The Occidental Weekly

Oxy students taking part in the Campaign Semester returned to campus last week to begin the academic portion of their experience. The Politics Department's program consists of 19 students who volunteered full-time for a Presidential or Congressional campaign, mostly in contested "battleground" states. After the election, students return to campus to synthesize their experiences in the form of a seminar led by professors Peter Dreier and Dr. Caroline Heldman.

More than 10,000 people, Oxy students included, gathered at Los Angeles City Hall on Saturday, to protest the passage of Proposition 8. Prop 8, which passed on election day with a 52.5% majority, changed the California state constitution to make the marriage of homosexual couples illegal. Since Nov. 4, many groups in opposition to the amendment have rallied in protest, labeling it discriminatory.

On Monday, Nov. 10, students gathered in lower Herrick to discuss religious stereotypes in an event sponsored by the Office for Religious and Spiritual Life.

On Oct. 27-30, Honor Week was held by Honor Board to promote the purpose of the Honor Board. Honor Board is a branch of the Associated Students of Occidental College (ASOC) that deals mainly with the jurisdiction of the school and students.

On Tuesday, Nov. 11 the ASOC Senate assembled in Fowler Hall to vote on and discuss this week's budget, Oxy's smoking and alcohol policies, and the new residence hall TVs, among other topics. Sarah Owens '08 and Luca Valle (junior) presented a reform of Oxy's smoking laws, called the "Secondhand Smoke Policy.

The week of Nov. 10-14 marked Occidental's first Mental Health Awareness Week, organized by campus club Active Minds. Part of a nationally-run organization based out of Washington D.C., the Occidental chapter of Active Minds was formed in the spring of 2008 after meeting with a representative from a UCLA chapter.