THE
STUDENT
LIFE
The student newspaper of the Claremont Colleges since 1889
CLAREMONT, CA
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019
VOL. CXXI NO. 13
CMC to update Title IX policy JENSEN STEADY Claremont McKenna College’s process of investigating sexual assault accusations made against its students will likely include a live hearing with cross-examination between the accuser and the accused after the policy is updated later this month. The changes are expected to align CMC with other Cal-
ifornia colleges, which are in the process of altering their Title IX policies in response to a January court ruling that found the University of Southern California at fault for not providing a student accused of sexual assault with the opportunity to cross-examine their accuser. The list of colleges implementing changes include Claremont McKenna College,
Occidental College, the University of California system and the California State University system, The Los Angeles Times reported. CMC spokesperson Peter Hong confirmed the policy will be updated later this month, but declined to specify what the new policy will be. If the new language complies with the recent ruling, though, it would mark a significant
shift from CMC’s current Title IX policy, which does not require a live hearing with the accused student and accuser both present. The California appellate court that issued the ruling against USC cited “fundamental fairness” for both parties involved as the reasoning for its decision. Universities must “provide a mechanism by which the
accused may cross-examine those witnesses, directly or indirectly, at a hearing in which the witnesses appear in person or by other means … before a neutral adjudicator with the power independently to find facts and make credibility assessments,” the court ruled. The ruling appears to al-
See TITLE IX on Page 2
5C HOUSING EXCHANGE PROGRAM ENDS
NINA POTISCHMAN • THE STUDENT LIFE
Students will no longer be able to live at other campuses ELINOR ASPERGREN Worried they were “losing the spirit” of the 5C Housing Exchange, 5C residential life deans had been thinking about nixing the little-used dorm swap option for four years. They finally announcement the program’s cancellation Feb. 15, leaving students living at other campuses in the consortium alarmed and
dismayed. Kirsten Carrier, the residence life director at Pitzer College, said administrators “really gave it our all and tried to make it work both for students and us” over the past few years after proposing the cancellation of the program in the 2015-2016 academic year, “but we were still running into the same situations over and over.” The exchange program,
HMC, Pomona, Scripps announce commencement speakers JASPER DAVIDOFF & EMILY KUHN Harvey Mudd College, Pomona College and Scripps College have announced the keynote speakers for their May 2019 commencement ceremonies. Pitzer College spokesperson Anna Chang said the college will announce its speaker Tuesday. Claire Wengrod PZ ’19, a member of Pitzer’s Student Senate, said “she is an exciting public figure [who] reflects our core values well.” Claremont McKenna College will likely announce its speaker in March, spokes-
person Peter Hong said.
Harvey Mudd College Stanford University professor Sebastian Thrun, a renowned entrepreneur and expert in robotics and artificial intelligence, is Mudd’s keynote commencement speaker. Thrun helped run X,
See SPEAKER on Page 3
also known as the 5C Living Exchange, allowed undergraduate students to trade housing arrangements with each other and live at a different college in the consortium. The group of 5C deans said the program would not be returning starting fall 2019. The exchange required a student at one college to find another student at a different 5C to switch with them, according to an executive
to a leave of absence, withdrawal, conduct issue, etc.), both students were required to return back to their home campus.” Carrier said via email that when exchanges don’t work out ― about half the time ― “it has a disparate impact on the students,” because the
See HOUSING on Page 3
JULIA FRANKEL Many students believe Pomona College’s Advocates for Survivors of Sexual Assault program was suspended Feb. 13 due to confidentiality concerns and a lack of adequate training. But Title IX coordinator Sue McCarthy told TSL Thursday that students reporting negative experiences with the advocates was the main reason for the suspension. The decision, which was ultimately made by Pomona President G. Gabrielle Starr and announced via email, cited “mostly confidential concerns” as the reasoning behind the change, prompting student confusion over whether the concerns were private and could not be shared with students, or if the concerns involved the advocate’s confidentiality status. McCarthy explained that the concerns were mostly about confidential student reports of individual harm, and not with the advocates’ confidentiality status itself. “People reported experiencing harm in connection to advocates as an individual or as a group,” McCarthy said, but didn’t specify further due to confidentiality. In a statement to TSL, advocates spokesperson Molly Keller PO ’19 said, “We are aware of Dean McCarthy’s comments but we have not received any information about the nature of the reports and we were never contacted to discuss any concerns before the decision was sent to the entire Pomona College community.” McCarthy said that only “one to five percent” of the decision was related to the Clery Act, which requires advocate groups without proper training to report sexual assaults of which they are informed. Pomona’s advocates lacked that training, due to McCarthy’s error in scheduling it last
See POMONA on Page 2
P-P women’s basketball makes first SCIAC tournament appearance in program history UMA NAGARAJANSWENSON Since the SCIAC women’s basketball tournament’s inception in 2007, only two teams have never made it to the postseason: Caltech and Pomona-Pitzer. Until now. The Sagehens (20-5, 14-2 SCIAC) took down defending champion Chapman (169, 11-5 SCIAC) 75-62 in the conference semifinal Thursday. With a win against Sixth Street rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (23-2, 15-1 SCIAC) in the SCIAC Championship Saturday at Roberts Pavilion, P-P would secure its first conference tournament title and a berth to the NCAA tournament.
LIFE AND STYLE
It hasn’t been an easy path to the top, though. The Sagehens finished the 2016-17 season with a dismal 1-23 record (1-15 SCIAC), the last seed in the conference. The next season saw a marked improvement, as they finished 8-17 (5-11 SCIAC). The disastrous 2016-17 season was the first for coach Jill Pace. Pace said that season was difficult, but crucial in getting the team to where it is today. “I think it’s hard on the court going through a 1-23 season, because you want results, you want to see wins,” Pace said, “But I think that season has influenced last
See SCIAC on Page 10
AMY BEST • THE STUDENT LIFE
Zoe Hunt PZ ’19 screams in celebration during P-P’s victory over Chapman in the SCIAC semifinals Thursday.
OPINIONS
“[A] lot of people in this room would be very comfortable saying the 2nd Amendment ... now needs to be reinterpreted in the light of new technology. We don’t say that about the First Amendment,” New Yorker staff writer Andrew Marantz said in a talk at Scripps College’s Balch Auditorium. Read more on page 4.
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summary provided by Pomona College housing director Frank Bedoya. The deans wrote in the email to students that the program had “low student participation and posed more complications and less benefits to all involved.” “Each student was contractually obligated to fulfill living in their exchange’s campus space,” the summary reads. “If either student was unable to fulfill this requirement (due
PO’s McCarthy: Student complaints caused Advocates suspension
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SPORTS
“[Vanessa] Tyson has illuminated a new framework for understanding sexual assault by asserting that it is both an epidemic and a public health issue.” Read more on page 8.
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A choreographed team dance to “Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!” by Vengaboys has become an unconventional warm-up routine for the CMS Athletics dive team this season. Read more on page 9.
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NEWS.............................1 LIFE & STYLE..................4 OPINIONS.....................6 SPORTS..........................9
NEWS PAGE 2
THE STUDENT LIFE
TITLE IX: Fed’s new standards worry advocates for sexual assault survivors Continued from Page 1 low cross-examination via a neutral intermediary, rather than directly by the students or their appointed representatives, according to the Times. It’s unclear whether CMC will implement direct cross-examination or cross-examination through an intermediary. Under current CMC policy, both students are interviewed by an outside investigator who issues a report and findings based on the interviews. Both students are able to request that the investigator ask certain questions of the other party, but the investigator is not obligated to ask them. The USC ruling also prohibits the investigator from issuing a finding of responsibility. Advocates for survivors of sexual assault have long worried that cross-examinations in live hearings will discourage survivors from reporting incidents of sexual assault, Inside Higher Ed reported. Other experts worry that colleges are ill-equipped to conduct court-style hearings. “We’re looking at a potential fiasco,” Brett Sokolow, the president of the Association of Title IX Administrators, told the Times. He emphasized in the Times article that cross-examinations in court rooms are conducted by trained professionals and governed by strict rules, and that colleges are unprepared to conduct such proceedings. Some of the 5Cs already have Title IX policies that include a live hearing with both students, but none of them permit cross-examination and therefore all appear to be in violation of the new ruling. Pomona and Harvey Mudd did not respond to TSL’s request for comment. Scripps and Pitzer’s Title IX coordinators issued a joint statement through Scripps spokesperson Carolyn Robles, in which they did not directly address the USC ruling but did not announce any plans to change their policies. The expected changes would come after CMC recently faced a lawsuit over a previous Title IX policy. In August
2018, the 2nd District Court of Appeals upheld a ruling that a CMC student — who was found responsible for sexual assault under a previous Title IX policy and sued the school — should have been entitled to a hearing at which adjudicators were able to question his accuser. Under the CMC policy in place at the time — which was no longer in place at the time of the USC ruling — a hearing was held to determine whether the student accused of sexual assault was responsible. But the accuser was not required to attend, and no cross-examination took place. The changes that the various California colleges are implementing are similar to new federal recommendations issued by President Donald Trump’s administration. In November, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos proposed new Department of Education rules that would mandate direct cross-examination by representatives of the students involved, who could be lawyers or other advocates. “We can, and must, condemn sexual violence and punish those who perpetrate
it, while ensuring a fair grievance process,” she said in a Department of Education press release. “Those are not mutually exclusive ideas. They are the very essence of how Americans understand justice to function.” Sokolow told Inside Higher Ed that such a situation could heavily favor wealthy people accused of assault, who might be able to hire skilled lawyers, over accusers without the resources to hire such representation. DeVos claimed a move toward hearings is necessary to ensure due process and equal protection for both students. In their statement to TSL, Scripps and Pitzer addressed the Department of Education guidelines, rather than the ruling in the USC case. “If final regulations are issued, as expected sometime in 2019, Pitzer and Scripps will make any changes to our policies that are required in order to comply with federal law,” Robles wrote. “In the meantime, the colleges do not anticipate making any changes in response to the draft regulations.”
FEBRUARY 22, 2019
Appeals court revives CMC student’s Title IX lawsuit
Hearing lacked cross-examination, wasn’t fair, court rules JENSEN STEADY A California appeals court has revived a Claremont McKenna College student’s Title IX lawsuit against the college, ruling that the lack of cross examination resulted in an unfair hearing. The decision, which came in August 2018, aligns with a ruling by the same court last month that found the University of Southern California at fault for not giving a student accused of sexual assault the opportunity to cross-examine the student accusing him. That ruling set a precedent for other colleges to update their policies to comply with the court’s ruling. Following the Title IX investigation in 2015, CMC found its student, called “John Doe” in court documents, responsible for sexually assaulting a Scripps
College student, referred to as “Jane Roe.” Doe was suspended for a year, placed on probation for an additional year and banned from setting foot on Scripps’ campus without explicit permission from Scripps’ and CMC’s Title IX coordinators. Under CMC’s policy at the time, an investigator examined the case before bringing the evidence to a hearing, court documents from the lawsuit show. There, the investigator and two CMC faculty members who had not been part of the investigative process decided Doe was responsible for the assault. Roe was not required to and did not show up or verbally testify at the final committee hearing, documents show. However, both Doe and Roe submitted written statements, and Doe testified verbally at the committee meeting. Doe filed a petition for a
CHRIS NARDI • THE STUDENT LIFE
The California 2nd District Court of Appeals reversed a trial court opinion in Doe v. Claremont McKenna College Aug. 8, 2018, allowing a judge to review CMC’s decision that Doe violated its sexual harrassment policy.
writ of administrative mandate, a request for a judge to review CMC’s decision. But his request was denied by a trial court in 2016. Doe appealed, and in 2018, California’s 2nd District Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s decision, instructing the lower court to grant Doe his writ of administrative mandate. “We agree that [Roe’s] not appearing at the hearing either in person or via videoconference or other means deprived [Doe] of a fair hearing where [Doe] faced potentially serious consequences, and the case against him turned on the committee’s finding [Roe] credible,” the court documents state. CMC argued that Roe provided more corroborated facts and was indirectly questioned with written questions. But the appellate court concluded that the investigator and student accused of sexual assault “is entitled to ‘a process by which the [accused] may question, if even indirectly, the [accuser]” in person, on a video-conference or using another method that would allow the hearing committee to assess the accuser’s credibility. CMC and its Title IX office declined to comment. The law firms representing CMC and Doe did not respond to a request for comment. CMC’s Title IX policy has changed since the incident in question and is expected to change again this month, CMC spokesperson Peter Hong said. If the policy, which has yet to be published, complies with the recent ruling against USC, it will likely include a hearing at which the accused student and accuser can cross-examine each other in front of a panel that issues a finding of responsibility.
POMONA: Forums will Exclusive Q&A: Former Pomona student discuss program’s future Marianne Williamson runs for president Continued from Page 1 fall. McCarthy said Starr informed her of the suspension Wednesday — the same day the news was emailed to students. While the decision was ultimately made by Starr, students criticized McCarthy at last week’s ASPC meeting for the suspension. McCarthy expressed frustration about her “designated” position as spokesperson for the program’s suspension. “Ellie and I have become the face of this,” she said, referring to Ellie Ash-Balá, associate dean of campus life, who is also a member of the committee that made recommendations to Starr. Legal concerns about confidentiality also contributed in part to the pausing of the program, McCarthy said. McCarthy said the Clery Center, a nonprofit that monitors compliance with the Clery Act, told her last spring that the advocates needed to be trained by Project Sister, a rape crisis and family services center, in order to be legally exempt from the Clery Act reporting mandate. McCarthy reached out to advocates in June to inform them that they were no longer confidential resources, and that Project Sister training would be held in the fall to allow the advocates to legally operate confidentially, Keller said. But the dates McCarthy listed for the trainings were incorrect, and the advocates were never trained. As a result, advocates were legally mandated under the Clery Act to report certain specified instances of sexual assault to the college. Both McCarthy and Keller
said they understand that if the advocates were subpoenaed, they would be required to disclose these instances as testimony in court. Despite these legal mandates, the advocates continued to operate confidentially last semester, Keller said. They did not report any instances of sexual assault to McCarthy’s office, which violated the Clery Act. Keller admitted the advocates do not have the same legal protections as mental health counselors, medical practitioners and the colleges’ chaplains, who are not required to report incidents to McCarthy or if subpoenaed in court. McCarthy made it clear that the advocates cannot declare themselves confidential resources without the privilege of legal confidentiality under the Clery Act. Students have reacted critically to advocates’ suspension. On Saturday, advocates and students passed out flyers to parents at Pomona’s Family Weekend criticizing the decision to suspend the program. At an ASPC meeting Feb. 14, ASPC President Alejandro Guerrero PO ’19 said two more open forums will be held by the committee that suspended the program to discuss the future of the advocates program in the next two weeks. The dates for these forums have not yet been announced. A meeting between McCarthy and the advocates will also take place this week, McCarthy said. Becky Hoving contributed to this report.
LANEY POPE Marianne Williamson, a spiritual leader and Pomona College student from 1970 to 1972, announced her bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president Jan. 28. TSL news editor Laney Pope PO ’21 spoke with Williamson Wednesday about her time as a student at Pomona, her unconventional candidacy and why she felt compelled to run. TSL: Tell me about your time as a student at Pomona. Marianne Williamson: I didn’t leave thinking I wouldn’t be back. I thought I was just leaving for a semester or two, and then life just sort of took [me] elsewhere. At that time in my life ... I wish I had it in me to focus more and delve more deeply into my education, however, the education I did get at Pomona was strong. ... There was also a teacher there named Stanley Crouch, who was, and I assume, still is a brilliant jazz philosopher teacher, and he strongly impacted my life. Plus, I studied philosophy with people such as Steve Erickson. It was profound. It was only two years, but it was profound. TSL: You had a successful career as an author and a spiritual leader. Why did you decide to run for president? MW: Running for president comes from something deeper than a normal decision-making
process. And I’m sure this is true for everyone who’s running, you have to feel some serious calling of the heart and gut to take this on. The calling was there, but then it took another year and a half of somewhat difficult processing to make the decision to do this. I think millions of people are looking at what’s happening in this country today and asking ourselves, ‘How can I best serve?’ That’s the only meaningful question ever, really. But certainly at a time like this … this feels to me like the best way I can serve. TSL: What will set you apart from other candidates? MW: Any person in any situation who tells their deepest truth is setting themselves apart from others because nobody’s story is the same as anyone else’s. Nobody’s take on life is exactly the same as anybody else’s because nobody’s experiences the same as anybody else’s. That doesn’t make me special. It just means I have my unique perspective. And that’s true of every candidate. I have over the last 35 years worked in the field of personal transformation and I am aware that you can’t really change things just by tweaking things on the outside. You have to understand more deeply, you have to have … a deeper emotional, spiritual and psychological understanding of what brought you to where you are in order to navigate yourself into a different situation. TSL: What are some central
NINA POTISCHMAN • THE STUDENT LIFE
issues to your campaign? MW: We have a sociopathic economic system. We have an economic system that has no sense of ethical responsibility to workers or to environment or to community. It is a system of unfettered capitalism, a capitalism untethered to any ethical consideration. Our capitalism has swerved from its ethical center. This has corrupted our economy and has ultimately corrupted our government because our government is at present a system of legalized bribery by which [the] government
works more to advocate for short-term profits for huge multinational corporations than to advocate for the health and wellbeing of the American people and the planet on which we live. TSL: Do you think you realistically have a shot at the presidency? MW: Donald Trump is president. The idea that anybody can predict anything is obviously absurd. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. To read the full interview, go to tsl.news.
NEWS FEBRUARY 22, 2019
THE STUDENT LIFE
All 5Cs but Scripps to withhold early decision data SIENA SWIFT Four of the 5Cs have decided not to publicly release their early decision admissions data this winter, a departure from past years, when the schools have published ED data and released acceptance letters to ED students simultaneously. Scripps College did release its ED statistics. Administrators said they made the change after determining that releasing early admissions information while regular decision applicants are still waiting to hear back from the colleges ― which generally occurs April 1 ― “contributed to unhealthy feelings of angst and pressure among our current applicants,” according to Seth Allen, Pomona College’s dean of admissions. Peter Osgood, Harvey Mudd College’s admissions director, said via email that Mudd has also “gradually moved away from supporting things that add stress to an already mysterious and anxiety producing process for high school students.” Osgood said early admission information can also be taken out of context and “broadcast in a way that speaks less to match and more to applicants’ strategy [for applying].” Claremont McKenna College spokesperson Peter Hong confirmed CMC will wait until after the regular decision cycle to release any admission information. And although Santiago Ybarra, Pitzer College’s ad-
missions director, initially agreed to provide TSL with ED statistics, he later said via email that Pitzer had reversed its decision. CMC, Pomona, Mudd and Pitzer are not alone in deciding against releasing ED scores before regular decision is announced. Stanford University announced last August that it will stop announcing both ED and regular decision admissions rates because it wants to reduce the emphasis on admission rates and encourage all students to apply. Scripps, on the other hand, provided TSL with its Early Decision I data. Seventy-six of the school’s 158 ED1 applicants were offered admission, an acceptance rate of 48.1 percent, Scripps spokesperson Carolyn Robles said via email. The number of ED1 applications was down slightly from last year, she said. While Scripps has not released Early Decision II data yet, the school admitted a total of 90 students from both ED programs combined last year, TSL reported previously. About 30 percent of this year’s Scripps ED1 students come from California, Robles said via email. Approximately sixteen percent are from the Northwest, and about 15 percent are from the Northeast. The remainder of students hail from the Midwest, South, Southwest, West and foreign countries.
HANK SNOWDON • THE STUDENT LIFE
PAGE 3
This is not a drill: Constant fire alarms force Scripps students outside in frigid temperatures HAIDEE CLAUER & RIYA MANDALAPU The fire alarm in Scripps College’s connected Browning and Dorsey residence halls has been triggered nine times this semester, forcing students outside as late as 1 a.m. and as early as 6:30 a.m. As a result, students have been woken up and, rushing to exit the building, found themselves in temperatures as cold as 30 degrees without adequate clothing and shoes. Burnt food was determined to be culprit for three or four of the alarms, Scripps’ Director of Campus Life Brenda Ice wrote in an email to Scripps students. Two were the result of individuals smoking in or near bathrooms, and one was thought to be a scheduled fire drill. The remaining cases are under investigation, Ice told TSL. The facilities department will review fire alarm sensors, exhaust fans and humidity sensors to “ensure an optimal and effective sensitivity level,” Ice wrote to students. Additionally, cooking safety reminder flyers have been put up in kitchens. Becca Mamlet SC ’22 said the drills are particularly troublesome for students like
herself dealing chronic conditions, disabilities or sleeping problems. “My condition means that if I get up before a certain time in the morning, my body doesn’t function well for the rest of the day causing pain, fatigue, limb weakness, etc,” Mamlet said. “Even though I went back to sleep after, it still affected me for the rest of the day.” She said that smoking indoors is irresponsible and poses a health risk for herself and other students with breathing problems. “If you want to smoke or even vape, do it outside where it won’t affect others or set off the alarms,” Mamlet said. Scripps policy prohibits smoking inside or within 25 feet of residence halls. Some students with disabilities are sent emails with a heads-up about early-morning drills, but these advanced notices are not widespread, Mamlet said. Siena Hinshelwood SC ’22 is tired of the frequency of the alarms. “It’s gotten to the point where any kind of beeping I hear, like from the door alarms or cars outside, makes my heart skip a beat thinking it’s a fire alarm and I’m going to have to go outside,” Hinshelwood said.
The timing of scheduled fire drills is based on when most students are in the dorms, Dean of Students Charlotte Johnson said.
“We are working on additional programming and other ways to ensure that all students are prepared for drills and in case of an emergency,” she said.
ELOISE SHIELDS • THE STUDENT LIFE
Scripps students Devon Ma SC ‘21, Scotty Hagle ‘21 and Valerie Jackman ‘21 are some of the students that have had to bear the chilly early morning temperatures due to Scripps fire alarms.
HOUSING: Few students use program Continued from Page 1 student who decides to pull out of the program is “also making a decision for their fellow student in the housing exchange. This resulted in many very disappointing situations for students.” Carrier said complications included the amount of administrative time that it took to help students facilitate the process and the frequency with which the exchange failed because at least one person backed out of it. Fewer than 50 students participated annually, Carrier said, and Pitzer and Pomona were the two schools with the highest number of students participating. Administrators were also concerned for the safety of students living at other schools. “There’s so many things behind the scenes that are dependent on the fact that you are a Pitzer student, and you are our responsibility and we make sure that you
have the information,” Carrier said. “And so many things were not getting communicated to our visiting students.” Because of this, students who participated in the exchange did not receive important updates or essential information about the campus at which they were living, she said, such as emails about roommate disputes, problems in the dorms or mandatory meetings. Another complication with the exchange was a lack of access to on campus services. “Students who participated in the exchange expected to be able to access every service that Pitzer offered,” Carrier said. These services, such as parking, mailboxes, campus listservs, printers and computer labs, were not included in the exchange, which covered housing only. Additionally, the report said, “the pricing structure for housing differs across the campuses, resulting in potentially inequitable charges for assignments.” The program’s cancellation
came as a shock to many 5C students. India Whatley SC ’20, who lived at Pitzer College in the Mead dorm this year, said the program was “a really fun part of the consortium. “These schools don’t exist on their own,” Whatley said. Dana Harris CM ’22 was thinking of transferring to another one of the 5Cs, but decided to do the exchange instead. “To me, the housing exchange was a sign of hope — I could finally feel at home, and still be academically involved in the college of my dreams,” she said via email. Harris “was crushed” when she heard the program was cancelled. “Not only would I have felt much more at home at the 5Cs, but had I made the switch, I would be closer to some of my classes, and be able to make new friends at another campus,” she wrote. Emily Pugh CM ’21 currently lives at Pomona in Oldenborg Hall and is enjoying her experience, but agreed there are some problems with
the program. “When I exchanged with my exchangee, I got access to all the dorms, but none of the study rooms,” she said. “And the person I switched with, he doesn’t get access to anything at CMC. Just his dorm that he’s living in.” Overall, though, Pugh sees more good than bad. “It’s given me a unique experience at the 5Cs — one that I wouldn’t have gotten just staying CMC — and I hope they [reinstate] it in the future to give other students that opportunity to shape their experience at the 5Cs,” she said. Molly Armentrout PZ ’19 sought an exchange at Scripps College for a different reason — she wanted a quiet place to work on her thesis. “I feel sad about the cancellation because it is a great opportunity for people to live on other campuses and be close to their friends,” she said via email. “Even though the 5Cs are very integrated socially, this program is another opportunity that fosters a greater 5C community.”
SPEAKER: Pomona, Scripps both pick alumni to speak Continued from Page 1 Google’s experimental team, from 2010 to 2012, according to a CNBC profile. X spurred innovations such as the self-driving car project Waymo, Google Glass and Project Loon, which aims to bring internet access to remote areas via hot air balloon. After leaving Google, Thrun founded Udacity, a company that teaches online classes with the goal of democratizing education, according to Udacity’s website. He is also currently CEO of Kitty Hawk, a venture that aims to solve traffic by creating personal methods of air travel. Senior class presidents Casey Gardner HM ’19 and Maggie Gelber HM ’19 said the class was was surveyed twice about the speaker selection: once to determine its preferences about the speaker’s occupation and topics they would like to see addressed, and again to rank candidates once a shortlist was developed. Thrun’s selection reflected students’ desires to hear a speaker discuss finding meaning in one’s occupation, overcoming personal obstacles and ideals related to HMC’s mission statement, according to the announcement. “He’s done a lot of applied research in areas like autonomous driving and
using [artificial intelligence] for disease detection,” Olivia Watkins HM ’19 said. “I’d be excited to hear about his research or his vision for how [artificial intelligence], and tech in general, will shape the world.”
Pomona College Foreign policy expert Esther Brimmer PO ’83 will deliver Pomona’s commencement address. A seasoned diplomat, Brimmer has served in various capacities at the U.S. Department of State. In 2009, she was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizational Affairs by former President Barack Obama. She served in that post until 2013, according to the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area. Brimmer, also a distinguished academic, taught for two years at the George
Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. She served as deputy director for the Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins University from 2001 to 2009. In January 2017, Brimmer became the executive director and CEO of the NAFSA: Association of International Educators, according to the organization’s announcement. NAFSA describes itself as “the leading organization committed to international education and exchange.” “Brimmer is an outstanding example of how Pomona’s education is strongly rooted in Southern California yet global in its orientation,” Pomona President G. Gabrielle Starr wrote in an email to TSL. “From her work at the Department of State to her research at Johns Hopkins University, she will encourage the class of 2019 to recognize the impact of international matters in an increasingly global and interconnected world.” Brimmer returned to campus for last year’s alumni weekend to give a talk about her experiences as an international relations major. While on campus, she was presented with the Blaisdell Distinguished Alumni Award. “It will be exciting for international relations majors to have one of our more
prestigious alumni giving the commencement this May,” said Daniel Silverman PO ’19, an IR major. He thinks students can learn from “how [Brimmer] combined her academic path and her professional public service.” Brimmer was chosen from a list of 15 nominees by the Honorary Degrees Committee, which is composed of administrators, trustees, faculty and students, senior class president Laura Zhang PO ’19 said.
Scripps College USAFacts President Poppy MacDonald SC ’97 will give Scripps’ commencement speech. MacDonald attended Scripps as a first-generation college student and majored in history. Shortly after graduating, she began her professional career working for members of Congress. In 2011, she started working at The National Journal as the vice president of membership. MacDonald worked her way up to
publisher and president by 2014. In 2016, she left The National Journal to become the president of Politico USA before moving to her current job in 2018 as the president of USAFacts, a nonprofit, non-partisan civic initiative aimed at making data accessible and understandable to American citizens. MacDonald told TSL about some of the difficulties she faced and the coping strategies she developed early in her career. “I was dismissed based on a youthful appearance. I learned to deal with this by having to start meetings by sharing my experience and qualifications, whereas my male peers were viewed as instantly credible,” she said. “I also used it to my advantage, catching people off guard in a negotiation where they hadn’t prepared adequately under the false assumption that I was inexperienced.” MacDonald was selected to speak by a committee comprised of student volunteers from the class of 2019 and chaired by former junior class co-presidents Jahnavi Kothari SC ’19 and Casey Harris SC ’19. The official invitation sent to MacDonald from the class of 2019 said she stood out as a candidate because of her embodiment of Scripps’ core values and her dedication to making a
difference in the world by using her “diverse array of experiences and interests.” “[Her career] ties in different aspects of a liberal arts curriculum,” Kothari said. “Whether it’s politics, history, economics or journalism, it’s really interdisciplinary and intersectional.” Kothari said MacDonald was a popular choice among the committee because she had visited campus several times over the past few years to engage with Scripps students during events hosted by Career Planning & Resources, Laspa Center for Leadership and the Intercollegiate Feminist Center of the Claremont Colleges. Photo attributes (from first to last): Stanford professor and entrepreneur Dr. Sebastian Thrun will be the Harvey Mudd College commencement speaker at the 2019 graduation ceremony. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) Dr. Esther Brimmer PO ’83, a foreign policy expert, will speak at the May 2019 Pomona College commencement. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) Poppy MacDonald SC ’97 is slated to give a commencement speech at the Scripps College graduation ceremony this May. (Courtesy of Scripps College)
LIFE & STYLE PAGE 4
THE STUDENT LIFE
TV COLUMN
Dear white people: You don’t have to pretend to like this show BROOKE SPARKS You could have replaced my brainstem with a celery stick last summer and not have noticed an appreciable difference in my behavior. Stuck in a weird kind of stasis, I wasn’t doing much aside from eating my mom’s leftovers and mindlessly slaughtering Bokoblins in “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.” So when one of my old classmates suggested that I watch “Dear White People,” I figured I might as well. And yet, despite the show having black writers and a predominantly black cast, an indescribable annoyance grew in my gut after every episode. I couldn’t exactly put my finger on what was wrong, I just knew that something wasn’t right. Somewhere during the haze of my binge-watching session, it hit me: This show is for white people. I don’t know what I was expecting. I mean, it’s in the title. “Dear White People” is a Netflix television series centered on the lives of black college students attending a fictional, predominantly white Ivy League school. Each episode is pretty formulaic, with the focus on one of the cast members and a problem they face. Most of the episodes focus on themes surrounding blackness, like interracial relationships or police brutality, and very little on college life. People tend to praise the show for its teachable moments. It does its best to maintain a sense of white palatabil-
ity — most white people can watch this show and feel like they’re learning something without feeling attacked. Don’t get me wrong; I think that’s a great quality for the show to have. But between the ham-fisted acting and the “woke” jokes the writers try to insert every 50 seconds, that’s pretty much the only good quality the show has, and that’s what makes it bad. The show gives people of color roles that solely play off of their color, depriving them of the chance to form any real interests or personalities. With the exception of Lionel, a black student who struggles and later reconciles with his sexuality, most of the rest of the cast’s sole defining traits are intimately related to their race. Sam? Black activist. Reggie? Black guy crushing on Sam. Joelle? Black woman playing second-string to Sam. Gabe? White guy. I can barely even remember these characters’ majors because the writers are too fixated on creating more “teachable moments” and “ultra-woke” jokes to focus on literally anything else. It almost seems as if the writers picked a race for a character, stuck a bunch of computer-generated character traits on a dartboard, closed their eyes, and went with whichever one stuck. So sure, Sam is black and sarcastic. But that’s really all she is. What’s more, this show uses these caricatures to demonstrate very real problems, and in doing so, makes these problems seem unreal. Take episode
five, for instance, when a cop threatens Reggie’s life with a gun. I already knew that Reggie’s humanity came before his blackness, but the show didn’t do enough to portray him as human (other than making him have a crush on Sam, I guess). When I saw his life in danger, I didn’t think of a racist versus a human being — I saw an over-exaggeration of racism versus a cardboard cut-out of a black guy. If I, a black person, was forced to see the situation from that angle, what kind of message is that sending to a white audience? A good chunk of this show struck me as unrelatable. It’s not that I couldn’t relate with individual parts of the series — I’ve had white people randomly decide to touch my hair and I’ve dealt with the assumption that I’m violent — but I couldn’t relate to all that happening every single time I talk to someone on campus. The show seems to define blackness as dealing with a constant barrage of microaggressions every second of every minute of every hour, as only hanging out with black people, as only doing “black things.” If you do deign to have white friends or do “white things,” you’re either a Coco or a Kelsey: overly ambitious or extremely vapid and superficial. Maybe some black people can relate to this show, and if so, I don’t want to take that away from them. But I’ve never felt “black first, other personality components second.” If anything, I highly identified with George Yancy’s concept
of phenomenology, the idea that black people feel the weight of their blackness only when white people remind them of it. I think I can best summarize the idea with an anecdote of my own. On move-in day, I was trying to find my residence hall and found myself walking near an old white woman. We made eye contact, and I gave her a smile. I didn’t think of myself as anything more than an average student. Her neutral expression quickly morphed into a frown, and she actually made the effort to move to the other side of the street. Then I remembered that I was black. In “Dear White People,” all cast members are constantly reminded of their race to the point where they can’t be anything else. This show is constantly applauded for having a predominantly black cast, for being hilarious, for being “woke,” but not for actually having an interesting plot or well-developed characters. While we should be happy that more shows are making roles for people of color, we shouldn’t fall into the trap of complacency and automatically assume the show is good because a person of color is on screen or worked on the script. So if you’re white and didn’t like this show, don’t worry: That doesn’t automatically make you racist. I didn’t like it, either. Brooke Sparks PO ’22 never thinks before she speaks. She mains Zelda in Smash Ultimate.
NINA POTISCHMAN • THE STUDENT LIFE
FEBRUARY 22, 2019
New Yorker journalist explores free speech in the social media era a EMILY SENDER
MEGHAN JOYCE • THE STUDENT LIFE
Andrew Marantz poses between a small discussion with students and his talk at Scripps College’s Balch Auditorium Feb. 19.
EMILY SENDER In the digital age, social media has called into question everything we believe about free speech. That’s according to Andrew Marantz, a journalist and staff writer for The New Yorker magazine who spoke at Scripps College’s Balch Auditorium Feb. 19. Marantz discussed social media’s role in shaping mainstream politics and creating a place for those on the fringes to build their own platforms. The conversation was part of both the Scripps Presents series and the Scripps Humanities Institute year of programs entitled “Ignorance in the Age of Information.” “It’s dangerous to talk about this stuff,” Marantz said, when Antonia Hitchens, a journalist who has also written for The New Yorker, asked him about reinterpreting the First Amendment for the online age. “I don’t want to be taken as saying, ‘Oh, the First Amendment is this old-fashioned thing that we can throw in the garbage,’” Marantz said. “But … I would suspect a lot of people in this room would be very comfortable saying the Second Amendment was written when there were only muskets, and it now needs to be reinterpreted in the light of new technology. “We don’t say that about the First Amendment,” he continued. “I think that’s really interesting because there’s a lot of new speech technology that is the equivalent of assault weaponry and we need to think about what that means.” Marantz said the internet’s relative lawlessness intrigues him; he wondered how the dark web and the economics of social media impacted “our sense of ourselves, our sense of our society, our sense of ethics … all of which [are] constitutive of what we mean by politics.” Hitchens asked Marantz about his 2017 piece, “The Birth of a White Supremacist,” in which he traces the journey of Mike Enoch, a man who grew up in a liberal family but, through the internet, became a leading voice in the alt-right
movement. Marantz said he thinks it is important to profile people who he doesn’t necessarily want to paint in a positive light, in order to understand more deeply how they came to be who they are. “I think if we can’t figure out what makes [the alt-right] attractive to someone, we can’t inoculate ourselves against it,” he said. These ideas resonated with Greer Gibney PZ ’20, an event attendee. “He questioned the idea that is often argued that giving time to exploring the background of people like [white supremacist] Richard Spencer or the Pittsburgh shooter is not worth it,” she said. “He made me think about investigative journalism today, in which digging deep and looking from all angles is deeply important to helping formulate the picture or story in a way that might draw an audience in.” Marantz displayed his breadth of knowledge about the role of social media in today’s political climate with jokes that had the audience laughing about memes, internet trolls and the ins-and-outs of Reddit. But the conversation ultimately always returned to the importance of using the internet as a source to understand the roots of hate speech, rather than simply turning a blind eye and hoping that it will go away. “I’ve been going back and reading a lot of James Baldwin for various reasons, and his message again and again and again is, let’s try and figure out what makes these deplorable people deplorable, so we can stop them from being deplorable,” Marantz continued, referring to Hillary Clinton’s controversial use of the word to describe President Donald Trump’s supporters during the 2016 presidential campaign. “That seems to have gotten a little bit lost along the way, and I really worry about that because it’s as if we get into this dichotomy of either ‘You’re not allowed to call them deplorable,’ or you can only call them deplorable and that can only be the end of the conversation. I just think neither of those lead anywhere.”
‘Bad with Money’: Author Gaby Dunn on society’s lack of access to financial literacy YASMIN ELQUTAMI We’re bad with money, and Gaby Dunn wants us to talk about it. Dunn visited Scripps College Feb. 20 to discuss her recently published book, “Bad with Money: The Imperfect Art of Getting Your Financial Sh*t Together.” The book is a continuation of conversations and topics from her hit podcast “Bad with Money,” meant to be a guide to financial literacy for those often left out of finance discussions, like young people, people of color, disabled people, the LGBTQIA+ community and immigrants. Dunn is a writer, actor, journalist, comedian, activist and podcaster. She was well-known for being a writer and producer for BuzzFeed, but has since left the company to venture out on her own. Currently, she is known for her podcast, YouTube channel “Just Between Us” and book “I Hate Everyone But You.” She co-created the latter two with creative partner Allison Raskin (also previously BuzzFeed famous).
The event at Scripps centered on Dunn’s frustration with a societal lack of financial transparency. “I realized nobody was talking about money,” she said. “The reason I decided to write about it was because I would cry about money all the time. It was the biggest stressor. I would just cry, cry, cry — I couldn’t figure out how other people had money or what you did with it once you had it.” Being bad with money, Dunn said, is normally considered to signify that “not only are you bad and dumb and also morally bankrupt,” but also that you are “a personal, intellectual and moral failing.” However, Dunn did not want to blame young people; she said a systemic lack of access to financial literacy is a reason for money woes. “The idea of talking about money as taboo is a way to keep people in their place,” Dunn explained. “If you’re not sharing information with the people around you — who are most likely [going to] have a similar income, or similar situation or
similar lifestyle — then how is anyone going to learn anything? You can’t. And then Jeff Bezos pays zero dollars in taxes.” Dunn also stressed the power that college students have in advancing their economic mobility through collaboration. “[College students] have the best information for each other,” she said. “Any kind of information that you have, if you share it with each other, it’s over for these bitches.” More specifically, Dunn recommended always opening mail from your bank, going through monthly bank statements to understand what expenses one values and not being afraid to start savings from zero. Student attendees appreciated Dunn’s accessibility and humor. “I found her to be extremely personable,” Annie Jones SC ’22 said. “[Personal finance] is a scary thing, so it’s beneficial to put those two things together and learn from her.” Amelia Carttar PO ’22 agreed. “I think she presents the information in a way that’s not
intimidating and in a way that’s funny and engaging, so it seems less terrifying,” she said. “It was fun to be able to laugh about this stuff.” Students also pointed out the importance of financial literacy
discussions at the 5Cs and in college overall. “There’s obviously not financial literacy that’s being explicitly taught to us at college,” Amaya Duncan SC ’22 said. “I feel like bringing someone that
is financially literate is really helpful and important, but there could always be more done.” Dunn’s final advice? “Don’t add shame to something that’s already shameful. You’re normal. No one knows anything.”
TIMOTHY LIU • THE STUDENT LIFE
Writer, podcaster and comedian Gaby Dunn poses for a photo with students before her Feb. 20 talk at Scripps College.
LIFE & STYLE FEBRUARY 22, 2019
THE STUDENT LIFE
PAGE 5
FILM COLUMN
MUSIC COLUMN
‘High Flying Bird’: How a new era in sports created a new era in sports movies BEN HAFETZ A few weeks ago, NBA agent Rich Paul announced that his client, superstar Anthony Davis was demanding a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Davis news shattered the world of sports for two reasons. First, the idea of a generational talent like Davis joining LeBron James on the Lakers has the potential to reshape the entire competitive balance of the NBA. The second, and perhaps more important reason, is that by requesting a trade with two years left in his contract, Davis and Paul are attempting to rework who controls a player’s destiny. In the NBA, it isn’t normal to have players, instead of owners, choose what teams they play for. Just days after the trade demand, Netflix released Steven Soderbergh’s “High Flying Bird,” a film about a fictional NBA lockout, and the plot of the film seems like it was made with Davis’ and Paul’s power play as source code. The film follows NBA agent Ray Burke (Andre Holland) as he devises a plan to create player-controlled one-on-one tournaments for his client Erick Scott (Melvin Gregg) during the fictionalized NBA lockout. The film’s almost too-relevant plot makes it a perfect sports movie for the modern era, and Soderbergh’s masterful direction, the film’s crackling script and Holland’s star performance combine to make the film a must-watch. Soderbergh communicated a sense of authenticity by shooting the film on an iPhone. This choice gave the camera crew the freedom to whip around real New York City locations, following the film’s protagonists as they
moved from backroom deals to press junkets. However, the use of the iPhone does detract a bit from the cinematic vastness typically characteristic of Soderbergh’s work. While the camera gives the film a sense of energy, the unmistakable smallness of the camera’s screen make the cinematography feel more like an HBO show than a movie. The film’s script, written by Tarell Alvin McCraney, one of the writers of “Moonlight,” enhances Soderbergh’s impressive direction with a sense of joy and grandiosity that makes the film endlessly captivating. At its most basic, “High Flying Bird” contains scenes of dialogue between characters, discussing the nitty gritty of collective bargaining agreements and contract law. The seemingly boring and complicated subject matter is made to seem like a captivating thriller of life and death through McCraney’s beautifully constructed words. McCraney also admirably attempts to use the idea of NBA players’ freedom as a larger analogy for race relations under capitalism. While these ideas are fascinating and the attempt is impressive, they ultimately feel halfbaked compared to the film’s well-crafted dialogue. This dialogue is truly brought to life by the film’s most impressive element: The star-making performance of Holland. Holland has long been a favorite of mine, with scene stealing supporting performances in “The Knick” and “Moonlight,” but his leading role in “High Flying Bird” marks the moment that the character actor becomes a movie star. More importantly, Holland gives a performance that exudes empathy and warmth,
which makes the audience truly believe that Burke is willing to fight for the best interests of his clients. In other words, move over Jerry Maguire. Holland has made Burke the new golden standard for cinematic sports agents. The Davis trade saga and subsequent ramifications for player movement in the NBA are far from over. However, it is clear that Soderbergh and McCraney have created a perfect sports film for our current moment in the NBA. Ultimately, however, “High Flying Bird” profiles as more of a cinematic all-star rather than hall of famer — highly entertaining, but short of greatness. 3.5/5 stars Ben Hafetz PZ ’21 is a media studies and politics double major. He likes to not only see movies, but also tell his friends why they should or should not like certain ones.
NATALIE BAUER • THE STUDENT LIFE
Debut project ‘Malibu Ken’ rejects traditional rap norms with introspection ELLA BOYD Malibu Ken is a new hip-hop duo, consisting of rapper Aesop Rock and electronic musician Tobacco. In their eponymous debut album, the two work surprisingly well together. Credited as one of the most verbose MC’s of modern-day hip hop, Rock mixes clever, poetic rhymes with intentionally emotional vocals, while Tobacco perfectly complements with a wide variety of distorted beats, often changing from airy to gritty in a 10-second time span. Though Malibu Ken is less hardcore, its sound is certainly comparable to Death Grips, matching the hip hop group’s rejection of the mainstream without sacrificing quality or likeability. Malibu Ken strays from the mainstream in several noteworthy ways. There is little fascination with impressing strangers and more focus on forming human connections. Instead of bragging about the life they live, Malibu Ken takes a closer look at what it means to live at all. While a vast amount of rap music braggadociously aims to impress (think Lil Pump’s song “Iced Out” with lyrics: “Iced out chain, iced out ring / Yeah I feel like Gucci Mane, diamonds Aquafina, rain”), Malibu Ken takes rap in a totally different direction. Lyrics are used to expose and examine the world, as opposed to painting an ideal picture. Society’s definition of success is not only rejected, but redefined, with a distorted, yet surprisingly clear, depiction of human life. In the song “Dog Years,” Rock expresses his disappointment at old friends
who sold out in order to make it in the music industry, rapping: “You was trying to get your own pants un-pissed / Yelling ‘fuck the rich’ / Now he down low count dough in a bubble.” The attitude towards wealth is not the only difference between mainstream rap and the content of “Malibu Ken.” Drugs are referenced within the album, but not in a familiar sense. Marijuana is often associated in rap songs with partying and good times. Plenty of well-known lyrics come to mind, such as those of the iconic “Young, Wild, & Free” where Wiz Khalifa raps “Yeah, roll one, smoke one / When you live like this you’re supposed to party / Roll one, smoke one, and we all just having fun.” This notion of “fun” is challenged when Malibu Ken examines marijuana’s relationship to mental health, using metaphors about putting up walls to describe getting high. The chorus of “Corn Maze” goes “I keep my coat on, I got some walls up” over an intense, wavering electronic melody and distorted background vocals. The sounds are heavy, striking and short. This sense of isolation and commentary on mental health is a key theme throughout “Malibu Ken.” Mental health is especially explored in “Suicide Big Gulp” when Rock talks about how far he’ll go t o a vo i d c o m m u n i c a t i o n , rapping “I’ll kick a train off a bridge, I’ll smack a plane out the sky / I’ll throw a car into the ocean, no one waving goodbye.” He considers these bad habits and raps about his attempts to stop isolating himself: “Detox, re-tox, see how he seesaws.” While many rappers glorify themselves as larger than life, Rock’s lyrics seek to humanize the rapper as just another in-
COURTESY ALEX RAN FROM FLICKR
Aesop Rock (pictured above) and Tobacco have come together to form duo Malibu Ken. Their self-titled album debuted Jan. 17.
dividual navigating life like everyone else. In “Tuesday,” Rock raps about his physical imperfections with the lines “I’m bunions and contusions, bumps, lumps and bruises / Discoloring and other things I can’t reach with a loofah.” All in all, “Malibu Ken” carries a surprising amount of weight with its lyrics and production. Over a dreamy electronic beat, Rock raps in “Dog Years” with conviction, “We don’t know / That doesn’t prove we don’t care,” uniting the society he critiques throughout the entire album. In many cases, the rapper is the star of the album, the idol of the listener. With “Malibu Ken,” Rock and his lyrics become a lens through which the listener can examine their own life, and hopefully realize there is always a new perspective to discover. Ella Boyd SC ’22 is from Maine. Besides writing, she enjoys listening to music, discussing pop culture and making art.
SCIENCE COLUMN
Nerf guns and sock balls: University at Buffalo’s Tracy Humans vs. Zombies takes over the 5Cs Gregg on creating a more CATHERINE WARD Humans vs. Zombies is a biannual phenomenon at the 5Cs, and this semester the zombie apocalypse began Feb. 19. When students in bandanas start sprinting between classes with balls of socks, everyone knows — it’s game on. It looks fun, but for the ignorant, or cautiously curious, there are questions. What is it? How do you play? And how do you win? The Game Humans vs. Zombies began at Goucher College in 2005. It is an interactive campus game
in which an imagined zombie infection spreads through the participants. This semester, more than 100 people are playing at the 5Cs, which often boast one of the highest participation rates in the country. Everyone is a human in the beginning, except for one or two zombies assigned by the HvZ mods (omnipotent game moderators). Zombies tag humans to convert them, and humans are allowed to carry weapons that temporarily stun a zombie in defense. Throughout the game, there are missions where teams of humans can compete in battles to stun a zombie boss. The stat-
IAN POVEDA • THE STUDENT LIFE
Olivia Watkins HM ’19 and Lydia Sylla HM ’19 proudly launch this year’s Humans vs. Zombies game.
ed goal is to survive as long as possible, but “at the end of the day, the zombies always win,” veteran HvZ player Lydia Sylla HM ’19 wrote in an email to TSL. The Setup Humans vs Zombies is a four-day event taking place Feb. 19 to 23. Players who signed up early had a chance to attend a “mini-game” to feel out the competition. While it is too late to sign up for the current game, those who are interested can monitor the game’s progress through the game’s sophisticated tracking website. The Play HvZ players are identified by their colored bandanas. Humans wear bandanas on their arms, while zombies wear bandanas on their foreheads. A stunned zombie wears its bandana around its neck. The game is generally played 24/7 all over the 5Cs, but there are designated safe zones and times where play is suspended. All indoor buildings are safe, and other safe zones are marked off with blue tape. There is also a safe period from 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. when all play is suspended. A human’s objective is to stay alive. To do this, one can shoot nerf guns or throw balled socks to stun zombies. The trick to being a human is having good ammo, running quickly or camping out in your room for four whole days. “I prefer being a human because I get a chance to use my modded blasters, which I put a lot of time into,” Joe Nunez HM ’19 wrote in an email to TSL. “I’m also a pretty terrible zombie, because I have a pretty big frame and therefore make a big target.” The zombies’ job is to tag humans, with the preferred method of attack being an ambush. “I play as a zombie, so I’m personally a fan of any well-executed ambush,” Sylla wrote. “A good ambush is probably based in an area with a lot of
nice corners that humans have to traverse — ideally multiple zombies would work together. But honestly, ambushes can take any form.” There are also missions, which are part of the game narrative written by the HvZ mods. They function as minigames within the larger HvZ game, and usually include a super-zombie, or some kind of puzzle. The moderators and players of HvZ are passionate about their craft, and they work hard to make sure the game is fun and engaging for everyone. “We started prepping over winter break, and we’ve been working on it ever since,” wrote Olivia Watkins HM ’19, a moderator for this spring’s game. “Every semester we design unique day and night missions for every day of game week, along with a handful of puzzle quests and a story theme for everything.” The End Game A successful game of HvZ is ultimately what the players make of it. “Winning HvZ is something everyone defines for themself,” she wrote. “I define winning as having fun playing, so in my mind I’ve won every game.” This is the defining attitude around the game — Humans vs. Zombies is about the experience, the chance to meet other people from the 5Cs and the opportunity to play an active, substance-free game with peers. “I particularly like playing human since I love the paranoia of never knowing when an ambush of zombies will pop out from behind a bush and gobble my brains,” Watkins wrote. “I also get pretty invested the story behind it — it’s exciting getting to pretend for a week that we’re all defending humanity from the apocalypse.”
diverse STEM field
CAITLYN FICK Professor Tracy Gregg, the guest at Pomona College’s 39th Woodford-Eckis Lectureship last week, is paving the way for women in STEM. As the first woman hired in the geology department at the University at Buffalo, she said she has dealt with her fair share of gender discrimination, but ultimately worked her way to the top of her department. Gregg completed her undergraduate degree at Brown University and got her doctorate at Arizona State University. “[During] my first year in college I took a geology course for fun … and then I was hooked,” she said. After college, Gregg felt like there was still a lot that she didn’t know about geology, which led her to Arizona. After that, she did volcanology research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Eventually, she had to decide if she wanted to stay at Woods Hole and continue doing research there, or leave. “I was told that if I stayed at Woods Hole that I could expect to spend at least four months a year at sea,” she said. “I was at that age where I knew I wanted to have kids and that seemed incompatible to me.” During Gregg’s time at Woods Hole, much of her work focused on writing grant proposals. Ultimately, she realized that she’d rather spend that time outside of research giving back to the STEM community. Thus began the search for an academic position. “I felt like, as an academic, I could have a family in a way that I couldn’t if I were doing submarine research all the time,” she said. As the first woman in the University at Buffalo’s geology department, Gregg said her experience was “fortunately,
COURTESY THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO
Professor Tracy Gregg, an expert on planetary volcanology from the University at Buffalo, was featured at Pomona College’s 39th Woodford-Eckis Lectureship.
more hilarious than tragic.” When describing some of the conversations she had with her colleagues, she said, “It was classic. It was things like, ‘Tracy, what do women think about this issue?’” She said she would reply saying, “‘Well, I don’t know, but I can tell you what I think.’ And if you look around the room, you can tell that I’m not representative [of all women].” Her experiences didn’t stop there. Even during her career as a graduate student, a man came up to Gregg at a conference and told her that he thought “women should not be geologists because they were not strong enough to carry their own rocks.” The exciting thing about her work is that she has inspired others to pursue geology and academia. “The second woman we hired said to me straight out, ‘I wasn’t sure about this department, but I knew if you were there it would be okay,’” Gregg said. Caitlyn Fick SC ’19 is a chemistry major who enjoys mountains, trees, water and dogs.
OPINIONS PAGE 6
THE STUDENT LIFE
SATIRE
THE STUDENT LIFE KELLEN BROWNING, Editor-in-Chief MEGHAN BOBROWSKY, Managing Editor HANK SNOWDON, Managing Editor
A manless proposal
CAMERON TIPTON CASSIE WANG, Production Editor JAMES KARSTEN, Senior Design Editor ANNE JANG, News Designer HELENA ONG, Life & Style Designer DAPHNE YANG, Opinions Designer JILLIAN BATIUK, Sports Designer OLIVIA TRUESDALE, Copy Chief NINA POTISCHMAN, Graphics Editor CHLOE ORTIZ, News Photo Editor TALIA BERNSTEIN, Life & Style Photo Editor AMY BEST, Sports Photo Editor
MARC ROD, News Editor LANEY POPE, News Editor JULIA FRANKEL, News Associate NATALIE GOULD, Life & Style Editor MABEL LUI, Life & Style Editor SCHUYLER MITCHELL, Life & Style Associate DONNIE DENOME, Opinions Editor ANIKKA VILLEGAS, Opinions Editor TORREY HART, Sports Editor NOAH SHAPIRO, Sports Editor DELANEY HARTMANN, Sports Associate
The Student Life, the oldest college newspaper in Southern California, is produced and managed by students of the Claremont Colleges and published weekly. The 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. E-mail Letters, Questions, and Concerns to editor@tsl.news. Email tips to liaison@tsl.news; email advertising inquiries to ads@tsl.news and print subscription inquiries to subscriptions@tsl.news. TSL welcomes letters to the editor, which can be submitted by mail, email, or in person at Walker Hall 101 of Pomona College. Letters must be under 400 words (although when an issue is particularly salient, we reserve the right to allow letters to run at a longer length) and submitted by 4 p.m. Wednesday of the week of publication. We reserve the right to decline publication of submitted letters and will not accept anonymous letters, letters containing profanity, factually inaccurate letters, or letters making personal attacks. TSL also reserves the right to edit for spelling, punctuation and grammar. Letters may be signed by a maximum of three people. All letters become the property of TSL and may not be reprinted without prior permission from the Editorial Board. Singles copies of TSL are free and may be obtained at news stands around campus. Multiple copies may be purchased for $0.47 per copy with prior approval by contacting editor@tsl.news. Newspaper theft is a crime; perpetrators may be subject to disciplinary action as well as civil and/or criminal prosecution.
TSL SAYS
FEBRUARY 22, 2019
Always learning Getting our money’s worth in education
No drought for a while I can keep taking long showers
We don’t get Presidents’ Day off :( Thanks Obama
Why is it still raining?? This is why I left the PNW
Jonas Brothers back together? Maybe we’ll finally get that ninth album
Duke loses No one likes Duke
Tfw when you find out there’s a fourth JoBro We stan Frankie Jonas
Zion injured No more one and done
KenKen In a 4x4 KenKen, the numbers 1-4 will appear in each row and column exactly once. To solve, fill in according to the operation in the upper left-hand corner of each bolded area. For example, the bolded area with 5+ will include two numbers that add to 5.
THEA BAROVICK • THE STUDENT LIFE
LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS
This article is a 21st century reimagining of the satirical essay “A Modest Proposal.” (To the tune of “Be Our Guest” from “Beauty and the Beast”): Men are trash, men are trash, ‘tis their name we aim to abash, masculinity so toxic and decisions made so rash. However, unlike Belle, these guests have been uninvited. It’s time to kill all men. I get that that sounds harsh, but just hear me out, OK? I assure you it’s for the greater good. We mustn’t make this a bigger deal than it needs to be. Sure, that white dude who always plays “Devil’s advocate” in your econ class may look fine as hell in his faded gray sweatpants, but at the end of the day his existence is founded on your oppression. Unless you’re also a man. Whoops. Before any of you “not all men” daddy-bangers try to pull my argument out of context, let me clarify what this article is not. This article is not a call to violence. But it’s not a passive approach to the issue at hand either. It is, simply put, a chance at a new beginning. This is my anti-manifesto. What kills cis men? Being told they’re wrong. All it takes is walking up to them, looking them right in the eye and telling them, “There is such a thing as the clit,” or “Lesbians do exist outside of PornHub,” or “Quentin Tarantino is an overrated director” or literally any other topic that men are typically wrong about. Bonus points for telling them you faked all your orgasms. And if you get a chance to talk over them before they can fully articulate a “well, actually,” rebuttal, even better. Rest assured, within an hour, they will be nothing more than a distant memory. OK, so the men are dead. Now what? I’ll tell you what. Filling the newly opened governmental positions might seem daunting at first, given
that 76 percent of all Republican elected officials and 65 percent of all Democratic elected officials are men, but why keep the established government? Given its patriarchal origins, I’d venture to say we can just #ThankUNext the whole thing. Besides, isn’t that what the Illuminati is for? I’d feel more comfortable with Beyonce in power, anyway. After all, she was the inspiration for this call to action! What about day-to-day life? Well, with men now gone (note: I am limiting this argument to those over the age of 18, because killing children might perhaps be denounced as “tasteless,” or whatever), it will fall upon nonmen to raise the children. Imagine that. No more locker room talk, no more “boys will be boys,” no more internalized patriarchy. Honestly, men as a concept aren’t the problem; it’s the execution I’m critical of. Thus, non-men could task themselves with raising children in the best way they see fit. These new child-rearing methods, coupled with all the sperm stored in banks, would allow us to attain the world we always wanted. That’s all fine and well, you may be thinking, but whatever
will we do with the bodies? Why, eat them, of course. We mustn’t let a good thing go to waste. And although men are admittedly a little salty, world hunger would soon become a thing of the past. Just take care not to eat the brain — don’t need those empty calories, starving or not. For those of us who just “can’t get enough of that D,” there’s a solution for that, too. Given that men will simply drop dead at the first indication that maybe they don’t know everything, their organs will still be relatively intact. That includes the inimitable “D,” which, with the help of well-trained surgeons, could be reassigned to trans men to keep the party going. Time for those former members of society to be dis-membered (haha, get it). A new era is on the horizon; don’t let men get in the way. And to all the men reading this article: do not go Swiftly into that good night. Or, better yet, do. Cameron Tipton PO ’20 is a self-proclaimed “pulchritudinous, concupiscent, grandiloquent misandrist.” Check out their website, “Queermont Colleges” (queermontcolleges.wixsite.com/home).
CHLOE FRELINGHUYSEN • THE STUDENT LIFE
Abundance of Bundy: Bringing Ted Bundy back into the spotlight silences survivors LILY BORAK The recent surge in support forTed Bundy, a serial killer from the 1970s, has an IMDb page. On it, one can find quotes and trivia, and even track Bundy’s popularity with the STARmeter function. While IMDb has pages for many “historical figures,” Bundy’s page especially underscores the way our culture glorifies horrific events and the people who perpetrate them. But this move by the movie industry isn’t out of the ordinary. Hollywood habitually handles sexual assault, rape and murder in a corrupt manner, exploiting trauma for capital gain. This repeated action stems from the perception of trauma-based plotlines as “entertaining” and “thrilling.” I’m not arguing that these topics should be censored from television and film. However, directors need to be more cognizant of what dialogues their art creates, whose stories they put in the spotlight and which voices they amplify. The rhetoric surrounding Bundy has always been just as focused on his “looks,” “intelligence” and “charisma” as the horrific nature of his crimes. During one of his murder trials in the 1970s, The New York Times ran a story on Bundy with the headline “All-American Boy on Trial.” Now, with well-known actor Zac Efron starring as Bundy in the upcoming film “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” that rhetoric will continue. There seems to be a fine line — or perhaps no line at all — between the “psychopathic seduction” director Joe Berlinger set out to portray and stark romanticization. In an interview with the film’s cast at the Sundance Film Festival a few weeks ago, interviewer Kevin Smith exclaimed, “[Efron is] the most fuckable Ted Bundy on the planet!” The entire cast laughed in response. It’s worth noting that the Bundy biopic does attempt
CHLOE FRELINGHUYSEN • THE STUDENT LIFE
to “retell” the story from the perspective of Bundy’s former girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer, who’s played by Lily Collins. But the power of this choice is weakened by the simultaneous release of Berlinger’s other Bundy-based project; “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes,” also directed by Berlinger, was released in early January, two days before the release of “Extremely Wicked.” In an article for Forbes, journalist Merrill Barr writes of “Conversations with a Killer”: “It’s a fresh retelling of the story of Ted Bundy and his crimes with the added twist of being, at times, told from his own perspective through never heard before tapes recorded before his death in January 1989.”
The docuseries promotes a “retelling” of the story from Bundy’s perspective — the exact opposite of what “Extremely Wicked” sets out to do. In the midst of the #MeToo movement, Berlinger’s choice to center the docuseries around Bundy’s audio tapes is unproductive and tone-deaf. To give Bundy’s voice a platform, to allow him the opportunity to tell his story his way, silences survivors. The focus on Bundy’s voice perpetuates a culture in which the voices of white, male perpetrators are listened to and trusted more than the voices of survivors. Given this past January marked 30 years since his execution, the resurgence of Bundy-based media begets a press-
ing question: Why now? There is something strangely commemorative about releasing two Bundy projects on the 30-year anniversary of his death. It is important to engage in discussions surrounding taboo topics, and TV and film are absolutely valid vehicles for these conversations. However, media-makers must ensure their projects — especially when approaching real events — do not do so in sensationalistic and voyeuristic ways that exploit the trauma of the people involved. Lily Borak PZ ’21 is a neuroscience major from Newton, Massachusetts. She is always open to conversing about whether Tonya Harding was involved in the 1994 Nancy Kerrigan scandal.
OPINIONS FEBRUARY 22, 2019
THE STUDENT LIFE
Why you should stop worshipping God and start worshipping Amazon EAMON MORRIS The Merriam Webster dictionary defines prayer as “an address (such as a petition) to God or a god in word or thought.” God is defined as “a being or object believed to have more than natural attributes and powers and to require human worship.” They’re both fairly loose definitions that leave room for individuals to decide what exactly constitutes a god and what exactly constitutes a prayer to that god. I’d like to argue that Amazon fits the definition of a god, that all transactions through Amazon function as a form of prayer and that due to the overwhelming success of these transactions, Amazon functions as a better god than any worshipped in modern religions. It’s scary to hear that a corporation responsible for gentrification and transportation woes is more powerful than the gods most worshippers pray to. But perhaps the worship of this corporation is inevitable. Maybe we have no other alternative. It’s possible that our best option in life is in putting our faith in a flawed corporation that answers most “prayers” rather than in a god that seems to answer none. Of course, I’m biased. I’m an atheist — it’s difficult for me to worship anything. I’m not
suggesting that people should bow down to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. I am saying that the omnipresence of Amazon and the vast number of people that rely on it fit well within our conceptions of what religion is. From a numbers standpoint, Amazon competes easily with major religions. In 2018, Bezos revealed that Amazon Prime had more than 100 million subscribers. Change subscribers to adherents, and Amazon has a greater following than Judaism. Amazon has more than 2,800 lockers across the U.S. alone. Compared to the more than 17,000 Catholic parishes in the country, this number seems minimal. But if one considers that the locker program was only launched in 2011, the statistics show that Amazon is in position to overtake Catholicism in number of places of worship alone. To be fair, numbers alone don’t make Amazon a religion; it seems ridiculous to imply it. However, I would argue that “Amazonism” not only qualifies as a religion but is also more worshippable than any other. Prayer is an excellent place to start. Growing up, I prayed for thousands of things. I can’t remember ever getting what I wanted. In contrast, whenever I “pray” to Amazon, I’m almost always guaranteed to get what I ask for, and if I don’t, Amazon will offer me reimbursement for
my trouble. Despite all the unfulfilled prayers I’ve made to a god, I’ve never gotten a refund for my lost time. It’s feasible to argue that the fact that Amazon demands a currency in exchange for fulfilled prayers eliminates the possibility of it functioning as a god. Yet no religion gives salvation or services without sacrifices. In addition, like other religions, Amazon is flawed. It has hurt people, hurt communities and thrived on the systemic elimination of its rivals in the oppressive and capitalistic system it resides in. We’re fortunate to be able to live in a place where we don’t have to worship anything, and I intend to keep doing that. Yet when I think about objects of worship, Amazon seems like the best bet. I can see it. It gives me what I ask for. It’s present in our society and draws people from all walks of life. Unlike the god I spent my childhood praying to, it answers my prayers. I don’t want to worship Amazon. But if it keeps growing at this rate and pushing aside its competition, I might not have a choice. Eamon Morris PZ ’22 is from Orange, California. He’d like to apologize to his parents for writing this.
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India’s patriotic movies ‘coincidentally’ precede upcoming national election TANVI JHUNJHUNWALA Timing is key, especially when it comes to politics. India’s current leading party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, knows this. Coincidentally or not, as the national election in May nears, several movies promoting BJP have hit theaters. These movies range in topic from a surgical strike in Pakistan by the Indian government to the story of a brave Indian woman who dedicates her life to serving her country as a spy. Film is a sneaky yet effective way to get one’s political message across. The average layman, who just wants to enjoy an innocent movie might find himself wondering who he’ll support in the next election. Campaigning through cinema is different from traditional speeches and rallies in that it becomes ingrained in one’s subconscious. Viewers might believe the movie hasn’t impacted their political stance, that it was limited to that 90-minute window, and so it becomes an even more dangerous form of persuasion. Given historic tensions between India and Pakistan, it’s no surprise India turned
Ditch liberalism: Let’s give socialism a chance
the cinema into a weapon of patriotism; the country made it mandatory for the national anthem to be played before every movie in the capital city of New Delhi and metropolitan areas. In May 2018, “Raazi,” which tells the real story of an Indian spy in Pakistan and how she gave up her life to fight her nation’s enemies, came out. In December, “Uri,” which recounted a surgical strike conducted in Pakistan by the Indian government and the events that led up to it, was released. “Uri” glorified this strike, which came after an Indian military base was attacked by armed militants. “Uri” was packed with riveting speeches about protecting the motherland, being patriotic and dying for one’s country. Additionally, “The Accidental Prime Minister,” a biopic on Manmohan Singh — the former prime minister of India who lead the country through the opposition party, the Indian National Congress — followed an anti-INC narrative that was used by the BJP campaign in 2014 to gain power. There’s no way to verify that
SEAN BURKE Lying on the table, I really As Hellworld 2019 continues apace, one of the biggest political misconceptions is that you are either a Democrat or a Republican. In fact, dear neoliberal subject, there is another, perfectly respectable way to align oneself. I am, of course, talking about socialism. Socialism, to whatever degree we find acceptable to enact in public policy, comes down to the amount of power the average person should have in controlling their own lives, whether that be the ability to bargain collectively with one’s fellow workers or dismantle institutions that work against the common good. (See: The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the New England Patriots.) What we know to be socialist policies are actually quite popular, like removing money from politics, a Green New Deal, Medicare for All and reducing rampant income inequality. These are all policies the majority of America wants, according to Thomas Frank in “Listen, Liberal.” The lag time between public opinion and policy is real, however, and these have yet to be seriously considered despite the support that the vast majority of the country has for these ideas. In today’s political landscape, the only political option on the table is rising liberal star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her ilk. She is not a socialist. She is a New Deal Democrat from New York with modern-day identity sensibilities. She is social-ish. But she still rocks. The last 40 years have seen the Democratic Party move further and further to the right as a result of the
corporate coup d’état that has diminished it into another political tax haven for Wall Street. DNC or RNC, there is still a revolving door between those who are in charge of governing the world and those who are actively destroying it. AOC is one of the few politicians who seems concerned about this. Two main criticisms against socialism are usually ladled out to the Fox News viewership. The most timely is the example of Venezuela. The internal problems of the South American state gripped by petromania relate more to the overvaluing of the bolívar and internal corruption than the scareword “socialism.” Venezuela’s market-based economy looks nothing like the centrally-planned Maoist regime that Sean Hannity’s brainworms tell him it is. And we would be remiss to forget our own history, with the CIA-sponsored coup in the ’50s that installed a military dictatorship in Venezuela friendly to American oil interests. When Venezuela was led by President Hugo Chávez, it fared significantly better than most other South American countries who followed the World Bank’s economic instructions to a ‘T.’ Consider Brazil and Argentina, which now see some of the grossest levels of income inequality ever, with orgies of ritz and glitz concentrated in the cities while the underclasses are interned in ramshackle favelas. The other argument employed against socialist policies is that countries like Norway and Finland can only enact such legislation because they are extraordinarily oil-rich and have very low populations. This, like the others, falls apart at a cursory glance. Because we are richer and
have more people, it would be easy for the U.S. to enact similar policies. To that end, a Koch-brother-funded study came out over the summer, admitting that Medicare for All would actually save $2 trillion over the current system. Note that no one who has ever put forth an argument against universal healthcare has ever had their child die due to inability to afford insulin, or been bankrupted by the bloodsucking administrative nightmare that constitutes the current healthcare system, or even struggled to pay monopoly-bloated medical bills. In fact, there’s no country that has universal healthcare whose citizenry wants to give it up. Not a single one. We are not dealing with moderate times. These are times of extremes, with the very future of human survival at stake. Therefore, we have no use for moderate solutions. We must make radical changes in order to ward off the looming dangers we face. Just consider how many economists worry we are entering a new feudal state with an unimaginable degree of income inequality, with all the wealth concentrated in the hands of a lucky few and 80 percent of American workers living paycheck to paycheck. Or consider climate change, which never ceases to deliver jaw-dropping statistics. Due to carbon-induced ocean acidification, scientists estimate that the oceans will be fish-less in 30 years. You read that right. We know the culprits — 100 corporations emit 70 percent of all fossil fuel pollution. That’s capitalism, working at peak efficiency. Conservatives do not have answers for these imminent dangers, and the Democrats
have shown that they do not either. Remember that economies are created by humans. A truly democratic society can make the rules and regulations that govern our markets. There are no natural laws of economics. A system of commerce without regulation would fall apart within minutes and devolve into some kind of paramilitary mafia-run Miloševićian wet dream. One of the biggest criticisms of “leftist college radicals” is that they’re all insufferable, ungrateful rich kids who want everything for free. My experience is that some of the most devoted and selfless activists on campus have come from backgrounds much less privileged than the average Claremont student. As for a guy like me, who inherited the fruits of Massachusetts’ Route 128 state-subsidized miracle, the complaint is a bit more apt. To that end, I believe the punk band Propagandhi said it best in their song “Resisting Tyrannical Government”: “And yes, I recognize the irony. The system I oppose affords me the luxury of biting the hand that feeds. That’s exactly why privileged fucks like me should feel obliged to whine and kick and scream. Yes, until everyone has everything they need.” I’d rather use my privilege to help people who need it than sit on my ass, blissfully complacent about the suffering in this world, a choice that seems to be what the right-wing media circuit would prefer. Sean Burke PZ ’21 did not profit off of the Iraq war. He can be reached on Twitter @RachaelRaytheon.
Tanvi Jhunjhunwala PO ’22 is from New Delhi, India, and she almost never makes it to class on time.
New gym should not preclude Pomona dorm upgrades ANANYA SALUJA
KATIE ERICKSON • THE STUDENT LIFE
releasing the movies right before the election is a political maneuver; it just so happens to be extremely convenient for the government. And if it was timed, the move is manipulative. Cinema reaches people’s daily lives, their homes and their hearts — politically motivated movies are different from typical campaigning tactics in that they hit the average voter’s beliefs in an indirect way. This is not the first time movies have been made to influence politics, but the number of political movies that have come out recently, timed perfectly to provide a political boost by advancing one ideology and dismissing the opposition, seems suspicious. The effect of these sneaky decisions may not be quantifiable, but they’ll be felt when the masses gather to vote in May with patriotic movies playing in the back of their minds.
In December, Pomona College announced it would spend $55 million to upgrade the Rains Center. The 30-year-old gym compares poorly to Claremont McKenna College’s three-year-old Roberts Pavilion in terms of adequate facilities for athletes and recreational use, and the need to renovate and remodel is understandable. However, in the undertaking of this project, basic needs like student dorm upkeep should not be ignored. Pomona’s Student Handbook states that students have “the right to a comfortable and well-maintained living environment that is reasonably safe and secure.” But that right isn’t always ensured. The appliances in several of Pomona’s south campus dorms — Oldenborg Center, Wig Hall, Lyon Court, Harwood Court, Mudd-Blaisdell and Gibson Hall — are poorly maintained, contrary to the handbook’s suggestion. Wig Hall, which houses more 100 students, has only four washing machines and four dryers, half of which did not function for a large part of last fall. Students learned this through multiple failed attempts at washing and drying, and spent a relatively large amount of money and time trying to do laundry. “One night, I was up extremely late in spite of having class in the morning just doing laundry because the dryers don’t work, and even those that run don’t function properly,” Evelyn TeSelle PO ’22 said. “It’s not only a waste of money but also time because each dryer cycle is 45 minutes long.” Students from Wig found themselves carrying sizable amounts of laundry to other dorms. Despite multiple people filling out work order forms and writing to the Office of Housing and Residence Life, the process of fixing the machines and providing relief to students was slow. Working laundry machines is a problem across all of Pomona’s south campus dorms. The machines in Mudd are full of water stagnation and a stench that permeates the various levels of the residence hall. Dryers are loud, making it difficult for students situated around the laundry rooms to study and sleep. Printers, a basic need for college students who need physical copies of assignments and reading material, are on many occasions found disconnected or unable to take commands. The printer in Blaisdell often
prints sheets single-sided, generating a large amount of waste and using much more paper than is sustainable. Of all the first-year dorms, Wig is one of the oldest, and was last renovated in 1993. Because of this, students in Wig find themselves facing problems that extend beyond laundry and printing. While maintenance is an issue that can be circumvented, safety and security for students should not be compromised. The kitchen facilities in Wig are outdated, and the stove and oven frequently don’t work. There was also an incident in the fall 2018 semester where the oven did not function in accordance with the dials and remained on overnight. The burning stove was found the following morning by a parent and turned off. All Pomona dorms require swipe access to enter. But last semester, Wig’s main door did not properly lock, and the swipe system was temporarily rendered useless. The same problem plagued Wig at the beginning of this semester, but is now fixed.
“No one thinks about the less extravagant issues that need to be addressed.” The job of maintaining the multitudes of dorms is difficult, and blame should not be attributed to staff working in the facilities and res life departments. Instead, a lack of funding is the culprit. With multiple emails and work order forms coming in every day, the repair of broken appliances and such is slow due to the magnitude of problems. If more money went to facilities, it’s likely there would be fewer issues to deal with each day. In response to these concerns, Pomona housing director Frank Bedoya said that “students are at the forefront. As soon as news of a problem reaches us, we make an attempt to fix it as quickly as possible. Right now, I know that the laundry machines in Walker and Mudd-Blaisdell need repairing, and we are working on fixing them.” When people make donations, they’re usually for something swanky — like a new gym. No one thinks about the less extravagant issues that need to be addressed. Ananya Saluja PO ’22 is from New Delhi, India. She considers herself lucky to be a resident of Wig Hall.
OPINIONS THE STUDENT LIFE
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Scripps professor Vanessa Tyson provides new framework for understanding sexual assault
FEBRUARY 22, 2019
Jasper’s Crossword: Exchanging Words
UGEN YONTEN • THE STUDENT LIFE
JULIA SZABO Like many of my peers at the Claremont Colleges, I was intrigued, but not surprised, to learn that one of our own professors had joined the ever-growing list of women accusing a man in the spotlight of sexual assault. On Feb. 6, Vanessa Tyson, a politics professor at Scripps College, publicly accused Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexually assaulting her at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Tyson, who is currently spending a fellowship year at Stanford University, spoke at a Stanford symposium entitled “Betrayal and Courage in the Age of #MeToo” Feb. 12. She argued that the #MeToo movement has helped unearth an “epidemic of abuse previously detailed in statistics but not public accusations.” In other words, the movement has made it increasingly difficult for the public to continue pushing sexual abuse under the rug. Tyson has illuminated a new framework for understanding sexual assault by asserting that it is both an epidemic and a public health issue. If this language stays in the forefront of the national consciousness, it will provide a concrete place to begin reconstructing our systems for dealing with sexual violence and taking definitive action. The #MeToo movement has allowed us to see sexual assault as a widespread issue. Sexual assault is rooted in structures of power and oppression, which we must consciously undo to get to the root of the issue. Governmental and private institutions must view this issue as what it is — an epidemic — to kickstart meaningful change. If we listen to Tyson’s
words, we can begin to impose these changes at the 5Cs. Looking beyond our Claremont bubble, one in three women and one in six men in the U.S. experience some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center reports. Many victims experience fear, anxiety and depression, as well as difficulties in social adjustment and impaired sexual functioning, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. In a 2017 article by the Boston University School of Public Health, Sandro Galea argues that the goals of public health and social justice are intrinsically linked. Both aim to rid the world of inequalities that affect mental health and physical safety, and both aim to improve the conditions in which people live and work. Galea writes that when it comes to making social change regarding sexual assault, the most effective way to do so is by “reckoning with perpetrators and identifying humane and evidence-informed ways to ensure that they do no further harm.” Trained specialists are one necessary step toward prevention of sexual assault and violence when it comes to working with perpetrators. While keeping in mind that many of these offenders are highly manipulative, specialists agree that the best option for perpetrators is a confrontative group treatment. A study published in October 2014 found that a sense of camaraderie and psychosocial support among coed military units directly resulted in decreased rates of sexual harassment and assault. On a small scale, we can use Tyson’s words and this research to take another look at our frameworks for handling sexual assault at the 5Cs.
We do a good job creating an environment of camaraderie. At orientation, we take preventative steps to teach about consent and the environments that contribute to sexual assault. However, this is not enough. There should be programs throughout students’ first-year year for transfer students that continue lessons about consent and toxic masculinity. Ideally, these would be led by trained staff separate from each school’s student-led advocates for survivors of sexual assault programs. Another thing to consider is that we provide support for survivors through our advocates programs, but we do not provide rehabilitation for perpetrators. This could be done with one-on-one therapy sessions in lieu of filing a police report and taking the perpetrator to court. The wishes of a survivor should always be the first priority, but this program would be a good option for those who do not wish to take legal action but fear their abuser might harm someone else. The program could be optional or mandatory depending on the case and per the survivor’s request. Tyson’s time in the spotlight pointed the way to a path forward, but ultimately it was just a small part of a big issue that has not received sufficient news coverage. Considering sexual assault an epidemic sets the foundation for change, but it is only the beginning of this long journey. Julia Szabo PZ ’21 is a gender studies and media studies major from Boston, Massachusetts. She enjoys rating dining halls based on the quality of their chocolate chip cookies.
JASPER DAVIDOFF • THE STUDENT LIFE
ACROSS 1. Peer Gynt composer 6. Animal shelter, often 10. Law & Order: SVU actor and musician 14. Impatient 15. Opposite of A/C 16. Filmmaker Ephron 17. Genre with libretti 18. Deal ____ Deal 19. Exam for a prospective MBA 20. Confiscates, as a car 23. Suffix with expert 24. Don’t laugh: _____ straight face 26. Like windshield washer fluid 28. Like women in 1920 32. Flower necklace 33. Place of another 34. Gets ready for a lit party? 38. E.g. buy one, get one free 40. More peculiar 42. “What ____ mind reader?” 43. Take _____ breath 45. ‘Love & Hip Hop” artist Martinez 47. Follower of Marx? 48. Field of dreams? 51. Mythological goat-people 54. Snow house 55. ___ mode 56. Wyoming capital 60. Gratuities 62. “My word!” 63. Apparent 67. Featured fruit in a
Semi-Weekly Comic
37. “Me too!” in modern lingo 39. Word right after “If he hollers, let it go” 41. Some poison powder 44. Orchestral section with a timpani, for short 46. Sir, in Sicily 49. Some theatre people DOWN 1. Prefix with centric and 50. Convenient 7 partner 51. One who might tell thermal 2. Genre for Chance or you to go to hell 52. Girl in Wonderland Kendrick 3. Hawai’i governor Da- 53. Small-dish cuisine 57. Distinction for John vid Legend and Andrew 4. More peculiar 5. Some patriarchs, ca- Lloyd Webber 58. New Haven school sually 59. Biblical paradise 6. “Get out of here!” 7. Country with capital 61. It might precede “stay” Lima 8. Marijuana, formally, 64. Lyft no. 65. Pomona dean for short Townes, informally 9. Clashing (with) 66. Infamous Vietnam 10. Gerund suffix “Offensive” 11. DC product 12. Scrub from the board 13. Spud 21. Mime prefix 22. No clue 24. Work, as dough 25. Use TurboTax, perLAST WEEK’S ANSWERS haps 27. “I have an ____!” 28. “Let It Go” singer 29. Wood with white or red types 30. “I _____ clue!” 31. Where inventions come from 35. Essential kind of acid 36. Stayin’ Alive genre trendy ‘bowl’ 68. Part 69. Knot again 70. Settle down, as a bird 71. WWII submachine gun 72. Make law
TSL IS HIRING! We’re looking for: • sports writers • opinions writers • graphic artists • business associates • photographers
Email editor@tsl.news for more information or to apply. NINA POTISCHMAN • THE STUDENT LIFE
SPORTS FEBRUARY 22, 2019
THE STUDENT LIFE
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CMS DIVE
CMS divers dance their way to SCIAC podium performances ALLIE GOULD T h e C l a re m o n t - M u d d Scripps dive team recently began warming up for meets in an unconventional way: a choreographed team dance to the song “Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!” by Vengaboys. Despite the stakes of the 2019 SCIAC Diving Championships — which took place Feb. 16 and 17 at Pomona College’s Haldeman Pool and will factor in with the swimming results this weekend to determine the overall team title — the meet was no exception to the team’s dancing ritual. The dance originated at this season’s training camp, which took place over winter break. It was built off moves Jen Franklin CM ’21 knew to the song “Cotton Eye Joe” by Rednex, and was set to what Kendall Hollimon CM ’20 called the “techno-poppiest worst song of all time.” “All of us were there, we got super involved, and it was really fun,” Luke Lenhart CM ’22 said. It’s been working so far; Hol-
limon, already a two-time defending SCIAC champion, once again won both the one-meter and three-meter boards last weekend. Jacque Desmond SC ’19 placed third in both events. Diving coach Fran Jobes said the dance was not the only thing that came together during training camp. The team had a slow start in the fall, with Franklin and Lenhart brand new to the sport, and the close-knit squad felt the absence in leadership from All-American Hollimon, who spent the fall semester studying in Washington, D.C. “Over training camp they just pulled together and it was really cool to see. As a team they pull each other forward,” Jobes said. In addition to the “Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!” routine, the team dances, sings, and cheers loudly from the deck throughout meets. Jobes and her divers believe the team’s friendly dynamic contributes to its yearly ability to welcome inexperienced divers and get them up to speed quickly. Lenhart said the team’s en-
P-P WOMEN’S WATER POLO
Sagehen women’s water polo team in pursuit of SCIAC three-peat
ergy helped him avoid getting discouraged as he made the transition into diving from years spent swimming and playing water polo. “We all have to have that [playful] attitude in order to learn a new dive,” said Lenhart, adding that diving is a much more mental sport than his previous aquatic experiences. “I’d practically just face-plant in the water every single time I landed the first couple days.” Hollimon is also a contributor to the singing and dancing culture on the team. “It’s a way that I like to get out a lot of my energy, especially my nervous energy, and so I’ll always be singing or dancing and that’s so I don’t shake or implode,” he said. Next month, Hollimon will look to improve on his finishes from the 2018 NCAA Championships, where he placed fourth in the three-meter and seventh in the one-meter. Though he thinks he’s diving well right now, he acknowledged that continued success leads to added pressure.
ELINOR ASPEGREN • THE STUDENT LIFE
Kendall Hollimon CM ‘20 took first place in both the one-meter and three-meter events at the 2019 SCIAC Diving Championships on Feb. 16 and 17.
“People are like, ‘You’re defending your title.’ I’m just diving,” Hollimon said. “It’s good to have positive expectations for yourself and for others to have positive expectations, but it definitely does get stressful sometimes.” Desmond is also new to the
CMS Athlete of the Week Men’s Swim and Dive Kendall Hollimon CM ’20 Altadena, California
sport; she picked it up as a sophomore, and credited her quick learning to Jobes’ “perceptive” coaching. “She can change her style a little to suit everyone,” she said. “It’s honestly impressive to watch.” When nervous, she knows
she can lean on her teammates’ goofiness to avoid getting too much in her head. “We know it’s a serious thing but we try to have fun,” she said. “We’re a bunch of weirdos trying to do crazy things with our bodies and hoping for the best.”
P-P Athlete of the Week Women’s Track and Field Quin Fraley PO ’22 Bend, Oregon
Hollimon dominated at the diving portion of the SCIAC swim and dive championships last weekend, collecting wins in the one-meter and three-meter dives. The junior three-peated as SCIAC champion in both of these events, giving him a perfect six titles in the dives in his three years competing. Hollimon’s competition was far behind him, as he won both events by more than 60 points. He will return to the pool March 1 for the NCAA Division III diving qualifiers, when he will compete for a spot at the national meet.
Fraley shined at the Pomona-Pitzer All Comers track meet, setting the fifth-fastest time in the 100-meter dash and the seventh-fastest time in the 100-meter hurdles in P-P track history. The first-year was the top finisher among Division III athletes in both events, finishing ninth in the 100 in 12.58 and sixth in the hurdles in 15.30. Fraley was awarded SCIAC track athlete of the week for her weekend performances and will compete next Feb. 23 at the Rossi Relays at CMS’ Burns Track Complex.
P-P SPORTS WEEKLY ROUNDUP
NOAH SHAPIRO
Men’s golf takes third in season opener at Poet Challenge The Pomona-Pitzer men’s golf team finished third out of five teams in the Poet Challenge on Feb. 15. La Verne finished in first with a score of 312, Chapman came in second with 313 and the Sagehens finished with 322. Conor Rooney PO ’19 and Owen Rosebeck PO ’20 tied for second overall with a score of 77. AMY BEST • THE STUDENT LIFE
Janelle Lewis PO ‘19 defends a player in the Sagehens’ first home game of the season, a 15-3 win against the University of Toronto on Thursday.
DELANEY HARTMANN The Pomona-Pitzer women’s water polo team (3-5) found itself swimming in the deep end of the pool at the start of this season, going head-to-head with Division I powerhouses like No. 1 ranked USC. Even during the especially challenging early season games, the Sagehens had no shortage of senior leadership, which they hope will lead them to their goal of three-peating as SCIAC champions and qualifying for the NCAA tournament. Despite the high level of competition and some early season losses, the Sagehens are now riding a three-game win streak against D-I competition as they approach SCIAC matchups. Head coach Alex Rodriguez encouraged his team to have a “growth mindset” when approaching the difficult matches early in the season. “We are always looking to play better opponents,” he said. “Our sport is small, and we just want good competition.” Kahea Kahaulelio PZ ’19 said the seasoned and mature group of seniors, which makes up half of the 16-person team, has supported the team through the challenging early-season matches. “It’s wonderful knowing
that all eight of us have come so far since freshman year, and that for four years we have been playing hard and growing together,” Kahaulelio said. “I hope that the seniors can serve as guidance for the freshman in practice and in games.” Rodriguez believes that the seniors will be a critical part of the team’s success as the conference season approaches. “This team is experienced, mature and talented. Every coach would love to coach this specific team,” he said. “I basically have eight assistant coaches who are interested in the team’s success.” Rodriguez said a third straight SCIAC title will be difficult, but he thinks the Sagehens are up for the challenge. “The conference is going to be tougher than ever,” he said. “We need to take every game one at a time and not overlook any of our opponents.” Kahaulelio agreed: “Repeating as SCIAC champions will take all that we can give, keeping our heads up and walking on the pool deck with the game on our shoulders. Last year, every person on the team was really mentally and physically ready to be tough for SCIACs, so it’s important to go in with a similar attitude.”
Women’s golf finishes in third at SCIAC 1 tournament The Sagehen women’s golf team, ranked No. 7 in the nation, came in third place out of eight at the very rainy SCIAC 1 tournament Feb. 16. The Sagehens scored 640 points over two days, finishing behind Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Redlands, which had 627 and 634 points, respectively. Gabby Herzig PO ’21 finished first for the Sagehens, tying for fourth overall with a score of 157, while Sophia Hui PO ’19 finished just a stroke behind at 158, tying for seventh. Two runner-ups for Sagehen dive team at SCIAC Championship The P-P men’s and women’s diving teams had a successful weekend at the SCIAC Diving Championships last weekend at Haldeman Pool. On the men’s side, Jem Stern PO ’22 finished second in both the one- and three-meter events, setting the program record in the preliminary round of the three-meter with a score of 556.7. Ben Willett PZ ’22 finished third in the one-meter. For the women, Emma van der Veen PO ’21 finished second in both dives. P-P track and field clocks personal best marks while hosting All-Comers Meet The Sagehen men’s and women’s track teams had a strong early-season showing at the P-P All-Comers meet Feb. 16. Competing against teams from Division I, II, III and even some members of the Chinese National Team,
the team’s focus was more on gaining racing experience than winning events. Nicholas Kapule PZ ’21 set a personal best in the pole vault with a height of 4.55 meters, the sixth-best height in program history. Quin Fraley PO ’22 continued her impressive debut season, posting the fifth-fastest 100-meter dash time and seventh-fastest 100-meter hurdles time in program history, with times of 12.58 and 15.30, respectively. Sagehen women’s lacrosse gets blowout win over Redlands in season opener The P-P women’s lacrosse team beat Redlands 16-3 on the road Wednesday in its season-opener. Lilly Thomey PO ’19 led in scoring with fifth goals and Sarah Woo PZ ’21 chipped in three, while Annie Price PO ’20 had five saves. Redlands scored the first goal of the game, but that would be its only lead, as the Sagehens responded with 13 straight.
Sagehen men’s tennis downs Occidental, loses to Azusa Pacific and Brandeis It was a busy week for the No. 12 Sagehen men’s tennis team (3-2, 3-0 SCIAC). After splitting a doubleheader on the road Saturday, losing to Azusa Pacific (5-0) 8-1 and beating Occidental (0-2, 0-1 SCIAC) 7-2, P-P lost to Brandeis (2-0) at home on Tuesday, 5-4. Despite the lopsided score, the Sagehens stuck with D-II opponent Azusa Pacific, sending two of the doubles matches to a tiebreaker. Octave Bellet PZ ’19 gave the team their only point with a 6-4, 6-0 win in No. 3 singles. Against Oxy, Bellet teamed with Josh Gearou PO ’19 to win No. 1 doubles and later won No. 1 singles as well. P-P women’s tennis splits doubleheader against Caltech and Cal State LA The No. 8 P-P women’s tennis team (2-1, 2-0 SCIAC) split a doubleheader at home Feb. 16, beating Caltech (0-3, 0-2 SCIAC) 7-2 before losing 5-4 to Cal State LA (3-1). Against Caltech, the Sagehens swept the doubles matches and went 4-2 in singles, as the Beavers forfeited both No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles. P-P struggled against Cal State LA, but Margherita Andreassi PO ’22 and Maria Lyven PO ’22 still
ELOISE SHIELDS • THE STUDENT LIFE
Josh Gearou PO ‘19 (left) and Octave Bellet de Giacomoni PZ ‘19 and took a close 8-7 (6) victory in No. 1 doubles in the Sagehens’ 5-4 loss to Brandeis Tuesday.
managed to get their second win of the day at No. 2 doubles. Sagehen softball remains undefeated, four players home run in wins over Whittier The Sagehen softball team (4-0, 2-0 SCIAC) continued its hot start, beating Whittier (0-3, 0-2 SCIAC) 7-1 and 2-0 Feb. 16. Hannah Brajkovich PO ’22 led the team in the first game, going 2-3 with two RBIs, two runs and a home run. Izzy Deatherage PO ’20 and Liz Rodarte PZ ’19 also hit solo home runs for the Sagehens. Alondra Reynoso PZ ’20 pitched a complete game shutout in the second game, and Baleigh McCuskey PO ’19 hit a solo home run in the seventh to put the game away. P-P women’s water polo goes 3-0 against non-conference opponents The P-P women’s water polo team (4-5) had a 3-0 week, beating Concordia (3-2) 8-7 and Cal State East Bay (6-4) 11-9 at the Redlands Invitational on Feb. 16. They then took down the University of Toronto (19-12) 15-3 at home Thursday. The Sagehens came back from a late 7-6 deficit against Concordia, scoring twice in the last three minutes to earn the win. Against Toronto, Natalie Hill PO ’19 led the Sagehens with three goals but it was a team effort, as eight different players found the back of the net. Sagehen women’s basketball
beats Chapman in SCIAC Semifinal to advance to championship against CMS The P-P women’s basketball team (21-5, 14-2 SCIAC) won its first ever SCIAC tournament game with a 75-62 win over Chapman (16-10, 11-5) on Thursday. Earlier in the week, the Sagehens beat Occidental (7-18, 1-15 SCIAC) 78-59 in the final game of the regular season to seal their first ever 20-win season. In the SCIAC semifinal, P-P fell behind 22-8 in the first quarter before outscoring the Panthers by 27 over the final three quarters. Four players scored in double digits for the Sagehens, led by Renae Tamura’s PO ’21 16 points and seven rebounds. Streak ends in road loss to Oxy, but P-P men’s basketball rebounds with win The No. 9 P-P men’s basketball team (23-2, 15-1 SCIAC) saw its 18-game winning streak snapped in a 64-63 road loss to Occidental (21-4, 12-4 SCIAC) on Feb. 16, before bouncing back with a 90-67 win over Caltech (10-15, 4-12 SCIAC). Trailing by 10 at halftime against Oxy, the Sagehens battled back but missed two shots in the final minute while trailing by one. Corbin Koch PO ’19 had 18 points and eight rebounds in the loss. P-P will face Redlands (1510, 10-6 SCIAC) in the SCIAC semifinals Friday.
SPORTS
PAGE 10
THE STUDENT LIFE
FEBRUARY 22, 2019
CMS SPORTS WEEKLY ROUNDUP TORREY HART Amarilla, Richards toss back-to-back complete games as Athenas softball sweeps SCIAC openers After going 1-2 against non-conference foes Vanguard and Whitworth, the Athenas (3-2, 2-0 SCIAC) swept a doubleheader against Chapman last weekend, winning 4-1 and 3-1. Chloe Amarilla CM ’19 threw a complete game four-hitter in the morning matchup and starter Lauren Richards CM ’22 also went the distance in the second game, racking up nine strikeouts. Richards also drove in a run to break a late-game tie, while battery-mate Maddie Valdez CM ’21 went 3 for 5 on the day with a double and home run. Hollimon nabs SCIAC diving titles No. 5 and 6 as Desmond podiums on both boards Kendall Hollimon CM ’20 completed his third consecutive two-board SCIAC sweep, winning the one-meter contest with a score of 535.70 and the three-meter with 601.90 points, more than 70 points ahead of the next-highest scorer. Scott Montague HM ’19 and Noa Schachtel CM ’22 finished in eighth and ninth place, respectively, on both boards. Jacque Desmond SC ’19 was third on both boards with 422.90 points on one-meter and 428.70 on three-meter for the Athenas. Emily Bhatt CM ’21 finished eighth in the one-meter competition and sixth on three-meter. The final team scores will factor in with the SCIAC swimming scores this week-
end to determine the overall conference winner. Athena golf places four individuals in top 10 in first SCIAC tournament win The Athenas won the opening SCIAC tournament of the regular season. Despite poor conditions that suspended the first day of competition, the Athenas held a 13-shot lead over Pomona-Pitzer going into day two. With four individual finishers in the top 10, CMS pulled away from P-P, but finished just seven strokes ahead of Redlands. Mira Yoo CM ’21 was the highest Athena finisher with a two-day score of 155. Emily Attiyeh CM ’21 and Kelly Ransom CM ’19 tied with two others for fourth place with a score of 157. Amy Xue CM ’22 tied for seventh with a score of 158 and Tiffany Hu CM ’22 was 13th with a score of 161. Stag pitching shines despite loss to Occidental The CMS baseball team (1-1, 0-0 SCIAC) dropped the first game of a doubleheader against Occidental 2-0 before having the second game canceled due to rain last Saturday. Despite the loss, starter Justin Hull CM ’20 went seven strong innings, striking out eight and allowing just one run on five hits. Reliever Diego Avila CM ’22 allowed one run and walked two in the eighth inning before being pulled, but Nico Mannucci CM ’21 and Danny Porras CM ’21 combined to strike out four batters and allow zero runs over the final six outs. Seniors shine to close out CMS men’s basketball regular season CMS (19-6, 13-3 SCIAC)
P-P WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
SCIAC: P-P to take on CMS for title Saturday Continued from Page 1 year’s season and this season in a lot of positive ways.” Naomi Baer PO ’19, a co-captain, echoed Pace’s sentiments. “We never thought of ourselves as a losing team, and that was really important in shifting the mentality and going from barely losing games to barely winning games to blowing teams out, finally,” she said. The one-win season also strengthened the team’s sense of community, Pace said. “Our four seniors this year were all members of that first team, so they’ve all taken firstyears under their wing and helped them learn what we want our program to be and how we want to compete,” Pace said. The first-year class this season has proved vital in the Sagehens’ turnaround. The seven rookies have averaged 18.8 minutes of playing time per game. Carly Leong PZ ’22 and Kamil English PO ’22 lead the team in points per game, and Madison Quan PZ ’22 dropped a career-high 20 points in the team’s final regular season game, a win over Occidental. Pace had all good things to say about the first-year class’ contributions during practices as well. “When you coach young players, they’re just thirsty to learn,” the coach said. “When you tell them something, they look you in the eye and try to implement what you’re asking.” Senior say the positive cul-
ture the youngsters have created has allowed them to feel “young again.” Baer said that attitude has helped the Sagehens succeed this season. “Our key strength is definitely our ability to come together and push through,” she said. “We’ve had multiple close games and in almost every one, we’ve been able to huddle up as a team, talk about what needs to get done, and make it happen.” Approaching the SCIAC tournament, the Sagehens have focused on strengthening their defense, Pace and Baer said. Although the Sagehens are ranked second in the SCIAC, they are sixth in the conference in total points allowed in SCIAC play. Their offense is a key strength, as the Sagehens lead the SCIAC in total points scored — outpacing top-seeded CMS. The Athenas easily beat Redlands 72-49 in the other semifinal Thursday, and enter the championship on a 20game winning streak. CMS scored 85 and 78 points against P-P in two victories over the Sagehens this season, and hasn’t lost to P-P since 2013. Even though taking down the Athenas will be a tough task, the Sagehens believe they can reverse history. “From the day I met everyone at the pre-season barbecue, I was like ‘We’re going to win [the] SCIAC.’” Baer said. “Let’s do it.”
AMY BEST • THE STUDENT LIFE
Vanessa Hsia PO ‘22 rises up to shoot in P-P’s win Feb. 21.
closed out regular season play with two commanding wins over SCIAC opponents Cal Lutheran and Chapman. The Stags took down the Kingsmen 84-46 and the Panthers 63-45. Nicolas Segura Dobjanschi CM ’19 led all scorers across the two games with 36 points; he played 51 minutes and shot 49.8 percent from the field. Seniors Segura Dobjanschi, Mark Sui CM ’19 and Ryan Kusch HM ’19 were honored prior to the second game. The Stags face Occidental (21-4, 12-4 SCIAC) Friday in the SCIAC semifinals, and if they win, will likely face top-seeded P-P (23-2, 15-1 SCIAC) in the finals Saturday. First-years carry Stags as CMS track earns top finishes at P-P All-Comers meet Abigail Johnson SC ’21 led the Athenas to a one-two-threefour sweep of the mile race at the Pomona-Pitzer All-Comers meet last weekend, finishing in 5:06.85. Olivia Gleason SC ’21, Natalie Marsh SC ’19 and Riley Harmon SC ’22 followed, with Matilda Msall SC ’19 taking sixth and Morgan Blevins HM ’19 eighth. Amanda Gallop SC ’20 finished in the top 10 in three field events, including third in the shot put, fifth in the javelin and seventh in the discus. The Stags earned three firstplace finishes. Keizo Morgan HM ’22 won the 800-meter race in 1:57.91, Miles Christensen HM ’22 won the mile in 4:14.26 (nearly four seconds ahead of the second-place finisher) and Maxwell Knowles CM ’20 won the javelin title with a throw of 179-feet-11-inches. Athena water polo endures seven overtimes to win by one CMS (2-3, 0-0 SCIAC) be-
gan its week with a win over Redlands, 11-6. Former goalie Chandlyr Denaro CM ’21 led the way with four goals. The team dropped its second Saturday game to Cal State East Bay 10-4, held scoreless for the entire first half. The game of the week came Wednesday night, as Amelia Ayala CM ’21 and Alex Szymczak SC ’22 combined for six CMS goals in the Athenas’ 7-6 victory over visiting University of Toronto. Ayala’s final shot was the game-winner in a thrilling seventh overtime. Men’s golf perseveres through rare SoCal snow delay against D-II field Against a majority Division II field, the CMS men’s golf team came in eighth out of 13 teams at the CSU San Bernardino Coyote Classic at the Oak Valley Golf Club. Despite a short delay for snow, CMS finished at +30 over three rounds. The highest-ranked Stag finisher was Ken Kong CM ’21, who finished seventh with a score of +2, playing as an individual. Alex Yun CM ’22 was the next-highest finisher at 13th place and Alex Wrenn CM ’19 finished 26th. Athena basketball advances to SCIAC Championship, secures 20th straight win CMS (23-2, 15-1 SCIAC) formally secured its position atop the SCIAC regular season ranks with a 57-43 win over Cal Lutheran last Saturday, and then beat Redlands in the SCIAC semifinals to extend their win streak to 20. In the final regular season game, both the Athenas and the Regals shot an atrocious 27.9 percent from the field. Maya Love CM ’20 led scorers with 21 points and 17 rebounds, and
ADAM KUBOTA • THE STUDENT LIFE
Alex McDonald CM ‘21 races in the men’s 400-meter hurdles at the Pomona-Pitzer All Comers Meet on Feb. 16.
Kate Parrish CM ’21 scored 14 off the bench. CMS then won the SCIAC semifinal against Redlands 72-49. Love and Parrish led the team again, pouring in 16 and 14 points, respectively. The Athenas used a 23-7 second quarter to take control of the game, and outrebounded the Bulldogs 46-32. Athena lacrosse starts season strong with a 22-7 win at Whittier
CMS began its season as the No. 1 ranked team in the SCIAC with a decisive win against the Poets on Feb 20. The Athenas were led by Corie Hack CM ’19, who racked up seven goals. Sally Abel CM ’21 and Alex Fetterman CM ’22 also scored five goals each. CMS fell behind to the Poets to start the game, but after their early lead, Whittier fell apart and didn’t score on CMS after the first shot of the second half.
Club sports athletes report difficulty accessing athletic trainers
0COURTESY OF CMS ATHLETICS
5C club sports, like the Claremont Foxes rugby team, are not able to get full treatment from athletic trainers.
KIRA MATTHEWS 5C club sport athletes report limited access to athletic trainers at both the Roberts Pavilion and the Rains Center, causing frustration, confusion and concerns about injuries. Athletic trainers at both facilities say they do their best to support club athletes, helping out at home games and scheduling appointments to address injuries. Still, some athletes not on NCAA teams see room for improvement. Madden McDonnell PZ ’21 has played soccer for both the 5C club team and the Pomona-Pitzer NCAA team, and said the situation for club athletes is more difficult and potentially dangerous. “[As an NCAA athlete] I could just hop in to see a trainer but now I have to kind of guess about what I hurt,” she said via email. Some club sport athletes “do not necessarily feel supported because we do not have access to people who can help us with being safe” anytime but during the games, she said. Dayla Woller SC ’21 is a member of the Claremont Foxes, the 5C women’s rugby team, which she said has had trouble getting seen by athlet-
ic trainers in the past. “Rugby is a sport … prone to injuries, so particularly for our team, not having as much access to [Claremont-Mudd-Scripps] athletic trainers as other sports has resulted in many players not receiving any treatment at all,” she said via email. Rugby is not an NCAA sport, so it is classified as a club sport. The Foxes compete at the USA Rugby Collegiate Division II level and finished second at the DII Women’s Rugby Nationals in 2018. “It would be nice to have at least some help in terms of athletic trainers supporting our injured players … especially considering that a lot of our players are seeking medical advice regarding injuries sustained during games,” Woller said. In accordance with department regulations, athletic trainers are present at many club sports’ home games, Pomona-Pitzer club sports director Brandon Johnson said via email. However, per P-P and CMS policy, the athletic trainers are primarily meant as a resource for NCAA athletes, not club or intramural athletes or other students, according to Johnson and CMS head athletic trainer Steve Graves.
Graves said via email that CMS trainers “will offer a consultation on injuries for other CMS students, staff, faculty and provide recommendations for simple self-care or referral to the appropriate medical providers.” P-P has a similar approach, Johnson said. “If a Pomona or Pitzer club athlete … reaches out to myself or the P-P [athletic trainers] we do our best to schedule a consultation with the P-P [athletic trainers] and/or provide additional resources to the individual(s),” Johnson said via email. Last year during her season, Woller said she went to get treatment from a CMS trainer who told her she couldn’t be treated for “insurance reasons,” but was still given a bag of ice. “I wish that the trainers were more accessible and welcoming to at least the CMS club athletes,” she said. And in the case of a potentially serious injury, McDonnell said, it is “better for us to be able to go to the athletic trainers than call 911 and go to the hospital if it is something that the trainers could easily help us with.” A hospital visit can frequently be highly expensive and time consuming, she
added. Despite these difficulties, McDonnell said having a trainer at home games is “very helpful.” She said they provide tape, supervise pre-game stretches and distribute ice after games. “They’re there in case anyone gets hurt, which I think is very important,” she said. Johnson said that on top of the required trainers at home games, the club sports program has attempted to have at least two trainers at all rugby matches. The trainers are paid for by a club sports budget funded jointly by CMS and P-P. In the future, 5C Club Sports is pursuing initiatives to expand the availability of sports medicine resources for club athletes. Club sports leaders are working to improve communication and education about treating sports injuries, offer on campus drop-in clinics with trainers paid for by 5C Club Sports and provide trainers for all contact sport practices, Johnson said. Johnson said Casa Colina, a local hospital about 10 minutes’ drive from the 5Cs, has free clinics with athletic trainers, physical therapists and doctors on Sundays and Mondays, with complimentary X-ray imaging available on Sundays.