Author: Brett Fujioka
In light of the Democratic Primary in California, I’ve heard several students ask: Why doesn’t Barack Obama love us? Why doesn’t he come out to visit Occidental? Does he really hate us so? I’ve also wondered why he’s so quick to associate himself with Columbia University and Harvard Law rather than Occidental College.
Here’s the first obvious reason: Columbia and Harvard are in the Ivy League. Everybody, both nationally and internationally, is acquainted with America’s eight elite universities and have scarcely heard of any others.
Every student (or professor) at Occidental has undergone this at some point in their life. Someone will idly ask what college you attend and say that they’ve never heard of it. As much as I love Occidental’s academia, it’s a royal pain in the butt to describe it. The conversation can sometimes take as long as five minutes, elaborating on where Eagle Rock is located, whether Occidental is a dental school, so on and so forth. I’m tempted to call Oxy “The college that Obama attended” just to make to it sound prestigiously important.
Furthermore, our title as a college rather than a university may make us seem like a community college rather than a four-year institution. There’s a lot of negative stigma associated with students who attend two-year colleges. Even more, transfer students are viewed as finicky and indecisive. I’ve already received a disparaging remark from a rude, egotistical individual because of my status as a transfer student.
Oxy’s political sterility may have dissatisfied Obama. According to articles that I have read concerning his stay at Occidental, the college incited an awareness of the injustices in the world that motivated him to rally against apartheid. However, Oxy’s campus lacked the size and atmosphere needed to really make a difference. Its political activity is also lukewarm in comparison to many others. (You know that you have a problem when the The Progressive Christians United and possibly The Rebirth Club are the most politically active groups on campus in contrast to BSU and The Democratic Club. I haven’t seen the Democratic Club go up in arms about anything other than feebly “rocking the vote” once every two years.) Occidental gave him the knowledge, while a big city free from isolation like New York provided him the mobility to make a difference.
Another reason why Obama may not speak too openly of his experiences at Occidental might be due to his admitted drug abuse in high school and college. It’s likely that he dabbled in his confessed cocaine abuse during his studies at Oxy. Even though he briefly acknowledged that he took drugs in his college days, an in-depth description of his study at Oxy would invite further questioning. This is similar to a situation concerning our current President. George W. Bush undoubtedly did other things at Yale aside from drink alcohol, which is a cause of concealed embarrassment. Further elaboration on Bush’s college experience would again lure reporters to inquire into his “lost days.”
I also question how fond he is of his experiences at Oxy. Don’t get me wrong, the brilliant faculty and likable student body probably charmed him, as it has me. However, the isolated “bubble” on this campus is so depressing sometimes that it wouldn’t surprise me if that factored into his drug abuse. From what I’ve read, one of the reasons why he took drugs was because he was coping with his own racial identity at the time, as the son of a white mother and Kenyan father. From my own experience, Occidental has a way of making you question your own identity in a variety of ways ranging from socio-ethnic all the way to your place in life.
As to why Obama hasn’t visited or held a rally at Occidental, this is most likely due to our limited size. As a political strategist, it would make more sense for him to stage an event at a university the size of UC Irvine or UCLA. There are high schools in Los Angeles larger than Occidental. At the same time, he’s also a busy man. Since his bid for office, he’s become a celebrated public figure.
Don’t quote me on this, but I’ve heard that he promised to visit Occidental if he becomes President-a moment that seems more and more unlikely with his recent loss in the California primary. Ironically, his disassociation with Occidental may have cost him potential votes in California. If he emphasized that he studied and briefly lived in California, then voters may have been quicker to select him over Hillary.
I’m somewhat skeptical as to whether or not he’ll visit Oxy even if he succeeds in becoming President. As much as I love and support Obama, he’s still a politician and I’m highly distrustful of the promises of any Machiavellians.
These are some of the reasons that I can argue as to why Obama strays away from his honorary title as an Oxy alumni. Hate Oxy? Don’t be absurd. This college isn’t important enough to invoke such passion. Not care about Oxy? Maybe. But it seems like this college has more to gain from his reputation than the opposite.
Brett Fujioka is a senior ECLS major. He can be reached at bfujioka@oxy.edu.
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