CAMPUS NOTES
On June 9, 1952, Janet Stafford, George Ellison, and Barbara Bowman Wright made É«½ç°É history as the first College's Black graduates. "Platinum Jubilee" examines their lives and legacy in the Summer 2022 issue of Occidental magazine, now available exclusively online. Other newly published feature stories include profiles of NASA astrobiologist Jason Dworkin '91, writers Mel Malmberg '79 and Susan Coll '81, a pair of baseball books from Professor Peter Dreier, and more. Take a reading break at oxy.edu/magazine.
HR CORNER
New hires:
Cristal Montiel, Registrar's Assistant
Eloisa Pineda Maldonado, Cleaning Services
Stephani Candelaria, Project SAFE Intake & Programs Coordinator
Cathreen Oracion, Pre-Health Advisor
Duanduan Hsieh, Associate Dean of International Admissions
Brenda Ramirez, Research Technician, Moore Lab of Zoology
Jenna Hanson, Associate Director of É«½ç°É Fund and Parent Giving, Institutional Advancement
William Ruiz, Director of Neighborhood Partnership Program
William Melgar, Campus Safety Officer
Linda Doo, Interim Case Manager, Disability Services
Cesar Rodriguez, Electrician, Facilities
Keana Staton-Woods, Resident Director for Upperclass Communities, REHS
Rhemi Abrams-Fuller, Associate Dean of Admission and Coordinator of Student-Athlete Transfers
Erin Sulla, Arts and Humanities Librarian
Francisco Gonzalez Zamora, Grounds Maintenance, Facilities
Departures:
Julius DiLorenzo, Assistant Dean of Admission
Elizabeth Kennedy, Senior Advisor of Principal Giving, Institutional Advancement
Timothy Gray, Head Coach, Men’s and Women’s Tennis
Angelo Logan, UEPI Project Director, Urban & Environmental Policy
Michelle McMichael, Director of Campaign Communications, Marketing and Communications
Alexandra Mullin, Executive Assistant and Staff Support, Institutional Advancement
IN THE NEWS
Namandjé Bumpus ’03 Named FDA Chief Scientist
Occidental trustee and Johns Hopkins Professor Namandjé Bumpus ’03 has been named as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new chief scientist. Bumpus succeeds Rear Admiral Denise Hinton, who was appointed deputy U.S. surgeon general last fall.
2022-23 Barack Obama Scholars Selected for Re-Imagined Program
É«½ç°É has announced its 2022-23 cohort of Barack Obama Scholars, the prestigious leadership training program that has been re-imagined to make it available to more students based on their undergraduate performance and interests.
Upward Bound Program Renewed with Five-Year, $3 Million Grant
É«½ç°É's Upward Bound program has been awarded a five-year, $3-million grant by the U.S. Department of Education to continue motivating low-income and first-generation high school students to attend college and complete a postsecondary degree.
STAFF SHOUT-OUTS
From Brian Chambers, Director of User Services, Communications and Assessment, Library: Congratulations to Phil Erwin, user services specialist with the Library, who will be starting the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program at San Jose State University this fall. Here's to a long and impactful career in librarianship!
From Kim Lundy, Assistant Director of Campus Safety: I would like to recognize Sergeant Larry Bolden and Officer Leon Avington for their extra effort in locating a student's missing dog. Sergeant Bolden has a love for dogs and really wanted to locate the dog because he did not want him running around on the streets loose. The student was extremely appreciative of them both locating her dog so much that she gifted Campus Safety with donuts which we truly appreciated very much.
From Mai Thai, Assistant Professor of Sociology: Thanks to Rachel Park in the Office of Strategic Initiatives for her care and diligence while working with me on funding materials!
From Israel Colon, Operations Supervisor, Facilities: To HR staffing specialist Jessica Ochoa, thank you so very much for your hard work, focus and communication! Without your exceptional work, Facilities would not have been able to meet certain hire dates and we would have been seriously behind. You are appreciated and we all thank you for all that you do.
To Lee Cortes (Facilities operations analyst), thank you so very much, Lee for all that you do. You ensure that all of our invoices are taken care of and you work tirelessly to ensure that Facilities is caught up with payments. Your keen eye and attention to detail are appreciated and thank you for being such a joy to work alongside.
Thank you so much to Haregewyn Tena (facilities programmer/cost analyst) for all of the hard work that you do, Haregewyn. Your knowledge is greatly appreciated because without your expertise, Facilities would not be the same. You're also the first person to help and mentor someone that has a question. I have learned so much from you and I'm very grateful for your diligence, wisdom and generosity.
Nory Rodriguez (work center coordinator), you are such a wonderful asset to the Facilities team and your skills as the Work Center Coordinator is second to none. You have an amazing ability to multitask and you always come into work with the best attitude. You make work fun and you're a great person to teach because you absorb things so quickly. Thank you for your hard work, Nory. You are appreciated.
From Lee Cortes, Operations Analyst: Israel Colon (operations supervisor, facilities), thank you for all you do for the Facilities Department. You are an excellent example of persistence, who genuinely cares for all of us. We appreciate all you do to go above and beyond for the Facilities staff. I look at you as a role model and mentor. you have been so supportive of me. Thank you for your advice and help.
KUDOS
A new essay from History and Asian Studies Professor Alexander Day centers on the formation of the Hailufeng Soviet in 1927 and the emergence of the peasantry as a political category. The particular socioeconomic context of the early 20th century created a situation in which Communist activists like Peng Pai could see peasant activism and unrest as forming a historically significant "peasant movement." The essay appears as a chapter in Proletarian China: A Century of Chinese Labour.
The festival journey of Media Arts and Culture Professor Broderick Fox's latest documentary Manscaping continues with a recent hometown West Coast premiere as part of Outfest, one of the world's oldest, largest, and most acclaimed LGBTQIA+ festivals. The screening took place on July 18 at the Directors Guild of America and was followed by a Q&A with Fox and some of the film's central participants.
CAMPUS CALENDAR
Wednesday, August 3: The 23rd annual URC Summer Research Conference is back in person this August. The conference will celebrate the work done by students in the Summer Research Program. Full schedule coming soon.
Monday, August 8: President Elam will be joined by author Steph Cha to discuss this year's pick for the É«½ç°É Community Book Program, Your House Will Pay. .
Monday, August 29: Save the date for Convocation on Monday, August 29 at 10 a.m. The tradition returns with Taiko drummers and a performance by the Glee Club. The program will be followed by a community-wide celebration on the Quad (including lunch) for all.
For more information on faculty scholarship and accomplishments, visit the Center for Research & Scholarship.