Over the summer, facilities took advantage of “dead space” and built a beach volleyball court in front of Stewart-Cleland Hall, an area that was already commonly referred to as “Stewie Beach.”
David Caldwell, the assistant vice president of Facilities management, said there has been talk surrounding the creation of something new on Stewie Beach for several years. He said Facilities has been trying to invest in “dead” areas on campus.
“The goal is to have more community engagement,” Caldwell said. “There’s a tendency in modern colleges for students to remain isolated and be in their dorm rooms.”
According to Caldwell, project planning began in Winter 2024 and construction began in May 2025 once most of the students had left campus for the summer. He said he expects the ongoing renovations to be completed by November, including finishing the concrete area in front of the dorm, resurfacing the loop, adding speakers for music, as well as a foot shower and outdoor furniture.
“Some of the demolition work and everything that went into that was probably around $300,000,” Caldwell said. “I know that the college had some donor support for the project.”
Isaiah J. Thomas, associate Dean of Students and director of Residential Education and Housing Services (REHS), collaborated with Caldwell as well as SLICE (Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement) to discuss the possibility of a new Stewie Beach.
“I had the idea of proposing an outdoor volleyball court so the beach could actually be a real, tangible experience,” Thomas said. “This project was approved by the college this summer through a Capital Project request.”
According to Thomas, a Capital Project request is a process led by the division of budget and planning that prioritizes facilities-related projects across campus.
Caldwell said a lot of thought was put into the design of the beach area. He said Facilities is trying to create a destination spot on campus that reflects the Spanish Revival architecture style of Occidental as well as brings the beach to campus. He also said Facilities has been working on other renovations around campus to further promote student engagement and the retention of native flora.
“We do have a campus landscape master plan,” Caldwell said. “It identifies places on campus where we have plants that are not native to Southern California that use a lot of water. Over the years we’ve been trying to make some changes to the campus in terms of its flora.”
Caldwell said this project provided an opportunity to introduce more water-resistant plants, such as palm trees, that would replace old non-native plants that had been breaking the cement walkway in front of Stewie. He said the sidewalk is now imprinted to look like a boardwalk.
“We took inspiration from historic beach spaces in California,” Caldwell said. “Santa Barbara and San Juan Capistrano [have] some historic piers.”
Adam Flatness (sophomore) said he lived in Stewie last year.
“At first I was a little hesitant, because you kind of lose some of the nostalgia and the oldness,” Flatness said. “Now that the [volleyball] net is up and I’ve used it a bit, I think it’s a good change overall.”
Elizabeth Hulett (junior) is a resident advisor (RA) in Braun Hall. She said she has been involved in the Sustainability Fund, a group that has been lobbying for a sand volleyball court on Stewie Beach, and is excited about the renovation of the space.
“It’s been a big hit so far,” Hulett said. “REHS had an event out there, and a bunch of the first years came out. I know some of the residence halls are trying to get more tournaments and team things set up for their programs.”
Hulett said it was nice to have the iconic presence of the California beach brought to campus.
“It’s really exciting to have an outdoor space and some sand because we live in Los Angeles,” Hulett said.
Zach Goldberger-Judd (first year) said that the court is a great addition to campus life and will be used for more than just volleyball.
“I’ve seen people play spikeball,” Goldberger-Judd said. “I’ve also thrown a frisbee around on it. It’s very versatile. I’m very thankful to whoever did this.”
Sarah Boncore (first year), a member of the volleyball team, said she has noticed various activities in the grass and on the court, but also said that it is just a nice place to hang out.
“It feels more natural to make friends or meet new people when you’re outside doing things and you have a chance to talk to them,” Boncore said. “If it [doesn’t] conflict with anything else, I will be down at that sand court!”
Contact Miriam Arenal at arenal@oxy.edu
