April 8, 2014

April 8, 2014

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since 1996

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two of four dos/vspa candidates visit Scripps reports most scripps college campus

By Megan Petersen ‘15 advocacy for survivors of Editor-in-Chief sexual assault, from Title andy Salas and Denise IX work to work in firstHayes, finalists for responder situations. the Dean of Students/ Her goals as DOS/VPSA: Vice President of Student Salas said that she Affairs position at Scripps, received consistent met with students and advice from the senior senior staff recently to talk staff when she met with about their experiences them. She gathered, she and what they would said, that the team is still plan to do as a Dean and healing from Dean Bekki senior administrator at Lee’s passing and that Scripps. Here is a quick working with the senior and easy summary of officers as a group will be their qualifications, goals, particularly important. and responses to student She also said that questions she felt that Scripps Kandy Salas is in transition as it Her background: Salas attempts to realize its is currently a lecturer at goals at diversity and California State University, inclusivity. She said that Fullerton, where she has she wants Scripps to go worked for 24 years, first beyond merely diversity, as the Officer of Student but to push for cultural Life and eventually competence, which deals working her way up to the with issues of inclusion Dean of Students and the to work on big picture Associate Vice President diversity on campus. She for Student Affairs. She said that it cannot only be is a first generation groups and people who college student who are historically “new” earned her bachelor’s to college campuses in English and minor in who are having these women’s studies at the conversations—it must University of California, constantly be a campusLos Angeles, her master’s wide discussion. She in counseling and human said that reaching a development with a critical mass is only the specialization in student beginning, and after that personnel services is when the difficult work at Minnesota State begins. She said, however, University, Moorhead, that she is passionate and her Ph.D. in about and dedicated to education from Claremont this work.

Graduate University. Salas She also said that part has varied experience of her work as Scripps’ working with student DOS/VPSA would include leaders and student clubs getting to know students and organizations, as very well, particularly well as running student student leaders. She orientations and working said that when issues with undocumented arose, she wanted to students. She also has help students learn how experience working with to address problems that

pregaming of 5Cs

K

Inside This Issue:

By Meagan McIntyre ‘17 Staff Writer

Kandy Salas and Denise Hayes (inset) are two of the four candidates for DOS/VSPA. Photos courtesy of Claremont University Consortium and Flickr.

arise, rather than merely solving problems on their behalf.

Denise Hayes Her background: Hayes has worked for the Claremont University Consortium (CUC) as its director of student health and counseling for nine years. She is a counseling psychologist who has also done work in organizational communications and leadership and management, which made her well-suited for a director position at CUC. She is currently teaching a course at CGU; Hayes said she felt compelled to get back into the classroom and to apply for the DOS/VPSA position at Scripps because she misses working with students directly. Hayes said she applied to work at Scripps because her older sister and daughter both attended

Page 7 - Student Life

Namrata Mohan ‘16 speaks about Coloring Beauty

page 5

women’s colleges, and that they gained so much confidence during their years there.

Hayes has also written scholarship and done work on women’s leadership, and black women’s leadership in particular.

Her dissertation was on single mothers that are currently in schools; Hayes herself was a divorced mother with young children when she went back for her master’s degree. She worked to apply existing theories regarding leadership to the experiences of black women who are leaders in higher education. For example, some theories suggest that success does not come from hard work alone, but comes from willingness to take risks, from the ability to energize oneself during stressful and trying times, and from developing

continued on page 2

Page 10 - Arts & Culture

Fashion columnist Stephanie Huang ‘16 talks fashion magazines

1030 Columbia Avenue | Claremont, CA 91711 | Box 744 email: scrippsvoice@gmail.com | Volume XVII | Issue Ten

AlcoholEdu, the online alcohol abuse prevention course completed by incoming first years at over 500 universities across the country, provides students with information about the dangers of alcohol and also provides administrators with information about the drinking habits of its first-year class. This year the disparity between the five colleges’ results was quite surprising. Scripps recorded the highest percentage of students pre-gaming (68 percent) and taking shots (63 percent) out of all of the colleges. While Pomona and CMC were within 5 percent, Scripps still fell 17 percent above the national average.

Some students were not surprised by the results. “So many of the parties are on campus that the majority of the drinking is happening at the pregame,” Joelle Leib ’17 said.

The results seemed to back it up as well, because 84 percent of the first years that have drunk said they did so in dorm rooms on campus.

The program goal is to educate students to practice safe drinking habits and to ultimately reduce the number of negative circumstances that develop from drinking. The course includes five modules covering topics such as: how to minimize harm with alcohol consumption, the standard drink, alcohol laws, and high-risk habits. Four of the five modules are completed before the start of the school and the last is taken a few weeks into the school year. Along with Scripps, Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna, and Pomona all participate in the online education course.

High risk drinking, defined as five drinks or more at least once in a two week time period, is also a continued on page 2

Page 3 - Op-Ed

Guest contributor Ann Kirkpatrick praises Nonie Creme

2 • News

REFLECTING ON ALCOHOL EDU

continued FROM page 1 problem at the 5Cs. CMC drew the highest amount with 28 percent, with Scripps just a mere 4 percent behind.

All of the four participating colleges were at 15 percent and higher for at risk drinkers.

Another red flag that drew campus officials’ attention was the number of students that reported being taken advantage of sexually during a time when they were under the influence.

Ten percent of first-year students reported having this experience.

The data was collected within the first few weeks of school because the goal of the program is to eliminate any potential negative affects that first years may encounter with

consuming alcohol. Therefore the number of sexual assaults that have occurred during intoxication is disturbing.

Evetth Gonzalez, of SARLO, says that there are programs planned for the future that will hopefully help combat these issues. Between a new Health and Wellness director at the Tiernan Field House, and the increase in programs that everfy (the company that does AlcoholEdu) positive change will hopefully occur.

It is all part of the college experience to go out and have fun. AlcoholEdu is a program that is supposed to guide students by helping educate them to make informed decisions. The results give a look into what is working

and what is not, which shows there is room to reflect and improve—to make sure that the ultimate goal of students feeling safe on campus is accomplished. this experience.

The data was collected within the first few weeks of school because the goal of the program is to eliminate any potential negative affects that first years may encounter with consuming alcohol. Therefore the number of sexual assaults that have occurred during intoxication is disturbing.

Evetth Gonzalez, of SARLO, says that there are programs planned for the future that will hopefully help combat these issues. Between

a new Health and Wellness director at the Tiernan Field House, and the increase in programs that everfy (the company that does AlcoholEdu) positive change will hopefully occur.

It is all part of the college experience to go out and have fun. AlcoholEdu is a program that is supposed to guide students by helping educate them to make informed decisions. The results give a look into what is working and what is not, which shows there is room to reflect and improve—to make sure that the ultimate goal of students feeling safe on campus is accomplished.

dos/vspa candidates

continued FROM page 1

relationships with mentors and superiors who will put their credibility on the line to put in a word for you. She said that these theories are often applied across the board, but that African American women had never been asked about whether it applies to them. Her interest and research with women’s professional development and leadership informed her choice to apply to work at Scripps.

Her goals as DOS/VPSA: Hayes said that a goal for her as DOS/VSPA would be to strengthen the community between

faculty affairs and student affairs to create a stronger community to better support students.

She also said that she thinks student affairs play a bigger role in leadership development, diversity discussion, mentoring and coaching, and programming, rather than only a space to go during crises.

Hayes said that she understood that Dean Lee, who passed away suddenly last fall, was getting a strategic plan started, and that Nathalie Rachlin, interim vice president of student affairs, is continuing that work, and that she, Hayes, hopes to solidify a plan. She said such a plan

would create a consistent message coming from student affairs that it was a place that was very student-oriented, and that the student affairs staff could become closer to students, in such away, said Hayes, that they could provide references and career- and life-related mentoring.

Hayes said that although much of her research has focused on African American women, as a DOS she would be there for all women at Scripps.

Visit our website, thescrippsvoice.com to read more about their candidates and their responses to student questions.

cms women’s sports schedule april 9

april 11

Lacrosse @ Redlands, 7:00 p.m.

Softball @ Whittier, 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m.

Water Polo @ Redlands, 7:00 p.m.

april 13

april 12 Track & Field: Pomona-Pitzer Invitational, all day Tennis v. Occidental at home, 2:00 p.m.

Water Polo @ Whittier, 11:00 a.m.

Softball @ La Verne, 12:00 p.m.

La Crosse @ Occidental, 1:00 p.m.

Softball @ La Verne, 2:00 p.m.

Tennis v. UC Santa Cruz at home, 10:00 a.m.

Water Polo @ Occidental, 5:00 p.m.

Lacrosse v. Whittier at home, 7:00 p.m.

april 16

Tennis @ Home v. UC Santa Cruz 10:00 a.m.

april 18

Water Polo @ Occidental, 5:00 p.m.

Softball @ Cal Lutheran, 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m.

Lacrosse @ Home v. Whittier, 7:00 p.m.

Baseball @ Caltech, 3:00 p.m.

April 8, 2014 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Ten

Opinions & Editorials • 3

why nonie creme is the ideal commencement speaker for 2014

The Scripps Voice Editors-in-Chief Megan Petersen Advisor Sam Haynes Design Editors Elizabeth Lee Jessica Lin Elena Pinsker Copy Editors Ashley Minnis-Lemley Alexandra Vallas Photo Editor Emily Morris Business Manager Rosario Bennett Webmaster Emily Morris Multimedia Director Laurel Schwartz Columnists and Staff Writers Ashley Achee Lucy Altman-Newell Tamar Kaplar Natalie Camrud Nancy Herrera Stephanie Huang Kayon James Elizabeth Lee Meagan McIntyre Caroline Nelson Kara Odum Bailee Pelham Julia Thomas Christina Whalen Nicole Zwiener Staff Photographers Julia Black Tianna Sheih Nicole Zwiener

Comments and letters can be sent to Scripps College The Scripps Voice, 1030 Columbia Ave, Box 386, Claremont, CA, 91711.

You can also email The Scripps Voice at scrippsvoice@gmail. com or visit our website at voice. scrippscollege.edu.

The Scripps Voice is a student forum and is not responsible for the opinions expressed in it.

Photos courtsey of beautyhigh.com and noniecreme.com

Ann Kirkpatrick ’14 Guest Contributor

W

hen I read the announcement that Nonie Creme (’94) would be returning to Scripps to speak at Commencement for the class of 2014, I was giddy with excitement.

I’m a die-hard fan of nail polish and nail art; although Butter London polishes are out of my price range, I know the brand for its quality and creativity. While Ms. Creme was invited to speak by the Scripps administration rather than nominated by the senior class, her name ought to have come up earlier. If I had known that the former creative co-founder of a high-profile company was a Scripps alumna, I would have written her name alongside Terry Gross’s in my list of dream speakers. Here’s why: 1. She’s an Art major with a successful business career. In 1994, Nonie Creme graduated Scripps with a BA in Art History and Fine Arts and moved to London to pursue a career in fashion. In 2005, she co-founded Butter London, the popular and successful nail polish brand, and now she’s founding

another cosmetics company, Colour Prevails. Liberal arts majors know what it’s like to be the butt of jokes, and we know the crushing anxiety of knowing that our majors aren’t in as much demand as STEM majors in the current job market. For those of us with uncertain futures, it’s inspiring to see a fellow lover of the humanities make a name for herself as well as a decent living.

2. She has made significant improvements in her industry.

Nonie Creme has made positive change from the inside by creating a nail polish brand that is “3 Free.”

In other words, Butter London bans the use of the toxic chemicals formaldehyde (a carcinogen), toluene (a lung irritant), and DBP (which can cause reproductive harm).

Eliminating these ingredients benefits salon workers and consumers alike. In a recent article in the Student Life, some students expressed disappointment that 2014’s speaker hails from the world of fashion, which has a long history of being problematic on many levels. However, the worlds

March 6, 2014 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Nine

of politics and mass media have their share of issues, and there were plenty of politicians and celebrities nominated for 2014’s commencement speaker. What we need is more strong-willed Scripps alumnae, like Nonie Creme, working for positive change whether they’re in Congress or on the runway.

3. She loves Scripps enough to speak for free. Aside from a travel stipend, Scripps College does not compensate its commencement speakers, which can be an obstacle in attracting speakers without a personal connection to the school. Scheduling can also be an issue, especially if they live far away. For example, Terry Gross is speaking at Bryn Mawr this year, likely because it’s just outside of Philadelphia, where she lives and works on NPR’s Fresh Air on WHYY Philadelphia. Because Nonie Creme is donating her time as well as her ideas, she has got to be pretty psyched to be invited to speak at 2014’s Commencement. We ought to be equally psyched to hear what she has to say.

4 • Opinions & Editorials

short-term

Interest Rates On the rise?

By Kara Odum ‘17 Economics Columnist

J

anet Yellen, the first woman to be Chair of the Federal Reserve, had the markets moving last week after the latest announcement on the Fed’s plan for market recovery. The Federal Reserve Bank, commonly called the Fed, recently announced some future changes to its monetary policy that will have a large effect on markets and the economic recovery throughout the year. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), whose members vote on economic policy issues, recently met on March 19th to discuss bond purchases and raising interest rates. Since 2008, The FOMC has been buying Treasury bonds to lower long-term interest rates to help support the economy in addition to its usual methods of controlling shortterm interest rates.

However, that might soon change since the Fed announced that it would reduce its monthly bond purchases to $55 billion and will plan to gradually raise short-term interest rates. FOMC member Charles Plosser, current president of the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank, added that he expects the Fed’s bond-buying program to end by November and for short-term rates to rise to 3 percent by the end of 2015. Janet Yellen, the Fed Chairwoman, was less optimistic about the rebounding economy and plans to keep short-term interest rates down until after the bond-buying program ends and inflation picks up.

The market reacted to this

Janet Yellen, Photo Courtesy of Aljazeera America

Photo Courtesy of Business 2 Community

April 3, 2014 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Ten

news by sending stock and gold prices down and sharply increasing the yields on bonds.

Despite Janet Yellen’s assurances of a smooth and timely transition, investors took away that the Fed is planning on higher interest rates sooner than expected.

When interest rates go up, more people are willing to lend money because they can expect a higher return on the coupon payments, which is the interest payment on the bond. Typically, bonds and stock prices work like a see-saw, when bond prices go up stock prices go down. This happens because people invest in stocks when the market is booming so the return on a stock investment is more than the interest earned on holding a bond. However, in a downturn, bonds are seen as safe since they usually don’t crash like stock prices can and investors can depend on the steady interest payments.

Not all are fans of the proposed higher interest rates, fearing that the Fed may move faster than originally planned. The National Association of Business Economists (NABE) issued a survey that reveals economists think rising interest rates could hurt the economy’s recovery. The Fed is between a rock and a hard place since raising interest rates too fast risks destabilizing the slowly recovering economy but not moving fast enough might allow the economy to bounce back too quickly. For now, everyone just has to wait and see before the next move can be made.

Opinions & Editorials • 5

What’s in a name?

Who actually has the right to call themselves a ‘dancer’?

By Elizabeth Lee ‘16 Design Editor

B

eing a dancer is not a profession.

It is a lifestyle, a language, and a need. As someone who considers herself a dancer, I became rather huffy in response to a post I was recently sent entitled “You Think of Yourself as a Dancer” on ‘Ruby’s Life,’ a blog kept by a traveling Swing/Blues Dance teacher based out of Chicago. Ruby opens up her piece with the rather harsh declaration that though you may think of yourself as a dancer, you’re really not. All right…what, then, does qualify someone as a “Dancer?” She goes on to explain that “a Dancer is someone who gets paid to dance,” referring to some of the most iconic professionals—Baryshnikov, Pavlova, Tharp, and so forth—and by the way, if you don’t know who they are, “that’s because you’re not a dancer.”

I’m sorry, Ruby, but no.

I am currently a college student and am not getting paid to dance.

In fact, I still pay to dance—lessons, competition registration fees, costumes, and shoes are all quite expensive and yet rather helpful, as any dancer would tell you. As far as my dance background goes, I have trained in classical ballet since the age of four, eventually performing principal roles, placing in regional competitions, and attending summer programs at some rather prestigious dance institutions. I now compete and perform as a member of the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company. I am far from being the best dancer, but I think I have a legitimate amount of experience on which to base my opinions. What’s more, I don’t think any of the things I just listed are what make me a dancer.

Not being able to afford to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars to pay for training intensives or never being told who Baryshnikov is does not disqualify someone from being labeled a “Dancer.” In the same sense, merely spewing out facts and listing years of experiences does not indicate that you are more of a Dancer. This just ends up being

Ruby Forsmann, Photo Courtesy of Ruby’s Life

the way most people measure that, because it is literal and easy. In fairness, it generally happens to be the case that most dedicated or true Dancers are the ones who end up with the most knowledge or experience. Those things, however, are just the manifestation of what does make someone a Dancer—the desire, or need, rather, to dance and to put one’s whole self into their dancing. That is something far more relevant, yet difficult to measure, although most Dancers do not have

difficulty identifying fellow Dancers.

It is not that the title of “Dancer” does not have to be earned, either.

In fact, it requires a significant amount of dedication, passion, and often sacrifice. Just tell me again about how Natalie Portman transformed into a prima ballerina within a year, and I will reflexively grand battement your face. Like Ruby, I do get annoyed when people think they can twirl around with their hands over their heads, merely show up at a blues bar, or recall the couple

InterCollegiate Showdown, Photo By Justin Wang, Courtesy of Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company

April 8, 2014 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Ten

of years they took jazz classes as a kid and call themselves “Dancers.”

In a way, it diminishes the value of the name and the respect that it should be granted. That said, being a dancer is internal and more selfdetermined.

The ideas that people have to pay to watch or even enjoy watching you dance, that you have to know everything about dance, that you have to have a wall lined with ribbons and trophies would mean that the right to call one’s self a dancer could only be earned through external success and recognition. Those are things that can be dependent on other factors that are somewhat beyond our control—where we come from, biological makeup, personal histories. They reflect a person’s ability to know what moves to do or, even more impressively, how they

Being a dancer is not a profession. It is a lifestyle, a language, and a need. should be done in order to reach a certain technical level. They are achievements, not forms of identity.

The real Dancer knows why they dance. They may not even know that they know why or be able to articulate their experience with words, but if it could be fully and accurately explained then there would be no point in dancing.

I no longer have time to dance all day every day, because I have other goals and activities in my life that are important to me. I do not get paid to dance. I am not even particularly good at keeping up with who the “top” dancers are or what is generally going on in the dance world anymore. Someday I may not be able to walk without a cane, let alone lift my leg over my head or do 32 fouetté turns, but I will always consider myself a dancer. It will always be my home base, because it is a meaningful part of my history and an identity forever embedded in my very existence.

Student Life • 7

6 • Student Life

Oh, would you look at those yelp reviews! commentary on the metro blue line

looking through the lens at project

coloring beauty I would say I had the privilege of going to an international school and coming to a place where people are fairly diverse compared to the average state school. Everyone is pretty great about skin color playing a role in diversity. What was really interesting, when I first came to CMC, was the fact that I noticed that everyone was very thin... Curly hair, straight hair and even body hair to some extent is fine, but making sure you’re thin is a very *hush hush* topic.

- Shriya Ravishankar

Photo courtsey of Namrata Mohan Photo courtsey of latimesblogs

Nancy Herrera ’15 and Eduardo Villa Jr. Staff Writer and Guest Writer TW. Ableism/Classism, Holocaust

M

any of us, especially those not from Southern California, wish we could spend some time outside the Claremont bubble. One popular way of doing this is by going to Los Angeles. While many of us have taken the Metrolink to Downtown LA, fewer of us have taken the Metro Blue Line. This article is a way of giving you the facts on this train, before you get scared senseless by reading Yelp reviews.

Yelp MTA Blue Line Reviews are the epitome of what happens when people (mostly White) are sheltered their whole lives and do not know how to deal with PUBLIC transportation and the fact that there are people of color there. This is not only about race, as sheltered people live everywhere, but it is true that the Blue Line is populated by mostly people of color. It is the service hundreds of thousands of people use to travel from Downtown

LA into South LA and Long Beach.

And get this: Most of them are hard workers, and use the line only to get from Point A to Point B. And yet the Yelp reviews will say “most” people are loud or ready to shoot you.

Yes, there are mentally ill people on the train, as well as other eccentric characters. I remember a man who would take out his glass eye and show it to me as a child. And let’s not forget Black Santa asking for pot brownies and Jack Daniels for Christmas after selling us finger lights. However, we cannot ban them; this is public transportation and they have as much of a right to be there as anyone else. And if there are ever people who get too out of hand, there is always a conductor and police force, especially when going through the areas of Compton and Florence.

If I were to take the time to answer to every Yelp Blue Line Review that is racist, classist and ableist, we would all be here a very long time.

This is why the following two reviews are but a snapshot. In the first one, I would like to draw attention to the phrase, “Most of its riders demonstrate urban poverty at its

worst...” And what exactly is urban poverty at its best? In addition, even if you knew nothing about the Blue Line coming into this, there is no way that saying the riders were “raised by wolves and vending machines” does not raise red flags.

The next review is just as terrible, as the author writes, “It also seemed as we were in a concentration train heading to Auschwitz” without a second thought. Response to that: No. There is no reason to complain seeing black and brown people on a train to the Holocaust. It is not that bad. Ever. Both of these reviews show that there are huge amounts of segregation in this city, with people here who are surprised that Los Angeles has poor people. There are legitimate reasons to complain about the Metro LA Blue line, such as train delays and overcrowding (of which

Photo courtsey of Yelp

April 8, 2014 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Ten

there is a lot), but this is not one of them. On the contrary, the Blue Line can offer an environmentally friendly way to quickly reach Downtown Long Beach, shopping areas, and cultural monuments for only $1.50. All you have to do is be respectful and willing to mingle with people you wouldn’t normally.

All in all, riding public transportation in Los Angeles is one of the best ways you can get to know the city. There really is a new way of seeing it when not in the confines of an individual car. But like LeVar Burton says on the show Reading Rainbow, “Don’t take my word for it!” *Eduardo Villa Jr, besides being Nancy’s BF, is an Anthropology student at California State University Long Beach (CSULB), and has been a proud Blue Line commuter for four years.

Jessica Lin ‘16 Design Editor

F

ounded by Namrata Mohan ‘16, Coloring Beauty features students from the 5Cs in a photography project inspired by Humans of New York, a project that documents the everyday moments of real New Yorkers. Mohan first began working on this collaborative project last semester, and launched the Facebook page on March 1.

Coloring Beauty derives its origins from Mohan’s personal experience with ideations of beauty and appearance. Over time, she has come to embrace the cultural, racial, and individual differences that make her unique. “Coloring Beauty” aims to offer minority groups an outlet for expression often overlooked in today’s popular media. This includes students’ personal aesthetics as well as their opinions about the media’s influence on beauty standards.

On her Facebook page, Mohan explains her motivation, saying, “Coloring Beauty was started by a college student irked by the oppressive beauty standards in her community. She found so many beautiful men and women on her college campus and not enough people fully valuing them. This project is showcasing beauty that is not conventionally valued.”

At the onset, Mohan approached friends at

the 5Cs to model and to share their stories. She also advertises with the 5C Women of Color by flier. Now that the project has become more well known, people have actually been the ones to initiate contact.

As for the process, Mohan says, “they have huge stories and passion and just have so much to say.” She usually edits the captions for length, but always checks in with the student before publishing the work online. Mohan takes every photograph herself, choosing location based on season, lighting, and attire in order to produce the optimal photograph. Students also provide input on their favorite photos of themselves, with approximately six to eight photos from which to choose. Mohan dedicates half an hour to each student, explaining, “It’s not about me. It’s about them.”

In fact, Mohan credits her friend, Vivienne Muller ‘16, for thinking of the project’s name. Muller was also the first to be photographed for this project.

Said Muller, “Well, I think it’s fascinating that the project started with her just asking people if they were interested, and I guess a bunch of us reached out to her willing to become part of it. It’s pretty cool how the community just sort of responded to her and that she was able to find so much diversity among these predominantly white institutions.”

Indeed, reception has been quite warm and

welcoming, with continual enthusiasm and interest from friends and acquaintances alike.

SCORE has also offered its support, encouraging Mohan to discuss her ideas with staff member Yukina Ogino on a regular basis. Mohan and Ogino keep in contact over email as well as in person, and Mohan has greatly appreciated the guidance and motivation.

Mohan has come a long way since she first began Coloring Beauty just last month. At the start, she had predicted the project might encompass 100 people total, if even that. But now that the project has expanded, she is considering the idea of adding people outside the 5C community: her parents and brother, for instance. She has also received requests for a photograph and commentary from herself, which she admits may become a reality sometime in the future.

Coloring Beauty will present its first photo exhibition on Thursday, May 1, from 7:30- 9:00 P.M. at SCORE. Mohan invites the community to view never-before-seen documentary of her work, including a selection of full-length transcripts.

Drinks and snacks will be provided, and everyone is welcome. Check out the event “Coloring Beauty Photo Exhibit” on Facebook to find out more.

For those interested in sharing their stories, contact Namrata Mohan or check out her Facebook page, Coloring Beauty.

Now that you’re older, what do you think of these beauty standards?

“They are all so annoying. There is not room for very much. Even the brunette beauty that I saw was beautiful is not that much of a standard here. It was crushing for me to see no one else that looked like me. Like if you look at movies there’s not going to be people who look like me. They’re not even going to look like my mom or my aunts. There aren’t any racially mixed people or black people.”

- Vivienne Muller Photo courtsey of Yelp

Photo courtsey of Namrata Mohan

April 8, 2014 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Ten

8 • Student Life

what i have learned in the process of trying to become an ally Megan Petersen ’15 Editor-in-Chief

T

he last few months have given me a lot to think about as the editor of this newspaper and as someone who considers herself an ally to marginalized communities here at Scripps and beyond. My (ongoing) journey of becoming an ally has been complicated. I didn’t come to Scripps an ally, and I don’t think I was anything close to a decent one until about a year ago. As a first year, I had multiple conversations with people about how I didn’t think the SCORE CLORGS were necessary because they were exclusionary—I won’t go into that story, because I wrote a whole column about it last year. I’ll provide a link to that at the end of this article.

In this column, I want to talk about some of the things I try to do as an ally. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a perfect ally and I’m still learning, so this list isn’t intended to be comprehensive. And while I try really hard to do all of these things all of the time, I fail (which I’ll go into later). Regardless of those limitations, I thought it would be important to write this column, especially as someone who had a pretty shitty track record when it comes to allyship until fairly recently, because I know I had a lot of misconceptions about what an ally’s role is and about what I was “supposed” to do in order to support marginalized communities in their efforts for justice and social change.

Also, I’d like to note that this list is numbered for the sake of flow, not for the sake of importance—all the points are equally important and carry equal weight.

(TW: This article contains some information about my experience with mental illness, specifically depression, bipolar disorder, and suicidal thoughts.)

1. It’s not about you. You are not an ally because you want to feel good about yourself. You are not an ally so you can put it on your resume. You are not an ally so you can tell someone who calls you out on racism that you go to Café con Leche meetings so they don’t know what they’re talking about. You are not an ally to fight a well-intentioned but ill-informed crusade on behalf of someone else. You are an ally because if you are not, you are actively an oppressor.

2. That said, allyship is a process.

Just because you’ve decided to be an ally doesn’t mean you’re going to be perfect at it. Like everything else, you’re going to have to learn how to do it. And when you’re learning a new thing, you’re going to make mistakes. And someone will call

you out on it. Which is okay. Yes, you’ve just done or said something that’s perpetuating oppressive social norms, but you’re working on it. This is one of those areas in life that only fail if you quit.

3. Getting called out is not the worst thing to ever happen to you. When I got to Scripps, I was progressive enough to know that being racist was bad. If someone said you were being racist or marginalizing someone, that was really, really bad, and I when I would get called out, I would often get either really embarrassed (if I agreed with the person calling me out) or offended (if I didn’t). One misconception

People will say you’re wrong to do what you’re doing. People will say you’re a killjoy or that you need to pick your battles when you challenge them every time they say something problematic.

When people tell me I need to pick my battles, I like to say, “Okay. I pick all of them.” Not everyone will like you. that I had about allyship was that it meant never, ever being racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, ableist, classist, ageist, and so on, which is totally impossible. We all agree that society perpetuates some pretty awful stuff, so chances are you’ve internalized some stuff that’s problematic and harmful to you and to others. Especially when you’re first starting out, there’s going to be a lot you don’t know. Getting called out is an opportunity for you to learn how to be a better ally. In order for this to work, though, you have to be willing to think critically about your behavior—whatever you just got called out for, as well as past and present behavior. You’re making progress as an ally when you make better choices after getting called out. Allies who are willing to get called out and improve their behavior are really important.

4. Don’t wait until someone calls you out to adjust your behavior.

While the calling-out process is important and should be taken seriously, you cannot and should

not assume that people are always going to want to call you out. We all have a lot of stuff on our minds and our schedules, and calling someone out can be exhausting and annoying, especially when we have to do it all the time. Moreover, people might be triggered by what you say—I didn’t really understand this until I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder last semester. I was really, really depressed for quite a while, to the point of having thoughts of killing myself. Hearing people say insensitive and derogatory things offhand about depression, bipolar disorder, and suicide can be triggering for me if I’m having a low day. What you say could be so hurtful that it will trigger deeper depression, which leaves me to pick up the pieces. In those situations, I’m hardly in the mood to call you out. I’ve come to understand how important it is to do a couple of things to make sure I don’t do the same thing to other people. They are…

5. Educate yourself. This is one of your primary jobs as an ally. I cannot stress this enough. A big part of social justice and activist movements is education. There is infinite information about all these topics all over the library and internet. Do your research. Figure out who the prominent writers and speakers on these topics are. Read and listen to their stuff. Take more than one class on these topics if you can. It’s really easy to incorporate ally work into your everyday routine.

You probably already spend a bunch of time on social media, so use that to do some work. Read the links your friends post about these topics. There’s tons of great blogs on Tumblr that you can follow— there’s everything from really long posts to gifs and graphics that are informational. Don’t forget that, even though I’m referring to marginalized groups as a singular force, and even though groups often do common work, they are not a monolith in their ideas or practices. Ideas and opinions are individualistic, and communities are frequently critiquing themselves in their work. Remember, too, that learning about these things is not an academic exercise, and it doesn’t pass for lived experiences in these areas.

6. Listen, and speak up when you have to. This is another really, really important thing about being an ally. Part of allyship is using your privilege to advocate for people when their voices are silent. I’m a person with a ton of privilege, so when, for example, I’m in a room

full of other privileged people and no representation for marginalized communities, or where marginalized people in attendance are explicitly and implicitly silenced, it’s my job to speak up and advocate for their right to be heard. But it is NOT my job to speak over someone. So if, say, transwomen are being shut out of a conversation, I need to speak up and advocate for their inclusion.

But if there’s a transwoman in the room, I sure as hell better let her speak and dictate how issues that affect her are going to be addressed.

I’m doing nothing if I’m advocating for someone’s inclusion but silencing them in the process.

7. Marginalized people get to decide how to do their work. This was a huge lesson for me as someone who was against the SCORE CLORGS my freshman year. What I came to realize is that when I would say things against them, I was basically saying that I, a white woman, should get to decide whether Wanawake Weusi is good for black women. It sounds pretty dumb when I put it that way, huh? So this means that allies don’t get to dictate how things get done, and they probably shouldn’t propose solutions to problems that arise. They need to listen to what communities are advocating for, and then join them in fighting for those solutions.

Always assume there’s someone in the room who could be hurt or seriously triggered by what you say and do.

Some people are very private about what goes on in their lives, so anything that could be hurtful should never be said. Period. Even if the person you’re talking to knows what you mean, someone listening to you might not and could be seriously hurt or triggered.

The difference is between saying to a marginalized person “Why don’t you do x?” or “You could do x so that y.” and saying “How can I help you reach the goals of your CLORG/ organization/movement? What can I do?” Only offer suggestions continued on page 9

April 8, 2014 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Ten

Arts and Culture • 9

what i have learned trying to become an ally continued from page 8 when asked, or if you have knowledge of some administrative or logistical process the group is trying to navigate (and if they’re advocating against that process, work to help them change it). I’m someone who loves being a leader and finding solutions to problems, so this is one I especially struggle with. But the best thing a leader can do is ask how they can be a better ally, not make decisions about what should happen on their own.

8. Recognize your limitations. This summer, I worked at a summer camp for black kids of all socioeconomic classes in the greater D.C. area. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done— the kids were brilliant, but I really struggled to work with them. That experience made me realize, first, that I still have a lot of internalized stuff I need to work through, and second, that I am not a person who should be in front of a classroom of black kids. It was a hard thing to come to terms with as someone who considers herself an okay ally at a place that, for the most part, advocates for its students to do work like this (e.g. applying to Teach for America). From that experience I realized that there are better ways to use my privilege to help people, and I’m still trying to decide how best to do that. Using the newspaper as a tool of allyship has, I think, been a better use of my privilege, because I’m providing a platform for members of marginalized communities and working to make the paper a safe space for them, but I’m not using the paper to tell them what to do (I hope).

9. Know that your intentions are usually irrelevant. If you’ve said or done something that is hurtful or marginalizing, the worst thing you can do is try to defend yourself.

This forces the person you’re talking to not only put in the hard work of calling you out, but also of arguing about a topic that is deeply related

to their personal, lived experiences, when it’s not related to yours. This is important especially when your intentions are good—you’re not a bad person, you just need to adjust your intentions. In my experience, one of the best things you can do is apologize, and, if you’re confused, see if the person is willing to explain why what you said is problematic. If they’re not, consult someone else who you know is willing, or use your plethora of text and media resources to figure out what went wrong.

10. Make spaces safe. Always assume there’s someone in the room who could be hurt or seriously triggered by what you say and do. Some people are very private

One of the best things you can do is apologize, and, if you’re confused, see if the person is willing to explain why what you said is problematic. If they’re not, consult someone else who you know is willing, or use your plethora of text and media resources to figure out what went wrong. about what goes on in their lives, so anything that could be hurtful should never be said. Period. Even if the person you’re talking to knows what you mean, someone listening to you might not and they could be seriously hurt or triggered. Someone should feel equally safe in SCORE, in the Field House, in their room, in the dining hall, and in the Motley.

Everyone in every single one of those

scan this qr code to read A Previous Blog post from Megan

spaces should be an ally working to make those spaces safe and also working to support the work that people are trying to do. Remember, it’s important to educate yourself and make sure you’re supporting people, rather than deciding how to make a space safe without any word from the groups in question.

11. You don’t get to decide when you’re going to be an ally. It might not always be cool, advantageous, or easy to be an ally. Because you’re supporting people that society works to actively oppress, marginalize, and silence, your work will not be easy, especially when you have to go to bat for these communities (remember number 6). But as a person of privilege, you do not get to decide when you’re going to speak up. There will be backlash.

People will say you’re wrong to do what you’re doing. People will say you’re a killjoy or that you need to pick your battles when you challenge them every time they say something shitty—when people tell me I need to pick my battles, I like to say, “Okay.

I pick all of them.” Not everyone will like you. There is no halfway when you’re an ally. And, by the way, if your friends aren’t supporting you in your allyship, you need to ditch them. They’re going to suck your energy away from the work you’re doing.

12. Guilt is the worst response ever.

Do not feel guilty when you mess up.

Do not. It’s a waste of your energy to feel bad about what you’ve said or done that’s not good. Absolutely be reflective about what you say and do, and let that reflection guide your decisions in the future. But do not feel guilty. It detracts from your energy to do your ally work—if anything, let your mistakes inspire you to work harder.

13. Take care of yourself and each other. I’ll be the first to admit that allyship is difficult. Remember when I said allyship isn’t about you?

Well, you also need to take care of yourself—you can’t help anyone if you’re a wreck. There will be times you need to feel bad about something that happened. There will be times you need to vent about the difficulties with being an ally.

But don’t rely on the communities that you’re allying to deal with your issues—that’s detracting from the work they’re doing, when it’s your job to support it. While ally training is often something groups dedicate time to, it’s often one very small part of the work they do. Help them with that work by helping each other.

14. Don’t get discouraged. As you learn about the issues that are out there that groups are trying to fight, you’re going to feel like literally everything is a problem and there is no hope for society. My parents worry a lot that I’m only feeding my depression by thinking so much about all the wrongs out there. But the truth is, you have to have an almost stupid amount of optimism to do this work. You have to sincerely believe that the work you’re doing is going to affect change, even when you don’t see that change occurring.

Remember that social justice groups don’t just sit around making lists of all their problems—they almost always propose concrete solutions to the problems they identify. Keep those solutions at the forefront of your mind, and you won’t feel so overwhelmed.

I know this has been intense, and if you’re just beginning your journey as an ally, it can all seem really daunting. But making this transition is the same as any other you have to make in your life—it gets easier the more you do it. If you want to learn a little more about my journey from non-ally to ally, you can find that story here: http://goo.gl/yz7sDI. I wrote this in response to an article that a CMC student wrote last year about why she disagrees with the existence of women’s colleges.

Got questions or thoughts?

Join the discussion on our website or email the editors.

TheScrippsvoice.com scrippsvoice@gmail.com

April 8, 2014 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Ten

10 • Arts and Culture

“archer” enters the danger zone Caroline Nelson ’16 TV Columnist

W

hen “Archer” debuted back in 2010… I wasn’t plugged in enough to be watching. But when I discovered it on Netflix a couple years later, it felt like the comedy I’d been waiting for. Imaginative, raunchy, sick, twisted, and smart, “Archer” has always been above all else extremely funny. It also served as a great way to get over “Arrested Development,” one of television fans’ great “ones that got away” (fellow “Firefly” enthusiasts, I don’t know what to tell you… maybe you could try watching “Star Trek” and

a John Ford film at the same time).

“Archer” is an animated sitcom which manages to mine new comedic material from what had previously seemed to be tapped out genre: the spy spoof. It was laugh-out-loud hilarious from the pilot all through seasons one, two, and three. Then around came season four and it was… good.

Now in the middle of season 5 I will continue to praise the show with faint damnation by saying that it is still good. Though obviously all television is subjective, for me comedy is an especially thorny problem because at the end of the day, there is only

one thing that really decides whether or not I keep watching: is it funny?

This property of funniness is illusive and I can’t pinpoint what it’s tied too. The aggressively stupid “Robot Chicken” makes me laugh out loud whereas the clever and inventive “30 Rock” has yet to illicit a chuckle from me. But just as often, I find myself unmoved by silliness but almost literally rolling on the floor over a Monty Python philosophyrelated gag (preferably involving Australians named Bruce). “Archer” has always been a perfect mix of absurd, filthy, and highbrow, but for some reason it just isn’t as funny

anymore. Recently the creator has admitted that he’s become bored with the show and, to guard against creative stagnation, gave this most recent season a makeover. The show is now called “Archer Vice” and the characters have lost their spy agency and are making inept attempts at forming a drug cartel.

But despite this alleged retooling, everything feels the same. Maybe it just needs a more sweeping kind of change, though what that would be I couldn’t say, or maybe (circling back to “Arrested Development”) this kind of comedic brilliance can only stay strong for about three seasons.

fashion columnist recommends artsy, new lifestyle magazines

By Stephanie Huang ‘16 Fashion Columnist

Issue three of synonym, released in Dec. 2013. $20.

Photo courtsey of synonymjournal.com

D

espite the insistence that print is dying, the recent surge of ad-free minimalist lifestyle publications more akin to art than anything else has reaffirmed my belief that there will always be a space for publications (thank goodness). There is a deliberate sense of cleanliness and appreciation for simplicity in all of these publications. While they may be pricier than typical magazines, the adfree approach, paper texture, and beautiful content makes supporting these artists and their approach to life push you to bring a little minimalist magic into your own life.

With only three issues in print thus far, synonym is a bi-annual journal featuring ingenious page design—the photography within issues is stunning in its simplicity. As a journal that stresses moving away from clutter and towards intentionality, everything from its typeface to the white space of the poems embodies a chosen simplicity. On a side note, the journal has featured succulents on its covers— I was sold on that alone.

Cereal is a quarterly mag about travel and lifestyle. Its most recent issue featured a story on a private history of honey alongside photography of the geometrical heaven of dripping honeycombs. With photo stories in the loveliest array of destinations, Cereal encourages a serious case of wanderlust. My sole complaint is that I

Issue eleven of Kinfolk, $20.

Photo courtsey of kinfolk.com

Volume four of Cereal, $25.

Photo courtsey of readcereal.com

wish it were easier to get this British mag here in the States.

I clearly remember the issue I first fell in love with; it was called “Kings & Queens: The Art of Bed Making”—a whimsical photo story featuring sculptures made out of bed-sheets and the like. It was soon after that I flipped to “The Art of Daytime Drinking.” Based in Portland, Kinfolk is also a quarterly magazine that stresses small gatherings and conceiving new things to make and do. Kinfolk inspires good weekends.

Despite the insistence that print is dying, the recent surge of ad-free minimalist lifestyle publications has reaffirmed my belief that there will always be space for publications. There is a deliberate sense of cleanliness and appreciation for simplicity in all of these publications. While they may be pricier than typical magazines, supporting these artists and their approach to life pushes you to bring a little minimalist magic into your own.

April 8, 2014 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Ten

Arts & Culture • 11

Art Conservation Students Build a Career At Scripps College Laurel Schwartz ’15 Multimedia Director

T

he Claremont Colleges have many unique qualities that could draw someone to come to school here. The small class sizes, the consortium environment and the beautiful California weather are just a few of the possible draws to the school. However, for a group of Scripps students, the appeal was very specific: a major. Scripps College is the only college on the West Coast with an Art Conservation major.

Pursuing a career in Art Conservation requires a specific background in classes in addition to extensive hands-on experience. Art Conservation major Katie Shulman ’15 explained, “You need at least 400 hours of internship experience to apply to graduate school.” To help students gain the experience necessary to continue in the field, Scripps offers three Wilson Internships, made possible by Jane Hurley Wilson and Michael G. Wilson.

On March 26, Wilson Interns Katie Shulman ’15, Kaela Nurmi ’15, along with Turk Intern Bonnie Siler ’15 opened an art show they curated

Photo by Laurel Schwartz ‘15

for the internship. The exhibit, “Drowning in Drought: Selections from the Scripps College Collections” explored the varying conditions in California. “We came up with the theme when it rained for a week after the drought,” Siler explained.

To curate the exhibit, the interns looked through the extensive Scripps College collection. They featured ten rarely displayed artworks and also provided historical context about the pieces and thematic elements

to tie the works in the collection together.

In addition to curating the exhibit, the interns also work eight hours a week with a conservator in LA who is helping them restore the Shakespeare plaster reliefs in Balch Hall.

A unique combination of art history and science, the major reflects the interdisciplinary emphasis of Scripps College. In addition to taking

a wide variety of Art and Art History classes, Department Head Mary MacNaughton explained, “they take two years of chemistry—Intro and Organic—in addition to an advanced lab.” With a comprehensive education and hands-on experience, Art Conservation majors at Scripps are well equipped to enter the competitive field.

To view video content for this article, go to http://y2u.be/ p1mlJpMsBro.

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April 8, 2014 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Ten

12 • Student Life

Japanese Prints class features Endo period (1615-1868) art

By Megan Petersen ‘15 Editor-in-Chief

Photos by Tianna Sheih ‘16

The Japanese Prints class taught by Meher McAruther recently showcased a group of Japanese woodblock prints by artists Hishikawa Moronobu, Suzuki Harunobu, Torii Kiyonaga, and Katsushika Hokusai, dating from the Edo period (1615-1868 CE) in the Ella Strong Denison Library at Scripps College. The images depict moments from the lives of men and women during this period, intricately depicting everything from their clothing and expressions to the realities of life during this period.

Because of the paper’s publication schedule, we were unable to feature the exhibit prior or during its run in Denison Library, but we were lucky enought to have a photographer capture elements of the exhibit before it left, so you can see some of the displayed art here.

Denison frequently features rare and special art, including student-created and -curated work, so keep an eye out for future exhibits. You can follow Denison on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/ PPHNnR, and be sure to check out the Slocum Award student book collections coming up soon.

April 8, 2014 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Ten