Occidental College
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Urban and Environmental Policy
Minor: Sociology
Student Self Identifies as: White Questioning Male
Summary
I [have a leadership position] in Oxy-AWARE, which is the alliance of White anti-racists everywhere. I also work for the school’s ITS department.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Questioning
High School Experience: Private boarding school in Claremont, CA with a graduating class of about 120 students. There was a culture of going to college there.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Urban and Environmental Policy
Minor: Sociology
Extracurricular Activities: I [have a leadership position] in Oxy-AWARE, which is the alliance of White anti-racists everywhere. I also work for the school’s ITS department.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
Through my job, I’ve gotten workplace experience and the glimpse into bureaucracy. I’ve learned a little bit more about activist organizing and hosting dialogues through Oxy-AWARE.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
I have a lot of reading, a fair number of essays, and some group work but not a ton. For some courses, when they are more STEM-focused, they have problem sets, quizzes, and exams.
Is there anything that you feel the Urban and Environmental Policy department does especially well or poorly?
They are very good at relating theory to practice. They do that with text and video examples and also by bringing in speakers. They do a lot of community engagement as well which provides more context to the classroom and helps make it feel like we’re part of the world.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s more collaborative than competitive. People are all trying to work through the concepts and struggle with the ideas together. It less feels like a competition to get grades and more of a way to learn from each other’s perspectives and help each other get through college.
How accessible are your professors?
Very accessible. All professors have office hours every week. You also have the ability to reach out to them and schedule an appointment if you need to meet with them and their office hours don’t work with your schedule. I’ve never had a problem with getting in contact with a professor and having an individual meeting.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Yes. Especially in my department, people have very interdisciplinary backgrounds. Urban and Environmental Policy is a major that was created by professors here that incorporates a bunch of things from different departments. People are open to looking at the world through a variety of different lenses. With that being said, you’re encouraged to engage critically with the lens that you have been given. It’s less more about asking how does this certain view make sense to you or how does this opinion make sense to you.
What has been your favorite class you’ve taken so far?
An American Studies called Race Women: African-American Women’s Protest Culture which studied the original enslavement in the Americas, moving up through reconstruction and the Jim Crow South. That course blew my mind. The readings for that course were new and amazing and the professor was really good at helping us engage critically and think through those things in a way that is productive.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I had been testing the waters in a bunch of different disciplines and trying to figure out where I wanted to land. Urban Environmental Policy looked like the most actionable major because the people who graduated from that department went on to do really cool and, in my mind, important things. That is what I want to do after I graduate, so that’s why I drifted toward that major.
Reasons to Attend
Student did not respond to this question.
Reasons Not to Attend
Student did not respond to this question.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Stewart-Cleland Hall with one roommate.
Sophomore: I’m living in Norris Hall in a themed living community with eight doubles, two common rooms, and two balconies. All of my friends got together last year and came up with a themed dorm, applied for it, and got it, so we’re all now living together. It’s actually awesome. It has a co-op feel to it.
How do you like going to college in the same area that you went to high school?
It’s really bizarre. I grew up like a five-minute walk away from the school, so my situation is particularly unique. It’s been cool because there was so much I didn’t know about how this city works and how the world works, and being able to see and take the things I’m learning and apply it directly to the environment I’m used to has been transformative. I also wanted to spend more time with my family, which I’ve been able to do.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I feel very comfortable walking around at all times of the day, but I’m also a tall guy so I have some privilege there. There’s also campus security who drives around and we have the blue light system.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
There are a lot of bars, clubs, shows, and other stuff in L.A. that are really cool. There are also a lot of cool things on campus. KOXY is the radio station and they throw shows a few times a semester. The Student Activities Center and resident’s assistants put on events all the time. The cultural clubs will also host dinners, put on performances, and bring speakers to campus. It’s not hard to find something to do on the weekends here. There are off-campus houses that host parties, whether they are fraternities or sports-related houses, and I tend to go to those or go to a show. There is a venue that’s really close to campus called The Hi Hat that has smaller acts. There are also a bunch of other venues scattered across L.A. that are fun to go to like The Smell.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things?
Friday and Saturday night.
How is the LGBTQ+ nightlife scene at Occidental?
It’s getting better. My first year there weren’t a ton of specifically Queer events on campus, but there has been a lot of amazing organizing work that people on campus have done to fill that void. For instance, there’s Queer House and they put on parties every once in a while that are really fun. L.A. is a pretty liberal area, so there’s always some sort of gender blender type party option or thing to do off-campus. It’s not hard to find if you’re looking for it.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Occidental? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
I’m pretty satisfied with it. I don’t think there’s anything I would change.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met them in classes. In the beginning of the year, there were icebreaker events to meet people, and then you meet people through people. I also met people through organizations that I’ve joined.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
Everyone’s pretty social here. It’s fun to go chat with people all around campus during your day. I might be on my way somewhere and find myself in a 20-minute conversation on the quad or talking with someone in a coffee shop. Oxy students like to not do work and hang out with each other [laughs].
How would you describe the student body?
Passionate, engaged, interested. Everyone here is here to learn whether that be inside of class or outside of it. Because of that, there is a culture of sharing information and ideas both from personal experiences and also the classroom. I learn a ton in class and also outside of class just by talking to people.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
It’s a pretty cross-pollinating place. People are very open and like people for who they are. The cultural clubs have a pretty strong presence on campus and that is where people go if they want to connect on those elements of identity. There’s definitely a presence on campus for students to find the representation they are looking for.
Do you ever feel like you are more so a resident of Los Angeles than a student at Occidental?
Sometimes, yes. I do a lot of things outside of Oxy that pull me out of the community here so there is some shifting from being a resident of L.A. and a student at the school.
How do you like the size of Occidental in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 2,050] students?
It’s pretty nice. I like the small class sizes and I wanted to get to know my professors and have more intimate experiences with them. I think it really helps hone in and develop skills that are important in life after graduating.
How would you describe the LBTQ+ community? How strong is it?
I think it depends on who you are and what you’re looking for from your friends that identify as not straight or not gender conforming. I know that people are having different experiences than I am and theirs could be worse, but, for me, it’s been great. I’ve gotten to explore my gender identity in a way that I didn’t get to in high school.
Careers
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I have used them for resume help, and I am still using them for resume help. They put on stuff all the time and are great.
Have you learned any computer languages or software that will be helpful to you professionally?
I’m learning how to use ArcGIS, which is a geographic information systems software. A lot of people who are in urban planning and need to show geospatial data use it. It’s something that urban environmental policymakers often use.