Vol. CXXXIII No. 2

VOL. CXXXIII NO. 2

FRIDAY, SeptembeR 24, 2021

Who runs the campus?

CLAREMONT, CA

5C students in quarantine face a steep learning curve

This year, a historic group of women

WALLY BARGERON & ELINA LINGAPPA

COURteSY: mAX WeIRAUCH

This year’s cohort of 5C student government presidents has big plans — with student culture, administrative transparency, equity, sustainability and collaboration at the top of their lists. Read more about, from left to right, Katherine Almendarez CM ’22, Maya Lynch SC ’22, Nirali Devgan PO ’22, Mariesa Teo HM ’22 and Kaila Teague PZ ’22 on page 2.

Oldenborg reconstruction crawls forward with new two-building plan JOHN PAUL FERRANTINO After several years of hinting at possible renovations, Pomona College says it is now close to rebuilding the Oldenborg Center for Modern Languages and International Relations. In a June presentation to the Claremont Architectural Commission, the college said that the redesign would better align the residence hall with the rest of the campus architecture. Oldenborg is a coed residence hall where students studying foreign languages live with a native language speaker and converse daily in one of six foreign languages offered. In Pomona’s plans, Oldenborg would be torn down and reimagined as two buildings. The first would be a center for global engagement and the second would serve as a language residence hall. With clay tile roofs and stucco, the architecture of the building plans align more with the traditional style evocative of neigh-

boring Sumner Hall and Bridges Auditorium. According to the presentation, the college plans to demolish the existing hall in the summer of 2023, and will first work on the language residence hall, then the dining hall. Renovation was considered, but deemed too costly and difficult given the desire to open up the space and create two adjacent buildings, according to the presentation. The new building complex would be 14,175 square feet larger t ha n t he c urrent building. The Center for Global Engagement and the Language Intensive Residence Hall plans were laid out to be more consistent with Myron Hunt’s seminal 1908 Campus Plan, providing an extension of the South Enfilade, an outdoor corridor that runs from College Avenue through the music buildings, Lebus Court and Sumner Hall. Upon hearing the news that plans to replace Oldenborg are

COURteSY: CItY OF CLARemONt

In this rendering presented in June to the Claremont Architecture Commission, pomona shows one of two proposed new Oldenborg buildings.

in the works, Griffin Campion PO ’24 expressed gratitude. The building works moderately well, he said, but only “assuming you know where you’re going.” A resident of the Japanese section, Campion added that he hoped the reconstruction would make the complex more “aesthetically pleasing.” Anaelle Roc PO ’24, who lives in a friendship suite in Oldenborg, echoed Campion’s remarks about aesthetics, and added that the “confusing” design contributes to a lack of “hallway culture.” Upon inviting friends to her suite, Roc said, they initially balked about going to Oldenborg. “My f r iends… were just afraid to come visit me in my room unless I walked them there,” Roc said. Associate dean of the college Anne Dwyer told TSL the two-building design will help make Oldenborg feel more spacious. The current one-building model, she said, creates security protocols that hinder the college’s ability to keep Oldenborg accessible to students from all the 5Cs. By splitting it up into two buildings, the college hopes to better facilitate connections among language students across the 5Cs. While designing the residence hall, Dwyer said, the Oldenborg committee reckoned with the current shortcomings of the residence hall that discourage socialization. To combat this, in the new design, bathrooms would be communal and laundry rooms would be integrated into a social space to maximize inter- and intra-lingual interaction. In regard to the new designs, she added, “I’m really excited for the new hall.”

ARTS & CULTURE With the return of the 5C community to campus, the Hive has reopened its doors, offering students a space to unleash their creative sides. Read more on page 4.

The student newspaper of the Claremont Colleges since 1889

Adam Kubota PO ’22 received his positive COVID-19 test result just hours before his scheduled move-in time on Aug. 28. After testing positive, he received a suite for isolation housing in the Oldenborg Center — complete with a bathroom and two empty single dorms for himself. But it was significantly more barren than he expected. “There wasn’t any bedding in there. So my friend gave me a sleeping bag liner and some snacks and a towel and some dish soap because there wasn’t any hand soap in the bathroom, either,” he said. Kubota said he relied on his friend group to help him through the transition, as the school provided less initial support. His experience of navigating the steep learning curve around quarantine, contact tracing, and COVID-19 policy discrepancies echoes the experiences of other 5C students. “I want to be sympathetic to the fact that it’s a tough job to organize all that and … hopefully, through my experience and the experience of other people who’ve been in there, the deans and the administration [of] student health have been learning lessons about what works and what doesn’t work — and how they can be better,” he said. Despite the confusion that often plagues cross-campus communication, procedural responses to a positive case of COVID-19 are similar on paper across the 5Cs. All five schools mandate that a student will be contacted by the college’s affiliated medical service and a school dean when their test returns with a positive result. These individuals are then sent to isolation housing, where meals and other necessities will be delivered to them for at least 10 days and until their symptoms subside. Kubota acknowledged that at the time of his isolation the administration was simultaneously trying to solidify COVID-19 procedures and oversee movein for all on-campus students. Still, he felt the information he received from Student Health Services and the Pomona College administration was difficult to discern. “Quarantine housing wasn’t necessarily [the administration’s] sole focus,” he said. “I think communication could

have been better between Student Health and the deans — I was oftentimes hearing contradictory things.” Elisa Velasco PO ’23 was also sent to Oldenborg isolation housing shortly after arriving on campus. She felt slightly symptomatic after her second day of classes and canceled her evening plans to get tested. Her results came back positive. “A contact tracer called me the next morning and asked me who I’ve been in contact with [in] the past three days so they could contact them,” she said. “And then they told me to move to a different room in [Oldenborg], so I just had to pack a bag and take some things and go.” Velasco had few complaints about her housi ng i n Oldenborg, saying that as a relatively low-maintenance person, the suite met most of her immediate needs. Both Velasco and Kubota had meals delivered to them by Pomona dining staff. Kubota said that once or twice he didn’t receive a meal, however, when he brought it to the deans’ attention his food was delivered almost immediately. “I’m super thankful for the dining hall staff,” Velasco said. “I know that [delivering food] takes a lot of extra work and [they’re] probably not getting paid more to do that. And also they’re entering the COVID halls, that’s risky.” Sophie Kim SC ’24 was one of the first positive cases on Scripps’ campus. She received her positive test on the morning of Aug. 28, hours before she was scheduled to move in. Her experience with her quarantine facility was generally positive, but getting there was stressful, she said. “I couldn’t find where I was supposed to be,” Kim said. “And there wasn’t really anyone there to help me get my stuff … I felt bad because I was kind of wandering, trying to find where [I was] supposed to go. And obviously, they don’t want a kid with COVID [wandering around].” Once Kim got settled in, she was able to relax while she waited out her quarantine period. Kim’s facility in the off-campus Oasis KGI Commons apartments was equipped with a full kitchen, bathroom, and furnished bedroom. “It was actually very nice. Like, much nicer than anything on campus,” she said. “In terms of the isolation housing itself and the food, I feel like I got lucky.” Rachel Scharff-Hansen CM ’22 tested positive on Aug. 25 after being on campus for weeks as part

See COVID on page 2

COURteSY: SOpHIe KIm

5Cs students who have tested positive for COVID-19 are being quarantined in spaces on and off campus – with varying levels of support.

OPINIONS

SPORTS

Pomona College should expand students’ ability to use flex dollars for essentials other than food, argues Porter Reyes PO ‘25. Read more on page 8.

Ethan Widlansky PO ‘22 and Lucas Florsheim PO ‘24 gives kudos to their team for allowing them to break records at their meet in Riverside. Read more on page 10.

INDEX: News 1 | Arts & Culture 4 | Opinions 6 | Sports 9

News

pAGe 2

SeptembeR 24, 2021

5C student body presidents look ahead to collaboration, ambitious agendas

COURteSY: KAtHeRINe ALmeNDAReZ

ZHEOUS ABALOS With 5C students back on campus after nearly 18 months away, this year’s student government presidents have big goals and a new set of challenges to face for the 2021-22 school year. The presidents — all of whom identify as women, for the first time in memory — are poised not only to drive change at their schools but to collaborate across the consortium as a team. “I’m especially loving getting to work with the other amazing kickass 5C presidents,” Scripps Associated Students President Maya Lynch SC ’22 said. “It’s been so exciting to get to think through issues and brainstorm ideas and tackle different concerns together with them … I am really excited for all the things that we’ll get to work on this year.” Katherine Almendarez CM ’22 Katherine Almendarez CM ’22 felt driven to run for ASCMC’s presidency after her involvement with Nobody Fails at CMC in March 2020. Recognizing the inequities among her fellow students, she ran on a platform of anti-racist policies, mental and physical health, on-campus safety and distribution of resources. As part of these tenets, Almendarez is looking to ensure that affinity groups are well-funded. “Previously we used to fund those groups based on membership but [that] doesn’t make sense because the membership is inherently low,” she said. “So we are now doing something different, which would completely change our budget processes … to make sure that students are included in those conversations with affinity groups.” Over the long term, Almendarez is pushing for the elimination of loans for low-income students and decreasing loans for any student who relies on receiving financial aid. Almendarez is also working to implement a more equitable hiring process at CMC. By getting rid of resumes and cover letters, Almendarez hopes to use “a questionnaire type of forum to make the interview process more accessible.” When it comes to the pandemic, Almendarez said it’s still crucial to acknowledge the realities of how it affects campus life. “It’s really important right now

COURteSY: mARIeSA teO

to heavily emphasize a sense of community, especially because we’re still in a pandemic,” Almendarez said. “How we’re managing and preventing the spread of cases is still a huge risk. As students, we really have to make sure that we are caring for one another.” During her term as president, Almendarez wants to serve as the “bridge between the students and the administration ... to ensure that people from underrepresented backgrounds [are] included in all the decision making.” Mariesa Teo HM ’22 Mariesa Teo HM ’22 is taking on a second consecutive term as president of ASHMC. She hopes to reclaim the essential on-campus experience the pandemic took away from her last term. During the remote school year, she said, “a lot of my job surrounded COVID response and trying to form some sense of the Mudd community virtually.” As Teo tries to make up for lost time on campus, she’s outlining two main goals of her second year in office. “My ultimate goal this semester is to balance COVID safety while also trying to reinvigorate that sense of community we used to have on campus,” she said. Teo also hopes to preserve the culture that defines the Mudd student experience. Since only juniors and seniors have been on campus before, she hopes to introduce students who are on campus for the first time to Mudd’s plentiful traditions. When it comes to the relationship between Mudd’s administration and students, Teo thinks there’s room for improvement. “It can be a bit rough at times in terms of miscommunication between admin and the students,” she said. “The relationship between the students and the admin [has] been improving over the past few years and I really hope to continue that trajectory.” Looking towards the future, Teo still maintains the optimism and resilience she held during her previous term. “We are in this together as the community, the whole of the 7Cs,” Teo said. “I’m looking forward to working with the presidents from the other schools. They’re all really amazing, lovely people. I think we can get through this as a com-

COURteSY: NIRALI DeVGAN

COURteSY: KAILA teAGUe

munity together.”

nities at the 5Cs,” she said.

Nirali Devgan PO ’22 As Nirali Devgan PO ’22 takes on her first semester as president of ASPC, she hopes to amplify student input while balancing the school’s pandemic response. At the forefront of Devgan’s goals is promoting “administrative decisions that ultimately benefit the health and well-being of students,” she said. “That includes speaking up when something feels [like] we are endangering students.” Devgan intends to speak up on accessibility issues regarding Student Health Services and clarifying the room-draw selection process. In addition, Devgan said, she wants to assist Pomona College’s Sustainability Office in furthering its objective of attaining carbon neutrality by 2030. She also said she’ll tackle sustainability issues at Pomona by providing biweekly feedback to the campus food committee, including suggestions for improving dining hall safety and the incorporation of students’ food suggestions. Historically, lack of adequate communication has created tension between the student body and the Board of Trustees, Devgan said. She hopes to expand dialogue between both parties to better address issues on campus. “The pandemic has put a lot of things in flux and a lot of inequities and viruses and prejudice have come out,” Devgan said. “At the end of the day, the Board of Trustees have a lot of power in shaping a strategic agenda for the next three to five years.” Ultimately, Devgan said that her highest priority is supporting students and making them feel heard. “Something that the student body president provides versus other leadership roles on campus is a foot in the door to a lot of administrators and faculty members on this campus who have the power,” she said. Additionally, Devgan sees a unique opportunity to work with the 5Cs’ other student government presidents to support affinity groups. “I’m definitely super excited to see what things that we can tackle as people of color and women that would specifically uplift or support those respective commu-

Kaila Teague PZ ’22 Kaila Teague PZ ’22 said she felt compelled to run for president after her experiences serving in a wide range of leadership roles throughout her time at Pitzer College. Teague has served on the executive board of the Black Student Union, Resident Hall Council, and as the junior class representative in the Pitzer Senate. Her experiences have motivated her to continue “providing and participating ... in opportunities to increase student representation.” While Teague endorses the social activism that already characterizes Pitzer’s engaged student body, she acknowledges the Senate’s role in bringing about change on Pitzer’s campus – the students’ “opportunity to make changes” is one of the school’s strengths, she said. “With Pitzer being a younger campus, I find that the community frequently tries to listen and adapt based on the concerns raised,” Teague said. “Students here are incredibly involved in decision-making processes.” Teague and her administration will focus on “accessibility, ongoing anti-racist work, developing inclusive leadership training opportunities, innovation and how that intersects with Student Senate’s historical purpose,” she said. Furthermore, she’s looking to tackle the loss of institutional knowledge due to the remote year. “Our first and second years are both on-campus for the first time and the majority of our third years have not had a full year on campus,” Teague said. “So student leaders, especially our fourth and third years, including myself, are navigating the best ways to balance leadership responsibilities, classes, returning during a pandemic, mentorship, preparing for after Pitzer — which definitely feels like a lot sometimes.” Ultimately, Teague said, her work will be buoyed by Pitzer students’ “shared values that bring us closer together.” “I am excited to see what new things we can implement and adjust as we move forward,” she said. Maya Lynch SC ’22 Rather than returning to how things were before the pandemic,

COURteSY: mAYA LYNCH

Lynch is seeking to use her term as president of SAS to create a community that better represents all students. “The rhetoric has been around returning back to normal,” Lynch said. “We have a chance to do much better than that and to create a new normal that’s more accessible and more equitable and more fair for students and all of our community members at Scripps.” Lynch intends to collaborate more frequently with student activists and leaders to support their inclusivity objectives. In general, Lynch is excited to engage with Scripps’ community in person for the first time since the pandemic closed down campus over a year and a half ago. However, the evolving issue of how to adapt to the pandemic persists in SAS meetings. “For me personally, but also for SAS as a whole, I think [the pandemic has] come up every single meeting as we’re trying to figure out how we can best nab this issue that we’re the first student government ever to have to deal with in person,” she said. “So it’s something I think we’re all learning.” Lynch also wants to establish greater transparency, particularly with Scripps’ Board of Trustees. “I think a lot of students don’t really know who they are and what they do and so [we want to be] making sure that we’re better at communicating what’s going on in the Board of Trustees meetings so that students can be aware and more involved in that,” she said. Lynch said her worry is not having the knowledge and support from recently graduated Scripps students who had the experience of combating problems which arise on campus and in person. “So many of those students were leaders and … had so much experience and knowledge about how the college works and how they can best fight and move forward on different issues,” Lynch states. “I want to make sure … that the institutional knowledge they had doesn’t leave with them.” At the end of the day, Lynch feels “honored” to be in a position that allows her to support her community at Scripps and the 5Cs atlarge, she said. “[I am] really excited to be in a position where I [can] learn and work with all the different student leaders, and support them in their own organizing efforts,” Lynch said.

COVID: Protocols challenge infected and exposed students Continued from page 1 of her training to be a first-year guide for New Student Orientation. Scharff-Hansen’s time in quarantine was similarly sufficient, she said. “[CMC] seem to be very well prepared about the whole process,” she said. Scharff-Hansen was mainly worried that her close contacts had been infected, including her Welcome Orientation Adventure group. “But when I found out they weren’t, there wasn’t really a lot more for me to stress about,” she said. CMC Dean of Students Dianna Graves CM ’98 said via email that students who test positive are moved to temporary housing “just south of campus.” Each house is stocked with full kitchens, beds, tables, linens, towels, toiletries and medical supplies, she said. Students bring their clothes, academic materials and personal items. Students are provided meals daily and asked to indicate any preferences or restrictions. Each unit comes with bottled water and snack items. “We have tried to make sure that the homes in which our students are located are clean, comfortable and with sufficient amenities so students feel safe and cared for,” she said. “There are regular check-ins from the Dean of Students Office and support for mental health counseling as needed. Recently, Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services added an opportunity for students who are in quarantine from any of the 5Cs to meet in community via zoom.” Both Kim and Scharff-Hansen were quarantined for the first

week of classes and both felt that they didn’t miss much. However, they acknowledged students quarantined later in the semester could experience more academic disruption. While relatively few students have tested positive on-campus thus far — the colleges have had only 35 student cases since the beginning of August according to TSL’s COVID dashboard — each student who does puts their close contacts in some form of modified quarantine. The schools generally consider a person exposed if “they were within six feet of the infected person for more than 15 minutes over a 24-hour period,” according to Pomona’s website. Those who have been exposed are required to quarantine for three to five days, which is considered the incubation period for COVID-19. During this time, they are allowed to attend class and essential academic events masked and they may pick up food in dining halls for take-out. They are not permitted to go to any social events or dine indoors. After the incubation period, if they test negative, they can end their quarantine. Velasco’s roommate, Charis Kim PO ’24, was put in this situation after Velasco’s test came back positive. Kim said she appreciated what the school was attempting to do but felt that they could have put more effort into effective communication about modified quarantine. “You really don’t know what you’re supposed to do. There’s kind of a lag [of communication] in between when you find out if you’re exposed or if you test

positive,” she said. “And I feel like that can be a little confusing and it could potentially lead to more exposure [to others] that’s not necessary.” According to Kim, there was around an hour of lag time between when her roommate tested positive and when Kim herself was notified by a contact tracer. Even after she was contacted, she felt confused about what was expected of her going forward. “I was able to find the website and read through that, but I wish they’d have made it a little bit more available,” she said. Zeneve Jacotin HM ’24 had a similar experience with Harvey Mudd College’s response. One of her close friends contracted COVID-19 and she and her roommate were both sent into modified quarantine. However, she received a mass email to all Harvey Mudd students about the positive case before she was contacted directly by tracers. “In the email it said that close contacts had been contacted and that was really concerning to me because I hadn’t been contacted and actually none of my friends except for one of them had,” she said. Caetano Pérez-Marchant HM ’24 said he was confused by conflicting information from Harvey Mudd, which instructed him to take a COVID-19 test as soon as possible, and SHS, who informed him that he needed to wait several days. And since Pérez-Marchant was exposed on a Wednesday, he could be tested safely on Saturday — but SHS is closed to students on the weekends. He was not allowed off campus to seek out other testing options under modi-

fied quarantine. Instead, he had to wait in modified quarantine until SHS opened again on Monday. This time period, while necessary, took a significant toll on his mental health, Pérez-Marchant said. “My living situation sort of sucked,” he said, explaining that he heard loud dorm parties late into the night and was unable to leave his dorm to find quiet or study. But he acknowledged that the precautions were necessary. Jacotin echoed this sentiment. “Though it was only for three days, last week felt like four weeks. It was the longest week ever,” she said. However, Jacotin said her experience gave her an altered perspective on being back on campus during COVID. “On the way to the first brunch after the modified quarantine my roommate and I took turns saying what we were grateful for. You know, we’re grateful for vaccines, we’re grateful for being on campus, and for health and for the facilities,” she said. Ian Beck PZ ’25 was exposed as he was moving into student housing on Aug. 28, but by the time he was notified, he had received a negative result from an unrelated routine test. Beck was cleared to leave Pitzer’s modified quarantine before it even started, but he was told to stay masked beyond his negative test as a precaution, he said. Adrian Flynn CM ’25 was put in modified quarantine after one of his FYGs tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the start of classes. Similar to Beck, Flynn’s time in quarantine was quite short — him and his WOA group only had to quarantine for three

days. At first, Flynn said, the rules of modified quarantine were unclear. “But after our dean of students, Dianna Graves, got in touch with our group directly [she] told us what we should expect,” Flynn said. “She also arranged for tests to be given to us earlier than originally scheduled so that we may exit modified quarantine.” Since getting out of his modified quarantine, Flynn has observed a campus that does not necessarily adhere to the sometimes strict policies put forth by the colleges. “A ny idea t h at t her e ’s no cross-campus intermingling is completely inaccurate, although that’s pretty obvious,” Flynn said. “It doesn’t seem there are many measures being taken to limit that kind of movement, but also it’s not really possible because of the connectivity of the 5Cs anyway.” Flynn praised the rigorous testing schedule that most of the 5Cs have stuck to as a strong step in preventing a large outbreak. Velasco urged her peers to be careful and mindful as the situation with COVID-19 evolves. “Wear your mask, wear your mask… I was extra careful and I still got it, so y’all, don’t go crazy,” she said. But Scharff-Hansen also wants students to remember that they aren’t necessarily to blame for testing positive for COVID-19. “Don’t stigmatize it into something really negative,” she said. “You can’t control whether or not you test positive.” Scripps, Pomona, Pitzer and Harvey Mudd did not respond to a request for comment. Editor’s note: Charis Kim PO ’24 is a section designer for TSL.

News

SeptembeR 24, 2021

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Cross-campus dining restrictions to continue as students question reasoning LUCIA STEIN Walking through Frary, McConnell or Collins Dining Hall, you’ll find no shortage of wistful conversations among returning students about cross-campus dining — normally a staple of on-campus life at the 5Cs. But despite students’ concerns and swirling rumors, administrators are holding fast to this semester’s single-school model. Harvey Mudd College will continue barring students from the other Claremont Colleges from entering the Hoch-Shanahan Dining Commons this fall due to the nature of the dining hall as a heavily trafficked area, spokesperson Judy Augsburger confirmed in an email to TSL. HMC originally communicated the decision in an Aug. 5 community update. “There are no plans to revise the policy before the end of the semester, given the nature of how COVID-19 spreads and the contagiousness of the Delta variant,” Augsburger said, adding that the decision was made jointly by leadership from all of the 5Cs. Concerns for dining hall staff as well as staffing challenges prompted this decision for Pitzer College, spokesperson Kimberly Shiner said in an email. Students largely understand the lack of cross-campus dining as a consequence of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but have mixed feelings about the policy. While some say they understand and appreciate the way the 5Cs are prioritizing community health, many are simultaneously frustrated by inconsistencies and what they see as unnecessary measures. “I understand that it is a way to restrict and track the spread of COVID between the different campus communities,” said Mica Barrett SC ’23. “But, there’s takeout at Scripps and I think that that should be available to do across the colleges.” The limited menu at Scripps, especially for students like Barrett who are gluten-free and dairy-free, contributes heavily to a desire for other options. “I can usually only eat one or two things at the dining hall and the

CeCILIA RANSbURG • tHe StUDeNt LIFe

Scripps students sit on elm tree Lawn and bowling Green for dinner. COVID protocols continue to forbid most cross campus dining.

fact that they are so repetitive is frustrating. It makes me honestly eat less,” Barrett said. Danilo Estigarribia PZ ’25 finds the decision to ban 5C dining disappointing, but he respects it. “You understand what the situation is — they are trying to do what’s best for our community,” Estigarribia said. He added that he understands why cross-registration is allowed despite the cross-campus dining ban, saying he sees the difference in terms of masking. “You are required to wear a mask when you’re inside but when you’re eating you need to take off your mask, so it’s different,” he said. However, Barrett noted that the lack of cross-campus dining makes things hard for those taking courses at other colleges. “The option to eat closer to the bulk of my classes, which ar-

en’t on campus, would benefit me healthwise, foodwise and also just socially,” Barrett said. While students have the option to bring take-out food from their home campuses to the other 5Cs, this strategy presents obstacles. Estigarribia has a few friends from the other 5Cs but finds it hard to eat with them in a central, outdoor location. Instead, they usually go off campus, often to a restaurant. Unfortunately, “it gets expensive,” Estigarribia said. For Barrett, these challenges simply result in them seeing their non-Scripps friends less often than they’re used to, since eating together is a convenient way to socialize. “And that’s kind of taken away from us,” Barrett said. Despite the policies, students can — and will continue to — find ways around the system. “I have given my ID to people

from other colleges to use because we wanted to eat together,” Barrett said. And Barrett isn’t the only one — other students have even resorted to using Facebook groups for food or ID swaps. “Message me if you’re the kind of person who would want Frary/Frank food and go to not Pomona, let’s meal box trade … please, I only like the cucumbers there,” one post said on the 7C For Sale/For Free Facebook group. A comment on the post read “5 bucks for a Mudd meal!” While 5C students can buy food and drinks from some cafes across campuses, others are solely for students who attend that particular school. Jay’s Place fits the latter category, making its late-night sustenance inaccessible for non-Mudd students, although the Mudd Café still serves all of the 5Cs.

“The Café has the facilities to serve our wider 5C community and offer a wide variety of food options at times of need to a larger number of people,” Augsburger explained. Pomona College, Scripps College and Claremont McKenna College didn’t respond to requests for comment. However, signs outside the Coop Fountain and Café 47 show that only Pomona community members are allowed inside at the moment. To Barrett, the emphasis on preventing the spread of COVID-19 by regulating dining seems unnecessary. “I think that it is really silly,” they said. “In a lot of classes, even at other campuses, we are sitting in confined spaces and oftentimes people are breaking COVID rules, meeting up unmasked and drinking or eating in class. Honestly, it kind of defeats the purpose of having rules like this.”

Students await updates with 5C party policies in flux ABBY PORTER As the fall semester moves through its first month, 5C administrators are reevaluating their initial guidelines regarding COVID-19 protocols and limits for social gatherings. The Student Deans Committee, deans of students and student activities staff of the 5Cs were scheduled to meet this week to collaborate on updates and guidelines related to cross-campus events and programs, Claremont McKenna College Dean of Students Dianna Graves CM ’98 said via email. At the beginning of the semester, the 5Cs indicated that Sept. 20 would mark the start of multi-campus events and parties — with the annual club fair on Sept. 21 being the first. But Pitzer College spokesperson Kim Shiner said via email that each college will continue their current policies until at least early October. “Community health and safety continues to remain our priority. This includes guidelines for students to engage safely in community,” Shiner said. “Updates regarding any changes to current policies will be provided as soon as possible.” On Sept. 8, Harvey Mudd College Dean of Students Marco Antonio Valenzuela sent an email reminding Mudders that they “may not attend parties or events at any of the other 5Cs until further no-

tice.” Gatherings for religious groups, intervarsity sports, and clubs were still permitted as long as students were masked, according to the email. “This past weekend we were made aware of unsanctioned gatherings that took place on campus. We ask that if you took part in these unsanctioned gatherings, to self-report,” Valenzuela said. Valenzuela said these social gatherings were an “egregious violation” of the guidelines in place at Mudd. “After the first egregious violation, the student’s family/emergency contact will be called and the student will be placed on disciplinary probation, which may entail a loss of social privileges for the length of the sanction, as well as appropriate educational assignments,” he said. After a second violation, he said, students would be placed on an involuntary leave of absence where they would be withdrawn from classes and removed from campus housing for the rest of the 2021-22 school year. Valenzuela didn’t respond to a request for comment. “At the very beginning of the semester there were a couple parties on campus that were concerningly large, but we later learned that there were actually a lot of non-Mudders who attended,” Mavis Stone HM ’23 said via

email. According to Stone, dorm presidents and residence life proctors patrolled the party and directed students back to their home campuses. On HMC’s campus, Stone said, there are QR codes setup in all courtyards and lounges that students must scan when using the space to make contact tracing easier. “I think we’ve been doing a good job of scanning the QR code,” she said. “I think we’ve generally been doing a good job of masking both inside and outside, but a lot of people tend to forget about masking when it comes to partying.” Stone said that under current policies, students may go off-campus in groups no bigger than 10, and clubs are barred from eating off-campus together. Additionally, Stone said that the student response to Valenzuela’s email has not been negative from her perspective. “If people are intentionally or knowingly violating COVID safety policies, then they should know fully well that they’re possibly putting other people’s health at risk,” she said. “I will say that having someone live off-campus after they’ve violated safety guidelines doesn’t seem like the right solution, since Mudders spend the majority of their time on-campus.”

At Pitzer College, depending on the nature of the gathering, the college may give a one-time, in-person warning and ask the gathering to disperse, or they may document the situation and follow-up with the hosts with a reminder of the policies or a conduct hearing, Shiner said via email. “Earlier in the semester we were giving out more friendly reminders and verbal warnings, however, for hosts or suites that have had multiple referrals, we are considering conduct referral with potential sanctions,” she said. “Students found responsible through our conduct process may be assigned both disciplinary and educational or restorative sanctions.” Shiner said that Pitzer students may host gatherings where 5C students are allowed, so long as all students follow the Pitzer guidelines, including registering events through campus life. Other policies include masking at outdoor events with more than 30 people and requiring event check-in to improve contact tracing. Pitzer will hire campus safety officers for large events to help monitor activity and have events staff present to help with correct implementation of protocols, Shiner added. The college will also facilitate event registrant training to ensure students

LIAm bROOKS • tHe StUDeNt LIFe

Students party at Harvey mudd College in 2018. Although the 5C club fair was originally intended as a turning point for consortial restrictions on social gatherings, the policies’ next steps remain unclear.

hosting events understand expectations and have community care assistants on hand to support students with the resources needed to be safe at events. “The Campus Life professional staff are a resource for all students that want to put on events and will be holding students accountable for enforcing the college’s protocols,” she said. At CMC, students must use the established event registration process for all events, which has been modified to include elements related to COVID-19 guidelines this semester. In an email to students prior to the first weekend of the semester, Graves encouraged students to have “small, controlled” gatherings. “It’s hard to put concrete numbers on the size of a gathering since it has a lot to do with the venue, density of the activity, and nature of the activity. Generally speaking, 20 or fewer people is acceptable,” she said. Graves added that it is common for events to start out this size, but when students play music outside, it attracts more students and events tend to grow to the size where they need to be shut down. She said that when events become too large, public safety, oncall deans and resident assistants are called to disperse the group. If the event is too large and attendees do not comply, then campus security will be called to shut the event down. 5C students are asked to return to their home campus and will be reported to their dean of students offices if they refuse. Scripps College’s office of student engagement will release more information on event guidelines in the coming weeks after the student deans committee meets the week of Sept. 20 to “discuss cross-campus decisions.” “Community safety remains a priority and local and state health and safety guidance continues to evolve,” Scripps College Interim Dean Adriana di Bartolo-Beckman said via email. Pomona College will continue to prohibit events that combine internal and external guests — visitors from outside the 7Cs — until Sept. 24, the college’s website states. According to Dean of Students Avis Hinkson, Pomona planned to communicate all new information about protocols to their student body after the student deans committee, deans of students, and student activities staff met. But as the week comes and goes, students are confused on whether the guidelines for events, specifically 5C ones, are changing. “I feel like we were told we would hear updates but we have not,” Ella Moriarty PO ’25 said.

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Literary wanderings: Getting lost in Lyon

Printmaking, jewelry, podcasts: The Hive is abuzz with creativity ALLY HUANG

COUrtESY: ULF ANDErSEN/GEttY ImAGES

‘Dirt’ chronicles a family’s move to Lyon, France.

RYAN LILLESTRAND It’s not every book that you fall into, that swallows you whole, that paints a world for you to walk around in. They are the books we seek but seldom find. They pull you close and sit you down and insist that you stay and listen till the end. That is what Bill Buford’s most recent book, “Dirt,” did to me. The daring, persistence and throwing of caution to the wind that lies at the book’s center is what so arrests the reader. It represents the living out of a dream that lies within grasp, but remains unlikely to be ever reached for. Here’s the scene: The Bufords, a family of four squeezed into a small New York apartment, pack up and move to Lyon, France. Buford wants to learn the art of French cooking from its culinary giants, and he and his wife reason that three is just about the perfect age to introduce their twin boys to an entirely new country, culture and language. That is the visceral attraction of this book. The reader can imagine Buford and his wife sitting in a tiny New York apartment — perhaps at a small kitchen table or on a couch, perhaps over an evening glass of wine — and asking “What if we packed up the kids and moved to France?” The magic of this book is that they actually do it. However, it is not only Buford and his wife’s choice to move to France that gives the book its appeal —– it is equally the atmosphere that his writing constructs. Buford’s style is messy, but beautifully so. His paragraphs are a flurry of commas, colons, semicolons and parentheses. His writing refuses to flow smoothly, but it pulls you in. Eventually, it becomes a natural part of the world he builds. It is informal and casual: When you are reading, you are in the bakery, on the farm and in the oppressively intense environment of the French kitchen. “Dirt” is a book most naturally read in gulps. Rarely did I pick it up for fewerless than 30thirty or 40forty pages. As one travels the pages of this book, they pick up pieces of the place, like the coin you find stuck between the cobbles of the street while strolling through the city, or the scent of freshly baked bread wafting out of a bakery window in the early morning. As the book unfolds, these pieces coalesce, forming a vivid, messy and achingly inviting fresco of the city and its people. I’ve never been to Lyon, but growing up in Florence gave me ample material to fill in the world Buford paints: the tight, cobbled streets, the grit, the bustling bakeries and cafes. I moved

back to the United States ten years ago, but reading “Dirt” made me miss it all more than I have in years. When I first happened upon “Baking Bread in Lyon,” a personal history piece and excerpt from “Dirt” published in The New Yorker in April 2020 before the book’s release, I was instantly intrigued. It was the first truly personal narrative piece I had read, and it immediately grabbed me. But my attraction to the genre also caused me to be skeptical. Why do we — do I — like it? Is it simply the attraction of a good story told well, or is there something more to be learned? I found the answer, or at least part of an answer, in the pages of “Dirt.” The memoir as a genre captures a moment in time, a place, a life. It is the reading experience closest to sitting around a table listening to someone tell their story. In 2017, Jia Tolentino wrote a piece for The New Yorker declaring the personal narrative boom of the past decade dead. It’s a statement that now, four years later, feels perhaps a bit premature. The specific flavor of personal narrative Tolentino is referencing may indeed still be on the decline, but the broader genre of personal histories and memoir seems to be having something of a renaissance, and reading “Dirt” showed me why. The memoir or personal narrative, when done well, makes us better writers and more thoughtful people. It provides windows into other worlds and lives. It opens up a space for us to first sit and listen, then reflect upon all we have heard: to learn, to be challenged and to be inspired. We become more perceptive and aware of the world around us and the environment we live in, as well as the way in which we want to live, the way in which we want to be in this world. This spring, I walked the winding streets of Lyon in Buford’s shoes. I spent two weeks in bakeries, apartments and restaurants, opening myself up to the mellow din of the city’s sights, sounds and smells, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Ryan Lillestrand PZ ’23 is TSL’s book columnist. At the moment, his favorite reading spot on campus is the second floor of the Coop on an early weekend morning, ideally with coffee and a scone.

SEPtEmbEr 24, 2021

From the colorful sticky notes on the walls to the soft music filtering through the brightly lit studio, the Hive feels very different from any other space at the Claremont Colleges. Here, the building is decorated with tiny potted succulents and filled with people painting, sewing and doing what they love. Members of the 5C community have not had access to physical campus resources for over a year. Now that students have returned, the Rick and Susan Sontag Center for Collaborative Creativity — commonly known as the Hive — has reopened its doors. To celebrate their relaunch, the Hive held a week-long event that welcomed people from all across the 5Cs to try their hand at dorm decorations, jewelry making and even succulent potting. Organizing large-scale events amid an ever-changing landscape of COVID-19 restrictions is no easy task, and the team at the Hive had to overcome multiple administrative hurdles. Eventually, however, people were able to walk through the Hive’s doors again. “When the first wave of people came in, I was like, ‘Ah, I haven’t seen people in here for a long time!’” said Linda Shimoda, the Hive’s creative platforms designer who has worked with the Hive since its inception almost eight years ago. “But then when I went out, I was mingling, and though we all had masks on, I loved it. I could see that the magic of the Hive is starting to come back.” Riley Knowles PZ ’22, a student staffer who helped design the Hive’s orientation events, was surprised by the number of upperclassmen who came. “Some had never heard of the space or had never been in it, especially juniors who had

only been on campus for half a year,” Knowles said. “It was cool to see them explore the space for the first time too.” Succulent potting, in particular, was unexpectedly popular. “We went out, like, eight times a day to get more succulents and pots,” Knowles said. “It was so exciting to see people talking and being creative in the space again.” Over 500 people came into the Hive to decorate succulent pots during the week of relaunch, but the Hive has even more fun, cute activities to offer. Upcoming events include various skill shares, where people with any amount of experience can sign up to learn skills like metalsmithing, podcasting and printmaking. “We have such an incredible array of student staffers this semester that are passionate about so many different things, like woodworking, sound recording and sewing,” Knowles said. “I think people are hesitant to come to this space because they don’t know how these things work, but the staff is just so knowledgeable and excited to help people out.” One event that Margaret Kraus SC ’22, another member of the Hive’s student team, is looking forward to is the plant-based dyes workshop. “I feel like a lot of people, including myself, are interested in ways that art can be more sustainable and create less waste,” Kraus said. The Hive values repurposing and recycling, and another event that exemplifies this is the art failures swap, where people can bring in “failed” art projects and swap ideas and pieces. “It’s all about having something good come out of failure,” Shimoda said. However, while the Hive is an excellent makerspace that offers many opportunities, its role in the 5C community goes beyond that and focuses on creating connections between people. “Anyone who is involved

with the 5C community knows how separate we all are, even though we’re just across the street from each other,” Shimoda said. “One thing that Rick Sontag was very interested in was bringing together a diverse, wonderful group of campuses. ... The idea is that we can create solutions that might cover more or do better, or be more applicable across many complex real-world problems.” Shimoda also wants more people to be aware of the role of human-centered design in the Hive. “Even when someone comes in just to use the crafts and the materials, we hope that people will start thinking of us beyond that now,” Shimoda said. “We want to include more classes using human-centered design and design thinking and get more existing classes to transform or enhance their classes to incorporate this.” Kraus echoed the sentiment that the Hive is more than a makerspace. “You can go in and use a bunch of pencils, paints, paper, and you can do a lot of hands-on making, which is a large part of what the Hive does,” Kraus said. “But I think the message that is harder for people to grasp sometimes is that the Hive is also a center for collaborative creativity and design processes. Design is a tool. It’s a way to help structure anything, whether it’s images or schedules or even life.” Perhaps one of the most important things about the Hive is its encouragement of freedom. “The Hive serves as a space that counters typical institutional rigidity,” Kraus said. “It gives students permission to experiment and play and try new things and fail. This is not the ‘art center’ of the colleges; this is a radical space where everyone can bring together many areas of interest.” And so, the Hive reopens its doors to the many interests of the 5C community. “If you haven’t been to the Hive yet,” Knowles said, “you should come!”

COrINA SILVErStEIN • tHE StUDENt LIFE

Hosting various events, the Hive opens their doors to all 5C students to explore various crafts and artistic hobbies.

Who’s the suitest? 5C suites take to Instagram LUISA ECHEVERRIA In one of the seven-person suites of Frankel Hall at Scripps College, a lively bunch make their home. Perhaps by subconscious processes or by the divine hand of coincidence, the suite’s two available bathrooms are divided by hair type: on one side there are the four curly-haired KappaKappa Curly and on the other the three straight-haired Sigma Straight. Together, they are KappaSigma. For those interested in the comings and goings of a pseudo-sorority, a snapshot of their lives together can be found at @bitchcentralfun on Instagram. KappaSigma is not alone in taking their suite life online. Suite instagrams — such as @bitchcentralfun, @suite_dv8 and @suitesexyyy — seem to be becoming a phenomenon of the Claremont Colleges’ social media circles. “I love it,” Melí Kofokotsiou PO ’23, a follower of @bitchcentralfun, said. “I’m a huge fan. [They] always [post] interesting content.” All of KappaSigma matriculated

in 2019, but they’re now graduating at different times due to gap years and leave of absence semesters. Pre-pandemic friends, they lived together in different combinations during the past year and a half. “One day we were just talking about how cute it would be if we had an Instagram just for each other to be able to look back on our memories for the year,” KappaKappa Curly member Demiana Ibrahim SC ’23 said. “If we were super vintage, maybe we’d do a photo album, but I don’t have the time or the willpower, so this is our best bet,” fellow KappaKappa Curly Zalia Maya SC ’24 added. Later, the suite decided to take it a step further and make the digital album public. “It was half a joke and half because we are all just … full of ourselves.” Maya said. Maya described their content as a minimally curated inner line of thought, “but seven of them at the same time.” Their posts range

COUrtESY: mAYA PAL

from jokes to pictures of nights out to indulgences in white sorority YouTube to the joys and mishaps of everyday life together — anything that will make another suitemate laugh. For example, KappaKappa Curly all have morning classes and wake up early for them, which often results in contention over the use of their shared shower in the morning. “There was one morning this week when we all opened our doors and stepped out in our towels and were like OOOK!” Maya said. The account brings another dimension to their social life. “It’s also just a fun way to interact with each other … Because we all have the login and all have access to it, we all bring something different to the table,” Maya said. One downside to the shared Instagram is managing DMs, Ivrahim explained. When people DM the account, they don’t know who will receive their message, and coordinating who is responding to

which DM is often messy. “Don’t DM us,” Ibrahim said. “Just find us in person — find us in the wild.” Across the street at Pitzer College, another suite has found its way to Instagram: @suite_dv8. The page greets viewers with some prime “bro” content: big smiles, basketball shots, shirtless piano playing and slacklining by the Pitzer mounds. It’s a group of seven sophomores and juniors on the Pomona-Pitzer football team, plus a “random” — but still welcome — senior. Moving into campus a month early, the seven teammates wanted to get incoming students pumped for their time at Pitzer by giving a little insight into campus life prior to their arrival, Miles Mouradian PZ ’23 explained. “Half of the student body hadn’t been on campus,” account creator Cameron Shirangi PZ ’24 said. “We wanted to make this an inclusive environment for everybody and to make sure everybody is having a good time on campus

COUrtESY: mILES mOUrADIAN

Left: Instagram accounts run by suites post fun content about their daily lives to increase social interaction that was scarce during the previous school year. right: the so-called KappaSigma pseudo-sorority in Frankel Hall created @bitchcentralfun to document their suite life.

… and also to get ourselves out there a little bit.” All suitemates have access to the Instagram account, with permission to delete or add videos as they wish. “Honestly, everybody loved the idea,” Shirangi said. He was surprised by how much attention the page received. “It was kinda motivating,” he said. “People are actually watching our stuff.” Illustrative of the group’s intentions, the name of the account is a play on words devised by Mouradian. “We are called suite dv8 because us as a suite are trying to deviate from the football stereotypes here on campus,” Mouradian said. He shared how in classes, in the dining hall or just while meeting new people, he’s sometimes met with a bit of an adverse reaction when sharing that he’s on the football team. “Suite dv8’s goal is to show people that we are not that football stereotype,” Mouradian said. “We are good dudes — just get to our room, get to know us better and let’s have fun!” Suite dv8 aims to post fun, relatable content about their dorm life to lighten the mood from the stress students often experience. They also want to publicize other P-P sports teams with their platform. “We like to highlight the best qualities in everybody, and that’s what we want to continue doing,” Shirangi said. Mouradian and Shirangi expressed wanting to make dv8 an inclusive space. “We are always here for everybody,” Shirangi said. “If you feel like you do not feel like you are fitting in anywhere, we are always here, and we are a place where everybody is invited all the time.”

SEPtEmbEr 24, 2021

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Lorde ushers in a new era with ‘Solar Power’ BARBARA NORTON Twitter user @evermored_ perfectly sums up Lorde’s newest album, “Solar Power:”: “hating on solar power=mad cuz lorde got over her depression and y’all didn’t.” Certainly a polarizing album, hardcore stans and casual listeners alike absolutely love — or absolutely hate — Lorde’s third studio album. The dissent is understandable; “Solar Power” is an admittedly far cry from the New Zealander’s past albums. Lorde’s Grammy-nominated debut album “Pure Heroine” was 16- year-old Lorde’s synth-heavy, piano-laden outcry about materialism, youth and mainstream culture. Lorde’s sophomore album, Grammy-nominated “Melodrama,” grappled with post-breakup heartbreak and solitude alongside drums and a pulsing dance-beat. Meanwhile, “Solar Power” — in all of its stripped mellifluity — adds an entirely new dimension to Lorde’s musicality. Common complaints center around the lack of vigor, the meandering melodies and slurred, indistinct instrumentals. If you were expecting “Melodrama” 2.0 or an “I’m not 16 anymore” take on “Pure Heroine,” I understand why you’re disappointed. Is “Solar Power” an album to sob and scream to? No. But it doesn’t want, need or try to be. “Solar Power” distinctly lacks any hint of hit-chasing. Lorde isn’t scrambling to one-up “Melodrama” and birth another iconic piece of music. Instead, it’s obvious that

SELENA LOPEZ • tHE StUDENt LIFE

Lorde is creating what she wants — and perhaps needs — to create, shedding her status quo in favor of an album that reflects the more mature, possessed woman she’s grown into during her time in, (and out of,) the spotlight. Made to be consumed as a whole, “Solar Power” is truly a collection of work, not an album that you pluck songs from (though that definitely didn’t stop me from putting “The Path” and “Oceanic Feeling” on all of my playlists). While some songs — “Stoned at the Nail Salon” and “Leader of a New Regime,” in

particular — may seem underwhelming or aimless on their own, “Solar Power” shines most when it’s listened to from start to finish. Another common complaint is that “Solar Power” is unrelatable — most people were unable to retreat to New Zealand, smoke on the beach and chill for three years like Lorde did, particularly during the pandemic. It’s a stark difference from the “we” mentality that hallmarked Lorde’s early work. Backtracked by powerful melodies, Lorde put words to our collective heartbreak, frustration,

‘I am divine liberal arts energy’: 5C affirmations accounts foster connections MIRABELLA MILLER You’re walking to your first in-person class since March of 2020. Suddenly struck with anxiety, you think: Have I forgotten how to do school? Have I forgotten how to socialize? Does my mask match my outfit? An affirmation, or a positive statement repeated to oneself to overcome negative thoughts, might be reassuring in this moment. Thankfully, there is no shortage of 5C-specific affirmation content to choose from. Since the semester began, at least five 5C affirmations accounts have popped up on Instagram. Some are school-specific, like @ scrippsaffirmations and @pzaffirmations. Others focus on specific groups of students, such as @claremontmanffirmations. These accounts all use the format and style popularized by the original affirmations account, @afffirmations, which rose to fame on Instagram over the past year and now boasts over 759k followers. A background image, often blurred or out of focus, is overlaid with glowing text affirming something. Usually, the background image does not relate to the affirmation at all. The affirmations themselves range in subject material. Many have to do with mental health, and some are just plain nonsensical. Some recent examples from @ afffirmations include a picture of Spider-Man that proclaims “I will take a dip in pure serotonin today” and a picture of a leprechaun hat that reads “I always have a certain edge.” “I’ve been following that account for months,” Nicholas Black PO ’24 said. “I just love them so much. They’re funny, and they can also [be] comforting, like, they can actually help me.” Black runs the most-followed affirmations account, @5caffirmations. Memes posted by Black’s account and others are frequently reshared by students, either by posting them to their own Instagram stories or sending them to friends to build community and a sense of shared identity.

“It’s kind of like a 5C-wide inside joke. It feels like someone understands some, like random, trivial thing that occurs,” Helen Landau SC ’24 said. Liz Murray PO ’21 thinks the memes help facilitate cross-campus connections. “I follow @scrippsaffirmations, and I’m simultaneously laughing and learning a little bit about Scripps,” she said. “You can also send them to your friends at other schools, and it just encourages some connections between your peers.” According to Black, these sentiments were part of his intention behind creating the account. “I think that when you see something, and you’re like ‘oh, my God, I’ve thought that,’ it just immediately builds a sense of identity between the schools,” he said. “And yeah, that was kind of the point. I think it’s just to make people feel connected and like they’re part of something.” Many of the affirmations relate to COVID-19 protocols and procedures across the campuses. “I excel at COVID-19 spit tests,” Black posted to @5caffirmations on Sept. 11. “The line at the mailroom will not send me into an intrusive thought spiral,” wrote @ scrippsaffirmations on Sept. 14, referencing the new limited hours of the Scripps mailroom and the long lines that have resulted. The memes provide an avenue to process small frustrations created by these new rules and procedures. They also acknowledge the larger themes of uncertainty and chaos surrounding the return to campus during an ongoing pandemic. “Especially as a first year, when everything’s so new...I think they really unite us through our shared struggles,” Angela Trinh PZ ’25 said. “Our daily struggles of being a 5C student during COVID and all these tiny little obstacles.” Affirmations have ties to spirituality, similar to manifestation and meditation. This ironic take on them is especially relatable

to a generation whose humor skews cynical rather than optimistic. “I just think they’re relatable in the sense that they’re kind of sarcastic,” Sydney Jackson SC ’23 said. “The whole point of them is to say something that’s not necessarily true [in order] to try to make it true. So I think that in itself is funny.” According to Scripps College professor Adam Novy, who teaches a class on memes, the wording of the affirmation allows it to convey multiple meanings at once. Referencing a specific @5caffirmations meme that reads “My laundry will not end up on the floor this time,” he said, “When you look at this, you think a couple different things. One thing you think is ‘my laundry is going to end up on the floor this time’. And then you also think ‘my laundry is not going to end up on the floor this time’. And then you also occupy some sort of position in the middle of those two poles, which is that if it ends up on the floor this time, maybe I will take it a little better.” The surface-level sarcasm and nonsensical quality of affirmations memes disguise real sincerity and a genuine hope that our collective college experience will become better than it currently is. “They contain an ironic position, but also a sincere position,” Novy said. “The irony really makes space for that sincerity.” Black hopes students continue to engage with these accounts to foster a sense of community on campus and bond through humor and positivity. “I’ve already met people just running the account that I never would have met,” he said. “I think after being on Zoom and being so disconnected, it’s been nice to bring people together in a way that’s positive and can be funny.” Editor’s note: Nicholas Black PO ’24 is an opinions writer for TSL.

ZOEY LOFGrEN • tHE StUDENt LIFE

sadness and anger. We can all understand disillusion with consumerism and clicheés, but disillusion with fame? Not so much. While relatability is certainly one of Lorde’s strengths, it isn’t her only one; branching out into the absence of relatability grants Lorde the freedom to experiment with a new sound (enter: Grateful Dead guitar), a new zeitgeist (blunts! And beaches!) and a new album that is for Lorde, by Lorde. “Solar Power” can’t, and won’t, be consumed on your terms. It’s ’70’s psychedelic pop with a pinch of bittersweet reflection, cast un-

der the haze of a day at the beach. It’s slowing down; it’s “cherry black lipstick gathering dust in drawers;”; it’s cicadas and baking in the sun. “Solar Power” quietly grows with every listen, powerful not in it’s synth- beats and choruses but in its subdued assuredness. Lorde got over her depression, and she’s ready to strum, sing and sway about it — whether you can relate or not. Barbara Norton PO ’25 is from Bend, Oregon. She loves Dolly Parton, orange juice and extremely specific playlists.

Claremont’s Laemmle Theater relights their movie screens, welcomes back 7C students INDIA CLAUDY For the last several months, going to the movies has meant opening one’s laptop, choosing from one of the now overwhelming number of streaming services and scrolling through hundreds of options. “It’s really a different way of experiencing films,” Caroline Hardy PO ’24 said. “Before, all you had to do was buy a ticket to the movie theater. But now, do you have the technology? Do you have the streaming service? Do you have the money to pay for the extra thing? It’s not just about buying a ticket anymore.” Fortunately for 5C students like Hardy, laptops are no longer the only option for movie-viewing now that we’re back in Claremont. The Laemmle, Claremont’s theater on West 2nd Street, is open once again: The showtimes are posted, the popcorn machines are popping and velvet ropes section off the lobby from the back. Working at Laemmle’s Claremont 5 location since 2017, Samantha Cummings has held positions in the box office, concession booth and now as one of four managers. “I’ve loved working here,” Cummings said. “I like that it’s really like a family… Especially in the past, we had a much bigger staff, and we were all really there for each other.” With the ability to see free movies, Cummings also appreciates the perks. “We get good movies rather than just all the blockbusters. It’s kind of opened my eyes to more cultural movies and stuff like that,” she said. On Mar. 15, 2020, however, that supportive and fun community –– along with the Laemmle Theater chain’s other locations –– closed amidst the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Cummings found other employment while Laemmle’s doors were closed for nearly 13 months. “We all expected it to close [permanently]. We did not expect to come back,” she said. Despite the empty theater rows and switched-off screens, the theater found ways to supplement their lost income during this period. Laemmle set up a virtual cinema, making a variety of movies available for streaming. This service is still accessible on Laemmle’s website. In addition, the lobby area saw a little more activity when The Reverse Orangutan, a coffee shop, began renting the space in September 2020. The shop still holds part of the concession stand, working side-by-side with Laemmle’s employees. Contrary to the staff’s expectations, Laemmle’s Claremont location reopened on Apr. 9, 2021. Upon hearing the news that she would return to work, Cummings had some hesitations. “I was a little scared just because [of] working in the public again. But I got vaccinated before I started and that made me feel more at ease. But I was

JUStIN SLEPPY • tHE StUDENt LIFE

the Laemmle Claremont 5 movie theater is finally open again after 13 months.

really excited to get back.” The coronavirus has certainly not disappeared, and the theater is taking multiple precautions to shield against it: required masking when not eating or drinking, plexiglass barriers, more extensive cleaning procedures, assigned seating and buffer seats in between distinct parties. According to Cummings, COVID-19 has “made us shape up with the cleaning and everything.” Double-masking for a period, Cummings had her worries about working in a high-traffic setting, but has found enjoyment in the process as well. “It was great to interact with the customers,” she said. “I saw a lot of regulars come back. So it was nice to see who’s coming back, who’s not. Kind of some worry there. But I was just really happy to see people.” Senior citizens make up Laemmle’s largest customer population, but 5C students are also frequenters, especially this month with the release of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” Cummings said she is still “hoping that [the amount of 5C customers] picks up.” Hardy was one of those 5C students who went to Laemmle Theater to see “Shang-Chi.” She and four friends took advantage of the Sunday night student discount and walked into the village for a 7 p.m. showing. With a line out the door, the Laemmle was certainly open and bustling. “We were really concerned that we weren’t going to get in,” Hardy said. Fortunately, the line moved along, and the group was able to purchase their $9 tickets, find their assigned seats and settle in for a show. “It was the first time I’d been at a movie theater since March 2020 when everything shut down,” Hardy said. Despite the long line and number of fellow movie-goers, Hardy felt safe in the theater, COVIDwise. Nonetheless, Hardy said “it felt very surreal to walk back into an environment like that.” Despite its closing of many theaters, the pandemic also gifted many of us more time to watch and appreciate cinema. Perhaps we can continue to carry this appreciation –– and we can carry it over to West 2nd Street.

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SEPtEmbEr 24, 2021

California recall election shows that voting in college doesn’t have to be a hassle MADISON LEWIS It’s 95 degrees in the middle of the day in the Inland Empire; I am hot, sweaty and thirsty. And yet, this is the easiest Get Out the Vote canvassing I’ve ever done. As a political organizer, I was galvanized to take action and volunteer for the recent campaign against the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif. The canvassing conditions on that hot Saturday, two weeks before the election, should have made the experience miserable. But I was breezing through the list of households: Everyone had their ballot, and all they needed to do was find a convenient time to fill it out and then drop it off or send it in. In this primarily working-class Hispanic neighborhood, voting was not an unattainable logistical nightmare, but instead an easy and accessible task. The leadup to the Sept. 14 recall election was marked by near-frenzied fear from many liberal Californians and news outlets that, through a lack of voter engagement and civic participation, the unthinkable would happen and right-wing talk show host Larry Elder would become governor of California. In California, where registered Democratic voters outnumber their Republican counterparts nearly two to one, the recall election was always a question of whether voters would turn out in an off-cycle, off-month, largely single-issue election. Newsom, who ultimately got to keep his job, must be thankful for the unexpectedly high voter turnout that secured an over 60 percent “no” vote on the recall effort. While some may attribute high turnout to a massive Democratic mobilization effort and effective messaging, ultimately, it was the over nine million mail-in ballots that allowed major news outlets to call the election in Newsom’s favor barely an hour after polls closed. In the big picture, this election has im-

tALIA bErNStEIN • tHE StUDENt LIFE

madison Lewis PO ‘23 writes that the easy mail-in voting process for the California recall election enabled high voter turnout.

plications beyond Newsom and his political career; it provides invaluable insight into generating local civic engagement. High voter turnout is critical to a healthy and responsive democracy, but voter turnout in the United States is lower than that of most established democracies. It is imperative that we take note of the protocols that facilitated relatively robust turnout for a local, off-cycle election. Especially right now, when recent legislation in at least 14 states aims to restrict voting access, including limiting mail-in voting, it is critical we protect our most fundamental democratic right and expand the practices that we have seen make it more accessible. On Aug. 16, county elections offices mailed ballots to every

single active registered California voter that they could deposit in a drop box or mail back with pre-paid postage anytime before Sept. 14. Such extensive mailin voting practices in California were first implemented for the 2020 presidential election out of COVID-19 pandemic concerns, but popular support for the ease of voting they offer has prompted legislators to draft a bill expanding the practice. Expanded early and mail-in voting makes engaging with the democratic system easier for all Californians, but it is especially empowering to students and working people who would otherwise have greater difficulty voting in person, on a specific Tuesday, during working hours. As a college student, it is infinite-

Pomona should pull its weight in municipal organic recycling

ly easier to receive your ballot in the mail and mail it back at the library than try to somehow find a ride to a polling place during the middle of a school day. While many 5C students might be among those with the most to gain from expanded mail-in and early voting, we also stand to lose when it is restricted. In reaction to historic turnout in 2020, especially among young voters and historically marginalized communities, many Republican-led legislatures in states such as Iowa and Georgia have aimed to restrict by-mail and early voting. Young and minority voters are crucial voices in our democracy that are too often silenced. Voting restrictions anywhere mean a less democratic society everywhere.

MISHAAL IJAZ

Perhaps you’ve wondered where that sad, lonely lump of “vegan beef tips” goes once you dump it in the compost or watch it disappear to the other side of the dish drop off. Most of Pomona College’s food waste goes into the municipal organic recycling program run by the City of Claremont. Organic recycling is commingled, meaning green waste (yard waste) and food waste (of all kinds) are processed together. This program was started in 2016 in compliance with a 2015 California mandate under AB 1826, which required commercial organic recycling throughout the state. In 2019, Claremont’s commercial food waste was measured at about 317 tons. According to Pomona’s Assistant Director of Sustainability Alexis Reyes, of these 317 tons, approximately 150 tons were produced by the 5Cs, and of those, around 76 tons were produced by Pomona College. This amounts to Pomona being responsible for roughly a quarter of commercial food waste in Claremont as a whole. As a well-funded and prominent institution, we have a responsibility to remove some of the pressure from the municipality in dealing with food waste. The current method of composting in Claremont is highly inefficient, and Pomona has a role to play in bettering this system. Claremont drives our compost 21 miles to a collection facility owned by Athens Services (an organic recycling company with whom the city has a contract) in the City of Industry. From there, Athens drives tons (literally) of compost 77 miles to their processing facility in Victorville, which is in San Bernardino county on the other side of Angeles National Forest. This amounts to food and green waste being driven 98 miles from source to processing — a gross use of emissions which undermines the environmental benefits of composting. Perhaps at this point you are wondering about those bins in dining halls marked “Food Only.” The contents of these receptacles (general food waste), as well as food scraps (different from food waste, in that food scraps exclude meat, dairy or eggs, and consist only of fruit and vegetable bits like carrot skins or the end of an onion), are composted at the College’s Organic Farm. However, composting on the Farm is a manual process which cannot possibly process the quantity of all the food waste coming out of our dining halls on a daily basis. One solution would be for Pomona to purchase an aerobic digester (think of this as a com-

When I have completed all of my homework and other tasks, I fill my free time by scrolling through TikTok, watching YouTube videos or trying to hang out with my friends. By keeping my mind constantly occupied, I endeavor to avoid boredom. Some may see my refusal to feel bored as an accomplishment. However, I have come to understand that boredom has its benefits and is essential for my well-being. While constantly feeling bored can feel frustrating and uninspiring, allowing oneself to be bored in small intervals can boost creativity or even give the mind a break. It is crucial to understand the benefits of boredom, rather than viewing it as a useless waste of time. Firstly, these days where we have constant access to all kinds of media, taking a break can prevent our brains from being overloaded with information. If someone spends hours doing their homework and then goes straight to watching YouTube, they are not giving themselves a chance to slow down. If someone’s brain becomes too overloaded, they can become very stressed. Furthermore, one major upside to boredom is that it can inspire creativity. An article published in the Academy of Management Discoveries has shown that after people completed a boredom-inducing activity, they performed better on an idea-generating task than those who did a more interesting activity. From this study, it is clear that we can develop an understanding of boredom as a creative outlet instead of just a waste of time. A clear example of how boredom can foster creative ideas is evident with the Instagram user @showerthoughtsz. Whether or not the ideas in the posts were actually thought of in the shower does not take away from the message that boring activities, such as showering, can lead to very creative thoughts. While occasional boredom

Pomona has a responsibility to compost as a solution to dealing with the worldwide issue of food waste.

posting super-machine). Environmental analysis major Aurora Massari PO ’22 is working on a thesis in which she will complete a cost-benefit analysis of purchasing a digester. From speaking with Massari, a few major obstacles are clear. For one, the digester is quite expensive; as of a few years ago, an aerobic digester would cost $250,000. Second, the digester processes greenware (so-called “compostable” flatware and other plastic products) so slowly it really shouldn’t be called green — according to Massari, a “green” fork run through the digester every week for nine months is still recognizably a fork. The issue of how to source flatware which will effectively break down in an aerobic digester is a major challenge in Massari’s analysis. Possible solutions to the greenware issue include bamboo utensils, wooden utensils or an expansion of the reusable utensil system. Benefits of the digester are numerous, but the aforemen-

tioned barriers are by no means insurmountable. The digester can process 5,000 pounds of compost per week, and ideally could process waste from not just Pomona, but the rest of the 5Cs and all of Claremont as well. Undoubtedly, it is important to contextualize this issue in the face of an ongoing pandemic. Though composting has perhaps fallen on your mental list of important things, waste has dramatically increased during the pandemic — you can see it in the dining halls — and now is arguably a more important time to be working on decreasing food waste than ever. As a major contributor to Claremont’s food waste footprint, Pomona must become a more active participant in the processing of that waste. Willa Frank PO ’25 is from Cambridge, Massachusetts. She enjoys petting every dog ever on Marston Quad and professing her love for New England to no one in particular.

Madison Lewis PO ’23 is from Palo Alto, California. She is a former field organizer for the Colorado Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Georgia.

Boredom is an essential form of self-care

WILLA FRANK

OLIVIA SHrAGEr • tHE StUDENt LIFE

The recent California gubernatorial recall election has shown us that expanded early voting by mail works; it facilitates high turnout for elections that people may not have been motivated to clear voting hurdles for. Voting is a critical democratic right that, as many students know all too well, can be a logistical nightmare. We must advocate for the process we’ve seen work right here in our own community, so that exercising our right to vote doesn’t have to be a struggle — especially when we know it can be as easy as a walk to the library.

in between activities can be beneficial, it is important to remember that apathetic boredom may represent some more deep-seated issues. Those who struggle with feelings of helplessness may experience apathetic boredom that results in feeling trapped and unable to change their current circumstances. If you feel that you’re struggling with apathetic boredom, it may be useful to talk about it with a trusted friend, family member, teacher or professional. Some people may argue that allowing themselves to be bored takes away from time they could spend pursuing hobbies or work. While I agree that choosing to be bored for a prolonged amount of time can take away from life experiences, jumping from activity to activity presents its own set of issues. Life needs to be balanced. It is possible to explore interests and see your friends while also giving your brain a break from time to time. Taking the time to be bored should be viewed as a form of selfcare. In today’s world, there is a constant emphasis on taking care of one’s mental and physical health, but most resources never directly emphasize the importance of occasional boredom. While reading a book or watching your favorite show is a great way to take care of yourself, letting the mind rest without any distractions should be valued, too. It is understandable that choosing to be bored can be a daunting task, since boredom has such a negative connotation. In order for boredom to have a better reputation, it is up to us to destigmatize it. Instead of constantly complaining how bored you are, think about how this time can be used to boost creativity or just relax. Tell your friends about how sitting outside doing nothing calms your mind. Finding the benefits of boredom may take some time and dedication for those who aren’t used to choosing to be bored. However, it is crucial to remember that there is nothing lazy or shameful about boredom. Use those “boring” times to become a better version of yourself. Mishaal Ijaz SC ’24 is from San Diego, CA. She enjoys relaxing after a long day of classes.

LAUrA JArAmILLO • tHE StUDENt LIFE

OpiniOns

SEPtEmbEr 24, 2021

It takes more than word policing to fight prejudice KENNY LE During move-in at Pitzer College, first-years watched a video of Resident Assistants describing COVID-19 expectations and resources. A significant part of that video discussed appropriate language and suggested students not use “offensive” expressions like “crazy” and “you guys.” Unfortunately, Pitzer seemingly succumbed to the slacktivist advocacy that much of social media has become famous for. Popular Instagram posts rally against “ableist” words like “dumb” or “stupid.” Twitter threads denounce the usage of “you guys” because of “non-inclusive” undertones. There are problematic slurs, epithets and microaggressions that should be actively campaigned against. However, focusing all our energies on “word policing,” or ousting certain words and phrases that are deemed offensive from our vernacular, detracts from rather than adds to efforts to fight discrimination. Ultimately, the distinction between words that do have a place in our lexicon versus words that don’t rests on intent and result. When “crazy” is used as an insult, it is obviously offensive against the mentally ill. However, “crazy” has multiple meanings: It has been used to mean “cool or exciting” since the 1920s, and most people, including people struggling with mental health issues, use the term in a non-problematic or joking manner. The same logic applies to the phrase “you guys.” Women started using it as a gender-neutral plural alternative to “you” in the mid-20th century, with the gender-neutral definition now included in dictionaries. Of course, don’t use “you guys” when speaking with someone who expresses that they are genuinely uncomfortable being referred to by that term. However, proactive

censorship — either self-administered or enforced against others — has real consequences. Word policing trivializes complex issues. Simply not saying phrases like “man the table” or “hysterical” as a casual statement doesn’t contribute to eradicating sexism, mental health stigma, homophobia or racism. Pretending it does makes deep-rooted hatred seem easy to reverse. Sexists who refrain from using derogatory words toward women are still sexist. Parents who feel ashamed that their children have mental illnesses will still feel that shame even if their children’s friends stop saying “crazy.” A prejudiced person is likely to retain the same beliefs and attitudes regardless of what words they use. Furthermore, no consensus exists on the appropriate usage of words, a nuanced fact that many seem to forget. For example, not all feminists take issue with “you guys,” or feel it reflects a “fear of being feminine.” The fact that “guys” has become gender-neutralized (again, by women, historically) is in line with contemporary arguments against needless gendering of everything from clothes and colors to jobs. Meanings change, and removal of a gender-specific connotation from the word “guys” is ultimately a step forward toward removing illogical gender lines. Even words like “BIPOC” or “Latinx’’ are not completely accepted by the communities they seek to help. BIPOC (an acronym for Black, Indigenous and People of Color) denies the political unity that the broad-based grouping “people of color” originally sought to create. It linguistically sets up racial “Oppression Olympics”

and inaccurately equates Black and Indigenous struggles. The controversy around Latinx stems from arguments that it is an anglicization of Spanish. Many LGBTQ+ Spanish speakers prefer the term Latine, because phonetically, the suffix -e sounds better as an alternative to -o or -a rather than -x. The incongruence between college campuses’ embrace of the term versus the real world is especially apparent when considering that only 4 percent of American Hispanics prefer the term Latinx. Word policing distracts activists from pursuing effective ways to tackle issues on a policy-wide basis. A good example of this phenomenon is Canada’s Opening Minds program. Initially, government public service announcements focused on condemning taboo words but quickly pivoted to a more successful program that funded local re-education and contact efforts led by people with mental health issues, in order to reduce mental health stigma. Researchers from the University of Queensland have synthesized research demonstrating the high effectiveness of changing attitudes through shared identity, normalization of tolerance, positive interactions and breaking prejudiced norms. Language is powerful, and activists trying to improve our everyday word choice are not entirely without merit. However, we must have more nuanced conversations surrounding our word choice, or we will pursue a form of activism that is self-indulgent at best and entirely performative at worst. Kenny Le PZ ’25 is from Anaheim, California. He is a stressed freshman seeking to work in public policy.

JADYN LEE • tHE StUDENt LIFE

PAGE 7

Jasper’s Crossword: spilling it

JASPEr DAVIDOFF• tHE StUDENt LIFE

ACROSS 1. CBS logo 4. Partners of outs 7. ___ Nas X 10. Late SCOTUS great 13. Get hitched 14. Elements of a strategy 16. Some things you mine 17. R&B singer Lennox 18. Cuddled 19. Cambridge sch. 20. Place to trade in footwear? 22. Scoundrels 23. Whom a tutor tutors 24. Word after split or snow 25. Ballroom dance it takes two for 26. Site for custom-crocheted items 27. Perform in a cappella 28. Part of Your World singer 29. Display for some pretenders? 31. Insurance company with a tree logo 35. Book IDs 36. P-P performance anxiety? 40. “...but we don’t have to!” 41. Jason who sings I’m Yours 42. Border 46. Trudges 47. Tic___ 48. Dolly the sheep, e.g. 49. Funeral bonfire 50. Really cool sketch of a person? 52. Wrath 53. Bases loaded 54. The Matrix hero 55. Artist June Paik 56. Is incensed 57. Half-___ (Starbucks order) 58. Whiz preceder 59. Tack on 60. “My bad!” over text 61. Holiday figure “on a shelf”

Margaret 5. Calif. winery region 6. Late fall water sign 7. Family tree, say 8. Law & Order: SVU star 9. Tripping hzd.? 10. Bucharest resident 11. Phoebe in a skeleton outfit 12. Ages 15. Arcade coins 21. Map’s legend 22. Healthy chocolate ‘replacement’ 25. Folder tops 27. Joust 30. Buttery cracker 31. Jepsen who wants you to call her, maybe 32. “Forget what I just said” 33. Rock with a surprise inside 34. Pricey objs. that are kind of nothing 36. Very, very wet 37. Message of a big yawn 38. Distinguishes (a room, perhaps) 39. Ransomware perpetrators 42. Subj. before trig 43. Dribble 44. Nonexistent 45. Start a course ... or, a change that happened to 20, 29, 36 and 50-across 48. Fashionable Crawford 50. Garden 51. Novelist Jonathan Safran 53. Grp. that wants you to take your shoes off LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

DOWN 1. Dead iPhones, e.g. 2. Ump’s call 3. Proclamations 4. Are You There, God? _____,

The 5Cs are responsible for promoting safe alcohol use on campus SERENA MAO Drinking is an integral part of the college experience — or so you may think. Students who do might fall victim to a dangerous self-fulfilling prophecy, when the expectation to drink large amounts causes one to do exactly that. It’s clear enough that drinking isn’t without consequences: Although some might only want to get buzzed, those that end up drinking irresponsibly inevitably risk their mental and physical health. For instance, alcohol impairs judgement and cognitive function, increasing the chance of them making irrational decisions like drinking and driving, as well as interfering with much-needed sleep and academic performance. In fact, research shows that students still continue consuming alcohol despite experiencing these negative consequences, making additional action necessary to address overdrinking. Problematically, the obvious brute force solutions like banning alcohol don’t always work. If students want to drink, they will find ways to do so — and once alcohol access is severely restricted, the subsequent increase in underground drinking becomes even harder to address. Instead, it’s important to delve into the motivations and environments that cultivate an excessive drinking culture in order to encourage students to drink more responsibly, even when alcohol is highly accessible. It’s easy to assume that students only drink because they want to, but unfortunately, that’s

only partially the case. Though some do resort to alcohol as a temporary escape from their problems or to loosen up before social events, many others are motivated by social pressures. Whether it’s through listening to others glorify drunkenness or through the portrayal of youth drinking in mainstream media, many students come into college believing that they’re expected to embrace alcohol. With this knowledge, addressing college drinking culture is critical: By breaking down the social expectation to drink in college, students are more likely to only drink because they want to, not because they think others

expect them to. To do this, upperclassmen, especially mentor figures, play a big role. Since newcomers are unfamiliar with the college culture, they often look to older students to set an example. As a result, at colleges with upperclassmen mentoring programs that specifically discuss alcohol use, risky drinking has declined — an indicator that older students are highly influential in determining underclassmen drinking behavior. Many of the 5Cs also have mentoring programs pairing groups of freshmen with dedicated upperclassmen leaders, creating opportunities to shape student

perceptions. Older students on campus should reassure students that drinking isn’t necessary to have fun, and staying sober is just as socially acceptable. Outside of alcohol-related discourse, the physical manifestations of drinking culture also contribute to students’ expectations as they start their college experience. At Harvey Mudd College, parties are often centered around a couple pong tables within a residence hall courtyard, establishing drinking games as the main attraction. The effect of observing drinking on actual drinking behavior is well proven; studies show that alcohol-related social

COUrtESY: PIQSELS

Serena mao Hm ‘25 argues that the 5Cs are not free from traditional college drinking culture.

media posts directly increase alcohol use in others. Thus, it’s no surprise that watching drinking games increases the pressure on students to drink. Solutions are in sight, though: At HMC, modified drinking games using water or seltzer are normalized, allowing sober students to get in on the fun without feeling ostracized. In general, similar methods of expanding the scope of party activities beyond alcohol-related games is likely to reduce the perceived pressure on students to drink, while also allowing nondrinkers to meaningfully engage with each other. There are a handful of alcohol-free parties at HMC, working towards severing the link between alcohol and parties. Ultimately, after graduating high school, many students’ relationship with alcohol changes, as the new and unfamiliar freedom gives them a chance to experiment and explore. To prevent social pressure from playing a part in students’ decisions, upperclassmen can take initiative in setting healthy norms while administrators ensure parties are accessible and enjoyable. With red Solo cups littered in courtyards after Friday night parties and pong tables permanently stationed outside residence halls, it’s hard to hide from alcohol’s influence on campus — but if colleges take the right steps to shift drinking culture, we can at least avoid its most damaging risks. Serena Mao HM ’25 is from Fremont, California. She’s not sure if she doesn’t like beer pong or is just bad at it.

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SEPtEmbEr 24, 2021

The 5Cs must prioritize athletes’ mental health ABBY LOISELLE Thirty-three percent of all college students experience significant symptoms of depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions. Of that group, 30 percent seek help. But among college athletes battling mental illness, this figure is only 10 percent. Mounting pressures placed on collegiate athletes are not only extremely physically demanding, but also require excessive mental energy. Competitive academic environments like the Claremont Colleges expect athletes to maintain high academic achievement while physically excelling at their sport. Given this taxing atmosphere, athletes must be mentally prepared to thrive within and outside of competition. Maintaining mental stability is just as critical as physical training for an athlete’s sport. When a physical injury prevents an athlete from competing, they are given time off to heal in order to extend their career and improve future performance. The same priority should be given to mental health. The 5Cs must focus on fostering a considerate environment that encourages

athletes to treat mental illness as a physical injury. If an individual’s identity and self-worth is based on their athletic performance, the pressure to perform becomes all-consuming. If these athletes do achieve something they perceive to be of value, the experience is no longer joyful and instead produces relief. Being away from campus due to COVID-19 severed many athletes from this piece of their identity. Upon returning, many are struggling to find their place within and outside of their sport. Unfortunately, the current resources available to student athletes fail to produce an atmosphere conducive to this internal struggle. The wait-time for Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services (MCAPS) as of Sept. 16 was just shy of four weeks, with the first available appointment being October 12. Ten-minute sessions available during dropin hours do not provide nearly enough time to address concerns any individual may have. Directly within the 5C athletic departments, there is a failure to adequately address mental health

as a priority concern for players. At the Pomona-Pitzer fall sports Doc Talk, in which a registered physician was brought in to speak about remaining healthy while in-season, there was no mention of the dangers of poor mental health. If the 5Cs were as committed to mental health screening and treatment for athletes as they are towards physical well-being, a healthy mind would be viewed with equal importance to a healthy body. Socially, there is a long-standing culture that stigmatizes mental health. Recent backlash against professional athletes’ withdrawal from competition, as in the cases of Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka, highlights the superhuman mentality that elite athletes cannot let themselves be vulnerable to mental illness. The emphasis on athletic achievement has shifted the perception that effort is what counts. Instead, there is a culture that dismisses the individual behind the sport, as though they are nothing without success. The overwhelming message of the 2021 Olympic Games was that athletes are more than their sport:

they are individuals who should be allowed to prioritize their mental wellbeing. A crucial way of breaking down the stigma for mental health is by making it visible in what is considered a major facet of American culture. Sports have contributed greatly to American society as vehicles for transmitting values. They can therefore be a powerful tool to alter societal stigma against mental health. The Tokyo Olympics should serve as a turning point for representation of mental health in the country. As opposed to a weakness, athletes struggling with mental health should be seen the same as those facing a physical ailment. Biles’ decision to withdraw from the gymnastics all-around final competition highlighted the strength of athletes who come forward and ask for help. She explained, “Put mental health first, because if you don’t, then you’re not going to enjoy your sport and you’re not going to succeed as much as you want to. So it’s OK sometimes to even sit out the big competitions to focus on yourself, because it shows how strong of

a competitor you really are, rather than just battle through it.” Osaka conveyed a similar message upon her exit from the 2021 French Open and Wimbledon. Her vulnerability about mental health sparked conversation about the importance of athlete’s taking time away from sports to focus on individual growth and improving their mental state. In the end, mental health isn’t just as important as physical health. As Biles explained, “physical health is mental health.” It’s time for the 5Cs to promote this message. By treating mental illness with as much gravity as a physical injury, athletes can set a goal to heal as they would in hopes of returning to competition following a physical issue. Athletes should not be rushed through mental recovery. If framed in the same way as a physical ailment, players can allot themselves grace to return when they feel ready. Abby Loiselle PO ’23 is a cross-country runner for Pomona-Pitzer. She is hoping this piece inspires other athletes to let themselves be vulnerable about their mental health.

CLArE mArtIN • tHE StUDENt LIFE

We should get more bang for our (flex) bucks PORTER REYES This year at Pomona College, all students living on campus are obligated to enroll in the “Ultimate Meal Plan.” As the name suggests, this provides them unlimited access to meals at Pomona’s three dining halls: Frank Hall, Frary Hall and the Oldenborg Center. With a cost of $3,929, the mandated meal plan is expensive. However, before attending the college, many students, including myself, were unaware of an additional $200 cost embedded within the plan: so-called “flex bucks.” Also referred to as “flex dollars” and “$200 board plus” throughout Pomona’s website, flex bucks can solely be spent on food items at 5C cafes, including the Coop Fountain and the Café 47. While flex bucks are a convenient way to purchase a bite to eat, their limited application to food items is problematic, especially during a year when most students have access to unlimited meals. To promote the interests of the student body, Pomona’s administration should change their policy to allow students to spend flex bucks on most, if not all, necessities for life at Pomona. Conversations I’ve had with ASPC members have made clear that allowing flex bucks to be used on some non-Pomona run services like laundry may not be feasible due to logistical concerns.

mArIANA DUrAN• tHE StUDENt LIFE

Still, purchasing items like textbooks and school supplies could be. Flex bucks usage should be expanded by as much as is feasible to allow students the greatest amount of choice possible over what they purchase. According to Investopedia, colleges use flex dollars “to facilitate students’ purchase of food and snacks under the school’s meal plan.” Being obligated to

purchase money to spend on miscellaneous food items has never been ideal, but flex bucks are even less helpful now than in traditional years when students had a choice of how many meals a week they paid for. Now, despite being provided unlimited food from our dining halls, Pomona students must spend the entire $200 they purchased by the end of the semester, or else

THE STUDENT LIFE

the remaining balance is forfeited. Investopedia notes that some schools offer discounts for students using flex dollars, and that “many on-campus vending machines accept flex dollar[s]” — neither is true at Pomona, which further limits the usefulness of flex bucks. Further compounding the issue of flex bucks is that many

first-years are unaware of them and learned only through the grapevine. Naomi Locala PO ’25 said that she first learned about flex bucks from a friend toward the end of orientation week, but remained confused about them. “I just had no idea what they even were or what you could spend them on,” Locala said. “And my first thought was, ‘oh, I should get one of my textbooks with flex bucks.’ I was really confused because I didn’t know that it was different from Claremont Cash. I thought it was the same thing, so I thought it was [for] laundry or just anything you needed to buy.” Additionally, finding an explanation about flex bucks on Pomona’s website isn’t straightforward, especially because it uses different terminology to refer to them interchangeably. While abolishing flex bucks may not be feasible, the current policy surrounding the usage of flex bucks should be thoroughly evaluated by the administration and ASPC members. Giving students more autonomy over how they spend the $200 they buy every semester will allow them to spend flex bucks on what best suits their needs. Porter Reyes PO ’25 is from Manhattan, New York. He is a political junkie who enjoys internet drama and writing articles about things that irk him.

OFF THE RECORD

Editorial Board KAYLA ALCORCHA, Editor-in-Chief JASPER DAVIDOFF, Managing Editor CLAIRE DUMONT, Managing Editor

Senior Staff JAMES KARSTEN, Production Editor SELENA LOPEZ, Production Editor GRACE SAUERS, News Designer VASTI CRUZ, Arts & Culture Designer STELLA CHENG, Opinions Designer CHARIS KIM, Sports Designer ANNA HARTMAN, Copy Chief SIMONE NIKITINA, Copy Chief ANNA CHOI, Photo Editor NANAKO NODA, Photo Editor

MARIANA DURAN, Graphics Editor ANURADHA KRISHNAN, News Editor JENNA MCMURTRY, News Editor SIENA SWIFT, News Associate LARKIN BARNARD-BAHN, Arts & Culture Editor MENA BOVA, Arts & Culture Editor HANNAH WEAVER, Arts & Culture Associate AVIKA JINDEL, Opinions Editor BEN REICHER, Opinions Editor ALEX CHUN, Sports Editor

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.

Milk & Honey is coming back! I can finally get my brown sugar latte again!

There goes my flex... time to start rationing.

Where there’s smoke... there was probably a gender reveal party

The sun is red! Apocalypse chic on VSCO

SportS

September 24, 2021

pAGe 9

Building a positive culture: CMS men’s soccer kicks off season using ‘habit tracker’

GABE FISHER Fresh off its first SCIAC title since 2012, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men’s soccer team is looking to keep its momentum going this season — and part of that is focusing on each player as an individual. Head coach Ryan Fahey CM ’10 has given each player a “habit tracker,” a small slip of paper on which they note individual long-term goals under three categories: soccer, school and life. Underneath those objectives, players note habits to help achieve them. Some players, including vice-captain Nate Huntington CM ’21, are already affirming Fahey’s system. “Coach Fahey pushes us to think about the habits that are going to help us win a national championship,” he said. “Some of those habits include paying attention to the small things and building a positive culture.” For Huntington, one personal objective is to either score or assist on 15 goals. Some of his habits include dedicating extra time to practice and recovering from his injury. For captain Samay Rahim CM ’22, the team’s overall success makes the top of the list. “My main goal is for us to get better game by game and hopefully do better than we did two years ago,” Rahim said. “[I want us to] make a deeper run past the Sweet 16 — getting better every game is how we’re going to do it.” Last week, the Stags inched out a nail-biting 2-1 victory

against Redlands, which was ranked fifth at the time. Harper Rubin CM ’22 netted an unassisted goal at the end of the first half and scored his second via a volley toward the beginning of the second half. An experienced veteran, Rubin has displayed impressive midfield play seven games into the season. For his performance against Redlands, he received SCIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for matches through Sept. 19. “This is uncharted territory for me,” he said after the game. “I don’t totally know how to feel, but I’m trying to keep a cool head about it all.” The Stags are likely to face challenges in their quest to advance. Midway through the second half of the game, a Redlands player received a red card for ramming his shoulder into Eric Sanchez CM ’24. The scuffle originally ensued after the two opposing players fell to the turf while competing for the ball. Even during intense moments, Rahim said, remaining composed is the best way to project leadership. “Those guys on my team are my brothers, so seeing someone do that makes me want to react,” he said. “But knowing the role that I’m in, it’s important to think about my actions and how they will translate to the rest of the guys on the team.” Despite starting 0-1-1, CMS has bounced back by winning its last five matches. Its overall record is 5-1-1; in conference games it improves to 3-0-0.

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AbbeY LIAO • tHe StUDeNt LIFe

members of the CmS men’s soccer team scrimmage at a practice this week.

The Stags have earned a good record so far, but Fahey expects more of himself than just coaching his team to victories. “I want to be an educator that lasts longer than just what the game outcomes are,” he said. “I tell my guys four things: try your hardest, never give up, have fun, and help others do the first three.”

Regardless of the ultimate outcome, Rahim and Huntington are grateful for their last season and say they’re soaking in every remaining moment of their college careers. “I want to make the most of my last season since I’ve been playing since I was four years old, so it’s a big part of who I am and where I am today,” Ra-

him said. “I’m looking forward to making it the best [season] that I’ve ever had and the best one we as a team have ever had.” Huntington, a fifth-year senior, reflected similar sentiments. “I feel lucky to have this opportunity because everybody in our class other than Harper isn’t here,” he said. “I’m treating it as a privilege.”

P-P women’s soccer off to dominating start, looking to replicate last season’s success ALEX CHUN With remnants of its first Final Four appearance in the rearview mirror, the Pomona-Pitzer women’s soccer team is steadily driving itself to excellence once again, beginning the season by outscoring their opponents 21-2 and posting a stellar 5-0-1 record. A major factor behind the early success was the team’s productive preseason, head coach Jennifer Scanlon told TSL. In addition to giving the freshmen and sophomores “their first college soccer experience,” Scanlon emphasized the importance of team building activities while “bringing the group together.” “We also didn’t scrimmage anybody else during the preseason — we just focused on ourselves,” she said. “It took a lot of hard work, talent, planning and investment from players and coaches to get everyone on the same page and try to work hard at reaching our potential over the course of the season.” The chemistry they built shined especially in their previous three wins. In those matches against Whitter, UC Santa Cruz and La Verne, the Sagehens thoroughly dominated their opponents. “We were able to use a roster of 25 players and use the talent and energy combined between returning players and new players in those games,” Scanlon said. “We put together some really great play, controlling the flow of the game while generating good attacks. The veteran coach also felt the women’s performances reflected a sense of excitedness to return to the sport, especially considering the two-year absence. “[It] definitely was super fa-

AbbeY LIAO • tHe StUDeNt LIFe

Caitlin pham pZ ’24 launches the ball in Saturday’s tie game against Occidental.

miliar and exciting; it’s just an amazing feeling to be back on the field on game days,” she said. “Though there was a long period off, seeing Redlands’ opposing bench and the coaches I’ve known and coached against for a long time [was] so familiar.” Despite the hype surrounding the resurgence of competitive play, the Sagehens have faced hardships with the newly reinstated pandemic guidelines. “We’re literally doing our pregame meetings in Sontag Greek Theater right now instead of in a traditional meeting room space,” Scanlon said.

“We’re getting creative because we have to work around COVID protocols and the closed Rains Center, but we’re kind of rolling with it and figuring things out.” Additional personal challenges have emerged with everyone on the roster, as the athletes get reaccustomed to being on campus. “We established what it means to be a student-athlete for both our returning and new players, to take care of their mental health and take care of their family and community,” Scanlon said. “Soccer is a big part of their lives but they’ve got to have everything else in

order to be successful in soccer.” Considering their success on the pitch, Scanlon also mentioned the hardship of remaining in the shadow of the “Final Four squad.” “We’re trying really hard to not compare ourselves to that group and find our own identity because we’re a brand new team with a completely different playstyle,” she said. Scanlon said she’s looking to resolve these issues by relying on the leadership of her veteran players. “I believe our seniors and juniors should put their own

stamp on the standard of values 6 that they know are a big part of the success of this foundation that we’ve built over many years,” she said. “We don’t need to start from square one, but we need to reset and carve our own path.” The renewed team’s challenges revealed themselves during last weekend’s match against Occidental. Despite multiple threatening opportunities and outshooting the Tigers 18-4, the Sagehens failed to connect with the back of the net and maintained a stalemate for 90 minutes and two overtime periods. “Everyone was still getting in sync with our identity and playstyle out there, which is why we lacked a little bit of sharpness on both ends,” Scanlon said. “It’s not infrequent in soccer that a team can dominate the stats and not be able to score — it’s just the nature of the game.” However, the Sagehens redeemed themselves in a statement game against La Verne. With four different goal scorers and multiple set piece opportunities, the women took over the game early by scoring three within the first half, never looking back. Regardless of the results of this season, Scanlon hopes her players gain more than athletic abilities or skills at the end of the year. “Some of our values are to invest in hard work, support and challenge each other to become better soccer players and 7 students,” she said. “Our goal is that when they leave after four years, they’re better people and find success in all parts of their lives. I want them to be in tune with how lucky we are to have this type of experience together.”

SportS

pAGe 10

September 24, 2021

P-P cross-country picks up the pace Ethan Widlansky PO ’22 and Lucas Florsheim PO ’24 credit the team for record-breaking performances in Riverside

COUrteSY: LUCAS CUNNINGHAm

ethan Widlansky pO ’22 and Lucas Florsheim pO ’24 run alongside each other at the UC riverside Invite.

ALEX CHUN Ethan Widlansky PO ’22 just broke a 15-year team record. But he’s more focused on what’s to come for P-P men’s cross-country As Ethan Widlansky PO ‘22 crossed the 8-kilometer race finish line at the UC Riverside Invite last Saturday, he didn’t realize he’d run a record-breaking pace until after the results became official. With Will Leer PO ’07 holding the previous Pomona-Pitzer record time of 24:14.1 for fifteen years, Widlansky crushed the mark by a whole four seconds. But in the moment, he wasn’t even thinking about punching his name in the record books. “I thought I was running at 24:30 or 40 pace because the course was so poorly marked,” Widlansky said. “And then after Lucas [Florsheim PO ’24] and I crossed the finish line, I was like, ‘Oh shit, we went really fast.’” Teamwork on the course made the achievement possible, he said. “There’s a dependency in there: I don’t think either of us would have broken it without the other,” he said. “Lucas definitely got me through that last mile.” Having rarely run with others for almost two years due to the pandemic, Widlansky missed the sense of togetherness the P-P cross-country team had. “I was running alone a lot, missed being with the guys especially during workouts,” he said.

“I would go on regular easy runs with other people, but it would be very difficult to find someone with whom I can really push myself and give more exerted effort.” But despite its hiatus from competition, Widlansky said, the cross-country team is already showing signs of excellence early in the season. “Oliver Chang [PO ‘22] totally popped off and ran at 25:10 with a wrong turn — a time that would have been competitive my freshman year and the Invitational which I ran,” he said. “The time would have rivaled our top seven from a year or two ago; the team is just incredibly deep and continues to surprise.” In addition to enjoying the unexpected shining moments from his teammates, Widlansky continues to run due to the personal mental health benefits the sport provides. “Through high school and as it is here, it became a lifeline,” he said. “I always like to think of the sport as catharsis; it’s a good social outlet and safety net for me. It also allows me to share space without adhering to the social expectation that often comes with sharing space.” But it hasn’t always been easy, he explained, and the closeness of the team is critical to helping its runners keep going. “There is no other aerobic sport, aside from swim-

ming maybe, that challenges and pushes human capacity to that extreme of extent,” he said. “There’s often a culture of self-reliance given the nature of the sport, but I really appreciate that the team here especially has been so proactive and reaching out. There’s a really great gowith-the-flow attitude here.” With these challenges in his path, Widlansky said, the feeling of overcoming them and reaching success is second-tonone. “I like it when everyone else gets so hyped about nationals — all the work everyone puts in is paying off, even the guys who weren’t with us,” he said. “The coolest thing I’ve experienced in collegiate running is when we all cross the finish line; 10 minutes later, it’s announced that we won and everyone goes berserk.” Looking ahead, Widlansky seems more focused on finding ways to bolster the team’s success rather than staying rooted in his recent achievements. “It’s a surprise and it’s exciting, but it’s also not the end — it’s just a number,” he said. “I’m just excited to keep getting back at it with my teammates.” Strong bonds and tight-knit camaraderie help Lucas Florsheim PO ’24 run his way into record books After completing his first collegiate race, Florsheim didn’t

Athletes of the Week Pomona-Pitzer Sam Sasaki PO ’23 Irvine, CA Men’s Water Polo Finding the back of the net in each game, Sam Sasaki PO ’23 guided P-P men’s water polo through three consecutive wins this past week. Serving as one of the primary attackers, he helped light a fire under an offense that has come alive in its last couple matches. Sasaki put his most impressive performance on display Wednesday, scoring five goals and four assists to lead the Sagehens to a 22-13 blowout against La Verne. Currently undefeated in conference play and at an overall record of 6-3, the P-P men’s water polo team’s next game will take place today against Cal at the MPSF Invitational.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Irene Jun CM ’24 San Jose, CA Women’s Golf As CMS came into the final round of the Redlands fall shootout +8 last weekend, Irene Jun CM ’24 turned in an impressive two-over 74 performance and contributed to the Athenas to a one-stroke win over runner-up Redlands. Her scores allowed her to end the tournament one under par over two rounds, after posting a clutch three-under 69 score in her first round. The Athenas, who have had top-five finishes throughout their first two matches, will next face Chapman @ Upland Hills Country Club on Saturday, Sept. 25.

expect his work to include a record-breaking time — never even having run the 8K competitively before. “I have run this distance before, but never for cross-country,” Florsheim said. “I didn’t think we [Widlansky and I] were going to break the record; it wasn’t even on my mind at all.” And the run was far from a walk in the park. “At times, we had moments in the middle of the race where we had no idea where we were,” he said. “I only knew we were running pretty fast because there was a PA system saying second place ran 23:40. So I was telling myself: ‘Dang, unless we really slow down, we’re gonna have a shot.’” Florshm ran the 5K in high school, and he said moving to the eight-kilometer race in collegiate cross-country has taken some adjustment. “It’s hard because you have to set a point mentally where you’re going to engage; you have to strategically decide when you’re going to really get after it,” he said. “Personally, I’m more of a long distance runner so I feel like my skills are better suited for the 8K than the 5K. But again, it really just depends on your physiology.” Despite these obstacles, Florsheim said he’s overcoming them with the help of a P-P program that prioritizes the mental status of athletes over their results.

“I think P-P does a really good job of comprehending cross-country as a team sport and not as an individual sport because that takes the load off to you and makes it more of a team effort,” he said. This strong emphasis on team building is what drives him to continue to pursue the sport. “I would say the community is probably my favorite aspect about the sport because you just get really close with people in and outside of the sport,” he said. “You can go on runs with people who maybe wouldn’t be your friend and not say a word to them for an hour — but it’s not awkward. Stuff like that is pretty special.” Florsheim also felt a similar, significant team moment as he crossed the finish line at Riverside. “My proudest moment so far was probably just toeing the line with a bunch of the guys,” he said. “I lived with a bunch of the sophomores on the team this past year and we trained together all the time. So it’s pretty cool to make it through to this point, like to finally be at a college race.” In the coming months, Florsheim hopes to keep pushing himself and his teammates. “Obviously it’s exciting to break a record but we have to get ready for more races this season,” he said. “I hope we’ll continue to run fast and push each other to drive my number further down, which will be really exciting.”

Weekend Calendar P-P

CMS

Friday, Sept. 24 men’s Water polo vs. California

Friday, Sept. 24 Women’s Volleyball @ La Verne

Saturday, Sept. 25 men’s & Women’s XC @ CSU San marcos

Saturday, Sept. 25 men’s & Women’s XC @ CSU San marcos

men’s Water polo mpSF Invitational

Women’s Golf vs. Chapman @ Upland Hills CC

men’s Soccer @ Cal tech Women’s Soccer vs. Cal tech Football vs. Willamette Women’s Volleyball vs. Whittier Sunday, Sept. 26 men’s Water polo mpSF Invitational

Football vs. Chapman men’s & Women’s Soccer vs. Occidental Women’s Volleyball vs. Cal Lutheran Sunday. Sept. 26 Women’s Golf vs. La Verne @ Via Verde CC