Keegan McChesney is a junior Urban and Environmental Policy major with a fervor for informative journalism and esthetically exceptional design for The Weekly. Outside of the newsroom and the classroom, Keegan competes with the Oxy soccer team, teaches for the Neighborhood Partnership Program, interns for the East LA community organization InnerCity Struggle and serves the Oxy community as a leader on sustainability-related projects. His heart swells with the forest, eastern philosophy, bicycling, mountains, mountain-bicycling, literature, world travel and tigers. He also goes by his native Brazilian Guarani name, “Itaboraí,” or his Oxy fùtbol nickname, “Squeesh.” @WklyKMcChesney
The Occidental women’s water polo team was back in action over the weekend, playing doubleheaders both Saturday and Sunday at the Cal Lutheran Invitational. The Tigers struggled offensively throughout their Saturday match-ups with the Long Beach State 49ers and Villanova Wildcats, with both teams sporting stout defenses that held the black and orange to just nine combined points. Despite its struggles, the squad distributed its scoring evenly. Five different Tigers netted goals, as Koral Gill (junior) led the way with four total. Defensively, goalkeeper Sophie Munoz (senior) saved a total of 13 shots, including a game-high six against the 49ers. Despite Munoz’s defensive prowess, the black and orange ended up dropping the match-ups 12-4 and 11-5, respectively. The Tigers’ offensive woes spilled over into Sunday, as the unit was again unable to break double digits in the scoring column. Occidental’s first match-up against Cal State Northridge proved to be its most difficult game of the weekend, as the Tigers were only able to muster two goals against the Matadors, surrendering the contest 17-2. The team then faced off against Cal State University East Bay in its final game of the weekend. The black and orange kept the score within three through the first two periods but could not match the offensive efficiency of Pioneers, falling 14-5. The team will attempt to overcome their offensive struggles at the Claremont Convergence Tournament this weekend, opening the event against George Washington University Friday at 10 a.m.
Jack Stabenfeldt (Men’s Water Polo No. 5)
Occidental men’s water polo star Jack Stabenfeldt (senior) has acted as the Tigers’ main utility player over his past four years. During Stabenfeldt’s swan song season, the St. Ignatius Prep (San Francisco, Calif.) alumnus posted 68 goals and a team-high 38 assists through 27 games. In honor of his productive season, Stabenfeldt was named to the Division-III American Collegiate Water Polo Coaches Association (ACWPCA) Honorable Mention All-American list. This marks the second time that the “Jack”-of-all trades has received an All-American accolade, previously getting the nod in 2012. Stabenfeldt has also been been named to multiple All-SCIAC teams and earned an All-Academic award in 2010. The senior leader also garnered respect and recognition from his teammates and coaches, as he was elected the team’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the conclusion of last season. The four-year starter’s ability to put the ball in the back of the net catapulted him onto the top-20 all-time scoring list for the school’s men’s water polo program. Stabenfeldt tallied a total of 160 goals, 95 assists and 61 steals through 114 career games. While the senior’s accomplishments in the pool are noteworthy on their own, his accomplishments outside of the pool illustrate his well-roundedness. As an assistant coach, Stabenfeldt helped the Mayfield High School (Pasadena) girl’s water polo team make a quarterfinal appearance in the CIF-SS Championship Tournament this season. Stabenfeldt will graduate from Occidental this spring with a degree in economics.
Jessica Robson (Women’s Diving)
Occidental women’s diver Jessica Robson (senior) will cap off a storied career that includes seven SCIAC titles and a streak of 27 consecutive regular-season league victories at the NCAA Division-III Swimming and Diving Nationals. After winning her third consecutive conference championship on the 1-meter board and her fourth straight on the 3-meter board at last weekend’s SCIACs, Robson headed to Des Moines, Iowa for the NCAA West Regionals for the second straight year. Unlike 2013, Robson’s performance pushed her even deeper into the postseason, but not without last-chance qualifying drama. She failed to qualify for the 1-meter National Championships during Friday’s competition, but rebounded the following day, regaining her momentum in the 3-meter event. Robson put together 11 strong dives en route to a total score of 418.90, good for fourth place and the final Nationals qualifying spot. Robson earned the ticket to Nationals in come-from-behind fashion, trailing Emory University’s Kellen Hope (sophomore) for the first six rounds. She surpassed Hope in the following round and was then able to keep her lead throughout the final four rounds, securing her trip to the season’s culminating competition. Robson will join swimming teammates Caroline Chang (senior) and Steven van Deventer (junior) in Indianapolis, Ind., for the NCAA Championships on March 19-22.
Katie Park (Women’s Golf)
Occidental women’s golfer Katie Park (senior) won the inaugural SCIAC Women’s Golf Tournament Championship in 2012 and garnered First Team All-SCIAC honors. Now two seasons later, she hopes to build upon her success as the team’s leader and top competitor in her quest to vie for conference Player of the Year. “Since this is my last season, I want to give it all I have and hopefully win SCIACs again,” Park said. Due to her focus, determination and consistency, Park has set herself up to achieve her goals so far on the young campaign. At the Tigers’ first tournament of 2014 — the SCIAC Preview in La Verne, Calif. — Park shot an 11-over 82, finishing tied atop the individual leaderboard and guiding the black and orange to a second-place team finish. At SCIAC #1 in Fontana, Calif., a week later, Park shot scores of 11-over 83 and 7-over 79, combining with Kristin Oberiano’s (sophomore) 8-over 80 and 6-over 78 to lead the Tigers to a fifth-place finish. In the squad’s most recent event, the Cal State San Marcos Invite over the weekend, Park finished tied for 10th individually with Oberiano, helping lead the Tigers to a third-place finish behind NAIA No. 10 Victoria and NAIA No. 15 and host school Cal State San Marcos. She registered a 7-over 79 and a 10-over 82. Park and the women’s golf team return to action on March 16-18, traveling to the Cal Lutheran Invite at Sunset Hills Country Club.
Taking a friend out to dinner is a mundane activity for most college students, but for Occidental sprinter Jeh Johnson (first-year), this seemingly simple event involves a full fleet of motorcades speeding through every stoplight and a reserved seat at any restaurant of his choice. His father — also named Jeh Johnson — was sworn in as Secretary of Homeland Security in December of last year.
If his high-profile home life is not enough, Johnson’s late transition from soccer to track and field compounds his unusual background. Despite not taking to the track for the first time until his senior year of high school, Johnson is expected to play a prominent role on the Tigers’ relay squad, competing in the 4×100 meter and 4×400 meter relays. Individually, he is slated to participate in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races.
Before the season, Johnson had already impressed his collegiate teammates with his high school performances.
“My first interaction with new sprinters on the team is to probe their [personal records] from them,” captain Kevin Cox (senior) said. “His PRs were pretty decent; I saw that and was kind of excited.”
Johnson played soccer for four years at The Field School in Washington, D.C. During his senior year, the school’s track and field coach noticed his speed on the pitch and convinced Johnson to join the track team.
Even so, the Occidental track and field program did not recruit Johnson. Instead, he approached the coaching staff and captured their attention with his times, and then he walked on to the team.
Johnson originally grew up in Washington, D.C. when the elder Johnson served as the General Counsel of the Air Force under the Clinton administration. The Johnson family moved to New Jersey after his service ended but returned to the nation’s capital in 2009 when President Barack Obama appointed Johnson’s father Department of Defense General Counsel.
“It’s definitely been very interesting to have a parent who’s very important in the government field,” Johnson said. “I see him as my dad, but then other people see him as this very intimidating, high-power figure.”
Although his father holds one of the most high-profile federal positions, Johnson says he has not let it affect his life at Occidental. In fact, few members of the track and field team knew of his father’s position until his parents visited the campus to watch the Rossi Relays on Feb. 22.
“I had started to get used to it over break and, when I came back here, I kind of readjusted to being on my own and not seeing his detail everywhere,” Johnson said. “When he came, it was kind of like ‘Oh, wow, this is what he’s used to now. This is him.’ It’s definitely cool to watch.”
Secret service and Campus Safety officers surrounded both the Bill Henry Track and Stewart-Cleland Residence Hall during his parents’ visit. Even Johnson was initially turned away by a Campus Safety officer when he attempted to greet his father.
“I was walking up to Stewie, and I was going to go say hi to my dad and a [Campus Safety] officer stopped me and said ‘This is area’s closed off,’ he said. “I told him ‘I’m just going to see my dad.’”
Back on the track, Johnson has set his goal times for 50 seconds flat in the 400 and under 11 seconds in the 100.
Johnson mostly ran short distance sprints in high school. Now at Occidental, he must take on the unfamiliar challenge of running the 400, arguably one of the most grueling events in the sport.
“[The 400] is not the most fun race to run just because you know it’s going to be painful afterwards,” Johnson said. “But I feel a sense of accomplishment after I run it, just because it’s something I’m not entirely used to, and I’m getting better at it pretty quickly.”
Cox and sprints coach Tyler Yamaguchi both believe that Johnson has the ability to be a successful sprinter over the next four years, with the possibility of competing for SCIAC and national championships.
“As he gets older and becomes a mature person and more mature athlete, I think he will take on a bigger and bigger role on the team,” Yamaguchi said. “I see great potential for him.”
Despite being the lightest member of the team at 138 pounds, Avery Chernin is expected to make a heavy impact on the Occidental men’s tennis program. The Santa Barbara High School graduate has a history of success at the competitive level. He played varsity tennis all four years in high school, capped off by a senior season in which he went 51-15. For the Tigers, Chernin plays both No. 3 singles and No. 3 doubles, speaking to how highly head coach Brian Newhall regards the first-year. “Avery is well-liked by his teammates and the coaching staff,” Newhall said. “He is headed for an excellent four-year career.” While still searching for his first collegiate win, Chernin has already made strides, noticing improvement in his abilities. “College tennis is definitely a different game,” Chernin said. “It has taken a little bit of adjustment, but I think in the end, it has only made me a better player.”
Carly Zurcher (Women’s Water Polo No. 11)
After being nudged in Occidental’s direction by her high school water polo coach, a Tiger water polo alumnus himself, Carly Zurcher had yet another reason to attend the college. Because of her coach’s urging, in addition to the weather, academics and high level of competition in the SCIAC conference, Zurcher said her decision to attend Occidental was fairly straightforward. Despite her tendency to concuss teammates, which she did three times in high school, head coach Larry Zubrin believes Zurcher — the first left-handed athlete on the Tigers’ roster since 2011 — will leave her legacy on the program through her technical ability. “Being a left-handed player, something we haven’t had on the team for the past couple seasons, she adds another element to our offense, which makes her very valuable,” Zubrin said.
Nicholas Descamps (Men’s Golf)
Though he has been playing golf since age nine, Nicholas Descamps did not come to focus on the sport full-time until he was cut from the varsity baseball team midway through high school. Trading in his baseball bat for a golf club, he quickly realized that he had a knack and passion for the sport. Although Descamps is still working out some kinks in his game, men’s golf coach Andrew Larkin ‘12 feels confident the Missoula, Mont., native will be a valuable asset to the program. “Nick is newer to high-level tournament golf, but he has a huge upside in the game and has already shown good progress,” Larkin said. “I am excited to see how Nick will grow during his four years at Oxy.” Descamps is optimistic about his future, as well. “I love where my swing’s at; it’s just about putting it all together,” he said.
Kara Alam /photo courtesy of Oxy Athletics
Kara Alam (Women’s Golf)
Golf is far from the most popular sport in Kara Alam’s home country of Pakistan. Even so, she provides the Occidental women’s golf team with another international student — the team has two others — who has a feel for the links. But according to Tiger coach Andrew Larkin ‘12, that is not all the 6-foot-2 Lahore native brings to the table. “Kara is a big addition to the team and, with a good season, could help the program compete for a conference title,” Larkin said. In addition to golf, Alam tried her hand at basketball this winter, suiting up for the women’s varsity squad. Now that the seasons have changed, however, she returns to the more familiar golf course. As the only first-year member on the women’s team this season, she has already seen positive results. She traveled with the squad to the SCIAC Preview on Feb. 10, posting a score of 96 to help guide the Tiger women to a second-place finish at the event.
The Center for Digital Learning and Research (CDLR) is opening a digital production studio for student use on March 10 as part of a larger effort by the college to encourage the use of digital media in the community.
The new focus on technological creation greatly broadens the function of the CDLR, a department based out of the academic commons that aims to integrate technology into the college curriculum, which previously focused more on encouraging digital scholarship within the college. In addition to teaching several Cultural Studies Program (CSP) and Media Arts & Culture (MAC) classes, the staff hosts workshops on how students can better use resources such as Zotero, Google and JSTOR for academic research. The CDLR also implemented the Global Crossroads program in several Diplomacy and World Affairs classes.
The studio will house resources for students to create their own projects, primarily multimedia or hardware-based and host workshops on how to use them. To this end, the CDLR purchased new digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, soldering kits, tripods, Mac computers, editing software, mobile computers and technology kits.
The digital production studio is funded by a grant by the Michael J. Connell Foundation — a non-profit organization that supports medicine, education, culture and the environment in the Los Angeles area — of around $70,000. The CDLR decided what to buy last semester and ordered the equipment within the last few months. The purchases were intended to be consistent with production resources used by other departments within Occidental such as MAC.
The CDLR designed the production space and equipment not only to assist students in their academic assignments — for example, making films for MAC classes — but also to encourage entrepreneurial students to work on extracurricular projects. Additionally, CDLR staff hope to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration between students and faculty.
“The idea is [that] it’s a place where students can get experience actually creating physical objects from creative inception…to working out prototypes, all the way up to polished, finished product,” Mellon Post-Baccalaureate Fellow Sam Boland ’13 said.
One addition to the new collection is a 3-D printer, a machine that creates small plastic objects of virtually any shape. Images can be designed free-form via a computer program.
Although the studio does not formally open until March 10, it is already lending out equipment to students. The first in a series of programs called Maker Mondays will take place on opening day. During Maker Mondays, students will learn how to use the new supplies.
“[Students] get to work together and make something that they couldn’t make on their own, and hopefully have a lot of fun in the process,” Boland said.
The first workshop will use the new printer to address 3-D modeling.
“I think it’s a really cool resource for people who are interested in science or people who are majoring in anything else and just want to work with technology,” physics major John Niman (sophomore) said.
CDLR Director Daniel Chamberlain believes that Occidental’s recent efforts, including the renovation of Johnson Hall, creation of the production studio and future library renovation, are integral to a liberal arts education.
“I think the best version of thinking through computational culture would go beyond the traditional notion of a computer science department,” he said. “We would do better to more broadly integrate that kind of thinking into the entire curriculum.”
In the future, the CDLR hopes to involve the surrounding Eagle Rock community with the new technology, which could involve community members joining in the workshops hosted by the department.
“I would love to see the establishment of a community-based learning center where Occidental students are teaching local community groups, local youth groups, students over the summer how to make things on 3-D printers, how to design things in the first place, how to write code that makes those things happen.”
Nina Greenebaum is a senior from Portland, Ore. double majoring in DWA and Spanish. When not writing for the Weekly, she enjoys running outdoors, cooking and reading cooking magazines. Nina also works as a Senior Fellow at the Occidental College Office of Admission, interviewing prospective students. @WklyNGreenebaum
