Occidental College facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Occidental College

Seal of Occidental College
Motto	Occidens Proximus Orienti (Latin)
Motto in English	The West is nearest the East
Type	Private liberal arts college
Established	April 20, 1887; 138 years ago (April 20, 1887)
Religious affiliation	Non-sectarian (historically Presbyterian)
Academic affiliations	NAICU Annapolis Group Oberlin Group CLAC Project Pericles
Endowment	$575.8 million (2021)
President	Harry J. Elam, Jr.
Academic staff	183
Students	1,930 (fall 2019)
Undergraduates	1,930 (fall 2019)
Location	Los Angeles, California , U.S. 34°07′38″N 118°12′39″W / 34.1271°N 118.2109°W / 34.1271; -118.2109
Campus	Urban, 120 acres (49 ha)
Colors	Orange and black
Nickname	Tigers
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division III – SCIAC
Mascot	Oswald the Tiger

Occidental College (often called Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. It was started in 1887 by members of the Presbyterian Church, but it became independent in 1910. Oxy is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast of the United States.

Occidental's campus is about 120 acres (49 hectares) and is located in the Eagle Rock area of Los Angeles. The famous architect Myron Hunt designed the campus. Because it's close to Hollywood and has cool buildings, the campus is often used for filming movies and TV shows. Oxy is part of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Its 20 sports teams compete in NCAA Division III. The college focuses on teaching students about different cultures, global issues, and how to be active citizens.

Many famous people have gone to Occidental, including former President Barack Obama. Other notable alumni include a Cabinet member, members of the United States Congress, and leaders of big companies. Ten students have won the Rhodes Scholarship. People from Oxy have also won the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Emmy Award.

History of Occidental College

How Oxy Began

Occidental College's Pershing Square campus around 1896

Occidental College was founded on April 20, 1887. It was started by a group of church leaders and members, including James George Bell, Lyman Stewart, and Thomas Bard. The first building was started in September 1887 in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. The college opened a year later with 27 male and 13 female students. Tuition was $50 a year.

In 1896, the first building in Boyle Heights was destroyed by fire. The college moved temporarily to the old St. Vincent's College campus. Then, in 1898, a new location was chosen in Highland Park. Here, the college built three main buildings. The Highland Park campus was visited by two presidents: William Howard Taft in 1909 and Theodore Roosevelt in 1911.

In 1909, there was a suggestion to combine Occidental with Pomona College, but it didn't happen. The next year, Occidental officially separated from the Presbyterian Church. It became a non-religious college. The Highland Park campus was small, only 15 acres (6 hectares). Also, train tracks ran through it, causing noise. So, the college decided to look for a new place.

Occidental in the 1900s

Highland Park campus, 1904

President William Howard Taft visiting Occidental in October 1911

In 1912, the college started building its new campus in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles. This campus was designed by Myron Hunt. He also planned the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) campus. He designed the Huntington Library and Art Gallery and the Rose Bowl too. That same year, Occidental's president, John Willis Baer, announced a plan to make Occidental an all-men's college. Students and teachers strongly disagreed, and the plan was dropped.

On March 27, 1914, new buildings like Swan, Fowler, and Johnson Halls were opened at the Eagle Rock campus. Patterson Field, one of the oldest college sports stadiums in Los Angeles, opened in 1916. In April 1917, when the United States entered World War I, the college created a Students Army Training Corps to help with the war.

Occidental College in the 1920s

Under President Remsen Bird, more Hunt-designed buildings were added. These included Clapp Library (1924), Hillside Theatre (1925), and Alumni Gymnasium (1926). The Phi Beta Kappa honor society started a chapter at Occidental in 1926. At that time, only Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Pomona had chapters in California.

During World War II, many students left Occidental to join the war effort. In July 1943, the U.S. Navy started a V-12 officer training program on campus. This program trained many officers before it ended in 1945. President Remsen Bird also helped Japanese American students continue their studies. This was important because many Japanese Americans faced forced relocation during the war.

In 1958, two Occidental seniors, John Paden and Aaron Segal, won Rhodes Scholarships. This was the only time Occidental had two Rhodes Scholars in one year. They were part of a program called Crossroads Africa, which was similar to the Peace Corps.

In 1969, 42 students were suspended for peacefully protesting military recruiting on campus. A year later, teachers voted to stop classes after the Kent State shootings. Students at Oxy wrote 7,000 letters to Washington D.C., protesting the war in Southeast Asia. Occidental also started one of the country's first Upward Bound programs in 1966. This program helps low-income high school students become the first in their family to go to college.

Also in 1969, the school opened its first two dorms for both male and female students. In 1988, John Brooks Slaughter became Occidental's first black president. He helped create a new mission statement for the college. He also expanded community outreach by creating the Center for Volunteerism and Community Service.

Herrick Interfaith Center, built 1964, with Water Forms II in the foreground.

In November 1990, the main chapel on campus was renamed the Herrick Memorial Chapel and Interfaith Center. The crosses in the chapel were removed to make the college more welcoming to non-Christian students.

Occidental in the 2000s

In July 2006, Susan Westerberg Prager became Occidental's first female president. She left in 2007. Robert Skotheim served as interim president. In July 2009, Jonathan Veitch became Occidental's 15th president.

President Barack Obama attended Occidental for two years before transferring to Columbia University. In 2015, false rumors claimed that Obama's Occidental College transcript showed he received financial aid as a foreign student.

In July 2020, Harry J. Elam, Jr. became Occidental's 16th president. He announced in August 2023 that he would retire in 2024 due to health reasons. On March 26, 2024, it was announced that Tom Stritikus would become Occidental's president starting July 1.

Campus Life and Buildings

Thorne Hall

Architect Myron Hunt designed the original layout for Occidental's Eagle Rock campus in 1911. He used a Mediterranean style with covered walkways and tile roofs. All 19 buildings designed by Hunt are still used today. The campus landscape was designed by Beatrix Farrand in the late 1930s.

The outdoor Remsen Bird Amphitheater is a notable spot. Plays and musicals were performed there in the summer from 1960 to 1996. Since 1996, the Occidental Children's Theater performs there every summer.

Newsweek magazine ranked Occidental College as the sixth "Most Beautiful" campus in 2012. The campus has a large 1-megawatt solar array. This is the biggest hillside solar setup on an American college campus and the largest of its kind in Los Angeles. The solar panels were installed in Spring 2013.

Academics at Oxy

Occidental offers 40 different majors and nine minor programs. These include Public Health, Linguistics, and Classical Studies. The college has a 9:1 student–faculty ratio, meaning there are 9 students for every teacher. The average class size is 18 students. Most students take four classes each semester.

The most popular majors for students graduating in 2021 were:

• Econometrics & Quantitative Economics (46 graduates)
• Psychology (38 graduates)
• Biology/Biological Sciences (37 graduates)
• Political Science & Government (34 graduates)
• Environmental Studies (31 graduates)
• International Relations and Affairs (31 graduates)

College Rankings

Since 1908, ten Occidental students have won Rhodes Scholarships. In U.S. News & World Report's 2023 rankings, Occidental was tied for 35th among American liberal arts colleges. It was also ranked 26th for "Top Performers in Social Mobility" and 68th for "Best Value."

Forbes ranked Occidental 102nd among 650 liberal arts colleges and universities in 2019. Kiplinger's ranked Occidental 58th among 149 liberal arts colleges for "Best College Values 2019."

How to Get Into Oxy

Fall Admission Statistics

U.S. News considers Occidental's admissions "more selective." For the class of 2020, the acceptance rate was 37.3%. Of those accepted, 52% were in the top 10% of their high school class. Also, 50% of accepted students identified as people of color, and 13% were international students.

In 2023, President Harry Elam announced that Occidental would no longer give special preference to children of alumni in admissions.

Student Life at Occidental

Samuelson, also known as "the cooler," is a place for students and faculty to eat or grab a snack.

At the start of each school year, new students take part in a special ceremony called convocation. This welcomes them to the college. Founders Day is celebrated every year on April 20, which is the day Occidental was officially started in 1887.

Occidental has special living communities in its dorms. These include a Multicultural Hall, all-women housing, and communities that support students of color and LGBTQIA students.

Student Media

The Occidental is the campus newspaper. It's run by students and has been published since 1893.

KOXY is the student-run campus radio station. It was active in the 1960s and 1970s, and again since 2000. Since 2009, it's only available online. KOXY also helps organize events on campus.

In 2010, students started a TV station called CatAList. This station produces 20–30 minutes of student-made content each week.

Greek Life

Occidental College has a Greek Council with about eight sororities and fraternities.

Sports at Occidental

Johnson Student Center and Freeman College Union

Occidental was one of the five schools that started the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) in 1915. It is currently a member of SCIAC and NCAA Division III. Occidental has 21 varsity sports teams. It also has club sports and intramural competitions. About 25% of students play a varsity sport.

In the 2006–2007 school year, the Tigers' cross country, American football and basketball teams won their conference championships. In 2014, diver Jessica Robson set new records for diving in the SCIAC. The school's Blackshirts Rugby union team also won their league championship. The college also has a dance team that performs at football and basketball games.

Occidental's sports history goes back to 1894. Since then, Oxy has had many Olympians, world-record holders, and national champions. These include two-time diving gold medalist Sammy Lee and pole vault silver medalist Bob Gutowski.

Occidental has long-standing football rivalries with Pomona College and Whittier College. The Tigers have played both teams over 100 times. In 1982, the Occidental College football team's game against San Diego was shown on national television. This was because of a strike in the National Football League. In 2017, Occidental canceled the rest of its football season due to not having enough healthy players. The school stopped its football team in 2020.

In 2011, Occidental College lost a basketball game to Caltech 46 to 45. This was Caltech's first conference win in 26 years, ending their 310-game losing streak.

In 2019, the Occidental Men's Basketball Team reached the SCIAC championship game. They lost to Pomona Pitzer in the final game.

Famous Occidental College athletes include NFL coach Jim E. Mora, former American Football League Most Valuable Player Jack Kemp, and golfer Olin Browne.

Notable People from Occidental College

• 

  Barack Obama, 44th U.S. President, Nobel Peace Prize winner (transferred)

• 

  Eric Garcetti, 42nd Mayor of Los Angeles (Professor)

• 

  Jack Kemp, 9th U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and NFL player

• 

  Robert Finch, 38th Lieutenant Governor of California

• 

  Terry Gilliam, BAFTA-winning filmmaker and former member of Monty Python

• 

  Ben Affleck, actor and Academy Award-winning filmmaker (did not graduate)

• 

  Luke Wilson, actor (did not graduate)

Many well-known people have attended Occidental College. These include filmmaker Terry Gilliam, football player and politician Jack Kemp, and pioneering African-American physicist George Edward Alcorn Jr.. Other notable alumni are former NFL coach Jim E. Mora, co-inventor of the hard disk drive William Goddard, and federal judge Jacqueline Nguyen.

Famous people who attended Occidental but did not graduate include the 44th U.S. President Barack Obama, Academy Award–winning actor Ben Affleck, and actor Luke Wilson.

Notable teachers at Occidental have included urban policy expert Peter Dreier and former U.S. Ambassador to Finland Derek Shearer.

Occidental in Movies and TV

Occidental's campus is often used for filming movies and TV shows. This is because of its unique architecture and its closeness to Hollywood.

See also

In Spanish: Occidental College para niños