THE OCCIDENTAL WEEKLY THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE SINCE 1893 Wednesday, September 28, 2011
www.oxyweekly.com
Volume 132, Issue 3
Veitch’s Vision Focuses On Occidental’s Urban Location Ryan Strong
Giovanna Bettoli Oxy students from the Youth Coalition for Community Action (YCCA) participate in a protest for Hunger Action Day L.A.
YCCA Strives To Live Up To Occidental’s Radical Rating Annie Wolfstone Occidental College is one of the nine most radical colleges in the country, according to a July 8 ranking in “The Huffington Post.” While the College has been home to several activist organizations, including the new Youth Coalition for Community Action (YCCA), some are skeptical about the accuracy of the ranking. “The compiler of the July 8 list, Lindsay Dittman, is a high school student from Houston who attends a Connecticut boarding school,” Director of Communications Jim Tranquada said. Tranquada also made the case that Occidental’s reputation as “liberal” or “radical”
is likely tied to Obama’s election rather than to any tangible evidence of the college’s activism. “In 2009, immediately after his election, ‘Princeton Review’ suddenly ranked Occidental as number one for ‘most liberal students,’” he said. Professor of Politics and Director of the Urban & Environmental Policy Program Peter Dreier, who has long been involved in politics and community organizing, shared some of Tranquada’s skepticism. “I’d say that many Oxy students and faculty talk the talk, but far fewer walk the walk,” Dreier said. “Students get committed about social injustice but few have the organizing skills to figure out how to translate their passions into sus-
tained action that gets results.” However, some emerging activist groups on campus, including YCCA, have started to take action and engage in events that one might consider radical. YCCA protested as part of Hunger Action Day L.A. on Sept. 22 at L.A.’s City Hall. UEP major Guido Girgenti (sophomore), who was voted Occidental’s 2011 Emerging Leader of the Year, along with the help of other local YCCA organizers, gathered a group of 50 students to attend last week’s march. Of those 50 students, 40 were from Occidental’s YCCA chapter. Many of those students are also active in other clubs at Occidental including the Black Student AlYCCA continues on Page 3
President Veitch released a draft of the vision statement for the College on Sept. 16, enumerating Occidental’s goals while focusing on the College’s urban and global identity. On Sept. 20, he held an atcapacity meeting for students, professors, administrators and staff to comment on and offer suggestions for the statement. The one-page statement, intended to convey the College’s plans and priorities for the foreseeable future, has critical implications. “This isn’t just wallpaper,” President Veitch said at the meeting. “There are consequences to this process.” The vision statement refocuses the College and commits to investing in the areas where it can be distinct – on both the urban and global stage. It links the two by commenting on the global nature of Los Angeles, while also renewing the College’s commitment to diversity. The document then moves on, resolving to continually “reinterpreting” and reinvigorating the liberal arts. Once the vision statement is finalized and the committees and task forces involved in shaping it finish their work, discretionary money in the budget will begin to be appropriated based on the conclusions the integrated planning process produces. Veitch acknowledged that this means the College will have to say no to some good initiatives. “Since everything needs to get
done, nothing gets done,” Veitch said, arguing that the College needs to choose areas to focus on. He also asserted that such tough decisions must be made delicately. “We need to make sure everyone feels enfranchised,” he said. Veitch insisted that the tough decisions had to be made in order for the College to accomplish the goal he set for it, which he stated directly in the document’s first line. “Simply put: Occidental College will be recognized as the best urban liberal arts college in the country,” Veitch wrote. Later in the document, he called the vision statement ambitious. However, when President Veitch opened the floor for comments and questions regarding the statement at the meeting, one of the first issues was whether the goal set by Veitch was ambitious enough. One participant noted that there are only a few urban liberal arts colleges in the country that Occidental is competing with for that title. Another asked why “urban” can’t be taken out, to make the goal to be simply the best liberal arts college in the country. Veitch responded candidly, stating that the College’s annual endowment of approximately 300 million dollars pales in comparison to the best liberal arts colleges, many of whom raise in excess of one billion. He argued that, with that limitation, the proposed goal would be unattainable and therefore not a valuable one to try to accomplish. VEITCH VISION continues on Page 3
New Coach Takes the Helm, Leads Women’s Volleyball to Early Wins
Oliver Field
The Occidental volleyball team started the season ranked 23rd in the nation for Division III colleges and has lived up to its high expectations thus far. Led by All-American captain Logan Boyer-Hayse (junior), the women climbed as high as number 22 this past week. Most recently, Occidental defeated Cal Tech at home on Sept. 24 in shutout fashion at 3-0. The Tigers have started the year off on the right foot, winning crucial games against nationallyranked opponents on multiple occasions. On the road against several non-conference teams, the Tigers toppled the 23-ranked Trinity University with a score of 3-1. The next day, the Tigers faced
10-ranked Southwestern University and again came out on top. These big wins against ranked opponents are all the more impressive when considering their tough road schedule. The girls have only had one home game through their first 10 matches. This type of travel usually takes a toll on a team, but the Tigers are staying strong and maintaining their national ranking. New head coach Heather Collins took the helm following a 13year career as an assistant coach at Loyola Marymount University. Collins is off to a great start with the young team. “In order for our team to have success this season, we must compete like the top-25 team we are capable of being,” she said. After conceding their first game to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school
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Master’s College, Occidental went on a win-streak, taking six straight victories against top opposition and earning that desired top 25 ranking. At the Posada Invitational Tournament in Thousand Oaks on Sept. 9 and Sept. 10, the Tigers won four straight games over four strong west coast schools: Willamette, Lewis and Clark, George Fox of Oregon, and Chapman. The team then took a trip to the Trinity National Invitational in Texas, where their tough preseason schedule continued. These early victories created momentum and spirit that fostered a positive attitude amongst the young team, one that they hope to carry into conference play over the coming weeks. Boyer-Hayse, VOLLEYBALL continues on Page 8
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Chris Ellis Katie Wiese (first-year) spikes the ball over the net and scores for the Tigers.
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