Volume XXIX Issue 6 February 13 2020 by The Scripps Voice

13 February 2020

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Drop Sodexo Shows Strong Presence at Scripps’ Dining Contract Negotiations

By Kendall Lowery Food Columnist/Copy Editor

Last week, students from across the 5Cs wielding Drop Sodexo signs streamed into Balch Hall as part of a mass protest against the corporation’s dining contract presentation to the community. Sodexo was the third and final dining services vendor to make their pitch to Scripps students, faculty and staff before the college’s contract with Sodexo runs out in June 2020. However, while the first two vendor presentations were sparsely attended by students, Sodexo’s various representatives, including Malott’s new General Manager Garrick Hisamoto, were met with a full house. The student community had shown up in full force in order to reiterate their demands of nearly a year prior, originally announced in a letter to Scripps President Lara Tiedens. This letter contained a petition asking Tiedens to discontinue Scripps’ contract with Sodexo in 2020 and included the following demands: “1. A promise that Scripps will not contract with Sodexo, Aramark or Compass. 2. Dining management through either a transition to in house management or a contract with an outside company that abides by the following: a) procurement practices that are sustainable as well as socially and ethically responsible to minimize the college’s carbon footprint and other harmful effects on the environment. b) maintenance of all current Malott workers as well as a guarantee for a living wage and proper benefits such as paid sick days, retirement plans, and healthcare in accordance with the High Road workplace practices. c) a management system that responds to worker concerns. d) encouragement for all vendors to invest in their workers and the communities where they operate. 3. A transparent contracting process that involves workers, students, and the greater community by taking

into account and adequately responding to their needs.” In the time since Tiedens has received these demands, a Request For Proposal was sent to 10 different dining services vendors. Five of those vendors responded with proposals, three of whom were invited to Scripps to present these contracts to the student body. The contracts will be evaluated on the basis of company culture, culinary philosophy, leadership, communications and service strategy, financial feasibility and operations practices, according to Toby Bushee, Scripps Executive Director of Conference & Event Administration. All three proposals incorporated initiatives to relieve Malott’s lunchtime congestion, as well as either an extension of dining hall hours or the construction of a student lounge similar to Jay’s Place that would remain open outside of normal dining hours. The first presenter, Bon Appetit, has already established their reputation in Claremont as the dining services vendor for Pitzer College and Claremont McKenna College. “Personally, I thought Bon Appetit had the most appealing presentation, at least on the surface,” Anne Shalamoff ’20 said. “They even had a Fellow on stage who a year ago was a student at Emory in Boston. She had a compelling speech about her struggle with administration as an activist for food and environmental justice on her campus until the school switched over to Bon Appetit at which point there was much less tension and much more collaboration…However, there are two important facts that need to be addressed. Bon Appetit is owned by Compass which is the largest dining service company operating in the U.S., even larger than Sodexo. Secondly, Compass provides food services for prisons.” Controversially, Bon Appetit’s parent company, the Compass Group, has faced many of the same critiques as Sodexo. Compass is currently the

largest contract foodservice company in the world and it continues to provide dining and vending services to prisons across North America. Furthermore, in 2008, prisons serviced by a subsidiary of the Compass Group tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium which can lead to brain and blood infections. The second dining services vendor to present, SAGE, is a relatively small, family-run company dedicated to serving small and mid sized private colleges. Similarly to the other vendors, SAGE communicated their commitment to sustainable practices, locally sourced ingredients and maintaining the benefits and employment of Scripps’ current dining staff. However, some of SAGE’s sustainability practices seemed to lack forethought; most notably, they were the only vendor to neglect the inclusion of a specific strategy dedicated to the elimination of food waste. Very few students attended the Bon Appetit and SAGE presentations. They were scheduled during lunch without providing food and were only advertised with a few emails. The relatively relaxed nature of the first two vendor presentations stood in sharp contrast to Sodexo’s pitch. Students showed up en masse, and additionally, many Malott employees attended the presentation in order to voice their support for Sodexo and for Hisamoto. Though Hisamoto has been a chef at Scripps for the better part of a decade, this is his first year as the general manager of the dining hall and has been responsible for many of the changes implemented over the past semester, including the addition of power bowls, kombucha, and the new vegan Sprouted station at Malott. [Hisamoto] is doing a good job, food’s different, everything’s different,” said Victor Huerta, a member of the dining staff who voiced his approval of Sodexo during their presentation. Thankfully, Scripps’ decision con-

cerning the dining services provider they will partner with in the 2020 contract will not affect the job security of the majority of the people who work at Malott, as they are employed by the college. However, Hisamoto and other members of the dining hall’s upper level management will likely lose their positions if Scripps chooses another dining service provider, as they are employed by Sodexo. Though the initial presentation went uninterrupted, the Q&A portion of the session allowed students to confront Sodexo’s corporate representatives head on. “Scripps prides itself on its CORE curriculum, which teaches everyone in our community about different social justice issues in hopes of creating young leaders who will dedicate themselves to fighting oppression and injustice wherever they are -- like the Prison Industrial Complex,” Maddie Moore ’22 said. “How can you be a member of our community, Sodexo, when you as a company do not commit to our community values and commit the very injustices we were taught to fight?” Jennifer Williamson, Sodexo’s Senior Vice President of Brand & Communications, North America, represented the company during the Q&A session. “The instances that you describe are very rare,” said Williamson. Several students interjected during her responses, calling on Williamson to provide much more succinct and focused answers to their inquiries. “It's a shame that so few students went to the Bon Appetit and SAGE presentations,” Shalamoff said. “I thought students brought up really valid issues with Sodexo and their spokesperson remained calm but didn't do a good job of addressing the issues being presented by students.” Scripps students have done the talking; now we’ll have to wait and see if dining service providers and the administration are finally willing to listen.

2 • News Vegans Rejoice! New Plant-Based Station at Malott Dining Commons By Hannah Downing ’23 Staff Writer

tarting in January 2020, the Malott Dining Commons launched a new vegan food station, aptly named “Sprouted”. Sprouted features completely plant-based meals offered lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, and dinner Saturday and Sunday. Not only is Sprouted unique because it is a vegan station, it was also created in collaboration with Scripps College students. “It was a no-brainer to have the students involved in the development of Sprouted,” General Manager of Scripps Dining Services Garrick Hisamoto said. “The station was developed with the Scripps community in mind. Many of them involved in the process have been living a plantbased diet for several years, and it’s always good to have an expert opinion to help ensure that we are hitting all the marks.” Initial student input came primarily from the Student Dining Service Council. “During [Council] meetings, we would talk about trends and things that they looked for when dining out on a plant-based diet,” Hisamoto said. “I also asked them to share recipes to help build our catalog of vegan options. I gave them my outline of what I had in mind and they helped round it out and we were able to launch this spring.” “I love [the Sprouted station]!” Student Dining Service Council member Camryn Hollarsmith ’20 said. The Council had been working on developing more vegan options at Malott, so when Hisa-

moto presented his concept for a plant-based station, they were very receptive to the idea. Sprouted is also an exciting new step in lessening the environmental impact of Malott and the Scripps College campus at large. It’s “part of a huge push for increased environmental awareness and aligning with student morals of ‘do no harm,’” Hollarsmith said. “On average, the Sprouted section saves 200 to 300 lbs of meat per day!” So, is Sprouted setting a new precedent? Can we expect the development of any new stations at Malott? “We are always looking for ways to improve our offering to craft a dining program that is Scripps-specific,” Hisamoto said. “One of the main focuses that I have tasked our Student Dining Services Council is to provide feedback from the community on ways we can help achieve this goal. The biggest and best way to create change is to keep an open line of communication. The management team and staff’s number one goal is to provide an offering that is reflective of the

Scripps community.” Feedback for the Scripps Dining team is always welcome! Got any questions, concerns, or compliments for Scripps Dining Services? You can drop your suggestions at https://scrippsdining.sodexomyway.com/contact/feedback. You can also reach out to the managerial team at https://scrippsdining.sodexomyway.com/contact/index. Any questions about the Student Dining Service Council from a student perspective? Contact Camryn Hollarsmith at CHollars4219@ scrippscollege.edu.

Photo by Alyssa Leong

Oh Heck, It’s Keck! Rats Take Refuge in Denison During Keck Renovation By Amelie Lee ’23 Copy Editor

eck Science Center is getting a fresh new look, requiring the temporary relocation of resources and animals. The renovation process has limited storage space in Keck, leading to reports of lab animals being stored in unorthodox locations on campus, including the Dorothy Drake Wing of Scripps’ Ella Strong Denison Library. Staff members working at Denison confirmed that lab animals were moved into the wing two to three weeks ago. When asked about the safety and sterility of the animals, Biology professor Jenna Monray reiterated that proper measures have been taken to ensure safety. Outside students not involved with animal research are not permitted to see the wing’s vivarium. “The care and use of animals in research is highly regulated and must be approved by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee,” Monray said. “The space that the animals are currently housed in was completely remodeled to match all the requirements necessary for housing research animals. Many of the research animals are pathogen-free, that is they carry no viruses or bacteria that can cause disease.” Jess Maurice ’22, a Scripps College neuroscience major who recently worked with mice in Denison for research on the effects of exercise on performance and muscle physiology in mice, provided comment on the temporary changes. “The whole area was converted to accommodate a sterile research lab, so I and the people I’m working in the lab with are okay with [the move],” Maurice said. Dean of the Keck Science Department Ulysses

J. Sofia reported that some resources may be moved for constructions but provided no comment on reports of live animals on campus. Theodora Helgason ’22, a staffer on TSV, reported seeing a dead rat on the floor near the matriculation doors of Denison Sunday evening while with friends. Keck staff denies that this particular animal has any correlation with the relocated lab animals. “I originally thought it was a leaf, but when we walked closer, it was a real rat,” Helgason said. “It just made me nervous… if there’s one dead rat out front, live rats might be roaming around the area,

continue to undergo renovation while continuing to hold classes in the building. The planned changes to the existing Keck building include three levels, two of which will be completed by Fall 2022 and a third that will be constructed at a later date. Infrastructure updates include teaching labs, a few offices as well as study spaces for Claremont students. Much of the building’s renovation is focused on redesigning classrooms to accommodate Claremont McKenna’s planned departure from Keck. As the schools anticipate reducing Keck’s student population by a third, construction includes reducing classroom sizes and modernizing the current structure of the labs. Josh Reeder, Executive Director of Facilities Management and Auxiliary Operations, is overlooking the process of renovation. “The main difference will be a more modern and current application for labs used in today’s cutting edge science programs, as opposed to the 30-year-old existing Keck technology,” Reeder said. “This includes improved hoods for lab safety, audio visual elements, and energy-efficient lighting and infrastructure.” Renovation will affect parking on the Claremont campuses, specifically between Scripps College and Pitzer College. In the next few months, students can expect conPhoto by Alyssa Leong struction to the Revelle parking lot on 9th skittering around and eating books and such.” and Mills Street. Denison librarian Jennifer Martinez Wormser “As we get closer to construction, we will be addressed the situation, saying that she thought able to send out more specific communications the animal could have been part of the wildlife regarding the specifics of the parking impacts for that frequents Scripps’ campus. all students, faculty, and staff,” Reeder said. “[The dead rat was] in front of the Denison douWhile the temporary animal relocation in Denible doors this morning when I arrived on campus. son seems to have the most significant effect of I notified Scripps Facilities, who took care of its construction, the Scripps community has seemed disposal. I do not believe it has anything to do with unfazed. All resources and animals should return the vivarium,” Wormser said. to the Keck Science Center at the conclusion of Over the next two years the Keck building will Keck’s renovation.

13 February 2020 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXIX • Issue Six

Politics • 3

Her Own Badass Self: Scripps Presents

Cecile Richards

ByJulia Cox ’23 Staff Writer

ormer president of Planned Parenthood and two-time member of TIME magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People in the World, Cecile Richards has spent a much of her life fighting for the rights of other women, making her the perfect first Scripps Presents speaker of the semester. Joined by Spectrum One Radio’s Alex Cohen, the conversation covered the tricky leadership expectations of women, the role of women in politics and the workforce, and achieving your goals. As the daughter of a well-known former governor of Texas, the evening began with a question not about Richards herself, as one would expect, but about her mother. However, the conversation soon directed itself towards the life of Richards, with the discussion being both inspiring and interesting. As the co-founder of political action group Supermajority, which works to get more women elected into office, Richards is passionate about female representation in politics. However, she points out that it’s not always easy for them to get there.

“Do not hide your light . . . do not try to conform. Be your own badass self.” -Cecile Richards “The systems were never made to recruit women,” Richards said of her experience in politics. However, the lessons she learned while maneuvering this truth became candid advice for a small group of 5C students at CP&R’s Career Conversations event. Sharing her experiences, her insight was greatly beneficial in showing her personal journey as a woman involved in politics. “When asked about imposter syndrome, she relayed her experiences dealing with self-doubt and uncertainty. Serving as the spokesperson for the national movement comes with a high degree of pressure. I was amazed by how straightforward she was about both her successes and her failures over the past few decades,” said Rena Childers PO ’20. For those who are wondering how to accomplish their goals as successfully as Richards, she has some advice. “Start before you’re ready. Just go,” Richards said to women trying to move forward in the workforce. Comparing her experiences to those of most men, Richards contrasts the typical confidence of both parties while maneuvering for a job.

“I have never really had a man say to me, ‘I just don’t think I’m prepared for that,’” Richards said after stating the importance of refusing to wait for your own success. Emphasizing sticking to your beliefs and not caring how others perceive you, Richards doubles down on her belief that our generation appreciates authenticity in people despite ongoing negative stereotypes of female leaders as being either “bossy” or overly feminine. Richards insists confidence and tenacity is essential to succeed in the workplace, referring to her job at Planned Parenthood to prove her point. When she first heard of the opening at Planned Parenthood for the position she would

one day have, Richards states being nervous and doubting she could ever do it. This struck a chord with many in the audience, showing that even successful women such as Richards are human and have lapses in confidence.

“I was left with a feeling of overwhelming optimism and excitement for the future. Cecile Richards is truly a giant in the world of nongovernmental advocacy.” -Rena Childers PO ‘20 “I think I hold a lot of successful people on a pedestal and doubt that they have similar struggles to everyone else but the fact that this incredibly successful woman also experienced self-doubt made me realize that it is natural to doubt yourself but you just have to take the leap,” said Lily Mundell ’22. As a female leader, Richards has advice for those wishing to follow in her footsteps. “Do not hide your light… do not try to conform. Be your own badass self,” said Richards to a student asking about the most effective leadership style as a woman. Throughout her life Richards has proved herself as an inspiring and influential figure for women, and her positive effect was felt among students who came to hear her speak. “I was left with a feeling of overwhelming optimism and excitement for the future,” said Childers. “Cecile Richards is truly a giant in the world of nongovernmental advocacy. Achieving even a portion of all she did during her time as President of PPFA would be an absolute feat.” An example of a highly successful woman, Richards succeeded at inspiring and educating the students at Scripps Presents on Jan. 30.

13 February 2020 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXIX • Issue Six

4 • Features

Washington v. Aetna: Student Health Insurance Provider Sued Local Attorney Scott Glovsky Advises Students To Fight Care Denials By Anna Liss-Roy ’20 Editor-in-Chief

n February 2018, California’s insurance commissioner opened an investigation into Aetna, an American managed healthcare company, after a company medical director testified in a deposition that he never looked at patients’ medical records when deciding whether to approve or deny coverage. Plaintiff Gillen Washington had sued the health insurer in 2016 after being denied coverage for a rare immune disorder with treatments that can cost up to $20,000. The California Department of Managed Health Care and the California Department of Insurance consequently launched an investigation into Aetna’s policies and procedures for deciding whether to approve or deny claims. The case was settled a year later, in early 2019, with the terms of the agreement unreleased. The attorney representing Washington was Scott Glovsky, a Los Angeles bad faith and Pasadena personal injury lawyer, whose clients have been featured in People Magazine, CNN, CBS and the Oprah Winfrey Show. “What we do is we represent patients who are denied medical care by their insurance companies, that’s the focus of our practice,” said Glovsky in an interview. “[Aetna] had a system of denying people without viewing their medical records.” This system stems from the design flaw that individuals hired by insurance companies

to make decisions about whether to approve or deny coverage are trained to apply the company policy – and may not themselves have medical expertise. “Insurance companies are so policydriven now that what they’re doing is developing very broad policies for certain treatments, having them apply across the board, even though it’s not a one-size fits all case,” said Glovsky. This case carries layered implications for members of the Claremont community, given the vulnerabilities of certain demographics to predatory calculations made by insurance companies, as well as the fact that Aetna is the Exclusive Provider Organization for the Student Health Insurance Plan offered by the Claremont Colleges. Glovsky offered advice for students worried about predatory insurance policies that could deny them care. “Make sure that you don’t take no for an answer, that whenever medical treatment is denied you get letters from your physicians explaining why it’s medically necessary,” said Glovsky. “The key is to follow the doctors and to document everything and to not take no for an answer.” According to Glovsky, insurance companies take advantage of those who they are least able to fight for themselves. This includes populations like the elderly, but it also includes areas of coverage, such as mental healthcare. “In the area of mental health, it’s another area where it’s easy for the insurance companies

to take advantage because it’s subjective. It’s not like you can take an MRI to show you have [certain mental illnesses],” said Glovsky. This system is universal among healthcare companies in the U.S. and requires due diligence by those in need of care. According to Glovsky, here are the steps to take if you are denied care by your insurance company: 1. Before the denial even happens, play defense. Keep detailed records including dates, times, and names of those you speak with at your insurance company. Request confirmations of recommendations and changes in writing so you have a record. If you have the time, read your plan so you can use the language to advocate for why your treatment is in line with the requirements of your plan. 2. Don’t take no for an answer: fight the denial. Get letters from your physicians explaining why the treatment is medically necessary. 3. Ask your doctor about alternative treatments or medical options. 4. If possible, pay cash for the service. If this is not possible for you, try raising money among family and friends. 5. Consider proposed reforms to the healthcare system, many of which would alleviate the grip of these predatory practices on those most unable to fight back.

Circuits and Sexism: Women Battle Misogynistic Attitudes in Harvey Mudd Engineering By Jacqueline Loh ’22 Staff Writer

omen have made great strides in entering higher education since the 1990s, now earning 57 percent of all bachelor’s degrees. However, this trend has not continued in the field of engineering. In 2016, the National Science Foundation reported that only 20 percent of engineering degrees were awarded to women. There is an even more stark disparity when comparing the rates of white women and women of color in engineering. Only 12.6 percent of bachelor’s degrees in engineering were awarded to women of color (NSF). A significant contributing factor to the low numbers of women in engineering is due to the fact that many switch out of engineering programs. Over 32 percent of women leave engineering programs for a different field, and 30 percent of women who left cited a hostile workplace environment as a reason why. Hostile and unwelcoming environments are a significant deterrent to women in engineering, and are oftentimes the result of overt and passive remarks against women. Simply sitting in a classroom as the singular woman can feel both alienating and jarring when compared to Scripps’ Core classes which is primarily majority women. An anonymous woman engineering student stated that while working in the machine shop in the Engineering Core (E4) class at Harvey Mudd, she encountered an unwelcoming and uncomfortable environment. She stated that the male students would crowd around the the laser machine, physically forming a barrier between the female students and the

opportunity to learn. “How can I learn if I can’t do it,” said the student while describing the hurdles she faced in E4. The anonymous student also spoke about the specific obstacles faced by women of color in engineering. “People are more wary of me as a person of color,” the anonymous student said. “People don’t tend to take me as seriously.” Additionally, many female students report feeling subject to instances of passive aggression in engineering courses.

“People are more wary of me as a student of color. People don’t tend to take me as seriously” “In my physics/math classes I’ve faced automatic assumptions that I didn’t know how to do a problem and a male student would just explain it to me in a very condescending manner,” Melody Chang ’22 said. She also described a personal anecdote where in office hours a male student tried to one up her. Both she and the male student were confused on a problem, but when Chang brought it up to the professor, the male student stated that he did not know what she was talking about, making Chang feel like she was the only confused student. Despite the structural barriers reinforced by male classmates, both students remarked that professors have been supportive of them in their engineering classes. Chang described a moment where a male student called Scripps a “fake school” and the professor “immediately stepped in and told everyone how most of his best students

came from Scripps.” This active support from professors, specifically male professors, is vital in encouraging and retaining women in engineering. This is just part of an overarching problem at the Claremont Colleges: Scripps is simply not taken seriously enough by the other colleges, in spite of Scripps’ rich history, academic rigor and consistently competitive stats. Harvey Mudd has taken some action to spotlight women in engineering, including hosting the Women’s Inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics program. This program offers high schoolers opportunities to learn about the experiences of women of color in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. Students are invited to live on campus for two days and explore STEM fields. Early exposure to the sciences has proven to be one of the most effective ways to integrate young women into the sciences. Furthermore, interactions with other women in STEM facilitated by this program can further create a sense of community that is missing in male dominated engineering courses. However, in spite of the hurdles faced by women in engineering, there is hope. The increase in female participation in science and engineering over the past two decades includes increasing participation by members of all racial and ethnic groups, especially Hispanic and Asian women. “I’m really proud to be a woman of color in engineering,” Chang said. “I’m the first person in my family to do STEM so it really means a lot to me how far I have come with all my hard work and guidance and support from my friends, professors, and family.”

13 February 2020 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXIX • Issue Six

Features • 5

Let’s Get to the Core of It

Students React to Scripps Core Curriculum

By Theodora Helgason ’22 Staff Writer

he Core Curriculum is a defining feature of a Scripps student’s academic career and is a shared experience between all the students at the college. According to the Scripps College website, “[Scripps] students say the program is one of their most valuable experiences, calling it ‘eye-opening’ and ‘mindexpanding.’” The website describes the Core program as “the hallmark of a Scripps education.” But what do Scripps students really think of the Core Curriculum? The Scripps Voice reached out to Scripps students via Google Form for their anonymous feedback on the program. 22 students responded to the Google Form. When asked about their favorite semester of Core, the majority (63.6 percent) of students chose Core 2, with Core 3 following with 31.8 percent of votes. Only one student (4.5 percent) chose Core 1. When asked why they enjoyed their favorite Core class, 11 students responded that it was because of the professor. Five students responded that they enjoyed the content of the class the most. One of the goals of the Core Curriculum, and Core 1 in particular, is to prepare Scripps students for the style and level of college courses. However, when asked how much Core prepared them for their other college courses on a Likert scale from one to five, one being “it didn’t prepare me at all” and five being “it prepared me a lot,” eight students responded that it prepared them a two out of five. Six students chose “it didn’t prepare me at all.” No student responded with a 5, indicating that students did not feel well-prepared

as a result of the Core curriculum. Overall, Scripps students are not satisfied with their Core classes. When asked on another scale from one to five how satisfied they were with their Core experience, one being “not satisfied” and five being “very satisfied,” the majority of students chose a two out of five. Four students chose “not satisfied” and only one student chose “very satisfied.”

if the professors were of disciplines like English, Writing, and Philosophy that they would “be able to grade the papers more equally and fairly across the board.” A third student called for “fewer professors on power trips.” Four students suggested making Core 1 more similar to Writing 50, a writing-intensive course that is no longer taught at Scripps as of 2019 but was formerly taught during first years’ first semesters at Scripps. One student wrote: “Writing 50 was a solid program and it should be brought back.” “Core 1 tries to shove as many social issues as it can into one class and only has time for a very shallow discussion of each,” one student responded. Five students felt that Core 1 was too broad and should be focused to improve student discussions and learning. Another shared sentiment was that Core’s purpose is to teach white students about racism. “The class functions as a racism 101 course for white women,” one student wrote. Another student suggested, “make it less like a crash course that teaches rich white women about race for the first [time] in their life.” Overall, the survey showed dissatisfaction with the Core program and particularly with Core 1; when

Scripps students have suggestions on how to improve the Core program. Most students suggested shortening the three-semester program to one or two semesters. Six students suggested that the Core program would be improved if their professors were both more interested in teaching the class and qualified to assess student progress. “Get professors who are at least a little interested in the subject,” said one student. Another student recommended that

asked to rate their Core experience on a Likert scale of one to five, 63.6 percent of students voted that their experience was a one or two. Scripps students want the Core program to be shortened and feel that the courses themselves could be improved with more focused content and more engaged professors. “Get rid of [Core] 1 and make a class that actually teaches incoming Scripps students how to write at a college level,” one student suggested.

13 February 2020 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXIX • Issue Six

SPOTLIGHT

A Love Letter to “Little Women” and the spirit of Scripps By Alyssa Leong ‘23 Staff Writer/Photographer

he newest on-screen adaptation of “Little show the powerful notion of women taking Women” portrays a moving, tender story the narrative in their own hands (literally, in of love–not only romantic love, but also the Jo’s case). love shared between friends and sisters. The powerful plot is enhanced by the With her most recent movie, writer and inclusion of some of the greatest young director Greta Gerwig has created a timeless new classic relatable to the modern day woman. “Little Women” was originally a novel by Louisa May Alcott published in 1868. Based on Alcott’s own life, the beloved classic follows sisters Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth growing up in the Civil War era. Although the story has been made into seven adaptations for both the big and small screens, Gerwig’s 2019 release gives the well-worn tale a breath of fresh air. Unlike the linearity of past “Little Wo m e n” a d a p t a t i o n s , t h e f u l l emotional breadth of the original story is conveyed through a timeline that switches back and forth between childhood and adulthood. While the actresses playing the sisters stay the same throughout the movie (Emma Watson as Meg, Saoirse Ronan as Jo, Florence Pugh as Amy and Eliza Scanlen as Beth), the childhood timeline is bathed in golden hues whereas the adulthood timeline is cast with cooler tones. This unconventional technique not only conveys greater emotional impact, but enriches the character development for each March sister as well. For example, scenes of an older Photo Courtesy of Artforum Jo returning to her hometown alone paralleled with a younger Jo with her sisters actors in Hollywood today, especially Ronan, in the same locations show how family is Pugh and Timothée Chalamet (Theodore important to her. By placing her loved ones “Laurie” Lawrence). The entire cast brings leaving her one after the other (both in the new levels of heart and dimension to each metaphorical and literal senses), Gerwig character and the actors have palpable emphasizes how moving on never gets chemistr y, most notably Ronan and easier; rather, it’s about the memories we Chalamet. Their offscreen friendship is share with our loved ones that matter the evident through their portrayal of Jo and most. Laurie’s close familial relationship. The only deviation from the original novel “Little Women” is also an impressive lies in the fact the March women gain a higher technical feat, as Gerwig’s attention to detail sense of autonomy in Gerwig’s adaptation. through costume design, screenplay and The movie ends with Jo negotiating the direction were essential to the final product. rights and profit from her book with the Most importantly, perhaps, “Little Women” publisher, a parallel to what Louisa May makes its audience feel a full spectrum Alcott had to go through to publish her of emotions, from unadulterated joy to own book. Additionally, a scene in which crushing loneliness. It not only puts the an adult Amy confronts Laurie’s opinion viewer in the shoes of the March family, but of marriage being irrational, reveals her is a mediation on modern-day femininity as maturity and understanding of the world. well. Amy tells him she believes “we have some Watching these young women support power over who we love, it isn’t something each other and stand up for their rights on that just happens to a person.” She goes screen, I couldn’t help but think of the Scripps onto explain that marriage is an economic community. Much like the March sisters, the problem for a woman, especially one of students of Scripps are all women coming her social standing. Both of these scenes of age in a turbulent time. Despite the

Greta Gerwig’s Directorial Snub Reflects A Troubling Pattern

By Mirabella Miller ‘23 Music Columnist/Staff Writer challenges we face, many students continue to uplift and stand for other Scrippsies while fighting for what is right. No scene represents this more than the end of “Little Women” showing the young

he director of a movie is truly the mastermind behind it all, the puppeteer deftly pulling strings to make ever y moving piece serve its purpose in the creation of a finished project. In the case of Little Women, Greta Ger wig provided an unmistakably unique take on a story that has been through countless interpretations, seamlessly weaving together past-tense and present-tense narratives in the story through meticulous cinematic choices. Gerwig’s omission from the Best Director category is one of the most egregious (if not the single most egregious) snub of this year’s Academy Awards. Her exclusion leaves the category, once again, entirely populated by male nominees. In Oscars history, only 14 movies directed by women have ever been nominated for Best Picture (two of which were directed by Gerwig). Out of those 14, only four were also nominated for Best Director. In contrast, every single director up for Best Director this year also had their movie

daughters of publisher Mr. Dashwood (Tracy Letts) begging their father for more stories about “the little women,” along with shots of girls playing together. Although this may seem like small scenes in such a large scale movie, it was particularly striking to me. Not only did it remind me of how Louisa May Alcott’s story has inspired generations of girls but it showed me that I had the power to as well. Amy says it best when she tells Jo that “writing doesn’t confer importance, it reflects it.” Rather than waiting for someone to tell her her life story was worthy of being told, Alcott took the leap and wrote it herself. Her novel defied expectations and became a classic that has been a literary staple for girls everywhere. With Alcott’s book and this movie, the audience is asked: how will you reflect what is important to you? “Little Women” is a story that is personal to generations of women, as well as Gerwig herself, and it certainly shows. It is an intimate, tender movie that depicts not only the experience of women but the human experience as a whole.

13 February 2020 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXIX • Issue Six

nominated in the Best Picture category. In short, the work male directors bring to life gets recognized for its excellence but their individual contribution to that work also gets recognized for its excellence. This separation between female directors and the movies they are responsible for robs women of the personal recognition and potential career advancement that the Oscars have the capability to provide. W h e n G e r w i g ’s a b s e n c e f r o m t h e category is understood within this larger historical pattern of directorial nominees versus Best Picture nominees, it becomes obvious that the problem does not lie in the quality of movies directed by women but in an unwillingness to tether female directors to their art. Little Women is nominated for Best Picture, so there is no question that the Academy views the movie as an outstanding piece of film. Their issue seems to lie in their inability to deduce that Gerwig’s personal contribution itself is just as outstanding, whereas the quality and impact of directorial contribution is

an assumed component of male-directed movies, as evidenced by the directorial nominees this year. This is reminiscent of a cultural assumption that men are competent until proven otherwise, while women are incompetent until proven otherwise. The examination of this separation becomes even more interesting when the fact that two actresses were nominated for their roles in Little Women is brought into consideration. Saoirse Ronan was n o m i n a t e d f o r B e s t A c t re s s f o r h e r portrayal of Jo March, while Florence Pugh was a contender for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Amy March. This demonstrates how women are often viewed as instruments to serve a greater interest and not conductors of those very orchestras, an assumption the Academy is actively upholding with their nomination choices. Women can be characters in stories but not storytellers themselves. With its choice to separate film and director along gendered lines, the Academy is compromising the quality of the film industry for years to come. Until women are recognized in tandem with their ar t, it will remain incredibly difficult for aspiring female directors to identify role models and therefore place themselves within the film world, preventing a potentially more diverse range of stories from coming to light. The Academy ’s sexist habit of decontextualization treats femaledirected movies as if they just materialized out of nowhere instead of being the products of intense dedication and originality, showing how hes itant the Academy is to admit that multiple women each award season go above and beyond in demonstrating those traits in the projects they direct.

Graphic by Vivian Monteiro

8 • Features

Scripps Transfers pursue Second Chance at Finding Home Away From Home By Maya Lozinsky ’23 Staff Writer

his semester, seven students transferred to Scripps College. With similar academic attributes of most small liberal arts colleges, many students were drawn to Scripps because of its environment, both in and out of the classroom. Rina Nagashima ’23 transferred from Wellesley College in Massachusetts after her first semester, hoping to find a better sense of community on campus. “Scripps seems to have a collaborative environment and emphasizes both academic and personal development, which I think is really important,” Nagashima said. “Fit outside of academics wasn’t something I thought about when I first applied to colleges in high school.” The holistic culture of Scripps is highly revered among transfer students as one of its most valuable attributes. Sammy Lee ’22, a transfer from the University of Richmond in Virginia, was pleasantly surprised at the attentive nature of professors and faculty across the 5C community. “Professors and faculty are very engaged in how their students are experiencing and feeling about their institution, not just leaving the students to figure out their own way,” Lee said. At their previous schools, both Lee and

Nagashima said that they felt as if something was missing. Lee explained that at her previous school, the student body was predominantly composed of wealthy white students. Lee was troubled not only by the lack of diversity among the student body, but also by the way that the lack of interaction between groups “marginalized even the marginalized groups.” Scripps, by contrast, offers a different experience. “You see familiar faces, and I just really love that part of having a close cozy community,” Lee said. For Nagashima, her favorite thing about Scripps is the community and culture. “The campus dynamics were different from what I expected, and I was looking for a school that had life centered more on-campus than offcampus.” Nagashima said. “It’s really exciting to me whenever I get to grab a meal with someone I just met or meet their friends.” Transferring to a new college and acclimating to a new school culture comes with its challenges. In anticipation of these challenges, the transfer students underwent a three-day orientation prior to the start of the spring semester. In addition, Peer Mentors organized a dinner event for all transfer students at Scripps regardless of when they had transferred. “There were about 20 people and that was the big transfer event” Lee said.

Other than that, however, events specifically catered to the needs of transfer students appeared limited. Lee noted that she heard multiple opinions about how an event including all transfers across the Claremont Colleges would be beneficial. This phenomenon is not unique to spring semester transfer students. Stella Favaro ’22, who transferred to Scripps at the beginning of the fall semester, echoed similar sentiments. Favaro, as well as other fall transfers participated in first-year orientation where they were dispersed among all first-year students instead of receiving a more specialized orientation designed for transfer students. “I felt like I couldn’t quite identify with the [first years] and it wasn’t easy to find other people going through the same experience as me during that time,” Favaro said. A significant number of students transfer colleges. According to the Princeton Review, about a third of all students transfer before earning their degrees. While these seven students make up a much smaller percentage of Scripps, this opportunity allows them to find a college that feels more like home. “There’s so many benefits that follow from going to a women’s college,” Lee said. “There are definitely a lot of academic and emotional support that you feel from many different sides, which brings me a lot of comfort.”

Remembering Scripps alumna Norma Tanega

Photo Courtesy of Claremont Heritage

By Evie Kaufman ’20 Staff Writer

cripps alumna Norma Tanega ’60, famous for creating the smash hit single “Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog” and her prolific painting career, passed away this past winter in Claremont at age 80. Tanega’s death followed a final performance and art exhibit this past spring at Claremont Heritage, concluding her fulfilling life as an influential painter, song writer and community member. I had the privilege of knowing Norma through her involvement in Claremont Heritage and through collaborating in the orchestration of a final exhibition of her work “Supernova” last April. In retrospect, this was a fitting title, her personality a bright explosion at that point nearing end. This past Saturday, sitting in her courtyard again attending her celebration of life, I listened to the wind through a chorus of chimes blowing in the breeze, just as she had instructed me to do months earlier. The notes lingered in the air, danced away and rode their vibrations into all corners of the garden, or

maneuvering into the house, tucking into the interior’s folds and coves. They cozy into the crevices of her friends and loved ones who have gathered to mourn her loss. Her ashes rested by the front entrance along with pamphlets filled with certain pictures for the taking. Her more iconic photos along with bouquets rest in front of the fireplace. It was an intimate gathering. Tanega was a private person who kept those special to her close. “She either liked you or hated you immediately” it was recalled. Norma was a frank, ironic yet entirely loving person. Her loved ones opted for a celebration of life over a typical funeral. Tanega was one for joy, bringing a smile into a room. Tanega was born in Vallejo, California and attended Scripps College, after which she attended Claremont Graduate School to obtain her Master’s in Fine Arts.. She was suggested to do so by a teacher who had taken special interest in her, mentored her and eventually guided her toward her college choice. Tanega recounted how important teachers are to shaping and changing the lives of their students. She noted everything she knew was from teachers, or as a show of her nerdier side “either from Star Wars or Star Trek.” A humble individual, she attributed plenty of her success to mentors she acquired along the way. This led her to a lifetime of teaching, over three decades dedicated to K-12 education, winning recognitions for her hard work along the way. Prior to returning to the Inland Empire following her education, she traveled the world, living in big cities and waiting tables to pay the bills. As her music career grew she garnered the attention of artists like Bob Dylan and later Morrissey. She gave up a career in fame to pursue the work she found most fulfilling: teaching, despite her passion for art, music and performance never subsiding. In her later years she would be found performing to Claremont’s Folk Music Center or putting on exhibit’s of her work in local

hubs. She found outlets to do what she loved and gave herself to all those who asked it of her. Her influence was far reaching, and toouched the lives of many. The last time she could even create art was years ago, opting to devote time to others in place of pursuing her passions or desired solitude. Tanega gestured at a painting on the wall to the right of her as we chatted in her living room last May. “What does that date say?” she inquired. It read 2015. “That was the last time I’ve had a chance to paint.” Those who knew Tanega knew that her health had its ups and downs in the last few months. Eventually she succumbed to late stage stomach cancer, catching those in her life off guard. In retrospect, others suggested it seemed somehow, she knew. In conversation on her friend and artist Paul Darrow, Tanega at one point said “It seemed like he was having trouble dying.” Only weeks later would Tanega pass herself, expressing a certain familiarity to the whole process. Tanega was an intuitive person who felt things deeply. She connected with her surrounding environment in a truly special way. “The music is all around us,” Tanega told me once. “It’s in nature, it’s in the wind.” She glanced over at the large variety of wind chimes hanging from the exterior rafters of the heavyset house, her eyes surveying the bunch, guiding my vision to trail along their form. “You just have to listen to hear it.” That was months ago. I have thought of that moment often since, and have now returned to her home, trying to listen to the same song from that time— to no avail. She no longer occupies the same physicality as the rest of us gathered in her remembrance. The tune of the wind is forever changed. The chimes no longer sing as they did, though they are as full and boisterous as ever. It’s just a different song. After the ceremony her ashes were to be spread in the courtyard, joining with the earth of her home and the wind of the chimes.

13 February 2020 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXIX • Issue Six

Advice • 9

The (Dis)comfort of Adulthood: A Meditation on Being Eighteen By Sara Michael ‘23 Design Editor Graphic by: Jasmine Sloan ‘23

henever my birthday is around the corner, a feeling of overwhelming gratitude and reflectiveness tiptoes into my consciousness. I always thought of turning 18 as the defining moment in one’s life. Growing up, I had this goal that I’d finally exchange my romantic vision for a realistic perspective: I’d finally stop depending on other people. A lot of these expectations came from comparing myself with my idols. At 18, Aretha Franklin began singing professionally, Edgar Allan Poe published his first book of poems and Mozart had been composing minuets for over 13 years. Unlike these great historical figures, my year of 18 has been one filled with incredibly ordinary moments. Moments spent slicing apples at the kitchen table, folding warm laundry and tossing

coins into bubbling fountains. At the same time, there have been moments and people who have made this year extraordinary. I chose a college, graduated high school, moved out of my house and into a dorm and met and made some forever friends. At 18, one simultaneously feels a sense of responsibility and possibility. It is the voting age, the age to enlist, the age of being held responsible for criminal activity and the age of buying lottery tickets at gas stations at 1 AM on a Wednesday. There is something at once wonderful and intimidating about maturation. Being 18 means that I am at the threshold between childhood and adulthood. 10 years ago, I was reading Junie B. Jones and had barely retired from using training wheels. I have no idea where I will be 10 years from now and

Graphic by: Jasmine Sloan ‘23

that terrifies me. That feeling of terror has evolved. I used to think, and I might not be alone in this sentiment, that because I don’t quite know what I want to do in the future, there was something faulty with me. I recognize now that there is undoubtedly comfort in mapping out your dream future, but there is also no one route or path that any adolescent must follow. Just because you aren’t specialized doesn’t mean you aren’t special. We are so young, and there is so much time left and so much life left to explore. 18 has been dancing barefoot on the carpet to Ed Sheeran; it has been straining pasta with a coffee filter; it has been that not quite awake but not quite tired feeling of wonder and giddiness, hope and ambition. I can’t wait for 19.

When Your Professors Double as Your Career Center: Tips for Applying to Grad School in the Humanities

By Claire Dwyer PO ‘20 Staff Writer

rom the moment I stepped into my first medieval history class at Pomona, I knew that I wanted to be a historian. Magical things don’t often happen in college, but one happened to me, and I still give thanks every day for the miracle of miracles— that I found Late-Antique Medieval Studies (LAMS). I feel so lucky that I got the chance to discover something for which I truly have a passion, and that I am going to be able to live my life doing something that I love. My path through college was very different from that of most Claremont Colleges students. I discovered what I wanted to do right away, and then I devoted my time and energy to it almost entirely. I chose the most “liberal arts appropriate” major at the five colleges, but then I barely took any classes outside my specialized, albeit interdisciplinary field. However, I don’t regret my choices for a second—I can’t think of a field for which I am better suited. I can remember attending traditional career fairs and applying for internships at the beginning of my college trajectory. Nothing made me more miserable than the thought of being part of the traditional workforce. However, when careers are discussed at everything from job fairs to student talks to family gatherings, “medieval history professor” isn’t often brought up as a suggestion. So originally, it was inconceivable to me that I might go against the corporate grain, so to speak, and actually get the chance to pursue something I loved so deeply. However, I luckily realized pretty early on in college that I could actually go into medieval history as a field. I was certainly not led by Pomona’s Career Development Office (CDO) in this direction—in fact, the first time I went there I leafed through a brochure that supposedly had all the majors at Pomona listed in it along with a list of jobs people could do after completing them. My major wasn’t even included.

It was at that point that I realized that my path to gaining support for my chosen career might look a little different from that of the “typical” Claremont student, if such a thing even exists. To be clear, I don’t fault Pomona’s CDO for this—it isn’t every day that a student wakes up, drops out of pre-med, and starts saying that they want to pursue an academic career in medieval history instead. My professors became my career center. If I have any advice for students just starting out on their college journeys who might be interested in academia, it would be this: develop meaningful relationships with professors in your chosen area of interest. Then, make sure you have taken two or more classes from each of your mentors, if possible. The professors in your field are going to be the ones who write you the most pertinent letters of recommendation, and the individuals who most understand what it is like to work in your field academically. This action is especially important if you work in a field like mine— you just can’t expect your college’s CDO to be able to reasonably provide the same kind of support that working professionals in your field can. There are still many services of the CDO that are of course useful for aspiring academics. But the CDO won’t know the secret ins and outs of your area of study, what graduate schools are specifically looking for in the year you apply, and some of the important specifics in regards to what you really need to be a well-rounded applicant. I applied and was accepted to grad school based primarily upon the support of my professors and other students in my field, and this is why I was ultimately successful. If you are applying to grad school in the humanities, start going to conferences in your field as soon as you possibly can. You do not have to present at them, but just being present will make a world of difference.

Most of the colleges have some kind of funding source available to students who wish to finance academic travel—you just have to look. In my case, I worked specifically with my professors to find the Pomona funding resources which were right for me. While you are at conferences, try to meet as many people as humanly possible, even if you are by nature shy. It is surprising the amount of networking that I, an introvert, was able to accomplish at conferences. Attempt to connect with grad students in your field as well, because these students will have just gone through the grad school application process and will understand the benefits and drawbacks to each school quite well. They are also good people to chat with if you are questioning what exactly you want to do with your life. If you haven’t had a chance to go to conferences, you can usually find current grad students to email from the institution’s website. Most grad students in my field were very open and willing to talk about their journeys with me. All you have to do is ask. It is also important, though it can be nerve-wracking, to email professors from your field to introduce yourself if you can. Sometimes you get a response, and sometimes you do not. But when it comes time for each school to decide who to accept and who not, the fact that you’ve emailed your potential advisor will probably be remembered even if you’ve never met them in person. I will just finish with this: yes, it can be hard applying to grad schools, and it can take a lot of energy. It is probably a bit more similar to applying to jobs than is the undergraduate admissions process (for instance, in my field the tuition for PhD programs is fully funded and you are paid a stipend) and there are different difficulties and worries that come along with it. But for me, every second of difficulty was well worth it.

13 February 2020 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXIX • Issue Six

10 • Opinion & Entertainment

Kurbo by Weight Watchers New App Spells Dietary Destruction Faith McDermott ’20 Staff Writer was 12 when I went on Weight Watchers for the first time. I remember it was in December, right before the Middle School Holiday dance, and I was so excited to find a dress. I was in that tween stage of being too big for children’s clothing and not yet proportioned to most women’s clothing, but I went to a local women’s boutique ever hopeful my middle school dreams would be fulfilled and I’d walk out looking like the star of a Disney Channel original movie. However, things didn’t exactly go as planned. Instead, I tried on a beautiful dress only to find out that my stomach and ribcage were too wide for a women’s size eight, and that the boutique in question didn’t sell anything in the double digits. I remember my mother’s words “The zipper won’t go any further.” She stepped out of the fitting room and I silently cried, making sure the long and lanky sales woman couldn’t hear me. My mother and I walked back to the car and with Christmas carols playing on the radio and I ask her why I’m fat. She says I’m not fat but if I want to change things, I can go to Weight Watchers with her. The next week my pediatrician signed a note of approval, and that Saturday I was sitting in a folding chair listening to middle aged men and women talk

about lean protein, whole grains and this new thing called “points”. If you look at the statistics, 95% of diets fail. Jeni Craig, Nutrisysyem, and in my case Weight Watchers failed me, as I not only gained all the weight back, I furthered a toxic relationship with food and my body. Name a fad diet, or meal plan, or ‘lifestyle change’ and chances are I’ve tried it. These years of disordered eating snowballed, and Sophomore year of college I was weighing baby carrots and chicken breasts in my dorm room. I lived in a constant state of paranoia that a chocolate bar or icecream cone would ruin all my ‘progress’. That one misstep, and I would be that 12 year old crying in a fitting room, unable to fit into a size eight. At 21 I can proudly say I no longer internally calculate the nutritional facts of a dinner roll every time I reach into the bread basket. I’m lucky enough to be seeing a therapist and nutritionist who have helped me mend my relationship with food and my body, and while Weight Watchers was not the sole cause of my low self-esteem and harmful eating patterns, it sure as hell didn’t help. When I received a literal gold star for losing my first ten pounds, I learned that success and praise were linked to weight loss. By tracking every bite, nibble, and crumb, I learned that hunger was only valid if it fit within a daily

allotment of 26 points. Weight Watchers didn’t teach me how to live a healthy lifestyle, it taught me that “the first bite tastes as good as the last” and that success lies in my body’s mass in relation to gravity. Now, some people will fight me on this article, saying that child obesity is plaguing our nation and that Kurbo is here to help. However, what Kurbo isn’t telling its customers is that people don’t fail diets, diets fail people. You see, the body can’t tell the difference between a diet and famine, and deprivation often ends up causing cycles of binging and restricting. This then causes feelings of guilt, shame and remorse that cause the cycle to repeat itself over and over and over again. This cycle doesn’t make you happier or more confident or anything that diet culture tries to sell you. At best it makes you feel discouraged, and at worst it can be the catalyst for a lifelong battle with food and body image. Diet culture, especially when marketed towards children, is not solving a weight problem, but rather, it’s most likely creating one. When kids have access to and are even encouraged to track what they eat in a system that moralizes food and links success, health, and well-being to those in smaller bodies, we are creating many more problems than we are solving.

Testaments: The Sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale We Wanted, but Didn’t Need Amelie Lee ’23 Copy Editor When I first finished “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, I closed the novel desperate for more. The ending, while hopeful in its own way, left me wishing for a less obscure conclusion in which the reader found outwwhat happened to Ofglen and learned exactly how Gilead would fall. Yet, after a couple years of contemplation, spent rereading the book and watching far too many episodes of Hulu’s TV show adaptation, I found myself increasingly satisfied with the way Atwood ended the story. I decided that life, and surely complex dystopias based on religious oppression, are more complicated than fictional happy endings, and leaving the reader to interpret what happens to each character is a far more realistic and nuanced ending to such a heavy and storyline. And for 34 years, Margaret Atwood seemed to agree with me. Yet, in September of 2019, riding the coattails of season 3 of the TV show, Atwood released The Testaments, a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale set 15 years after the original novel. As usual, Atwood is a phenomenal writer. The characters she creates in the sequel are vivid, with three new female perspectives intertwining to illustrate a deeper portrait of Gilead. We hear from Agnes, a young girl brought up in Gilead’s elite, freshly groomed to become a happy domestic wife to a commander. Daisy, a teen living in Canada, allows the readers to see Gilead from an international perspective, a heavyhitting representation of how the world views America’s failures and radicalization. Lastly, we hear the voice of Aunt Lydia, a surprising reintroduction of a character we thought we knew and hated. No longer focused on the plight of a singular

handmaid, readers can see Gilead’s corruption from a broader viewpoint. Atwood’s worldbuilding is incredible, with details about Gilead’s formation allowing readers to fully understand how a religious dystopia could be implemented even in modern gender expectations of independence and equality. Agnes’ perspective in particular explores religious indoctrination from a young age and how a world of enforced sanctity leads to perverted abuse under the guise of purity. Together these three characters tell us about Gilead’s eventual demise, and how women work together against the odds to overcome years of religious malignance and institutional power. Once I started the book, I could not put it down. Finally, I got to know what happened to the characters we had seen struggle for so long. After years, I got to know how Gilead’s reign was eventually shattered, due, of course, to girl power and internal connivings of now redeemed Aunt Lydia. Yet, as much as I enjoyed this new exploration of Gilead and the satisfaction of seeing such an overtly evil organization finally come to an end, I finished the book unsettled. While “The Handmaid’s Tale” was beautifully obscure, “The Testaments” seemed unrealistically hopeful. Every loose end was tied up in its

conclusion, every character perfectly contrived to bring an end to Gilead. “The Testaments” is hopeful, but it doesn’t speak to readers in the same way as the realistic nuance of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” For those who see oppressive dystopias reflected in today’s political climate, the uncertain ending of the novel allows us to see the complications of institutional oppression as it is, not an easily solvable problem that a couple of go-getter rebels can get together to solve. By simplifying the storyline, the thematic message of the sequel feels confusing and manufactured. As Aunt Lydia was revealed to be working against Gilead, I was absolutely confounded as to what we were supposed to take away from the story. Am I supposed to believe that Aunt Lydia, who just last book forced a room full of girls to yell “her fault” at a rape victim, was secretly supporting female empowerment this whole time? Does Atwood want us to blindly trust authority in hopes that they eventually will take down the system from the inside? As much as I’d like Mike Pence to suddenly reveal himself to have been advanving LGBTQ rights all along, destroying the Republican Party from the inside, Atwood’s dramatic ending no longer feels like a reflection of the complexity of radicalization and power. Instead, it feels as if current events made Atwood feel so hopeless that she needed to write herself a happy ending, one where oppression can be neatly defeated through a detailed plan of attack. “The Testaments” isn’t a bad book; for my past self hoping for a neat happy conclusion, it was a perfect sequel. But now, as tens of thousands of readers and viewers look to the story of “The Handmaid’s Tale” as a representation of social oppression, it feels like Atwood took the easy way out, reducing the complex world we know so well to a simple fight between good and evil.

13 February 2020 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XIX • Issue Six

Entertainment • 11

Legends and Letdowns at the 2020 GRAMMY Awards by Mirabella Miller ‘23 Music Columnist he Grammy’s do an incredibly good job of making both nomination and selection choices that are near impossible to understand, let alone agree with. Although there were highlights this year, like the fact that it appears as though the Grammy voters have finally discovered that artists under 30 exist (Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, etc), there were also puzzling choices and egregious snubs, some of which will be discussed here. The rightful album of the year winner is Lana Del Rey. I will not be taking questions. There are so many reasons Del Rey should have walked away with the Grammy for Album of the Year for her monumental and timely “Norman F-cking Rockwell.” For one, to say it is critically acclaimed would be a massive understatement. Critics across multiple outlets were stunned that a work of this magnitude could come from a woman relentlessly pigeonholed as being exclusively for sad teenage girls (as if the demographic an artist appeals to is any indication of their talent), and are now singing a completely different tune about Del Rey. Besides garnering critical praise, NFR spent a considerable amount of time on the Billboard charts, peaking at #3 about a month after its release. But beyond just the album’s critical reception and chart performance, it’s a wonder Del Rey did not win the category based on the nature of the album’s content alone. Gorgeously minimalist folk ballads about nostalgia for an America that doesn’t exist anymore should have been catnip for Grammy voters, who skew old, male and white. A return to simplicity, to a place before modern America, should theoretically speak to this voting pool more than Billie Eilish’s debut “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?,” which ended up winning Album of the Year. The essential contradiction here is that Grammy voters decided to reward an inventive debut (Eilish’s album) instead of

a groundbreaking culmination of a career spanning eight years and five previous albums. This is not a rejection of the merits of Eilish’s album but an argument that it makes the most sense to reward an artist at the peak of their career, who has been working toward this for so long. Eilish will get there and it will be great. But with Norman F-cking Rockwell, Del Rey arrived, and nothing would have solidified that better than a Grammy. IGOR deserved an Album of the Year nomination, not just a win for Rap Album of the Year. Tyler the Creator’s “IGOR” birthed a careerdefining persona. The character of Igor, with its blonde wig, sunglasses and color-blocked suit, represents the Gothic archetype of the villain’s assistant. It is an emotionally charged album, with complex and ominous soundscapes that give the listener a feeling of pleasant doom throughout. The songs on “IGOR,” which Tyler proudly wrote, produced and arranged completely on his own, are so layered and unconventional that the listener catches new aspects of the track in each listen. But the thing about “IGOR” that is crucial to this discussion is that it is not a rap album. The album is primarily Tyler singing, and putting that singing through sound effects that add to the surreal feel of the album. Between the meticulous medley of samples, interludes and pitched-up vocals, this potion of Tyler’s creation, the snippets of rap are so few and far between that a nomination for Rap Album of the Year is not only puzzling but inaccurate. Tyler ended up winning the category (his firstever Grammy), and after a gracious acceptance speech, was frank about his feelings toward the Recording Academy for their decision to put his album in a rap category, voicing how he would love to be recognized in a mainstream category instead of being confined because of stereotypical and outdated ideas regarding black artists and their music. “It sucks that whenever me, I mean guys who look like me, do anything that’s genre-bending

or that’s anything they just put it in a rap or urban category,” Tylerhe said. “When I hear that, I’m just like, why can’t we be in pop? Half of me feels like the rap nomination was just a backhanded compliment.” “IGOR” could have undoubtedly gone blow for blow with the albums nominated for Album of the Year in terms of critical reception, chart performance and singularity. And while any recognition is theoretically good, I would imagine that accurate recognition, a confirmation that people see your album for what it truly is and not for what they want it to be, is better. DaBaby deserved a Best New Artist Nomination. One would be hard-pressed to find an artist more externally productive in the calendar year of 2019 then DaBaby. The 28 year old rapper released two full-length albums, titled “Baby on Baby” and “Kirk,” and seemed to have a verse on almost every remix under the sun (most notably, “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo and “Panini” by Lil Nas X) in addition to having guest verses on songs by Post Malone, Chance the Rapper and Megan Thee Stallion. He had an explosive year on the charts, concluding 2019 with 22 entries into the Billboard Hot 100, the most of any artist. For a celebration of the year’s music like the Grammy’s to be absent of his name is notable. DaBaby can be described as the metaphorical North Pole to the Antarctica of a Soundcloudinfluenced, heavily autotuned sound a la Juice Wrld and Travis Scott that is having a moment in rap. He has a consistent and hard-hitting flow and is so excited to start rapping he often jumps on the beat before it even drops. The production on his work is mindfully sparse, allowing his voice to remain authentic and the punches of his lines to fully hit the listener. And although “Suge,” his highest-charting single of the year, was nominated for Best Rap Song, DaBaby’s presence was felt so powerfully in 2019 that a Best New Artist nomination would have been just.

Birds of Prey: The Internet’s New Favorite Girl Gang Movie is Finally Here by Abby Sorkin ‘20 TV and Film Columnist

y friends always wonder how I survive college sans-caffeine. The answer is that I never knew what I was missing. Indeed, I didn’t know what it felt like to drink three espresso shots in a minute - that is, until I saw the movie Birds of Prey. I was feeling pretty low energy as I walked to the village to see this movie. When I walked out hours later, I felt alive. I felt invigorated. I felt inspired. I nearly ran back to my dorm, blasting girl bands through my earphones and proceeded to write three thousand words of a creative writing project, eventually passing out in bed at 1 a.m. As the credits rolled, I thought to myself: Birds of Prey is an exceptional movie. It’s a f-cking comic book movie in the best possible way The rest of the review will contain some spoilers so if you haven’t seen the movie, please put down the newspaper or hit the back button and go watch it. This movie is a master class in why it’s important to love what you are creating. The depth of the characters, the fight choreography, the script, the visuals and the soundtrack all fit perfectly together to make a movie that felt like

panels of the comic book coming to life before my eyes. Harley Quinn, played with heart, humor and wit by Margo Robbie, is the funny, charming and zany female anti-hero that audiences have been waiting for. Robbie effortlessly balances her role of heartbroken villain with being, always without fail ,the most intelligent person in every room. Whether inebriated, beating people up, or busy guiding a young girl to be her best self, her character’s quick-thinking never wavers. She is an incredibly sympathetic character. Prior to the start of the movie, Harley belonged to the Joker, who protected her. Their eventual break up is the impetus for the story. Although Harley’s story starts with the Joker, she is so much more than his girlfriend. This is not a coming of age movie, but rather the story of ‘landing on your own feet and maybe, probably, robbing a bank along the way’. One the movie’s coolest aspects is that Harley’s amorality enhances every element, including narration. The movie opens with Harley, who presents the backstory to how she arrived at her present setting, playing roller derby to get over her secret breakup with the Joker. There are so many elements that bring this

movie to such a level of excellence, including Heart’s Barracuda playing during the final fight scene, Cassandra Cain’s existence, Renee Monotoya’s complexity and queerness, and Dinah Lance’s golden outfits. But one element that really stood out was Eweon McGregor as the main villain, Roman Sineous, a misogynistic douchebag emboldened by his wealth and power. McGregor is unrecognizable in this movie, a testament to the script and costuming as much it is to his talent-- and that’s coming from one of the biggest Star Wars fans there is. I did not see Obi Wan Kenobi at all in this; in fact when his name came up during the credits, I gasped out loud. He feels familiar in such an uncanny way and it’s disarming to realize that the Jedi mentor I grew up with as a child is also one of the scariest villains I’ve seen. The moment of the movie I’ll be thinking about for the next several months is Harley Quinn giving Dinah Lance a hair tie in the middle of a curb stomping final battle montage. That one scene sums up this movie in a nutshell: fun, vicious, and honest. This is a movie for women by women. It offers the thrill of girls hyping you up in the bathroom on a night out and the intimacy of a wine night with your closest friends rolled into one.

13 February 2020 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXIX • Issue Six

Entertainment & Lifestyle • 12

just right valentine's day playlists

f you’ve been looking for something to blast in your headphones to drown out your roommate’s FaceTime with her long-distance boyfriend or a soundtrack to a Galentine’s Day dance party, look no further. Whatever your relationship status or Valentine’s Day plans, we hope you enjoy these playlists.

by mirabella miller '23 music columnist

taken. 1

s i n g l e.

This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)

King of My Heart

Do What I Want Lil Uzi Vert

Talking Heads

Material Girl Madonna

Taylor Swift

Apocalypse

I Wish I Missed My Ex

Mahalia

Cigarettes After Sex

Proud of You (feat. Young Thug)

EARTHGANG

SOMETHING ABOUT HIM

Dreamcatcher (feat. Swae Lee and Travis Scott)

Louis the Child

8 9

I Would Die 4 U

Rico Nasty

Ghost Awkwafina

TOO COCKY

It's Strange (feat. K Flay) The Way (feat. Mac Miller)

Block List

Metro Boomin

Carly Rae Jepson

BROCKHAMPTON

Party for One

My Own Thing

Chance the Rapper

Ariana Grande Prince

I Forgot That You Existed

Taylor Swift

She Is Love

I Love It (feat. Charli XCX) Icona Pop

Oasis

i t ' s c o m p l i c a t e d. 1 2 3 4 5

Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can) Talking Heads

Ain't Together King Princess

Waiting Room Phoebe Bridgers

Sincerity is Scary The 1975

Pendulum

Cut Your Bangs

Always Be My Baby

FKA Twigs

The Way Life Goes (feat. Oh Wonder) Lil Uzi Vert

Girlpool Mariah Carey

Girl Crush Harry Styles

ARE WE STILL FRIENDS? Tyler, The Creator

13 February 2020 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXIX • Issue Six