Vol. CXXXIII No. 21

VOL. CXXXIII NO. 21

FRIDAY, ApRIl 22, 2022

CLAREMONT, CA

Students lived with infected roommates after CMC and Mudd ran out of isolation space MARIANA DURAN & MARCELLA TODD

HUXlEYANN HUEFNER • THE STUDENT lIFE

Some Harvey Mudd and Claremont McKenna students who tested positive were asked to isolate in place, sometimes with uninfected roommates, during this month’s COVID-19 surge.

As COVID-19 cases surged to unprecedented levels at the 5Cs throughout April, Claremont McKenna College and Harvey Mudd College quickly found themselves in a complicated position: they didn’t have enough isolation space for everyone who tested positive. The isolation housing shortage and the growing number of cases led the two schools to begin asking some COVID-19 positive students to isolate in place, meaning they would have to share bathrooms, hallways and sometimes even dorm rooms with students who weren’t positive. Of 62 active cases at Mudd during the weeks of April 4 and April 11, 40 students were asked to quarantine in their dorms, according to Dean of Students Marco Antonio Valenzuela. This week, only 10 were left isolating in place, he added. Harvey Mudd had previously run out of isolation space in late February, when 19 students tested positive in one week, the highest up to that point. Valenzuela said in an email that Mudd worked with Pitzer College prior to the latest surge to supplement isolation spaces, but was unable to utilize these spaces when Pitzer ’s cases surged in April as well. CMC did not respond to a request for comment on the number of students isolating in their residence halls, but the college had a significantly higher number of COVID cases than Mudd, accu-

Senior week trips discouraged SAMSON ZHANG As a record-setting surge in COVID-19 cases peaked at the 5Cs, Pomona College student leaders asked seniors not to go on traditional “senior week” trips the week before graduation. Harvey Mudd College’s student government similarly scaled back senior week trip plans for COVID-19 safety, but did not cancel them. Since seniors are required to turn in finals one week earlier than other students, graduating Pomona seniors have traditionally taken celebratory trips to San Diego during finals week.

See SENIORS on page 2

FlORENCE pUN • THE STUDENT lIFE

Exposed and exempted: What to do when you can’t take a PCR test? LUCIA STEIN & AMARA MIR For many students, the recent spike in COVID-19 cases at the 5Cs also meant an increase in exposures to positive individuals. But some close contacts found themselves in a predicament: students who have tested positive for the virus within the last 90 days are barred from taking a PCR test provided by Student Health Services. So, what should students do if they think they’ve been re-exposed within three months of their own bout with the virus? Citing Los Angeles County public health g uidelines, The C la remont Col leges S er v ices spokesperson Laura Muna-Landa told TSL via email that students

mulating 180 cases between the weeks of April 4 and April 11. Ian Baime CM ’24 tested positive April 6, but said he was not told of his result until two days later due to a backlog at Hamilton Health Box, the service that coordinates CMC’s testing. He was informed via phone call by Dean of Students Dianna Graves CM ’98 that he was required to quarantine in his single at Berger Hall. Like other quarantined CMC students, Baime said he was given a Grubhub gift card of $100 to spend on his first day of meals. For the remainder of his days in isolation, all his meals for the day were left at his door every morning and he would heat them up as the day went by in his CMC-issued microwave. Baime’s room did not have its own bathroom, so he had to use a communal bathroom that was shared by everyone living in that hallway. According to Baime, quarantined students were asked to use the showers at specific times to minimize their interactions with non-infected students, something which he thought could have been avoided by designating one bathroom in the hall specifically for those who were COVID-19 positive. “We were told to shower at weird times,” Baime said. “So I was showering at 4 p.m., [which] was a little weird. I suggested an idea of a COVID bathroom. My dorm has two bathrooms per floor and we had

Budding conversations among Claremont residents may lead to legal dispensaries within city limits. Though personal recreational use is allowed, city leaders say the ultimate decision as to whether to welcome the commercial sale of cannabis will come down to community feedback. The continuing shift in Claremont’s stance towards cannabis use follows a 2021 city council request that city staff engage the community on cannabis regulation possibilities. The city held two cannabis community workshop meetings March 26 and 30, where a cannabis consultant hired by the city weighed the pros and cons of implementing commercial cannabis, fielding questions from community members. Residents were encouraged to comment on concerns they might have about the change. An online survey accessible through the city’s webpage was also used to gather community input. City Management Analyst Alex Cousins is the lead staff member for Claremont’s cannabis outreach process. He stressed the importance community input will have in the decision to make changes to the existing prohibition of commercial cannabis. “As anticipated we have re-

See ISOLATION on page 3

See CANNABIS on page 3

who’ve had the virus are not recommended to test within this time period unless symptomatic, regardless of exposure. If a student develops symptoms, Muna-Landa said they should consult a medical professional “to ask if a one-time repeat test would be of diagnostic value to the clinician.” The type of test would be up to the medical provider to decide, but most likely would be an antigen test, according to Muna-Landa. The COVID-19 teams at both Scripps College and Pitzer College said via email that students should not test with a PCR test unt il after t he 90 days have elapsed. Referring to SHS’s guidance, Pomona College Dean of Stu-

dents Avis Hinkson said students in this situation should be in touch with SHS medical personnel and have them decide whether a test is advised or not. “A ny st ude nt de emed a close contact, whether within their 90 day period or not, should contact SHS,” Hinkson said via email. “It is crucial that medical staff from SHS assess the situation and that students don’t make their own decisions based on their reading of an antigen test.” In an email sent to Pomona students, Hinkson wrote that, per Pomona’s community agreement, even those who

See ANTIGEN on page 3

Initial talks about commercial cannabis in Claremont underway AVA FRANCIS-HALL

New offerings coming to Pomona’s Orientation Adventure this fall RYA JETHA

To compensate for COVID’s impact on senior week traditions, ASpC plans to host events during and leading up to senior week, including a pool party and one-day beach trip.

City of trees?

Pomona College’s Orientation Adventure programs are slated to return this fall semester after a three year hiatus, but this time around, the college is focusing on inclusivity and proximity to campus. Orientation Adventures (OAs) are multi-day trips to welcome incoming first-year students to the Pomona community. Traditionally, trips have included wilderness and camping experiences scattered around California. Some aspects of past OAs will be revived, while others will be scrapped to support a wider breadth of student interests, Dean of Campus Life Josh Eisenberg told TSL. New OA programs to debut

include on-campus activities like collaborations with the Benton Museum of Art, the Pomona Farm, the Draper Center, KSPC and dining services. Students who opt to venture beyond the general Claremont vicinity will have the option to embark on one of the more traditional OA trips, including wilderness experiences and camping trips with activities ranging from surfing, kayaking, camping and backpacking. “We’re still keeping the essence of what OA was, but we’ve decided to make it more broadly interesting to various groups of students,” Eisenberg said. “We’re making OA more accessible and taking advantage of Los Angeles, and we hope to offer anywhere from six to eight OA op-

See OA on page 2

CAElYN SMITH • THE STUDENT lIFE

pomona College’s Dean of Campus life Josh Eisenberg said he wants Orientation Adventure to expand to take advantage of on-campus resources, staff and faculty.

SAMSON ZHANG & REIA lI • THE STUDENT lIFE

ARTS & CULTURE A new student band on campus, Drive Thru Therapy has found inspiration and restoration in Phoebe Bridgers, fast food and casual jam sessions. Read more on page 5.

The student newspaper of the Claremont Colleges since 1889

OPINIONS

SPORTS

Casually using terms for mental disorders as a joke risks stigmatizing peers with mental health issues, writes Anna Tolkien CM ‘24. Read more on page 7.

Before she became CMS’ longestserving coach, Jodie Burton was growing up in Whittier, Calif., fighting just for the opportunity to participate in sports. Read more on page 8.

INDEX: News 1 | Arts & Culture 4 | Opinions 6 | Sports 8

News

pAGE 2

FLI, international students push for Pomona summer storage availability KATHERINE TAN & JULIA SCHWARTZ As the spring semester winds down, 5C students are facing the annual question of where and how to store their personal belongings over the summer. Pomona College students — who have typically had the option to store their belongings on campus over the summer — were told that, this year, on-campus spaces are “not suited for long-term storage,” according to a March 1 email from Dean of Campus Life Josh Eisenberg. Students would be expected to organize storage on their own, Eisenberg stressed. Previously, students were able to store up to five boxes in Harwood Court or Walker Hall for $10 each. “Storage can be very expensive over the summer for three months. A lot of us don’t have that kind of money, nor the resources to transport storage and stuff like that,” Selena Lopez PO ’22, a leader of FLI Scholars at Pomona, said. “So I really wanted to come up with a solution.” Mentor groups such as FLI Scholars, Posse Scholars and the International Student Mentorship Program have stepped in, reassuring their members that they would not be left without help to locate and pay for summer storage. On April 4, FLI Scholars and ISMP sent surveys to their members inquiring about their summer storage needs, which over 200 students responded to, according to ASPC Vice President of Student Affairs Gerardo Rodriguez PO ’22. Hundreds of boxes were requested by the students who responded.

On Monday, Rodriguez and ASPC President Nirali Devgan PO ’22 confirmed that FLI and ISMP would be organizing on-campus storage for students who identify with those groups. ASPC also provided off-campus suggestions for other students concerned about storage, listing their distance from campus, size options and price ranges. “I am not happy about Pomona’s handling of the storage situation because for starters, they could have let us know about this earlier. I did not know what to do at first,” said Giacomo Marazza PO ’25, who is part of both FLI Scholars and Posse Scholars. “But I am grateful for FLI for unanimously pretty much providing the FLI community here with storage units.” Lopez expressed similar frustration. “It seemed like the space to store our belongings was there, but they just weren’t using it,” Lopez said. According to Rodriguez, there will be at least three large outdoor storage pods available on Pomona’s South Campus, near Pendleton Dance Studio for FLI and international students. “It was a little frustrating that we had to go and ask for it and fight for it in order to get it. But, you know, at least we have it now and students are really, really thankful that they have a place to store their items for the summer,” Lopez said. Eisenberg said that the previous storage locations, dorm basements, are not climate-controlled and that Pomona decided to end its summer storage in 2019 because

of resulting problems. Lopez and her friends had experienced these consequences firsthand when they found mold growing on boxes they stored in the basement of Harwood residence hall the summer after their first year. Some students also experienced rats eating through some of their boxes. Eisenberg said that due to the unforeseen circumstances of the pandemic, the college stored student items in Oldenborg, Rains Center and Walker until August 2021 but that “those are no longer viable locations now that campus is open.” All five undergraduate colleges are grappling with summer storage issues and have informed students that they will not be offering on-campus storage for the majority of students. At Claremont McKenna College, students can still store bicycles on campus and current residents of the Alexander Kendry Apartments who will keep the same room next year are allowed to keep their items there. Harvey Mudd College’s student government “helps supplement pod storage over the summer for students,” according to spokesperson Judy Augsburger, but no specifics were provided. Pitzer College does not normally offer on-campus storage and only did so in 2020 due to the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic, college spokesperson Wendy Shattuck said. According to Director of Campus Life Carmen Brown, Scripps College does not have an official policy and “encourages students to Google local storage companies.

FlORENCE pUN • THE STUDENT lIFE

Students are adjusting to the end of pomona College offering on-campus summer storage.

ApRIl 22, 2022

OA: New programs include campus options Continued from page 1 tions in Claremont, Pasadena and the LA region.” In past years, OA trip offerings lacked on-campus options and only hosted a few trips in the Greater Los Angeles area. Eisenberg, who joined Pomona in 2019 from Dickinson College, was inspired to expand Pomona’s OA program by rolling out changes that take advantage of on-campus resources, staff, and faculty. “A lot of the language I heard when I came to campus is that we have to push students out of their comfort zone [on OAs],” Eisenberg said. “But why? Why can’t students find new people and be comfortable for two or three days? Why can’t the theater students hang with the theater students?” Holding the trips within a 2.5 hour radius will ensure that student-athletes have the same slate of options in trips as do other students, Eisenberg added. Previously, some OAs traveled as far away as a six-hour bus ride from Claremont, which limited the slate of trip options in which student-athletes could participate before they returned for practices. Associate Dean of Campus Life Ellie Ash-Balá added that keeping trips closer to campus could make the experience more accessible and inclusive for students who require accommodations. “Camp sites and outdoor OAs haven’t always been accessible and friendly spaces for wheelchair users, blind students, and students with medical conditions,” Ash-Balá said. “So something I’ve been thinking about, and having conversations with students about, is designing OAs where every student gets a full experience.” One of the on-campus OA trips set to launch this fall will be led by Erica Tyron, staff advisor for KSPC, the community radio station based at Pomona College. “The plan is to partner with KPCC 89.3 for a student experience that at minimum will involve a behind the scenes tour of their state-of-the art broadcast facility, and ideally will also include some hands-on and/or interactive workshop activities,” Tyron said via email. The Benton Museum is also working to develop a program that will “give students the opportunity to discover the expansive Southern California arts scene,” Salim Moore, the assistant curator of collections said via email. “We’re hoping to include

a range of cultural experiences and institutions from the visual arts to performance so that new students get a taste of what this region has to offer.” Dining Services, the Draper Center and the Farm are also in the beginning stages of developing OA programs. Farm Manager Kay Sterner told TSL that they are working on “a close to home option for OA that still gives students the chance to get outside and interact with nature.” Ash-Balá and Eisenberg expect that two-thirds of the incoming freshman class will have OA experiences in the wilderness or at campsites, while one-third will participate in on-campus OAs. The goal, they emphasized, is to gauge responses to the expanded programs in the fall and eventually offer exactly what students want. For now, they are finalizing the hiring of a new director of the Outdoor Education Center and recently concluded OA leader recruiting. “I want to be an OA leader to give back to the community, because I experienced the last real OA, and I want to help recreate the experience I had for [incoming] freshmen,” Katherine Purev PO ’23, who was chosen to be an OA leader, said in an interview. She’s also excited to teach first year students traditional OA games like Big Booty. Many rising juniors and rising sophomores, who didn’t get the chance to experience OA due to COVID-19, are also going to be OA leaders. Ash-Balá said they have chosen OA leaders based on willingness to learn over skills and experience, because most students on campus next fall will not have experienced OA. Ulas Ayyilmaz PO ’24 is excited to be an OA leader despite never having gone on an OA. “I’m not apprehensive at all. We’re going to be trained and do a great job introducing freshmen to Pomona and life at college,” Ayyilmaz said. As an international student from Turkey, Ayyilmaz is “excited to represent the diversity of Pomona and to encourage freshmen to be their true selves, unapologetically.” Like the OA leaders, Eisenberg and Ash-Balá are invested in giving freshmen a memorable experience. Whether students attend one of the traditional outings or choose to stay in Claremont, class bonding over a campfire will still be at the core of the OA experience. “We’re trying to make sure that everyone will have similar experiences, but not necessarily the same experience,” Eisenberg said. “Campfire moments are really important for connection. We’ll have campfires in the wilderness, at campsites and on campus as well!”

SENIORS: Traditional trips discouraged by ASPC, shortened by ASHMC due to COVID concerns Continued from page 1 The trips are student-planned and not directly supported by ASPC or the college. In an April 12 email to Pomona seniors, ASPC President Nirali Devgan PO ’22 and Senior Class President Andreah Pierre said that although “we cannot do anything to stop you,” they “are asking seniors NOT to attend [senior week trips] in hopes of securing a full celebratory Commencement Day involving ALL graduating seniors.” Through the email, Pierre hopes to prevent students from contracting COVID-19 through exposure so close to commencement, she told TSL. As April unfolded, the 5Cs experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases that resulted in more than 10 percent of the 5C

student population having tested positive since the end of spring break. 96 Pomona students tested positive the week of April 4. “It’s so close to commencement, and it would really suck for [someone] to get COVID and their family comes out here and sees everyone else walk except for [them],” she said. To compensate, ASPC plans to host three events during and leading up to senior week, including an event with student and professor bands May 6, a pool party on Sunday afternoon and a day trip to the beach on the following Tuesday, Pierre said. The decision to discourage senior trips was made well before the surge, according to Pierre. “That email was actually in con-

versation back in February, March when people started asking about senior week,” she said. “It took me a minute to finally release that email because I knew if I sent an email saying ‘please don’t go,’ but I had nothing to offer in return, people would still go.” Harvey Mudd College seniors have a similar tradition of taking three-day trips to Mission Beach in San Diego. In contrast to Pomona, ASHMC directly supported the tradition by booking two to three large Airbnbs for students. For the class of 2022, ASHMC is cutting senior week trip plans to a shorter duration and housing students in smaller pods of five to ten, according to ASHMC Senior Class Co-President Emily Fok HM ’22. Instead of booking housing

directly, ASHMC will provide reimbursements for students who request them for trip expenses, said ASHMC Senior Class Co-President Vadim Mathys ’22. Fok is optimistic that Harvey Mudd’s twice-per-week testing requirements will reduce the risk that the trip will impact commencement activities. For students who elect not to go to San Diego, ASHMC plans to host outdoor on-campus events. Students at both schools have been generally understanding of the COVID-19 precautions, according to Pierre and Fok. “We’re trying to find a nice balance of keeping the same traditions as previous senior classes while also making sure that we’re being super safe about it,” Fok said. “I think everyone is seeing that for the

most part.” Pierre noted that the ASPC email does not impose any strict limitations and hopes that seniors will heed the warning. “It’s a little frustrating [when] people are like, ‘I’m still gonna go but I’ll be safe.’ I am offering other things and you don’t have to go to San Diego to have fun with your friends,” Pierre said. “I really want everyone to be there [at commencement].” For graduating seniors, the impacts are among the last that they will experience in two and a half years of pandemic-affected time at the 5Cs. “There was a ton of COVID going around the senior class a couple weeks ago, so everyone understands,” Clay Hamilton PO ’22 said. “We’re at the acceptance phase of processing. It’s been long enough.”

News

ApRIl 22, 2022

pAGE 3

ANTIGEN: Reconciling ISOLATION: CMC asked infected policies for tests after exposure

students to stagger bathroom use Continued from page 1

ANNA CHOI • THE STUDENT lIFE

5C officials offer varying policies on whether students should test if exposed within the 90-day recovery window from their own bout with the virus.

Continued from page 1 are exempted from the testing requirement must contact students affairs staff or SHS and self-quarantine immediately following symptoms or close contact notifications. At Pitzer College, st udents who are still within the 90 day recovery period should closely monitor themselves for symptoms, according to college Nurse Zephyr Dowd-Lukesh. If asymptomatic, no further steps need be taken, but if students do exhibit symptoms, Zephyr recommended taking an antigen test. “These tests are not provided through Pitzer at this time; however, if students have the SHS insurance plan, then they may receive eight free antigen tests from Hendricks Pharmacy in the Claremont Village,” Dowd-Lukesh said. “Funding for students in need of antigen tests will be evaluated [on a] case by case basis.” The same applies to Scripps students, according to Shawnice Ross, COVID-19 student affairs service coordinator. Students’ health insurance companies may cover the cost of antigen tests, Ross said in an email. Contact tracers from Scripps told Ross that students exposed again within their 90 day period are provided with LA County quarantine guidelines if asymptomatic, she said. Currently, that means if the student does develop symptoms, they would need to schedule an appointment with SHS. “The medical team will evaluate the student to assess the situation and make the decision if it is a new infection or not,” Ross said. With varying recommendat ion s a nd pol ic ies ac ross t he 5Cs, some students expressed confusion over what to do upon exposure within the three-month test exemption window. When Desa Bolger SC ’23 found out she had been exposed again, after having contracted COVID over winter break, she was unsure which steps to take. To keep everyone around her safe, Bolger wanted to make sure she hadn’t gotten COVID again. When she called the Scripps COVID hotline, the nurse on call told her the school could not provide her with an antigen test, as they are used only for students being released from quarantine. Still, she said, the nurse confirmed that while it was less likely that

she would get COVID again within that time period, the risk that she could be re-exposed and potentially transmit the virus still remained. “It just seemed like it was a weird situation,” Bolger said. “My confusion came from the fact that I was told that I could get COVID within those 90 days, but I couldn’t get a test from the school.” For Alexandra Scott PO ’25, antigen testing proved to be crucial. Scott had tested positive Feb. 22, and was thus exempted from testing. After being notified of possible COVID exposures and feeling slightly symptomatic, Scott decided to isolate and test herself with athome antigen kits — leading to another positive result April 8. “Once I tested positive on an at-home rapid test, I contacted SHS [to ask for an official antigen test] … but the facility was already closed and it was a Friday, so they said I could not get tested and sent me back to my dorm.” Scott said, “As a result, I had to take multiple at-home tests to confirm my positive result. I feel that Pomona’s deans were very supportive throughout the process, but I did not feel this same support from SHS.” Scott was ultimately made to quarantine at the designated off-campus Oasis apartments. “I believe the 5Cs should make antigen testing available to students who have had exposures and are experiencing symptoms within their 90 days … [and it] should be available on the weekends,” Scott added. Bolger agreed. Although she ordered her own antigen test online, Bolger noted that doing so isn’t an option for everyone, and so the lack of access to tests could present a problem. “It just makes it harder to be sure that you’re not getting other people sick,” she said, “especially as a lot of people get towards the end of their 90 days and [catching COVID again] becomes more likely, and with new variants.” Even so, Bolger said she is very grateful for the access to PCR tests that students have at the 5Cs, with the ability to test weekly. “That’s a great thing to have, and I think if we can expand it into rapid [tests], that would be helpful as well,” she said.

enough people where I was like, ‘Okay, we could just block one of these off for COVID.’ But that never happened.” Unlike Baime’s residence hall, Harvey Mudd segregated bathrooms for those who were positive and those who were not, something James Nicholson HM ’24 experienced when he was required to quarantine in his Case Hall double. Contact between positive and uninfected students was not entirely avoidable for many of the students isolating in place. At both Mudd and CMC, some COVID-19 positive students had to isolate in place with roommates, even if the roommate had tested negative. Roommates were required to follow close contact procedures, but were allowed to go about normal activities so long as they remained negative. At HMC, COVID-19 negative roommates were also required to wear their masks in their room as long as their roommate was in isolation and were required to test daily, according to Valenzuela. Some residents chose to avoid this situation altogether, like Nicholson’s roommate, who left to stay with family nearby to avoid potentially contracting COVID-19. This was a scenario which Nicholson had already seen take place with some of his friends. “One of my friends got COVID,” Nicholson said. “And then [...] his roommate, they’re living in the same room, so [they] also contracted COVID.” Although isolation spaces became available for Nicholson to move into later on, he said that after a discussion with administrators he was permitted to stay in his dorm since his roommate had gone home temporarily. Nicholson was worried he had a false positive after testing positive one day but, before receiving his result, got another PCR test which came back negative. After hearing that other Harvey Mudd students tested positive one day and negative the next as well, Nicholson said he wished SHS and the adminis-

tration would take the possibility of false positives more seriously. “Mudd recently ran out of isolation space and if there were some people with false positives, taking up some of that isolation space, that means that other people with true positives have had to stay in their rooms and possibly spread it to their roommates,” Nicholson said. Some students who believed they may have received false positives were also worried about potentially contracting the virus, if they were required to isolate themselves with COVID-19 positive students. The backlog due to a high number of tests last week meant Devon Tao HM ’25 didn’t get their COVID-19 test results from April 11 until the evening of April 12. And like Nicholson, they had two conflicting results: positive on Monday, negative on Tuesday. After telling multiple deans and SHS about their conflicting tests, Tao was told they still had to isolate. They were moved to an isolation room shared with another person who had tested positive. This new living situation made Tao worry that they would potentially contract COVID-19 from their roommate if they were falsely positive, something which adversely affected their mental health. “I could not focus on my schoolwork because I had major health anxiety,” Tao said. “And that was really hard for me. I think it was probably like the second most stressed I’ve been in my entire life [...] and I kind of still feel the impacts of that.” After quarantining with a positive roommate for two days, high stress levels led Tao to isolate off campus in a hotel room instead, where they had to pay for their stay and meals on their own. Dealing with the stress of isolating in place, testing confusion and delays in results took a toll on some students’ mental health. “Being in quarantine because I had COVID was harder than having COVID,” Baime said. “I was quarantined for eight days. The first four I was sick and the last four were way harder because I felt normal and was just in my single for 24 hours a day. So it

was super claustrophobic.” However, Baime felt supported by CMC’s administration and said he appreciated how Graves texted him throughout his isolation period to check up on him. Baime said the school was doing the best they could given the current circumstances. “Overall, I mean it was not what I would have wanted to do,” Baime said. “But there were no other options. Like, I can’t think of a better solution. I can’t think of something else that should have happened. It was just kind of what happens when you have 11 percent of your school with COVID and a spike that is not being seen in the general population.” Nicholson also felt supported by Mudd’s administration and faculty while in isolation. “My professors are very understanding,” Nicholson said. “For my physics lab class, they shipped me a kit that I can use to do physics lab in my room. And the food is delivered. [...] I think they’ve been good about taking care of me while I’m in isolation.” Valenzuela said that Mudd checks on isolated students’ mental health and other needs every day. “The on-call dean checks in on the students daily and we provide resources for students in isolation on how to stay connected while in isolation,” he said. But, to Tao, this sort of check up did not feel like enough and they said they wished Mudd’s administration would have done more. “I just felt like they didn’t care at all about how I was doing,” Tao said. “They only messaged me for logistic reasons.” Coming out of isolation, Tao hopes that the recent spike in cases will encourage students to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines in the future, mindful of keeping community members safe. “If someone can do everything right and still get it then you should not be going to these parties without masks,” Tao said. “Sometimes I see people inside without masks [and] it’s really frustrating. Especially because there are people in our community who are immunocompromised, or have some risk factor. And I think it’s really inconsiderate of people to not do everything they can to keep the community safe.”

CAElYN SMITH • THE STUDENT lIFE

“Being in quarantine because I had COVID was harder than having COVID,” Ian Baime CM ’24 said.

Correction In Issue 20, an article on a Scripps conference on abolition misattributed the quote beginning, “It isn’t that history provides us with a template for the present,” to Andrea Ritchie. It was spoken by Mariama Kaba. TSL regrets the error.

CANNABIS: Commercial decision depends on resident feedback Continued from page 1 ceived a mixture of feedback from both those in favor and those against cannabis,” Cousins said. “We are currently compiling and analyzing the results of the cannabis community survey. The results will be presented to Council sometime in the next few months.” In 2006, Claremont officially adopted a ban on cannabis. With the passing of California’s Proposition 64 looming in 2016, the city preemptively banned commercial marijuana businesses. However, the city updated its ordinance to allow for the personal use, cultivation and delivery of cannabis in the city that same year. The city extended its ban on commercial cannabis again in 2019. CMC professor and Claremont resident Zachary Courser said he wasn’t surprised at Claremont’s hesitancy to allow commercial cannabis within its city limits. Since the city’s time as a dry town during prohi-

HUXlEYANN HUEFNER • THE STUDENT lIFE

In a city whose stance towards cannabis has fluctuated in recent years, calls have been made for community feedback regarding a move to implement dispensaries.

bition, he noted that Claremont residents have generally been wary about how more liberal policies on substances could impact the community. “I think there’s still, particularly among older residents, a kind of understanding that they want to keep the town sort of quiet and genteel. I think there’s also anxiety about the colleges,” he said. “Will this open up some kind of floodgates

to the students buying and using this substance? Will it change the character of the village?” Courser added that if dispensaries come to town, it is likely the number of licenses granted could be limited. “If there was a path to implementation, I would imagine it would be very narrow, that is to say, very few licenses would be considered,” Courser said. “If

[dispensaries] did manage to pass the threshold of the council, and they would allow the local option, whatever is allowed, I would imagine would be fairly narrow and circumscribed.” Hannah Stark SC ’23 said she doesn’t think a dispensary in Claremont will lead to a significant rise in cannabis use, especially at the colleges. “I can’t imagine that it’d be any different than opening a coffee shop at the rate that people use here. Maybe it’ll make it more accessible to people who like to smoke less, but otherwise I can’t imagine that it would result in any sort of huge spike in marijuana consumption,” she said. Stark is excited with the prospect of a dispensary coming to Claremont and noted it would be more convenient to support a local business than driving farther to other towns. The economic benefits of commercial cannabis is enticing for

Claremont, as the city would receive higher tax revenues from local dispensaries. Courser characterized the impact of dispensaries on a town like Claremont as that of an “economic miracle.” “It’s tantalizing for some communities who are seeking to increase revenues to think about marijuana dispensaries because it’s difficult for California cities to do much to raise revenues,” Courser said. “And this is kind of seen as a way to quickly add to the budget.” As of now, the city continues to consider public feedback and has not offered any specific proposals. The potential legalization of commercial cannabis is still in its early stages, and may not even be realized if there is enough negative community feedback about the issue. But Cousins has high hopes for the next steps of the process. “Just like every other project in the City, our community, council and staff have high expectations, cannabis would be no different,” he said.

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Arts & Culture

SHElF liFE

APril 22, 2022

SCENE iT

the rise of true crime & the Summer reading challenges voyeurism of violence aren’t just for middle schoolers KATE JONES For many people, the phrase “summer reading” ignites an automatic sense of dread. They associate it with book reports and approved reading lists from English teachers. It reminds them of blissful summer freedom being periodically interrupted by sickening reminders of the upcoming school year. I understand this response. I, too, suffered through vague instructions to “read a memoir” before my seventh grade English class and bemoaned the list of approved summer reading novels before my ninth grade orientation. Now, though, my summers are all about reading. More than latenight swimming, slow afternoons and long walks to the ice cream store by my home, summer reading is what I look forward to each year. I relish the opportunity it provides for me to slow down, try new genres and branch out. I owe this mindset to a singular summer reading program: summer book bingo, an activity sponsored by an organization in my hometown (Seattle Arts & Lectures) and the Seattle Public Library. The game is simple — it’s bingo, only with book genres. The board contains 25 categories, from straightforward ones (“Recommended by a Friend or Family Member,” “Activism or Social Justice,” etc.) to ones that may be a little more complicated (such as “Set in a City of Literature” or “Made You Laugh Out Loud”). Once you have read a book in that genre, you write the name and author on your card, and you’re done. There are prizes, sure — gift cards to local bookstores, tickets to readings and other literary events — but, cheesy as it sounds, the real prize is the process itself. I’ve never “won,” but I’ve kept coming back. For the past four summers, I’ve made it my goal to strive for blackout: reading all 25 books and, often, a few more. Though it sounds intimidating, summer book bingo is low-stakes, low-pressure and, above all, really fun. I love poring through to-read lists and librarian recommendations, doing the math and puzzling together which books I want to

read. I love the books I have discovered, and I love the way the program serves as an ode to Seattle’s public library system. The library gives out the bingo cards and posts pages of recommendations in every category on their website, encouraging library use and exploration. Summer book bingo black-out is not only feasible but entirely free. So, in the spirit of summer, branching out and the approaching book-bingo season, here are some of my favorite summer reading books (each one from a different genre, of course). May they provide inspiration and encouragement as you embark on this summer reading season yourself. Romance: “Beach Read” by Emily Henry. Augustus and January are rival novelists living across from each other in separate vacation homes, each struggling to write their next big hit. When they decide to combat writer’s block by trying to write in each others’ separate genres, they ignite inspiration… and maybe something more. This book is the perfect summer romance, a beach read not only in title but also in spirit. Read it if you want to feel butterflies, for the kind of giddy romance novel that leaves you unable to stop smiling. Comic Book/Graphic Novel: “This One Summer” by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki. In a dreamy, lonely coming-ofage tale with a stunning blueand-lavender color scheme, the Tamaki sisters tell the story of Rose and Windy, summer best friends who are returning to the sleepy beach town where their families vacation every year. If you feel that your summers are deeply associated with nostalgia — if you miss summer-camp friendship bracelets, creaky wood floors and freezer-burnt convenience-store popsicles — then this book is for you. Read for the sensation of walking up from the water with your hair growing cold on your neck and sand sticking to the bottom of your flip-flops, the scent of campfire smoke in the background.

SEOHYEON lEE • THE STUDENT liFE

Poetry/Essay: “They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us” by Hanif Abdurraqib. Abdurraqib’s stunning collection of essays on music and pop culture is probably the best summer read I could possibly recommend. In his essays — about artists from Fall Out Boy to Carly Rae Jepsen, The Weeknd concerts to obscure midwestern punk shows he went to as a teenager — Aburraqib uses his specific experiences with pop culture to examine broader struggles. His essays about music become essays about the exclusivity of the punk scene, police violence and the cyclical process of getting over the loss of a loved one. He writes with empathy, enthusiasm and a veritable treasure trove of pop culture knowledge. This is a book for people who adore making ultra-specific Spotify playlists, or for those who want the kind of book they can read in bits and pieces over the course of a month, the kind you can pick up and put down periodically, knowing for a fact that it will blow your mind every time. Cookbook: “Dining In” by Alison Roman. I know, I know, a cookbook isn’t something you read. But at the same time, I’ll admit that I read all of “Dining In” — every single word. Roman’s snarky stories and romantic dinner party anecdotes, combined with brightlycolored food photography, are an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Read if you find yourself daydreaming about long summer dinner parties, cheese-and-fruit pairings and perfectly chaotic gatherings of friends and family as the sun goes down. Sci-Fi/Speculative Fiction: “The City We Became” by N.K. Jemisin. In this world, cities are living, breathing beings that are “born” when they come of age. It’s New York’s turn, and every borough is embodied by a different character — all of whom must join forces to keep the city alive. Jemisin is one of the most innovative speculative fiction writers I’ve ever read. I flew through “The City We Became,” enamored by the world she rapidly spun around me. Read if you love falling head-over-heels into adventures, have a weakness for character design or are in any way connected with New York City. And with that, I leave you for the semester, and for the summer. I hope that the next few months are full of the best kind of reading: joyful and earnest, authentic and exploratory and above all, just plain fun. Kate Jones PO ’24 is from Seattle, WA. She eagerly awaits the release of the 2022 Summer Book Bingo card.

COUrTESY: BriAN DOUGlAS

Zac Efron’s charming portrayal of Ted Bundy in “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” (2019) feels disrespectful to the memories of the people he brutally murdered, rorye Jones PO ’23 writes.

RORYE JONES CW: This article contains mentions of sexual violence The uptick in true crime TV and films warms my cold, dead little heart as much as the next media consumer, but finding myself attracted to Zac Efron’s portrayal of the gruesome serial killer Ted Bundy in “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” (2019) made me feel a bit icky. It’s not just me being weird, however; it was a group effort with the film’s producers, who picked Efron because he “captures the charisma and image that enabled Bundy to be believed and even idolized,” according to The Irish Times. Herein lies the troubling tendency to romanticize real-life violent criminals with little respect for victims, and give a little too much sympathy for serial killers. When shows and movies about real people glamorize criminals, particularly ones who have committed gruesome acts, the act of watching feels downright criminal in itself. Though it was unfortunately true that many women found and continue to find the real Ted Bundy physically attractive, even as they know the details of his grisly serial killings, selecting Zac Efron to portray Bundy was a choice. The more charming Efron is as Bundy, the more disrespectful it feels to the memory of the victims who were raped, strangled and mutilated by his hands. I liked the movie; I found Efron to be the pinnacle of charisma. But the decision to use an actor known for being a teen heartthrob to play up the enigmatic parts of a famous serial killer just feels wrong. It can only contribute to the desensitization of violence that is too commonly a result of today’s movies, shows and news — even the term “desensitizing violence” has been so overused as to dilute its meaning (read: semantic bleaching) — which in turn normalizes its occurrence in daily life. No, murder is not normal. The danger lies in perceiving it as normal, which could lead to material consequences (copycat murders, lack of compassion, lessened aversion to increases in crime) or an increase in the viewer’s paranoia (did that truck just slow down to

abduct me off of Sixth Street?). Similarly, “The Girl from Plainville” follows the story of Michelle Carter, who was convicted of manslaughter after urging her then-boyfriend to commit suicide via text. Carter is played by Elle Fanning, whose performance (and conventional attraction) works in favor of garnering sympathy for the criminal. That said, “The Girl from Plainville” was provokingly disturbing throughout, unlike the Bundy movie, where one could forget for almost the entirety of the film that Bundy was anything but charming. “The Dropout” also focuses on a criminal, Elizabeth Holmes, co-founder of the now-defunct tech start-up Theranos. But where Bundy and Carter have blood on their hands (some argue that Holmes does as well, since the stress of Theranos’ lies has been speculated to lead to the suicide of one of its physicists), Holmes’ crime was defrauding mega-wealthy investors out of billions. This knowledge made “The Dropout” much easier to enjoy. Additionally, I would like to point out that all the true crime media I have mentioned has portrayed exclusively white criminals. Can you think of one popular true crime show or movie featuring and glorifying people of color? This is not a coincidence, critics like Ezzine Ukoha say, but yet another glaring instance of the “disease of white privilege.” Not a great look for this already-on-thin-ice genre. There is a point to be made in defense of true crime: If it should be limited on the basis of desensitization, shouldn’t all media depicting crime be censored? The answer is no, definitely not. While I would not by any means dare to suggest the limiting of other fictional crime shows, true crime is of a slightly trickier nature, since it deals with real people. Though other shows might contribute to the phenomenon of desensitization, at least one knows throughout that they are pure fantasy, unlike others with roots in reality. So, let’s not make violent true crime a glamorous thing, out of respect for victims and their families. It’s good to be a conscious media consumer. At the very least, the next time you’re watching a true crime show and find yourself attracted to a serial killer, try to unpack that. Rorye Jones PO ’23 finally got around to finishing “Titanic” and can now reasonably call herself TSL’s TV and film columnist. Yes, she did cry (mainly for the violinists).

With upcoming Watson Fellowship, Xiao Jiang PO ’22 is still learning her ABC’s — Anthropology, building communities and Chinatown VIDUSSHI HINGAD The Japanese concept of ikigai exists at the intersection of passion, profession, mission and vocation. Xiao Jiang PO ’22 found her ikigai in studying Chinatown through an anthropological lens. As a recipient of the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, an award of $36,000 will fund Jiang’s next year traveling and engaging with residents of different Chinatowns around the world. She intends to start in China, and then visit Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore. After Asia, she intends to explore South American countries. Born in China, Jiang immigrated to New York City when she was five. Chinatown became a crucial refuge for her. “Because [we were] low income, my mom and I had a hard time finding stable housing,” Jiang said. “We were homeless for a very long time, and growing up in Chinatown really helped me discover my community. No matter where I moved, that’s where I would always go back. That’s where I found my people. That’s where I found my language. That’s where I found the part of me that I didn’t know could exist, and it introduced me to all these new possibilities.” Because of Chinatown’s importance to Jiang, learning about the culture and protecting the land grew into a passion. “Chinatown is the first place

new immigrants will go to when they get here as a place of support, as that is where all their cultural institutions are, their family ties are,” she said. “I [believe] that these spaces are still necessary and should not be demolished or extracted.” Jiang said her passion for the project is based on an academic quest at Pomona College that started during her sophomore year, when she took a research methods course in anthropology. “That’s where I started my Chinatown project,” Jiang said. “At that time, it was about gentrification in LA Chinatown. And since then it’s expanded to racial discrimination, imperialism and colonialism.” After producing her first documentary, “We Will Fight Back,” Jiang is onto her second project. “My second documentary is about the impact of COVID-19 in New York City Chinatown and that’s a work in progress,” Jiang said. “I’d hope[d] to finish it for my thesis, but it’s not finished.” During her freshman winter break, Jiang returned back to her home and noticed a change in Chinatown, prompting her exploration of gentrification. “I returned after my first year here to New York to see that Chinatown that changed. And then I learned that was called gentrification,” Jiang said. “I

ANNA CHOi • THE STUDENT liFE

Xiao Jiang PO ’22 received a prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, earning her a $36,000 grant toward her travel and project.

learned about the politics and the history behind it. And that’s what started my project — coming back home to see what I had loved and what had nurtured me and how it changed specifically against its will. Gentrification is not a collaborative process. It’s very extractive and exploitative.”

Jiang credits finding her passion to exploring Pomona’s anthropology department. “Anthropology gave me an outlet, a structure [and the] language to explore this passion of mine,” Jiang said. “Because of anthropology, I understand [people’s] colonial roots, and I don’t want to enter these spaces

and exploit their stories. I want to be able to meaningfully engage with them through a collaborative process, whether or not that’s collaborative writing, collaborative filmmaking or photography.” Jiang appreciates the flexibility of the Watson Fellowship, especially because she is not expected to produce anything. The scholarship just requires her to write two to three page quarterly reports. “The Watson allows me to do whatever I want,” Jiang said. “They’re not investing in my project. They’re not investing in my labor. They’re investing in me.” Jiang reflected on how the Watson has opened a plethora of new opportunities for her. It has made her conscious of her positionality and privilege; she has the ability to study Chinatowns across the world. “I also recognize that I have privilege in being able to even do a project like this. I think that’s confounded by the fact that I’m from a low income [household],” Jiang said. “A fellowship like this has given me the chance to do something I could not have done without it.” As she embarks on this new journey, she is excited to see how effective community organizing is exercised on a global scale. “If there’s anything I’ve learned from my research,” she said, “it’s the power of community.”

Arts & Culture

APril 22, 2022

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Student band Drive Thru Therapy finds a space for musical creativity INDIA CLAUDY Sitting in the grassy courtyard outside their dorm last fall, Max Davey PO ’25, Matilda Kirk PO ’25 and Nicole Van Brugge PO ’25 felt that their musical arrangement needed something more. The trio had been playing around with vocal harmonies and their guitars, creating their own version of singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers’ song “Graceland Too.” “This would sound so good with drums,” Kirk had thought as the three of them harmonized outside of Gibson dorm. So the group sought out another member of their sponsor group, Aaron Morgan PO ’25, to add a layer of percussion to their rendition. The four of them planned to meet in the Walker basement practice room so that they’d have access to a drum set. In the hours leading up to that jam session, Morgan had been talking to Hazel Escott PO ’25 and found that “Graceland Too” happened to be her favorite song. He invited her to come along and play her cello that evening with the rest of the group. The five of them met that night and went onto spend the rest of the fall semester practicing “Graceland Too,” simply out of an excitement for playing together. At the time, they had no plans in mind for the group or its growth. “We didn’t really know where we were going,” Kirk said. Quarantines, online classes and the inability to gather in one room had prevented many musicians from being able to play together in this manner last year. This year, now back on campus and meeting other eager musicians, many 5C students have found time to create music again in the company of others. “I think it’s because during COVID, everyone missed playing music with [other] people, and now,

COUrTESY: DriVE THrU THErAPY

The band Drive Thru Therapy performed their first show at the Benton’s Art After Hours series on March 10.

there’s the opportunity to [play music with others],” Escott said. “I’m [also] in chamber music now because I missed playing with people, and it’s amazing [to be playing with people again].” The five Pomona freshmen met frequently during the first semester, carving out a space to play together. Venturing beyond just “Graceland Too,” the group started to arrange other covers in the early weeks of second semester. They seem to most enjoy adding their own flair and ideas to songs like Lizzy McAlpine’s alternative-indie ballad “Apple Pie,” as well as pop-princess Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” “We have totally different music tastes,” Kirk said. “That’s really cool because it could be pretty boring if we all wanted to play the same stuff, but we have to find a way to make everyone happy, and we end up with a really varied [assortment of songs].” And the group is always coming up with new songs to play. “If you look at our group chat,” Van Brugge said, “every two seconds someone [suggests] this song or this song and this song.” During second semester, the group also began to experiment

MOMENTS TO SAVOR

with originals, which they wrote collectively, as well as songs individual members brought into the group. They played for the sake of experimentation, creativity and being together. Then, the group landed a gig through their sponsor at the Benton Museum of Art’s weekly event Art After Hours. With a concrete event for which to practice, the group got to work on a setlist — and a band name. They went through a long list of potential names before settling on Drive Thru Therapy. They thought it sounded cool, and, in retrospect, the name gets at what they hope to provide their fans: a feel-good experience in a short period of time. The March 10 event, hosted by the Benton, consisted of a marketplace for student artists to sell their artwork, and Drive Thru Therapy set up in the middle of the museum’s courtyard, playing a mix of cover arrangements and originals. And, of course, the band played “Graceland Too,” the song which brought them together. They racked up a significant crowd, who sang and danced along to the setlist and cheered on the performers. “[A friend told us], ‘this concert

actually was my therapy,’” Morgan said. While popular already among friends, Drive Thru Therapy reached a larger group of students through their Benton performance. “[Pomona as a school] has a really accessible way for students to play music,” Davey said. “We got the Art After Hours gig, and no one that booked us knew the slightest bit about who we are or what we were doing, and they’d never heard us play before. So, that complete, blind faith is so important to student bands.” The band remarked that spaces like the Benton’s Art After Hours event make room for musical experimentation — something other parts of the college seem to lack. “I think that it’s amazing that they have a space for [student bands] here,” Escott said. “I think that, as a school, Pomona College’s music department does not harbor creativity. So, I think that having this… opportunity really supplements the lack of creativity in the music department.” Morgan also expressed some frustrations with the music department. Only those enrolled in music lessons can use the department’s drum set, but lessons are so im-

pacted that Morgan could not even sign up for one. The Pomona College Music Coalition, student-run and located in Walker basement, has allowed for the band to have access to both a drum set and a space to play. Lined up to play an event on April 14, which was canceled due to high COVID-19 cases, Drive Thru Therapy has yet to play another gig. However, they continue to gather in Walker basement a few times each week to practice together. Escott and Kirk have new originals to debut, and the band’s group chat maintains a running list of songs to arrange. The band looks forward to performing again after their experience at the Benton. “It felt really great to provide entertainment, to provide a fun Thursday night,” Davey said. Amidst frustrations with a lack of space to play — whether by COVID-19 or other limitations — Drive Thru Therapy has made a space on their own. In line with their band name, they provide a sense of enjoyment and relief as fast as it takes for a food order to reach the take-out window. Editor’s note: Max Davey PO ’25 is a news writer for TSL.

BEiNG rEEl

My caffeination meditation EMILY KIM I’m a person who values routine, and part of that routine is my morning cup of coffee. I can’t wait to grab a cup of dark roast every day to accompany my yogurt bowl at Frary. I like how it warms me up after trekking from Wig Hall to North Campus in the chilly morning air. I even enjoy its bitter taste. However, I’ve slowly noticed my coffee consumption increasing and taking on a purpose other than pure enjoyment. Coffee has slowly become liquid fuel for me, enabling my already workaholic self to continue this cycle of working without resting. When I first started drinking coffee, it was for pure enjoyment. As crazy as it sounds, when I was in high school, my dad and I would each have a cup of black coffee to “unwind” in the evenings while we watched a show. I also discovered that no matter how late I drank coffee, I would still be able to sleep once my head touched the pillow, but if I wanted to stay up to do work and avoided my bed, the caffeine would keep me up, too. Most of the time, though, my high school coffee consumption came from a place of simply liking coffee and wanting to partake in something with my dad. Here, I’ve found that, while I still like coffee, I’ve grown to like it more for the caffeine boost it gives me. When I find myself yawning and haven’t gotten as far as I wanted to on a paper, I rush to Frary, chug the coffee, and then continue working. When I want to study for a certain amount of hours for a midterm, but my schedule doesn’t give me that time, I use coffee to artificially give me more study time. I realized that my coffee consumption habits had hit an unhealthy point when I pulled an all-nighter writing a paper a couple weeks ago. Now, the all-nighter happened accidentally, and it was due to drinking a different caffeinated beverage (milk tea — which is a story for another day), but where coffee comes into the story is the day after. The next day, I still felt like I had work to do, and so I ended up drinking four shots of espresso to keep me going the whole day. Did I stay awake that day? Yes. Was it worth it? Not at all. That day, despite being awake physically, I felt like a walking zombie. The caffeine gave me bursts of

energy, to which my friends, knowing that I had pulled an all-nighter the night before, reacted with amusement and concern, but there were also moments when I could feel the tiredness in my eyes. When I came back to my dorm room that evening, I fell asleep in a flash. When I woke up the next morning, my first thought was, “I am never drinking four shots of espresso after pulling an all-nighter again.” But as I continued my train of self-reflection, I thought about how I’ve been using coffee as a tool to eradicate my tiredness and continue checking things off of my checklist. I realized that while coffee can mask tiredness, it cannot get rid of it, and so it is crucial to rest. And, when you feel too busy to rest, it is even more important to take a break during those times. So, in the quiet of my room that day, I vowed to intentionally start honoring my body by resting. I told myself that I wouldn’t drink coffee in the evenings and that I would go to bed no later than 12:15 a.m. every day. If I didn’t finish what I wanted to by that time, I would still honor my need to sleep and finish my work in the morning. I made a plan to prioritize rest in my life—as much as I do with everything else on my checklist. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but this plan seems to be working out pretty well. I feel more well-rested, and my friends notice it too. And an important note — I have not given up coffee! I still have a cup in the morning, and I believe that slowly, coffee is reclaiming its place as simply a tasty beverage in my eyes. So if your coffee consumption habits are anything like mine, I hope you will join me on this journey to rest with intention. We can still enjoy our coffee — our dark roast, light roast, lattes, cappuccinos and Americanos galore — but we can also prioritize rest in our lives. It may seem scary, but I promise you — it’ll be like the best of both worlds. Emily Kim PO ’25 is from Irvine, California. She loves baggy sweaters, YouTube karaoke and banana bread.

LUCIA MARQUEZ-UPPMAN • THE STUDENT LIFE

Jerrod Carmichael’s new special captures cultural confusion with brutal honesty ADAM OSMAN-KRINSKY CW: This article contains mentions of sexual violence “This only works if we feel like family.” These precisely chosen words are among the opening statements of Jerrod Carmichael’s new special on HBO, “Rothaniel.” This is Carmichael’s first comedy special since the beginning of the pandemic and he doesn’t seem completely comfortable up there. He keeps repeating “I have so much to tell you,” and yet the viewer knows that this special is only 50 minutes long. Despite its short length, Carmichael dedicates his time to a thoughtful confession about his life and its connection to contemporary issues. Even though it is explicitly advertised as a comedy special, it did not seem like Carmichael was trying to make jokes. Regardless, his natural humor peeked through, which made him feel human, and beautifully illustrated how even when the subject matter is serious, humor can be an effective tool for drawing empathy from an audience. This special was funny at its best and confusing at its worst, but it was a confusion that many people have related to over the past two years — a confusion of feeling disconnected from the world due to mass isolation. This confusion of self-discovery is something that lasts and something that Carmichael confronts headon. What seemed most interesting to me was how this confusion leaked into the contradictory feelings he has about family, trust and what it means to find your own identity. His initial plea to the audience to help him make the special feel like it’s among family suggests that he should feel a level of comfort with them and that the audience should feel a level of comfort back. This is manifested later in the special with audience members asking him questions during his special and challenging his beliefs. Even so, much of the special concerns his struggle with secrets in his family (mostly regarding infidelity) and his own secrets that he kept from his faSmily for a long time (mostly regarding his own identity). In many ways, trust is something emphasized in this special as something that has been particularly lacking in Carmichael’s life. His own insecurities and questioning of his insecurities felt in some ways like the struggles of a teenage boy. I think the extent to which I could relate to Carmichael was mapped onto the extent to which I related to struggling to be honest about my own identity too. There

COUrTESY: HBO

Directed by Bo Burnham, “rothaniel” is Jerrod Carmichael’s newest special, released on HBO in 2022.

are some differences between us, though — Carmichael is in his 30s, while I am 18. This is not to say that Carmichael’s lamentations are a weakness of the special. In fact, it is what kept me watching. Carmichael’s honesty is something that I admired. His complaints about his family history were things I sympathized with and his struggles with his own identity and how to present them related to my experiences of finding out more about myself over the past year. The special, directed and edited masterfully by Bo Burnham, really focuses on Carmichael’s face. For the majority of the special, Carmichael pontificates through a labored smile. He claims that he is not a “nice guy,” but you can tell that his labored smile is labored because he wants to please. I found myself glued to the screen because his face revealed so many more words than he could have spoken. The aesthetics of the special immediately felt familiar to me; the grainy and focused lighting, the close-ups, the somber music and views of New York City are all reminiscent of Aziz Ansari’s 2019 special “Right Now,” and I braced myself when I first watched. Ansari’s special came in the wake of his response to sexual misconduct allegations, and he used the special as a way to say his side of the story. Nothing like those headlines surrounded Carmichael, and his reasoning for being away from the microphone was about other projects, but something about this confessional comedy setting made me nervous. Previous confessional comedy specials never boded well for the comedians that gave them, and yet this special proved me wrong. It was actually hon-

est — something lacking from the performative nature of other comedy specials I had seen recently. In some ways it might be corny or even exhausting to keep watching men share their vulnerabilities through comedy specials, but Carmichael’s special is different. He is not making grand claims about where society has “gone wrong,” nor is he reflecting on some recently passed political era and how it made him feel — leading to him telling us that we should feel how he feels about it. Instead, the special is personal and looks inward, and because it is personal to him, we start to feel like it is personal to us. Especially in our generation, the loneliness of the pandemic has brought out resurgences in baking, journaling or practicing whatever kind of “self-care” is popular that week (whipped coffee people, I am looking at you). But in the down time between these acts of respite — or perhaps because of them — many of us experienced constant confusion: confusion about politics, about identity, about the future. Carmichael’s special reflects on confusions he has felt for decades. But the exploration of such confusion is meant as a refuge, a place where we can feel less alone. Confessional comedy should not be some diagnosis of the world’s issues. Instead, it should be a discussion of where we should go from here; it is the difference between a critique and a complaint, and Carmichael’s special performs the former and not the latter. Adam Osman-Krinsky PO ’25 is from New York City. He loves movies and logs all his most recent watches on his letterboxd @Adam0k and is currently looking for a new alter ego.

OpiniOns

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APril 22, 2022

We are not all going to the moon CAELAN REEVES For many invested in cryptocurrency, crypto and conducting transactions on the blockchain provide an opportunity to level the playing field of finance. Cryptocurrency is decentralized, meaning anyone with a computer and a willingness to study the intricacies of the field could turn a profit. It has the potential to challenge the monopolies of longstanding financial institutions. This mindset comes through in a phrase common in the community’s vernacular: “We’re All Gonna Make It,” often abbreviated to “WAGMI.” The purported “We’re All Gonna Make It” mentality stands in stark contrast to the attitude of another community that runs parallel to crypto enthusiasts: day-trading, particularly of call and put stock options. The online day trading community is characterized by a self-effacing nihilism, with boards like r/wallstreetbets full of memes of people making fun of themselves and others for facing losses in the stock market. Where the crypto community is earnestly invested in the profitability of cryptocurrencies, day traders generally demonstrate a more healthy understanding of the volatility of stock options and the elusiveness of profit. The issue with the WAGMI mentality, however, is that it directly contradicts the process that makes crypto profitable: when a currency or token “goes to the moon.” When a coin “goes to the moon,” its value is inflated such that it momentarily becomes extremely profitable for the small handful of people that bought in

COUrTESY: rAWPiXEl.COM

Cryptocurrency is an innovation, but it’s not solving all the problems it causes, writes Caelan reeves CM ‘24.

at the right time and can now sell at this inflated price. It’s hard to describe this moment of hyperdeflation in words that don’t carry seedy connotations because it is, in essence, a longform pump-and-dump scheme. By definition, we are not all going to make it. A select group of people with the time, resources and blind faith to get ahead of the right coin at the right time will successfully convince others of its value and will profit immensely. To get ahead of a coin before it “goes to the moon” requires a great degree of faith that can often veer into naivety. The consequences of this naiveté have already been plentiful: it has made the crypto community highly susceptible

Jasper’s Crossword: straight A’s

to scams. Many of these scams consist of the rapid inflation of token values, followed by the coin’s founders cashing out and leaving those that bought into the coin in financial high water, a move called a “rug pull.” If that mechanism sounds familiar, it should: it’s similar to what Jordan Belfort and other Stratton Oakmont executives went to jail for in 1999, as depicted in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” The crypto community that operates a few degrees of consequence below big contenders like Ethereum and Bored Ape Yacht Club is rife with Ponzi schemes and theft. The ease with which one can fake an NFT’s validity and the apparent tendency of NFT owners to willingly give

ACROSS 1. Where people live in Spain 6. Just a bit of kind support 9. Citation style 12. Danish 14. Way cooler iPod forerunner 16. Targets with grievances 18. Not moving 19. Mookie Betts and Mike Trout, e.g. 21. 20th c. airline 22. One whose mom has got it going on 25. Doesn’t have the ability 27. California wine region 28. Place to swing 29. Frequent Craigslist post 31. ___ Antonio 32. Actress who plays Lois Lane 34. Laptop whose apple no longer lights up :( 36. Self-care appointments 37. Gandhi’s title 41. NBC show with “trend forecasters” 42. ___ Caverns National Park 43. Snake that bit Cleopatra 46. Samurai sword 48. The children of 39-down, potentially 49. Nasal test object 51. It comes after court or grave 52. Greases with a certain fat 53. Capacitor ’s unit 55. Shades brand 57. Invite 59. Zoe who plays Gamora in Marvel films 63. Show in which Kerry Washington drinks hella red wine 64. Dunder Mifflin foreman 65. “Love ___ neighbor ” 66. Word that came thrice in an commercial, after “Five dollar footlong” 67. Rash

11. Marvel hero who partners with the Wasp 13. Thanksgiving food 15. Academy with free online courses 17. They film eps. 20. Trashes, in a review 22. Locations for 36-across, surprisingly enough 23. Push down, as soil 24. Stark daughter in Game of Thrones 26. Keith on NPR or Levitt on Calm 29. Sidetrack 30. Roald who wrote Matilda 33. Well-used, as a meme 35. Greek princess who can see the future 37. Actors Moore and Patinkin 38. Element of some ski lifts 39. Grp. working for safe roads 40. Puts together 42. Model Delevingne 43. So quickly 44. Word that goes with watch or color 45. Live it up 47. In an unkind manner 50. Where a hoe-down might happen 52. Singer Hathaway 54. Movement that produced Duchamp’s urinal sculpture 56. Like Frary’s vegan options on wing night 58. Diet Coke vessel 60. ___ Poetica 61. Pub. that owns Wordle now 62. Raisman on the beam

DOWN 1. “You! Get an AED!” process 2. Org. that’ll give you a tow 3. Digits from the gov. 4. Sore spots for those running? 5. “OMG, so true!” 6. “That hadn’t been the case,” quaintly 7. It’s stretched in child’s pose, briefly 8. Follow a Cha-Cha Slide direction 9. Some freezers and other appliances 10. Hut on a beach

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

Caelan Reeves CM ’24 is a member of TSL’s editorial board. They did not enjoy Econ 50.

‘Dark academia’ — an alternative take on education and privilege YIFEI CHENG

JASPEr DAViDOFF • THE STUDENT liFE

away their ETH wallet information has culminated in a virulent scam issue. Candidly, watching people admit how much money they have to burn by whining about getting tricked into sending some scammer their awful uncanny-valley ape profile pictures is hilarious. This is the blockchain, baby. It’s the wild west, and that’s supposed to be the appeal. The lack of a centralized governing figure is meant to be crypto’s main selling point. What’s happened, however, is an influx of firms have emerged to serve as mediators and regulatory agencies. Which, beyond just being kind of funny — go ahead and call the blockchain police to get your glorified Club Penguin

puffle back — has sinister implications for the future of personal finance on the blockchain. The thing is, monumental environmental consequences of blockchain mining aside, this could all, in theory, be fine. If people want to throw money at different currencies until something sticks, at least those consequences are contained to the individual. The issue comes when people argue for the application of crypto infrastructure to government and personal finance. It’s hard to overstate how much of an absolute disaster that would be. The selling point and entire ethos of the blockchain is its decentralized nature. The history of how banks behave under pressure and with respect to marginalized groups suggests that, if decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and private regulatory agencies are granted any more weight as financial institutions, there could be disastrous consequences for financial equity. Optimistically, the blockchain is an ambitious experiment in potential outcomes for the future of finance. The urge to move commodity exchange entirely virtual is an understandable reaction to the rapidly shrinking viability of the physical realm — the planet — as a site of commodity production. The future of finance may have to look like something resembling cryptocurrency, but the currently existing infrastructure, and the culture surrounding it, are not that future.

Almost everyone who read Harry Potter in their childhood must have wondered how marvelous their life would be if they received a letter of admission from Hogwarts. Indeed, it’s all too easy to become mesmerized by the enchantment and adventure that a Hogwarts student gets to experience. Although the imaginary allure of Hogwarts fades as they enter adulthood, the trope of the wizarding academy endures for Gen Z. This is because, apart from magic, Hogwarts embodies an idealized version of higher education where learning brings students perpetual awe and motivates them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. The empowering nature of magic drives the fledgling witches and wizards to seek enlightenment regardless of institutional boundaries. Ranging from exploring the cavernous library for arcane tomes to brewing restricted potions with mischievous friends, the protagonists take the actual initiative in their education, and their reckless measures only add to their charm. It’s no wonder why such an approach to education spreads beyond the fictional universe in the form of dark academia. Dark academia is an internet aesthetic and social media subculture that presents higher education in a romanticized light. In general, adherents to the dark academia aesthetic seek to replicate for themselves the atmosphere of elite colleges of the 20th century and earlier, from which Hogwarts gained its inspiration. One may wear vintage outfits, decorate their personal space with Gothic-inspired trinkets, play classical music while studying and read renowned pieces of literature. Stemming from The Secret History — a murder mystery involving several classics students at a prestigious New England college — the term “dark academia” originally describes the insidious relationship between privilege and higher education, but has now largely dropped this meaning. It is difficult to pinpoint what dark academia precisely stands for as an internet phenomenon, since it is the combination of a fashion choice, a style of interior design, a music taste, a general lifestyle and, to some extent, a philosophical outlook on the purpose of life and knowledge. Nevertheless, dark academia has several defining traits. For instance, it tends to idealize the humanities, celebrating their intrinsic value. In other words, the humanities to dark academia is magic to Harry Potter: humanities, with their soul-beautifying potential, are the ultimate pursuit for a student, just as magic is the ultimate pursuit of a wizard. This is evident in the fact that many content creators in the dark academia subfield frequently profess their passion for literature and the arts. Its aesthetic branch is synonymous with the dominant aesthetic choices of these insti-

tutions and the students there, or a fictional version thereof. Imagine a cathedral-like library, where someone is reading Inferno by the wavering light of an ornate candelabra while Beethoven plays in the background. This scenario is as close to a summary of the dark academia aesthetic as I can devise. Though dark academia as an internet subculture has existed for over a decade, it gained traction only in recent years. As of now, classical music playlists labeled as “dark academia” have hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, and #darkacademia includes over 1 million posts on Instagram. During the pandemic lockdown, as stay-home college students sought to create an academic atmosphere different from their dull and isolated domestic environment, they turned to the internet for inspiration, and many found the dark academia aesthetic as a solution. Besides superficial changes, such as redesigning their interior space to make it resemble an antiquated library or discarding hoodies for vintage outfits, adherents of this aesthetic often adopt the philosophical perspective of dark academia as well. Viewing the humanities as mind-edifying disciplines that foster critical thinking and expose themselves to the sublime, they become more interested in reading beyond their curriculum and engaging with classical texts, mirroring the behavior of most dark academia content creators. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this aesthetic trend can bring considerable lifestyle changes to individuals. As dark academia becomes a substantial internet phenomenon, criticisms follow. Detractors to this aesthetic contend that by presenting the Western literary canon, classical music and Gothic architecture as the quintessential display of academic refinement, dark academia promotes a Eurocentric view of higher education that undermines diversity. While it celebrates classics and (English) literature as admirable disciplines worthy of dedicated pursuit, it seems to neglect other branches of humanities, especially those more detached from the Western scholastic tradition. Furthermore, its idealization of the humanities as the pursuit of pure, non-utilitarian knowledge might create discriminatory consequences, as it implies that learning other disciplines (such as business or engineering) for the

sake of financial security is a rather unworthy endeavor. Combined with the prohibitively high cost of undergraduate education, this portrayal of academia may further the systemic injustices against low-income students that are still very much present. In essence, critics are concerned that the dark academia trope treats privilege as excellence and equates Western knowledge with true knowledge. These critiques, while valid in relation to the superficial aspects of the aesthetic, are ultimately not applicable to the intrinsic message it conveys. Dark academia doesn’t uncritically idealize elite higher education but rather satirizes it for its exclusionary tendencies. The Secret History, for instance, describes the narcissistic depravity and unbridled elitism of its wealthy protagonists, who dismiss their murder of a “commoner” as a mere “redistribution of matter.” Knowledge, when monopolized by the privileged within an enclosed institution, grants them a false sense of superiority that fuels their condescension towards outsiders. This illusion of transcendence created by the exclusionary institution shrouds the soul in ignorance, rather than illuminating it. Hence the name “dark academia.” The name itself is a satire. By calling themselves “dark academia” and incorporating the gatekept aesthetic of elite institutions into their daily lives, practitioners of the lifestyle are dismantling this elitism from within. They communicate a simple statement: you don’t have to attend an Ivy League school to study the humanities, or any subject for that matter. As more people realize that thrift vintage trinkets, online classical music playlists and second-hand poetry books can create an academic ambiance rivaling the actual “dark academia” itself, the elitist narratives surrounding higher education start to crumble. Indeed, the dark academia aesthetic offers a democratizing outlook to knowledge in general. The key to enlightenment stems not from academic institutions, but from within a person’s mind. To make studying an act of self-fulfillment, one only needs determination, curiosity and the willingness to see knowledge as an intrinsically valuable goal. The DIY dark-academia-themed ambiance reinforces this mindset and reminds people that no matter where they are, knowledge can be sublime. Yifei Cheng PO ’24 is from Nanjing, China. He enjoys hiking, reading (especially fantasy literature), and playing Starcraft 2.

COUrTESY: rAWPiXEl.COM

Dark academia can dismantle the elitist narratives of classics and humanities, argues Yifei Cheng PO ‘24.

OpiniOns

APril 22, 2022

Parody conspiracies might be the absurdist outlet you need ANNIKA REFF There are two histories behind the Birds Aren’t Real movement. The group’s ”historical” account details a CIA plot in the 1960s to replace all birds with government drones to spy on American citizens. The story is filled with fake eyewitness accounts, Area 51, JFK’s assassination (a result of the president’s hesitancy to murder millions of birds) and goverment lies — all the ingredients of a classic conspiracy theory. But the real history of Birds Aren’t Real began in Memphis, Tennessee in 2017. The movement’s founder, Peter McIndoe, recently broke character for the first time for an interview with The New York Times. McIndoe, a college student at the time, spontaneously wrote “Birds Aren’t Real” on a cardboard poster in reaction to pro-Trump protestors at the 2017 Women’s March. He quickly invented a backstory as to why birds were not real, and, unbeknownst to him, he was recorded and the video went viral. The phrase caught on, and McIndoe embraced the absurdity, further developing his conspiracy. As McIndoe put it, “It was a spontaneous joke, but it was a reflection of the absurdity everyone was feeling.” The movement has continued to grow over the past five years. As internet conspiracy theories have spiraled out of control and become more interlinked with American politics, as we’ve seen with QAnon, Birds Aren’t Real feels like a safe space to process the insanity. The ironic humor plays into many of the influences on the upbringing of Gen Z. The Birds Aren’t Real movement has always reminded me of Orwellian satire.

When I read “1984” in middle school, the concept of “untruths” and “doublespeak” seemed like a dystopian fantasy. However, the Trump era saw White House advisor Kellyanne Conway wield “alternative facts”, and “fake news” became a prominent term used by both parties. While many used “fake news” to call out true misinformation, like President Trump’s claim of a rigged election, others manipulated the term to brand credible information as lies or propaganda. With fake news of all kinds swamping news feeds, it can be difficult to distinguish true information from conspiracy theories. Birds Aren’t Real plays into this caricature and harkens back to the dystopian fiction many of us are familiar with, like “1984” or “The Handmaid’s Tale.” In a time struck with plague and growing authoritarianism, it can be scary to think that we are growing closer to the fiction we read. It can also be difficult to know what information to trust. Did Bush cause 9/11? Did Epstein really kill himself? What is Pizzagate? Who is Q? In all of the chaos, I do know that birds are real. Thus, the movement stands alone as a positive truth I can return to when everything else is too convoluted. Birds Aren’t Real is also hilarious and satirical, perfectly harnessing Gen Z’s ironic sense of humor. Their merch, which is termed “Truther Gear,” includes phrases like “If it flies, it spies” and “The birds work for the bourgeoisie.” As Claire Chronis, a Birds Aren’t Real organizer in Pittsburgh, puts it, “The organization is fighting lunacy with lunacy.”

Birds Aren’t Real is an outlet so that people, especially young people, trying to process the insanity of modern politics and internet culture, can mock-engage in this culture rather than trying to block it all out or scream into the void. “By cosplaying conspiracy theorists, they have found community and kinship,” The Times said. We all spend so much of our lives online and are deeply shaped by the culture of the internet. It is nearly impossible to steer clear of all misinformation, and studies have found that algorithms used on video platforms like YouTube perpetuate conspiracy theories, sending people deeper and deeper down rabbit holes without having to search for anything. These algorithms facilitate radicalization. It seems so bleak that a platform originally used to share cat videos has led to extremism and real-world violence. While the solution to all of this insanity might point to quitting the internet entirely, that’s not a realistic option for most people. There are so many useful and good upsides to online communities and platforms, and Birds Aren’t Real is one of them. As Winston Smith, the protagonist of “1984,” says, “There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.” My advice: cling to the absurdity. Annika Reff PO ’25 is from Los Angeles, California. She enjoys consuming an unhealthy amount of caffeine and listening to the soothing voice of Michael Barbaro.

PAGE 7

THE

CLARGUMENT We ask TSL’s Instagram followers a question every Monday and share their responses here.

Should the U.S. do permanent daylight saving time?

yes! It’s better for more natural sleep cycles and improves safety! @isabellaxtaylor

no i like how weird it is @mirisallison

Yes. I hate that Arizona is right on this but yes @abelino.f

no i honestly like daylight savings bc it’s too bright in the mornings now @saraahpw

Personally I’ve been looking into the policy effects of daylight spending time @jaysonyas

only if it’s on the “summer clock” @ayoola.kleinerman To weigh in on next week’s question, follow us on Instagram @TSLnews and keep an eye on our story on Monday! If you have a suggestion for a future question, send us an email: opinions@tsl.news.

COUrTESY: ANDrEWJ0131 ViA WiKiMEDiA COMMONS

Parodies like Birds Aren’t real provide a respite from society’s real conspiracy theories, writes Annika reff PO ‘25.

On mental health issues, a joke isn’t just a joke ANNA TOLKIEN Mental health is something I hear about a lot. Do self-care, practice wellness, try breathing and so on. All of these things are helpful in spreading awareness of the importance of taking care of your mind and body, but there is something missing from this discussion: how to approach talking about mental disorders. As someone who has struggled with anxiety disorder since I was sixteen years old, it’s tiring, debilitating, ugly at times and a constant battle. But on the outside, I seem perfectly happy. I’m involved in school, take rigorous classes and spend time with friends and family. So when my friends joke about disorders like anxiety, depression, OCD, eating disorders and so on, they don’t realize it’s hurting me. Unlike some other diseases, mental illnesses aren’t easy to spot and it is virtually impossible to guess who has them. The person who seems high-functioning and like they have their life together may in reality be battling something. That’s why the conversation around mental health and joking about conditions need to change. For example, many of my friends say things like “I’m so OCD about my room,” “I’m totally having a panic attack because there’s no more iced coffee at Collins” or “I’ve gained five pounds now and I’m totally going ano (anorexic).” Beyond these jokes

being in poor taste, they’re extremely harmful to those of us who are struggling with any of these conditions. These types of jokes trivialize the conditions they are joking around with. If people make situations like panic attacks seem like casual everyday occurrences, the reality of panic attacks gets warped. People who actually have them are made to feel gaslit and undermined. Panic attacks aren’t feeling a bit nervous or upset — you physically feel the walls closing in on you,

Editorial Board

your heart is racing, you feel like you can’t breathe. It’s horrifying. Joking about panic attacks or anxiety disorder, especially by people who don’t have the condition, is counterproductive in educating our peers about mental illness. Nearly one in five adults struggle with mental illness, which is why now more than ever we need to be more conscious and thoughtful about how we approach these topics. Beyond being invalidating, it also discourages those of us with mental illnesses from

opening up for fear of being ridiculed. If my disease is a source of comedy and something that isn’t a big deal, then why would I feel comfortable opening up to my friends about my struggles? The mental health community faces stigma all the time, which is painful and a huge barrier to receiving treatment. Jokes and teasing means people with these disorders gain more internalized stigma and start to hate themselves for their disorder, think they’re wrong for feeling how they do and feel embar-

JADYN lEE • THE STUDENT liFE

rassed about receiving help. I also recognize it’s hard because the point of comedy is to make fun of different aspects of culture and society, and if we start policing comedy we run into dangerous territory. But, I think there’s a time and a place for certain jokes and a lot of it depends on who is saying it. For example, if it is empowering for someone who has a mental disorder to joke about it, such as Pete Davidson, then more power to them. But, when people who have no diagnosis, and no experience of mental disorders or pain, start to use others’ diseases as jokes, that’s where I see it crossing a line. At that point, who is it empowering? Who is it helping? All it is doing is hurting people who have the disorder, warping understanding for people who don’t have it, increasing stigma around the disorders themselves and preventing people who have them from opening up. So let’s be a bit more considerate when discussing mental health and disorders. If we start to be more mindful and aware of how jokes and misinformation can hurt our peers, then people would feel more comfortable opening up about their struggles, help would seem more accessible and there would be a greater understanding of mental health in general. Anna Tolkien CM ’24 is a literature and film dual major. She loves her pugs, creative writing and iced coffee.

THE STUDENT LIFE

JASPER DAVIDOFF, Editor-in-Chief ANUSHE ENGINEER, Managing Editor CAELAN REEVES, Managing Editor

Senior Staff JAMES KARSTEN, Production Editor GRACE SAUERS, Production Editor MARCELLA CANNATTI, News Designer KLARA JACOBS, Arts and Culture Designer GIULIA BELLON, Opinions Designer JOSIE DE ANDA, Sports Designer LONDON LORDOS, Copy Chief ANNA PREWITT, Copy Chief

HUXLEYANN HUEFNER, Photo Editor NANAKO NODA, Photo Editor BELLA PETTENGILL, Graphics Editor JENNA MCMURTRY, News Editor SIENA SWIFT, News Editor SAMSON ZHANG, News Associate MENA BOVA, Arts & Culture Editor ZOEY LOFGREN, Arts & Culture Editor

LARKIN BARNARD-BAHN, Arts & Culture Associate SAE FURUKAWA, Opinions Editor BEN REICHER, Opinions Editor ALEX CHUN, Sports Editor HANNAH WEAVER, Sports Editor KENNY LE, Diversity & Inclusion Editor ANURADHA KRISHNAN, Diversity & Inclusion Editor GWYN WONG, Business Manager

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. Single 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.

SportS

PAGE 8

APril 22, 2022

‘Women are quite capable of doing the job equally or better’ Jodie Burton on more than 40 years of coaching at CMS

COUrTESY: CMS ATHlETiCS

left: Jodie Burton, left, poses with the national-champion CMS women’s golf team in 2018. right: Burton was the “winningest coach in SCiAC basketball history,” according to CMS.

HANNAH WEAVER When Jodie Burton was growing up in 1960s Whittier, Calif., she spent her days playing sports in the street with the neighborhood boys. “I was better than them in football,” she made sure to mention. When it came time to try out for the local youth recreational football team, however, all the neighborhood kids made the team except for her. “The only reason they wouldn’t let me play was because I was a female, I was a little girl,” she said. “I think that that anger kicked my passion to want to help other little girls and women never feel the way I did when I was rejected just because of my sex.” Though the culture at the time was very unaccepting of women and girls in sports, Burton says she was fortunate to have parents who were very supportive of her. She thinks back fondly on the time spent with her father attending Team USA track meets, professional golf tournaments and football games. It was at these events that she got to watch

women like Olympic sprinter Wilma Rudolph and golfer Jamie Blalock, who became her role models. Burton’s mother was also very supportive, standing up against any naysayers who thought young girls didn’t belong in sports. “[My mom] was proud of me being a female athlete — and at that time it wasn’t something you bragged about, that your daughter was aggressive and liked sports — but she did,” Burton said. This support kept Burton going and eventually fueled her long career as a coach. “I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for her hunting [out] sports opportunities for the little girl that was passionate about it,” she said. Fast forward to 20 years later, she accepted her first coaching position at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps as head of the women’s volleyball and basketball teams. She has stayed with CMS ever since, coaching women’s basketball for 32 years before switching [in what year] to her current position as head

women’s golf coach. In her many years at CMS, Burton has seen a lot change as athletic directors and opportunities for women have altered. When Burton first started, CMS women’s athletics was in its third year and Title IX had been passed seven years prior. Despite this, the men’s and women’s programs were not equal. “Society had us as a second thought, and still does in some ways,” she said. “It was a long time before our budgets were equal and that was [a lot] of years of fighting for that,” Burton said. She and her female colleagues spent years constantly battling for necessities such as food at tournaments, new uniforms and locker rooms. Their complaints were heeded when men joined their advocacy efforts. “It helped to have a white male arguing for women’s equality,” she said. Though the inequalities between women and men’s teams seemed endless, Burton felt that their activism brought them

Senior spotlight: Walk-on transfer Devon Wolfe CM ’22 finishes collegiate career as an ace for Athena tennis DAISY ALVAREZ With the sun blazing on the courts last weekend, co-captain Devon Wolfe CM ’22 caught fire against her opponents. Going into her doubles match against a Chapman pair on Saturday, Wolfe went undefeated without giving up a single game point. Executing her forehand and backhand swings flawlessly, Wolfe finished off her competition with Sena Selby CM ’24 to complete her weekend at 5-0 in her matches. The versatile senior totaled 46-0 game wins in both singles and doubles, earning SCIAC Athlete of the Week honors. “It was super fun; I was really proud of myself [for that performance],” she said regarding the matches. “I was so locked in I [didn’t] even know what [was] happening on other courts, because I [was so focused] on my matches.” Before excelling in the sport at the collegiate level, Wolfe played tennis before she could even read. Tennis was a family bonding activity for the senior and allowed her to pick up important life values. One of the earliest values Wolfe learned is to uphold the meaning of “good sportsmanship.” “At a twelve and under tournament I [once] threw my racket and my mom literally pulled me off the court and [scolded] me,” she said. “The values of learning how to carry myself and learning sportsmanship was most transformative for me as a person.” Throughout high school, Wolfe continued competing in tennis on behalf of Greens Farms Academy, a preparatory school in Westport, Conn. During this time, she picked up another unique sport that facilitated an easier transition to collegiate athletics. “Playing field hockey in high school was really similar to tennis in that if the team lost, it was partly because I didn’t win my individual matches,” she said. “You’re really by yourself out there [in these sports], and it can be hard.” After overcoming these difficulties, Wolfe ultimately chose to pursue tennis. Although she was recruited by Bowdoin College her freshman year, she didn’t have a pleasant experience. “You have to travel six hours to go play at another school on the weekend,” Wolfe said. “You’re fighting for the gym space with all the other teams and so we had to practice at 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on a Fri-

closer together. “I think there was a better appreciation for what we were given, and a different kind of bond that we as females had, because we were fighting for something,” she said. Throughout her more than forty years with CMS, Burton has seen great success with the teams that she’s coached. It’s all the more meaningful because she’s earned her place in Claremont history. “Women are quite capable of doing the job equally or better than [men] do,” she said. “And that’s in all of the world, especially in sports.” At the time of her retirement from coaching women’s basketball in 2012, she was the “winningest coach in SCIAC basketball history,” according to a press release from CMS. Her time as CMS women’s basketball coach was the tenth longest for any coach amongst all NCAA divisions. She was also the 15th coach in Division III history to win 500 games and won more SCIAC games than any other coach. But after retiring from coach-

Henderson in P-P record books following Sagehen victory over Cal Lu ALEX CHUN

CAElYN SMiTH • THE STUDENT liFE

Devon Wolfe CM ’22 prepares to hit a forehand during a match.

day night because that’s the only time we can get court time. [Also], waking up at 6 a.m. and having to put on five layers for the snow becomes all too consuming.” These conditions compelled Wolfe to search for other options. She found a perfect balance between school and sports at Claremont McKenna College her sophomore year, contributing to her decision to be a walk-on athlete for the tennis program in the spring. As a result of joining the team, Wolfe was easily able to integrate into her life at CMC, an experience she says would not have been as simple if it were not for tennis. At the start of her junior year, Wolfe took on co-captain duties and created an environment where the team’s values were similar to the ones she herself learned growing up. Now as a senior, she’s one of the best players on a star-studded Athena roster. Wolfe put this dominance on display by winning all five matches against San Diego Christian College and Whittier College without ceding a single game point. A “perfectionist,” the star Athena explained her slight disappointment during her perfect five-game run because she missed out on achieving a golden set — which refers to winning a set without losing a single point.

Despite these ups and downs in the sport, Wolfe finds the sport cathartic. “I play tennis because I think it’s great for my mental health; I love playing a sport because it makes you have goals and work towards it,” she said. “I am competitive and love to compete, a big reason why I’m still playing.” After graduation, the star Athena sees herself taking a break from tennis. Being something she’ll definitely pick up again later down the line, Wolfe wishes to pursue other physical activities in the meantime. “I’ve always loved tennis, but I’ve never wanted tennis to be the only thing that I do or be the biggest part of my identity,” she said. In her free time, Wolfe is a part of the College Programming Board and the Financial Economic Institute, both at CMC. However, her time with CMS athletics was most impactful. “I’m leaving the Claremont Colleges with some closure,” she said. “I feel proud about what I did. My contribution to CMS women’s tennis is definitely setting the team values and shaping the culture of the team, which I hope will continue forward beyond my contributions as a player.”

ing basketball, Burton’s career was far from over. That same year, she was hired as the women’s golf coach in its first year as a varsity sport, leading the team to a first-place finish in SCIAC. She doesn’t do it for the wins, though. “As much as I like winning… for me, in athletics, it’s always been the journey,” she said. For Burton, every year brings a new team dynamic, a new set of athletes and a new perspective. “I found the student body and all these people to be just wonderful and [they] have enriched my life far more than I’ve ever done anything for them,” Burton said. Above all else, she emphasizes the support she’s had along the way. “I’m just so proud of all those people before me and after me that have continued to make it possible for girls and women to compete.” She notes, however, that the fight for equality in women’s athletics is far from over. “We still have a long way to go,” she said. “Your generation needs to still fight, [to] not be satisfied.”

Following a dominant 23-0 shutout win against Cal Lutheran, the Pomona-Pitzer lacrosse team continues their perfect season by improving to 10-0 in conference play and 13-0 overall. After passing Aubrey Douglass PZ ’16 for most assists in a single regular season and netting the game-winning overtime goal in a tight Sixth Street rivalry game, attacking midfielder Shoshi Henderson PO ’25 had another historic performance against the Regals. She tallied 13 assists on the night, the most recorded in a single regulation game for P-P. Midfielder Caroline Worthington PO ’23 and attacker Eloise Cherian PO ’23 also proved vital in the Sagehens’ win. Worthington contributed 5 goals and an assist on the night, while Cherian found the back of the net four times. Right from the opening whistle, P-P crushed Cal Lutheran’s defense. After Maggie

Sweeney PO ’22 drew an early draw control, she dealt an inside pass to Worthington for the first score, 14 seconds into the game. This early momentum proved fatal for the Regals. The Sagehen offense quickly caught fire following the first goal, as Eleanor Mackey PO ’22, Carly Sullivan PZ ’23, Claire LeBlanc PO ’23 and Cherian all got in on the scoring action for P-P. Their efforts totaled eleven goals on eleven assists, and the team also dominated the Regals on defense to close out the first quarter. Following a six-point second quarter to close out the first half 17-0, the Sagehens kept their composure by not giving in. Despite their lead, P-P still capitalized on offense by showing strong defensive efforts, crushing their competition through the final two quarters. Looking to complete a perfect season with two games left in the regular season, the Sagehens will face conference opponents Occidental at home Saturday afternoon, having won the first meeting 20-4.

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