matched. However, looking at Occidental as an individual case, this culture has undeniably declined over the years.

In the future, students and professors must look to each other to manifest and enjoy intellectual exploration as more of a lifestyle and a social activity than something that only occurs for three hours a week in Johnson or Fowler. Being an intellectual and an academic has changed in the twenty-first century. As everyday social relationships are diluted by social media and an overriding push for career and resume building, so intellectualism has been diluted as well.

Intellectualism cannot be written down on a resume, it will not impress most employers, and it cannot be exercised merely by sitting in lectures all week. It is a lifestyle that must be enriched through real relationships among students and professors and must go beyond the classroom and into more informal, social settings where intellectual rigor still flows into everyday conversation. When these aspects are built into one’s life, then a higher level of knowledge, and a genuine appreciation for that knowledge, can be obtained.

Jack McHenry is a senior DWA major. He can be reached at jmchenry@ oxy.edu.

Does Political Correctness Kill Campus Discourse?

Rachel Liesching

Most people cringe at the phrase “politically correct,” either out of fear of being accused of violating those norms society deems “correct” or simply because the phrase is used so loosely and often so ambiguously.

The rough argument behind politically correct language is familiar to anyone who has taken an Occidental class in the social sciences: language is a powerful and discursive tool that ascribes value to certain forms of experience and excludes others, and so public discourse must be especially careful of treading on the feet of any one class of personal experience. However, the real elephant in the room is not the words we use; it’s the near-constant refusal to examine the ways in which you, I and everybody we know participate in systems of discrimination and oppression.

The preoccupation with avoiding exclusory language has done much to prevent any honest discussion of where those constructs come from or why they exist in the first place. In truth, politically correct speech, as a discourse that accurately reflects the pluralistic reality of the world, has never existed at all. For all its supposed good intentions, it has been little more than a way to avoid intensely discomforting and thus intensely necessary conversations. For example, when someone prefaces saying something overtly racist with, “I’m not racist, but . . .”

It isn’t enough to recognize difference; difference and identity needs to be interrogated and problematized. We need to go farther than acknowledging that language reflects or constitutes relations of power—our identities and values are subject to far more institutional forces than we would like to think. For example, privilege, while not a moral value nor something that can be changed in most cases, is something that needs to be accounted for in any discourse. The failure to recognize this ends any effective conversation before it can really start.

Politically correct speech has a noble intention, but the real problem is when the twenty-something-year-old undergraduate ascribes a near-immutable degree of righteousness to their way of understanding the world. Out of either fear or laziness the boundaries of their finite personal experience become the boundaries of the world.

Truly constructive discussion doesn’t demand the dissolution of personal values and opinions. It does, however, require intense personal effort and risk over a sustained period of time. The willingness to talk about identity and privilege can’t end the moment one steps outside the classroom and back into the flurry of campus life. It must be a constant thought it the back of every student’s mind when they engage in any sort of discourse.

Ethan Weiss

Beyond words themselves, most important the ideology behind being politically correct.

pointcounterpoint Good debate suffers when ‘Respect every person’ becomes ‘Respect every opinion.

Where the ambition of any institution of higher learning is rigorous study and courageous innovation, the community of Occidental College should fear the stifled state of debate on campus and consider whether of all things, their democratic values and a dogmatic emphasis on political correctness, may be impeding the conversations out of which real progress is made.

Writers from Tocqueville in the early nineteenth century to Charles Taylor today have observed American society and the way democracy and absolute equality diminish the possibility of innate value. When all things are declared equal, the possibility of a single best solution or outcome falls away and with it the possibility of real debate. Where we are taught to constantly give polite deference to the opinion of another, we must also be aware that real debate stagnates when we choose not to assert the supremacy of our own ideas (if we view them as such, which we should). It does not violate a commitment to open-mindedness to argue vigorously for the primacy of one’s own point of view.

That dragon may yet be hibernating beneath the fabric of American society at large, but already it manifests here at Occidental, where an insistence on the inherent correctness of every opinion suppresses

what contentious conversation might otherwise occur. On one hand, we might blame the lackluster debate at Occidental on a reluctance to make a stir. On the other, we should consider whether we as a community are so hung up on accommodating difference that the practical result is a slinking back into ourselves, justified with a nod to some notion that every opinion is valid and deserves the benefit of the doubt.

This is no suggestion that one group of people is more correct than another. Rather, it suggests that at Occidental, the legitimate and honorable proposition that “all people are created equal,” has been corrupted and re-rendered as “all opinions are created equal.” Political correctness as a respect for all people has, in other words, helped along an entirely different idea—that we cannot reject others’ opinions without making offense—whose growth both threatens constructive conversation and ultimately undermines the democratic values we prize originally.

We should not be afraid to call someone else wrong. We should not feel that to disagree is to disrespect.

At the same time that we celebrate diversity of opinion, we should not be so complacent as to pretend a multitude of opinions means a multitude of right answers. Now, discuss.

THE OCCIDENTAL WEEKLY

November 16, 2011 -

5

Applauding a Newly Multi-Class Dorms Would Educate First-Years Diversified Housing Strategy Pauley’s mixed structure is housing example to follow

Early last month, this publication reported that the college was weighing the purchase of a complex on Colorado Boulevard as an off-campus housing option for juniors and seniors that would remain under the oversight of Residential Education. While the details surrounding the practical assimilation of this complex remain unclear, the college’s motivation to expand new off-campus housing options should be commended.

Recent years have presented clear evidence of an overcrowding problem within the on-campus options. Creating new triples is an unsustainable policy that cannot be repeatedly leaned on as the student body grows. Looking around campus, there is hardly room for any more institutional expansion in time to solve this impending space crisis. And so, the fact that the college is considering any sort of off-campus expansion is undeniably beneficial to the community.

Off-campus expansion would create a hybrid of the ease of oncampus living and the responsibilities of off-campus living, letting students experience self-sufficiency with Occidental’s safety nets

still in place. Many students, especially those in their senior year, are on the verge of living in the real world, with utility payments, kitchens and no cleaning staff. To have a housing option that will provide that intermediate step of “residential education” while keeping residents tied to the Occidental community would be a step in the right direction.

Initiatives of this type build on the positive examples already set by the Food Justice, Music and Berkus houses. A residential community separated from, but part of, the larger college environment proves that the absence of a dormitory does not threaten the involvement of students on campus, one of the major concerns cited in Occidental’s special consideration policy for juniors applying to live off-campus.

In his inaugural speech, President Veitch spoke of bursting the “Oxy bubble” and Occidental’s need to truly become a college of Los Angeles. In pursuing a strategy of new off-campus housing options, Veitch can prove that Occidental College is ready to begin taking steps towards a more holistic and practical approach to housing.

This editorial represents the collective opinion of the Occidental Weekly Editorial Board. Each week, the Editorial Board will publish its viewpoint on a matter relevant to the Occidental community.

Right, yeah, three things....

United... that’s one... States... two... and three... yeah I don’t have it.

Dean DeChiaro

Ian Mariani Starting college is one of those experiences that no amount of reading can really prepare you for. It means leaving behind the creature comforts of family, friends and home to pack up and adventure sometimes thousands of miles from any sense of home. And regardless of how many books have been published on how to prepare for the culture shock that residence halls can cause, none will ever truly capture the nuances of an individual school. Ideally, that is where the upperclassmen step in.

But at Occidental, exclusively firstyear dorms make that opportunity impossible.

The Office of Residential Education (ResEd) pushes its staff to refer to student housing as “residential communities” instead of dorms in an attempt to imply a complete living experience, rather than just sleeping quarters. But the amount of “residential education” that can take place is limited when first-years are segregated into four halls specially reserved for them. The result, as has been seen from the past several weekends, are hordes of first-years discovering the perils of their decisions through good old-fashioned “learning-by-doing.” And while this approach might work for teaching children to walk, it is certainly not the technique that should be used in determining a student’s limits for stress or alcohol consumption.

Currently, Pauley Hall exists as the petri dish for a better way of doing things. Half the dorm consists of bright-eyed freshman, and the other half experienced sophomores, juniors and seniors. And the cohesion after the first few weeks is seamless.

There is, as can be seen in any hall, something to be said for sharing a common space, a common bathroom and the common experiences that come from that. Whether it be commenting on hallspread topics, the faulty air conditioning (or lack thereof) or just the noise the third floor toilet makes at night, common experience will always remain the catalyst for interpersonal

connection.

But what Pauley Hall builds from that is something much more substantial. Having older students living with the first-years provides a resource that no traditional educational tool can. These aren’t people whose job it is to answer first-year’s questions, but just neighbors willing to give tips on their own experiences at Occidental—uncensored and real. Granted, students involved in extracurricular activities can get this guidance from their peers, as the activity serves much the same advisory purpose. The college should not, however, use this reasoning as a crutch and maintain their same approach.

The original decision to segregate the dorms was made after the example other schools, and did in fact have some success. After the implementation of the policy, the floundering first-year retention rate did, in fact, improve over the course of the following semester, as first-years began to build a community within the college they were not willing to leave behind. Not only that, but GPAs among firstyears also improved after the policy change.

The switch, as with subsequent improvements in GPA and retention rate, stemmed from the grouping of first-years with the other members of their CSP though, not their complete segregation. It is true that for incoming students, having a class with the students you are living with does create that learning community from the get-go. But a complete isolation from upperclassmen can hardly be necessary policy, and a reintegration does not require foresaking these CSP groupings as Pauley again proves.

By impeding integration between most first years and upperclassmen, the college is throwing newcomers in the deep end of the collegiate pool without teaching them to swim.

Instead, there is only an imposing voice that suggests that they should not drown. That’s easier said than done when every neighbor around them has just as much experience with the school as they. The RA may

eventually serve as a life vest to save drowning first-years, but there is a lack of middle ground between swimming and drowning that an RA staff cannot hope to fill on its own.

Therefore, the college should be advised that its goal of intraclass cohesion among the freshman class must be reconsidered in the face of the reality of college assimilation. This goal will create, if it hasn’t already, four solitary bodies of students, separated and moving through Occidental without much interaction at all.

The educational institutions in place to foster these positive discussions aren’t necessarily broken, they just aren’t substantial enough to make any sort of impact. Orientation can hardly be tasked with completely preparing 600 new students in three days for every challenge they’ll face in the coming years. It is simply unrealistic. Tasked with the enforcement of an iron-fisted policy, RAs cannot possibly provide the uncensored voice a student’s older, wiser peer down the hall could.

In light of recent hospitalizations, Occidental should reconsider its segregation of first-years and its effect on their ability to absorb the culture shock that college brings.

Currently, they are left to fend for themselves the moment they arrive and have to adjust quickly to the challenges of an entirely new way of living, from sharing a bathroom with a floor of people to the loss of almost all personal space. And while there are elements in place to help ease the growing pains, at present there are too many cracks through which students can slip through.

The original reasons for the policy still remain important, but to combine the highly beneficial CSP pairings with the mixed halls education procedures is not impossible by any means. Reintegrating residence halls would create a more nurturing community at Occidental and would benefit next year’s 600 newcomers in a whole host of ways.

leeway in the way these policies can take shape.

What I think is different between CMC’s alcohol policy is the enforcement. Although CMC seems to be known for its informal “red cup policy,” under which underage students can drink from a cup on campus without being questioned as to its contents, this is not a part of their policy but rather an element of enforcement.

Some colleges also operate under an informal “open door” policy. I think this encourages a safe drinking environment in which RAs can monitor drinking in residence halls without writing up students; however, this is not something we can formally integrate into Oxy’s alcohol policy due to the aforementioned restrictions. Especially in light of Ryan Strong’s article last week, I think that Oxy could potentially adopt a more relaxed implementation of its policy, but certain elements of the policy itself cannot be

changed.

The editorial board also called for more conversation between students, staff, and faculty on campus about alcohol as at CMC. CMC had an alcohol task force in 2010 that examined trends on campus around alcohol and suggested policy changes. This task force acknowledged that CMC typically experiences ten alcohol transports per year. That’s fewer than Oxy has had this year so far, but I think we need to realize that CMC has reckoned with similar issues. It’s important to note that such a committee exists at Oxy as well, in addition to the current ad hoc discussion panel. If students do have ideas about policy changes or other ways to improve the alcohol environment on campus, and would like to join the Alcohol and Other Drug policy committee, please email me.

Ian Mariani is a sophomore DWA major. He can be reached at mariani@oxy.edu.

LETTERS Dear Editor, I take issue with the last couple of editorial board pieces in the Oxy Weekly. I think the Oxy Weekly has been putting out some really highquality content this semester, and I understand that these editorials are opinions, not news pieces, but I think even editorials should be based on facts and research.

In regards to the November 9 editorial, which assails the proposed renovation of the library, and its proposed elimination of 40-50% of the library’s books in particular, it seems that the editorial board is more nostalgic than knowledgeable about the library. According to College Librarian Robert Kieft, 44.6% of the books in Oxy’s library have not been circulated in the last 20 years. That means

that they haven’t been checked out by Oxy students, sent to another school through Link +, or logged after being left on a table. Of course, students may have referenced some of these and returned them to the shelf, but we’re talking about 164,894 books here. I don’t know if the library seems crowded to anyone else, but I look forward to a day when these renovations and changes to our collection will give students more space to enjoy the “peace, quiet spaces, and books” of the library.

This isn’t to knock books: I love them too, but we only have room for ones students use. Even the fantasy to replace each unused book with a new one, while lovely, seems a little out of touch with reality when students are increasingly using online resources, including Oxy’s expanding E-book collection. The liberal arts aren’t just about tradition; they are about thinking critically, and it requires the effective mobilization resources to provide

a well-rounded education. I think that’s what the Academic Commons task force has in mind.

In regards to the editorial from November 2 criticizing Oxy’s alcohol policy, I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone on the editorial board has read Oxy’s alcohol and other drug policy, or Claremont McKenna College’s, since that is that is the college they point to for comparison. If you have, you might notice that they are very similar. According to CMC’s policy, a 1989 law requires that any college that receives federal financial assistance (read: financial aid) “must certify that it has adopted and implemented a program to prevent the unlawful possession, use or distribution of illicit drugs or alcohol by students and employees.” In other words, all colleges across the country share certain elements in their alcohol policies that are meant to discourage, and penalize, underage drinking. There is very little

Morgan Flake (Senior, UEP)

6

- November 16, 2011

THE OCCIDENTAL WEEKLY

FEATURES With 31 Paths of Study, Students Face Major Indecision

Non-traditional programs set Occidental apart within the liberal arts Anne Ewbank

O

ccidental’s campus is often described as a “bubble,” an environment where students are somewhat isolated from the outside world in more ways than geography. Not only are students isolated from what’s happening beyond Campus Road, but the educational experience they receive is itself rather uncommon and unusual compared to other schools. Many of the stereotypical images of college—the large lecture halls, the classes taught by disinterested T.A.’s, the possibility of having to stick around an extra year to complete all the requirements for one’s major—are simply not a part of the Occidental liberal arts experience.

One of the many benefits of the liberal arts experience is the flexibility and specificity of the majors and minors liberal arts colleges can offer. Whereas large state universities present students with a rigid list of concentrations and expect them to choose one, Occidental emphasizes fluid, adaptable programs of study.

Students, by selecting their own individualized academic plans, are challenged to customize their college experience.

Nevertheless, with the ongoing economic recession, Occidental students can’t help but wonder if their Giovanna Bettoli friends earning vocational degrees With seven participants, Elementary Japanese I with Professor Nina Yoshida (Section 2 shown above) is one of the college’s smallest classes. As of this semesin nursing and criminology at other ter, the Japanese program has just four declared majors. Japanese major Kristen Riehle (junior) praised the program. “Everyone knows each other,” she said. schools might have the right idea.

Pursuing a liberal arts degree in to- that the current economic conditions (sophomore) corroborates North’s subjects at Occidental. She is also relations because I love languages day’s market may be viewed as an influenced her to pursue biology fore- point—he said economics is interest- the first student to declare a Latino/a and learning about other cultures and indulgent move when the value of most and theater secondarily. “I’ve ing to him as well as practical and and Latin American Studies major. different people. However, after taka major seems so highly correlated been taking tons of theater classes potentially lucrative. He said the “I love the interdisciplinary aspect ing DWA 101 I found out DWA was with the chance of finding a job after since I got here. I want to have an em- department’s curriculum and faculty of the major, and I think the idea of not for me. I finally realized that I graduation. It is little surprise, then, ployable major, but I love theater,” also persuaded him to select the ma- interdisciplinary learning is what should just major in the one thing that that recession-proof, career-oriented she said. “I want to do both, but I also jor. “I hated math in high school, but drew me to a liberal arts college like I’m good at and love,” she said.

I rediscovered it here. Econ is really Oxy in general. It’s so awesome that Linguistics is a sister field to compaths of study like economics, psy- want to get a job after college.”

Dr. Gretchen North, chair of the just applied math, anyway, and the I can take classes in what feels like puter science, a subject McCown is chology, biology and Diplomacy and World Affairs (DWA) are among biology department, acknowledged department here is good. Some of the every department, including music interested in. “I plan on going to grad and education, and see how they fit school for linguistics or computaOccidental’s most popular areas of the appeal of biology to career- professors are really excellent.” minded students like Post. “Students Like Post, Nicolai had to balance together,” she said. tional linguistics, so I’m not worried study.

Latino/a and Latin American about finding a job because those are With 183 declared students, eco- want to do something useful—many his passion for the arts with the desire Studies is one of the college’s most both fairly practical fields,” she said. nomics is by far the college’s big- of our students are interested in pub- for a marketable degree.

“I actually came to Oxy want- interdepartmental majors and a good She noted that her small major and gest major, a position it has held lic health and medicine.” North said ing to study art,” he said. example of how classes from many career path is unique. “I only know since overtaking DWA in Nicolai maintained that different departments can come to- one other Group Language major spring 2008. As of spring “This isn’t a trade school. Here, I’m learn- he has not had to abandon gether to compose a unique path of who actually is doing the same thing 2011, with 145 students, or his other interests study. The distinct qualities of majors I’m doing.”

DWA was second-most ing how to be a conscientious, responsible art for the sake of econom- like this help students like Siverly Professor Michael Shelton, the popular, followed closely by biology and psy- human being.There’s always the possibility ics. He said he practices narrow in on their true passions. “I only faculty member in the linguisin his free time and originally came in to Oxy dead-set tics program at Occidental, said that chology. you’ll outgrow the major you choose at 18. art still has the time to ac- on being a DWA major but after tak- the department is expanding because Nearly 30 percent I’ll use CTSJ every day of my life.” quire minors in Japanese ing a few courses in the department I of high demand for a major. “There of all declared students and mathematics. “The realized that I find my passion much has been high enrollment in all of have opted to seek a demodeling techniques I’m more in the history, culture, language our linguistics courses over the past gree in one of these four — Liza Veale (senior) learning [in math classes] and politics of Latin America,” she few years, oftentimes with long waitmost popular fields. The help a lot because I do said. lists. “Growing a program takes time. other 70 percent have digital art in my spare For students hoping to narrow That’s why the linguistics offerings found a place in one of their cultural studies even further are still relatively small. We are hopOccidental’s 28 other majors. From biology has always been one of the time.”

He stresses that he hasn’t com- than Siverly has with her Latin ing to add another position in Spanthe new Latino/Latina American top five most popular majors at Ocstudies major to the established cidental, but she pointed out that oc- promised his love of art. “The thing American Studies track, Occidental ish/linguistics in the future, which ECLS program, the diversity of cupationally-anxious students aren’t about Oxy is that it’s not a state offers language majors Chinese, Jap- would allow both the linguistics miavailable academic paths at the col- the only driving force behind that sta- school; we have enough leeway here anese, Spanish, French and Group nor as well as linguistics in Spanish lege reflects the wide-ranging inter- tistic. “We have charismatic faculty to take classes outside of our majors Language, which involves studying to grow at the college.”

He added that the linguistics miests of the student body. On top of who are all very active in research. and learn other things. I’ve had the either Spanish or French alongside nor at Occidental is interdisciplinary its 31 majors, Occidental offers 11 Students as freshmen attend their opportunity to take a lot of random linguistics or another language.

As a Group Language major and includes courses in departments minor-only subjects like classical classes and are inspired to become classes in stuff I like. In the end we biology majors,” she said. can apply what we learn here to what- studying Spanish and linguistics, like cognitive science and philosostudies and Russian.

North said that economics is prob- ever we want to do,” he said.

Danielle McCown (senior) is content phy. “Four years ago we updated and Allison Post (junior) is a double Lauren Siverly (sophomore) is with the specific confines of her ma- restructured the minor to better meet major who has declared majors in ably the most popular major because biology (as one of 126 students) and of its potential for students who another student who wants a little bit jor. “I really like learning languages. the needs of the students and to intheater (one of 37), but her primary want to go into business after col- of everything in her college educa- I originally mistook this calling to corporate the new courses I am able passion is the stage. She admitted lege. Economics major Lito Nicolai tion and feels able to explore many mean I should go into international to offer into the curriculum as well as

November 16, 2011 -

THE OCCIDENTAL WEEKLY

Giovanna Bettoli Michael Shelton is Occidental’s only linguistics faculty member. Many of the college’s language programs are tiny, but linguistics is expanding due to demand.

the language-focused courses being offered in other departments,” Shelton said.

Even among small language majors, Japanese is the smallest—as of this semester, there are just four declared Japanese majors, and Kristen Riehle (junior) is one of them. “I have no idea what I’ll do with Japanese yet,” Riehle said. “But everyone I know who’s a Japanese major is applying to the JET [Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme].” She said that there’s a important upside to being in a small major. “Everybody knows each other.”

The flexibility of the liberal arts allows Occidental to adapt its majors and their curricula as students’ interests fluctuate and the prevailing academic discourse changes. For example, in 2008 the Women’s Studies/ Gender Studies major was incorporated into the Critical Theory and Social Justice (CTSJ) major. The school hoped CTSJ would incorporate Women’s Studies/Gender Studies into what would be a comprehensive major covering many social justice issues.

Sometimes, though, changes like these add more difficulty to Occidental’s already confusing sea of program acronyms and abbreviations.

The names of many of Occidental’s majors have been modified to reflect their curricula rather than their common, vernacular names. What most people would call an “English depart-

ment,” for example, is ECLS. Urban studies is UEP and international affairs is DWA. Some students worry about what such unconventional names might convey to future employers. Taylor Rowland (sophomore), for example, describes herself as a film major, but according to the Registrar, she is an art history and visual arts major with an emphasis in film and media studies. “I understand since the department wants to emphasize the fact that it deals with various media and not just film, but it’s frustrating because students feel like our degrees should say ‘film’ somewhere, especially for those of us who want to break into the industry,” she said.

Liza Veale (senior), a CTSJ major, says that too many students try to get a practical education at Occidental, which she believes is only one aspect of attending the college. “This isn’t a trade school,” she says. “Here, I’m learning how to be a conscientious, responsible human being. There’s always the possibility you’ll outgrow the major you choose at 18. I’ll use CTSJ every day of my life.”

Veale said that she first enrolled in CTSJ classes because they interested her, not because she intended to major in the department. But after a few courses, she found she loved the program and wanted to declare it as her major. Her parents were initially unreceptive. “I had a hard time explaining my major declaration to my

parents because I didn’t understand it myself at the time,” she said. “But I feel like a lot of people don’t put much thought into declaring their majors but choose one by default.”

As for how she ultimately decided on CTSJ, she said, “I am really interested in politics, so I am a CTSJ major with an emphasis in politics. It’s not in the catalog, but CTSJ is a major where you can take a class in almost any department, and it’ll fulfill a CTSJ requirement. The major doesn’t have any one mode of learning it. The special thing about this kind of education is that it allows for the crosspollination of ideas and exposure to different schools of thought.”

Like many students, Veale isn’t absolutely sure of what she will do after graduation. “I don’t know how yet, but I have so many options, and it’s kind of scary. This sounds vague, but I want to improve the world.

What I do know is I’ve spent tons of money at this elite institution getting an education. What’s worth doing more, making money for myself or making the world a less miserable place?”

Between the rising cost of college tuition and the unwelcome job market, this is a hard time to have to select a major that is simultaneously interesting and worthwhile.

Many students try to find a balance by double-majoring, minoring, double-minoring or even pursuing academic interests in their spare time, all the while considering pressure from parents, student loans and their own expectations when choosing a major.

The benefits of an liberal arts education—namely, well-roundedness and learning how to think—are obviously attractive to students who chose to enroll at Occidental, but they are also hard to quantify and attach a particular value to.

In the commencement address he gave at Kenyon College in 2005, David Foster Wallace stated, “I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts cliché about teaching you how to think is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think.”

For Occidental students, the real test is not figuring out how to work some alchemy to turn their liberal arts majors into career gold. It is finding the correct proportion of practicality and personal enjoyment in their studies and learning to realize a sense of self-worth.

“Personally, I’m not fazed by labels anymore,” Rowland said. “It’s what I do with that label that matters.”

7

Occidental Students

Y Y X L O EK M E O W .C

by

Major

2008

2009

2010

2011

102 30

79 24

57

37

9 13

6 16

19 26 26 43 53

19 16 29 45 47

83 22 3 34 1 5 15 1 16 14 33 45 45

89 8 9 38 7 6 13 4 16 14 27 47 37

Social Sciences Economics History Politics Sociology

142 70 65 70

164 68 66 77

183 69 65 93

183 71 81 90

Sciences Biology Chemistry Geology Mathematics Physics Psychobiology Psychology

93 18 16 31 28 16 85

91 17 13 32 22 14 83

102 20 16 31 24 15 89

126 128 21 41 41 13 104

16 49 15 116 6 38

17 39 15 119 2 48

12 40 20 122 3 49

12 43 25 145 3 53

58 464

72 511

67 596

78 566

Humanities AHVA Asian Studies* Chinese * CTSJ East Asian Studies * French Group Language Japanese Music Philosophy Religious Studies Spanish Theater

Interdepartmental American Studies Biochemistry Cognitive Sciences DWA Independent Program Kinesiology Latino/a Studies ** Linguistics ** UEP Undeclared

* Asian Studies was replaced by East Asian, Japanese and Chinese Studies in 2011. ** Newly introduced for 2011-2012.

Source: 2011 Occidental College Factbook Advertisement

ON THE WEB THROUGHOUT THE WEEK

8

THE OCCIDENTAL WEEKLY

- November 16, 2011

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

“Life Was Poetry, Poetry Was Life” in Ancient Arabia

Professor Bassam Frangieh explores the impact of the written word on pre-Islamic culture

Cordelia Kenney

W

ith the reassuring ease of a seasoned orator, Professor Bassam Frangieh of Claremont McKenna College began his lecture on Nov. 9 with a lyrical, rhythmic recitation of several ancient Arabic verses. Cosponsored by the Remsen Bird Fund and the English Literature and Comparative Studies department, Frangieh’s talk outlined the intimate relationship between Arab thought and Arabic poetry.

“Every Arab person is a poet,” Frangieh said at the beginning of his talk. “Either you are a poet by nature or you enjoy poetry.” The very essence of Arabic culture, according to Frangieh, is rooted in this essential oral expression. “You cannot understand Arabic culture if you do not understand Arabic poetry,” he said.

Poetry served as a means of measuring the power of a tribe for pre-Islamic Arabs. In a large market space where different ethnic groups traded spices, fabrics and other commodities, poets from each Arabian tribe competed for 20 days. They recited

their odes of love, battle, and courage in front of experienced judges. The winning poem was then transcribed with golden letters onto Egyptian cloth, according to Frangieh. “Poetry represents the identity [of the Arab people]—it records the victories, the defeats, the political developments,” Frangieh said. “You won’t find it in books; you have to go to poetry [to understand the history of the region].”

A typical pre-Islamic ode, which generally consists of 25 to 125 verses, is composed of three portions.

“You must start with love, whether it is true or not,” Frangieh explained.

He proposed an example of this amorous first portion with verses that describe a man traveling a great distance to where his lover resides who, he finds, has already left. This discovery leads to the second portion of the poem, which describes the hardship of the journey through the unforgiving desert landscape. The final part of the poem praises the man’s own tribe while denigrating his enemies.

Although many odes conform to this general thematic and structural form, each ode and each particular

verse demonstrate the sophisticated manipulation of language. From the florid desert imagery in the second portion to the romantic allusions in the first, the pre-Islamic ode embodies the pinnacle of thoughtfully articulating human experience. “There is so much rational and emotional thinking behind one verse,” Frangieh said. “The highest manifestation of language is poetry.”

Poets in ancient Arabic society, moreover, were the most important figures of guidance and wisdom, according to Frangieh. “The poet is a possessor of knowledge that others do not possess,” he said. “The poet is one who feels the knowledge and tells you what to do.” Before the advent of Islam, poets acted as the spiritual leaders for the community, Frangieh explained. “Poetry was life and life was poetry,” he said, relating the permeation of poetry into Arabic thought and culture and vice versa. After Islam expanded in the Arab world, the pre-Islamic ode remained the form used by poets for 1,500 years. Not until the last century has the meaning, composition and sound of the ode changed. As Frangieh explained,

a poet’s job now is to be countercultural and oppositional to the leaders.

“They call for the rebirth of civilization and to destroy the entire stagnant oppressive culture,” he said.

For Arabic scholars interested in reading more modern than ancient poetry with contemporary, thematic

and stylistic construction, Frangieh suggests referring to his works “Arabian Love Poems” and “Love, Death, and Exile.” Frangieh’s latest book published earlier this year, “Arabic for Life,” offers a comprehensive and tailored instruction of Arabic for students as well.

Ian Agrimis Frangieh emphasizes the critical role poetry played throughout Arabic societies.

Multicultural Spread Goes Fast at ‘Taste of Oxy’ Students filled Rangeview courtyard for an evening of “foods, live music and dancing” verse range of dishes.”

The selection of food came in all shapes and sizes, from Korean kimbap to chocolate and graham crackers, from flan to kugel. Bangladeshi appetizers, Mediterranean mint salads, walnut cakes, and vegan chocolate pastries comprised the other favorites.

A number of different student groups, including the Korean American Student Association and Hillel, provided

these delectable samplings. The Food Justice group brought homemade bean dip and pita, and others served Swork coffee.

Over a hundred students spread around the Rangeview courtyard over the course of the event. Those who attended were treated to live music performed by Occidental students. Bands and individuals played for the eating audience.

The only complaint was how fast the food went. Many groups ran out of supplies within the first hour of the three-hour event. “I got there at three, and they let me in for free because most of the food was gone,” said Andrew Caven (senior).

With a bigger focus on students’ cuisines than in previous years, the event was a big success, and stands to improve even more in years to come.

Giovanna Bettoli

Riley Kimball The annual Taste of Oxy last Sunday Nov. 13 offered students over 20 booths filled with an impressive vari-

ety of foods, live music and dancing.

The wide array of eats was the centerpiece of the event, and it did not disappoint. “I stacked my plate with all types of foods,” said Maddy Kiefer (senior). “It was cool trying such a di-

Giovanna Bettoli Various student organizations joined residence halls in serving up dishes at Taste of Oxy originating from all over the world.

THE OCCIDENTAL WEEKLY

9

November 16, 2011 -

“Big Black Sun” Captures Political Turmoil of the 1970’s Natania Reed The Getty Center-sponsored Pacific Standard Time initiative, a collaboration between more than 60 art institutions across Southern California, celebrates the growth of Los Angeles’ art scene and its establishment as a center of artistic innovation between 1945 and 1980.

“Under the Big Black Sun: California Art 1974-1981,” at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, is a largescale survey of Southern Californian art during the politically tumultuous 1970’s. The exhibit explores social and political themes through an extensive variety of artistic mediums, from film to photography. The exhibition, which is aptly named after the 1982 album by Los Angeles-based punk band X, showcases the growing political involvement of Californian artists and simultaneously marks California as a center for artistic freedom and experimentation. The exhibition opened its doors on Oct. 2 and will show until Feb. 13, 2012.

“Under the Big Black Sun” addresses political issues spanning from Nixon’s resignation to Reagan’s inauguration that dominated the post-Watergate, post-Vietnam era of 1970’s America. The artistic reaction to nuclear weapons development is especially prevalent in the exhibit.

One of the highlights of the exhibit is Chris Burden’s “The Reason for the Nuclear Bomb” (1979), which consists solely of 50,000 nickels, each with a matchstick placed on top. Spread evenly across the floor, each nickel represents a Soviet Union tank. It is a powerful perspective of

Cold War power dynamics and a critique on the United States’ buildup of nuclear weaponry, representing the power play between the Soviet Union and the United States. The work creates a visualization of just how massive this buildup of weaponry was.

Bruce Conner’s “Crossroads” (1976) also comments on the development of nuclear arms, but addresses it through film. For his piece, he juxtaposed U.S. government archival footage of nuclear weapons testing with a soft, meditative instrumental soundtrack, highlighting the destruction brought on by the atomic age.

Another critique of the United States’ economy can be seen in photographer Jim Goldberg’s book of photographs “Rich and Poor” (1985), many of which are featured at “Under the Big Black Sun.” These black and white photographs portray individuals or families from a variety of socioeconomic groups in their homes, alongside a handwritten note from the subject, delineating their personal views on wealth and poverty. The images bring attention to the disparity of wealth distribution in America and do so by providing a voice to both the wealthy and the impoverished. Wealth disparities are further critiqued in the exhibit by artistic duo Bob and Bob, comprised of Francis Shishim and Paul Velick. They use just pen, marker and elements of collage to create “Beverly Hills Suicide” (1976) which, through satirical representations of wealthy Beverly Hills residents, draws attention to excessive consumption and materialism in Southern Californian communities.

Several artists featured in “Under the Big Black Sun” explore themes of homosexuality and gay pride during

the 1970’s as well. Artist Hal Fischer, an advocate for gay rights, combines photography with text. “Blue Handkerchief Red Handkerchief” (1977) serves as a diagram that illustrates the signaling devices that were used by gay men in the Castro and HeightAshbury districts in San Francisco.

The text identifies how different colored handkerchiefs and their unique placement in pockets would signal the men’s sexual preference to others on the street.

Gronk, a Chicano painter and performance artist, has several pieces featured at the exhibit that also deal explicitly with sexuality. A series of black and white photographs, which portray Gronk, his friends, and his lovers, openly explores his own sexuality within the context of art.

Gronk was previously known for his performance pieces with the Chicano art collective ASCO, but focused on more introspective pieces of photography dealing explicitly with his own sexuality during the 1970’s. One image in particular at the exhibition called “Twins” (1976) depicts Gronk kissing a mirror, creating the illusion of two individuals kissing. This suggests an acceptance and pride in his identity as a gay man.

“Under the Big Black Sun” is a cohesive and comprehensive look into a time in which social and political issues were the primary focus of art and its creation. From social critiques on the conspicuous consumption and capitalism of the United States to a reflection on the unfathomable effects of the nuclear weapons development, MOCA’s exhibition captures a plethora of pertinent issues that permeated the Californian mindset during the 1970’s.

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New Play Ties Past Union Clashes to “Occupy” Movement Continued From First Page crossover was Meade’s method for conveying the events of the bombing itself. In what the prompt described as a ‘graphic interpretation,’ the students take turns reading a textbook’s historical description of the horrific events of the bombing. At first they seem complacent and apathetic at the gruesome description, but as the lines go on, they slowly begin to move around the textbook and eventually act out the deaths of 21 Times employees in a gross pantomime, their faces painted in emotion.

Another interesting inclusion was Yank (senior Jeffrey Adler), the loud, passionate steel worker with a thick New York accent. On first examination, Yank’s inclusion in the historic narrative around the McNamara brothers is frivolous, his lines disconnected at best to the story. But Meade’s inclusion of Yank is anything but and is a creative choice that worked in the end. As Meade clarifies at the beginning of the play, every one of Yank’s lines comes straight from Eugene O’Neill’s 1922 play “The Hairy Ape,” where the main character Yank also struggles to find his place as an industrial worker in the world of wealth.

The play, in short, was hardly a typical historical play. Even the sound, done by Michael Fontanesi (sophomore), eclectically throws in the Beastie Boy’s “Sabotage” in the scene of the bombing. Between the incited audience participation and interaction and the intimate setting of Keck, it was an inclusive experience that not only brought the history to life but connected, while never explicitly, easily to the current dynamic of the American class struggle.

Courtesy of Marc Campos Theater professor Laural Meade ‘88 introduces her play “Dynamite” to the audience as the all-student cast, who begin the production as students in lecture, look on.

THE OCCIDENTAL WEEKLY

10 - November 16, 2011

SPORTS

Swimming Dives into New Season at Redlands Pentathlon Ryan Graff

T

he Occidental men’s and women’s swim teams competed for the first time in the 2011 season on Nov. 12 in the Redlands Pentathlon. In addition to the Tigers, the meet included host University of Redlands, Whittier College, Pomona-Pitzer, Chapman University, University La Verne, Soka University and Biola University.

While this was an unscored meet, it allowed the Tigers to get into the rhythm of the new season and gain experience for future race strategy.

“The big theme this week in our preparation was in taking whatever the clock said at the end with a grain of salt. Our major focus was in executing our race plan and gaining some experience before we open up our conference competition in a couple weeks,” said head coach Shea Manning.

The meet format, which relied

heavily on individual performances, slated swimmers from each school in five different events. Competitors raced in the 100-yard butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle and individual medley. Swimmers’ times from the first four of these events were added together to determine seedings for the individual medley. Then, the top three finishers of the individual medley were awarded free t-shirts.

A number of Tigers had success in the Pentathlon, preparing them well for the rest of this season. Top performers included Steven van Deventer (first-year), who represented the underclassmen with a strong showing. Van Deventer finished fifteenth overall out of a field of more than 80 other swimmers. His best event of the day was a second-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke.

On the women’s side, Mallory Ryan (senior) claimed tenth overall out of over 100 competitors and took third place in the 100-yard but-

terfly. Caroline Chang (sophomore), who is defending two SCIAC titles in the breaststroke, took fifteenth overall and sixth in the breaststroke. In addition, Emily Watkins (first-year) capped off the day for the women with a second-place

finish in the breaststroke. ““I was pleased with how our young team responded to the first official racing opportunity of the season. We have been training very aggressively, especially across the past two weeks,” Manning said.

Occidental’s swim teams can be seen again on Nov. 19 when they travel to William Wollett Aquatic for the Orange County Invitational.

The diving teams will also look to make a splash on Nov. 19 at the Redlands Diving Invite.

Courtesy of Occidental Athletics Defending SCIAC champion Caroline Chang (sophomore) competes in backstroke at the Redlands Pentathlon on Nov. 12.

Frank McCourt Set to Sell Dodgers in Wake of Financial Woes Jack McHenry The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to undergo a major shakeup this off-season as Frank McCourt has agreed to sell the team after owning it and Dodger Stadium since 2004.

McCourt’s decision to sell the team came after accusations of financial impropriety and pressure from Major League Baseball (MLB), who seized the team from McCourt after they deemed him financially incapable of owning an MLB franchise.

Stemming from a divorce settlement with heavy financial implications and the filing of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2011, McCourt has finally agreed to put the team up for sale. This turn of events has left many fans disappointed at McCourt’s apparent bottom line approach to owning, and eventually selling, the Dodgers and has many fans anticipating who will emerge as the next owner.

McCourt purchased the Dodg-

Courtesy of wayne.friedman McCourt purchased the Dodgers franchise for $421 million in 2004 and is expected to sell it and the stadium for $1 billion.

ers in 2004 for $421 million. The purchase not only included the Dodgers franchise but also the sta-

dium, the surrounding parking lots and some additional real estate in Chavez Ravine. Under the manageAdvertisement ment of McCourt, the team experienced fluctuating success, perhaps peaking in 2009 when the addition of the eccentric Manny Ramirez brought offensive fire power. Also, young stars such as Andre Ethier led the team to a 95-67 season and a postseason appearance.

After the 2009 success, the Dodgers on-field per-

formance declined significantly and McCourt found himself amid turmoil from the onset of the 2011 season with issues ranging from near lethal brawls in and around the stadium to increasing pressure from financial scrutiny.

The most serious of these allegations was that McCourt took nearly $190 million from Dodger revenue and put it towards personal interests, namely his commercial real estate endeavors. There was also foul play through a Dodger charity organization called Dodgers’ Dream Foundation in which the head of the charity received one-third of the revenues as salary.

While McCourt paid back $100,000 out of pocket, it was perhaps representative of greater financial corruption within the Dodger organization under McCourt’s leadership.

The undeniable fact in all of the negotiations is that McCourt bought the Dodgers for $421 million and is selling them for $1 billion, more than doubling his profit on a sevenyear investment.

McCourt filed for bankruptcy in late June of 2011, and by the

middle of the season the Dodgers had abysmal attendance records that can be attributed to a variety of factors. The poor performance of the team undoubtedly diminished attendance, but threats of violence in the stadium and to some level disapproval of McCourt himself contributed as well.

Now that McCourt is no longer owner, there is tremendous speculation as to who will be his replacement. One suitor, former owner Peter O’Malley, has worked his way back into the Dodger organization and has made it clear that he would once again desire to own the team.

O’Malley, along with former Dodgers pitchers Hideo Nomo and Chan Ho Park, is now in charge of the Dodgers’ spring training facility in Florida. Whether this bodes for advancement in the organization or not, O’Malley has made it clear he is more than willing to accept McCourt’s mantle.

Other names are flying around the rumor mill that are noteworthy.

Orel Hershiser and Steve Garvey, who both used to suit up for the Dodgers, have been in the conversation, but it is unlikely they will be anything more than minority owners if a deal pans out. Perhaps the most intriguing name in the conversation has been Mark Cuban, the outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks.

While controversial and brash, Cuban has put the time, effort and money into bringing a Championship to Dallas. Many players enjoy being in Dallas because Cuban goes the extra mile for them in terms of amenities and player accommodations that an owner can control.

It is doubtful that the MLB and strict commissioner Bud Selig, let alone a city full of rabid Lakers fans, will accept Cuban due to his Dallas affiliations. Additionally, Cuban has stated that the asking price of $1 billion is too high. Only time will tell who will be sitting in that owners box come opening day. of next season.

THE OCCIDENTAL WEEKLY

November 16, 2011 - 11

Cross Country Dominates Division III West Region

Men’s team ties for first with Colorado College, heads to nationals

Courtesy of KeadrickWashington Members of the men’s cross country team proudly display their NCAA West Regional Championship plaque. They are preparing to compete at Division III Nationals this weekend in Winneconne, Wisconsin.

Riley Kimball The men’s and women’s cross country teams raced against the best teams in the NCAA West Region on Saturday, Nov. 12. The race, hosted

by Occidental on Pomona’s campus, was close on both sides, with as many as three places separated by less than 25 points. In spite of the aggressive field, the number oneseeded men tied for first, and the women’s team, ranked seventh going in, exceeded expectations to take fourth place.

Competing with a strong field, the men tied for first place with Colorado College. The men entered the race as the favorites. However,

with six of the seven running making their first appearance at Regionals, victory was no small feat. “For us to come away as co-champions is fantastic not because we ran amazingly well, but because those guys coped incredibly well with the pressure and expectations of being favorite,” said Coach Rob Bartlett. Their first place finish secures the men a spot at Nationals this Saturday, Nov. 19 in Winneconne, Wisconsin. All five Occidental men who scored finished in the top 35, earning them All-Region honors. “We were definitely running for each other, as cliche as that sounds,” said Sebi Devlin-Foltz (senior).

The women, led by captain Anna Dalton (senior) and Megan Lang

(junior), finished in a similarly tight pack, with the front two girls also achieving All-Region finishes. The women faced a formidable set of opponents on Saturday, including nationally 4-ranked Claremont-MuddScripps, 20-ranked Lewis & Clark, 28-ranked Willamette and 35-ranked Whittier, making their showing the best of the season. Though ranked seventh entering the race, the women achieved a fourth place finish with their tightest spread of the season.

With four of the top five Occidental women finishing in lifetime bests, they performed beyond expectations. “These women couldn’t have run any better or ended their season on a better note,” said Bartlett.

Individually, Occidental pro-

duced a number of strong performances. Eric Kleinsasser (senior), fresh off of his fourth consecutive victory at the SCIAC meet, came in third, missing first place by just ten seconds. The three first-years who supported him at SCIAC, Colin Smith, Cole Williams, and Louis Jochems, were hot on his heels, with Sebi Devlin-Foltz (senior) closing out Occidental’s score in twentyseventh place. Dalton led the women alongside Lang, followed closely

by Eliza Dornbush (senior), Sierra Walker (sophomore) and Jenny Wang (sophomore). All of the women scoring finished the 6000 meters between 22:40 and 23:14, a very tight spread in such a heated race.

With Regionals over, the women

have completed their season, narrowly missing an At-Large slot at Nationals. Despite the disappointment, the team looks back positively on the season. “The race was a culmination of four years of running for Oxy, but this season was easily the most rewarding,” said Dalton. “We worked harder, ran further, and were a more cohesive team than we have been.”

The men will have their last race of the season this Saturday at the NCAA Division III National Meet.

Bartlett and the men are excited for this final race, the culmination of a season’s work. “At Nationals, all the pressure will be gone and all we’re going to have to worry about is running fast and having fun,” he said.

Rugby Scrums Division I Opponents in CSULB Tournament Sant Kumar Last year the men’s rugby team was one of the best in the country, making the national championship game. Following that success, they are ranked number one in the country for DIII rugby. Their showing in the 49er

rugby tournament proved this year’s team is ready to take the next step this year and win the championship.

The men’s rugby team posted a 2-2 record in the Cal State Long Beach rugby tournament on Nov. 5. The Tigers played Division I schools because of the Blackshirts’ reputation as one of the best teams in the country. Men’s rugby played Advertisement two top-five Division I schools, University of Santa Barbara (USB) and Cal State University Long Beach (CSULB). They also played two talented Division I schools: University of San Diego (USD) and Pepperdine University. Overall, the men posted a 2-2 record in the tournament, losing to USB and CSULB while claiming victories over USD and Pepperdine.

The tiger’s vast and speedy i mprovement over the four game stretch defined the tournament for the Blackshirts.

The Blackshirts

Courtesy of Aja Sanneh The Blackshirts take on Cal State University Long Beach on Nov. 5. The men posted a 2-2 record for the weekend matches.

were shut out by USB and CSULB, losing 17-0 and 10-0, respectively.

However, the team then learned from its mistakes, beating USD and Pepperdine, 16-0 and 17-0, respectively.

According to the Tiger’s president, Matthew Nixon (senior), one of the reasons for their poor performance in the first two games was due to laziness and a lack of communication.

They started the tournament playing lackadaisically on offense and defense, making mental mistakes such as dropping the ball and getting penalties.

As a result, they gave up easy points, allowing opponents to get long runs and score. Nixon acknowledges that against teams like USB and CSULB, these type of mistakes cannot be made, as they will take advantage of them.

Ryan Metzler (sophomore), who played in his first rugby games over during the tournament, was one of the reasons for the team’s victories over USD and Pepperdine.. In both games, Metzler scored a “try,” which is simi-

lar to a touchdown in football. However, instead of counting as six points, a try is worth five points.

Along with Metzler, Barnaby Audsley (sophomore) galvanized the team’s offense by scoring a conversion kick, which is worth two points, against Pepperdine. Audsley has been playing rugby for many years, including a couple of years in England, where he played rugby. To Nixon, Audsley’s leadership on the field was evident.

“Barnaby did a really good job directing people and telling them where to go. He’s one of the best players on our team in terms of understanding the game of rugby.

Nixon also made sure to note Audsley’s confidence.

As a result he’s one of the most confident players we have, and this rubs off on the other players. His leadership and advice was invaluable during the tournament,” Nixon said.

As Sam Buckley (senior) suggests, the blackshirts better showing against USD and Pepperdine was also the re-

sult of involving more players on offense.

“The last two games we included our backs more in the offense. As a result, we were able to spread the field more and involve our wings. This opened up our offense and allowed us to score more. The other teams’ defenses were scrambling to stop us,” Buckley said.

Additionally, the experience of the team’s new coach only helps their chances to win the championship this year. Coach Stanford has been playing rugby for over 26 years, all over the world. He hopes to bring that experience to men’s rugby.

“I focus on understanding the game of rugby, and why we do certain things both on offense and defense, aiming to improve the level of play for every player,” Coach Stanford said.

The men’s rugby team may next be seen on Nov. 19 at home, when the team will play Whittier College, who will undoubtedly have their hands full against a team as strong as ours.

THE OCCIDENTAL WEEKLY

12 - November 16, 2011

SPORTS IN BRIEF Oliver Field

Football (14-7 overall, 7-2 SCIAC) The Occidental football team played one of their hardest games of the season against SCIAC champion Cal Lutheran, but they certainly did not expect the poor performance of Saturday afternoon. After the Kingsmen opened the game with a touchdown on each of its first five drives, the game was essentially put away by the end of the first quarter. The rainy weather did not help the Tigers who had a hard time keeping possession, turning the ball over five times.

This limited the usually prolific passing offense of Occidental, with quarterback Luke Collis (senior) throwing for 186 yards. Despite passing well and finding Matthew Tuckness (junior) for two scores in the second half, Collis was hurried and pressured in the pocket all game, contributing to his 18 for 42 passing game. The Tigers were primarily outdone on the ground, conceding 346 rushing yards compared to their 32. It was a trying day for Occidental as the final score came in at 70-20, the Tigers making the most of a 17 point fourth quarter.

Occidental finished its season .500 in SCIAC play, earning them a third place finish behind Cal Lutheran and Redlands in the conference.

Volleyball (14-7 overall, 7-2 SCIAC) After a year for the decades, volleyball ended their season in a close match to Colorado College (CC) in the second round of Nationals. In the first round, Occidental won a close 3-2 match over Pacific Lutheran University (21-6). Katie Wiese (firstyear) and Jessie Altman (sophomore) had strong showings in the match.

Riding the high of the volleyball’s first Playoff win since 1992, the Tigers went into the second round against CC. Again, the game was close, but this time Occidental found themselves on the losing end of a 3-2 match. Logan Boyer-Hayse (junior) and Kasey Rose (junior) were bright spots for Occidental. Looking forward, the team only graduates one senior in the coming year, so they have another opportunity to break records next year.

Miriam Subbiah A diving Jessie Altman (sophomore) helps her Tiger teammates keep the ball alive in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Pacific Lutheran on Nov. 11.

Men’s Water Polo (7-20 overall, 2-5 SCIAC) Richard Dybas (senior) and Brendan Whitmore (senior) both posted two goals on Nov. 11, helping Occidental jump out to a lead against first-round SCIAC opponent University of Redlands.

However, the early lead was not enough as a second-half surge by the Bulldogs took the win away from the reach of the Tigers. Occidental made a late run in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to three, but could not overcome the deficit. In the second round of the tournament, the team fought for a right to the fifth-place game against Whittier College but fell by a score of 15-8. Tai McDermott (senior) and Whitmore each scored two goals in the game, but the team could not overcome the early Whittier goals. Because of their loss, they played Caltech for seventh place last Saturday.

The Tigers came away victorious with a score of 16-10. McDermott and Jack Stabenfeldt (sophomore) each scored a hat-trick in the game. With the win, Occidental finished seventh in the SCIAC. The team can next be seen at the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) tournament at the University of California at San Diego starting Nov. 17.

Tiger Stars Earn Accolades Women’s Soccer

All-SCIAC First Team Kellee Murayama (senior) All-SCIAC Second Team Elissa Minamishin (sophomore) Maddy Rasch (senior)

Volleyball

All-SCIAC First Team Logan Boyer-Hayse (junior) All-SCIAC Second Team Madyson Cassidy (sophomore) All-West Region Team Logan Boyer-Hayse (junior) All-Tournament Team Logan Boyer-Hayse (junior) Madyson Cassidy (sophomore)

Men’s Cross Country All-SCIAC First Team Eric Kleinsasser (senior) Colin Smith (first-year) Cole Williams (first-year) All-SCIAC Second Team Sebi Devlin-Foltz (senior) Louis Jochems (first-year)

Women’s Cross Country Miriam Subbiah A host of Kingsmen try to tackle running back Wes McDaniel (junior) on Nov. 12.

All-SCIAC Second Team Sierra Walker (senior) Megan Lang (junior) Anna Dalton (junior)

SCOREBOARD Football

(5-4 overall, 3-3 SCIAC)

Volleyball

(22-9 overall, 11-3 SCIAC)

Swim & Dive

M. Water Polo

(8-22 overall, 3-7 SCIAC)

Cross Country

Nov. 12: 70-20 loss to Cal Lutheran

Nov. 11: 3-2 win over Pacific Lutheran Nov. 12: 3-2 loss to Colorado College

Nov. 12: Redlands Pentathlon

Nov. 12: 15-8 loss to Whittier Nov. 13: 16-10 win over Cal Tech

Nov. 12: NCAA West Regional Men: T-1st Place Finish Women: 4th Place Finish

UPCOMING

UPCOMING

UPCOMING

UPCOMING

UPCOMING

End of Season

End of Season

Nov. 19: Versus Concordia (Swim) At Bulldog Invite (Dive)

Nov. 17: WWPA Tournament

Nov. 19: Men’s team at NCAA Division III Championship