Vol. CXXX No. 11

THE STUDENT LIFE FRIDAY, FebRuARY 7, 2019 | CLAREMONT, CA | VOL. CXXX NO. 11

Pitzer finds $200K College unearths previously unaccounted-for funds MARIA HeeTeR Pitzer College uncovered approximately $200,000 of previously unaccounted-for funds last April, which, unbeknownst to current administrators and students, had accumulated for over a decade, Dean of Campus Life Dan Hirsch announced at a Pitzer Student Senate meeting Jan. 26. The money had been accumulating for the past “15 or 16 years,” according to Hirsch, and the account was unknown to all current administrators at Pitzer. Administrators plan to put the money toward a variety of projects aimed at enhancing the student experience on campus, including both facilities improvements and new programs, among other initiatives, according to Hirsch. Once the account was identified, treasurer Laura Troendle, Vice President for Student Affairs Mike Segawa and Hirsch determined that the money, now called “the student activities fund strategic reserve account,” would go back to the students, Hirsch said. “It’s an awesome problem to have, right? How often do you find $200,000? Not often or ever,” Hirsch said. But it’s unclear how the money escaped detection in the first place. “Frankly, we’re trying to figure that out too,” Hirsch said. Beginning “15 or 16 years ago,” the student senate operating budget was calculated by multiplying the student activities fee by 1,000, the approximate enrollment of the college at the time, according to Hirsch. When enrollment exceeded 1,000, the student activities fees charged to the excess students accumulated in a separate account instead of going to the student senate operating budget, according to Hirsch.

See CASH on page 2

HUXLEYANN HUEFNER • THE STUDENT LIFE

Four sculptures by Carol Bove sit outside of Collins Dining Hall at CMC.

CMC sculptures inspire praise, memes, confusion ANuSHe eNGINeeR Contrary to campus rumors and speculation, the new structures visible on Claremont McKenna College’s campus aren’t bike racks or scrap material — they’re works of art. The sculptures, which were installed outside Collins Dining Hall the week of Jan. 13, are the works of Brooklyn-based artist Carol Bove, according to a CMC press release. The art was officially unveiled Jan. 30 when protective fencing was removed from the area. “Four Loops” and “The Enigma of Pleasure” were created especially for CMC in 2019, while “Cretaceous” and “Lingam” were created in 2014 and 2015, respectively. According to the release, the latter two pieces have previously been on display in New York as well as Leeds, England. All four pieces were made using a combination of natural and synthetic materials, includ-

ing scrap metal, ancient petrified wood and stainless steel pipes. “Four Loops,” in particular, was bent into shape by several tons of hydraulic pressure and polished to give a “mirror-reflective surface,” the release said. Christopher Walker CM ’69, a CMC trustee and chair of the school’s public art committee, funded the four new sculptures on CMC’s campus, the release said. He has previously donated and loaned several other pieces to CMC. “There will be thousands of students who will see them. They will not be tucked away in someone’s yard,” Walker said in a later press release. The artwork almost immediately lit up social media, where several students posted memes poking fun at the art. In a video posted to a 5C meme group, “Meme Queens of the 5cs,” Ava Sealander SC ’22 sings “Mama,” to the tune of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” They pan over “Four Loops” and sing “oo-oo-oo-ooh,”

cracking a joke about the sculpture’s shape. “The loop sculpture is by far my favorite because it’s calming, but fun to look at, especially compared to the others in the area if I’m being honest. I think it’s pretty iconic,” Sealander said via message. Past the jokes, ASCMC President Dina Rosin CM ’20 praised the new sculptures. “I applaud CMC’s expansion of public art on campus, and as we continue to grow our commitment to the arts, I hope to see more opportunities for students to study and create art,” Rosin said via email. Other students, however, were slightly skeptical. “I don’t even know what it symbolizes,” said Kenza Fernandez SC ’22, an art major at Scripps College, talking about “Four Loops.” Fernandez suggested that a plaque with more information about the artist be put up. “Maybe if we know who the artist is we can Google them and

see other pieces that the artist has done or see what the piece symbolizes at least,” she said. Nicholas Mendez CM ’21 was ambivalent about the sculptures. “I hated it when the fences were up at the beginning of the semester, but now that they’re gone I like it OK,” he said. “It’s actually starting to grow on me.” CMC has added six outdoor sculptures and an indoor mural to its public art collection over the past five years, according to the CMC website. “From the mountain to the sea,” a mural that sits in the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, was acquired by a group of trustees on the CMC Public Art Committee in 2015, according to the CMC website’s page on public art. “Meet in the Middle,” a sculpture of benches and streetlights located outside Roberts Pavilion, was installed in 2016 by late artist Chris Burden PO ’69, according to the same CMC public art page.

See ART on page 2

‘Drop Sodexo’ reaches crescendo as Students grill Hub on dining provider seeks new contract meal replacement change Scripps students, workers split over decision MARIA HeeTeR & eRIKA SCHWeRDFeGeR Student activists turned out Tuesday to protest a presentation by Sodexo, Scripps College’s controversial

food service provider, which is hoping to renew its contract with the school. A group of Malott Dining Commons staffers, including some longtime employees, also showed up to defend the company.

ANNA CHOI • THE STUDENT LIFE

Students walk out of Balch Auditorium after silently protesting a presentation by dining services provider Sodexo on future plans Feb. 4.

Approximately 50 protestors, who wore “DROP SODEXO” signs, several uniformed dining hall staff and other students filled Balch Auditorium during Sodexo’s presentation to the college community. The student-organized Drop Sodexo campaign has advocated for Scripps to end its contract with the company for several years because the company operates private prisons in Europe and Australia, has been accused of mistreating workers and has been accused of providing substandard food, among other reasons, according to the Drop Sodexo website. Sodexo has provided food services for the college since 2000, according to Vice President for Business Affairs Dean Calvo. The college’s current contract ends in June, according to an email sent by Calvo to Scripps students in December.

See SODeXO on page 3

LIFE & STYLE

College and university a cappella teams across Southern California flocked to Claremont to participate in the 2020 ICCA West Quarterfinal. Read more on page 5.

The student newspaper of the Claremont Colleges since 1889

eRIKA SCHWeRDFeGeR

Last week, Claremont McKenna College’s Hub Grill left students feeling burned after it restricted, then restored, its meal replacement policy. Several students were caught off guard when they returned from winter break to find CMC’s popular dining spot, which serves packaged and freshly-prepared food items for lunch and dinner, was no longer accepting meal replacement as a form of payment for all items. Students at Scripps College, Harvey Mudd College and CMC can use a meal swipe as payment for an array of hot and cold food items Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner, according to CMC’s website. But the Hub limited the range of items that qualified for meal replacement to an array of grab-and-go items and one “special of the day” — meals that varied from avocado toast to grilled cheese and bisque soup. “Many students were frustrated by the change, as CMC

OPINIONS

students enjoy taking advantage of the flexibility and convenience of meal replacement, and most students seem to rely on the wide array of hot food options,” ASCMC President Dina Rosin CM ’20 said via email. For many with evening classes, athletic events and late working hours, the meal replacement option is a staple which provides hot meals after dining halls close. “For me and also my teammates, it would have been a real detriment, because a lot of the time we did have late practices, so the cafeterias would close and coming to the Hub was all we had,” soccer player William Birchard CM ’21 said. “So to have that taken away would be really unfortunate.” The change in policy prompted an indignant response from students, many of whom voiced their concerns to CMC Dean of Students Dianna Graves. According to Graves, Bon Appétit, which operates the Hub and Collins Dining Hall, did not consult the Dean of Students office before making the change, compounding confusion. In response, Graves said the

See Hub on page 3 SPORTS

Pro-gun activists who use slogans like “the Second protects our First” forget that the Second Amendment wasn’t written with individuals in mind, claims Ben Reicher PO ‘22. Read more on page 7.

Matthew Kim PO ‘23 reflects on his strongest memories as a Lakers fan and describes the impact Kobe Bryant had on him. Read more on page 9.

INDEX: News 1 | Life & Style 4 | Opinions 6 | Sports 8

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CASH: Budget failed to account for college’s growing enrollment Continued from page 1 “I don’t know ... if that was on purpose or on accident,” Hirsch said. “I have no context there.” As the college’s enrollment has increased from 1,000 to approximately 1,060 over the past 16 years, the account continued to grow until it was discovered this past year. Hirsch said he and former college associate treasurer Lori Yoshino discovered the account last April when running a report on the senate’s standard reserve account in Workday, the college’s financial management system. In addition to the expected reserve account, the report showed a second account containing $200,000. “And then we were like, wait, what is this? Why is there a $60,000 account and ... a $200,000 account?” Hirsch said. Yoshino inherited the 1,000 student system when she started her job over a decade ago, according to Hirsch. Hirsch said the practice continued due to a lack of communication. “I think there just wasn’t a conversation about changing it because nobody knew any better,” Hirsch said. “So every year the same practice happened with no one being the wiser, and here we are because we accidentally coded something that helped us figure it out.” However the accounting error

began, Hirsh is excited about the opportunities the secret account will provide going forward. “There have been a lot of really cool student initiatives or programs or ideas that have come from multiple places that we’ve wanted to implement over the years and just haven’t had the funds,” he added. “And so this gives us the opportunity to do some of that.” Pending approval from the Pitzer Campus Life Committee, the funds will be used to transition management of the Shakedown Café from students to Bon Appétit — allowing for evening and weekend operation and possible meal replacement options, to renovate the Grove House and to change the Gold Student Center multipurpose room into a student union with couches and ping pong tables, according to Hirsch. Pitzer will also create offices for campus life and student leadership and hire a full-time personal fitness trainer, among other possible initiatives, Hirsch said. Funds will not be used for existing salaries or positions, administrators told Pitzer Student Senate. As part of the plan, going forward, the college will dedicate 10 percent of total student activity fees toward a new campus life programming budget to “mitigate the unreasonable burden

ZOE COWAN • THE STUDENT LIFE

Pitzer College uncovered around $200,000 of previously unaccounted-for funds last April, which will be used in part to fund the Student Enhancement Plan.

on student programmers,” according to the presentation to the student senate. Like Hirsch, Pitzer Student Senate President Clint Isom PZ ’20 expressed enthusiasm about the possibilities the new fund provides. “That’s so exciting that we have [the $200,000]. I was really pumped that we have an oppor-

tunity to do something with our money,” Isom said. Troendle stressed transparency going forward with student fees, and was also pleased with the plans for the fund. “I think the [Office of Student Affairs] team has worked hard to use this as an opportunity to partner with senate to use it for seed funding for a new chapter

in student life at Pitzer with more support and access,” Troendle said via email. Part of the strategic reserve account has already been used to purchase electricity-generating treadmills in the Gold Student Center, according to Hirsch. Pitzer Student Senate unanimously passed a resolution supporting the plan Sunday.

Pomona, CMC, Scripps release In memoriam: Class of 2023 admissions data Netzali Can PZ ’23 JASPeR DAVIDOFF Claremont McKenna College, Pomona College and Scripps College released previously-withheld data late last year regarding their incoming classes of 2023. Last March, for the first time, Pomona and CMC both elected not to publish acceptance rates after releasing their decisions. Pomona’s acceptance rate for the class of 2023, excluding students accepted from the waitlist, was 7.0 percent, essentially the same as the previous year. Pomona’s 10,401 applicants marked the largest pool in the school’s history, surpassing the record set in 2018. CMC’s acceptance rate for the class of 2023, before students were accepted from the waitlist, was 9.6 percent. It was slightly higher than the previous year’s rate of 8.9 percent, the result of about 200 fewer applications and more accepted students. In March, Pomona admissions director Adam Sapp told TSL the school’s goal was to “move the

admissions conversation toward finding the best fit and away from the focus on admission rates.” The data is now available following the release of the schools’ annual Common Data Set. The CDS is an initiative to standardize institutional information for use by families and organizations like the College Board and college search publications. Forty-seven students were admitted off Pomona’s waitlist, down from 67 in the previous cycle. CMC admitted 43 waitlisted students, up from 25 for the class of 2022. Both schools’ class sizes remained roughly the same. Pomona’s yield rate, the proportion of accepted students who chose to attend, including students from the waitlist, was 54 percent, up from 52.8 percent last year. CMC’s was 52.5 percent, down from a previous 55.7 percent yield. CMC and Scripps withheld demographic information on the new classes last spring, saying they would wait until they knew

the characteristics of the classes themselves rather than the admitted pools. The proportion of non-white students in the CMC class of 2023 grew by about five percent compared to the class of 2022, the result of more black, Asian and multiracial students. Scripps’ class of 2023 saw six percent more non-white students, mostly due to a rise in Asian and multiracial students, although the percentage who identify solely as black and Hispanic or Latinx fell. International students make up 16.5 percent of CMC’s class of 2023, up from 15.4 percent for the class of 2022. CMC firstyears come from 33 states and 25 countries. The Scripps class of 2023 is 5.3 percent international students, up from 3.6 percent for the class of 2022. The percentage of Californians in its class of 2023 rose to 43.7 percent, up from 38.5 percent for the class of 2022.

MARC ROD • THE STUDENT LIFE

DATA COURTESY OF CMC, POMONA COMMON DATA SETS

COURTESY: PITZER COLLEGE

Netzali Can PZ ‘23 died over winter break.

MARC ROD & JASPeR DAVIDOFF CW: student death Netzali Can’s PZ ’23 suitemate Romy Candon PZ ’23 remembers Can as a “ray of sunshine, always laughing.” “Netzi was a very positive person all over,” Candon said. Can died over winter break, Pitzer College President Melvin Oliver said in an email to Pitzer students Jan. 15. She was visiting family in Guatemala over break when she had an allergic reaction that proved fatal, he said. Oliver encouraged students to “keep Netzali’s family in your thoughts during this difficult time.” “She was an exceptional person and will be missed greatly,” he added. At Pitzer, Can was involved in the Latinx Student Union and Indige-Nation Claremont Scholars, mentored and supported Native American youth in Los Angeles and worked at the Grove House, according to Oliver.

She graduated from Arroyo High School in San Lorenzo, California, where she explored a passion for the sciences as president of the environmental club and as a hospital research intern, Oliver added. She was also the captain of her high school cross-country and soccer teams, as well as the captain of her club soccer team. Can sought to combine her family’s Guatemalan roots with her scientific interests by pursuing a career in public health. “She wanted to find the intersection of health and indigenous peoples and really help the community,” Candon said. Can wasn’t afraid to put her bold personality on display — obsessing over chai and sugary holiday drinks at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, going back for bowl after bowl of chicken pozole (a family recipe) at Scripps brunch and once tricking her suitemates into watching a horror movie when they thought they were watching a comedy, Candon said. “I was like, ‘Oh no,’ because I hate horror movies,” Candon said. “And then she ended up hating it too.” But Candon also remembered her friend’s authenticity and caring nature. “You could always count on her to think about you,” she said. Can’s family held a celebration of life in Oakland on Jan. 25, according to the Arroyo athletic department. For those affected by Can’s passing, Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services is located at the Tranquada Student Services Center and at 909-621-8202. Students can contact Monsour after-hours through Campus Safety by calling 909-607-2000. Pitzer Student Affairs also offers walk-in hours daily from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, Oliver said. 7C Chaplains are available at the Chaplains’ Office in the McAlister Center or at 909-621-8685.

ART: Adds to CMC collection Continued from page 1 Famous works by Burden include the “Urban Light” structure that stands outside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In 2017, CMC installed an unnamed, 40-foot stainless steel totem between Appleby and Phillips halls by the late American artist Ellsworth Kelly. “These sculptures along with other present and future public art loans, gifts and acquisitions throughout the campus are going to be part of the academic life at CMC,” Walker said. CMC President Hiram Chodosh praised Walker and Bove in the earlier press release. “Chris Walker’s extraordinary generosity and leadership and Carol Bove’s vision and brilliant creativity join here to put the public arts in the heart of the liberal arts at CMC,” Chodosh said.

Scripps to work toward carbon commitment After massive student protest in the fall 2019 semester, Scripps College will become the final 5C to develop a climate action plan, Dean of Students Charlotte Johnson said in an email to Scripps students Jan. 30. Based upon the recommendation of the Scripps Sustainability Committee, Scripps President Lara Tiedens approved and signed the Climate Leadership Statement and submitted it to Second Nature, an organization that helps colleges work towards carbon neutrality, Scripps spokesperson Rachael Warecki told TSL via email. Warecki did not clarify whether signing the Climate Leadership Statement means the college is officially working toward carbon neutrality. The recommendation is the culmination of years of advocacy by members of SAS and the Scripps Environmental Education and Development club. Students have long lamented that Scripps was the sole 5C not to have signed a commitment to attain carbon neutrality, and they rallied in November to urge Tiedens to rectify that. A petition had garnered 1,073 signatures as of Wednesday. Student organizers Julia McCartan SC ’21 and Maggie Thompson SC ’20 told TSL in November 2019 that they had submitted a budget proposal for the college to sign the agreement. Signing a carbon commitment would “demonstrate Scripps College’s commitment to sustainability, and hold Scripps accountable for creating and following a personalized, concrete, step-by-step plan to achieve carbon neutrality,” the petition said. Pitzer College, Pomona College and Claremont McKenna College signed the Second Nature carbon commitment in 2007; Harvey Mudd College signed it in 2008. Pomona also pledged to become carbon neutral by 2030, according to a press release. CMC aims for carbon neutrality by 2050, according to the school’s website. In May, ASCMC advocated for moving its target to 2030 from 2050, in the first resolution the body passed in over four years. — Maria Heeter

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HUB: Bon Appétit addresses complaints Continued from page 1 Dean of Students office provided CMC students with a form to express feedback to which over 140 students replied — more than 10 percent of the enrolled students at CMC. “That ended up being really important information,” Graves said, “because it kind of reinforced from a much broader student lens what was important to [CMC] students in terms of their dining preferences at the Hub.” In addition, the Dean of Students office held a meeting Jan. 30 with Bon Appétit general manager Pam Franco, which Rosin, Campus Improvements Chair Gauri Taneja CM ’20 and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Director of Athletics Erica Jasper also attended. “Ms. Franco was incredibly receptive,” Graves said, “and realized right away that the benefits to the meal replacement policy as it existed exceeded some of the other concerns that she may have had in terms of efficiency and other things.” Rosin echoed this sentiment. “I found the meeting to be incredibly productive, as Ms. Franco completely understood why students were hoping to continue meal replacing all hot and cold food items,” she said. “[Franco] had immediately reversed the policy upon hearing the concern from students and administration.” According to Graves, Franco

had been away from CMC for a number of years and then returned to campus, so her recollection of meal replacement came from an earlier time of employment. Graves believes this led to the policy change. “I think she didn’t fully, nor did her colleagues fully, understand the shift in how students use meal replacements now as compared to the way they may have when she was here before,” Graves said. Graves told students about the restoration of the previous policy via email Friday, the day following the meeting. Meal replacement wasn’t the only topic of conversation at the meeting, which also covered further potential dining services improvements. “[Franco] is looking for more ways to incorporate student feedback into dining services at CMC,” Rosin added. “We discussed possibly extending the hours that students can meal replace at the [H]ub, and other food options that could be offered in the future.” Graves said she was satisfied with the results of the meeting. “[Franco] was deeply appreciative of the feedback from the students,” Graves said, “and also acknowledged that for all future policy changes, should they be considered, that we’ll have good opportunity for students to weigh in on those before they go into effect.”

CHRIS NARDI • THE STUDENT LIFE

The Hub quickly returned to its previous policy of allowing meal replacement after a brief suspension at the beginning of the semester.

Coronavirus forces students to change study abroad plans LAuReN WeST & ALeJANDRO MALDONADO As global concerns heighten over the spread of coronavirus, 5C students studying abroad have been forced to react to last-minute changes and cancellations by foreign universities and program providers. The 5Cs operate study abroad programs to China through outside organizations like Hamilton’s Associated Colleges in China, Middlebury C.V. Starr Schools Abroad, CET Academic Programs and the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). These organizations all canceled their China programs for the semester after the U.S. State Department issued a ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory for China, its highest level travel alert. Two Claremont McKenna College students had planned to study abroad in China for the spring 2020 semester, according to Kristen Mallory, CMC’s director of off-campus studies. Their programs were scheduled to start mid-February, Mallory said. Their study abroad organizations provided them a list of alternate destinations when they cancelled the China program, and CMC gave them the option of returning to campus. One student opted to go to Taiwan, and another decided to go to New Zealand for the semester, Mallory said. One Harvey Mudd College student planned to study abroad in China in spring 2020, but their program was also cancelled prior to the student’s departure, Mudd’s Director of Study Abroad Rhonda Chiles said via email. No students from Pitzer College, Scripps College or Pomona College had plans to study abroad in China this semester, according to the colleges’ study abroad directors. But the virus is also impacting programs outside of China. Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, where Jaimie Ding SC ’21 is set to study this spring through CIEE, announced Thursday it would postpone its coming semester’s start date by two weeks “to prevent the spread and infection” of coronavirus. TSL was

SODEXO: Reps respond to student criticisms Continued from page 1 The college sent a request for proposal to ten prospective vendors in August, and five submitted proposals, according to Calvo. Sodexo was the last of three finalist vendors to deliver a presentation on its food services plans for the college. Bon Appétit, which provides food services for Claremont McKenna College and Pitzer College, presented Jan. 29, and SAGE Dining Services presented Monday. Sodexo representatives spoke about the company’s humanitarian efforts as part of its Stop Hunger Foundation and its partnerships with organizations like the American Culinary Foundation and the Humane Society, as well as the planned launch of a program to reduce food waste called WasteWatch. The pitch also included a proposal for opening an outpost of fast-casual chain Freshii on campus, which would provide all-day dining. The college is evaluating the proposals based on “cost, food quality and alignment on Scripps values, among others,” and requires presenters to complete an informational form which asks about “social responsibility, involvement with the prison industry, ownership demographics, employment practices and compliance with the Federal disallowed parties standards,” among other information, Calvo said via email. Several protestors addressed the panel, which included general manager Garrick Hisamoto, a Sodexo district manager, a Sodexo senior vice president, a Sodexo sustainability officer, a Sodexo executive chef and Jennifer Williamson, Sodexo’s senior vice president of brand and communications, who responded to student questions during the Q&A session that followed the presentation. Maddie Moore SC ’22 said that “the operations of prisons is not just or positive,” and cited examples of inhumane treatment in Sodexo-run prisons that have captured international media attention, including routine strip searches, the death of a newborn baby and the death of inmate Annabella Landsberg. “How can you vie to be a member of our community, Sodexo, when you as a company do not commit to our community values and commit the very injustices we were taught to

fight?” Moore asked. Williamson stressed that Sodexo provides services in countries with democratically elected governments, “and where the focus is on rehabilitation and re-entry into the community.” “The types of instances that you have described are very rare,” Williamson said. “The fact that a baby died in prison, that a mother lost her child, deeply saddened everybody in the justice community.” “It is not something we take lightly, and it is something that we are fully complying with, ensuring it never happens again,” Williamson added. Two dining hall workers came forward in support of Sodexo and Hisamoto. “I don’t know about the prisons ... but I know in California, they’re doing a good job here. Garrick especially, when he came on board, food’s different, everything’s different about it,” said a Malott employee that TSL was unable to identify. “We’re trying our hardest to do stuff for the students. I just hope they appreciate that because we’re really breaking our backs.” “We wake up at four in the morning sometimes and we don’t go home until late at night,” he continued. “We’re here most of the time, [more] than we are at home. So I just wanted to give you guys a big round of applause.”

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Malott staff member Alma Ruiz, a salad pantry worker who said she has worked for the college for 23 years, and for Sodexo for “18 or 19,” also approached the microphone at the end of the Q&A session. “[It is] a pleasure to work for this company,” Ruiz said. Several more of the workers in the audience told TSL after the event they had come to support Sodexo. Sophie Peters SC ’20, one of the organizers of the protest, told TSL that Drop Sodexo “has always made sure to put workers first.” “We love the workers at Malott, and it’s always been at the forefront of our minds that we want the workers to stay, even though we want Sodexo to go,” Peters said. “Which is entirely possible because most of the workers, except for high management positions, are employed by Scripps and not Sodexo.” Dining hall employees are employed by the college and are not at risk of losing their jobs, Calvo confirmed. The administration “welcomes information sharing about corporations’ practices, histories and structures,” Calvo said via email. He added that student concerns “will be taken into consideration in the final phase of the selection process.”

ANNA CHOI • THE STUDENT LIFE

A student protesting Scripps’ contract with Sodexo reads over a pamphlet on the company’s future plans.

MEGHAN JOYCE • THE STUDENT LIFE

With the threat of coronavirus, many organizations used by 5C students for study abroad cancelled their China programs for the semester.

unable to confirm before press time if any other 5C students are studying at Yonsei this semester. As of Wednesday, South Korea had 18 reported coronavirus cases, according to the South China Morning Post. Ding, who is already in Seoul, said CIEE has not yet told her what this means for her program. Ding is “pretty disappointed” with the later start date, but trusts “that whoever is making decisions is doing it for the best, for the safety of everyone involved.” She visited her grandparents in China prior to traveling to Seoul, and described a “muted” atmosphere in Taizhou in Jiangsu Province where she visited. “There [were] signs everywhere telling people to wear masks in the subway,” she said. “Basically all the department stores and malls that I went to had hand sanitizer basically everywhere.” Ding cut her trip short and departed for Korea once she saw other countries were beginning to limit flights out of the country, in fear she wouldn’t be able to leave China at all. Looking into the future, CMC’s Mallory said she is encouraging prospective China study abroad applicants to “plan as if everything is going to be fine” and have a backup “just

in case.” Michael Ballagh, Pitzer’s associate vice president for international programs, said the school cannot yet determine whether students will be able to study in China in the fall. No Scripps students applied to study in China in fall 2020, Neva Barker, director of Scripps Study Abroad and Global Education, said. “I have spoken to students who are interested in studying in China in spring 2021 and beyond, and while they are aware of the coronavirus, it does not seem to be influencing their plans for a year from now,” Barker said. George Wang HM ’23, who has family in China, said he also hopes to study there in the future. “Most of my relatives live in China, so when the news of the coronavirus outbreak happened, I was kind of on the edge because only three of my family members are here, everyone else is in China,” Wang said. He said that he’s still planning to go, despite relatives’ warnings. “Because of what the situation is now, a lot of my relatives told me not to go back to China, but I really want to get into this university called Peking University,” Wang said. “So even if the virus is going on in July, I think I’m still going to go. I’ll be a bit more cautious, but I still really want to go.”

Scripps professor announces run for state legislature beN JONeS Scripps College politics professor Vanessa Tyson is running for an open California Assembly seat in her hometown of Whittier, she announced in December. Her campaign for the 57th District seat focuses on investment in K-12 and college education, equitable housing policy and climate justice. She has specific initiatives tackling women’s rights and sexual violence, according to her campaign website and Facebook page. “I’m pursuing this opportunity so that I can advocate for groups who rarely have a seat at the table,” she said in an announcement on her campaign website. Tyson’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment. The seat, vacated by Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon, has become the focus of an intense campaign featuring nine candidates, including Calderon’s stepmother Lisa Calderon and the sister of two other current assembly members. The election will take place alongside the 2020 presidential election Nov. 3. Tyson garnered national attention in February 2019 when she accused Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexual assault, alleging that Fairfax had assaulted her in a hotel room at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Fairfax maintains that the encounter was consensual and denied the allegations. When Tyson spoke to ABC News in January 2019 about the incoming freshman class of Representatives in the 116th Congress, she emphasized the importance of inspiration and confidence in politics. “You don’t get into these positions by asking for permission,” she said. “You get elected by inspiring people to turn out and vote for you, and part of what they’re saying is we can do better and we should do better.”

COURTESY: SCRIPPS COLLEGE

Scripps College politics professor Vanessa Tyson is running for an open seat in the California State Assembly’s 57th district.

Alison Jue SC ’20, who has taken classes with Tyson, praised her and said she would be well-suited for public office. “I can attest to her passion for policy and her dedication to improving any community that she is a part of,” Jue said via message. “I know that Professor Tyson will bring the same energy to her campaign that she brings into the classroom each and every day. If Professor Tyson’s campaign is successful, her constituents will be in great hands.” Harper Mills SC ’20 emphasized Tyson’s compassion, empathy and commitment to thoughtful scholarship in a February 2019 interview with TSL. “She’s one of the most brilliant humans I know, and I know for a fact she grounds her work across all fields in compassion and empathy,” Mills said. Tyson is the most recent 5C faculty member to seek political office. Claremont McKenna College government professor Zachary Courser CM ’99 and Jennifer Stark PZ ’98, a yoga instructor at Pomona College, ran for a Claremont City Council seat in 2018. Stark won her seat, while Courser narrowly lost to Ed Reece.

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Claremont Global Game Jam: Creating a video game from scratch in two days RINA NAGASHIMA Video game development typically brings to mind an image of people frantically, silently coding around a hive of computer screens. But last weekend, Claremont students gathered at the 5C Global Game Jam to create a very different image of game creation. Instead of solely focusing on programming, students also engaged with various other components of creating a video game, from artistic and musical design to writing. Newbies and experienced video game developers alike participated in the game jam, which took place in the Honnold Mudd Library from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2. Participants had just over 49 hours to plan, create and test their creations. The Global Game Jam, an annual, worldwide event, began in 2009. This year, the 5C students joined 933 other locations in the two-day “hackathon focused on game development.” Every location across the world, from Shanghai to Rio de Janeiro, produced games that adhered to this year’s topic — “repair.” Glen Skahill PO ’22, treasurer of the 5C Video Game Club and the 5C Game Jam’s official site organizer, put together the first 5C chapter of the Global Game Jam. He said the event was the perfect opportunity to explore and appreciate many components of video game creation, not just coding. “There’s a kind of popular misconception around [making] video games, that it’s just coding and sitting at your computer and [the people making them have] mathematical mindsets,” Skahill said. “What gets lost in thinking about video games that way is the beautiful artwork, great sounding music and soundtracks for games … A game wouldn’t be compelling if it wasn’t for [the

creators behind it] thinking through design principles.” Skahill organized the event alongside 5C Hackathon and Global Game Jam’s regional organizers. The 5C event brought together two teams of five, harnessing a wide array of talents, including pixel artwork, creative writing, storytelling and programming — using software like Twine. Participant Nick Yi PO ’21 enjoyed the collaborative and trusting environment the teams provided. “It was a good experience working in a team because I think when you’re working alone, it feels like there’s so much to handle,” Yi said.

“Like, ‘Oh my God, I have to write this and then I have to program this.’” Working with a team allowed him to focus on one thing and trust that his teammates would take care of the other components, Yi added. Kevin Ayala PO ’22 explained how his team applied the topic of “repair” to their final product, a suspenseful game of robotic surgery. “For our personal project, we have an Operation-type game,” Ayala said. “So instead of operating on a human, we’re operating on a cyborg, and we have some wacky objects that we’re using. He has a bionic arm, and you’ll still bleed …

like a normal human — but he’s got a couple of little quirks that make him a robot.” Lilly Haave PO ’22, a member of the other five-person team, said they applied the theme of repair by making their game about a character going back in time and repairing their week. The event was preceded by two talks on game development by Scripps College professor Oscar Moralde and Pomona College professor Joseph Osborn, which aimed to support those with no previous experience in developing video games. The talks detailed the many facets of game conception and production, from

ALySSA LEONG • THE STuDENT LIFE

Lilly Haave PO ‘22 writes a sign in preparation for the Claremont Global Game Jam.

planning to writing to executing. “I think it’s really important to have a newbie-friendly game jam, since we’re all students who want to learn the technical knowledge of game design and game creation,” Skahill said. “As far as I know, of the 10 people who have all [participated], maybe one person has made a game before.” Ayala echoed Skahill’s sentiment, grateful that the Game Jam allowed him to experiment with concepts he had learned academically. “I’m a [computer science] major, but I’m only a sophomore … I haven’t picked a track that I’m going into yet,” Ayala said. “[The 5C Game Jam] was just a fun way for me to try out different things.” Haave said the event itself also helped develop creative writing skills, as her responsibilities were mostly related to the writing component of their game. “I don’t really do a lot of creative writing, and our game was writing-based,” she said. “So that was really interesting for me to do that. But also, I fidgeted with the program Twine a little bit … I feel like I learned a lot both about writing and technology.” A showcase at the end of the event on Sunday allowed students to show each other their final products and reflect on their processes. “It’s really, really amazing what you can learn in a couple days if you really put your mind to it,” Ayala said. “I didn’t know the programming language. I didn’t [even] have the software installed on my computer. So just to go from that to a functioning game ... People are so busy in college that they’re always just barely staying on top of [everything], but having a couple of nice free hours to create your own stuff is amazing.”

SCENE ONE, HOT TAKE ONE

An Oscars preview — what will win, what should win and what should have been nominated BEN HAFETZ The 92nd Academy Awards are right around the corner, and that means it’s time to place bets on who or what will take home the gold this year. As someone who thinks the Academy always finds a way to get it completely wrong, I list my predictions for the Academy’s chosen winners, in addition to what should win instead and also what was completely snubbed in the major award categories.

What will win: As much as I hate to admit it, it looks as if Sam Mendes’ World War I film “1917” will take the prize on Sunday. While the film’s one-take aesthetic is impressive, it’s ultimately the only memorable thing about this tired take on the war genre. In fact, “1917”’s seemingly inevitable win at the ceremony is a symptom of an overall issue with the Oscars — they always pick the most boring and forgettable film to win the top prize. What should win: “The Irishman,” Martin Scorsese’s three hour mob epic, is one of the best films of his career. The film feels like a summation of the great director’s career, while also acting as an interrogation of the toxic masculinity within Scorsese’s male anti-heroes. How the hell was this not even nominated: In what has to be the worst snub in recent memory, the Safdie brothers’ masterpiece of grime, “Uncut Gems,” is a film that I believe to be the best of 2019. To be honest, I am about 80 percent sure that the film was designed in a lab for me. It has everything I could ever want in a film: sports gambling, tension, judaism, New York crime, the “sports pope” Mike Francesa and the legendary Adam Sandler.

What will win: Unfortunately, I think Sam Mendes will take home the award. The academy loves gimmicks like a one-take film, and “1917” is set up to be the latest gimmick film to earn its director an Oscar. What should win: No one else could have done what Martin Scorsese did with “The Irishman.” His voice looms over the entire film and gives it a sense of mastery only possible from a legend like him. How the hell was this not nominated: The Safdie brothers’ ability to work with untrained actors in “Uncut Gems,” from NBA legend Kevin Garnett to my new favorite Instagram follow Wayne Diamond, shows just how in tune they are with their vision of New York City, where even the scummiest of characters can be three-dimensional. If the Safdies keep up their meteoric rise, this will be the last time they are snubbed from a directing nod.

Who will win: Maybe I’m being overly optimistic, but it seems like the Academy might actually get this one right by awarding Joaquin Phoenix for his phenomenal work in “Joker.” Who should win: Joaquin Phoenix is the best actor of his generation. Give him the gold. How the hell was this person not nominated: I’m guessing you’re beginning to sense a pattern, but the snub of Adam Sandler’s work as Howard Ratner in “Uncut Gems” was an egregious call by the Academy. His unmatchable charisma allows the audience to find something redeemable in the degenerate gambler Ratner, and his performance of resentful anger is uniquely skillful. In fact, it’s almost poetic that Sandler’s performance as a man who never gets what he wants was snubbed from a nomination at the Oscars.

Who will win: I’m going to be honest, I haven’t seen Renée Zellweger’s performance as Judy Garland in “Judy.” I’m not sure anyone has. However, the Oscars don’t

WAVErLy WANG • THE STuDENT LIFE

shy away from awarding a well-liked celebrity for their unseen film. Who should win: A famous cliché about the Oscars is that actors never get their Oscars wins for their best role, but rather later in their career to make up for an earlier snub. In 20 years, when Saoirse Ronan wins an Oscar, we will all be saying it was really for her phenomenal performance in “Little Women.” Ronan’s performance carries the whole film as she routinely steals scenes from the likes of Meryl Streep and Laura Dern. No one is more deserving of an Oscars win this year. How the hell was this person not nominated: No one carried a film more than Elisabeth Moss as Becky Something in Alex Ross Perry’s “Her Smell.” The camera almost never leaves Moss’ face as she oscillates between self-destruction and self-improvement.

Who will win: Once again, I have a feeling that the Oscars are going to get this one right with Brad Pitt taking home the gold for his effortlessly cool and career-defining performance in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Who should win: Brad Pitt does not have an Oscar. Let’s fix that. How the hell was this person not nominated: A hope of mine for this year was for Shia LaBeouf to get an Oscar nomination for his role as his own abusive father in the autobiographical “Honey Boy.” I’ve been a long-standing fan of LaBeouf, and his performance in the film was one that I had been waiting a long time for — it’s honest in a way that only he is capable of being.

Who will win: I must admit that I’m having the hardest time nailing down a winner in this category. However, I’m going to go with my heart and pick Laura Dern for her brutally funny performance as a high-end divorce lawyer in Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story.” Dern may have the smallest amount of screentime among the nominees, but her brief moments in the film pack a punch. Who should win: Laura Dern is a national treasure. Give her the gold. How the hell was this person not nominated: I can’t remember most of Lorene Scafaria’s stripper heist film “Hustlers.” However, everything I do remember has to do with Jennifer Lopez’s return to movie stardom as the endlessly watchable Ramona Vega. Ben Hafetz PZ ’20 is one of TSL’s film columnists. He’s a media studies and politics double major who likes to not only see movies, but also tell his friends why they should or should not like certain ones.

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Know Your Rights Claremont empowers local community YASMIN ELQUTAMI

ANNA HOrNE • THE STuDENT LIFE

The HMC exhibition “Accounts of Their Times” presents student artwork from art professor Ken Fandell’s course “Photography.”

Harvey Mudd’s Sprague Gallery features ‘Account of Their Times’ student show JULIANA MESSINA What do a stack of beer cans, crushed lipstick and peeling paint on a car have in common? In Harvey Mudd College’s latest student art show, all are used to illustrate the perspective of a student. Mudd’s Sprague Gallery opened the student art exhibit “Accounts of Their Times” last Thursday, Jan. 30. The first exhibit in the recently renovated gallery, this show features a wide variety of photographs from art professor Ken Fandell’s course “Photography.” The exhibition was an unexpected surprise for the student artists — the art from the class was not created to hang in a gallery, and the decision to hold the exhibition was made later, Fandell said. The show held an opening reception Jan. 30, featuring a spoken word performance by poet Mary Jessie Celestin HM ’21. The crowd consisted of 5C students, as well as visiting junior high students, who appeared engaged in the themes of her poems and interpreting the art. “People were interested in the artwork and trying to find the theme of it all, because it was a lot of diverse ideas,” she said. “But [they] enjoyed getting these sneak-peeks into people’s lives whether [they were] snapshots of dorm culture or aesthetic photos of friends or trips.” The exhibit’s one common denominator was the prominence of each student’s personal life in each of the pieces. The photographs on the walls displayed a wide-array of subjective moments the artists had captured throughout the semester, from peeling paint to students playing beer pong. A handout at the entrance to the exhibit explained that “There is no hesitance about these accounts. The artist’s gazes remain

simple as they tell thoughts and memories.” Fandell emphasized the unique perspective and experience of each student. “I always think it’s good to give the students a chance to exhibit their art outside of the classroom environment [and] see how it does out in the world,” he said. “I think [the pieces] are really exciting on their own outside of the context of assignments … No art is typical. Every class is different. Each student is different.”

I think [the pieces] are really exciting on their own outside of the context of assignments … No art is typical. Every class is different. Each student is different. Ken Fandell

The exhibit was curated by HMC arts administrator Julia Hong. Fandell explained her importance in selecting the pieces as an unbiased outsider from the class. “[She] is given free range to look for the work produced for the class and pick out work that she thinks is the most interesting,” he said. Hong further explained her thought process while deciding what would be displayed: “My role as the curator of the show … [was] to select works based on the visual and conceptual impact they each make [and] draw a conceptual thread amongst the selected works.”

For class member Kaveh Pezeshki HM ’21 the exhibit was an added bonus — his photos weren’t taken with the intention of being exhibited. “I feel like it’s an affirmation of the work that me and my classmates put into the class over the semester,” Pezeshki said. “Just seeing it here is really cool because it gives other people the chance to see the work that we’ve done.” Fellow classmate Rikki Walters HM ’20 photographed a piece featuring two nude figures. “I think it’s weird to know that all 5C staff and faculty and students can see it … It’s obviously the most scandalous piece I did,” Walters said. “However, I think [the piece] fits my personality in a way, so people shouldn’t be all that surprised.” The original concept for her photoshoot centered around infidelity and making what could be seen as ugly look beautiful. “The ugly thing was … that they actually weren’t supposed to be together,” Walters said. “It was hard to capture that, but that was the original intent, to make infidelity look beautiful.” Art students from Mudd appreciated the physical representation of art on a stereotypically STEM campus. “One of the key [ideologies] of Mudd is this idea of blending the humanities with these technical concepts that we are hammered with every day,” Pezeshki said. “Having displays — really well put together professional displays — is important to allow that distinction to show.” “Accounts of Their Times” will be displayed in the Sprague Gallery in the lower level of the Shanahan Center until March 9.

In early 2017, a few months after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, a group of 5C students banded together to form Know Your Rights Claremont, an organizing initiative that works to inform the local community about legal rights for workers and undocumented individuals. Fast forward to 2019: The group, with most of its members about to graduate, was in danger of fizzling out. But now, a younger group of 5C students have taken up the torch and revived the initiative, and they’re hoping to pick up where past KYR members left off. “The group before us was really self-sufficient in terms of resources, so we’re not exactly starting from scratch,” said Amelia Carttar PO ’22, one of the group’s lead organizers. “Their legacy helped plan the clinic we just held and will inform the clinics we have in the future.” KYR clinics are a crucial part of the KYR foundation, Carttar said. KYR members collaborate with volunteering local attorneys and local activist organizations, such as the Pomona Day Labor Center and the California Association for Bilingual Education, to create public clinics where community members can discuss their various rights as laborers and DACAmented and undocumented immigrants with trained specialists in a safe space. KYR member Gabriela Jimenez PO ’23 explained that safe spaces like clinics are an important part of KYR’s mission to educate people who might feel they are stuck or must live in fear. “KYR is all about … being able to empower people with information and trying to fight the fear that is fueled by misinformation,” she said. “I think in immigrant communities especially [it’s] about hav-

ing access to information needed to just live your life — like knowing tenant rights or how to get your license — because sometimes it’s not just about [getting] documentation. It’s being able to live in peace.” Jazmin Trenco PO ’23, another KYR newcomer, noted how the political climate of the last several years has informed current KYR activism, and how the group can instill hope and justice in a community. “Right now, with everything going on [in the] political climate … we often see people with no hope who are living in really intolerant communities, so [KYR] is a really direct way to spread hope and get to know your community,” Trenco explained. “[Being] in KYR, you know, I’m making myself useful and being a resource.” Carttar and co-leader Lily Lucas SC ’22 re-started the group with initially low expectations, as they had no members, Carttar said. “It was really exciting when we got our first responses from students interested in KYR,” Carttar said. “I was like, ‘Wow.’ It just made us really happy to know that there were other people who were interested in doing the same thing, in working toward the same goals.” According to Jimenez, the group, which currently consists of about 15 members, is now in the process of collaborating with attorneys and nonprofit organizations to receive training. They hope to help community members fill out government documents, such as FOIA requests to obtain one’s immigration file. Trenco characterized the group as small but mighty, motivated by direct action and feedback from the community. “We’re a relatively small group … but we all put so much work into it,” Trenco said. “[We were] talking to attorneys, and they [told us], ‘We’re so proud of you guys because we want to see more people, more college students become involved in this.’ I’m happy and hopeful for the future. We can help a lot of people.”

COurTESy: LILy LuCAS

Know your rights Claremont hosted an educational rights clinic Feb. 1 in Pomona.

A cappella singers strike a chord at 2020 ICCA West Quarterfinal SHREYA KAMRA The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella West Quarterfinal swept the stage at Bridges Auditorium Feb. 1, with 10 groups from seven universities in California performing unique song collections. They were all fighting for a place in the Western Semifinal, where they’ll then compete for a chance to win the title of ICCA West Champion.

We feel like a family, and I think that is what made the process successful. We were really supporting each other through the process and understanding of each others’ schedules. Stephanie Zappelli

UCLA left Claremont victorious, with three of their four participating a cappella groups taking the top three spots in the competition. Resonance secured the first place award that night, dazzling the audience and judges with a song set infused with Billie Eilish tracks and themes. Pitch, Please! took second place, and Random Voices followed in third. Along with diverse music performed by the groups, the show captured the audience’s attention

with humorous emcee Aaron Jung, who swiftly transitioned between the song sets with comedic stories and tidbits that helped lighten the air. Caitie Connelly PO ’23 credited Jung with keeping the show lively amid what may have felt like a tense, competitive environment. “I thought the show was very interesting and engaging because of the way the emcee tried to connect with the audience, and how the music varied genres and appealed to different audience members,” Connelly said. The competition began slowly, with the singers’ voices softened by the low microphone quality and slightly off choreography, generating a subdued audience reaction to many of the first performers. Claire LeBlanc PO ’23 disappointedly noticed an initial lack of widely recognizable song choices, but was impressed with the technical dedication of the performers. “Since it was a competition, there weren’t a lot of songs that I recognized, and I think that I was expecting it to have more songs I recognized and enjoyed more,” she said. “But you could appreciate that [song choice] was definitely geared towards more technical songs.” UCLA’s group Resonance then took over the stage with a sharp, emotional cover of 2020 Grammy award winner Billie Eilish’s “idontwannabeyouanymore,” after which the crowd erupted in applause. However, the performance provided more than impressive vocals. Resonance sought to communicate a pressing message regarding mental health, explained member Gabi Schiffler.

“Our whole entire set is basically a message about mental health,” Schiffler said. “It starts with this girl talking to herself, saying ‘idontwannabeyouanymore’ in the mirror [repetitively]. The second song was a transition piece, [to convey] how you should focus on your life and slow down, take a minute to breathe.” Though this was the group’s third time performing in the ICCAs, preparation and execution proved to be a stressful task all around. “We had basically four weeks to prepare,” Schiffler said. “It was honestly such a big group effort from everybody. There were six choreographers, and everybody

pulled together to make everything work.” Across many a cappella groups, the night instilled a sense of family between group members. Random Voices member Kyra Decastro said the night allowed the all-female group to stand out in competition and feel more confident. “It has been honestly so awesome being in an all-female group, because we bond in so many ways and connect with each other onstage in a different way than I think co-ed groups do,” Decastro said. “Plus, we get to sing some pretty badass songs about women and … songs that are not usually

sung by women. It’s just been really, really fun.” Other groups felt similarly about how the night allowed them to connect as a team. “I think it really brought our a cappella group closer together,” said Stephanie Zappelli, a singer from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s That’s the Key. “We feel like a family, and I think that is what made the process successful. We were really supporting each other through the process and understanding of each others’ schedules.” With a big smile, Zappelli added, “We are just so stoked to have the opportunity to even be here. To even touch the ICCA stage is so exciting.”

MELINA KOFOKOTSIOu • THE STuDENT LIFE

UCLA’s Random Voices performed at the ICCA West Quarterfinal, which was hosted at Pomona Feb. 1.

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Jasper’s crossword: Hole foods

Fear of coronavirus fuels xenophobia LILY BORAK

JASPEr DAVIDOFF • THE STuDENT LIFE

ACROSS 1. They may split, as hair 5. Triumph 8. Step before a walk? 12. Taffy candies with a mystery flavor 14. Contempt 16. With 24-across, what Eddie Redmayne movie to watch while eating a bagel? (with The) * 17. Costumes 19. Extend across 20. ___ Air 21. Sigma ___ 22. Rescue team letters 24. See 16-across * 28. Tech. detail (for a phone, say) 30. Chowder variety 31. Charles Lamb’s “Essays of ___” 32. Pulsate 34. Municipal customer 36. One-time Russian space station 38. Zip 39. With 51-across, what Fats Domino song to listen to while eating a bagel? * 45. Fasten (as velcro shoes) 49. Fat removal, briefly 50. Dunham of HBO’s Girls 51. See 39-across * 52. What to say when unlocking a door while eating a bagel? * 55. Use Venmo 56. Blood relatives 57. Feline 58. Girl Scout uniform, often 61. Comedian Murphy and musician Van Halen 63. What satire website to read while eating a bagel? * 67. River through Paris 68. Mull over 69. Ran out of battery 70. Introduced oneself to 71. Prefix with byte

DOWN 1. Grab a bite 2. Fed. medical researcher 3. Place for a sock drawer 4. The Coop or Jay’s 5. Hockey legend Gretzky 6. Marriage words 7. Source of univ. research cash 8. Creatures used to frighten 9. 18+ 10. 2018’s Super Bowl number 11. Heartily 13. Legislation just ratified by Va. 15. Villain 18. Main ingredient in marshmallows 20. Little rascal 22. D.C. winter setting 23. Dashboard stat. 25. Old cassette entertainment sys. 26. She, in São Paulo 27. Part of “SHS” 29. “Hurry up!” 33. Attire for a lobster eater 35. Dets. for hire 37. Put out, as an album 39. Fellow 40. What are removed in 49-across 41. Totally changed 42. Unwind 43. Genetic stuff 44. Thanksgiving side dish 46. “Lady, running down to the _______” 47. In the style of 48. Two-___ (toilet paper designation) 53. Script subdivision 54. 50-meter, e.g. 59. Greek goddess of the dawn 60. Bad mood 62. Shakespeare’s “Richard ___” 63. Chnl. for old films 64. Groundbreaking device? 65. “___ the ramparts we watched” 66. Pro-gun org.

FEbruAry 7, 2020

A cafe in Italy and a nail salon in Vietnam have banned Chinese customers. “Yellow Alert” was the front-page headline of French regional newspaper Le Courrier Picard. UC Berkeley’s health center listed xenophobia as a common reaction to coronavirus in a now-deleted Instagram post. In the weeks since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, fear has flourished internationally. As more cases appear, it’s crucial to promote disease prevention without using the virus as justification for prejudice and racial profiling. The racist reactions to the outbreak are partly a product of the narrative introduced by the media. It began, in part, with sensationalist descriptions of foods found in the “wet market” from which the first cluster of cases originated. The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, located in Wuhan, China, gained global attention when the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission reported multiple coronavirus patients were linked to the market. The first coronavirus patient, however, had no known connection to the market, Science Magazine reported. Daniel Lucey, an infectious disease expert and professor at Georgetown University, explained to Science Magazine how new data published in The Lancet suggests person-to-person transmission may have been occurring in Wuhan as early as November before ever reaching the market. The market has surely played a role in the disease’s spread. According to The Lancet’s data from one hospital in Wuhan, 66 percent of the coronavirus patients had been exposed to the market. The National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention under the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention collected 585 environmental samples from the market, 33 of which tested positively for the virus, Xinhua reported last week. “My hypothesis is that the markets are where this jump occurred,” Pomona College biology professor Sharon Stranford said. “The thing with [viruses] is they don’t hang out long outside of bodies. They need live cells. Usually in a case of [animal-to-human transmission], it tends to be

live animals with people in really close quarters.” At wet markets, people can purchase living or very-recently-living animals, so experts are understandably centering conversations about disease prevention around these markets, discussing everything from small reforms to flat-out bans. However, the media’s portrayal of Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market seems overly focused on the strangeness of its available foods, as though the outbreak marks a moral and cultural failure.

Reporters, scientists and social media users can and should acknowledge the wet market’s role in spreading the disease, but they must do so without using morally-charged, sensational language about the market’s contents. “It is a warren of stalls selling meats, poultry and fish, as well as more exotic fare, including live reptiles and wild game that some in China prize as delicacies. According to a report by the city’s center for disease control, sanitation was dismal, with poor ventilation and garbage piled on wet floors,” The New York Times reported this week. Other articles employ more overtly morally-charged adjectives. In recent headlines, words like “bizarre,” “inhumane” and “horrifying” have been used to describe these wet markets. By focusing on the perceived “weirdness” of the market, these articles sensationalize the foods enjoyed by market-goers and promote Eurocentric conceptions of what constitutes socially and morally acceptable food. And while reporters perpetuate undertones of disgust, social media users bluntly promote anti-Chinese anger. One Twitter user posted: “I can’t fucking believe it. Because of some folks in China who eat weird shit like bats, rats and snakes, the entire world is about to suffer a plague.” The post has been retweeted over 5,500 times.

In a study published last October, Durham University researchers found wet markets succeed in China because markets provide a social experience, vendors foster trust with their customers and consumers value the freshness of the foods they can purchase there. Reporters, scientists and social media users can and should acknowledge the wet market’s role in spreading the disease, but they must do so without using morally-charged, sensational language about the market’s contents. Though viruses can arise in any country or community, the media’s condemnation of Chinese culture provided the initial platform for vitriol and continues to enable xenophobia. That said, social media has also become a place for resistance, a space where people experiencing xenophobia can share their stories and where misinformation can be countered with facts. Nadia Alam, a Canadian physician, took to Twitter to discuss the profiling her son experienced. She wrote, “Today my son was cornered at school by kids who wanted to ‘test’ him for #Coronavirus just because he is half-Chinese. They chased him. Scared him. And made him cry.” In response to Le Courrier Picard’s aforementioned headline, French Asians began tweeting the hashtag #JeNeSuisPasUnVirus which translates to “I am not a virus.” On TikTok, Asian teens are satirizing the suspicion they’re receiving from white peers. Whereas other recent epidemics, such as Ebola or Zika, involved outbreaks of known viruses, this strain of coronavirus is completely new. In response to uncertainty about the virus itself and the course the outbreak will take, an outbreak of public panic — fueled by incorrect or insufficient information — has emerged. Amid the fear, it’s important to consider what we share on social media and how we may be complicit in perpetuating false narratives about the virus. We must ensure that what we communicate and share with the wider public serves to empower people with accurate, up-to-date facts and information. “We’re being overly cautious because there is so much unknown,” Stranford said. “When do you panic and when do you educate? We need to educate right now.” Lily Borak PZ ’21 is a writing and rhetoric major and biology minor from Newton, Massachusetts. She recently started learning how to embroider!

Lack of clarity on sexual assault reporting is a disaster waiting to happen DONNIE TC DENOME CW: sexual assault, abuse Private resource. Confidential resource. Mandated reporter. Responsible employee. Campus Security Authority. The list of terms — all with long, murky definitions — seems interminable. It’s also a list one might not think about until after something terrible has happened. In the wake of constantly shifting laws and policies around sexual violence and illegal activity on campus, students deserve to know what different people on campus are required to report, should they hear of a sexual assault or other crime. Unfortunately, given the spider web of bureaucracy created by seven schools and plenty of auxiliary services, Claremont is in no place to provide that information. In my three-and-a-half years at Claremont, the only time I have ever been informed of the differences between terms like “confidential resource” vs. “private resource” and “responsible employee” vs. “mandated reporter” is when I went through training as a student worker or when I directly asked someone I expected would know. But the unfortunate reality was that many of the people I asked didn’t know the distinction between the terms, even if they agreed that my expectation that they know was completely reasonable. Everyone from work supervisors to professors to Title IX officers has given me muddled answers that left me more confused than I started. The differences between “formal” and “informal” language often don’t help. Legally speaking, “mandated reporter” and “responsible employee” mean two very different things. A “mandated reporter” under California law is required to report “known or suspected abuse or neglect relating to children, elders or dependent adults” to law enforcement or the appropriate social services agency, according to a University of Southern California

MEGHAN JOyCE • THE STuDENT LIFE

policy bulletin. The abuse does not necessarily have to be sexual. A “responsible employee,” on the other hand, is required to report incidents of sexual violence or sexual harassment to the Title IX coordinator or the appropriate school designee, according to the United States Department of Education. Not all mandated reporters are responsible employees, although most responsible employees are mandated reporters. Medical professionals and members of the clergy are generally considered mandated reporters by the state but are considered confidential resources under Title IX, meaning that they are not responsible employees, according to the 7C Violence Prevention and Advocacy website. Yet even the Association of Title IX Administrators uses the terms “mandated reporter” and “responsible employee” interchangeably in many of their publications. One of their publications that mixes the two terms, somewhat ironically, is titled:

“Who is a mandated reporter, of what? -- getting some clarity.” Given this lack of clarity (sorry, ATIXA), it would make sense for Claremont to have one standardized and easily accessible policy across all 7Cs as to which employees — and especially which student employees and volunteers — are considered responsible employees or mandated reporters and which ones are truly confidential resources. As it stands, the policies at each college are mostly aligned with each other. But that’s still eight different policies — all seven schools plus The Claremont Colleges Services — listed in eight different, often difficult-to-find places. While the 7C Violence Prevention and Advocacy website presents an admirable attempt at organizing and categorizing the vast array of groups and resources, its information is sometimes out-of-date or lacking in details. This is unacceptable. Seeking support, guidance, care and further options as a survivor, or as

a survivor’s friend or advocate, should not involve a maze of questions and dead-ends. Survivors should be able to have easy and quick access to confidential resources and be able to receive care for their trauma without worrying about unwanted interactions with their school’s Title IX officer. The colleges need more confidential resources, yes, but they also need to provide more clear, updated information about the different types of resources on campus and which employees are considered mandated reporters and/or responsible employees. This can be as simple as requiring all responsible employees, mandated reporters and other authority figures to display graphics on their office doors informing visitors of their designation and what that means. Requiring Title IX information to be included in all class syllabi to discuss the different designations as well is perhaps in order. Finally, the colleges owe it to

their student employees and volunteers (and by extension, all students) to be upfront with us about what our responsibilities are and aren’t. I have devoted literal months of my life to on-campus jobs for minimal pay, if I’m paid at all. But I cannot help others properly if the schools don’t tell me what my responsibilities are. I cannot do my work correctly if I am constantly wondering what my employers expect me to do. I cannot do my work correctly if policy and legal changes are not promptly and succinctly communicated. As a survivor, as an advocate, as a peer educator, as a member of the press and as a student, I and all of my peers need the colleges to give us better information on who we can trust not to divulge some of our worst memories and pressing concerns. Donnie TC Denome PZ ’20 is a public health major from Sunnyvale, California who can’t quite believe it’s less than six months to graduation.

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The second Amendment was about suppressing, not protecting rights BEN REICHER If you’re ever asked for a random quote from the annals of Virginia state government, here’s one to remember: “Nothing will preserve [liberty] but downright force … Everyone who is able might have a gun.” Such a statement would not be out of place from Virginia Republicans today, with the newly elected Democratic legislative majority having just passed several major gun control bills, though not before a “pro-Second Amendment” rally last month of over 20,000 people against new gun regulations. But this quote isn’t from 2020 — it’s from 1788, during the debate on whether Virginia should ratify the proposed constitution for the 12-year-old nation. It was said by Patrick Henry, of “Give me liberty, or give me death!” fame. But we can assume he didn’t mean everyone ought to have a gun — presumably, he didn’t include the slaves he owned throughout his life. In Virginia’s debate on ratification, some might draw parallels to modern America’s unique gun culture, distinguished by the belief that gun ownership is necessary to protect our rights. But we also see the true motivation behind the Second Amendment, a direct result of these debates in Virginia — perhaps, with implications for contemporary legal interpretations. In summer 1788, as fellow Virginian James Madison (the primary writer of the Constitution) and his Federalist bloc pushed for ratification, they were opposed by Henry’s Antifederalists, who feared a strong federal government would subvert state authority. Of particular concern was Article I, Section 8, which empowered Congress to arm and train state militias, which to Henry amounted to empowering Congress to disband them. Henry led the Antifederalists in refusing to support ratification until Madison drafted a Bill of Rights, including the Second Amendment: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” With the Antifederalists’ demands met, Virginia ratified the Constitution on

June 26, 1788. The Second Amendment is widely held to have codified the view that individual gun ownership is needed to protect one’s rights. But whose rights, and more importantly what “rights,” were Henry and the Antifederalists trying to protect? A closer look reveals a very specific impetus for the Second Amendment. In Virginia and the rest of the South, the main function of militias — membership in which was restricted to white men — was to enforce slavery; Henry and the Antifederalists felt that if the federal government dissolved state militias, it would be the end of their “right” to own their fellow human beings.

would never have understood it that way — a guarantee of individual gun ownership could be construed as extending to the slaves and to free people of color, who throughout the antebellum South were barred from owning guns by state laws. To the Framers, the Second Amendment was always a guarantee of the right of states to form militias. This can be intimated from the language as well: “the security of a free State”, not “country”; and the reference to the “right of the people,” not “right of people,” further suggesting a focus on the collective and not the individual. Given these LIFE militias’ purNT E D STu pose of enforcing E H •T slavery, perhaps it uEr E bA I L could be argued, under origA T NA inalist thinking, that the Second Amendment has been effectively nullified: With slavery abolished by the 13th Amendment in 1865, it bears inquiring what constitu“ H a v e tional force can a guarantee of they [Con- militias, enacted with the original gress] not power intent of protecting slavery, still to provide for the gen- have. eral defense and welDon’t hold your breath for fare?” Henry insisted. the conservatives who swear by “May they not think that originalism to make this arguthese call for the abolition of ment. But I hope this interpretaslavery? May they not pronounce tion may be instructive for supall slaves free, and will they not be porters of gun regulations like warranted by that power?” those recently passed by Virginia This isn’t important just because Democrats (including universal it’s important to know history; it’s background checks, a limit on also important because we have handgun purchases per month a moral and civic responsibility and a red flag law), now that the to understand that our Founding battle over guns has returned to Fathers had a darker side to them. the Old Dominion State. This is the answer to claims It’s important because it could be cause to reconsider the legal inter- like “the Second protects our pretation of the Second Amend- First”; that the purpose of the ment as protecting individual gun Second Amendment is to proownership, as the Supreme Court tect individual gun ownership ruled in DC v. Heller. The majority in order to protect basic rights. opinion in Heller was written by That couldn’t be further from the the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who truth: The purpose was to prowas famous (or infamous) for orig- tect state gun ownership in order inalism, the belief that the Consti- to take away the most basic of tution should be interpreted as the rights. Framers understood it when it was Ben Reicher PO ’22 is from Agoura written. Under originalism, there is no Hills, California. He joined his high way the Second Amendment can school newspaper in ninth grade bepertain to individual gun owner- cause he loved to argue, and hasn’t ship, because Henry and the others stopped since.

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THE STUDENT LIFE Editorial Board HANK SNOWDON, Editor-in-Chief MABEL LUI, Managing Editor MARC ROD, Managing Editor

Senior Staff JAMES KARSTEN, Production Editor HELENA ONG, Production Editor SAM BOVARD, News Designer ANNIKA RAGNARTZ, Life & Style Designer GRACE SAUERS, Opinions Designer MARCELLA CANNATTI, Sports Designer AMY BEST, Photo Editor HUXLEYANN HUEFNER, Photo Editor ANNIE WU, Graphics Editor KELLEN BROWNING, Editor-at-Large

JASPER DAVIDOFF, News Editor MARIA HEETER, News Editor ERIKA SCHWERDFEGER, News Associate AMBER CHONG, Life & Style Editor YASMIN ELQUTAMI, Life & Style Editor DONNIE DENOME, Opinions Editor EAMON MORRIS, Opinions Editor MARISA MESTICHELLA, Sports Editor MATTHEW KIM, Sports Associate MADY COLANTES, Copy Chief

TSL’s Editorial Board consists of the editor-in-chief and two managing editors. Aside from the editorial, the views expressed in the opinions section do not necessarily reflect the views of The Student Life. Singles copies of TSL are free and may be obtained at news stands around campus. Multiple copies may be purchased for $0.47 per copy with prior approval by contacting editor@tsl.news. Newspaper theft is a crime; perpetrators may be subject to disciplinary action as well as civil and/ or criminal prosecution.

OFF THE RECORD Datamatch starts today It’s a travesty the Claremont School of Theology isn’t included

Last year everyone I matched with looked like me You can find the GoFundMe for my new identity online

We have a new editorin-chief! Everyone say hi to Hank

Our old editorin-chief fled the country Meghan please just tell us why you left

Dunkaroos are back! Everyone’s favorite childhood snack

Sour Patch Kids cereal still isn’t leaving No one wants your dumb sour milk

Pandora’s sentimental value The pitfalls of ‘intersectionality’ overpowers its lack of function MARGOT ROSENBLATT

GEORGIA SCOTT I’m not quite sure how it started, but for a solid seven years my sister and I used Pandora as our music platform. I didn’t realize this wasn’t what everyone else was doing until well into high school, but I also didn’t realize that everyone else was listening to Ed Sheeran (horrible) and Taylor Swift (bad), and not The Allman Brothers Band or Talking Heads. There are two important points to make here. One, I have superior music taste to my peers. Two, because of this, my assertion that Pandora is the best music platform is correct. Most people know Pandora for the “radio” stations it puts together, playing similar artists and songs to satisfy the singular needs of listeners. But there is so much more to Pandora. It really is its own Pandora’s box. I’m not happy with myself for making that pun. Pandora, unlike Spotify, allows multiple listeners at once. It may be glitchy as hell, and it may buffer for about four minutes every time more than one listener gets on it, but at least my sister and I can somewhat enjoy our music at the same time. It turns out that’s really the only thing Pandora can do that Spotify can’t. And I’ve actually found a way to trick Spotify into letting multiple listeners listen at once, so even the multiple listeners argument has been nullified. My bad Pandora’s box pun was for nothing. Leave a comment if you want to know the trick. Spotify also has more music licenses than Pandora — for example, you can listen to Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do with It” on Spotify, but not Pandora. This is because many of Pandora’s songs, like “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” are available for “radio only” no matter

how expensive of a subscription you have. I have not come across a song on Spotify unavailable for such a reason. I think I just admitted that I switched to Spotify in August. Whoops. I’m not sure how it happened — I definitely was not supportive. My sister just told me I needed to recreate all my playlists on the new Spotify account because mom was deleting Pandora. All this — my violently strong positive feelings about Pandora based on no real evidence — made me realize there is an innate desire in us to hold onto sentimental ways, no matter how much they slow us down. Looking through the thousands of songs my sister and I have liked on Pandora brought back so many memories, like the heartbreak of fifth grade fueled by Aretha Franklin’s “You’re All I Need to Get By” and my sister and I pushing our bunk beds out of the way so we could dance in crazy circles to “One Way or Another” by Blondie and “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’” by Scissor Sisters. I don’t want to switch to Spotify because I don’t want to forget those memories. Once my mom has cancelled the Pandora subscription, and I’m no longer able to see those memories, I will forget about them. So yeah, while Spotify is technologically superior, Pandora has my memories — therefore it will always be the best music platform. Georgia Scott PZ ’23 is from San Anselmo, California. She had to start off this semester writing about less inflammatory topics after her last article got flamed by displeased college students.

EMMA TAO • THE STuDENT LIFE

Attempts to be 100 percent politically correct all the time, to recognize the feelings of every group and consider every issue, causes the righteous forces of activism to come to a grinding halt. If activists focus on one issue at a time, and put aside their other opinions, they can get a lot more done and waste a lot less time. To be absolutely clear, I’m not referring to Kimberlé Crenshaw’s definition of the word “intersectionality,” which she defines as “a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects.” I am referring to the word as it seems to be understood by some activists today: that they have a responsibility to take on every issue at once, and worse, that it’s better to get nothing done at all than to ignore a plight. Here’s an example: A few years ago, a friend of mine was trying to get solar panels to people on a tropical island who had lost power in a hurricane. The trouble was, the only way to get the solar panels to those in need, and have them implemented successfully, was to use the local church’s community outreach. That church, however, was widely known to be homophobic. The organization ultimately decided not to work with the church, and because of this misguided notion that every issue should be considered and addressed all the time, no one got solar panels and the islanders were left in darkness. Maybe there were gay people in the solar panel organization whom the organization would have disrespected by working with the church. Maybe the organization made a tough choice to protect its own. While that action was noble in concept, the end result was undeniable. It’s a solar panel-distributing organization, not a homophobia-fighting group. If people in the organization want to help fight homophobia, they should absolutely do it, just in another context. Here’s another example: Many people, some I know personally, did not attend the Women’s March last year because of allegations of anti-Semitism against the March’s leadership. While I have argued in the past that the Women’s

ANNIKA LArSON • THE STuDENT LIFE

March does not have a coherent message, going to the Women’s March doesn’t directly concern anti-Semitism. As a result of this “intersectionality,” the Women’s March not only lost a lot of steam, it became a point of mockery among conservatives as an example of the left’s inability to get anything done. Worst of all, it led critics to believe they were right all along: that women can’t work together. It’s absolutely crucial to understand that attending the Women’s March, for example, doesn’t make someone anti-Semitic — it makes them a supporter of women. Sometimes (dare I say most of the time), compromises are necessary. Lasting change is always incremental. You can’t win on all fronts, and trying to is a waste of valuable time and energy. Taking activism a step at a time instead of trying to leap forward is much more efficient. Besides, we should absolutely not glorify unwillingness to compromise. The idea of “sticking to your principles no matter what” is just a way of disguising that same trait. It’s also important to consider that more often than not, members of a movement don’t agree on everything. The power of a shared goal is what brings them together. It’s hard to galvanize people around several goals at once; after all, some issues are more controversial than others, and taking a bunch of stances could drive potential changemakers away, preventing activists from having the support they need to actually get something done.

I am not advocating that anyone should put themselves in danger in pursuit of a goal for social good. However, there is a big difference between “danger” and “discomfort.” For example, let’s say that in order to reach an environmental goal, an activist has to work with a group that happens to also advocate for policies that would make it hard for the activist to have a house. The stance of the group might make the activist uncomfortable, but the activist should still work with the group for the greater good of the Earth. That way, something gets done rather than nothing. However, if the group was going to directly harm the activist in any way, putting the activist in danger, the activist should not work with that group. And when the activist and the group reach their goal by working together, the activist can go home, come back the next day refreshed and take on housing injustice. But the activist shouldn’t let any stances on housing injustice get in the way of their environmental work. If we make enough incremental change, and get more than a net zero done every time, then we’ll creep along much more quickly towards lasting social justice. Margot Rosenblatt SC ’23 is from New York, New York. She’s an experienced activist who has worked countless hours to found and publish her own environmental publication, get plastic bottles and straws removed from her high school, create an environmental award at her school and lay the groundwork to receive compost pickup services from the city government for all the schools in her high school’s district.

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High-powered Sagehen offense tops lock-down Stag defense in second rivalry meeting MATTHEW KIM Hungry to gain an advantage in the SCIAC title hunt, the Pomona-Pitzer (16-4, 9-2 SCIAC) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (16-4, 8-3 SCIAC) men’s basketball teams did not fail to put on a show Wednesday night. Though the scorching Sagehen attack ultimately prevailed, 81-76, both teams came out slow on the offensive end. Through 10 minutes of play, the score was 13-11 in favor of P-P, and at the half, it was tied at 31. Both teams went into the second half in attack mode. CMS came out with a quick seven points in the first two minutes. However, contributions by Johnny King PO ’23 quickly stopped the bleeding — the first-year center came in and added two putback layups and two free throws, giving the Hens a 40-38 lead. From there, the teams traded buckets, but P-P maintained its narrow lead to close out the game. With the win, P-P took control of the no. 1 spot in the SCIAC standings with weeks to go before the

SCIAC Tournament. With big men Alex Preston PO ’21 and Pavle Rohalj PO ’21 out due to injury, forward Matthew Eberle PO ’22 and guard James Kelbert PO ’20 stepped up for the Hens. Eberle put up 18 points on five threes, while Kelbert recorded 20 points and nine rebounds and made several crucial free throws down the stretch. Miles President HM ’20 and Mitchell Kirsch CM ’21 led the way for the Stags, scoring 19 and 17, respectively. CMS also enjoyed 15 points from Josh Angle CM ’23 off the bench, including eight straight in the first half. P-P cruised through December and January with an 11-2 overall record. Their only losses were to conference rivals Whittier and Occidental. The Hens have been able to maintain their high-powered offense throughout the season in part due to the team’s consistent three-point shooting. P-P posted blowout wins against Bethesda (96-51), La Verne (88-63 and 10983), Cal Lutheran (70-48) and

Caltech (101-62), and have averaged nearly 87 points per game on the year. “We shoot the ball well, and we take good shots,” Adam Rees PO ’20 said. “We practice a lot of shooting, and everybody’s ready to catch and shoot when it’s open, especially from three.” P-P’s success has come even with key contributors Preston, Rohalj and Jack Boyle PZ ’20 all sidelined temporarily due to injury. In their absence, other members of the squad, like Eberle and Brendan Mora PO ’23, have stepped up and shined. Mora posted a career-high 20 points and eight rebounds Jan. 29 against La Verne. Against Caltech, he put up 19 points on a perfect 8-of-8 from the field. Eberle provided instant offense off the bench against Whittier, dropping 17 points in only 16 minutes on an impressive 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. A week later, he recorded 18 points on a flawless 4-of-4 from three against Caltech. “We’ve had some good contributions across the board. A lot of guys are stepping up and playing well. I think we’ve been playing hard and playing together,” Rees said. Micah Elan PZ ’20 has also ramped up his game. The senior dropped a whopping 41 points against La Verne and 31 against Chapman, bringing his season averages to 21.2 points and almost five assists per game on an uber-efficient 49.8 percent from the field, 44.5 percent from three and 85.3 percent from the free throw line — nearly earning him a spot in the highly coveted “50-40-

90 club,” in which a player shoots at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and 90 percent from the free throw line. Elan also hit a game-winning three to vanquish the Stags in the 5C squads’ first Sixth Street Rivalry game earlier in the season. However, in order to secure the SCIAC title, the Hens cannot afford to repeat the way they played against Oxy Jan. 25, a game in which “we played really poorly,” Rees said, and lost 87-73. “Every single game is really important,” he said. “A loss can change where you are in the standings drastically.” “We have to make sure that every single game, we come out with a lot of focus, a lot of energy, and just work hard every single game. Nothing is easy,” Rees continued. “You can lose games that, coming in, you think you have no chance of losing.” Across the street, CMS had a scorching run in December and January, winning 12 of their 14 games. The Stags’ calling card all year has been their tenacious defense. They are currently holding opponents to only 64.3 points per game, 19th best in all of Division III. Earlier this season, they held P-P to only 51 points. “What makes us good is that we have a bunch of set defensive rules that we almost never break,” Jeremy Horn CM ’20 said. “We fight through every ball screen, we hedge every screen. … What’s good about playing good defense is that defense travels. Even if we’re on an away hoop and we aren’t shooting well, we can always play our good defense.” CMS has also benefited from

its depth. Players such as Angle and Kele Mkpado CM ’20 have provided multiple double-digit scoring performances off the bench. “What’s cool about our team is we have lots of different players who can step up on any given night,” Horn said. “It makes us a lot harder to scout and guard when we have so many contributors.” Brian Kenyon CM ’23 has also played a significant role on the team. Often tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player, the first-year guard has started 17 of 20 games. “Even at open gyms in the off-season, he’s just a defensive dog, and that’s why the coaches love playing him,” Horn said. “He’s able to step in and play such a significant role as a freshman. … He does a lot of the little things and plays great defense, which helps the team win, although it might not show up in the box score.” The Stags have enjoyed a balanced offensive approach, with seven players averaging at least five points per game. No one player is averaging more than 12. “We always try and keep building and improving as the season goes on, especially with how we run our offense. We don’t run a ton of set plays, so a lot of it is focused on having good chemistry between the guys,” Horn said. CMS’ only two in-conference losses this year have come against P-P (51-48) and Chapman (75-72), both of which were nail-biters. “I think we just have to sharpen up on and double down on what we do best. That means keep playing our Stags defense and keep working it inside and working it inside-out to get good shots,” Horn added.

AMy bEST • THE STuDENT LIFE

Left: Mitchell Kirsch CM ‘21 makes a jump pass over the Sagehen defense in CMS’ 76-81 loss to P-P Feb. 5. Right: Sam Johnson CM ‘22 pulls Miles President HM ‘20 off the floor in CMS’ 76-81 loss to P-P Feb. 5.

Athenas take down Sagehens to tie season series at 1-1 GABBY HERZIG With both squads riding fourgame win streaks and the Athenas looking to avenge their previous loss to the Sagehens, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (14-6, 7-4 SCIAC) and Pomona-Pitzer (11-9, 6-5 SCIAC) women’s basketball teams faced off in Wednesday’s highly anticipated Sixth Street Rivalry game. Despite a frenzied comeback effort by the Sagehens, led by Madison Quan PZ ’22 and Renae Tamura PO ’21, the Athenas held on for an 82-71 victory and kept their crossstreet rivals on the bubble of postseason play. By the end of the first half, CMS held a commanding 46-30 lead, with Kate Parrish CM ’21 leading an 18-0 unanswered scoring run for the Athenas between the first and second quarters. In the second half, Quan’s hot shooting and a clutch pair of free throws from Tamura got the Sagehens within four. CMS came out victorious in the end, though, thanks in part to out-rebounding P-P 42-30. Quan and Parrish both scored 19 points to lead their respective teams. With the loss, P-P moves to fifth in the SCIAC standings while CMS stays in third. Though the Sagehens have endured injuries and tough losses, interim head coach Alaina Woo is confident in her team’s ability to fight their way into the conference tournament. “As a team, we work every day on controlling the controllables: working hard, communicating and being great teammates,” Woo said. “There is always room to improve in these areas.” Woo was named head coach in the fall of 2019 after former coach Jill Pace left the Sagehens to become the head coach of Tufts University women’s basketball. Woo, who previously served as an assistant coach, was a member of the P-P

women’s basketball team herself, leaving an impressive legacy as a four-year starter and two-year captain. “The best part of coaching the team is [working with] our student athletes,” Woo said. “We have an awesome, dedicated group of women who want to achieve their best.” Tamura praised Woo’s ability to play to the team’s strengths and tweak game plans depending on the opponent. “Coach Woo has been great at learning and adjusting with the team,” Tamura said. “We have had a few injuries throughout the season, so she has done a great job of tailoring our offense and defense to our strengths.”

This year, every team has lost a game, and every team is looking to make playoffs. Alaina Woo

The Sagehens were set back earlier this season when two of their key scorers, Kamil English PO ’22 and Carly Leong PZ ’22 went down with unexpected injuries, Tamura said. The Hens have struggled through multiple three-game losing streaks and lost four of their first five games to start the new year. After falling to the Athenas, the defending SCIAC Tournament champions will have to finish the season on a hot streak to make the postseason tournament. “Right now, we are focused on centralizing our expectations in the current possession or moment, especially in practice,” Woo

said. Like P-P, the Athenas also welcomed a new head coach, Chanel Murchison, at the start of the school year. Murchison came to CMS from her alma mater, William and Mary, where she served as an assistant coach for two years. “I expected to be entering a program of talented young women, who work hard and strive for excellence in everything that they do,” Murchison said. “Each day, I am fortunate to have my expectations met.” The team has adjusted well to both Murchison and their talented freshmen class, according to Maya Love CM ’20. Although Love is out with a torn meniscus this season, she noted that “everyone has grown and gotten confident this year. You can really see our post stepping up and our point guards.” According to Murchison, defense is key for the Athenas. As the Athenas approach the home stretch of the regular season, they will continue to work on maintaining a dominant defensive presence for the entire 40 minutes of every game. “We have talked about a plethora of things that we want to accomplish but with the realization that we have to be willing to do certain things to get there,” Murchison said. “Our motto for the season has been ‘we want, we will.’” With only five regular season games left for each team, both CMS and P-P are looking to close out the year hot and qualify for the SCIAC Tournament. If they both make it, they could be looking at a Sixth Street Rivalry in the finals, the same as last year. “This year, every team has lost a game, and every team is looking to make playoffs,” Woo said. The Hens will next take on Redlands on Saturday, and the Athenas will play Caltech the same day on their senior night.

AMy bEST • THE STuDENT LIFE

Top: Athenas and their supporters revel on the sidelines in CMS’ 82-71 win over P-P Feb. 5. bottom: renae Tamura PO ‘21 blocks a layup by Lindsey Cleary CM ‘20.

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P-P women’s water polo aims Young Athenas ‘fired up’ to avenge 2019 SCIAC title loss for new water polo season HUGO WARD The 2019 season was set up to be a storybook year for the Pomona-Pitzer women’s water polo team — led by eight seniors, P-P entered the SCIAC Tournament a perfect 14-0, the clear favorite to win the title. However, Cal Lutheran played spoiler in the conference title game, stopping the Hens’ campaign in its tracks in a heartbreaking 10-9 defeat. This season, P-P (0-2, 0-0 SCIAC), has its sights set again on winning it all. And while much of last year’s squad has graduated, the Hens’ chances seem strong — they are ranked second in the SCIAC preseason poll, right behind the Regals. However, this season, there’s even more to play for than a conference title. Beyond the SCIAC, both the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and P-P squads have agreed to forgo the NCAA tournament for spots in the inaugural USA Water Polo DIII National Championships if they qualify for post-SCIAC competition. In the past, the NCAA Tour-

nament pitted powerhouse Division I programs like USC against smaller DIII schools. The new championship aims to level the playing field. Lucie Abele PO ’22 was excited about the change, and thinks the new national championship is an “amazing opportunity” for her and the Sagehens. “Our team has the ability to win it all, which is an incredible motivator,” she said. So far this season, the Sagehens have played two games, both of which took place Jan. 25. The first contest was against Loyola Marymount, in which the Sagehens lost 14-9. They then fell to UC San Diego 17-7. Abele was named the SCIAC Offensive Athlete of the Week for her performances in those games. She scored three goals against UC San Diego and added one against LMU. Despite the losses, Abele was not deterred, as both LMU and UCSD are Division I squads. “Our Sagehens performed really well,” Abele said. “We played strongly and cohesively, and managed to showcase our

individual talents and skills. Our LMU game was particularly close — we kept the score within one or two goals for most of the game.” Going forward, the Sagehens will be looking to their first-years — including Aurora Sheridan PO ’23, Madison Lewis PO ’23, Isabella Phillips PO ’23, Min Kim PO ’23 and Paulina Correa PZ ’23 — to pick up right where the graduating seniors left off. “Even with a young team, each player brings so much, and our captains, Izzy Wiesenthal [PO ’21] and Haley Crabtree [PZ ’21], have been amazing at building a fun and supportive team culture,” Abele said. Two returners to look out for this year are the Sagehens’ goalkeeper Crabtree, who made 15 saves against UCSD, and Nadia Paquin PO ’22, who received DIII All-American Honorable Mention honors last season. The Sagehens last won the SCIAC title in 2018, and have won nine since 2006.

AMy bEST • THE STuDENT LIFE

The P-P women’s water polo team is optimistic for the spring 2020 season, and will first play its Sixth Street rival March 4.

AMy bEST • THE STuDENT LIFE

Krystal Sung CM ‘19 looks to pass the ball in CMS’ 5-8 loss to P-P April 20, 2019.

ARIEL KIVELA To begin their season, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas women’s water polo squad hopped on a cross-country flight — leaving behind sunny Southern California for chilly Providence, Rhode Island — for a weekend at the Bruno Classic, hosted by Brown University. The Athenas (1-3, 0-0 SCIAC) played in four contests Feb. 1-2, opening with a 14-4 win against Austin College, and coming up short against the three Division I teams in the tournament: Marist, Brown and Bucknell. “In the last game against Bucknell, we fired up, and I could really feel the competition in us. I’m looking forward to many more games like that,” utility player Addi Duvall CM ’22 said. “The first games at Brown have left me really optimistic for the season. We know what we can improve on now, and I’m confident in our depth and talent.” Heading into conference play, the Athenas are looking to improve on their sixth place finish from last season, and are poised to do so — the SCIAC’s coaches picked the team to fin-

ish fourth this season. The Athenas enter the year with a tremendously young team — 11 of the 21 players are sophomores and four are firstyears. Despite the team’s youth, the team is optimistic they will exceed expectations due to the return of their top seven scorers and three goalies. “If anything, we’ve become more intense about winning,” Duvall said. “We all know that we’re capable of it, so it’s really about supporting each other to become the best athlete[s] we can.” In addition to performing well in games, the team is emphasizing supporting one another and focusing on mental health. Before the official preseason started, the Athenas took a team-bonding retreat to the beach, where they rotated between yoga, ocean swims and talking about team goals and expectations. “Our upperclassmen have stressed the importance of mental health as well as physical health, and every person is aware that they can reach out to anyone on the team for questions, academic support or someone to get a meal with,” Duvall said. CMS will have another week off before returning to action at the Redlands Invitational Feb. 15.

Dear Kobe: A tribute to the Black Mamba from a die-hard Lakers fan MATTHEW KIM Dear Kobe, I’ll be completely honest — you were never my favorite player growing up. Maybe there was something about your playing style I couldn’t fully embrace. Maybe you reminded me too much of my playground archnemesis who never passed the ball. Maybe I couldn’t get over my love for the role players of the Lakers: Sasha, Farmar, D-Fish. But from the moment I first saw you take the floor in the 2008 NBA Finals against the Celtics, I fell in love with basketball. I didn’t always like how you would shoot over the double team with Sasha wide open for three. I didn’t always like the way you would hold the ball and eat away at the shot clock. But boy, was that midrange jumper pretty. Face up. Jab. Jab. Dribble. Dribble. Elevate. Swish. I didn’t really know it at the time, but that Celtics team was STACKED: They had Prime Pierce, Ray Allen and KG, a rising star in Rajon Rondo and strong role players in Tony Allen and Big Baby Davis. But you fought. And fought. And fought. And though the Celtics’ home court advantage ultimately proved to be too much, your grit and intensity never relented — the Mamba Mentality shined through. So as a Los Angeles kid, I had no choice but to fall in love with watching the Lakers. I grew up with the voices of Stu Lantz and Joel Meyers (and later, Bill Macdonald) commenting on the spectacle you put on every game from my family’s television. Face up. Jab. Jab. Dribble. Dribble. Elevate. Swish. It never got old. I would go into my backyard and try to emulate your moves, backing down an invisible defender. Dribble. Dribble. Shoulder fake. Pump fake. Pump fake. Rise. Score. I would copy your free throw routine on the playground. Quick hand wipe on my T-shirt. Deep breath, ball at my side. Dribble. Dribble. Pause. Shoot. Like clockwork. You led us past Dwight’s Magic in the 2009 Finals — the Lakers

COurTESy: KEITH ALLISON OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Kobe bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other people died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California Jan. 26.

15th championship, your fourth and my first as a fan. A year later, you took down those damn Celtics in a seven-game thriller. Sweet, sweet revenge. Then, there was the whole CP3 trade fiasco, and then Dwight and a 100-year-old Steve Nash came. From there, everything went downhill — you tore your Achilles at the end of the regular season. But physical pain never stopped you — you made two free throws on that torn Achilles. Cold. Blooded. And then, of course, there was your final game — Mamba Day. You gave us one of the most memorable performances in sports history and possibly the most late-career Kobe game possible: 60 points on nearly

as many shots. It couldn’t have ended any other way. It just couldn’t have. Iconic. But of all the breathtaking turnaround jumpers, game winners and self-lobs I saw you make, one shot in particular remains vivid in my memory. Dec. 3, 2009. We’re down by two against Miami. There are 3.2 seconds left. You get the inbounds from Ron Artest on the wing. All-NBA defender Dwyane Wade is hounding you. Three dribbles to your left, elevate, shoot off your right shoulder. BANG, off the glass. As soon as the ball left your hands, I knew it was going in. I just knew. You’re Kobe Bryant. When nothing is there, you create something. When something seems impossible, you

find a way. Nothing can stop you. Incomprehensible. And so when I heard the recent news, I didn’t believe it. I was on the third floor of the Honnold-Mudd Library, working on my math problem set, when I started getting a string of texts in a chat with some of my high school buddies. “GUYS,” read the first text. “DID KOBE DIE????” read the second. I thought some sort of sick joke was being played on me, so naturally, I went to Google and typed in “Kobe Bryant death.” It was real. You were gone, and I didn’t know what to do. So I left the library, went to my room and cried like a baby. I can’t really rationalize my disbelief, but I think Los Angeles Times columnist Bill

Plaschke comes close. “Kobe is stronger than any helicopter,” he wrote. “He didn’t even need a helicopter. For 20 years he flew into greatness while carrying a breathless city with him. … Kobe does not die. Not now.” You weren’t supposed to die. It was the day after LeBron passed you on the all-time scoring list. You honored him, you respected him, you accepted him as the new face of YOUR franchise. You were only 41 years old. You were supposed to celebrate all the future Laker championships with the rest of Lakers Nation. You were supposed to watch your daughters grow up and see Gigi become a WNBA star. You were supposed to sit courtside at every Laker game when you became gray and old. The only thing that could defeat you was you. But now you’re gone, and I can’t comprehend that. It’s crazy to think that less than four years ago, you had the whole city of LA in tears when you played your last game and gave us one of the most memorable closing lines in NBA history: “Mamba out.” We cried tears of sorrow, tears of joy, tears of relief. We were ready for you to start your new life after basketball, and we were forever grateful for everything you did for the Lakers, for the NBA, for the game of basketball. Now, you have the whole world in tears for reasons we will never fully understand. Incomprehensible. Your death still doesn’t feel real, and there are truly no words to describe how any of us have been feeling. So I’ll end by saying this: thank you Kobe. Thank you for all the memories. Thank you for changing the city of LA and the game of basketball forever. Thank you for inspiring us to be the best we can be at anything we do. Thank you for showing us the Mamba Mentality. You’ve done more for Lakers Nation, the basketball world and everyone in between than you’ll ever know. Rest in power, Mamba. Love you always, Matthew Kim

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FEbruAry 7, 2020

Scanlon expects to wrap up interim AD duties by fall

COurTESy: P-P ATHLETICS

Head coach Jennifer Scanlon led the P-P women’s soccer team to its best season in program history this past fall, while simultaneously serving as the P-P interim athletic director.

MARISA MESTICHELLA Interim Athletic Director Jennifer Scanlon has had to split her time between coaching the Pomona-Pitzer women’s soccer team and heading the entire athletic department this year, but help is on the way. She said P-P is working to find her a full-time replacement, and expects to hire a permanent AD by the fall. Scanlon, who led the women’s soccer team to its best season in program history last fall while also serving as AD, said definitively Monday that she is “not a candidate” for the permanent position and has “no intention to pursue” it. The idea of Scanlon serving an additional year — or longer — as interim AD “hasn’t crossed anybody’s mind because there is no expectation that it is going to play out that way,” Scanlon added. Associate dean of the college David Tanenbaum would not provide details regarding the ongoing search process. However, a job recruitment post remains active on the site for Spelman Johnson, a higher education headhunting firm. Prior to taking the AD job — which Lesley Irvine vacated following the 2018-19 school year to become the AD at Division III Colorado College — Scanlon guided P-P women’s soccer to three SCIAC championships and a spot in the NCAA Tournament in 2005, 2015 and 2016, when the Hens advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in Sagehen history. During her first semester as interim AD in fall 2019, Scanlon was on double-duty, running the department and leading the team to a new program record — the team ended its near-perfect season with a loss in the Final Four, two wins from an NCAA title. However, the road to this success was not easy — Scanlon had to address many challenges, including juggling her time and numerous tasks such as budgeting and logistical planning, while also trying to prioritize the team. Because she has been serving in both positions, “there are just some pieces where I just can’t be as available as [the previous AD] was,” Scanlon said. “There is an understanding within the department and the rest of the coaches and staff that we are all in it together to make it successful. We are all figuring out

ways to make it work.” The athletic department as a whole, including the women’s soccer team, seems to be thriving under Scanlon’s leadership. Her time commitments haven’t had any immediate negative impact on P-P’s performance — multiple sports, in addition to soccer, have enjoyed standout seasons since she took over. “Most importantly, we wanted to make sure that our student athletes weren’t feeling the impact, and that their experience was still top-notch,” Scanlon said. Scanlon emphasized that coaching remains her first priority and biggest passion. “It’s the same for you guys as student-athletes,” Scanlon said. “When it’s that time to set all the other stuff aside and go be around your teammates and play the sport you love, it’s your release. So for me, it’s very similar actually.” When Scanlon agreed to fulfill both roles, David Nolan was promoted from assistant coach to associate head coach to help keep the team running smoothly and support Scanlon while she adjusted to both duties. The team embraced Nolan for his laid-back and easy-going personality, as well as the “tactical, technical soccer things” that he teaches the team in drills, according to Helena Robinowitz PO ’22. His increased responsibility added a fresh voice and has helped remind the players why they love the game. “[Coach Jen’s] role has not been diminished in any way — she just has more help,” Robinowitz said. “Last year [Nolan’s] role wasn’t as important because he was just the assistant coach, but now he is there for all of our meetings and gives us more feedback since he makes more of the decisions, which has actually helped our team a lot.” Scanlon foresees a future dedicating her time to coaching the P-P women’s soccer team. “I’ve been the coach since the day I graduated from college and have played soccer since I was five. It’s been part of my life for 40 years, and it’s the sport that I love,” Scanlon said in a previous interview with TSL. “Coaching the program here is something I’m really proud of.”

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Athletes of the Week Pomona-Pitzer Micah Elan PZ ’20 San Francisco, CA Men’s Basketball The Sagehens are currently on a three-game win streak, claiming victories against La Verne, Chapman and CMS, and Elan is a big reason why. Elan averaged 29.3 points per game over that stretch, dropping a career-high 41 against La Verne, 31 at Chapman and 16 against the Stags. He also recorded 10 rebounds against CMS and made 15 of his 23 field goal attempts against La Verne. With the wins, P-P currently sits at the top of the SCIAC standings, with CMS trailing in second. Last year, Elan was named to the All-SCIAC First Team and looks to repeat this year.

Weekly Calendar P-P

CMS

Friday, Feb. 7 Softball vs. Puget Sound

Friday, Feb. 7 Women’s Softball @ Chapman

baseball vs. Whitworth

baseball vs. Pacific (ORE.)

Saturday, Feb. 8 Men’s & Women’s Swim & Dive @ CMS

Saturday, Feb. 8 Women’s Swimming & Diving @ CMS Invitational

Women’s Water Polo vs. uCLA @ San Diego Men’s Tennis vs. Occidental baseball vs. Whitworth Softball vs. Whitworth

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Justine Leong CM ’23 Hong Kong, China Women’s Tennis Leong, a first-year from Hong Kong has already earned the SCIAC Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week two times this spring. On Saturday, Leong won 6-1 and 6-3, dominating her matches. Her overall singles record improved to 14-1, with her only loss to Jada Hart of UCLA in the ITA Fall Championships. In the fall, Leong and her doubles partner, Catherine Allen SC ’20, won the ITA Division III National Championship. Leong now has a combined record of 27-2 in her young collegiate career.

Men’s Tennis vs. Whittier Women’s Tennis @ Whittier Men’s & Women’s basketball @ redlands Sunday, Feb. 9 Women’s Water Polo @ San Diego

Men’s Swimming & Diving @ CMS Invitational Men’s Tennis baseball vs. Lewis & Clark Softball vs. Chapman Men’s Tennis vs. Ottowa university of Arizona Men’s basketball vs. Caltech Women’s basketball vs. Caltech Sunday, Feb. 9 baseball vs. Puget Sound

baseball vs. Willamette

Monday, Feb. 10 Women’s basketball vs. Laverne

Wednesday, Feb. 12 Women’s basketball @ Caltech

Wednesday, Feb. 12 Men’s basketball @ Occidental

Men’s basketball vs. Caltech

Women’s basketball vs. Occidental