30 November, 2017
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claremont’s “performative apathy” By Alicia Goode-Allen ‘19 Community Columnist
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bout three weeks ago, my stepbrother Justice and his fiancée, Rachel, were married in Monterrey at a beautiful spot by the ocean. I am grateful to say that after a morning of my physical disability inhibiting much movement, I was able to be present for the important moments: the ceremony, the family photos, and when Justice and Rachel jumped over the broom. The ceremony honored Justice’s history, his ancestors whose wedding vows were not legally sanctioned because of racial slavery in our country, and offered hope for the future in a family friend reading Langston Hughes’ “I Dream a World.” The couple hired a mariachi band to interweave Rachel’s culture and history into the wedding proceedings; the music brought lots of laughs and dancing and good vibrations, both musical and emotional. During the wedding reception that night, a family friend and I were Political Theory… More broadly, I can’t discussing the courses I am currently read the news anymore because it’s just taking, a majority of which center race, so sad. It is critical for us to be aware gender, and class systems and political of our positionality when engaging with sites of struggle in the States. He asked issues of disability, gender, sexuality, me, gesturing vaguely, why do you class, and race, and the histories of care about this so much? My reactive those with privilege taking up space in response was to reply with: because ways that are racist, appropriative, and you just asked me that question. For cooptive. It is also immensely critical our older, middle-class, white family that we analyze the ways in which our friend, it seemed illogical for me to care position can be used to excuse a lack about systems that I am largely not of personal and political work. If we feel affected by, as he understood it. He did disconnected from a political struggle, it not hold the understanding that I carry: is, all too often, because we are a part of, the understanding that we, white folks, localized perpetrators and maintainers of, the structural are taught that domination this those who perform “It is ignorant and particular struggle as white can be challenges. innocent, wellindicative of a Aversive racism meaning, and nondeep self-denial runs throughout racist, when in fact our campuses. that constructed to think that we As Eberhardt and m y t h i c a l are not personally Fisk address in innocence actively their critical text perpetuates accountable in reConfronting Racism, structures of racists injustice. creating or changing “Aversive [are] motivated to More and more unaware. in subcultures on the world in which we remain Not recognizing their campus, I hear live.” own biases insulates inaction excused aversive racists from by the rhetoric of what doesn’t “resonate” with each of us— having to confront negative aspects particularly for those of us with privilege. of their own racial attitudes.” Aversive What do I mean by this? I mean the ways racism at the consortium sounds like in which we manifest and utilize our Liberal diversity and inclusivity rhetoric. privilege through a seemingly-passive It looks like the President’s Advisory apathy. Throughout the consortium, Committee on… Oh, what’s the current this takes many forms. As someone name for it now… CIDE? As Richard Wright said to John Paul is a white queer it’s not really my work to… It’s not my place to take Africana Sarte upon his visit to the U.S. decades
Inside This Issue:
Page 2 - EmPOWER
Learn more about the 7C EmPOWER center
ago, when Sarte asked about the so- work, a greater historical role, if you will. called “Negro Problem” in the States: Time is precious. Our engagement with “There is no Negro problem in the United structural and interpersonal connections States. There is only a White problem.” is constant; herein lies responsibility. Statements like Wright’s offer much Inaction is not and was never neutral. All of a sudden the “American Dream” about the ways in which narrative logics of supremacy function. It is critical for takes on a whole new meaning. Performative me to inhabit and apathy—the carefully hold both “So often the apathy checked-out looks the understanding on each of our that something is on campus, upon faces when we not my own, that further examination, haven’t done the leadership within reading, when we Black liberation indicates a deep ignore the Trump movements, is presence of the presidency’s latest absolutely not my place and that opposite: an immense actions on DACA, in the manifest ways there is work that I can and need to investment in current we lack heartfelt accountability do to end white power structures to one another— supremacy. The prevalent structural racism being maintained.” is throughout 5cs at Scripps will not spaces. There dissipate if we only address the ways we are aversively is an active component in apathy: a racist, for institutional racism hides subversively racist, seemingly passive behind emphasis on localized “bias,” manifestation of privilege that maintains concrete symptoms of a much larger systems of domination. Hughes’ poem reads: “I dream a world and far-reaching structural illness. Yet it is ignorant and indicative of a deep self- where…joy, like a pearl,/ Attends the denial to think that we are not personally needs of all mankind.” Joy as Hughes accountable in re-creating or changing represents it is a pearl that supports, nurtures, “attends the needs of all.” One the world in which we live. So often the apathy on campus, upon of the privileges my Black and Latinx further examination, indicates a deep family members have offered me is a presence of the opposite: an immense joy that is inherently collective. Framed investment in current power structures in the context of Langston Hughes being maintained. We 5C students walk words, apathy is worse than useless and from home to class and class to meeting personal reckoning necessary when it without ruminating on the ways our comes to working towards joy, liberation, everyday actions connect to a greater and historically grounded love.
Page 5 - Architecture
Explore the troubled colonial history of Scripps’ buildings
1030 Columbia Avenue | Claremont, CA 91711 | Box 839 email: scrippsvoice@gmail.com | Volume XXI | Issue Four
Page 9 - Grand Central
Is the LA market succumbing to gentrification?
2 • Features
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE
EMPOWER CENTER Eve Milusich ‘21 Mental Health Columnist
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n a previous issue, I went over the resources that can be accessed through Monsour Counseling and Psychological Ser vices. Beyond MCAPS though, another alternative is also available to some students who would benefit from a more specific type of support. While Monsour can address a broad spectrum of emotional and mental struggles, the EmPOWER center narrows its scope and tailors its treatment to 7C students impacted by sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Services are available for survivors and all those who are impacted to any degree by these forms of violence- regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred. The Center works in collaboration with Project Sister, the foremost agency serving victims in the Eastern Los Angeles and Western San Bernardino counties. Not only are the EmPOWER’s services accredited by the consortium, but given their association with Project Sister, they are accredited by a significant part of SoCal area; if you need help, rest assured that the professionals at the center know exactly what they’re doing. EmPOWER offers free confidential advocacy, counseling, emotional care, and outreach to all students within the 7Cs. Calling the center will provide a primaryaccount explanation of their services, but for anyone who might not be up to that task, especially in a time of need, here’s a peek at how EmPOWER operates. Firstly, EmPOWER offers 1-2 initial support sessions with the center’s director Rima Shah or a confidential student advocate. In these, empathy and care are provided, as well as discussion of the further options and information available. These meetings help a student to determine what would be best for their healing process going forward. Some choices may include accessing academic accommodations, visiting a medical center, receiving therapy from EmPOWER, MCAPS, or an off-campus professional, reporting through a Title IX Coordinator and/or the police, and finally, reaching out to legal advocates. A second key feature of the EmPOWER center is the ongoing counseling its offers through Project Sister, discussed above. The Consortium contracts with this agency such that one of their specialized counselors, Evelin Setaghian, works fulltime at the EmPOWER center. she provides confidential, one-on-one, ongoing counseling to 7C students; in English, as well as in Armenian and Farsi. In addition to consistent individual counseling, EmPOWER also offers a
Photograph courtesy of Claremont Mckenna College.
group therapy session for those who have experienced sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking, whether recently or long ago. In this group, facilitated by Evelin Setaghian, survivors can share their experiences and work through their feelings in a supportive and collaborative healing process. Groups open up anew every semester- for Spring 2018, group will run every Thursday from 4:30PM-6:00PM. Finally, as part of their education and outreach initiative, EmPOWER conducts workshops and trainings such as Teal Dot, Healthy Relationships Lunchtime Ta l k s , a n d M a s c u l i n i t y M o n d ay s . •
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The Teal Dot workshops are 3-hour long sessions which train and qualify bystanders to engage in preventing sexual assault and dating violence. They are held a few times throughout the year; some workshops just finished this past September, and more will be scheduled for the upc om ing s e m e s te r. In Lunchtime Talks, the Scripps new student program partners with Claremont-based-organization House of Ruth. On select Tuesdays, students meet from 12PM-1PM with their lunches to discuss relationship issues that affect them, their friends, and/or their peers. Free dessert for attendees, too! Masculinity Mondays works to bring awareness to the impacts of representations and manifestations of unhealthy masculinity. Past topics have ranged from masculinity in the media and rape culture, to the past/present of toxic masculinity in society. These sessions run from 4PM-5PM on a bi-monthly basis, and all genders are welcome.
Once again, it is important to note that these supports are facilitated through either a licensed psychologist, who is professionally bound to confidentiality, or the center’s confidential advocate. Nothing discussed during treatment at EmPOWER can be reported to school or local authorities without the student’s explicit consent. However, if you choose to report, the EmPOWER center can certainly help you to do so. Working through issues like sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking, is the furthest thing from easy, as is getting the help needed- but when you’re ready, the EmPOWER center is always there. You won’t have to do it alone.
EmPOWER Center address: 1030 Dartmouth Ave., Claremont
EmPOWER director Rima Shah: 909-607-2689
Project Sister counselor Evelin Setaghian: 909-607-0690
Group therapy inquiries: 909-607-0690
30 November, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XIX • Issue 4
Features • 3
The ASK LUE: Scripps Voice Staff
SEX COLUMN
Luena Maillard is a sophomore who is passionate about holistic health and education. In high school, she was employed by Planned Parenthood as a Peer Health Educator to teach sex ed classes to high school health classes. She is currently working as a PHE here on campus, and you can find her during her office hours at Tiernan Field House for one-on-one conversations! How do you exist in a community that is very pro sexual liberation, as someone who wants to abstain from sex for personal reasons? And knowing that sexual liberation is awesome and beautiful, there is still a lot of pressure to have sex. People will say, “it’s ok not to have sex blah blah blah” but the culture says otherwise. -Conflicted
Editors-in-Chief Mel Gilcrest Maureen Cowhey Advisor Christopher Dennis
Hey ‘Conflicted’! Being a part of a sex-positive community means respecting the choices others make about their sexuality, including when that choice is to not have sex. You are absolutely right. Sexual liberation is awesome and beautiful, however just as you seem to be respectful of others’ decisions, you are entitled and deserving of that same respect for yours. Remind yourself of this when you start to feel the pressure around you- that your decision to abstain for personal reasons is a valid way to exist in a sex-positive community, that you know better than anyone else what you need in this aspect of your life. So stand strong in your decision and know that you should be afforded the same respect with which you seem to treat others. And don’t forget that you can actively participate in promoting sexual liberation without having sex yourself!
Design Editors Gabrielle Garcia Emilie Hu Sarah Wong Copy Editors Priya Canzius Rena Patel Business Manager Anna Liss-Roy Webmaster Emma Wu Shortt Columnists & Staff Writers Leta Ames Janet Asante Priya Canzius Rose Gelfand Eve Kaufman Hanna Kim Elena Lev Luena Maillard Eve Milusich Zizzy Murphy Ittai Sopher Priya Thomas Lizzie Willsmore Photographers Emilie Hu
So I’ve recently been intrigued by BDSM and I really want to try some stuff but I’m not sure about how my partner would react to me suggesting some stuff, especially some of the more intense stuff like wax play, (consensual) aggressive/forced intimacy, and roleplaying. Or even just asking them to dominate me. How would I go about expressing my interests without weirding them out? Well, I’ll be dommed Hey ‘Well, I’ll be dommed’! Asking your partner to try kinkier things in the bedroom is all about easing into it. I wouldn’t advise asking your partner during sex as this will put pressure on them to make a quick decision in the moment and it could be uncomfortable. Instead, I would suggest phrasing it in the hypothetical, as it can be a more relaxed way to ease into the conversation. Perhaps you could start the conversation by discussing “a dream you had” where you two were acting on one of your fantasies, that way you can invite them to explore the topic without any sort of pressure or judgement as it was a dream. Start with the less intense kinks and try to really express what it is about these acts that turns you on, the more you partner understands the more comfortable they might be. Your partner might immediately respond with your same level of enthusiasm, or they may need more time to deal with any misconceptions before they are ready. Once the conversation moves out of the hypothetical it could be helpful to give your partner some resources to learn more. Be patient and understanding of where your partner might be at, and who knows, maybe they’ll share some of their own fantasies they’d like to try! Recently, my hook up and I decided to stop using condoms but I’m unsure of how to ask him if he’s sleeping with other girls for the sake of hygiene. I don’t want to come off territorial but I want to make sure that we’re being safe. What do I do? Unwrapped
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Hey ‘Unwrapped’! You are absolutely right that you need to have this conversation, the sooner the better. I think phrasing the question in terms of safety is the way to go, as you won’t come off as territorial and they should be able to understand why you would want to keep yourself safe. Any question or request you have for your personal safety is one they absolutely need to respect and answer with honesty. Until you get a response from your hookup, I would highly encourage you to continue to use barrier methods such as condoms again, as you are still at risk for STIs.
Are there any safe sex options for girls who have sex with girls besides dental dams? And how likely is it to transfer STIs through oral sex? Anonymous Hey ‘Anonymous’! Latex gloves are another option for safer queer sex, they can protect against scratching from sharp fingernails, and save you from having to wash your hands between touching your partner and yourself. Latex-free options exist, as well as several different colors so you can spare yourself from feeling like you’re in lab! Both gloves and regular condoms can be cut open with scissors to create a sheet of latex that can act as a DIY dental dam as well. As for how likely it is to transfer STIs through oral sex, the truth is we don’t know exactly. The problem that arises when studying transmission through oral sex is that most people who engage in oral sex also have vaginal or anal sex, making it hard to distinguish the risks between types of sex. Not to mention the risk of getting an STI from oral sex can change depending on the STI itself. So, I can’t give you an exact percentage, but I can say that there is still a significant risk, especially for bacterial infections. How do you ask a potential hookup about whether or not they’ve been STI tested? I’m thinking about dipping my toe in the waters of hookup culture, but I also want to be responsible. I want to stay true to myself and prioritize my sexual health, so how do I bring this up in a way that’s productive? How do I know when my hookup’s answer is adequate (e.g. “I got tested over the summer and I’ve hooked up with people, but I haven’t displayed any symptoms.”)? Hook, Line, and Sinker Hey ‘Hook, Line, and Sinker’! Being a safe active member of hookup culture involves getting tested and being able to share with your hookups when your last test was. When asking, try to get specific answers. You should find out if they were tested, what the results were, when they were tested, and if they have had unprotected sex with others since they were tested. These are the details you need in order to assess your own safety and health, and if their answer does not satisfy these criteria or they are avoidant, resentful, or try to brush it off- consider it a red flag and an inadequate answer. When considering your example, the answer is NOT yet acceptable, as they have hooked up with people after they got tested and this could have been unprotected. The fact that they display no symptoms is also not something that should assure you, as the MOST common symptom of STIs is NO symptoms at all. So I’ve been kind of interested in this guy and it seems like he’s been interested in me, too. We’ve hung out the past several weekends and talked a bunch. But I messaged him a week ago and he just didn’t respond – left me on read. Ghosted me, if you will. I don’t know if I should still pursue this, or if I should try my luck with someone else. How do I know when to decide it’s not worth it? Danny Phantom Hey ‘Danny Phantom’! I would suggest messaging them maybe one more time, especially if you two were talking regularly before. Don’t feel weird about sending a casual text like, “Hey, haven’t heard from you in a while” or something along the same vein. Then see what happens from there. If they respond, great! If they don’t, then I would say it’s time to move on. Easier said than done, but really try not to take it personally or blame yourself. You never know where a person is at in their life so you shouldn’t waste your energy on masticating the hypotheticals. The right people will make an effort to be in your life, so if you don’t get a response move on to someone who will!
30 November, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue 4
4 • Features
NEW TIMERS TO SHORTEN SHOWER use Leta Ames ‘18 Sustainability Columnist
We need to have a culture shift towards region specific landscapes with native plants, low-water food choices, and personal grooming changes including shorter showers. This is where the new shower timers come in! Although reducing your shower to five minutes (or below!) won’t stop the effects of the drought or stop our reliance on groundwater, but it can certainly make a difference. Also, a simple shift such shortening your shower is a great way to start as you work to reduce your water use in all areas of your life. If you have any questions about your shower timers, reach out to SEED at scrippsgreen@ gmail.com. Additionally, please don’t remove the shower timers, and please treat them with respect. If one falls off, wet the suction cup and put it back up, but if it breaks be careful and submit a maintenance request to get them cleaned up.
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hat’s the with new “handy-dandy” shower timers? You might be asking yourself why it’s important to stick to a five-minute shower when we’re no longer in a drought. Well, sadly according to the Los Angeles Times although there were record levels of rain last year, some areas of California including Claremont, are still in a drought. Besides the pressures of the drought we must consider that our water supply is not limitless. According Golden State Water Company, much of Claremont’s Water Supply comes from pumped groundwater. The showers at Scripps are fitted with low flow shower heads, which helps to reduce water usage. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a low flow shower head puts out between 2.2 and 2.5 gallons per minute, depending on the water pressure. This means that reducing a ten-minute shower to five minutes can save up to twelve and a half gallons of water. All this water can add up, especially when we have a limited supply. Pumping groundwater does not come without consequences. According to the U.S Geological Survey, groundwater depletion can happen anytime water is being drawn out faster than it can be replenished naturally and wells in California are experiencing over pumping. Although our specific well may not be over pumped, it is important to recognize that our water use directly reduces the amount of water that is available to others. Water use on campus
impacts how much water is available to the other people in our community (all areas that rely on our wells) as well as how much water goes into the streams and rivers of our region. A drought means that the groundwater we used is not being replenished at the same rate as before. According to National Geographic, during droughts like the one during the past four years, we may not be able to replenish that water, and not only would the capacity to support out food and lifestyle needs, but also many people can begin to be priced out of affordable water. We should not be relying heavily on groundwater to support living in arid areas.
Sources: Dimick, D. (2014, August 21). If You Think the Water Crisis Can’t Get Worse, Wait Until the Aquifers Are Drained. National Geographic. Golden State Water Company | Claremont Water Quality Report. (n.d.). Grad, S. (n.d.). Most of California is out of the drought. Los Angeles Times. Groundwater depletion, USGS water science. (n.d.). Reduce Hot Water Use for Energy Savings | Department of Energy. (n.d.).
WHERE IS THE LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION IN SCRIPPS CORE? Hayley Van Allen ‘21 Queer Columnist
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very freshman at Scripps College takes the first section of the Core program their first semester. Freshmen are told that Core is the college’s “signature interdisciplinary approach to learning” and an “eye-opening” experience. The Core I program this year is focused on the concept of communities; through class discussions and lectures students are meant to explore how different communities are defined and formed. During the semester, a wide variety of different types of communities have been discussed, but at no point has any part of the LGBT* community been the main focus of a lecture. There have been a good number of important and relevant topics that have been covered, from ableism, to the tourism industry, among others. It seems odd that when covering such a broad range of communities, there isn’t a single core lecture specifically talking about the LGBT* community; the word “community” is even in the name. When looking at the description of Core provided by Scripps, there is a coherent explanation of what the course is meant to look at: “In this course, we examine the ways in which communities are created and transformed through political acts, religious practices, military intervention, cultural performances, social networks,
and bonding. In conjunction with this, we critique the ways in which practices of overt and implicit exclusion along the lines of birth, class, race, gender, sexuality, ability, and religious beliefs limit the possibility of belonging.” This description of core almost begs to cover the LGBT* community as a discussion topic, but it never happens. Considering the mention of “cultural performances” and “bonding” in the first sentences--concepts that are highly relevant to the LGBT* community--there should be a point in the semester which covers this community. Coupled with the promise of critiquing the way exclusion occurs based on gender and sexuality, it is disappointing that Scripps has failed to include either the gay/bi/pan/ace or trans/ non-binary communities as a main topic in any of the many readings and lectures that make up Core. Even if the LGBT* community was considered to be too broad of a topic for just one lecture, it would have been very easy to simply focus on communities centered around sexuality. A segment of Core could have been about solely the trans community, or the exclusion of bi, pan, and a-spec people from queer spaces and how that relates to community. If the purpose of Core is to challenge the way we think and view the world, it doesn’t make sense not to challenge our assumptions about gender and sexuality, especially
when these biases are visible in other lectures given during the semester. The majority of topics that involved “women’s communities” failed to provide a transinclusive description of women. While there is no explicit exclusion, certain experiences -- like having a vagina or getting your period -- are often equated with being universal female experiences, effectively excluding trans women from the conversation. The problem here isn’t that the Core curriculum didn’t give every marginalized group “a turn” to be the focus of a lecture, but rather that a group that is a perfect topic to explore how a community is formed by and at the same time defines its members is not mentioned at all. The LGBT* community has been substantially affected by the politics, social norms, and exclusion stemming from the “outside world”. It has been molded into the community it is today by the social and political climates of the past and present. Making this community a topic should be a no-brainer for the kind of curriculum this rotation’s Core program is meant to be focused on, yet somehow everyone who worked on the curriculum forgot to add it. Considering Scripps has such a large number of LGBT* students, the school has a responsibility to represent those students in its program. If the point of Core is to examine communities, it should reflect the communities present at Scripps.
30 November, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue 4
Features • 5
SPANISH ARCHITECTURE AT SCRIPPS
AND ITS VIOLENT COLONIAL HISTORY By Eve Kaufman ‘20 Staff Writer
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cripps campus is beautiful. Known for this beauty, Scripps is often is rated highly by various sources for its campus. The campus itself is even considered nationally historic, only adding to the seriousness in which aesthetics at Scripps are taken. Scripps is littered with lawns, gardens, and all sorts of old lofty buildings constructed, unfortunately, in the style of Spanish Colonialist architecture. Created during the revivalist movement, the Spanish Colonial style of architecture was adapted from a history of violence toward Native Americans. The Spanish had invaded the Southwest, and imposed values and religion upon the people there, evangelizing and essentially tricking people into joining the church. The Spaniards did so by a few methods, including creating what was known as Missions, where the native people they evangelized would worship and work. The Native Americans they had coerced into converting were forced to remain in the church. This effectively separated them from their homes and communities for the rest of their lives. Those trapped would be specifically hunted if they tried to escape, and returned to the Mission. Long hours of unpaid labor were imposed upon them, all in exchange for some food and housing. Many of these missions were built in multitudes along the California coast, as the project was meant to be all encompassing to effectively proselytize and convert all the Native Americans. All of this took place between the sixteenth and nineteenth century, leaving dozens of buildings in this likeness. California was littered with them, and many remain to the present day as heritage sites and elementary school field trip destinations. With a disregard to their past, the missions became quintessential to the aesthetic of California. In the 1920’s, what was known as colonial Spanish revivalism took place, tapping into nostalgia for the old architecture present throughout the state. Most of California’s buildings are now influenced by such a style, specifically the architecture of Scripps.
Scripps was founded in 1926, and the campus was quickly built to accommodate the school’s need. Within three years, the oldest dorms on campus- Toll, Clark, and Browning- were built. The architects hired were channeling the zeitgeist of the time, following the trend of this revivalism. Gordon Kaufmann was responsible for the design and construction of these buildings, and contracted to make beautiful albeit inaccessible colonial buildings. Now, these dorms stand as relics of a sordid colonial past. Ellen Browning Scripps had no qualms with constructing such buildings, as she had little ties to the suffering the Native Americans endured, within the very Missions which these dorms were made in likeness to. The buildings which were symbols of anguish to many were glorified simply for their appearances, a glorification Scripps was more than glad to undertake. Of course, this was prior to society being more conscious of such social issues. As unfortunate as Ms. Scripps willingness to buy into a colonial construction for the benefit of upper class white women was, what’s even more questionable is the continuation of such
Photograph courtesy of Scripps College.
Photograph courtesy of Lure Photography.
designs in Scripps development of recent. New Hall is also built in such a style. This is inappropriate and demeaning to the awareness that society and our student body in particular are trying to raise. There is always a narrative associated with a style. The context of a design is crucial to understanding the finished product. How can one build a structure, so intertwined with a history of struggle and conquest, without simultaneously implementing those values into the environment itself. Scripps is a campus that first and foremost services white wealthy women. This truism is all the more exemplified by these structures being the dominating style throughout campus, entirely disregarding the fascistic, colonial past that is revived along with the style itself. Scripps has made numerous questionable choices in the past. The administration often finds themselves catering to the board of trustees’ wishes. This board determines much of how Scripps operates, at times directing funding to satisfy their own wishes. Donors have been known to invest in things like maintenance of the campus, rather than educational funds and financial aid, as a means to protest decisions Scripps administration has made that don’t align with their own. Undoubtedly, it is this control the donors maintain that influenced the design and style of New Hall, which determined the choice of matching the architecture of New Hall to that of the past. With this reality in mind, it is imperative that Scripps administration begins assessing the needs and wants of the community at large, rather than acquiescing into the pressures of donors. As important as funding is, such pursuits truly demonstrate the disregard Scripps as an institution has for its community members. This isn’t to say Scripps lacks many positive aspects as well. I am glad to go here, and am often proud of what is accomplished as a collective. Scripps attracts bright minds of empowered people, and the administration at the end of the day supports and fosters such an environment. It is simply disheartening to reconcile these two realities: that of the good Scripps does with the willingness to buy into relics of colonialism, which at the end of the day are inherently racist, misogynist and classist due to its past narrative.
30 November, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue 4
SPOTLIGHT
6
Leaving Scripps
What happens to the Scripps students who take leaves of absences? By Priya Thomas ‘21 Staff Writer
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remember one day during my freshman year of high school, one of my friends told me that high school isn’t about having fun. Fun is for college, and high school is for getting into college. I remember being surrounded by students taking five or six AP classes each year, filling up their schedules with extra-curriculars they didn’t necessarily enjoy, and spending every waking minute studying, all for the sake of dressing up their resumes. I got caught up in this frenzy as well; at times it was exciting, but most of the time I felt like I was climbing a very steep hill with no end in sight. By my senior year, I was desperate to leave. All the anxiety, self-doubt, and loneliness I’d kept pent up over four years funneled into a burning need for college to be perfect. I needed it to be worth all the stress I’d put myself through in high school, and more. And I don’t think I was alone. For many students, college does turn out to be just what they were hoping for. Of course, it helps to be slightly less idealistic going in. However, is this not always the case, regardless of what students’ expectations are. Some students arrive at college and realize after a year or two that they are not happy. It is often hard for these students to voice their experiences when they’re surrounded by peers who seem to be thriving socially and academically. It may even be hard for them to acknowledge their own feelings to themselves, after spending so many years of being told that college is the ultimate destination - that the only struggle is in getting there. According to several recent studies, more than a third of undergraduates in the U.S. transfer colleges at least one. In the past couple of years, we’ve had several students transfer from Scripps, each with their own unique stories.
AMBER HARVEY Amber Harvey ‘2019 left because of the competitive academic atmosphere, the insulation/bubble effect of living on a residential campus, and the struggle she went through to access academic accommodations and mental health resources. She struggled to thrive academically because even though professors were willing to give extensions, she received very little help with time management, so in the end, assignments continued to pile up and her studies began to feel all-consuming. In general, she felt like spending every day immersed in an intensive academic environment with limited access to the outside world was ultimately damaging to her mental health: “I left to get mental health treatment that wasn’t available to me in Claremont and that I didn’t have enough time and energy to go through while I was in school. After leaving, I’ve realized how unhealthy the residential environment was for me. It felt like I could never escape the stress and pressure of school to invest time, energy and love in myself as a person, and not just as a student. Because I never left the school environment, I felt like I wasn’t living up to Scripps’ ‘elite’ standards if I wasn’t constantly working on - and exhausted by - academics, clubs or activism. Especially as a disabled student, but I think this can apply to everyone, it was extremely unhealthy to have my full identity wrapped up in, and defined by, the institution.”
“ IT FELT LIKE I COULD NEVER ESCAPE THE STRESS AND PRESSURE OF SCHOOL TO INVEST TIME, ENERGY AND LOVE IN MYSELF AS A PERSON, AND NOT JUST AS A STUDENT.”
ANONYMOUS I went to Scripps freshman year and my first semester was actually really great (as good as first semester freshman year can be really - still was a huge adjustment!) but second semester took a turn for the worst. I had to move in with a different roommate because my roommate transferred and the fit wasn’t as good. I didn’t realize it as it was happening but I was actually losing a lot of friends that I worked really hard to make my first semester. I think a lot of that had to do with the competitive nature of Scripps and I think I was oblivious to the shape my relationships on campus were taking. When I was home for the summer I reflected a lot on my time the past year and realized that Scripps wasn’t the right school for me. It was too small, I felt like there was an unhealthy competitive atmosphere to be the best and most achieving woman on campus and really didn’t feel supported by my peers. My goal was to go back for a semester, and then transfer in the spring. I loved the academics at Scripps, and quite honestly some of my best relationships on campus were with my professors, and I thought that would be enough to keep me on campus one more semester. It wasn’t. I went to the first week of classes and for the 10 days I was on campus I was having panic attacks, my anxiety was uncontrollable and I really didn’t feel comfortable where I was. I knew I wouldn’t make it the rest of the semester so I went to the registrar and got the form to take a leave of absence. It took me about half a day to chase down everyone I needed to get a signature from before it was all official. It was actually a very easy process. I had to talk to my dean who had emphasized that he wished I came in to talk to him sooner about the social problems I was having on campus, but in the end he never mentioned anything that could have been adjusted and so I really don’t think anything would have been different. I think had my first roommate not transferred I my second semester may have been better, but ultimately it was about goodness of fit and I just don’t think Scripps is the right place for me. I wish it was, because as I said I loved the academics and my professors but I never felt like I fit in. Leaving was a hard choice because it meant I no longer had a plan, I was a college dropout moving back home essentially, but it was the right choice and I am so much happier now. I actually got an internship and have been working full time! I don’t think I was ready for college, but no one had ever told me there was an option to wait, I just assumed that this was the plan I had to follow, and creating my own path has been a much healthier decision for me and I am happy to take time away from school to figure out my interests. I don’t plan on returning to Scripps but I do appreciate all that I’ve learned about myself from being there.
LEAVING WAS A HARD CHOICE BECAUSE IT MEANT I NO LONGER HAD A PLAN, I WAS A COLLEGE DROPOUT MOVING BACK HOME ESSENTIALLY, BUT IT WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE AND I AM SO MUCH HAPPIER NOW.
30 November, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Four
7
KATERINA FIGUEROA I TRY TO FLY OUT AT LEAST ONCE A SEMESTER TO VISIT MY ALL FRIENDS BACK IN CLAREMONT, AND I TALK TO ALL MY CLOSEST FRIENDS EVERY DAY. MY MENTAL HEALTH HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE I LEFT, AND HONESTLY, I DON’T REGRET LEAVING SCRIPPS AT ALL. IF ANYTHING, I WISH I HAD DONE IT SOONER.
I first took a leave of absence in what would have been my sophomore spring. I come from a multi-racial, low income, first generation background, and despite succeeding at my public high school, I struggled immediately when I arrived at Scripps. I felt ostracized from my majority-white classmates and I was thoroughly unprepared for Scripps academics coming in, especially within Core and Writing 50. Scripps has done a lot of work in increasing their minority enrollments as the years have gone on, but they fundamentally lack the support system most of these students need when they arrive. I failed my Writing 50 course and was placed on probation my second semester, and around then I began seeing a DOS-funded therapist in the Village and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. My depression got worse as time went on, and I was at my lowest point during my sophomore fall—I wouldn’t leave my suite for days at a time, I couldn’t eat, shower, or do work, and I was failing all 3 of my classes, including my second attempt at Writing 50. I ended up taking 3 Incompletes, was put on probation again, then left for my leave of absence. I knew I wasn’t coming back in March after Tatissa passed. I came to Claremont to be with my community the following day, and seeing how the administration handled our grief set my decision in stone. I couldn’t put myself through two more years of exploitation and trauma at the hands of Scripps College. It was a hard decision process to go though, especially because of how active I was and how cared for I felt within my community, i.e. my suite, Watu Weusi, and SCORE as a whole. I met the best friends of my life trying to survive the institution, and it was so hard to navigate the possibility of not having that support system be a constant in my everyday life. The other thing I struggled with the most was actually leaving Scripps to transfer to my current state-school. My whole life I had worked incredibly hard to attend a top college like Scripps, and it was scary to give up the privileges that come with a Scripps degree. I was lucky enough to make genuine connections with multiple professors and administrators during my time there however, and that eased my mind when deciding to leave. I’m currently attending USF in Tampa, Florida, around two hours away from my hometown of Daytona Beach. I try to fly out at least once a semester to visit my all friends back in Claremont, and I talk to all my closest friends every day. My mental health has increased significantly since I left, and honestly, I don’t regret leaving Scripps at all. If anything, I wish I had done it sooner.
Features • 8
By Ittai Sopher, Pitzer College ‘19 Film Columnist
T
the small moments of love and compassion that Hawkins residents like Hopper and Mike showed her. As she returns to Hawkins, Eleven comes to the realization that her powers are defined by her love for Mike, Hopper, and all of those who sought to befriend and protect her. Eleven’s entry into adulthood in this episode is marked by her conviction to save the world from the same pain that she endured, in her youth. In Season One, Steve Harrington idolizes Tom Cruise’s character in Risky Business for the same reason a stereotypical frat-boy might worship Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort from The Wolf of Wall Street. This version of Steve wasn’t necessarily a bad guy. His compassionate nature set him apart from the archetypal 80s jock-villain, who would go out of their way to bully or humiliate those on a lower social-strata. In fact, Steve makes reparations for most of his wrongdoings in Season One, exemplified in his replacement of a broken-camera to Jonathan and his immediate remorse and attempt to erase
By Elena Lev ‘21 Pun Columnist
Pun Column
he thing I love the most about Stranger Things is that it takes its characters more seriously than the action or the science-fiction. The adolescent stars of the series, experience their first steps into adulthood in front of a back-drop of the supernatural. In season two of the series, the two most noteworthy examples of this growth are from Eleven and Steve Harrington. These two characters come from almost the exact opposite positionality within their respective communities. While Eleven stands at the outskirts of society, often hiding from “bad men”, Steve proudly marches with his Ray-Bans and coiffed mane down the hallways of Hawkins High School, his arm wrapped around his picture-esque girlfriend. However, in Season Two both of these characters enter adulthood with confidence in their own self-worth and an understanding of the people that are most important to them. Eleven had spent her entire life as a servant, whose decisions are characterized by the efficacy of her telekinetic abilities in any given circumstance. After Mike gained her trust in season one, Eleven began working as a “weapon” for Mike and Company: hurting bullies, saving Mike from falling to his death, and ultimately destroying the Demogorgon in order to protect her newfound friends. While these moments are definitely heroic, Eleven performs the bulk of these actions out of a learned obedience. Eleven’s sense of morality which motivates her to defeat the Demogorgon is unclear. At times, she is fighting out of vengeance for the cruelty of the staff at Hawkins lab, and sometimes she is fighting in order to ensure the safety of her best-friend and crush, Mike. In Season One, Eleven’s unclear motivations are largely a result of her young age and isolation from the outside world, which limit her own understanding of what her powers mean for her relationships and responsibility. Eleven’s transition into adulthood is actualized in the episode of season two, “The Lost Sister”, in which Eleven is introduced to her sister, Kali, a fellow psychic who also experienced cruelty at the hands of Dr. Brenner and his minions at Hawkins Lab. In the company of Kali and her self-formed band of warriors in Chicago, Eleven finds drastic differences between Kali’s moral code and her own. Unlike Eleven, Kali does not waver in her actions; mercilessly murdering those who caused her pain. Kali’s lack of hesitation and Eleven’s deep reservations about revenge stem from the contrasting ways Eleven and Kali process and perceive past pain. While Kali can only associate youth with pain and suffering, Eleven has been exposed to meaningful, stable friendships. Kali’s lack of love causes her to value retribution above all, willing to kill a former Hawkins scientist, even though he is now fathering two young girls. Yet, when strangling the scientist via Kali’s orders, Eleven finds she is morally unable to justify hurting another child, even indirectly. As she sees a photo of the scientist’s children on a blood-stained kitchen floor, Eleven gains a moment of clarity, realizing that her duty as a victim of abuse is to protect other children from the pain that she experienced. Eleven’s rejection of violence contrasts with Kali’s self-justification and vengeful anger. Eleven ends the episode overwhelmed with
his public humiliation of Nancy on a movie-theater marquee. However, Season Two turns the charismatic and sometimes overly confident Steve on its head. Steve is dumped by Nancy, bullied out of his role as the king of Hawkins High by Billy, and is anticipating rejection from college. By the time Season Two kicks off, Steve looks like a lost a puppy wandering around Hawkins with a bouquet of roses and an apology-card. For the first time in Steve’s life, he is an outcast. Like Eleven, Steve is desperately looking for purpose in his newfound isolation. Later, Steve’s chance encounter with Dustin, allows for Steve to meditate on and gain a greater understanding of his own identity. Dustin and Steve form a symbiotic relationship, in that Steve finds a sense of purpose in the mentorship and brotherly-bond that he gives and shares with Dustin. And Dustin- well Dustin gets to feel like Steve. Like Eleven chooses Hopper and Mike as her natural allies, Steve chooses Dustin.
Which Middle-Earth inhabitant loves frozen yogurt? Froyo Baggins What do you call a depressed pineapple? Doleful How do prime ribs get to know one another? Meat and greets!
30 November, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Four
Features • 9
Destruction or Revival? The Grand Central Market Endures Gentrification By Emilie Hu ‘21 Design Editor
O
n October 31st, Downtown Los Angeles’ Grand Central Market was sold to Langdon Street Capital, a Beverly Hills real estate investor, shortly after its 100th birthday celebration. The Grand Central Market is perhaps most recognized for its instagrammable spots, such as Eggslut or PBJ.LA. Situated in the Historic Core of Downtown
market for groceries and speciality goods. As the decades passed, the Victorian mansions were either relocated to other sites, or demolished to make way for the skyscrapers we see today. Along with that, the wealthy Angelenos began moving out of Downtown, making room for lowincome residents. The Grand Central
A Victorian-style house that once occupied Bunker Hill. Image courtesy of Messy Messy Chic
Los Angeles along with the Bradbury Market adjusted to Image Courtesy of DXR Building, Angel’s Flight, and the Million these changes, and many of the stalls Dollar Theatre, it is a hallmark of Los became discounted goods and a spot Angeles food and culture. for people to grab low-cost meals. Walking through the Grand Central Many of these residents that moved Market feels like a colorful micro-tour of into the once well-to-do market were Los Angeles’ assorted enclaves. Every immigrants. Legacy vendors like Tacos vendor has at least one neon sign at their Tumbras and Ana Maria’s moved in stall as it is a requirement for the lease. during the early seventies, serving The open-air indoor market bustles with Downtown Los Angeles’s large Latino tourists and locals community. In “While Los Angeles is a city alike; it smells of 1984, the Grand that often cannibalizes its everything from Central Market own history, this new wave of was purchased pupusas to chop suey. gentrification happening in the by a developer This purchase named Ira Yellin, Grand Central Market threatens who wanted marks a pivot in the area’s overlooked immigrant to revitalize the Grand Central Market’s history; the Historic communities.” its clientele is Core. His goal changing, and it for the market is becoming more profitable than ever. was to follow the trend of organic and The customers are upper-middle-class artisanal eateries. He introduced new professionals living Downtown Los vendors like Sticky Rice, G&B Coffee, Angeles, looking for a more upscale DTLA Cheese, and then eventually yet leisurely dining experience. Adam the notorious Eggslut. Eggslut’s Daneshgar, the new owner, says his firm establishment marks Grand Central’s just wants to “safeguard” the place. Still, transformation. Its tongue-in-cheek the goal of this acquisition is to revitalize name and its specialty in brunch food and and revamp the market for a new is the epitome of hipster culture in Los generation of consumers. Angeles. The Grand Central Market’s beaux-arts While Los Angeles is a city that often style building was built in 1917, a time cannibalizes its own history, this new when Downtown Los Angeles was filled wave of gentrification happening in with Victorian-style mansions. Affluent the Grand Central Market threatens Bunker Hill residents frequented the the area’s overlooked immigrant
communities. Today, Latino-Americans do not frequent the Grand Central Market as much as before. The Grand Central Market is a link to Los Angeles’s rich history, and it seems ironic that a landmark in the Historic Core should have to resist the erasure of its own past for the sake of a lucrative future. In a more hopeful vain, Adam Daneshgar says he is not looking to “change or overhaul anything.” Perhaps the Grand Central Market’s new owner will seek to preserve the building’s history, but their plans for the market have not been released. Daneshgar says he will invest a several million dollars to “maintain” the historic indoor market. While Daneshgar words may be reassuring, they still do not undo the tribulations of the displaced communities that are trying to prosper under the throes of gentrification. In the meantime, it is important to support the legacy tenants like Chiles Seco, Tacos Tumbras, or Villa Moreliana when you visit the Grand Central Market. Their survival is vital for the preservation of Los Angeles history and culture.
30 November, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Four
Image Courtesy of Chiles Secos
10 • Features
Period Piece
menstruation and sustainability By Leta Ames ‘18 Sustainability Columnist
I
n a past article I wrote about reducing your waste and recycling. Well, today I’m going to be writing about an area of waste that not only has environmental impacts, but societal and wellness implications as well. So let’s not waste any time, I’ll start with a little history, because who doesn’t love a good period piece? It’s no secret that throughout time, including today, there has been a stigma and shaming of menstruation . According to the Smithsonian Museum, when menstrual pads first hit the shelves in the United States, ads encouraged shoppers to ask for it by name, rather than having to mention the purpose of the product to any shop keepers. These new pads encouraged people to move away from cloth pads, which were one option available at the time. As times have changed, some women are moving away from the disposable pads, back toward cloth pads and to other options. The choice of what products to use during your period is an incredibly personal choice, but it’s important to weigh all the options available, including the environmental impacts of those choices. Due to their disposability, tampons and pads obviously create a lot of waste. Based on calculations done by in the book, Flow: The Cultural History of Menstruation as reported by Slate, a menstruating person will throw away 250 to 300 pounds in their lifetime. This may not seem like a lot, but it’s an area that can be easy to reduce. One of the easiest ways to reduce your impact, that changes your routine the least is to switch to non-applicator tampons or pads that are not wrapped individually. This option requires little adjustment, and tends to not require an initial investment like other green period products. When you’re ready to things a step further and can invest a little more money in your period care, you can try reusable pads. Cloth pads of different forms were and are used in the absence of disposable pads. Reusable and machine washable pads are available from a wide variety of sellers. You can even purchase a wide variety of handmade options on Etsy.com. Another option that provides a greater level of convenience and is long term, but requires an initial investment is a menstrual cup. Menstrual cups may
seem daunting at first, so I suggest doing some research on your own about whether they are right for you. If you are unsure, there are options of menstrual cups that are used for one cycle, such as Instead Softcups® that are different in shape, but can offer you some familiarity with the process. Once you are ready to commit to a silicone menstrual cup, there is a wide variety of cups on the market, and they come in a range of sizes, shapes, and colors, so you can chose which one is best for your body. Menstrual cups are similar to tampons in that you can move freely and go swimming; but according to DivaCup®, a popular manufacturer of menstrual cups, they can be left in for up to 12 hours, much longer than most tampons. According to a clinical study performed by Howard et al. (2011), people who used menstrual cups experienced some discomfort when they first began using them, but that discomfort was eliminated with time and experience and overall, most participants in the study were satisfied with them. Overall there are quite a few options to consider and research when it comes to reducing your environmental impact during your period. Often, there is a high initial cost associated with the long term solutions, such as menstrual cups, but they last many years. In order to increase the accessibility of these types of products on campus, SAS, the 5C Planned Parenthood Club, SEED, and the SAS Sustainability Chair have funded the purchase of 170 DivaCups® to provide to students at no cost. Many were given out at Planned Parenthood Club’s Sex Ed Trivia night on November 29th, but there are some still available. Reach out to me, Leta Ames, over email (lames5955@ scrippscollege.edu) if you would like to receive one.
POETRY BY JANET ASANTE ‘21 REPRINTED WITH CORRECTIONS
SAM I’m still high for her. I still can’t believe she’s gone. I still want her to be here. My faithful side is occupied with hoping for her return. My rational side accepts her never returning. How can so much of me know what’s impossible? I miss my friend Sam.
PURPOSE Pick something to live for and die. You ever felt purposeless, Or that life is some kind of purgatory? An in-between process One side is nothingness The other side is heaven. Why should I care and why does anything matter? I could pick something. It’s easy to obsess over any given metric, You can become the best craftersingerpoetartistmathematicianstudent You can become the best ____. Just pick something to live for and die.
Sources: Eschner, K. (n.d.). The Surprising Origins of Kotex Pads. Retrieved November 27, 2017, from http://www. smithsonianmag.com/innovation/surprising-origins-kotexpads-180964466/ Howard, C., Rose, C. L., Trouton, K., Stamm, H., Marentette, D., Kirkpatrick, N., … Paget, J. (2011). FLOW (finding lasting options for women): Multicentre randomized controlled trial comparing tampons with menstrual cups. Canadian Family Physician, 57(6), e208–e215. Menstrual pads. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2017, from https://www.etsy.com/search?q=menstrual+pads Rastogi, N. (2010, March 16). Greening the Crimson Tide. Slate. Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/articles/health_ and_science/the_green_lantern/2010/03/greening_the_ crimson_tide.html
30 November, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Four
ANYA COOPER The Wave: Creation
Arts & Entertainment • 11 A Serial Story by Elizabeth Willsmore
Anya stared at Susie’s outstretched hand, suspicion and curiosity “Gramps,” Anya whispered, a genuine smile unfolding across her mingling in the air between them. Her small feminine fingers morphed features for the first time in months. Excitedly, Anya flipped through the until it was Gramps’ calloused, hardened hand beckoning Anya forwards, pages, marveling over each blueprint, at the neat notes scrawled in the and when she glanced upwards it wasn’t Susie’s but Gramps’ steely blue margins. Suddenly, she paused, lingering over a square piece of parchment eyes that greeted her, a faint smile visible on his lips. near the bottom of the pile. Gingerly, Anya picked it up, eyes widening as “Where do you keep your design software?” Anya asked, she realized what all the tiny equations and margin notes were describing. grasping Susie’s hand and nimbly rising to her feet. “Or is this project “Is this . . .?” Anya’s voice trailed off as her eyes roved over the various so secret it has to be done only on paper? symbols and writing scribbled on the page. In the center of the paper Susie grinned, the first real smile Anya had seen from her thus far, Gramps had drawn a large half circle, the dome stretching up almost as and said simply, high as it was wide. Running along the dome’s curve were hundreds of “Right this way, Anya,” her words punctuated only by the click-clack intricate pipes, their interlocking segments joined together at either end of her nude pumps across the concrete path. Following Susie down the near the ground, where two large ventilators rested on both sides of the hall, Anya felt the familiar rush of adrenaline that always accompanied structure. Scribbled in the margins was a single phrase: creating, a feeling she hadn’t experienced since before the Sea Wall Water into air - H2O viable source? broke. It was as if a dam had been erected in her mind, and only now Glancing over the blueprints again, Anya gasped as she realized the full was broken, allowing all the creative energy to flow out, as images of extent of what Gramps had been working on. structural supports, angles, and geometric formulas swam around her “Susie,” Anya began, her voice hushed in anticipation, “If Gramps’ head. blueprints say what I think they do, then this project isn’t just about Suddenly, Susie stopped outside of what appeared to be a segment building an underwater shelter for flood victims.” of the wall, but that, on closer inspection, turned out to be a door, Susie’s eyes glittered intently, their dark brown depths fixed on Anya’s completely invisible except for the hinges glinting in the fluorescent face. light. Susie reached into her pocket and pulled out a small key, fit it “This structure is meant to be permanent,” Anya began, her eyes into the lock, and pushed the door inwards, It was as if a dam had been erected roving the page for more details. “See this,” revealing a large pristine room overflowing she pointed to the junction between the in her mind, and only now was dome, pipes, and ventilators. “These pipes with boxes. Anya’s eyes widened in awe as she crossed broken, allowing all the creative suck in seawater from different points along the threshold, taking in the long counter top in the dome and transport it to these ventilators, energy to flow out, as images of the middle, surrounded on all sides by shelves which, according to the notes, should be able filled with boxes and boxes of blueprints, to separate the oxygens and churn out O2, structural supports, angles, and designs, and old files, each one labeled in rerouting the hydrogens as a fuel source for Gramps’ distinctive careful handwriting. The geometric formulas swam around her the dome. This vent,” Anya pointed to a large air smelled musty, as though the room hadn’t bump on the edge of the ventilator, “circulates head. been opened in years. As Anya wandered the air, breaking down the carbon-dioxide down the aisles, running her finger across each label in turn, a sense which is then transferred to a second subunit that binds the remaining of calm wafted over her, the likes of which she hadn’t felt since before hydrogens to the leftover O2. Then, the newly formed H2O is pumped Gramps died. back out into the ocean, refueling the cycle again.” “This is amazing,” Anya murmured, “I had no idea all this existed, Anya took a deep breath, eyes darting across the page of notes with an he never told me.” Susie watched her wander among the shelves and intense focus she hadn’t felt since building the Sea Wall. subconsciously broke into a smile. Susie’s dark eyes were fixed on Anya as the latter suddenly froze, fingers “You haven’t seen the best part yet,” Susie quipped, her heels clicking hovering over a small subscript below the main blueprint of the dome as she crossed to the very back of the room, stopping beside a large and ventilator. drawer with a gilded handle. Reaching into her pocket, Susie pulled “When you first told me about this project,” Anya began, her voice out an ornate brass key, its edges filled with intricate curves and swirls deathly quiet, “I thought it was a temporary fix, that the undersea reminiscent of Corinthian columns. Susie unlocked the drawer, pulling complex was only meant to last until ocean levels evened out again. it open to reveal a singular black box, its surface shiny and polished as But this,” she paused, looking up from the paper and into Susie’s dark, though it had been used only yesterday. Gently, Susie lifted the box onto unblinking gaze. “This is meant to last for years. What Gramps designed the counter, lifting the lid to reveal a sheaf of papers, all neatly stacked wasn’t just a holding ground for displaced civilians, these blueprints are and covered in more of Gramps miniature script. for an undersea colony.” Anya paused, her eyes widening as she read a Gingerly, Anya reached out and ran a finger across the lines of note in the margins. equations, angles, and structures written on the paper with painstaking Sea levels too high, production to begin ASAP, was detail. Closing her eyes, she lifted the papers to her nose and inhaled, scribbled in Gramps; careful penmanship. catching a faint whiff of ink and something else, something she couldn’t “Susie,” Anya began, her voice low and deathly calm. “What aren’t have found anywhere else in the world. you telling me?”
30 November, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Four
12 • Arts & Entertainment
Scripps Presents: Tavi Gevinson
Photo Courtesy of Scripps Presents
By Hayley Van Allen ‘21 Queer Columnist
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he evening of November 7th, Scripps Presents held a conversation between editor, actress, writer, and fashion blogger Tavi Gevinson and novelist Jenny Zhang. The event was held in Garrison theater and open to students across the Claremont Consortium, as well as the surrounding community. Gevinson is the founder of Rookie Mag, an online magazine created in 2011 for teen girls. Rookie publishes writing, photography, and other forms of artwork created by and for teenagers and young adults. Their pieces cover a wide variety of topics, from current fashion and pop culture to feminism and other social issues. In addition to serving as editor-in-chief for the publication, Gevinson has also acted in numerous plays on broadway and voice acted for a couple of animated shows. She is currently preparing for an anthology being published by Rookie in February of the coming year called Rookie on Love. Gevinson and Zheng started the conversation talking about what it’s like to grow up in a time where everything online can be found again years later. The two referred to the phenomenon as “leaving a trail of your mistakes on the internet”. Despite feeling like she had said or done some embarrassing things that could be dug up from somewhere on the web, Gevinson managed to take a positive view of it. Although she prefers to avoid actively seeking out her
old work, she still believes that it just doesn’t matter that it’s all still out there. She explained that because she doesn’t care what others were doing on the internet at age 12 or 13, she hoped that others also wouldn’t they care or judge her for what she was doing at that age. “No one learns anything from thinking I came out of the womb with a complex understanding of systematic oppression,” Gevinson said. She doesn’t mind that she’s made mistakes in the past because, according to her, mistakes are better for learning than success is. As the conversation continued, the topic shifted to how Gevinson viewed herself in relation to politics and activism. Zheng asked Gevinson whether she considered herself to be a political person or activist. GevinPhoto Courtesy of Serene Harb via The Student Life
son responded that while she felt activist wasn’t the right label for her, she did consider herself to be a political person because when writing, there was no was to separate how you write from your moral biases, which are inherently tied to politics. She went on to explain that she couldn’t call herself an activist because activism required a taking a risk. There is no risk when speaking on contemporary issues if you are protected by your class and your status as a celebrity, so there was no way for her to be an activist. When the conversation came to an end, Gevinson answered a few questions from the audience. She elaborated on her own writing process, saying, “you’re writing to figure something out, or express something, or live in it.” Gevinson also spoke to how she stayed motivated to work on things when there were so many talented people in the world. She said that it was hard not to compare yourself to how good other people are, but at the same time it was a source of inspiration. She joked about “channeling excessive rage into creativity” in order to overcome the fear of not being as good. After the talk, Gevinson spent time signing copies of the Rookie yearbook and speaking individually with audience members.
tHE SCRIPPS VOICE IS HIRING! Now accepting applications for Spring 2018:
- design editor (paid position) - staff writers - photographers please direct inquiries and resumes to: scrippsvoice@gmail.com 30 November, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Four