Vol. CXXXIII No. 6

VOL. CXXXIII NO. 6

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

CLAREMONT, CA

Angela Davis at Pomona: ‘It’s always been about collaborations, communities and collectives’

Pomona’s pandemic changes add to disabled students’ frustration ELINA LINGAPPA

“I think I just had the opportunity to be among people who developed those approaches. I don’t think there’s a single idea that I have written about that I can claim as exclusively as my own. So I’m going to have to say that it’s always been about collaborations, communities, and collectives,” she said. Tuesday’s event offered a glance into Davis’s revolutionary upbringing, the events that led to her winding up on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fugitive list and her career advocating at the forefront of the prison abolitionist movement. The interview highlighted

This summer, Pomona College announced that due to COVID-19 precautions, students would not be allowed the same flexibility with move-in as in prior years. But the new rules didn’t impact all students equally. The resulting issues added yet another topic to a long-needed conversation about accessibility and resources for disabled students on Pomona’s campus. When Rachel Howard PO ’22 first heard of the new guidelines, she contacted Pomona’s administration in May about move-in accommodations. She requested an early move-in, because as a legally blind person, she required extra time to adjust back to campus. She was on track to get a seeing-eye dog in August, which would also necessitate a transition period. “It’s really important for me to be able to learn routes to classes and relearn the places on campus and how to get to different places,” Howard said. “I need to be acclimated to campus before classes start, so that I’m [on] an equal playing field with my peers.” Howard also asked administrators to allow one or both of her parents to help her with move-in. Both of her parents are fully vaccinated and said they were happy to get tested before arriving and follow any other health precautions.

See DAVIS on page 2

See SUPPORT on page 3

ANNA CHOI • THE STUDENT LIFE

“If you go slow, you will probably forget what you wanted in the first place. If you water down your demands, you forget what you are fighting for,” Angela Davis told students at Thursday’s Ena H. Thompson Lecture.

SIENA SWIFT, ANUSHE ENGINEER & JENNA MCMURTRY Renowned activist and scholar Angela Davis drew crowds of students, faculty and staff to Bridges Auditorium Tuesday and Thursday evening as she delivered the 2021 Ena H. Thompson lectureship. Hosted by the Pomona College history department, history professor Tomás Summers Sandoval joined Davis for Tuesday’s interview-style discussion of her life. Davis presented her lecture on Thursday, entitled “Radical Agendas and Possible Futures.” The event had been postponed from its original April 2020 date

and was Davis’s first in-person speaking engagement since the pandemic began. Davis was well received at the Claremont Colleges this week as hundreds of students lined up for photos and autographs after her various sessions around campus. But her time teaching at the Claremont Colleges in 1975 took place under very different circumstances. Her brief tenure was marred with backlash from alumni and trustees, forcing faculty and administrators to minimize her presence on campus. Yet, at Tuesday’s event Sandoval introduced the significance of Davis’s presence in regard to the

5Cs and Claremont roll out new rules for wheels

monumental revolutionary work she has done with both her activism and within academia. “We have somebody before us who has been consistently a genius at analyzing structures of oppression,” he said. “She’s done so in ways that are always interdisciplinary and intersectional even before those were named.” Sandoval added that Davis’s work in academia has been pivotal to the development of critical race studies and approaches. But Davis responded, “I can’t really claim that. I want to challenge you on that.” She posited that while scholars think of their work as individual, it is actually a collective process.

Return to campus brings new goals for Harvey Mudd, Pomona mutual aid groups ELINA LINGAPPA & ABBY PORTER This piece is the second in a series on mutual aid groups at the 5Cs.

CECILIA RANSBURG • THE STUDENT LIFE

Recent policies developed by Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pomona and the city of Claremont limit the use of student vehicles.

ABBY PORTER The whir of wheels and ring of bells are familiar sounds to 5C students on a campus where skateboards, scooters and bikes are popular methods of transportation. But recent policies announced by Claremont McKenna College, Pomona College, Harvey Mudd College and the city of Claremont seek to limit the use of these vehicles around pedestrians, citing safety concerns. At CMC’s campus, A-frame signs popped up in September indicating that students are no longer allowed to ride motorized vehicles like powered skateboards, scooters and hoverboards through the campus. Brandon Frieberg PZ ’25 said he recently started riding his motorized skateboard, a Boosted Mini Board,

around the 5Cs. “I have to go down to Pomona sometimes for band and to go around the different campuses for work,” he said. “And it’s really downhill from Pitzer in the direction of other schools, so with an electric skateboard I feel safer because I can brake slightly and maintain a constant speed.” Frieberg said that he hasn’t noticed signs up around any of the campuses prohibiting motorized vehicles, but while crossing CMC’s campus on his skateboard last weekend he was told to dismount by a campus security officer. “Camp Sec yelled at me on a megaphone and was like, ‘No

See WHEELS on page 2

When Pomona College sent students home in March 2020, some were left scrambling to find housing on just days of notice. Occupy Pomona emerged almost immediately following the announcement, advocating to allow housing-insecure students to remain on campus. Soon after, Pomona allowed around 100 students to remain on campus for the remainder of the semester. The group’s work soon became a crowdfunding effort to financially support students who lacked secure housing. In the coming months, the group expanded its efforts, becoming the first in a collective of organizations supporting students around the 5Cs. As the year unfolded, the students following Occupy Pomona’s lead continued to adapt, responding to new challenges and developing strategies to get community members what they needed. Linda Phan PO ’24 recalls joining Occupy Pomona as a first-year and organizing to support Pomona staff, raising mutual aid for campus workers furloughed by the college during the pandemic. “We were in contact with workers [who] had been fully cut off by the college and didn’t have any other means of supporting their families,” Phan said.

“Occupy didn’t just fundraise for students, they recognized the need for workers who were unemployed and didn’t have other means.” Pomona FLI Scholars, a mentorship program for low-income and first generation students, also took on a major role in mutual aid efforts, raising nearly $170,000 for impacted students and workers. “It wasn’t just Occupy doing that work, FLI was doing it alongside them.” said Phan, who is also a mentor for FLI Scholars. “Mutual aid doesn’t just come in [the form of] money. The mentorship program is one example of mutual aid.” Shaheen Collen-Baratloo HM ’23 was one of several Harvey Mudd students who, inspired by other 5C student-led fundraising efforts, created Harvey Mudd Solidarity to address the growing need for financial support.

Occupy Pomona, FLI Scholars, and Harvey Mudd Solidarity ran mutual aid campaigns throughout the year of remote instruction. But the shift to fall of 2021 brought major changes, and not every organization was able to sustain membership and leadership. Occupy Pomona was the largest of the groups that didn’t make it past the pandemic. Phan was one of the only underclassmen in Occupy Pomona, and as older students began to graduate or make plans for graduation, the organization faltered and has since been relatively inactive, she said. Phan said she doesn’t view Occupy’s hiatus as a bad thing because many other organizations began to step up in Occupy’s wake such as the Black Student Union, Broken Silence 5Cs, Student-Workers Alliance and

See AID on page 3

CLARE MARTIN • THE STUDENT LIFE

SAMSON ZHANG • THE STUDENT LIFE

ARTS & CULTURE Prison abolitionist and Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation founder Patrisse Cullors spoke at an event hosted by Pomona College’s Humanities’ Studio on Oct. 21. Read more on page 6.

The student newspaper of the Claremont Colleges since 1889

OPINIONS

SPORTS

Pomona College’s handling of COVID-19 cases on campus has been worrying, inefficient and endangering, argues Abby Loiselle PO ’23. Read more on page 8.

Halfway through her first competitive collegiate season, uprising tennis talent Nina Ye PO ‘24 became crowned the ITA women’s singles champion while also earning All-American honors. Read more on page 10.

INDEX: Boos 1 | Warts & Vultures 4 | Goblinions 7 | Spirits 10

News

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OCTOBER 29, 2021

WHEELS: Bike, scooter, skateboard safety under scrutiny at 5Cs and in Claremont Continued from page 1 motorized vehicles!’” he said. Frieberg said that while he was verbally warned, no officer followed him or punished him to enforce the policy. On Oct. 11, Pomona Dean of Campus Life Ellie Ash-Bala told Pomona students in an email that the Smith Campus Center Breezeway, where students pass from College Way to the Coop Fountain and Coop Store, had become a “dismount zone,” meaning that no bikes, skateboards, scooters or vehicles were allowed through it. Ash-Bala told TSL that students riding through the breezeway posed a safety threat to other students and faculty using the space. “Over the past few years, before COVID, there have been several close calls with people riding through while others have exited the living room doors and the doors down to the HRL [Housing and Residence Life] Office,” she said in an email. “People have almost gotten run over.” Ash-Bala added that while dismounting before entering the breezeway is now an official rule, staff who work in the SCC have been unofficially asking students to do so for the past few years. Marley McCauley PO ’25, who often rides her bike or skateboard through Pomona’s campus, said that although she has noticed signage telling students to dismount, she still sees many students ride through the breezeway. “I either get off or if there’s no one there, I’ll ride through it,” she said. “But if there’s a bunch of people I’ll get off and just walk.” According to Ash-Bala, students who are seen riding through the breezeway will be asked to dismount. “If a student consistently refuses to cooperate, we will follow up with them, but so far everyone has simply forgotten the new rule and dismounted right away,” she said. At HMC, a new sign outside of The Café states that “wheels” are prohibited from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. According to Mavis Stone HM ’23, no information has been sent out to students regarding this new policy. Stone said she had not heard of the rule until her TSL interview. HMC did not respond to a re-

AUSTIN HUANG • THE STUDENT LIFE

To promote pedestrian safety, Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna and Pomona are restricting some areas where students ride personal vehicles.

quest for comment. At the Oct. 12 Claremont City Council meeting, a new amendment was proposed to modify existing city municipal code 12.30.020, which prohibits roller skates and skateboards in the village shopping district and on portions of Mountain Avenue. The updated code would also ban bikes and scooters from sidewalks in the Village — bounded by North Street, Sante Fe Railroad, College Avenue and Indian Hill Boulevard — as well as the Village Expansion specific plan area. “There’s no bike lanes between Third and Fourth on College and this [new rule] will include between Third and Fourth on College,” Claremont resident Erik Griswold said in an interview. “There’s no bike lanes on Indian Hill. I guess the idea is to get bicycle users to go around the village.” After reading the agenda item, Griswold said, he sent an email to the city to be read as a comment at the meeting in which he called for the code to be brought before the corresponding city commission to receive public comment before it was proposed. His reasoning being

that it changed the code that preceded it in both “subject matter” and “geographic area.” “I guess what I’m really annoyed about is how it was shoved through in the middle of the night,” he said. “Without really having this discussion about well, ‘Do we have to expand it to the entire Village walk? Do we have to include bicycles and scooters?’” Griswold said his email was not read at the Oct. 12 city council meeting and the council introduced an ordinance including the updated code. At Tuesday’s city council meeting, the agenda listed an amendment to allow bikes and “skateboard, roller skates, and scooters with braking devices” along certain parts of Mountain Avenue. The revisions also clarified that mobility devices for persons with disabilities would not be included in the ban. During the deliberation, Mayor Jennifer Stark PZ ’98 clarified that the ordinance is “not saying no scooters in the village, it’s saying that these types of wheeled ways of getting around are welcome and should be able to be safe to use on

the streets. And if they’re not then that’s a whole other issue because we don’t want to have sidewalks not be safe for other people who need to be on the sidewalk.” One council member raised concerns about students commuting from the Oasis KGI Commons to the rest of the Claremont Colleges without marked bike lanes or being able to use the sidewalk. “That is an inconvenience to the students,” Councilmember Corey Calaycay said. “It’s a lot to ask them to go back out to Cambridge [Avenue] if that’s the closest connection [to the schools] to avoid getting cited under this ordinance. At this point if we move forward on this I’m going to be a no-vote.” Calaycay also said it would be detrimental to visitors arriving at the metro station who might want to use these modes of transportation and asked for the proposal to first move through a review commission. Mayor Pro Tem Jed Leano pressed for a more holistic review of the city’s street ordinances to keep sidewalks safe for pedestrians while also making it safe for wheeled transportation on the

roads. “The issue, though, is that if the sidewalk is the appropriate place for pedestrians and we want people to be using alternative modes of transit besides vehicles, then we ought to be aiming to find a way to make those alternate modes of transportation safer,” he said. “This is a larger policy issue that we need looked at in a much broader sense by our transportation commission.” Councilmember Sal Medina echoed Leano’s call. “While I agree with the spirit of the ordinance, my concern is that seeing as there are this many concerns with council on second reading, in a short amount of time, is this an ordinance that we should be prepared to move forward when we still have questions that need to be answered?” he said. “Or is this an ordinance that we should allow the commission process to play itself out to get those questions answered before we actually approve the ordinance itself?” The council ultimately decided to send the ordinance for further consideration at Thursday’s Traffic and Transportation Commission meeting.

DAVIs: Talks touch on Claremont Institute defends senior fellow abolition, global solidarity who advised Trump on overturning election and campus organizing SAMSON ZHANG

Continued from page 1 how resistance has long been a core tenet of Davis’s life. It was during childhood games of ding-dong-ditch at white supremacists’ houses, across the street from her own in Birmingham, Alabama, that she learned to “create joy,” even in spaces where Black families’ very existence was threatened. She credited her mother for teaching her to imagine the world differently, telling a young Davis, “This is not the way things are supposed to be.” Davis said she feels like she “literally followed in [the] footsteps” of her mother, who was an activist herself. At just 25 years of age, Davis landed her first professorship at UCLA, which was highly contested with public opposition from then-Governor of California Ronald Reagan, President Richard Nixon and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. Her affiliation with the Communist Party — which she made no secret of when accepting the position — got her fired from UCLA the first time, in 1969, before she even began teaching. Although she was reinstated, Davis never wavered in her commitment to activism and was once again fired from UCLA one year later for expressing her solidarity with the Soledad brothers when she spoke at rallies. “I recognized then that I could not simply focus on myself and my predicament,” she said. “They were about to lose their lives because of their political beliefs and because of their politics and all I was about to lose was my job.” But within that year, Davis ultimately ended up in prison in connection with the widely publicized Marin County courtroom shooting and faced the death penalty, although it was outlawed before her trial. Her time inside prison shaped her later work regarding prison abolition and global solidarity, she said during Thursday’s lecture. “[Abolition is] about clearing space, so that we can imagine new institutions, new strategies of addressing issues that have been so overdetermined by structural racism that it is not possible to remove the racism without the entire institution collapsing,” she said. “Abolition is not primarily about the negative process of elimination and dissolution

and dismantling. But it’s about getting rid of those institutions, not only in reality, but in our minds.” Davis added that often people of color are considered equal only when they’re equal to white people. She posed a question to the audience: “Why is whiteness always the measure of equality?” Davis emphasized the power of community building, especially during her time in prison, as something that drove her work far past her eventual acquittal of all charges, adding that “if you didn’t create community you did not survive.” She said that she has been particularly inspired by and supportive of the Palestinian liberation movement, especially after she received letters of solidarity from incarcerated Palestinians while she was in prison. “We need to recognize the extent to which Palestinian resistance and Palestinian activists have helped us move towards this moment of reckoning, and so supporting BDS is the very least we can do,” she said. “It really should be just the first step.” Despite a lifetime of advocating for prison abolition, Davis never thought she would see what she believes is a third wave of abolition, ushered in in part by the “lynching of George Floyd [and] the murder of Breonna Taylor” along with the “recognition of structural racism.” “21st century abolitionists’ discourses have emerged as the most radical calls for a better democracy and their significance resides not simply in the fact that we want to dismantle prisons and get rid of police,” she said. “But we see these institutions as profound impediments to the emergence of radical democratic futures.” Davis expanded on the calls for a radical democracy to include an anti-racist and anti-capitalist approach to feminism that can work hand-in-hand with the abolition movement. When asked to speak on the legacy she hopes to leave behind, Davis said, “I’d rather not be remembered as an individual. I’d rather be remembered as one of many who came together to engage in the work for justice.”

The Claremont Institute, a conservative think tank based in Upland, published a statement on Oct. 11 defending senior fellow John Eastman, the lawyer who advised former President Donald Trump on overturning the 2020 election in Congress. While the Claremont Institute is not institutionally affiliated with the Claremont Colleges, three members of the Claremont McKenna College faculty are fellows of the institute. It was founded in 1979 by four alumni of Claremont Graduate University. Eastman first became one of Trump’s legal advisors in mid2019, when Trump saw the law professor on television, according to The New York Times. Following Trump’s loss in the 2020 election, Eastman presented the former president with legal procedures that he said could result in Trump being certified as the winner of the election. Eastman furthered Trump’s narrative of the election as “stolen” through public appearances, even giving a speech alongside Rudy Giuliani at the rally immediately preceding the riot at the capitol on Jan. 6. His actions quickly faced backlash from the academic community. On Jan. 13, the president of Chapman University announced that the college and Eastman had reached an agreement in which he retired as a law professor, effective immediately. The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy, a major organization of conservative lawyers and academics, removed Eastman from a prominent committee chairman position. The American Political Science Association moved all panels presented by the Claremont Institute online for its annual meeting on Sept. 30, two of which included Eastman, citing protest concerns. After this change, the institute withdrew its participation in the conference altogether. Attention to Eastman’s actions were renewed when a twopage memo he wrote detailing a direct list of steps for overturning the election was published by journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa in their book “Peril” last month.

OLIVIA SHRAGER • THE STUDENT LIFE

“The Claremont Institute will not remain silent in the face of widespread lies peddled by malicious domestic political opponents,” officials from the think tank wrote.

Following this, Claremont Institute Chairman Thomas Klingenstein and President Ryan Williams released the Oct. 11 statement, which called the reinvigorated scrutiny of Eastman a “disinformation, de-platforming, and ostracism campaign.” The statement claims that Eastman never advised then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election results, only arguing to delay the certification of the vote by seven to ten days to allow state legislatures to determine the validity of their submitted votes, which could have resulted in either Trump or Biden ultimately being certified as the winner. While this was one approach presented in Eastman’s six-page memo, three others were explicitly listed— two describing expected Biden certifications and one describing several procedures by which the vice president could ensure that Trump would be certified as the winner. “These attempts to limit the Claremont Institute’s and John Eastman’s ability to express their views mark a dangerous escalation in the censorship now threatening American democracy,” Klingenstein and Williams said. “The Claremont Institute will not remain silent in the face of widespread lies peddled by malicious domestic political opponents.”

Mainstream legal institutions have largely rejected Eastman and are unlikely to allow him access to “levers of power,” Amanda Hollis-Brusky, an associate professor of politics at Pomona College who specializes in Supreme Court politics and the conservative legal movement, told TSL. She cited the Federalist Society’s and American Political Science Association’s disavowals of Eastman as examples and said it’s unlikely that any reputable law school would hire Eastman. However, Hollis-Brusky sees Eastman continuing to have an influence in broader politics. “Politically, there’s a rejection of credentialing, there’s a rejection of the academy, there’s a rejection of these traditional metrics of what makes someone qualified,” she said. “I could see [Eastman] really thriving on the talk radio circuit, on Tucker Carlson, Hannity, and these outlets that feed on the anger of being scorned by mainstream culture.” Two Claremont Institute fellows, Joseph M. Bessette and Mark Blitz, and one Claremont Institute senior fellow, Charles Kesler, are current members of CMC’s faculty. The institute was founded by four former students of Harry Jaffa, a professor at CMC and CGU, who later became a fellow before his death in 2015. Kesler declined to comment.

News

OCTOBER 29, 2021

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LA County loosens quarantine rules AID: Pomona FLI Scholars and HMC Solidarity for fully vaxxed close contacts continue efforts on campus MARIANA DURAN Fully vaccinated, asymptomatic college students who come in contact with positive COVID-19 cases will no longer need to follow modified quarantine rules, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in an Oct. 21 update to guidelines. Pomon a Col lege updat e d it s COVID-19 policy to reflect these changes, President G. Gabrielle Star r a n nou nced i n a n ema i l Tuesday. Previously, all asymptomatic students identified as close contacts of COVID-19 cases were placed in modified quarantine, in which they were only allowed to attend classes, pick up food from dining halls and attend academic

events until they were released from isolation by Student Health Services after testing negative 3-5 days post exposure. I nd iv idu a l s i n mo d i f i e d quarantine were not allowed to attend social events, team practices or eat inside dining halls. That’s no longer the case under the new guidelines. Now, these students will no longer need to quarantine or restrict any of their activities if they come in contact with someone who test s posit ive for COVID-19. They will only be required to self-monitor for symptoms and get tested 3-5 days after exposure. T he s e c h a nge s i n g u ide lines do not affect symptomatic students or students who are

not fully vaccinated due to medical or religious exemptions. Students who exhibit symptoms or are unvaccinated will still be placed in standard quara nt i ne if ident if ied as close contacts. “The shift was driven by data gathered as the semester progressed, and our own Student Health Services contributed to the conversation with public health officials on this matter,” Starr said. Despite the fact that some rest r ic t ion s a re loosen i ng , Starr also encouraged students to continue wearing masks, testing and following other COVID-19 safety steps, citing officials’ concerns about a potential winter surge.

CECILIA RANSBURG • THE STUDENT LIFE

Pomona College will no longer require vaccinated, asymptomatic students to follow modified COVID-19 quarantine protocols if they came into close contact with someone who tests positive.

Continued from page 1 more. “I think that there’s no necessity for a certain name or organization to take on the lead, because students at the 5Cs are so motivated to help one another and build community and redistribute wealth anyways,” she said. Collen-Baratloo echoed this sentiment, expressing that while a central mutual aid group is nice in theory, in practice it may not be as effective. Unlike Phan, however, he feels individual mutual aid groups for the colleges are necessary. He worries about a 5C group becoming too big and losing the support of Harvey Mudd community members who are peripherally involved, using a recent alumni donor as an example. “The reason she was donating was because she was attached to the Harvey Mudd community, and she felt that if we were like a 5C thing she would be less likely to donate,” he said. “I [also] feel like people would be even less involved with HMC Solidarity if it kind of just got consumed into like a general 5C thing ... [so] having more small-scale or local organizations makes people feel more involved in it.” Even without a central organization, mutual aid groups have worked collectively as a larger network since their inception at the 5Cs. Many organizations have overlapping membership. Even beyond that, the organizations aid each other in their individual endeavors. For example, Collen-Baratloo remembers that in their initial months, the 5C mutual aid groups were all very interconnected, signal boosting each other’s work and even occasionally sharing extra funds. Now back on campus and with the support of their smaller communities and the greater 5C network, the groups are already looking ahead to different causes. HMC Solidarity closed its semesterly fundraising round last week. The group sent need forms to the entire student body in which students reported how much money they were in need of, their timeline of need, and the areas for which they planned to use the funds. According to Collen-Baratloo, during virtual classes many stu-

dents were in need of rent money, while expenses now have tended to come more from tuition and medical bills. HMC Solidarity popularizes its fundraisers by incorporating a more engaging fundraising activity. For instance, this semester HMC Solidarity ran a dorm competition with money provided by Associated Students of Harvey Mudd College. FLI Scholars is also looking ahead this semester. With uncertainty about winter break causing stress for students who rely on campus housing, the organization has already begun thinking about fundraising and other support they can offer to students facing housing insecurity over winter break. The future of mutual aid extends far beyond winter break, however, and largely depends on every student and administration to take action. Collen-Baratloo said the “organic nature” of mutual aid organizing makes it more appealing in some ways. “It feels sort of more freeing than a lot of the top down hierarchical [organizing],” he said. “One of the reasons I liked it and I’m still working with it is because it feels more authentic.” Phan said the groups’ success requires participation from people of all socioeconomic backgrounds at the 5Cs. “Mutual aid is almost exclusively on the burden of the people most impacted … I watch people at the 5Cs spend, like, hundreds of dollars on room decor, or stuff that could pay someone’s rent or go to someone’s grocery bills. And I just wish that people were more conscious of their spending, like their consumption,” she said. She called for those from high-income backgrounds to get involved because “rich people know other rich people more than poor people know rich people. So I just recommend [that people] get involved in mutual aid and show that support to another person who doesn’t have those connections.” Collen-Baratloo urged all students to be more actively engaged, or at least aware, of their schools’ student organizing. “Try to get involved, or at least kind of know about the mutual aid group at your college. Because even if you’re not directly involved, just knowing about it and helping out with a couple dollars every fundraising round makes it more important to the community,” he said.

SUPPORT: Pandemic changes build on challenges with accomodations process Continued from page 1 “There were just a lot of things that I needed assistance with that only someone who kind of knows how those things go and someone that is more comfortable with me and I’m more comfortable with could help to be able to do,” she said, especially in reference to the assistive technology that she had to set up in her dorm. Pomona completely denied her wwwrequest to allow her parents to assist, Howard said, and they only allowed her to move in two days early. The college told her they would provide names of a group of students a week in advance who would be available to help move her in. Howard said this alternative worsened when she didn’t receive the list of names until less than 48 hours before move-in. “I was going to have to disclose my disability [to my peers] to be able to get the help that I needed and I wasn’t really all that comfortable with doing that,” she said. Instead, on Aug. 26, Howard enlisted one of her professors to help set up her room, as she felt more comfortable discussing her needs and accommodations with them. The student group helped carry her boxes from the car but left her belongings in the hall for her and her professor to unpack. When Howard was first struggling with getting accommodations this year, she reached out to another disabled Pomona student who was experiencing similar issues. The student, a Pomona senior who asked to remain anonymous, was recently disabled. In the summer of 2019, he unexpectedly tore the labrum in his right hip, later discovering that this was in part a result of an undiagnosed genetic disease, femoroacetabular impingement. The student had multiple surgeries with varying levels of success and after his second surgery in March, he reached out to Pomona’s administration to request accommodations similar to Howard’s. Specifically, he asked if his parents could help with move-in since he would still be in his recovery process. The administration declined his request, despite his parents being “fully vaccinated and the bestequipped people to help [him] with the specifics of his move-in needs,” he said.

His move-in requests weren’t the only ones denied — he was refused any sort of aid in moving around campus, such as accessible transportation or help from campus safety. His family ended up having to rent an electric wheelchair. Due to his slow and difficult recovery process along with the lack of accommodations, he decided to take a leave for the fall semester. Even now, he said, he is experiencing some difficulty due to the college’s pressure to decide whether he will continue his leave of absence for the spring 2022 semester by Friday, if he wants to retain priority in housing and class selection, with a hard deadline of Dec. 10. He said he is unsure if he will be able to make a well-informed decision about his recovery by then. Housing aside, modifications to campus services this semester have raised problems for other students with disabilities. Erin Tallman PO ’22 requires a specialized diet that the dining services at Pomona often cannot provide. In past years, Tallman has been on a partial meal plan and relied on cooking many of her own meals. However, like all Pomona students living on campus, she was required to be on the unlimited meal plan this fall. Other students with more severe eating restrictions do not have the luxury to make the dining hall work, Tallman said. “The issue isn’t eating in the dining halls so much because they have been able to feed me, they’ve been able to find things to make it easier, occasionally,” she said. “But, they’ve essentially changed what counts as reasonable accommodations and they’re saying that COVID-19 safety is the reason for it. And then the COVID-19 safety part isn’t actually being followed through on.” But students said they’ve been encountering barriers to receiving accommodations at Pomona long before this semester. Tallman said communication about accommodations has been insufficient since her first year. In fact, she was not directly provided with much of the logistical information — such as when and how to renew accommodations — until this year.

Howard expressed a similar sentiment, saying that attempting to secure accommodations long before she arrived on campus her first year was impossible. She wasn’t informed of certain procedures until after classes had started, she said, and by that point it was too late for her to ensure necessary accommodations. “I’ve learned over my life of living with my disability that it’s usually better to cut out the middleman in that process, which is essentially the accommodations department,” she said. While higher institutions across the country often fall short of their disabled students’ needs, Howard said Pomona in particular has a history of disorganization and miscommunication. According to Howard, the Pomona accessibility office is in part simply overworked, with a caseload of approximately 300 students and faculty. Tallman said she feels that the department has always had a problem with communication. “In my experience, the main non-COVID problem was just lack of communication and information that I should have had,” she said. “In recent years, Pomona has strengthened its commitment to

serving the needs of our disabled students, faculty, and staff in several ways – from undertaking a study of our resources and services to hiring the Director of Accessibility Resources and Services dedicated to serve this population of our College community,” Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Tracy Arwari said in an email to TSL. “The COVID-19 pandemic, remote instruction and in-person public health protocols have changed how we approach accessibility and thus our campus protocols have evolved to reflect our need to balance public health and safety with individual needs.” Many disabled students have responded to the administration’s oversight with community efforts, most prominently through the club DISCOVR. The club creates a safe space for disabled students to talk about their grievances and receive support from their peers. But Tallman emphasized that DISCOVR shouldn’t have to compensate for the administration’s flaws and that official disability resources should be widely accessible to all students. “That’s information that you shouldn’t have to be in the right social group to know, you shouldn’t have to get this information from

your friends,” she said. However, the problem is wider in scope than simply granting accommodations and increasing communication, Howard said. “Academic accommodations are kind of the bare minimum of the law ... there’s a lot that we can be doing that I think goes above and beyond that and then also just fits in with Pomona’s mission statement [of uplifting marginalized students],” she said. “Disability tends to be a subject that is relatively taboo to talk about, and people feel really uncomfortable or weird discussing [it]. And I think there could just be more education and stuff done like we do with other minority groups to bring that into our more centralized conversation.” Tallman, Howard and many other disabled students continue to advocate for increased dialogue around issues regarding accommodations and ableism that are often overlooked on Pomona’s campus. Two months after Howard’s experience with move-in, she filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights on the grounds of discrimination for denying reasonable accommodations. The complaint was currently under investigation as of late August, and she said she has not received an update since then.

MARIANA DURAN • THE STUDENT LIFE

Arts & Culture

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OctObEr 29, 2021

Claremont’s ‘Village Venture’ ushers in fall with arts, crafts, community

EMMA JENSEN• tHE StUDENt LIFE

claremont chamber of commerce hosted their annual Village Venture Arts & crafts Faire with an abundance of autumn festivities.

INDIA CLAUDY Oct. 23 was a duller morning than usual for Claremont: overcast, chilly, slight rain. Upon crossing over College Avenue to the Claremont Village, however, where a bustling faire came into view, the gloom seemed to lift. On Saturday, the Claremont Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Village Venture Arts & Crafts Faire in the Claremont Village. Sprawling across Harvard, Yale and Bonita Avenues and First and Second Streets, the faire boasted more than 300 booths which sold

everything from jewelry to organic sponges to holiday decor. While 2020 would have originally been Village Venture’s 39th year, the Faire took last year off due to COVID-19. This year, however, Claremont bustled with locals and visitors alike as they perused the booths and found a treasure or two. Aside from the arts and crafts booths, the Faire also included a stretch of 12 food trucks with offerings ranging from shave ice to barbecue to smoothies. For those over 21, a fenced-off, security-guarded area offered six booths in the Beer,

Wine and Cider Garden. The annual Faire always takes place in late October, allowing for some Halloween festivities to take part in the action. At 9:30 a.m., costumed children participated in a Halloween parade led by a marching band, and attendees could drop off and register their pre-carved pumpkins in the pumpkin patch on Yale Avenue to be judged. Princesses and skeletons went booth to booth as several children continued to sport their costumes even after the parade, and a few adults showed off witch hats and wings too. Between the weather, Halloween decor and trees transitioning to orange, the Village fell into fall. Randy Lopez, the executive director of the Claremont Chamber of Commerce, appreciated this autumnal scene, as well as the feeling of community after Village Venture’s year off due to COVID-19. “Today, to have it kind of gray, it feels like fall,” Lopez said. “It’s really nice, and I think that’s part of it today. To see people that are comfortable –– and yes, we are still living in a bit of a pandemic, it’s still here –– but people are outside, so they feel a little bit more comfortable. They’re gathering in groups and families and as a community. It’s amazing.” Between rounding up businesses to participate, closing off the streets and organizing all the vendors, volunteers and organizations, Village Venture takes a lot of logistical work for the Chamber.

“This event is an arts and crafts fair, but it’s also celebrating our businesses, our nonprofits,” Lopez said. Amidst the artisans, there were also booths for organizations like Pomona Valley Audubon Society, the Democratic Club of Claremont, Inter Valley Health Plan and even the Claremont Colleges. Village Venture took on a different style of organizing its booths than it had in prior years. “This year we’re doing it a bit differently: we’re mixing up everyone,” Lopez said. “So as opposed to having a nonprofit section, I really wanted everyone to kind of experience everybody, so you never know what you’re going to see around a corner, what the next shop will be, and that makes it a little more engaging.” One of the artists at the event was Jenn Watkins, a mixed-media artist from Upland. Familiar with Claremont, Watkins attended Our Lady of the Assumption School on Bonita Avenue. When asked what she likes about Claremont, Watkins said, “Oh gosh, everything. The restaurants, the stores, the people.” A regular attendee of Village Venture, Watkins got to experience the other side this year, as it was her first time working her own booth. Watkins and her husband sold their art side-by-side: she displayed her abstract, intuitive paintings created using modeling paste and acrylic paint, and he showed off his handmade woodwork. Watkins lost her job during the pandemic and decided to try her

hand at making a business out of her art, a skill she has honed for 12 years now. She has found success with commissions and a solo exhibition back in July, and Village Venture is her first craft fair. “I would totally do this again,” Watkins said. A fan of arts and crafts fairs, Eloise Burtis PO ’24 attended Village Venture expecting something similar to the weekly farmer’s market in the Village. Instead, Burtis found the event to be much more expansive than she had anticipated, including a wide variety of booths and attendees. “I liked that [the event] was intergenerational,” Burtis said. “There seemed to be a lot of older people who were really enjoying themselves and seeing their friends, and there were also a ton of little kids dressed up in costumes. It felt like it was a space for everyone, not just a select group of people.” Amidst the swarms of people, a seven year old violinist put on an impromptu performance on the corner of Yale Avenue and Second Street; her chinrest lay just below the glittery Halloween face paint on her cheek. Passerbys left change in her violin case, and in turn they were left with smiles on their faces. The moment recalled a reflection of Lopez’s: “It’s kind of a nice, really idyllic community event.” When crossing back over College Avenue towards campus after the faire, the gloom of earlier felt far away, and not just because some blue sky had begun to peek through the clouds.

Art and activism combine at The Ghost of Ueno Park Climate Change Theatre Action

LItErArY WANDErINGS

RYAN ANDERS LILLESTRAND Parks are a window into the soul of a city. While sitting on a bench and people watching, the living, breathing heart of the city unfurls before you: A parent pushes a stroller down the path, an elderly couple walks slowly arm-in-arm, someone paces talking animatedly on the phone, another sits in the grass reading a book and at least in Ueno Park, forgotten ghosts linger on the margin. In Yu Miri’s “Tokyo Ueno Station,” the stark inequalities of one of the world’s most developed cities is brought sharply into focus with a dash of magical realism. While the book’s central character, Kazu, is an apparition, his experiences in the city are carefully drawn from reality. When the story begins, Kazu is already invisibly wandering the paths of Ueno Park. As the book unfolds, Miri tells you how he got there; what comes to light is a tragically realistic portrait of the disintegration of a life. In an inverted timeline that slowly marches the reader backwards through Kazu’s life, the heart-wrenching path that led him to his ragged tent in Ueno Park is revealed. The book illuminates the serious topic of homelessness in a city revered for its futurism without tactlessly slapping the reader in the face with the issues at hand — it is quiet and unassuming but ultimately potent. “Tokyo Ueno Station” is a slender book: 180 small pages compiled into a nearly weightless package that could easily slip into a jacket pocket. It is a spectacular marriage of beauty and economy. That is why it so utterly took me by surprise. Miri draws together a strikingly vivid world in an incredibly brief window. Within the first ten pages, the landscape of Ueno Park bursts into the mind of the reader as Miri describes the bustling train station, the groves of ginkgo trees, the man “sleeping with a large translucent bag of scavenged aluminum cans tucked between his legs,” or the woman “[sleeping] prone, using a maroon backpack as a futon and her arms as a pillow, her white hair tied up with a rubber band.” It is a book so deeply rooted in a particular place that it could not have been written with such clarity and grace from anywhere else. Miri, a Zainichi Korean novelist and playwright, has lived in Japan her entire life, and it is her perceptive gaze and keen aware-

ness for the complexities of the country that gives “Tokyo Ueno Station” its power and poignancy. In Ali Smith’s introduction to “The Door” she begins with a somber and quite shocking fact: “The proportion of books published in the English-speaking world that are translations, from all languages (including best-selling crime novels), is currently about three percent.” While a stunningly low portion on its own, this statistic felt even more egregious after reading “Tokyo Ueno Station.” “Tokyo Ueno Station” was originally published in Japan in 2014, but was translated from Japanese into English last year. Miri’s novel went on to win the National Book Award for translated literature in 2020, an award that was only just revived three years ago. With the revival of the award after a 38-year dormancy, one would hope that the literary world is headed into something of a renaissance for translated literature. While the numbers remain dismally low at present, smaller presses like the New York Review of Books are garnering increased interest in the genre, giving hope for change in the future. In the meantime, “Tokyo Ueno Station” is a worthy ambassador for the genre. Miri chooses a small slice of Japan and uses it as a canvas for painting all of the bursting beauty, crushing grief and quiet moments that make up a life. In every sense, “Tokyo Ueno Station” is a decidedly melancholy book, and yet, that is not the foremost emotion the reader is left with. In the face of immense loss, the reader also encounters the simple, unadorned beauty of life’s most ordinary moments, spent alongside the people with which we become so comfortable. Simple, everyday rituals like cleaning the house, cooking breakfast or walking in a park, which are distinctly unremarkable now, become infinitely valuable once they have passed forever — to be treasured all the more now for their ephemerality. Ryan Lillestrand PZ ’23 is TSL’s book columnist. He is in the process of making an overly-ambitious list of books to read over Thanksgiving break.

cOUrtESY: WIKIMEDIA cOMMONS

ryan Lillestrand PZ ‘23 explains how “tokyo Ueno Station” powerfully highlights inequalities in tokyo.

EMMA JENSEN • tHE StUDENt LIFE

Pomona college’s rendition of climate change theatre Action featured eight short monologues on various topics.

KATE JONES On Tuesday night, a gentle buzz of excitement (and perhaps a bit of pre-show anxiety) filled The Hive. Students clustered around tables and benches rehearsing lines and laughing over pastries from 85°C Bakery Cafe, while Pomona College theater professor Giovanni Ortega made rounds around the open room, greeting guests and laughing with his students. This was Pomona College’s production of Climate Change Theatre Action (CCTA), a worldwide series of performances formed in collaboration with environmentally-focused organizations The Arctic Cycle and The Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts. Founded in 2015, CCTA commissions 50 playwrights every two years to write short plays focused on climate change, which are then distributed to collaborators across the world to perform for their communities. Pomona has been working with CCTA since its inception, and engagement has proliferated in recent years alongside the rise of climate anxiety. On Tuesday night, students from Ortega’s acting class continued Pomona’s legacy of engagement with CCTA, performing eight short monologues on topics including human history, imagined futures, mock YouTube video scripts, accounts of insect extinction and natural disaster displacement. The environment was comfortable and engaged, and each play flowed smoothly into the next. When one performance was finished — marked by the reading of the play’s title and playwright, along with audience applause — the next performer stood and seamlessly began their piece. The Hive’s space allowed for a different kind of interaction between performers and audience. Rather than the

prototypical theater setup — one which may include rows of chairs surrounding a stage, firmly distinguishing between “audience” and “actor” — the Hive’s seating plan is open and scattered. Performers sat mingled with audience members on tall yellow stools, couches and bean bags, standing up and removing their masks when it was their turn to speak. Toward the end of the program, Paula L. Cizmar, University of Southern California professor of theater, playwright and activist, expressed appreciation for the venue. “This is the perfect place to go to a live theater event because it’s not a ‘traditional’ space,” Cizmar said, placing air quotes around the word. “Because we’re looking at non-traditional ways of storytelling.” The openness of the setting heightened the intimate atmosphere and sense of personal connection to the work. Making eye contact with audience members — some of them former neighbors — the actors varied their movement and body language, some moving through the crowd with ease and some standing grounded, powerful and in place. This personal connection is ultimately a vital part of CCTA’s mission, a reason why the program has returned again and again to the 5Cs. Climate change impacts everyone, in ways both dramatic and subtle. Every audience member and actor has a personal stake in the art performed. “The more I started working with my piece, the more I started connecting with this character that’s rooted in this problem of climate change, which is a problem that affects all of us,” actor Vincente Valdes HM ’25 said. “You start having these realizations as you’re working with a piece, like, ‘Damn, I can relate to that,’ or, ‘I’ve really felt this impact.’” After the final performance, Ortega sat with Cizmar, cofounder of CCTA Chantal

Bidoleau and playwright and environmental activist GiGi Buddie PO ’23 to speak about their experiences working in the intersection between theater and climate activism. The panelists articulated the anxieties and difficulties that come with thinking about and creating art about climate change. As Cizmar put it, “How do we engage people in a topic that nobody wants to hear about?” Ortega elaborated, “How can you create a narrative with empathy and compassion when it’s so scientific?” These questions are crucial when it comes to climate activism, when approaching environmental justice can seem overwhelming, overly technical and even hopeless. “With the academic jargon that surrounds our environmental crisis, I’m really worried for everyday people who lack the education to really get involved,” Buddie said. While there might not be one clear answer, part of the key seems to reside in making the movement more accessible through the arts. “I think my role is bringing [climate change] into our daily lives, making it something we talk about with each other … something we can engage with,” Bidoleau said, regarding her work in CCTA leadership. And when it comes to engagement, few art forms are better than that of the short play. “I think theater does this really beautiful thing … where you can talk about big scary things, and then bring them to people with a lens that goes straight to the heart,” Buddie said. “You can talk about big scary issues and make them not as scary, you can make them digestible, you can make them accessible … And perhaps when you leave here, after seeing these wonderful monologues that were performed, maybe you think about it a little bit more.” This expression of intimacy and optimism, of action and contemplation, is exactly what was provided by the student performances at CCTA — in voices full of passion and promise.

OctObEr 29, 2021

Arts & Culture

PAGE 5

Q&A: Angela Davis on activism, optimism and the future of organizing CAELAN REEVES & JENNA MCMURTRY Activist, philosopher and scholar Angela Davis spent this week at Pomona College, visiting classes and delivering insight as the history department’s 2021 Ena H. Thompson Distinguished Lecturer. In between her engagements and two Bridges Auditorium lectures — “A Revolutionary Life” and “Radical Agendas and Possible Futures” — TSL sat down with Davis to learn more about her life in activism and what’s on her mind today. TSL: We can start with your relationship with academia. Between UCLA and the Claremont Colleges, academic institutions haven’t always been particularly receptive to your politics. What do you find valuable about academia that inspires you to keep working in those spaces despite the way they’ve treated you in the past? Angela Davis: As it turns out, I have spent the majority of my life in academia whether as a student or as a professor. I taught here on this campus in 1975, I believe it was, after UCLA. The philosophy department at UCLA had offered me a position. And in response to that, the then-Governor of California Ronald Reagan made the announcement that I would never teach in a University of California institution again. So you’re right that it hasn’t been a habitable space for me in one sense and in another sense it has been. I look at academia as an arena of struggle that is similar to other arenas of struggle. Colleges and universities are the spaces where one encounters generations of young people who are seeking to expand their knowledge about the world. And I was initially inspired to do what I’m doing now by my time in college and as a graduate student. Because after all, I think that ultimately we are struggling for a better world for everyone, which includes a world where people are able to explore their ideas, as well as to satisfy their material needs. TSL: So, you see direct action organizing and work in academia as things that can work concurrently? Davis: Absolutely. I think that, regardless of whether people are professional academics, that intellectual level is absolutely essential to the movement. And I think sometimes there’s anti-intellectualism in the movement, but as a matter of fact, there are many really phenomenal intellectuals who never had the kind of official preparation that the university offers. In general, I think that knowledge is important, as well as the suffering I often always insist on, which is something that anthropologists call the epistemology of praxis. So whether the intellectual is trained at a university or trained through practice, that is absolutely an essential aspect of struggling for freedom. TSL: You spoke of your time as

ANNA cHOI • tHE StUDENt LIFE

tSL sat down with Angela Davis between her engagements this week to learn more about what was on her mind as she assumed the Ena H. thompson Distinguished Lectureship.

a college student and how it was an influential source of inspiration for your life’s work. Where did you look as a college student that inspired you to take the path you’ve taken? And how can students do that today? AD: I’ve come to believe that people should follow their own passion. And they should try to figure out how what they’re passionate about can further collective goals. The college, the university, is a place where one gets to reflect, to read broadly. Hopefully, if there is an emphasis on interdisciplinary learning, on the humanities especially. Hopefully, students discover what they are most passionate about. And I discovered when I was in college that I was very passionate about ideas, about literature, history, philosophy, and eventually I came to focus on philosophy. Philosophy as an engagement with the world, philosophy as critical theory, philosophy as raising the kinds of questions that can help us to transform the world. So I found that, and I’m very fortunate that I discovered that at a rather young age. And I still try to follow my passions. But I also try to make them relevant to social change and to the radical understandings of the world. TSL: Definitely. So, in terms of students working right now — you said in a recent New York Times interview that you’re ultimately optimistic about the future of activism in the U.S. Could you talk a bit about what you see today that inspires that for you? AD: Well, I’ve actually been optimistic for a very long time.

Optimistic, not in the sense of assuming that there’s pie in the sky, you know, not not ungrounded optimism, but a kind of hope, that is generated by people coming together standing together and struggling. And I think that I’ve had that hope since I was a child growing up in the most segregated city in the country, as I always point out. And it took me a long time to recognize that to a very great extent I owe it to my mother for encouraging us all, my siblings and myself, to imagine different futures. Growing up under those circumstances, there was so much that was barred to us. And I’m so thankful that she always knew to say that this is not right, things are not organized in the way they should be, and that one day things will be different. So I learned as a really young child to try to imagine a world that was different, even as I inhabited that world of racial segregation and the Ku Klux Klan and police violence, and so forth. So I think it’s a kind of hope that, as Mariame Kaba points out, it’s a kind of hope that’s really a discipline. It’s hope that is crafted and nurtured. And it’s that hope that is passed down to the next generation. And so when you think about it, we’re the recipient of generations of activists who have refused to give up and always held hope for the future. TSL: So, to the point of students finding their place in activism, what could educators and academic institutions be doing to create those spaces for students and sustain that sort of

environment? AD: The challenge, I think, is to guarantee that students acquire the capacity to raise questions. And as far as I’m concerned, that is the very heart of education, not only teaching students how to conduct research and acquire information, but what we do with it. So it seems to me that the most crucial aspect of education is teaching and encouraging students how to constantly engage in that process of questioning. And that involves also questioning those things we take for granted. I always point out the gifts that the trans movement has offered the larger struggle for social justice. What does it mean to question that which seems to absolutely constitute the very foundation of our knowledge? Gender has served that purpose. And to question that means that we can also question other foundational but oftentimes absolutely unrecognized aspects of our lives. TSL: Let’s pivot to 2020, and the sort of collective awakening that happened following the murder of George Floyd. Could you speak to what it was like for you, both in your work and personally, to see that surge of activist sentiment after having worked for these goals for your entire career? AD: As far as I’m concerned, this period has been the most interesting era, this conjuncture, if I put it that way, the coming together of the pandemic and recognition regarding structural racism, especially with respect to

Black and indigenous people. And the lynching of George Floyd, precisely because of that conjunction, compelled people to recognize the structural and systemic character of racism in the police department, in prisons, in the university, in health institutions. And the fact that some of us have been calling for this for decades and decades and decades, the fact that this kind of collective coming to awareness occurred is proof of the importance of doing the kind of organizing that we’ve done, and the need to have a long view. you may not see the consequences of that work within five years or 10 or 20 or 30 years. It may take half of a century before it really begins to make sense, before the message begins to circulate in the way that it has. And, like many of my comrades and people with whom I’ve worked over the years around the issue of abolition, it never occurred to any of us that abolition would enter the mainstream in our lifetime. I mean we, I think we always thought it would. But we could not imagine a moment like this. That so suddenly it would begin to make sense. And I can remember in the 1970s or 1980s, the almost universal response was, “you must be out of your mind.” So it’s been exciting. TSL: You’ve talked about this spike in activism that we’ve seen recently. Looking at history it can feel like these surges come in waves, but activists and organizers aren’t stopping their work in between those events. How can organizers be sure that their work remains elevated as that energy subsides? How can they sustain that collective consciousness? AD: We were talking about before, one never knows when these moments are going to emerge. That conjuncture in 2020 could never have been predicted, no one could have predicted it. But if people had not been consistently organizing, consistently doing the work on campuses and workplaces, in our community, all of those millions of people who were driven out into the streets would never have encountered those ideas. They would not even be familiar with them. So one does the work precisely to be able to seize the time when it arrives. The change often happens in less glamorous ways. So I think what is important is to continue to do that wherever you are, whether you’re on a campus, whether you are a healthcare institution, whether you are in a union. Continue to push for more radical agendas. And eventually there may come a moment when everything clicks and it comes together. If you don’t do the work, if that moment arrives, you will not be able to take advantage of it. This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity. Find the full version at tsl.news.

Turn up the music: 5C singer-songwriters on creating a distinct sound

cOUrtESY: NINA rOGAtZ

Keaton Schiller Sc ‘22 is hoping to pursue music full-time after graduation.

ALLY HUANG Bored of your Spotify “Discover Weekly”? 5C singer-songwriters have even more music for you to check out. In this week’s installment of a student singer-songwriter spotlight, Keaton Schiller SC ’22 reflects on her commitment to the songwriting journey and the showcasing of her creativity through her music. Keaton Schiller SC ’22 Latest release: Single “Lady” by Keats, available on all platforms Schiller first started writing songs when she learned to play the guitar during her senior year of high school. Four years later, as a senior in college, her love of songwriting is still going strong. This year, she released her first single, “Lady,” in collaboration with her older sister, who produces music. “She always said, ‘If you ever want to make a song, tell me, and I’ll work on one with you,’” Schiller said. “And then I finally took

her up on it, and we recorded a full song, and it’s on Spotify now!” Schiller recommends that people listen to “Lady” three times. “Pay attention each time,” she said. “And if you don’t like it after the third, that’s okay, but I always need to listen to a song a few times to get into it. Usually, if you don’t like a song during the first listen, you can notice things that you do like by the third listen. But I think there’s something in the music for everyone.” Despite her busy schedule as a college senior, she tries to improvise on her guitar every day. “Whenever I have something on my mind, I listen to a lot of music, and I’ll sing along,” she said. “Then I’ll have this moment where I’m like, ‘I wish that I had my own lyrics ready, about my own experience, that I could be singing right now. If I have something on my mind, I need to sit down, and I need to just write it all out and try to capture it.”

In particular, she prefers writing ideas down by hand rather than typing them. “There’s something about having the pencil in my hand that feels a little less academic and a little more artistic,” she said. “There’s more room to be creative or different or nonlinear.” Recently, Schiller has realized that she wants to pursue music full-time after she graduates. “I’ve only just started saying that out loud,” she said, “and now I need to figure out what that actually means.” For now, she’s working on taking herself more seriously and advocating for herself. As daunting as that can be, the support she receives from her friends and family helps her feel excited about the path ahead. Denson Camp PO ’24 Latest release: Album “Good Morning, My Love! Tomorrow It’s All Over” by denson camp, available on all platforms Camp hesitates to label his own music, though he reckons indie pop and indie rock might be fitting descriptors. Instead, he is inspired by bands that don’t conform to structure or form and instead focus on unique textures. Some of his songs start out with acoustic guitar but build, melt and dissolve until they become a vivid soundscape. “Once, someone described my music as ‘dream folk,’” he said. “I love that! That’s a fun tag.” Despite playing music for most of his life, Camp didn’t discover his style until midway through his first year of college. Up until January 2020, he “detested” every line he had ever written. Then, before and during the pandemic, when he was taking a break from school, he dedicated himself to music and be-

gan working on his album. Camp finds inspiration from all around him, but only a few of his voice memos ever turn into something more. From fully-formed ideas, he transforms them into melodies and then songs in the final album. Since coming back to campus, he has been unable to find as much time for his music, but he doesn’t see this as a disadvantage. “To have stuff to write about, you have to be living life, and I feel like I’m living life to the fullest right now,” he said. “So maybe the fact that I’m not spending that much time alone in my dorm working on music means that when I eventually do, it’ll be better.” Currently, he feels very content with where he is in his songwriting journey. “People have been really kind and reached out to me about how my first album has connected with them, and that’s the

most important thing for me,” he said. “My goals are really just to hone my craft and be the most honest musician I can be, and then share that with the world in a way that can hopefully positively affect people.” As a starting point, Camp recommends that people listen to “Hello Time!,” his most popular song. Complete with a fun music video on YouTube, he describes the song as one that captures the joy of life and the fleeting nature of special moments. He is also working on two albums that will be hopefully released in 2022. “I’m taking the Frank Ocean strategy of just not releasing anything until it’s perfect,” he said. “So there’s some stuff I’m working on right now that I can’t wait for people to hear.” And of course, he is always looking for collaborators, or simply new friends to jam with. “If you’re a musician,” he added, “hit me up!”

cOUrtESY: DENSON cAMP

the musical style of Denson camp PO ‘24 prioritizes texture over structure.

Arts & Culture

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OctObEr 29, 2021

Patrisse Cullors speaks on abolition, art, ‘creating new worlds’ at Pomona event MARIANA DURAN Last Thursday, prison abolitionist and Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation founder Patrisse Cullors inspired 5C students through an interactive and personal conversation on fostering abolitionist culture. Hosted by Pomona College’s Humanities’ Studio and moderated through a conversation with Cherene Sherrard Johnson, Chair of Pomona’s English department, the event centered around discussing Cullors’ upcoming book, “An Abolitionist’s Handbook: 12 Steps to Changing Yourself and the World.” Cullors’ perception of how societal structures negatively affect the people’s interactions inspired her to write the handbook. “We live in a carceral culture,” she said. “Although the prisons and the jails and the surveillance and courts are these institutions that are outside of us, they have informed how we treat each other.” For Cullors, it’s important people focus on transforming themselves in order to then transform the world, which is why her book focuses on ways individuals can practice abolition within themselves. “We are supposed to be at the vanguard of changing systems in the world, (but) we often interact with one another through the carceral lens,” Cullors said. “... I wanted to remind everyone, including myself, that there’s a different way to be. ... We can get rid of every single system, and then we are still here. And those systems live inside of us.” One way to help individuals practice abolition is through collective care and prioritizing the wellbeing of people in their communities, she proposed. “I think we send the wrong mes-

sage to young folks and our new generation of leaders, that they have to burn themselves out,” Cullors said. “So the challenge is, how do we build an economy that is based on care?” Building this economy of care involves realigning how people relate to one another through important conversations, such as asking neighbors not to call the police on other community members. “Those small moments where we intervene on what we know may happen, actually create more room for love and care and dignity,” Cullors said. “Which is truly what abolitionist culture is about.” Cullors also remarked on the importance of advocating for abolition in the ways with which people felt the most comfortable. Specifically, she highlighted the role of artists in fostering the culture of abolition, something Cullors has personal experiences with as an artist. “I think that artists are often left out of the movement conversation, or sort of invisible in the movement conversation,” Cullors said. “... And I think that’s unfortunate because artists, in my opinion, are going to be able to usher in abolition, because we are the dreamers, the visionaries, and we’re creating new worlds.” Cullors then broadened the scope of her abolitionist conversation with Sherrard Johnson, looking at principles of restorative justice such as how to hold governments and institutions accountable for the harm they induce. “Every community has to have its own answer.” Cullors said. “Through an abolitionist lens, it’s not relying on police and prisons and courts and surveillance. “ Additionally, she underlined

the challenges of collectivizing people and of succession plans in social movements. “I always think … that you should be planning for the next generation,” Cullors said. “... Because the next generation is going to see things that you didn’t see, know things that you don’t know. And they’re going to evolve [the movement].” After Cullors’ and Sherrard-Johnson’s conversation, the conference moved on to a 40-minute Q&A, where 7C students — some of them members of the Claremont Colleges’ Prison Abolition Collective — asked Cullors questions about her work, the abolitionist movement and ways to find joy and motivation in activism. Cullors answered participants’ questions with personal and thorough advice, relating them to her own experiences in her 20

years fighting for abolition. Her responses inspired students to share personal anecdotes about activism in their own communities. She particularly encouraged students to be involved in movements in the ways that felt best to them based on their current situations. “I don’t think you hang onto a movement,” Cullors told a student. “I think you stay in it. And you find your ways to be inside of it that make the most sense for the time, place and condition [you are in].” She also reassured many students who talked about their struggles with maintaining a sense of direction in the movement or feeling as if they sometimes have to resort to a more passive approach. “As abolitionists, we’re not go-

NANAKO NODA • tHE StUDENt LIFE

Prison abolitionist and black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation founder Patrisse cullors spoke at an event hosted by Pomona college’s Humanities’ Studio on tuesday.

Sex-positive cabaret ‘Don’t Tell Mama’ spotlights empowerment, inclusion

WOrKING ON WELLNESS

How to fight FOMO and prioritize yourself SYDNEY LEE

cOUrtESY: SHANNY cOrcOrAN

Spotlight Mt’s newest cabaret “Don’t tell Mama” features themes of sex-positivity and inclusion.

ELIZA POWERS A group of 5C students suggestively pose on stage in raunchy clothing. “Mama, thinks I’m living in a convent, a secluded little convent, in the Southern part of France,” the actors croon to the sensual opening piano notes. “Mama, doesn’t even have an inkling that I’m working in a nightclub, in a pair of lacy pants,” the piano trills. Enter the deep tones of a saxophone. “Hush up, don’t tell Mama. Shush up, don’t tell Mama,” they sing. This is the opening number of the newest cabaret produced by Spotlight MT, the 5Cs’ student-led musical theater group, set to be performed from Nov. 4-6 at Seaver Theater. And while the actors are performing a Broadway number challenging purity culture in 1930s Berlin, their message is topical. Blending Broadway’s raunchiest numbers, “Don’t Tell Mama” isn’t exactly a show for Pomona Family Weekend. “These are the kinds of songs you can only perform at a college,” Spotlight MT teased in its casting call. “Here’s a moment you know... you’re fucked,” they sing from the Broadway musical “Spring Awakening.” And from “Legally Blonde”: “Look at my ass, look at my thighs.” “Elvis, Elvis, let me be. Keep that pelvis far from me,” the actors sing from “Grease” in one number. In another, dancers glide and shimmy to “Does Your Mother Know?” from “Mamma Mia.” “Don’t Tell Mama” is a collaborative process, as actors and directors stitch a dozen Broadway shows together to make a cabaret of their own. “The show is filled with a

bunch of confident people. It’s fantastic,” said Faith Henderson, PO ’25, a singer and dancer in the show. The rehearsals are high energy: Downtime between numbers is filled with students helping each other learn some last-minute choreography or practicing costume changes. Dancer and singer Nisha Saboo PO ’25 loves the transformative environment “Don’t Tell Mama” offers. “I get to be Elle Woods,” Saboo said. “And I’m the least Elle Woods person ever, so it’s really fun portraying that character.” Yet there’s more to the raunchy fun. Underneath the cabaret lies a strong message of sex-positivity and inclusion. “The entire process of the show, the directors and the staff have been really conscious of people’s comfortability,” Henderson said. Actors have autonomy over their participation: What costumes they feel comfortable wearing, what songs they’d like to participate in and what dance moves feel right for them. “Our amazing crew told us so many times, ‘If you’re not comfortable with something, tell us, and we’ll modify it’,” Saboo said. The rehearsal process has been affirmed by a culture of sexual empowerment and open dialogue. “On the first day itself, we had a lengthy conversation about comfort levels and open communication when it comes to making sure everybody is comfortable,” Saboo said. “It’s one thing understanding your own boundaries, but it’s another understanding someone else’s and being respectful of them.”

ing to snap our fingers, and then the whole thing comes crumbling down,” Cullors said. “But there are ways where you chip away at it. For example, body cameras and police training does not chip away at it ... But defunding, reallocating resources, putting them into community needs and social services [do] ... We didn’t get rid of it all the way. But we’re getting close.” Moreover, Cullors emphasized the importance of preserving a movement’s integrity while working under oppressive structures — and of staying in a movement’s work even when it was not trending in order to be prepared when the movement returned to the mainstream. “Movements never die ... but the perception of them changes based on who’s leading that megaphone,” Cullors said. “But we are always here.”

The show was born from a shared vision that began last year, when Annie Lewis PZ ’23 and Rosie Corr PO ’23 developed a friendship in a directing class taught by Jessie Mills, professor of theater and dance at Pomona. Both Lewis and Corr, who co-direct “Don’t Tell Mama,” committed to fostering a welcoming environment. “In our course, we really talked a lot about how theater has such a harmful power hierarchy,” Corr said. She spoke of her and Lewis’ shared commitment as directors “to … not abuse that power, to make everybody feel welcomed.” “A lot of times people use this hierarchy to diminish other people’s work or to really exert their power,” Lewis said. “And that’s not what Rosie and I want to do at all. We ask the actors what they want to do. Because at the end of the day, if we’re giving them a direction that they don’t vibe with, it’s not going to look good, and they’re going to be uncomfortable.” As “Don’t Tell Mama” advocates for inclusion and collaboration, it’s fitting that students from all years and every 5C except Harvey Mudd College is participating. With Spotlight MT, there’s a job for everyone: Students work as music directors, lighting designers, dance choreographers and costume designers. “I really cannot sing,” Lewis joked. “But I’m a part of Spotlight MT because I’m a director.” “Don’t Tell Mama” is showing at the Large Studio in the Seaver Theatre Nov 4-6, 8 p.m.

As summer neared its end, I looked at the new school year with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. I knew that my senior year would come with new responsibilities: finding a permanent job after graduation, assuming a leadership role in the activities I was involved in and completing my senior thesis. Regardless, I felt an overwhelming excitement when I thought about reconnecting with people and competing with the women’s tennis team on campus. I thought that the transition to campus life and in-person classes would be close to seamless — but when I arrived on campus, I was faced with a different reality, and I know others experienced similar challenges. Even though students were excited about in-person classes, the majority of students were most eager to engage in the 5C social scene. The current juniors and seniors only sampled the 5C experience, so many were anxious to reunite with their peers and re-immerse themselves in on-campus activities. The sophomores, who started their college experience virtually, were in a similar social and academic position as the freshmen but were beginning their second year in college. For upperclassmen and sophomores, the new school year is an opportunity to make up for lost time, and for freshmen, this year is the beginning of their college career. But in some respects, the return to in-person classes makes balancing a social life and high academic standing more difficult to achieve: Students are unable to attend class from the comfort of their bed, have timed and closednote exams and need to stick to more rigid schedules. For all students, but especially the sophomores and freshmen, who didn’t have the full academic experience until this year, this rigidity in daily schedules is taking extra adjustment. This year more than ever, FOMO (fear of missing out) is making it difficult for students to achieve a healthy work-life balance. During the first month, I had more difficulty readjusting to campus life than I anticipated, overwhelmed by the pressure to reconnect with peers and to succeed academically. However,

MArIA JOSE NAJAS • tHE StUDENt LIFE

I eventually realized that I needed to prioritize my mental well-being in order to maximize productivity and the time I spent with my friends. I made some adjustments to my lifestyle after one particularly difficult week, and since then, I’ve been less stressed and more satisfied with the quality of my schoolwork. These are several methods I find are helpful for managing my work and social life. Use a planner and/or calendar This might seem basic, but it is underutilized and makes a significant difference. I find that writing out assignment deadlines, exam dates and social events with friends on my Moleskine planner, Google Calendar and Notion help me avoid overcommitting myself. I almost always have Google Calendar notifications reminding me about events on my schedule and set small goals for long-term assignments to reduce cramming-induced stress. Respond instead of react — and say “no” Even if students have impending academic deadlines, they may prioritize social events for fear of missing out on a memorable moment with their friends. Students who turn down social opportunities for academic reasons are sometimes judged for not being “fun” — but this shouldn’t be the case. When I’m invited to a social event, I avoid responding immediately if possible. In the moment, I might minimize my other responsibilities to rationalize my decision to attend the event, but if I give myself time to review my schedule, I am less likely to make a decision I regret. Allot time to be alone When students do have free time and no impending deadlines, they feel pressure to fill it with friends. The past year and a half of being isolated from others adds to this pressure, but everyone needs time alone to recharge their social battery. It’s harder for people to dedicate their full attention to those they care about if they’re running on fumes. More benefits to solitude include increased creativity and mental well-being. Solitude allows our thoughts to unravel and gives us the opportunity to focus on ourselves rather than those around us, encouraging personal growth and reducing judgment towards others. I enjoy having time to myself, and I typically recharge by reading, scrolling through TikTok, watching TV or walking. Sometimes, I drive to a coffee shop (RIP the Motley), grab a meal alone or nap. As finals and thesis season loom ahead, time management will become even more important. It’s equally important to be forgiving with ourselves and others as we struggle to balance our academics, social life and mental health together. Sydney Lee CM ‘22 is TSL’s health and wellness columnist. She’s a psychology and media studies dual major and likes hiking, coffee, and the Oxford comma.

OpiniOns

OctOber 29, 2021

PAGe 7

OpiniOn: Yik Yak is the unspoken hero of the 5Cs PORTER REYES The original Yik Yaks quoted in this article have been edited for grammatical accuracy and clarity. CW: Mentions of suicide Yik Yak, the 2013 social media app which allows users to post and comment anonymously to those within a five-mile radius, has become prevalent at the 5Cs this year. The topics of posts include whatever is on people’s minds, a lot of which they wouldn’t talk about publicly, like academic insecurities, issues with the 5Cs, mental health, drugs and above all, sex. Based on the persona many 5C students assume, we might think that our peers are more put together than the average college student — but one look at the “hot” (trending) Yik Yak page may change your mind. “Someone smoke weed and make out with me,” wrote one user on Sept. 23. “Might just finger myself to sleep tonight instead of f***ing these Trump-loving CMC boys,” wrote another on Sept. 24. “F*** a situationship let’s be friends who smash sometimes,” someone posted on Sept. 29. On Oct. 12, during the week before Family Weekend (a time when many final assessments are due), there were several posts about academics and mental health: “Someone rid me of the desire for academic validation;” “imposter syndrome [is] hitting real hard these days;” “I feel like over the past week Yik Yak has gotten considerably less horny and considerably more desperate and depressed.” Based on these posts alone — and there are plenty more where those came from — 5C students feel incredibly comfortable sharing whatever is on their mind through Yik Yak. At colleges where it is easy to fall victim to imposter syndrome and feel inferior to our peers, Yik Yak is a good reminder that we’re all going through similar things and none of us really know what

we’re doing (like almost all college students). “Guess who is officially pregnant. Yik Yak is the first to know,” said one person from Scripps College on Oct. 24. On the same day, someone from Pomona College wrote “Guess who is officially not pregnant.” “[I] saw them kissing someone else, call me claremont crushed,” said a person from Pomona on Oct. 24. “Maybe if I dress up as a condom for Halloween he won’t use me,” said a post from someone at Scripps, which received 119 upvotes. “Should I just tell her I like her?” asked someone from Claremont McKenna College on the same day; the post got 70 upvotes. As funny as Yik Yak is, and how nice it can be to read the unfiltered thoughts of our peers, some argue that the platform could be harmful due to the potential for bullying and hate speech. Consequently, some have proposed to ban Yik Yak at colleges. Yik Yak’s alleged contribution to abusive behavior may have been partly responsible for its downfall and subsequent four-year hiatus. However, following its return in August 2021, Yik Yak implemented policies — so-called “Community Guardrails”— which counteract bullying by establishing rules that, if broken, could result in an immediate ban of the offending user. These guidelines make Yik Yak safer by mitigating instances of abuse as much as possible while allowing the platform to maintain its guiding premise of anonymity. Frankly, the most severe bullying I have witnessed on 5C Yik Yak is directed at The Student Life’s Opinion section, but in my opinion the relentless mocking is funny and harmless, and surely not enough to justify a ban of Yik Yak at the Claremont Colleges. On Oct. 22, three people expressed their opinions about the TSL Opinion section: “Claremont crushes posts more controversial stuff than TSL

SeLeNA LOPeZ • tHe StUDeNt LIFe

opinions;” “leaked TSL Opinion: Racism bad.” Along with the potential harm Yik Yak can bring, its positive and even lifesaving effects must be considered. Reportedly, suicide intervention has occurred on Yik Yak, with users responding kindly to those expressing suicidal thoughts. An example of this can be seen within the 5C community as recently as Oct. 23: “[I’m] not going to lie, [I’m] feeling suicidal right now. Hopefully I wake up feeling better,” someone posted with a crossed fingers emoji. “Do you need someone to talk to? I can give you my number hun,” a user responded. “Nah, just need to sleep it off,” the original poster replied. “Alright, just know that people care about you. I’ve been there and trust me, it’s not worth it,” said the same user. “It gets better, I pinky-promise,” they added in a subsequent comment. A few other people, presumably stu-

We need more women-specific academic programs at the 5Cs YUTONG NIU At the Claremont Colleges, I see countless women thriving in various academic fields. Sometimes I forget that academia is a male-dominated sphere that still requires structural change to bring inclusiveness and accessibility. Individual students’ efforts and overachievement cannot cover up the systematic challenges that women have to confront. Despite the accomplishments of women across the campuses, there is a general lack of women-specific academic programs at the 5Cs. The colleges should devote more resources to support female students’ academic development — in forms of fellowship, mentorship and workshops — to support their navigation in academia and cultivate leadership that will hopefully make meaningful changes to their respective fields. The brutal history of male privilege in access to education contributes to women’s underrepresentation in academia today. Research in 2018 showed that in the United States, women accounted for barely over a third (34.3 percent) of professors, though women held over half (57 percent) of all instructor positions, among the lowest ranking positions in academia. In college classrooms, female students report a much higher rate of exclusion and inaccessibility, especially in fields like STEM and politics, where men have historically had opportunities that were denied to their female counterparts, and women often face spoken or unspoken barriers that discourage them from entering the field. To address these structural problems, institutions such as universities, think tanks and corporations have designed women-specific programs where they

channel resources to systematically provide female students with exposure and mentorship in underrepresented fields. Promising momentum to lift up women is also seen in the Claremont Colleges with the various communities and student clubs such as Women in Computer Science and Claremont Women in Business, but they are limited and mostly pre-professional opportunities. The lack of institutional efforts in the 5Cs to support academic-driven female students is concerning. Among the four coed colleges, only Claremont McKenna College has the institutional setup of the Women and Leadership Alliance, which works with CMC’s research institutes and centers to promote gender inclusiveness and highlight issues faced by women in business, government and similar professions. Besides the Women and Gender Leadership Fund that supports student projects to build awareness and empower women and other gender identities, most of the Women and Leadership Alliance’s past events are educational workshops with invited speakers from various fields. Limited initiatives like this, that ensure gender inclusiveness and equal representation, have been identified at Pomona College and Pitzer College. Although the Claremont Colleges are known for the abundant academic resources to support students’ pursuits regardless of their gender, we should never take the progressive and equitable environment at the 5Cs for granted. Once women enter academia or related professional fields after graduation, they still have to struggle with the complexities of navigating the male-oriented norms and resources, and setting

ALYSSA LeONG • tHe StUDeNt LIFe

the claremont colleges must devote more resources to female students’ academic development and to programs that confront systemic challenges in academia, argues Yutong Niu PO ’23.

foot in games where rules were made by men. Thus, the 5Cs have to dedicate more institutional efforts to equipping academic-driven female students with the necessary support for real-world challenges that they very likely will face in their career. Resources in the form of fellowships, research opportunities, workshops and mentorships that target female students are very much needed to bring about positive changes across academia in terms of gender inclusiveness and equality. As the nation’s leading consortium of academic institutions known for the premier liberal arts education, the Claremont Colleges should shoulder the responsibility to cultivate the next generation of leaders, scholars and engaged members of society — and more importantly, to institute progressive propulsion to address systemic problems long existing in society. We have seen a promising start across campuses. This year, Pomona College and CMC’s Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies co-sponsored the new Women in Security (WIS) Workshop. They support the four selected fellows with resources to navigate post-graduate academic and career opportunities in the security space in which women have been traditionally underrepresented. Other on-campus centers and academic departments should follow such footsteps to devise more programs to engage not only female students, but all students of other underrepresented gender identities, in their respective academic fields. Seeing our female peers’ academic accomplishments in the 5Cs sometimes makes us overlook the systemic inequality that will require several generations’ efforts to fix and revise. It is now perhaps hard to imagine the challenges and obstacles that your female TA or class mentor has to confront in her late 20s, but it should not be hard for the institutions and educators to acknowledge the problem and gather resources to support the next generation of scholars that they dedicate to uplift. Yutong Niu PO ’23 is from Shenyang, China. She appreciates the opportunity from the Women in Security program, which encouraged her to take a step further in security studies rather than wandering around the Carnegie basement.

dents, offered their support as well. The person experiencing suicidal ideation posted an update in the morning: “[I] woke up feeling better,” with a smiley face emoji. In addition to suicide intervention, Yik Yak has been used as a platform to discuss urgent issues on college campuses. For example, at Syracuse University, students used Yik Yak to organize protests in response to sexual assault and rape culture in fraternities. At the 5Cs, while it does not appear that significant demonstrations have been organized through Yik Yak, students recently discussed a rumored fight which involved a security guard at the Viva Latinoamerica party thrown on the night of Oct. 23: “Can someone explain what happened with the security guard situation?” “Not a security guard fighting students??????” “[What] the f*** is going on with campus security… transphobic?” These posts

may foreshadow Yik Yak becoming a tool at the Claremont Colleges to disseminate information about violations of equity and allowing students to organize without fear of retribution from the administration. Yik Yak’s anonymous platform may give rise to the possibility of cyberbullying, but especially in light of Yik Yak’s new protective policies, Yik Yak can still serve as a positive force at the 5Cs. In addition to providing a space for potential suicide intervention, mental health support and activist organizing, Yik Yak connects us to our peers by reminding us that while many of us are overachievers, we are not inhuman. Yik Yak makes it evident that most of us are not so different from other college students: aimless, struggling with mental health and very, very horny. Porter Reyes PO ’25 is from Manhattan, New York. He is a political junkie who enjoys internet drama.

Find the line between humorous self-deprecation and self-hatred

LAUrA JArAMILLO • tHe StUDeNt LIFe

MISHAAL IJAZ The night before a difficult exam, I found myself jokingly telling my friends, “I am way too dumb for this.” However, I am not alone. I have heard numerous people say something negative about their intellectual capabilities in a humorous manner. While we are making these comments light-heartedly, we don’t realize that self-deprecation can affect our self-esteem and academic performance. While I agree that not taking yourself too seriously is important for your well-being, constant negativity in the name of self-deprecating humor can become damaging. It is essential to limit how you use self-deprecating humor so that you don’t fall into a cycle of pure self-hatred. It is known that self-deprecating humor shows that you have self-awareness. For example, if you have a bad hairstyle one day and tell your friends “My hair is so ugly,” you are engaging in normal self-deprecation. You are telling others and yourself that you don’t take yourself or your appearance too seriously. However, self-deprecation can be much deeper than what most people think. We use it to deny ourselves credit for our great achievements and to continuously make ourselves smaller in order to seem extremely humble. It is essentially a normalized form of extreme negativity when we don’t know how to manage it. Yes, we can make it humorous, but the roots of self-deprecation are very negative. While studies are still coming out, some research has shown that the words we say to ourselves can affect the things we see and feel. In simpler terms, our words can have a profound impact on how we view ourselves, even if we claim we are joking. Other evidence has shown that sometimes we sacrifice our self-worth in order to get a laugh from those around us. Constant-

ly self-deprecating is not worth making people giggle. The key is to use self-deprecation in moderation, and to not make your struggles your only punchline. I understand that self-deprecation is funny and that it can bring people who are all dealing with similar struggles together. However, there is a limit where it stops being funny. If self-deprecating humor is actually affecting your self-esteem, it may be smart to cut down on some of your jokes. Trust me, you can be funny without constantly degrading yourself. If you can’t tell if you’re taking self-deprecating jokes too far, look around at your audience. If your jokes seem to be falling flat, it’s probably because they are making everyone uncomfortable. Blatant and constant negativity can make people uneasy. I am not suggesting that you constantly shower yourself in compliments and forgo all forms of sarcastic self-deprecation. That is simply unrealistic and unnecessary. All I am saying is to critically examine if self-deprecating humor is significantly affecting your confidence and abilities. If the answer is yes, it may be time to make a change. Before you take tests, try telling yourself that you have prepared the best you can instead of telling your peers, “I’m going to do so badly.” That small shift in thinking can help you feel more confident before and during the test. Even if your self-deprecating humor gets people’s attention because of the shock value, you should question if that attention is helpful for you long-term. If people find you funny, that’s great! But how people perceive you may not be worth feeling miserable about yourself behind closed doors. Treat yourself like you would treat a trusted friend, and say kind words to yourself when you can. Having a good self-esteem can be difficult, but choosing your words carefully can have a profound impact. Mishaal Ijaz SC ’24 is from San Diego, California. She tries self-affirmation exercises on bad days.

OpiniOns

PAGe 8

Pomona College has failed in its handling of COVID-19

OctOber 29, 2021

Highway 101 wildlife corridor could make LA County a beacon of conservation WILLA FRANK

Students were absent from campus for 18 months. It took less than eight weeks to realize how drastically Pomona College had failed to prepare for a return to in-person education during a pandemic. Two weeks ago, President G. Gabrielle Starr sent a weekly update to students with a mere sentence informing the community of seven new positive COVID-19 cases on campus. The email’s undertone was optimistic, highlighting the declining case rate in Los Angeles County. What most students didn’t see was the chaos behind the school’s response to these cases. With ineffective guidelines, a poor administrative response and arbitrary punishments, Pomona has showcased a complete disregard for the physical and emotional wellbeing of students amidst its COVID-19 response. Even in the most basic of COVID-19 preparedness, Pomona lacks the efficiency necessary to protect its community. Effective communication with students is key to promoting a healthy environment. However, with a dangerously slow process of informing students they have tested positive and a confusing system of contact tracing, Pomona created alarming fear among students. Regarding protocol on being moved into quarantine, do not assume that receiving an email without a subsequent call from Student Health Services (SHS) implies a negative result. Numerous students within the past three weeks received a positive test result at night and were not contacted by SHS until the next morning at 9 a.m. With only a test result in hand, these students had no clear instructions as to immediate next steps. These delays leave COVID-19-positive students to fear for the health and safety of their roommates and friends as well as themselves. Once placed in quarantine, Pomona continues to demonstrate a neglect for students who test positive: Numerous times, quarantined students had to call to get their food delivered to their room as it was either sent to the wrong room or just forgotten. I also know of one student with dietary restrictions that were routinely not met. Aside from nutritional concerns, the rooms in which these students spent 10 days barely met living standards. One student was not delivered hand soap until halfway through quarantine. For weeks, the Pomona community has received Starr’s confident emails that the school was safe from a rise in infection rates. Students have been lured into a false sense of security. In the event of a global pandemic, constant optimism is not the way to prepare students for the inevitability of an increasing case rate and potential safety risk. Walking into such a situation completely unaware of the

The largest wildlife corridor in the world is slated to be built across Highway 101 in Agoura Hills, with the groundbreaking set for January 2022. The project, run by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), will set an example of restorative conservation at state, national and global levels. In a critical victory for environmentalists, this wildlife corridor will provide a safe crossing space for animals over a highway on which an estimated 300,000 cars travel each day. The National Wildlife Federation has been working on this project for over a decade. When a road, especially an eight-lane freeway, divides an ecosystem in pieces, it creates two new ecosystems with one sharp edge. This edge affects both plants and animals, and weakens genetic diversity by dividing populations. One key species that has become the face of this groundbreaking corridor is mountain lions — one of the most vulnerable species in the country — such as poster child P-22, who now resides in Griffith Park but has been seen dangerously crossing the 101 and 405 freeways. As a keystone species, strengthening the mountain lion (also known as cougar) population will have rippling positive effects for other local animals such as coyotes, mule deer, rabbits and even insects and vegetation. Wildlife corridors are a key way that we, as humans, can make reparations to wildlife for our invasion and infringement upon their habitats. Wildlife corridors have been around since the mid-century and are increasingly popular in Europe, while the U.S. has lagged behind. They have been shown to be successful, especially with deft

OFF THE RECORD

ABBY LOISELLE

XIAO JIANG • tHe StUDeNt LIFe Pomona college’s handling of cOVID-19 cases on campus has been worrying, inefficient and endangering, argues Abby Loiselle PO ’23.

likelihood that students get sick is throwing everyone to the wolves. Anxiety levels will rise faster than the case rate on sports teams. In general, the conflicting messages from the administrative branches at the school regarding COVID-19 protocol have been incredibly worrisome. Pomona-Pitzer’s athletic department told student-athletes that they could not leave their rooms unless it was to get food or attend class. Meanwhile, SHS informed these individuals that they were free to exercise or be outside as long as they were alone. The athletic department also told students that they had to reach out to the contact tracers to ask if they should be in modified quarantine after having been in contact with a student who tested positive. Keep in mind, in the interest of privacy, these students were not supposed to know which of their peers had tested positive. The message was, essentially, “ask not what the contact tracers can do for you, but what you can do for the contact tracers.” Modified quarantine is not the ideal solution that the Pomona administration would like its students to believe. According to school rules, those in modified quarantine are allowed to attend classes. But what about a professor’s comfort level, or that of their classmates? Numerous professors expressed the desire that students who were exposed to COVID-19 avoid attending in-person instruction. Regardless of L.A. County’s guidelines, the school’s protocol did not solicit perspectives from those whom these rules would directly impact. Further failing to consider the people affected by these administrative decisions, the punishment assigned to those who

break COVID-19 protocol is entirely arbitrary. The suspension of Drew “Ziggy” Carter PO ’23 is a key example of the harm Pomona has caused its students in order to promote a brand of student compliance towards safety measures. If the goal is to promote a learning experience for students who make mistakes, the school should not be so quick to impose strict, punitive action. There are no benefits to forcing a student off campus for failing to comply with rigid rules that do not make exceptions for extenuating circumstances. Particularly when the administration refuses to comment on these disciplinary actions, there is no learning experience for the rest of campus. No one is benefiting from these closed-door conversations and hushed punishments. Students are expected to fear this mysterious “COVID task force” in order to stay in line. The lack of transparency in Pomona’s administrative decisions regarding COVID-19 is demonstrative of their utter lack of regard for students’ mental well-being. There has been no intention behind any COVID-19 policy decision made this year. It has been either performative or a theft of students’ time on campus and in some cases, the cost of their tuition. Cases will continue to appear on campus in the coming months. It’s time to stop hiding behind closed doors. Pomona should be held accountable for protecting not only the health of the student body, but their mental and emotional well-being.

Willa Frank PO ’25 is from Cambridge, Massachusetts. She enjoys petting every dog ever on Marston Quad and professing her love for New England to no one in particular.

cOUrteSY: cLArK SteVeNS

With construction set to begin next year on a wildlife corridor across Highway 101, Los Angeles county marks a new standard for habitat conservation in the United States, writes Willa Frank PO ’25.

Jasper’s Crossword: Rake it in

Abby Loiselle PO ’23 is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She runs for Pomona-Pitzer cross country.

Halloweekend has arrived! I can finally wear my 2-year-old costime!

It’s on a Sunday. to get drunk or to do my homework?

T-2 weeks until Red (Taylor’s Version) The vault will finally be unlocked!

T-3 weeks until 30 time to mass purchase tissues :.(

Angela Davis finally came! better a year late than never.

Ticket scalpers exist at the 5Cs? What happened to “praxis?”

New House of Gucci trailer dropped Lady Gaga is coming for her second Oscar!

How is it still a month away? I need it NOW!

THE SPOOKY LIFE Edi-GORE-ial BOO-ard KILL-YA AL-GOTCHA, Witch-in-Chief CASPER THE UNFRIENDLY DAVID-GHOST, Managing Witch CLAIRVOYANT DOOM-ONT, Managing Witch

Scary Staff JAMES SCAR-STEN, Production Witch SKULL-LENA LOPEZ, Production Witch GRACE SAW-ERS, News Dementor STEAL-A CHAINS, Opinions Dementor SCARE-IS KIM, Sports Dementor ATE-A HEART-MAN, Copy Killer SI-MOAN NIKITINA, Copy Killer ANNA DESTROI, Photo Witch HAUNT-AKO YODA, Photo Witch MARIANA BOO-RAN, Graphics Witch

architectural design that allows the crossing to blend into the surrounding landscape and includes noise and light-blocking barriers. These crossings have been shown to dramatically reduce roadkill occurrences while increasing genetic diversity by reconnecting the two (or more) populations stranded on either side of the roadway. With this incredible proposal, Los Angeles County could become, in a surprise twist, a trailblazer for environmental conservation. In many ways, Los Angeles County seems the most unlikely place for conservation success, which is why this project is so impactful — if LA can do it, anyone can. This is a story to watch as it finally breaks ground — advocates have been fighting for this for 10 years—this winter. This project has garnered $72 million dollars of private funding and significant political support. This is proof that the public values protecting animals and their habitats — if only governmental institutions would be bold enough to listen and take action toward these ambitious endeavours. With the projected reparation of the surrounding wildlife, conservationists should use this shining new example as ammunition to push for corridors around the country. These structures are one of the most successful tools we have for repairing the broken patchwork of habitats we have left in the wake of our shortsighted development, especially on the fringe of urban landscapes, where the lines between wilderness and urbanity blur the most for local animals. This wildlife corridor should spark hope in the conservation community — it sets a higher bar for urban restoration.

ANURADHA CRYPT-NAN, News Witch JENNA MCMURDER-TRY, News Witch SPOOKY SWIFT, News Assassin LURKIN’ BARNARD-BONE, Arts & Culture Witch MEANA BOO-VA, Arts & Culture Witch HANNAH CLEAVER, Arts & Culture Assassin A-SHRIEK-A JINDEL, Opinions Witch BEN REAPER, Opinions Witch ELIXIR CHUN, Sports Witch

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

JASPer DAVIDOFF • tHe StUDeNt LIFe

ACROSS 2. BTS boy Kim ___-Joon 4. Like some gyros or kebabs 7. Get away from 8. Kind of coat or test 11. Charlamagne ___ God 13. You need 10 for a first down 14. Donated 15. Throne’s next occupant 17. Short of 18. Tent spikes 20. Place for talk on the airwaves 22. Download illegally 23. Freakonomics host Stephen 24. Certain Ikea purchase 25. Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray 27. Entangle (in problems, perhaps) 28. Headed up 29. It’s probably worth a scratch 31. Prefix with gender 32. What this puzzle — or your friends — might say during 33-down 35. Liz who sings “Why Can’t I?” 36. Stephen Curry’s org. 37. Comedian who created Heads Up! 39. Buffoon 41. Real estate workers 44. Conclusion 45. Commotion 46. What water may or may not be 48. The Matterhorn, e.g. 50. It might cause the apocalypse, briefly 51. Insult DOWN 1. Biden’s is $400,000 2. 40s-era missile project 3. Org. working for safe roads 4. Opening phrase for an iPhone

user 5. Think _____ (not respect as much) 6. What some kids might be ‘stuck in’ 8. Body bordering Cleveland and Buffalo 9. Gets payback for 10. Top-tier 11. Jones on jazz trumpet 12. Embarrassing shot 14. Tasty pairing with tikka masala 16. Was present for a long time 19. Streetcar 21. Right in front of you 22. Puccini opera 24. Canonized nun from Ávila 26. Phrase with like or as 30. CNN spinoff channel 33. See 32-across 34. Woodwind prominent in Swan Lake 38. Zip 40. “OMG let’s goooo!!!” 41. Tin, on the table 42. Au, on the table 43. Word before star or slug 47. Letters before 84, in a classroom 49. 3.1415926... how much time you got? LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

OpiniOns

OctOber 29, 2021

PAGe 9

Harvey Mudd first-years need sleep, not 8 a.m. classes SERENA MAO BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Why won’t the microwave be quiet? Oh wait, that’s the 7:00 a.m. alarm — it’s time to wake up. Though many students may claim to sympathize, their alarms likely ring a couple hours later than this. Harvey Mudd College first-years, on the other hand, do not have that luxury. The perpetrator of this struggle is HMC’s flagship core curriculum, and it’s a boon for students in multiple ways. By having each student take a predetermined and diverse set of courses, Mudders can explore each STEM discipline to their heart’s content, discovering where their true passions lie. At the same time, they have access to their entire class to find possible study partners; everyone takes the same courses and completes the same assignments. What’s being taught in the core is great — just not when. Every school day for first-years starts before 9:00 a.m., with most students powering through 7:40 and 8:00 a.m. classes. In fact, there’s widespread jealousy of students with 8:50 a.m. chemistry classes, a hard-to-believe reality for those from other colleges whose classes might all start after lunchtime. Worse, it’s not that some naive first-years dreamed of being early bird students and fell short; rather, they can’t choose their core class times. Still, one can infer the philosophy behind this seemingly torturous schedule. If students have early class, they are forced to wake up early and be productive, in contrast with the “lazy” students that may sleep in for

half the day until their classes start in the afternoon. Thus, the much-dreaded alarm acts as a temporary nuisance that culminates in more time to work throughout the rest of the day. As one may guess, though, this isn’t exactly how it plays out. Mudd first-years work hard, and working hard doesn’t exactly go well with no sleep. After their morning classes, many of my peers just hop back in bed, more than eager to make up for their lost sleep. This effectively negates any benefit of waking up early: Students only woke up for their class, not for the rest of the day. If anything, their sleep is disrupted by the unwanted interruption, and it only harms their overall restfulness. Yet, this aforementioned scenario is still the most tame out of all the possibilities. More often than not, even if students do attend class and go back to bed afterwards, they aren’t exactly the most mentally present during their lectures and discussions. Forcing students teetering on the brink of sleep to attend class has minimal benefit on academic outcomes; no one learns when they’re about to pass out. In fact, I’ve sat in lectures where the entire back row is knocked out with heads laying on desks — even the desire to show the teacher respect is outweighed by a simple lack of sleep. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. As the semester progresses, students increasingly contemplate ditching class; simultaneously, I’ve watched the numbers in my morning chemistry class drop week after

week. If students simply choose not to wake up, all the benefits of early class go out the window — and they most definitely aren’t learning effectively, if anything at all. This isn’t just empty rhetoric; schools across the country that have shifted their start times later have seen improved academic performance, even when it means students spend more time sleeping rather than working. A significant contributor to this effect is circadian rhythm. Teenagers and younger adults, which describes most firstyears, have a circadian rhythm that prefers waking up and

cOUrteSY: DeePWAter HOrIZON reSPONSe

Having grown up in Orange County, the shores of Huntington Beach always greet me with a strong sense of nostalgia: Fiveyear-old me loved getting swept up under the beach’s waves, and high-school me enjoyed shopping and eating along the pier. On Oct. 2, between 25,000 and 131,000 gallons of oil leaked from a pipeline off the coast of Southern California and turned the Huntington Beach that I remember into a wasteland. A history of carelessness by oil companies stemming from government complicity will continue to spark disastrous economic and environmental consequences unless offshore oil drilling stops. One similarity links the large 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill and the now 2021 Orange County spill — oil companies’ failure to self-regulate. In Santa Barbara, Union Oil failed to implement required safety precautions that would have prevented blowouts, and in the Exxon spill, a broken radar and drunk captain caused an oil tanker collision. Following this trend, even after alarms alerted workers to a potential leak, Southern California operators waited over three hours before shutting off the valve and alerting authorities. The consequences of the most recent oil spill will last longer and are more damaging than what seemingly quick cleanup efforts would have people believe. Environmental scientists Andrea Bonisoli Alquati and Ronald Tjeerdema describe the cascading effects of oil spills that stem from dead marine life. The deaths of marine algae, plants and larvae

Serena Mao HM ’25 is from Fremont, California. She’s tried practically every method to stay awake in class except going to sleep earlier.

cHrIS NArDI • tHe StUDeNt LIFe

the Orange county oil spill provides further evidence that california must end all offshore oil drilling in the state, argues Kenny Le PZ ’25.

have entirely disrupted California’s coastal food chains. Even when not physically coated, existing oil in the water, air, and food that is absorbed by marine life and birds causes long-term problems like cancer and neurological damage. Loss of plant life may also lead to erosion that collapses small ecosystems along California’s shores. Alongside existing compounding effects from climate change, seismic drilling and pollution, the environment may never fully recover from these spills. Economically, Orange County businesses and taxpayers will suffer. A Huntington Beach class-action lawsuit claims damages of $5 million from a loss of business after the oil spill. Another lawsuit from fishermen and boat captains alleges massive damages (exact number to be determined in trial) from a loss of sea life that funds fishermen’s businesses. As time goes on, more lawsuits from the government and residents will follow. However, Amplify Energy, the owner of the leaked pipeline, will not pay off all these damages: taxpayers will. Not only was Amplify bankrupt four years ago, taxpayers have also already federally subsidized them to the tune of $20 million because of a lack of profit. Taxpayers subsidizing oil companies after spills is not a recent phenomenon: The federal government subsidized Veneco, which was responsible for the Refugio oil spill in 2015, after they declared bankruptcy twice. Both state and federal legislators continue to be blindsided, judging from the fact that at any point since the Santa Barbara disaster, they could have

grades are widely seen in experiments across the United States. Even California recently passed a new law requiring middle and high schools in urban areas to start later, further bolstering the argument for later start times. For the sake of the physical and mental well-being of its students, HMC needs to follow in the footsteps of its home state. Although the idea behind the infamous 8:00 a.m. is commendable, Mudd firstyears need more time to snooze.

Pushing back the start times of HMc core classes means students will be better rested and more productive, argues Serena Mao HM ’25.

California can’t afford more spills—stop current and future offshore oil drilling

KENNY LE

going to sleep later, something that is unique when compared to older adults. In other words, it is far more comfortable for the body to stay up and sleep in, so later start times would reduce the need for first-years to battle with what feels natural. That doesn’t mean they would become any less productive; aligning our schedules with our circadian rhythms intuitively improves academic performance and attentiveness. The solution is simple: HMC needs to push its core course start times back. Even if for just half an hour, the benefits of this change for student health and

stopped these oil spills from happening. California may have stopped issuing new offshore drilling leases beginning in 1969, but permits on existing platforms continue. Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration, even with his campaign platform heavily revolving around the environment, issued five offshore oil drilling permits for drilling on California’s present facilities. The federal government isn’t doing much better: Earlier this month, concurrent with President Joe Biden’s powerful speeches about climate change disasters during Hurricane Ida, his administration moved to expand offshore drilling by leasing 78 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico for fossil fuel exploration. The administration argues it is required by a court order to do so (since the process for the lease was initiated under the previous administration), but many environmental groups argue that the federal government has the authority to cancel it. The West Coast Ocean Protection Act introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., aims to ban new drilling off the West Coast; however, existing oil leases would remain. The only way to decisively stop oil spills is to end all offshore oil drilling, present and future. If federal and state legislatures do not decommission existing offshore oil rigs, oil spills will continue to cause environmental disaster. Kenny Le PZ ’25 is from Anaheim, California. He is a stressed freshman looking to work in public policy.

5C students, reexamine your regional biases MADISON LEWIS When I returned to California after doing political work in Georgia, I remember being met with questions like, “What was it like living down there?” or “What was it like being in the South?”, that implied less of a genuine curiosity about my experiences and more a desire to confirm what they already thought. Far away from the safe haven of progressive politics, I must have witnessed the horrors of American bigotry. My responses certainly weren’t satisfactory to them. I grew up in a suburb of the Bay Area about a 45-minute drive from San Francisco. In Georgia I lived and worked in a suburb about 45 minutes outside Atlanta, where a large component of my job was to go door to door in neighborhoods. I found the Georgia suburb to be less residentially segregated along racial and ethnic lines than what I was used to at home. At the 5Cs, it is easy to get sucked into the notion that by virtue of being in a liberal institution in a relatively progressive state we are in a haven of inclusivity. There is a strong tendency to engage in a coastal elitist mindset where generally rural and Southern areas are regarded as somehow behind, especially regarding social issues. This mode of thinking exists both in the classroom and in casual conversation. Dismissing entire regions and groups of people based on preconceived notions and prejudices can be hurtful and is usually false. It is essential that the 5C community examine its regional biases. Engaging in a coastal elitist mindset is not only divisive but can also create a dangerous complacency. The idea that urban coastal communities are inherently less racist, classist, sexist or homophobic than their rural Southern and Middle American counterparts discourages us from thinking critically about disparities in our own communities. It is critical to separate structural problems from people and places themselves. It is undeniable that the legacy of Jim Crow

persists specifically in the South. There are legitimate historical and current instances of discrimination and legal predjudice specific to this region that are not present in the same way in others. It is critical to address these injustices and understand how they continue to affect the lives of marginalized groups today. However, just because Southern states implemented blatantly racist policies, it doesn’t mean that the North and West have ever been free of racism. We should think critically about these issues and historical legacies nationwide rather than limiting criticism to certain regions. Instead of falling into the trap of engaging in a coastal elitist mindset, we should examine our biases and adopt a more nuanced way of thinking. We have seen that our community is far from perfect: the return to campus has seen incidents of hate, controversial administrative decisions and the continued challenges of institutional exclusion that constantly plague higher education. Ultimately, giving ourselves a pat on the back for being part of a California college is lazy. The choice to think relatively with a coastal elitist mindset, rather than internally with a self-critical lens is also a choice of whether to engage with difficult truths or scapegoat them. Talking in coastal elitist terms is a choice to complain. Self-reflective discussion is a choice to engage. We must think critically about our 5C and greater California communities rather than bashing rural, central and Southern regions. Monolithic thought not only sows division between our community and the rest of the country, but creates a dangerous complacency within the Claremont bubble. We ought to judge ourselves before we judge others, doing research and taking more time to understand the complex social issues that exist locally and across the U.S. It is unfair to perpetuate harmful regional stereotypes that can be hurtful to people who call these places home. Ultimately, however, when we engage in this kind of thinking, the ones we hurt most are ourselves. Madison Lewis PO ’23 is from Palo Alto, California. She is a former field organizer for the Colorado Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Georgia.

cLAre MArtIN • tHe StUDeNt LIFe

SportS

PAGE 10

Tennis star Nina Ye PO ’24 bags AllAmerican honors after ITA singles victory

OctObEr 28, 2021

CMS wins men’s soccer Sixth Street rivalry 1-0 in overtime GABE FISHER

Nina Ye PO ’24 is already excelling in her first competitive collegiate season.

SIERRA TAI-BROWNLEE Stepping up to the service line, Nina Ye PO ’24 glances at her opponent. Tossing the ball, she smashes an unhittable serve straight down Broadway. Originally from Tacoma, Washington, Ye was crowned singles champion at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regional Championship Oct. 3 and awarded All-American honors. But during the tournament, Ye said she “never focused on” attaining these accolades. “To be honest, I did not know what All-American meant or what the honor was for before the tournament,” Ye said. “That was never the goal — the goal was just to improve and get better from game to game. But I’m extremely honored to receive the honor and it was a lovely, pleasant surprise.” Ye won in straight sets at regionals before defaulting a championship win when teammate Angie Zhou PO ’25, who also made it to the finals, withdrew after a doubles championship victory. Before becoming a rising star for Pomona-Pitzer, Ye started playing tennis at the age of six and a half — which, according to her standards, is “pretty late.” “In Florida, when I played against other kids my age when I was younger, they would be like, ‘I remember starting tennis when I was two or three,’” she said. Ye picked up the sport quickly courtesy of her mother’s efforts. With tennis lessons taking up an hour of her mother’s fitness rou-

tine, Ye became interested and followed her to the courts. “She would let me try five minutes first, and then 10 minutes the next time because I started getting really into it,” Ye said. “She started telling me my swing wasn’t too bad, eventually allowing me to take her entire lesson spot; that’s how I got into it.” While progressing from youth to higher levels of tennis, Ye said, the key to maintaining her excellence in the sport was to keep from burning out and rely on her support system at home. “A lot of my tennis friends around me quit after age 16 or 17 becuase their parents pushed them too hard during their junior days and they burnt out,” she said. “I’m very lucky in the sense that my parents always gave me enough space to balance everything in my life, knowing I wanted to do tennis simply because I loved the sport.” Initially, Ye was primarily looking to pursue college tennis on the East Coast. That changed after Mike Morgan, the P-P women’s tennis coach, reached out to her to offer a visit. “I decided to give the campus visit a shot, and the second I got out of the plane, I was like ‘this is it,’” Ye said. “The weather, scenery of the mountains really just spoke to me.” Midway through her first year playing collegiate tennis due to the pandemic, Ye is glad to regain a sense of camaraderie

AbbEY LIAO • tHE StUDENt LIFE

with her teammates. “My goal was to really just make the best out of the situation,” she said. “Collectively, as a team, we just want to really enjoy the time that we have together.” With tennis mostly an individual sport, however, the mental strength required for each match is immense. “Our team jokes about how you’d have to be crazy to play tennis because it’s so emotionally draining,” Ye said. “Every match is a battle and you don’t take anything for granted because you’re not racing against a shot clock or timer ... if your opponent is outplaying you mentally by just a little bit, you don’t win the match.” Although tennis comes with its challenges, Ye continues to enjoy playing and recognizes the ways that it helps her. “Tennis offers some pretty healthy competition,” she said. “It forces you to work through challenges and problems by yourself because you’re out there alone.” Looking to the future, Ye said she hopes to continue learning valuable life lessons from her sport. “I view tennis as an avenue for me to not only learn how to deal with losses, but also teaches me how to connect with other people as well,” Ye said. “It’s also a great way for me to let out my competitive energy; it’s definitely going to be with me for the rest of my life.”

Coming down to the wire, the men’s soccer Sixth Street Rivalry sequel ended in stunning fashion Oct. 20 after Rafael Otero CM ’25 scored the golden goal in overtime to give Claremont-Mudd-Scripps a 1-0 win over Pomona-Pitzer. Three minutes into overtime, Otero made a run past the defense and headed a chip pass from Lukas Huntington CM ’25 into the right side of the net. Coming off a draw in their previous matchup, this game solidified CMS as the winner of this year’s rivalry. “I’ve never experienced ending a game with one shot and it was just so awesome to celebrate with all of my fans,” Otero said. “Everyone was so amped, and it was just a really great feeling to have all of our school celebrating.” The Stags outplayed the Sagehens throughout most of the game. CMS recorded 12 shots and six on goal while P-P recorded only five shots and one on goal. CMS also generated higher quality shots. One came with 11 minutes remaining in the first half when midfielder Jake Allmon CM ’23 struck a line drive that banged off the left post. Meanwhile, P-P did not give CMS goalkeeper Eduardo De Anda HM ’22 much action. He recorded one save. The atmosphere at Pritzlaff Field was prime for the rivalry. Fans sat divided in the bleachers based on team allegiance, and P-P fans were more vocal than their CMS counterparts and spent more time standing. It took until near the 80th minute for the Stags’ fans to stand. With high emotional tensions rising throughout the game, CMS head coach Ryan Fahey CM ‘10

emphasized being calm. “I just tried to be as composed as possible because that’s what I was asking my team to do,” Fahey said. “This game sometimes brings some added emotion, so I was trying to combat that a little bit.” The players also reflected similar sentiments. Zero yellow cards were handed out and athletes lent hands to fallen opponents after fouls. This type of sportsmanship came in contrast to the last rivalry game, which featured seven yellow cards and exchanges of vulgarities. Fahey was glad to see a more civil game this time around. “All five schools are really good institutions and have really quality people as their student-athletes, so it was great to see that come out today in the way people played and the way people acted,” he said. Some Sagehens were less optimistic about the game’s outcome. “This game always feels more important because it’s the rivalry game, but regardless, it just sucks to lose and it sucks to lose in overtime,” captain Matthew Carlson PZ ’23 said. “It sucks a little bit more because it’s here.” P-P head coach Bill Swartz was emotional during the post-game interview. “I’m actually proud of how they played and how they conducted themselves,” he said. “You hurt for them because they put in the work day in and day out.” Looking ahead, P-P will hit the road Saturday to play La Verne in an important conference game. The Hens, currently tied for fifth in the SCIAC standings, must improve to fourth place if they want to make the postseason. The Stags will next face Chapman at home on Saturday, looking to continue their dominance this year. CMS has already clinched the top seed in the SCIAC with a conference record of 9-0-2 and 12-1-3 overall.

P-P coaches adjust to hybrid recruiting process in scouting class of 2026

AbbEY LIAO • tHE StUDENt LIFE

the P-P women’s swim and dive team poses after a meet Oct. 9.

MICHELE TANG 5C students, faculty and staff are still adjusting to this year’s return to in-person campus life, and the consortium’s athletic coaches are no exception. Shifting their attention to scouting the class of 2026, Pomona-Pitzer athletic coaches have had to adapt to new changes in the recruiting world, P-P assistant water polo coach Elyssa Hawkins told TSL. “There’s definitely a lot of us [who] are very full steam ahead … there’s a lot more opportunity to see [recruits] in person,” Hawkins said. “But that being said, I think there’s still a good sense of communication through FaceTime or Zoom. There’s still much more of a balance nowadays to be able to do both.” For those who prefer scouting potential team members in person, opportunities include tournaments, club championships and the Junior Olympics. But depending on where prospects are located, there are different restrictions on these showcases, according to P-P women’s tennis coach Mike Morgan. Some regulations include having to notify tournament coordinators in advance about how many recruiters are attending. Additionally, there are indoor mask mandates in some locations while masks are encouraged outdoors. The prospects are permitted to visit campus, but aren’t allowed to stay overnight in dorms or eat in dining halls. Still, these day visits are “better than nothing,” P-P swim coach Jean-Paul Gowdy said. Before the pandemic, both the P-P men’s and women’s water polo teams’ coaches relied on attending major tournaments, Hawkins said. “There was also a lot more emphasis on being able to have prospective student-athletes on campus for overnight visits,” Hawkins said. “When they visited, each prospect would be paired with a current team member serving as host and we would go through [an itinerary].” On the other side of the pool, the P-P swim and dive coaches did not rely as much on tournament attendance for recruitment. “We’re in a more objective sport where a time is a time,” Gowdy said. “So it’s a little less

important in my sport to see someone play like it is in, say, basketball or something like that.” Regardless of a sport’s dependence on observing live-action matches, the 5Cs’ campus closure in spring 2020 forced coaches to modify some of their recruiting methods. “After planning to have our junior day for Class of 2025 two weeks after the shutdown date, we had to send a couple of letters to people that we had been sending invitations to announce our cancellation,” Hawkins said. “That being said, [we would] virtually send informational pamphlets about the campuses that they would have otherwise received on that junior day. And then from there, it was making a lot of Zoom calls.” The class of 2025’s recruits met with coaches online. Other than brief periods where coaches met prospects off campus, what would normally be in-person meetups converted into week-long Zoom events, according to Gowdy. These were extended in an effort to get to know recruits as much as possible. “Talent is one thing, but we were looking to recruit athletes who are going to contribute to our community and our team in a variety of ways other than just swimming fast or diving well,” Gowdy said. Even though scouting the firstyear class was done online, the athletes were prepared for on-campus training during this school year. Hawkins noticed an increased desire among her athletes to improve their skills and make the most out of their experience on the water polo team. “I call it a COVID curve in that our first-year players have kind of looked at how we practice, train, play and I think a lot of them have come to this realization of, ‘Oh my gosh, I missed out on so much development as a player because of COVID,’” Hawkins said. “To help, we kind of look to the returners to set the tone for the team; everybody puts their best foot forward and personality-wise, I feel like this is really one of our closest groups.” No matter the differences from this year to last year, coaches have the same goal in mind: to build the best recruiting class possible. “I think it’s important that we get on the road and get to know them as students and as people,” Morgan said. “The more we can do that, the more it fits Pomona and Pitzer’s recruitment standards. It helps us reflect what we’re trying to help with across the board.”