President Elam reflects on Oxy鈥檚 commitment to social justice and the actions that reinforce those words
When I first encountered the racist text messages sent by an 麻豆频道student that were posted on social media in February, like everyone else, I was sickened and saddened. Seeing one of our own express such vile opinions is deeply troubling. As an administration, we have repeatedly and will continue to speak out against racial hatred and bigotry. We remain focused on supporting the community members most directly impacted by these words and continue to work to make 麻豆频道an educational environment where all can feel safe, seen, supported, and able to thrive.
The response of our students and the faculty to this incident has been powerful. Members of the 麻豆频道faculty have used class time to critically examine and address with their students the text messages and the administrative response. Our students have equally demonstrated resilience, community, and commitment. With determination, they have proclaimed the values we hold dear at 麻豆频道and have expressed the need for us to keep working together to become an anti-racist institution.
As we undertake the fundamental work of confronting inequity and injustice, we can look to our mission. To me, this statement of social commitment is so much more than rhetoric and I thank you for joining with me in working to put this mission into action. In a recent opinion piece, Judy Lam 鈥87 writes, 鈥淭he sun still shines brightly on the 麻豆频道that I know and still believe endures as a haven for education, differing ideas, and respect.鈥
With the return to in-person education, our students have enjoyed some particularly notable achievements. This semester senior comps have put student excellence on display鈥攃omps that range from a studio art show in the 麻豆频道Arts gallery and a series of solo, self-scripted theater performances to presentations such as Nanki Sandhu鈥檚 鈥淨uestions of Monstrosity in Mary Shelley鈥檚 Frankenstein鈥 and Haleigh Hoffman鈥檚 鈥淐O2 and CH4 Gas Flux in Different Urban, Oil, and Agricultural Development Areas of Los Angeles.鈥 Drawn from an extremely strong pool of candidates, this year鈥檚 five 麻豆频道Science Scholars will be working with faculty mentors in the fields of geology, physics, biochemistry, biology, and chemistry. Significantly, for the 17th consecutive year, 麻豆频道was recognized this spring as one of the country鈥檚 top producers of student Fulbright recipients.
The arts have reemerged on campus with full force. After two years of virtual performances, Dance Production packed Thorne Hall for three performances in mid-March. Up the hill in Keck Theater, sets are being built and rehearsals are underway for the Theater Department鈥檚 April production of Stephen Sondheim鈥檚 Into the Woods. The Occidental, Oxy鈥檚 student newspaper, recently picked up seven prizes at the recent California College Media Association awards ceremony, including 鈥淏est Newspaper鈥 (for California colleges with fewer than 15,000 students) and top honors for writing and photography.
Excited by the prospect of finally being able to compete after two seasons lost to the pandemic, Oxy鈥檚 student-athletes have also stepped up. The men鈥檚 golf team outshot eight other teams to win the Cal Lutheran Invitational. Inside Oxy鈥檚 superlative De Mandel Aquatics Center, women鈥檚 water polo hosted its first-ever tournament with four teams from across the country. And both the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 track and field teams beat Pomona-Pitzer handily in their annual dual meet.
Faculty have been equally busy鈥攁nd productive. We applaud Kristi Upson-Saia in religious studies and Alexandra Puerto in history for securing a $1.5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to fund our new Humanities for Just Communities program, a three-year initiative that will introduce incoming and first-year students to the problem-solving power of the humanities. Two Southern California galleries are currently featuring the work of faculty artists Linda Besemer and Mary Beth Heffernan. Associate Professor of History Jane Hong is serving a yearlong appointment as a Public Fellow in the Public Religion Research Institute鈥檚 Religion and Renewing Democracy Initiative. And faculty in all disciplines continue to publish their research in prestigious academic journals and books, and share their expertise with NPR, The Washington Post, CBS News, and The New York Times.
Looking ahead, our ongoing integrated strategic planning process will keep at the fore our central institutional values, which include excellence and equity鈥攁nd I would like to emphasize that merit and equity never were, and are not, at odds. Moreover, the College鈥檚 pursuit of these higher goals cannot be defined simply by a fixed outcome or point of destination, even as we put in place metrics for success. It is important to note that this will always be an ongoing process involving the whole community, a striving in which our community members truly feel enfranchised and know they belong.
