Film crews an invasive presence in campus life

By

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March 1, 2014

Although Los Angeles is known worldwide as the home of Hollywood, the film industry rarely encroaches on the daily lives of locals. Yet most students at Occidental College have seen more film crews than an average, native Angeleno. While tweets announcing Ben Affleck’s presence on campus rile up and excite much of the student body, the increasing presence of film crews serves as a disturbance to students’ daily activities.

Our residential campus is a quality, among others, which engenders the tight-knit community that defines this college. The campus is not just a place of academia, but a home for all students who attend here. Being confronted by a mammoth film crew while walking to class, or to breakfast, feels similar to having a blockade in the middle of one’s living room.

While the college makes a point of advertising the arrival of film crews via the student digest, these warnings are not nearly frequent or timely enough. Each film crew’s presence should be announced through an email which deals explicitly with how long the crew will be on campus, what parts of campus will be blocked off, and where parking will no longer be available.

If the student body is to frequently have the relatively small campus they call home disrupted, there should be transparency between the administration and the student body about the logistics of filming and the allocation of revenues. If the money from these shoots goes to maintaining the rose bushes, replace the roses with sustainable flora and get rid of the film crews. If, however, this money goes toward legitimate academic expenses, then students should have a say in the allocation of such funds.

Lastly, those who work on film sets on Occidental’s campus should be made aware that their presence on this campus is a privilege. Students are not a disturbance to a film crew; the crew is a disturbance to the students. Most community members, having never been on a set before, are unaware of film set etiquette and therefore cannot be expected to remain silent during a take or refrain from walking through a set. The boundaries of the sets are so vague, and it is so difficult to tell when a scene is rolling; thus it is no wonder students frequently walk through a shot.

If filming on campus is to continue, transparency is key. Students should know when and where shoots will occur and exactly how the revenue generated from these shoots is spent. Film crews should be informed that they are guests on a college campus, the primary mission of which is to educate its students, not be the backdrop to MTV sitcoms.

This editorial represents the collective opinion of The Occidental Weekly Editorial Board. Each week, the Editorial Board will publish its viewpoint on a matter relevant to the Occidental community.

Student organizations raise awareness of disordered eating

By

Olivia Landon

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February 28, 2014

Student organization Active Minds and local sorority Delta Omicron Tau (Delta) hosted National Eating Disorder Awareness Week on campus this past week to highlight an issue affecting millions of college students. The organizations hoped to raise awareness of the complex factors that underpin disordered eating and to cultivate an empowering environment for those who may be suffering from such issues. The week’s events included a build-your-own granola activity, lecture from a nutritionist, guided meditation, disordered eating lecture and a self-worth circle on the Quad.

Active Minds President and Diplomacy and World Affairs major Dana Rust (junior) emphasized that the primary goal of this week was to raise awareness about the complex nature of eating disorders and their prevalence in communities. Rust also recognized that accomplishing these goals would be tricky and wanted to address concerns about the week.

“We want to build a community where people know how to support each other on this, which is not something that’s easy to do because the issues are really convoluted and the signs are not that clear,” Rust said.

The event was initially met with some hesitance. Gray and Rust were approached by numerous individuals throughout the week who had concerns about devoting a week to a mental illness and whether the activities planned educated the campus in an positive way or trivialized the issues further.

“It’s weird for people who actually have an eating disorder and kind of alienating because it’s a week where other people are trying to educate you about your own issues and often the people who attend the activities are people who don’t have eating disorders,” Rust said.

Rust specifically addressed a lecture held last Tuesday night, which focused on healthy eating and exercise habits with nutritionist Gia Fey.

“It really wasn’t promoting the ideas we wanted to be promoting. She was a nutritionist for Hollywood stars and was focusing on how to lose body fat. What we were really hoping is that it would be about healthy eating habits and being good to your body,” Rust said.

Undeclared Emma Cones (first-year), who attended the lecture, said that there were interesting tips she wouldn’t have otherwise known, but the climate during and after the talk was at times awkward and uncomfortable.

According to Rust, the image Fey appeared to be promoting is often what triggers eating disorders. Rust said she personally has cut back on watching television to avoid such images for her own mental health.

“We’re definitely thinking about how to do this week better next year. In the future I want to focus more on how to help a friend. Focusing on the other community members and saying these are some signs of an eating disorders and these are some ways to start a dialogue with someone,” Rust said.

According to Delta Vice President and sociology major Dorothy Gray (junior), the difficulties this past week have demonstrated the complicated yet relevant nature of eating disorders.

“As a human being I should care about other people and their experiences and it’s really important to me that we widen our understanding and complicate our understanding of what it is to suffer from disordered eating and other mental health problems,” Gray said.

'House of Cards' season two review: Toppled

By

Mike Cosimano

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February 28, 2014

The second season of Netflix’s original series “House of Cards” seems to view its story with actual contempt. It knows where it wants to go, but has little interest in getting there. It’s like watching a game of chess where one of the players whines incessantly every time it has to move.

Shortly after his promotion to the Vice Presidency, former Congressman and villain protagonist Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) turns his focus from the office of the VP to the Oval Office itself. Due to this change, the show undergoes a shift in focus, causing season two to feel a tad fragmented. The first third of the season wraps up everything from season one, the middle is a transitionary period and the final third takes all the new concepts and runs with them to their natural conclusion.

This is not a bad format on its own and the transition feels natural, but it’s also tensionless. Partially because the characters’ respective motivations only become clear somewhere around episode 12 (of 13), but also because the show doesn’t seem very invested in its own conflicts.

A B-plot involving a team of journalists? A lawsuit involving Claire Underwood (Robin Wright)? All dropped because they didn’t fit the plot. Some character development for BBQ master Freddy (Reg E. Cathey)? This doesn’t amount to much, and only exists to further the plot. Plot, plot, plot, plot. That’s all “House of Cards” really cares about, forgetting entirely about the story. Without characters, there is no story, and there are no characters here; only chess pieces.

“House of Cards” is also a very cartoonish show. This was not as much of an issue in the first season when the stakes were lower and everything was quieter, but it’s far more egregious in season two. The symbolism is aggressive, everyone speaks in thinly veiled threats, and the characterization is done in broad strokes.

And there’s nothing inherently wrong with real life cartoons – “30 Rock” and “Burn Notice” felt like some TV executive wanted to skip the part of comic book adaptations where there’s a comic to adapt – but “House of Cards” struggles under the weight of its ambitions.

With a color scheme based heavily in blues and a piano-heavy score, “House of Cards” wants to wear the clothes of a slick political thriller, but when men are snapping the necks of parrots to make a point, it’s hard not to laugh at the dissonance.

Spacey as Underwood is still a delight but with the expansion of the cast, it feels like he’s a little underused. For one, he doesn’t speak directly to the audience as much as he once did. This change is done intentionally in episode one and it works for the premiere, but there were times where the show needed a direct address from good ol’ Frank.

The rest of the cast is fine. No standouts, but nobody’s exactly phoning in their roles either. A more coherent show – or even the “House of Cards” that premiered last year – would do wonders with this group of people.

It opens strongly and ends well enough, but the meat of “House of Cards” season two is chewy at best. Perhaps starting with the series’ best episode was a misstep. Or maybe it was alternating between cheesy nonsense and ponderous backstabbing for 12 episodes.

Either way, it looks like “Orange is the New Black” is currently the best Netflix-exclusive show.

MIke Cosimano is a first-year psychology major. His Occidental Weekly blog, “The Broken Remote,” runs every Friday on occidentalweekly.com. He can be reached at cosimanowhite@oxy.edu or on Twitter @WklyMCosimano.

VP Diversity, increased LGBT support highlighted in ASOC GA Meeting

By

Charlotte Flight

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February 27, 2014

At the ASOC General Assembly Meeting on Diversity and Equity on Thursday, students and professors engaged in a dialogue with a panel of administrators on Occidental’s efforts to promote equality and diversity on campus in a full-seated Choi Auditorium.

Six administrators were present for the assembly including Dean of Students Barbara Avery and Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Jorge Gonzalez.

Multiple students of color commented on how they felt they had been deceived when visiting campus as prospective students. They discussed experiences of tokenization, saying that they felt as though they were being used by the school.

One solution repeatedly presented to Gonzalez was the introduction of a new Vice President position which would be dedicated to diversity. However, he said that he was concerned about taking the responsibility of ensuring diversity and equity for students away from the other Vice Presidents.

“I want to be responsible for diversity in this college,” Gonzalez said. “I worry about diversity every day and I want to worry about it.”

Other issues discussed include the support provided to first generation students, the college’s attempts to maintain a diverse faculty and how to provide the LGBT community greater levels of support.

An underlying theme among the students present was that these conversations on issues of diversity and equity rarely amount to anything. Gonzalez responded by reaffirming the administration’s commitment to such issues.

“There is no lack of urgency for action,” Gonzalez said. “This is discussed every week.”

Several students articulated their desire to see tangible action as a result of the feedback, and faculty members also expressed similar concerns. Professor of English and Comparative Literary Studies Leila Neti commented on the dangers of concentrating on numbers that might result in masking more innate structural problems.

“There’s a tendency to cobble together solutions that view diversity as a problem rather than a resource,” Neti said. “There must be a way to find structural solutions without seeing diversity as a series of problems.”

The meeting concluded with Gonzalez urging the student body to complete a survey on student experience in relation to diversity, which will be distributed via email. The aim of the survey is to see where Occidental is making progress and where improvements can be made.

Rihanna is Vogue's March 2014 Cover Girl

By

Noel Hemphill

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February 27, 2014

I walked into the mail room today, expecting to only find a letter or a coupon from Spitz in my box. I was surprised when I found the bright blue slip that indicated I had a package. Having not ordered anything for myself lately, I was buzzing with interest as to what it could be. Maybe I had gotten a care package with my favorite things? Maybe I had forgotten about an Asos.com purchase?

The reality was better: The thick, glossy March edition of Vogue. I quickly unwrapped the dingy plastic around the heavy magazine and gazed upon Rihanna’s face. Ah, yes, the fashion bible had arrived.

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of Rihanna. I think that she is pretty and talented and makes incredibly catchy music but ultimately is not a great role model. I also often think that her style choices are more than a little off: sweatpants with a bra top does not an outfit make, no matter how incredible the designer heels she adds to the look. However, it appears that I am outnumbered on this front, for if notoriously difficult-to-please Vogue Editor-in-chief Anna Wintour wants her on the cover, then Rihanna must be doing something right.

I happily flipped open the 648-page magazine to look for Rihanna’s pictorial. I was excited to see what they had done with the tall Barbados native who is undeniably a fashion risk taker. I got distracted along the way, admiring and scowling at the advertisements running in the magazine. I was horrified to see an utterly commercial Old Navy ad alongside decadent spreads of Etro prints. I found peace in the images of Vera Wang’s dresses and home collection and in Vionnet’s gauzy fabrics on display. The advertisements alone in a Vogue magazine are enough to stimulate the mind. I had full pages of ones I especially liked covering a section of the wall by my bed in my dorm last year.

I finally arrived on the Rihanna spread. The first image is a beauty shot, close in her face which looks pretty and free of major make up being piled on minus a bright red lip. She wears a one-shouldered top by Saint Laurent (no “Yves” anymore now that Hedi Slimane has taken over) that is bold and fun: it is all white sequins with sequined red lips imposed on top. The opposite page involves more sequins, but this time is a full-body shot. An oversized jersey top with a midriff cutout covers Rihanna’s arms and chest, while loose trousers in chocolate-colored sequins hang off her hips. She looks dead on the camera, but it is not a confident expression. Rihanna instead appears to have soft eyes and relaxed jaw, looking at the reader with something unreadable in her eyes.

The next set of images are very much the Rihanna the world sees in the press. She wears another oversized top, this time a dark jacket with white stitching. Matching shorts go with it, and the whole look is by Alexander Wang, the edgy young designer Rihanna has worn many a time. Opposite to this black and white image is a full color one, yet the Rodarte outfit is muted in all white with a brown plaid button down. A snap back is perched atop Rihanna’s hair, her facial expression like that of a stubborn child. Thus far, I’m not entirely impressed with the styling. It appears they simply adopted her look and made sure to put her in trendy designers.

The article that follows is a profile by British writer and fashion-world standby Plum Sykes. The two go to lunch and then on a shopping spree. Sykes has offered herself up to Rihanna’s whims, trying on outfits that truly only Rihanna could pull off. Rihanna and her entourage deck the writer out in racy Tom Ford high heels and mini dresses. I am insanely jealous that Sykes had the opportunity to go shopping with someone who is so brave in her fashion choices, and the more I read about Rihanna, the more I like her. She proclaims in the interview, “You need to be sassified! You will never be stylish if you don’t take risks.” The comment is at once mature and silly, for Rihanna obviously loves fashion and is quite knowledgeable about it, but approaches it with a joie de vivre that is fabulous.

The article is short but the images are plentiful. The pictorial continues with Rihanna all figged out in battle-ready designs by Alexander McQueen. Her tattoos accent the look and she has an appearance of delicate intensity. Next, Rihanna wears a white cropped wig and a belted Tom Ford suit. Rings adorn all of her fingers. Henna designs grace her hands. Finally, for the last two pages of the pictorial, Vogue works it’s magic and pulls out an embellished bra top dress that features beaded fringe. The final look is a metallic Versace dress with an impossibly short hemline. Dramatic makeup and no jewelry complete the look. Though the silver mesh dress is undeniably sexy and fierce, Rihanna looks more elegant than ever.

I don’t know how she does it, but Rihanna is a fashion chameleon. Vogue didn’t push the limits when dressing her, but they certainly made her look beautiful. The interview is fun and Plum Sykes wrote it well, but the real draw of this magazine is Rihanna in all these vibrant looks.

If this Rihanna feature is any indication, I am going to devour every page of this March Vogue.

Noel Hemphill is a junior ECLS major. She can be reached at hemphill@oxy.edu or on Twitter @WklyNHemphill.

C.O.D.E. takes the stage at faculty meeting

By

Michael Tonetti

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February 26, 2014

Student representatives from the Coalition at Oxy for Diversity and Equity (CODE) presented at Occidental College’s monthly faculty meeting yesterday. The students advocated for the faculty to create a vice-president for diversity and foster a welcoming environment for people from marginalized backgrounds. Two student representatives spoke on behalf of the larger group, members of which stood arm-in-arm behind the speakers.

“The case we presented is simple: a vice president for diversity is necessary in order to foster the multicultural environment the Occidental mission statement claims to have,” CODE student representative and sociology major David Pino (senior) said in a later interview. “We’re bringing to attention the fact that students do have a voice, and that this is not just a faculty matter.”

According to its website, CODE’s mission since its inception last fall has been to promote institutional change in the object of excellence and equity at Occidental. “Our mission is to serve as the conscience of the institution,” the website reads. “C.O.D.E. challenges Occidental College to match our rhetoric with concrete reality.”

In accordance with this mission, the speakers at the Tuesday faculty meeting shared personal stories of their struggles in the face of marginalization.

“We are student leaders informing the Oxy community about our culture, our different lived experiences, and building a community of support for one another – something that is crucial for us as students who may not connect with the larger Oxy community and could be having a hard time here because of it,” Latin American Studies major Tracy Garcia (senior) said during her presentation.

Dean of the College and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jorge Gonzalez was receptive to the students’ monologues, although he did not guarantee any significant change would take place.

“We welcome the conversation. Let’s talk about what the VP can do, and let’s figure out what is the best structure that we could or could not put in place to make sure we address the issues we are trying to address,” Gonzalez said.

At the meeting, Gonzalez said that the Occidental faculty are some of the greatest advocates and allies CODE could find anywhere on campus. He then opened the meeting up to questions for CODE.

“You have among this faculty more commitment to this issue than I dare to say in almost any institution in the country,” Gonzalez said. “I talk to every faculty who gets hired in this college, and when I talk to them, we talk about the mission of Occidental. If the mission is not a good fit, many of them decide not to come.”

Engaging the faculty and soliciting their assistance was CODE’s main purpose for the presentation, according to Garcia.

“We wanted to inform them as well as ask for their support, especially in our demand for a VP of diversity that we think will be able to enforce our demands and be someone who we can go to for suggestions about improving resources for marginalized students,” Garcia said.

'Angry Birds,' motorcycles and playboy

By

Ben Poor

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February 26, 2014

I’ll add today to The Weekly’s fashion blogging primarily handled by Noel Hemphill, because India has some of the craziest t-shirts in the world.

Every morning when I ride the train to school, men who get off at the Hi-Tech City station (near offices for Oracle, Google and more) dress in boring collared shirts, pleated pants and dark leather shoes. The people who are still on the train after that are, paraphrasing CSN, letting their freak shirts fly.

You can summarize these shirts into three categories: clothing brands, motorcycles and “I just killed a man and put on whatever ever I could find that wasn’t splattered with blood.” It’s the last category that particularly fascinates me. All of these t-shirts have some kind of English text on them, some of them being jarringly American (take the small child whose shirt read, “Still the land of the free, home of the brave”). My personal favorite so far, also jarringly American, was covered with the text, “Chubby, Single, Ready for a Pringle.” Playboy is a remarkably popular brand, especially among young children, while “Angry Birds” characters grace many adult men’s chests. English has been widely spoken among Indians since colonial rule, but do these Hyderabadis know what their shirts say? Are Playboy’s connotations known to the five-year old wearing the bunny, or to his mother?

According to one Indian fashionista, no.

“Most people who wear the shirts don’t understand the message,” Premkishore Prusty, a student here at University of Hyderabad who coordinates a fashion show every autumn, said.

Even if they don’t understand the words, the impact of wearing English is still a statement.

“They want to look like they just got back from New York,” Prusty added.

The class dimension is certainly present. “95 percent of graphic tees are very cheap,” Prusty told me.

I doubt the street vendors have any licensing deals with Rovio Entertainment .

If anyone on the KOXY staff has plans to come to India, they might want to watch their wardrobe. When I asked Prem about the possibility that the Angry Birders were wearing the shirts ironically, he didn’t seem to understand the concept.

“Why would you wear something on your shirt if you didn’t like it?”

I suppose these shirts that fascinate me are less about what the words mean and more about what the words look like they mean. Still, I’m sure the the guy I saw wearing a Cleveland Indians baseball shirt had to have a smirk on his face when he dressed in the morning.

I feel weird taking pictures of random people on the subway, so these are examples of my friends and family friends.

My host brother, Hemanth, proudly in his Fall 2004 Ben 10 shirt. He owns three Ben 10 shirts.

Not technically a t-shirt, but I promise it's everywhere.

My neighbor Ajay, wearing form Dolce and Gabana's Spring 2014 line.

Ben Poor is a junior American Studies major studying abroad in Hyderabad, India during the Spring 2014 Semester. He can be reached at benpoor1@gmail.com or on Twitter @WklyBPoor.

Rising Stars- Spring 2014 Part 1

By

Spencer Donaldson

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February 25, 2014

Baseball (Pitcher Will Nahmens No. 26)

Pitcher Will Nahmens began playing baseball at the age of five in his native Redwood, Calif. “I used to play catch in the backyard with my dad and hit Wiffle Balls,” he said. In four appearances out of the bullpen this season, the 5-foot-11 right-hander has compiled a 5.79 ERA and has yet to surrender a walk. Along with his skill on the mound, Nahmens brings a sense of humor to the Occidental clubhouse. He enjoys growing mustaches, lumberjacking and having deep talks with fellow pitcher David Feasler (senior) at 3 a.m. “My most favorite hobby is collecting and tending to my collection of shorts whose inseam exceeds no more than 6.5 inches,” he said. On a more serious note, Nahmens believes that a few key mistakes have contributed to the team’s 2-7 start, but with more focus from each individual on the team, the black and orange will find success.

Softball (Pitcher Emily Pham No. 22)

Pitcher Emily Pham and the game of softball have endured a lot together. Pham quit her high school squad during her senior year due to the team’s lack of unity, but continued to play for her club team. Her father, who doubled as her pitching coach for much of her life, helped cultivate her softball skills. “There were a lot of fights when I didn’t really want to listen to what he was saying,” Pham said. But she knew that her father was well versed in the physics of pitching and she eventually opened up to his advice. In contrast to her father’s scientific approach, Pham employs an unorthodox post-pitch routine in which she treks to the back of the circle instead of turning her back to home plate. “I don’t think I’ve ever turned the other way, Pham said. “The sky might fall down [if I did].”

Men’s Track & Field (Sprinter Kyle Dalton)

Sprinter Kyle Dalton is Jewish, in Glee Club and can also run the 200-meter dash in around 22 seconds. In fact, the combination of these three unique aspects of his life is why Dalton views himself as an athlete who stands outside of the the typical athlete mold. His Jewish identity is especially close to him. “I like fighting the Jewish athlete stereotype because a lot of people think that there are not great Jewish athletes,” Dalton said. Running is more than just a showcase of speed for him as well. “One of the reasons I like track is because I’m able to tune everything else out in my life that might be stressing me out and just worry about the race,” he said. Dalton will continue to break stereotypes while he tries to break the tape in the 100- and 200-meter dashes in his Occidental sprinting career.

Onye photo by Ximena Santiago — Onyekachi Nwabbueze *photo by Ximena Santiago*

Women’s Track & Field (Sprinter Onyekachi Nwabueze)

At a young age, sprinter Onyekachi Nwabueze always had a lot of energy and was constantly running around, compelling her teachers to suggest that she join track and field. Nwabueze’s self-described personality as a focused, laid-back daredevil contributes to her running ability. She said that her training requires tunnel vision set on progress. “When I train, I always think of pushing myself further than I did before,” Nwabueze said. This attitude aids in her preparation for the multitude of short distance races, including the 100- and 200-meters. Nwabueze recounted a story in which her seventh grade teacher presented the class with teriyaki-coated crickets. The rest of the class was too scared to eat any, but Nwabueze ate three. During a race, a similar no limits mentality pushes her. “When I’m racing, I just say, ‘go, go, go,’ in my head,” Nwabueze said.

Walker on the Mark(s) for Occidental baseball program

By

Tim O'Donnell

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February 25, 2014

Occidental baseball’s Walker Marks (first-year) has big shoes to fill this season, as he’s tasked with replacing four-year All-SCIAC selection and Tiger all-time hits leader Logan Allen ‘13 at shortstop.

And while playing the shortstop position itself guarantees an elevated level of difficulty since it is one of the prime spots on the diamond, Occidental head coach Luke Wetmore has not hesitated to throw Marks into the fire.

“In most situations, the shortstop is the captain of the infield,” Wetmore said. “On our squad it’s not that [Marks] isn’t that guy, but we have another guy up the middle, Riley Smith (senior), so there’s no pressure on [Marks] to be a vocal leader.”

Playing among the Tigers’ veterans has helped ease Marks into his role. As a defensive-minded shortstop, he has utilized the lack of pressure to also produce at the plate. Through the team’s first nine games of the season, Marks is hitting .258 with five RBI and a .343 on base percentage.

He has also turned in several clutch performances so far this season, namely laying down a safety squeeze to tie the game against Whitworth in the bottom of the ninth inning on Feb. 9 and blasting a game-winning RBI double in extras at Chapman on Feb. 14.

This early success has come as no surprise to Wetmore and company. In fact, Marks and the Occidental baseball program viewed each other as a strong fit early in the recruiting process. Marks found the coaching staff accessible and open, getting the sense of how much they care about their players. On Wetmore’s end, the skipper noticed how easily the game comes to Marks.

“He never looks like he’s out of control,” Wetmore said. “There’s a familiarity with the game that he has.”

Marks does not attribute his love and knowledge of the sport to one specific moment, but rather a process that developed over time. At an early age, his father would toss him Wiffle Balls on the family’s driveway. The goal was for Marks to try to hit them across the street, and when his parents saw that he had talent, they encouraged him to get involved in Little League.

Over time, Marks transitioned from Little League into travel ball and high school. While many young athletes fall victim to the burn-out epidemic, Marks never lost his his enjoyment for hardball.

“There was never one time on the field where I was bored or upset,” Marks said. “Every baseball thing I did was awesome because my parents just found a way to make it fun.”

Far from his Little League days, the long, lanky 6-foot-3 Marks fits the new-wave shortstop mold that was ushered in by former Baltimore Orioles’ infielder Cal Ripken, Jr.

In fact, Marks often studies film of professional shortstops, including Ripken, taking note of how the players approach the position defensively. Offensively, he singled out New York Yankees’ shortstop Derek Jeter as his role model.

“I see [Jeter] take his warm up swings and I hear [about] what he does in the cages before the game,” Marks said. “Just staying inside the baseball, that’s the kind of approach I try to take at the plate.”

Marks has used this type of knowledge of the game to step into a key role on the Tiger squad.

Smith, Occidental’s second baseman and Marks’s double play partner, spoke highly of Marks’ ability to fit in with the club.

“The best part is that when he’s on the field you can’t tell if he’s a [first-year] or senior,” Smith said. “It’s been fun to get to know him and play next to a guy who is able to not act any differently on the field as he does off.”

Despite breaking into the starting lineup from day one, Marks is well aware that he has much to learn as he continues to adjust to college life.

“There’s certain situations, on and off the field, where it shows that I’m a [first-year],” Marks said. “College is a lot different than high school. Here you really are a student first. It takes a lot of focus and maturity.”

With nearly a full four years of Tiger baseball ahead of him, Marks understands the significance of the opportunity he has at Occidental.

“I think this year of all years, I appreciate baseball more,” he said. “One game, I just walked out on the field and just said ‘wow.’ I just really appreciate being able to continue to play.”

Marks and the Tigers return to action Friday at 2:30 p.m., hosting Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS)at Anderson field. They then head to Claremont Saturday to finish the weekend series with a doubleheader. First pitches are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Sports in Brief Issue 3

By

Ryan Whalen

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February 25, 2014

Track & Field

Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams were in action earlier this week, competing in the Rossi Relays at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS). On the men’s side, first-year sprinters Kyle Dalton and Jeh Johnson took the lead for the Tigers as both found themselves among the top-20 finishers in the 100-meter dash, posting times of 11.17 seconds and 11.45 seconds, respectively. While underclassmen dominated the sprints for the black and orange, Kevin Cox (senior) had a big day in the long jump, posting a mark of 6.66 meters off of a six-step approach on his first attempt. Cox and the other Occidental jumpers will make the transition from a six-step approach to a 10-step approach for their next meet. For the women, speedster Rachael Hinkel (sophomore) claimed an 11th place finish in the 100-meter dash, finishing as the squads’ top individual finisher. Seniors Ayana Foster and Julie Xu and Jenny Quilty (junior) teamed up with Hinkel to post a time of 4:15.31 minutes in the 4×400 meter relay. The time was good enough to secure a top-10 finish for the black and orange. The Tigers lace up their spikes for their first home meet of the season this week, hosting a dual meet against Pomona-Pitzer Saturday.

Women’s Basketball (13-12 overall, 7-9 SCIAC)

Occidental forward Elizabeth Messick (senior) lit up the stat sheet for the final time in her collegiate career, leading the Tigers to a 71-58 victory over Pomona-Pitzer Saturday. Messick was able to get the job done on both ends of the court, scoring a team-high 15 points and anchoring the interior defense with nine blocks. Fellow seniors Brittani Walker and Crystal Goodwin also stepped up, as Walker pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds while Goodwin dished out five assists. Saturday’s win also pushed the Occidental squad over the .500 mark on the campaign. As the team transitions into the off-season they will look to retain some of their momentum and attempt to fill the large shoes of graduating seniors Messick, Walker, Goodwin, Kristen Treat, Alyssa Mort and Michelle Naito-Lo.

Men’s Basketball (11-13 overall, 6-9 SCIAC)

The Occidental men’s basketball team traveled to Pomona-Pitzer to face off against the SCIAC No. 2 Sagehens Saturday. The Pomonz-Pitzer defense proved too much for Occidental to handle, as the Sagehens snagged a 63-53 senior night victory. First-year guard Joe Compagno proved to be the jack-of-all trades for the Tigers, as he led the team in points (11) and assists (three) while pulling down seven rebounds. Aside from Compagno, the black and orange struggled to produce offensively, managing only 18 points on 26 shot attempts in the first half. Despite an off shooting night, the squad managed to keep the game close with a stout defensive effort. The Tigers held the Sagehens to 37 percent shooting while forcing 20 turnovers and winning the battle of the boards, 42-37. The squad’s season finale at Redlands was in progress at the time of publication.

Men’s Tennis (0-3 overall, 0-1 SCIAC)

The Occidental men’s tennis team has stumbled out of the gate to begin the 2013-2014 season, losing its first three matches. The Tigers dropped their match against non-conference opponent Brandeis University 7-2 Friday. The black and orange was shut out during doubles competition, but managed to snag two singles matches as No. 1 Josh Dancu (junior) and No. 5 David Cotton (senior) each won his respective competition. The Tigers return to action Friday, hosting the Austin College Kangaroos at 3:30 p.m.

Women’s Tennis (0-1 overall, 0-0 SCIAC)

Friday marked the start of the Occidental women’s tennis team’s season, as the squad matched up against non-conference foe Hope International and surrendered the season opener, 6-3. The Tigers picked up two automatic wins since the Royals did not have enough players to adequately fill out all matches. Despite the handicap, the black and orange was unable to top Hope, with standout Kelani Bonis-Ericksen (sophomore) registering the lone win for the Tigers. Occidental will host non-conference opponent Arizona Christian Friday at 2 p.m.

Kirsten Hee (Women’s Lacrosse Goalkeeper No. 28)

While a multi-talented offensive attack has garnered the majority of the headlines as the Occidental women’s lacrosse team has roared out to a 4-0 start in SCIAC play, it has been a 5-foot-3 goalkeeper that has anchored the Tiger defense. Sophomore Kirsten Hee has been one of the key pieces throughout the black and orange’s four game win streak, tallying 209 minutes of time in the crease while maintaining a 39.7 save percentage. Hee’s defensive aptitude comes as no surprise to teammates and coaches, considering that she started 17 of the teams’ 18 games in 2013. With 23 saves so far this season, the Washington state native is already well on her way to eclipse her save total of 52 from a year ago. Hee is sitting on a perfect winning percentage, up 40 percent from last year’s mark. She showed her composure and experience last Saturday, snagging a season-high 10 saves during an 8-7 overtime victory over Pomona-Pitzer. In addition to Hee’s talents between the pipes, All-SCIAC seniors Tori Larson and Rebecca Belding have led the offensive attack, netting seven goals apiece. Hee and the rest of the Tigers travel to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) tonight, taking on the Athenas at 7:30 p.m.

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