April 20, 2017
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SCRIPPS RAS ON STRIKE By Mel Gilcrest ‘19 Editor-in-Chief
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n T h u r s d ay, A p r i l 1 3 t h , the Scripps student body received an email from the Scripps Residential Advisor team declaring the RAs’ intention to go on strike effective immediately. The initial email began by outlining sources of non-RA support for students, including Campus Safety, the maintenance department, Health Education Outreach, Scripps Advocates for Survivors of Sexual Assault, and other resources. The RAs asked that students “refrain from exploiting [their] absence by engaging in unsafe behavior given that RAs will not be on-call,” and urged for “Scripps students, faculty, and staff with the capacity to provide emotional support...to do so in solidarity with RAs.” The RAs released a detailed list of demands in conjunction with their initial email to the student body. The document was addressed to President Lara Tiedens, outlining the reasons for the strike, the demands being made, and the context and motivation for each demand. The reasons cited for the strike included administrative neglect, the undue demands placed on students (especially after the death of fellow RA Tatissa Zunguze in March 2017), lack of sufficient financial aid, and lack of mental health resources on campus. According to the document, “The purpose of the strike is: 1) to put pressure on Scripps to fulfill its obligation to students 2) to demonstrate the extent of the labor we perform on campus and 3) to break with our normal routine in recognition of the impact of Tatissa’s passing and illustrate our frustration with Scripps’ continued inaction.” The document lists five
Inside This Issue:
demands, requesting that “a timeline with actionable steps be presented...no later than April 20th.” The letter attests to the urgency and validity of each demand in turn. In the first demand, Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs Charlotte Johnson is described as having “shown that she is incapable of acting in an appropriate manner during crisis,” citing instances both before and after Tatissa Zunguze’s death when Johnson failed to adequately support students and RAs; the letter describes how Johnson was not available to meet with RAs after the tragedy, and “expected Residential Life staff to promptly return to work two weeks or sooner after the death of their co-worker and friend, without checking to see if the staff was ready to return to
Page 4 - CMC Protest Hundreds turn out to block anti-BLM speaker event
RA staff of 2016-2017. Photo courtesy of Scripps College.
their roles.” Without giving names or exact dates, the letter details other instances of Dean Johnson’s neglect of student affairs, citing one instance of an RA diagnosed with a gastrointestinal illness and unable to eat in the dining hall who waited three months for Johnson “to find a sustainable and accessible accommodation” and who was “unable to receive remuneration for their work due to a disability” as RAs are paid in room and board. On the second demand, the document declares that “Scripps College states that it will support the demonstrated financial needs of all students; however, several students have been forced to terminate their enrollment at this institution due to 1) financial aid that does not adjust to
Pages 6-7 - Mudd Sit-In
Mudd admins come under fire for mental health policies
1030 Columbia Avenue | Claremont, CA 91711 | Box 839 email: scrippsvoice@gmail.com | Volume XX | Issue Eight
annual increases in tuition or to changes in a student’s family’s financial circumstances and 2) inadequate information about their financial aid packages prior to and during enrollment.” It goes on to discuss anonymous cases in which students who sought additional funding to support their tuition payments were met with a decrease in financial aid offered by Scripps. The third demand discusses a lack of coherent emergency plans in response to the various incidents that have left students feeling unsafe on campus. The letter cites “multiple cases where
students’ names, identity, location, emails, and other contact information have been leaked by the Claremont Independent and other media
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Page 11 - Ask Lue
Luena Maillard debuts her new sex advice column
2 • News
RAS ON STRIKE
good faith efforts to be accessible, responsive, and supportive.” On April 14, The Student Life published a brief article from the Editorial Board “In Solidarity with Scripps RAs.” That following Sunday, April 16, the Scripps College Admission Ambassador CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Team (AAT) sent an email to the Scripps student body declaring sources to outside parties that proceeded to threaten the life and that they were “taking action to support the Resident Advisor (RA) safety of Scripps students,” attesting that the Scripps administration Team in their strike” by using their guided tours “as a platform claimed they could do nothing in response. The letter also cites lack to share with prospective students and families the toxic and of preparedness and tact after frustrating climate that Scripps the death of Tatissa Zunguze, has created and perpetuates List of Demands: claiming that “the college against marginalized students.” disrespectfully informed the The Scripps RAs responded 1) We demand the immediate resignation of Charlotte student body using insensitive with an email thanking students language, as well as displaying Johnson as Dean of Students and Vice President of Stu- for “the enormous amount of dent Affairs. a distressing inability to support we’ve received,” asking provide concrete ways of that the student body boycott supporting affected students.” 2) We demand the following changes to financial aid: Dean Johnson’s office hours on Demand four takes issue Monday the 17th and inviting a) The creation of a publicized emergency fund... with the intense emotional and students to reach out with physical requirements of the b) Increased transparency in the formulation of financial “concerning stories about their Scripps RA position, detailing aid packages... interactions with Dean Johnson the many unnecessary and c) The removal of the financial policies that penalize stu- and the DOS department overall.” unjust actions the Scripps The RAs also expressed dents for obtaining private funding... RAs must perform in order to concern over “the Scripps police their fellow students, administration’s decision to 3) We demand that Scripps College update emergency and discussing how lack hire outside security guards of adequate financial aid preparedness plans for life-threatening events against during the RA strike,” claiming sometimes forces students t h a t t h e a c t i o n “s h o w s a their students... to take on the RA position fundamental misunderstanding despite the enormous of student needs and of the RA demands of the position and 4) We demand that Scripps College restructure the Resi- role...which had the effect of lack of administrative support. dential Advisor role so it is more sustainable for stu- frightening students and in no Demand five outlines dents, and more closely embodies restorative justice. way represents our work on the insufficiency of mental campus.” health support on campus, An email from Associate Dean 5) We demand student mental health and safety be a sentiment echoed in the Sam Haynes on the 15th had supported through Harvey Mudd sit-in on April 12. clarified that “the additional Currently Monsour Counseling a) Increasing subsidies for off campus therapy and the staff are assigned to monitor only offers 8 sessions a year, the perimeter of the residence 8-session limit and while students who seek b) Creating a specific and public policy on the official halls and to to act quickly if off-campus therapy may there should be a high level procedure for supporting students in a mental health petition for a co-pay subsidy emergency.” crisis. from the Dean of Students On April 17, the Scripps office, the letter states that Resident Advisor Staff of 2017the administration can “cover 2018 sent an open letter to We invite all Scripps students and students from the only up to $75” even though President Tiedens, the Scripps other colleges who support our demands to join our “therapists in the Claremont administration, and the Scripps area can cost up to $175 a strike, and share with us instances where they have not student body, affirming their session.” felt supported by the institution. support of the 2016-2017 RA On April 13, after the list team and their strike. The 2017of demands was released, 2018 team declared that though for full text of the letter, go to: the 2016-2017 and 2017“we are not RAs yet, but we can 2018 Scripps Associated https://docs.google.com/document/d/13H7I7L6p1sGxDZpMX1v speak to personal experience Students Boards released a with the demands that the 2016RrQ-Y29nTsdHJ5J7Z6MbT2QE/edit statement of “solidarity and 2017 RAs have made. Some of loving support” with the RAs. the members of the 2017-2018 The following day, the Office of team depend on financial aid to stay at Scripps, and some of us the President issued a response from President Tiedens, expressing have been personally impacted by poor treatment at Monsour. In that she is “disappointed that the RAs have chosen this method addition, the RAs are demanding improvements to the position of the of engaging the administration, despite our ongoing attention to RA, and we value their efforts as they will directly and significantly issues of financial aid, residential life, and mental health, and our affect our lives in the upcoming year.”
Statement from the Editors: We, the Editorial Board of The Scripps Voice, declare our solidarity with the Residential Advisor staff in their protest against the administration. We believe that while reporting is our primary mission on campus, the paper-as well as the students who create it---have a duty to support all ethical efforts to radically improve the lives of 5C students, especially those who have been uniquely affected by actions and inactions of the administration. TSV stands in support of marginalized students on all campuses in their actions against racism, ableism, sexism, and institutional violence.
20 April, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Eight
News • 3
The Scripps Voice Staff
Introducing the new editors-in-chief
Mel Gilcrest ‘19 Editor-in-Chief
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Editors-in-Chief Maureen Cowhey Mel Gilcrest Advisor Sam Haynes Design Editors Meghan Joyce Ali Bush Rhiannon Schaub Copy Editors Priya Canzius Business Manager Anna Liss-Roy Webmaster Emma Wu Shortt Columnists & Staff Writers Ali Bush Erin Delany Emily Diamond Sophie Fahey Mia Farago-Iwamasa Erin Matheson Jo Nordhoff-Beard Rena Patel Rhiannon Schaub Isobel Whitcomb Lizzie Willsmore-Finkle Emma Wu Shortt Photographers Molly Ferguson Jessica Padover Layne Wells
Comments and letters can be submitted by emailing scrippsvoice@gmail.com or by visiting our website at www. thescrippsvoice.com. Please review our guidelines online before submitting feedback. The Scripps Voice is a student forum and is not responsible for the opinions expressed in it.
ear Scripps Community,
As this school year comes to a close and seniors get ready to graduate, we at The Scripps Voice think it is an apt time to thank the previous Editors-in-Chief (EIC) and introduce new leadership. Seniors Elena Pinsker and Rachel Miller-Haughton have served The Scripps Voice for many years with a passionate dedication to the community and an undying commitment to journalism at the Claremont Colleges. Elena was EIC for three years, working previously as a design editor. We want to thank her for the immense time and energy that she put into the paper for her four years at Scripps. She was an integral part of the staff and we will deeply miss her leadership (and her passionate speeches about Soul Cycle!) She will be heading off to Stanford Law School in the fall and we wish her the best of luck in her future education and career. Rachel Miller-Haughton served as the EIC alongside Elena for a year and worked as a copy editor for the paper for two years. Rachel was a ball of light on this staff, bringing positivity, creativity and energy to every meeting. Her engagement with the staff, empathetic leadership, and passion for Scripps will be dearly missed. As a very successful English major, we know she will do great things in the future. As our current EICs continue to work on thesis and prepare for finals and graduation, they will be turning over the paper to new leadership. As your new co-Editors-in-Chief, we are beyond excited to take the paper in a new direction. We are committed to making The Scripps Voice a more inclusive, intersectional, anti-racist, anti-ableist, queer-friendly publication, truly representative of the Scripps community’s many unique voices. We have begun this journey by initiating partnerships with SCORE, Scripps CLORGS, and other 5C organizations, but there is so much work yet to be done; no publication is ever a finished product, and in the next few years, we hope to push ourselves continually in our goal to ethically serve and represent the Scripps community. We are also excited to announce that the Voice has begun reaching into more creative sectors and we plan to expand our coverage of art, fiction, poetry, and reviews of local art, music, and cultural events. We invite every member of the 5C community to engage with the Voice! We welcome constructive criticism (as two white, privileged people, we absolutely can not move this paper forward without doing our research and adjusting our focus to the needs of marginalized communities) as well as all new contributors. For questions, concerns, comments, complaints, and all communications, the Editors can be reached at scrippsvoice@gmail.com. We look forward to the next two years of serving our community and representing your voices.
Maureen Cowhey (she, her, hers) is a sophomore at Scripps dual majoring in English and Economics looking to pursue a future career in economic journalism. Previously, she was a writer and worked as the Business Manager for the Voice for a year, in which time she has capably and smoothly handled the many demands of the position. She will be travelling to London in the fall of 2017 to attend University College London and returning the following semester.
Mel Gilcrest (they, them, theirs) is a Scripps sophomore, majoring in English literature and planning for a Spanish minor. They have worked as Design Editor for the paper for two years and are beyond excited to help bring the paper in a new direction. They plan on continuing their ESL teaching after college, as well as their political/personal activism; one day they will finally write that novel.
20 April, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Eight
4 • News
5C Protesters Block Athenaeum Speaker By Erin Delaney ‘20 Staff Writer
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ver 200 student protesters gathered outside the Athenaeum at Claremont McKenna College on Thursday, April 7th to protest that evening’s scheduled speaker, conservative political commentator Heather MacDonald. Mac Donald, who is the author of several books including Are Cops Racist? and The Burden of Bad Ideas: How Modern Intellectuals Misshape Our Society, arrived at Claremont McKenna to give a lecture regarding her views of the Black Lives Matter movement and the role of law enforcement officers in the modern United States. Mac Donald’s career path is varied, notably including several commentating appearances on channels such as Fox News, a position as the Thomas W. Smith fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and a contributing editor of the City Journal. She is known for her inflammatory positions regarding issues such as police
Students organize outside the athenaeum. Photo Courtesy of the CMC Forum
seven thousand times. Claremont McKenna first-year Andrew Ciacci expressed disappointment in the results of the protest. A self-proclaimed supporter of “the first amendment and of BLM,” Ciacci expressed that “the most troubling thing for [him] was that the only person who really won the day was Heather Mac Donald. She was effectively able to receive money for her speech, spread her toxic views without being challenged by the brightest minds of Claremont, and walked away with evidence that can support her narrative of the repressive left to her viewers.” This view was echoed by CMC President Hiram Chodosh, who published a statement addressed to the student body in which he stated that “the effort to silence her voice effectively amplified it to a much larger audience.” The President later sent a studentwide email declaring that “blocking access to buildings violates College policy” and that “CMC students who are found to have violated policies will be held accountable.” The Scripps Voice reached out to various protestors at the Athenaeum, all of whom declined to comment. brutality, racial profiling, immigration, terrorism, and welfare programs. Many Claremont students were outraged at the prospect of Mac Donald’s presentation at the Athenaeum, organizing a protest via Facebook to call community members to action. The Facebook event, which has since been deleted, called for students to show up at Claremont McKenna in black clothing. The organizers invited their classmates to “shut down” the lecture, emphasizing their disapproval of Mac Donald’s political stances, and saying that she “condemns the Black Lives Matter movement, supports racist police officers, and supports increasing fascist ‘law and order.’” The protesters succeeded in shutting down the physical event. They congregated in front of the entrance to the Athenaeum and blocking students and faculty from entering the building to see Mac Donald speak, holding signs with slogans such as “No Justice, No Peace” and “Black Lives Matter.” In lieu of the Athenaeum’s original programming, Claremont McKenna decided to live stream MacDonald’s lecture. Speaking to an empty room, Mac Donald gave her lecture in a video that has now been viewed over
Photo courtesy of Student Life
Will Buckstaff, CM ‘20, takes a selfie with protesters. Photo Courtesy of The Student Life
20 April, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue 8
News • 5
SAS Election results By Anna Liss-Ray ‘20 Staff Writer
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fter a contentious election process including both general and run-off elections, on Monday, April 6, the SAS Leadership for the 2017-2018 school year was relewased in an email to the Scripps community. Six hundred votes were cast this year, the highest turnout in years. The list of positions included a new addition, Student Organizations Commissioner, which will be held by rising Sophomore Maddie Warman. Representing the wide range of positions within SAS, many of the chosen candidates espoused similar hopes for the new term, including a shared emphasis on transparency, accountability, and a sense of community. “I want to use my voice to make sure Scripps better serves its students and is held accountable for all of its failings,” said advocate for the initiatives that students Kelly Peng, President-elect of SAS. “During want and to make sure sustainability is a my past two and a half years at Scripps priority rather than an afterthought,” said though, I’ve realized that this position isn’t Ames. “I have been involved with SAS this about me and what I want. It’s about the past year, as a Junior Class Scripps community and Co-President, and have the marginalized voices “This position loved being involved with on campus - specifically isn’t about me programming efforts at the ones you don’t hear Scripps. I really wanted about and the struggles you and what I to continue my work with don’t hear about because so want. It’s about programming, but decided much of the violence these I also wanted to collaborate communities face is so the Scripps with 5C events, not only institutionalized.” community and Scripps ones,” said rising “I know a lot of times it’s Vice President of Student difficult to see how much the marginalized Activities, Kaya Mark. work the SAS board does, As the student but there’s so much more voices on campus government at Scripps, SAS that goes into SAS than specifically the is a function of individual many student see. My goals for next year is more ones you don’t goals and visions, as each member strategizes to transparency and horizontal hear about and improve the College through leadership between SAS different platforms. and the student body,” the struggles “We’re really excited to said Irene Yi, rising Vice you don’t hear finalize the commencement President of SAS. “One thing I’m excited on implementing about because speaker and finish the great job Kaya Mark has done for next year is SAS tabling so much of the so far,” said rising Senior every week in Seal Court to increase SAS’s visibility and violence these Class Co-Presidents Aliza Adler and Helen Thomason. engagement on campus. I communities “We’re most excited to plan hope students feel that they Naked Brunch.” can reach out to SAS when face is so “The first thing I want they need it.” “ I ’ m v e r y e x c i t e d t o institutionalized.” to do is create a student survey to find out which work with my fellow SAS -Kelly Peng sustainability initiatives members and my fellow students more closely,” said Leta Ames, on campus students are most aware of, which ones they are happiest with, and rising Sustainability Chair. It takes a combination of personal which issues they think are the most histories, experiences, and passions to lead important,” said Ames. “After that I will start an individual to a leadership role. Some working towards making sure information SAS candidates chose to share factors that on current initiatives is more open and have motivated and impassioned them to accessible and form a plan of action around the issues that students believe run for their respective positions. “I’ve wanted to run for SAS president should be a priority for our campus.” “I hope to be able to plan an exciting and since I was a first year and saw Alex large event in the fall in collaboration with Frumkin’s speech during orientation,” Peng Scripps CLORGs that engages the entire said. “I wanted to have more of an impact 5C community,” said Warman. “I’m really excited and humbled to work on how sustainability was integrated into campus culture and initiatives. I want to with this amazing recently elected board serve as a liaison to the administration to and see what we as a collective will accomplish this upcoming year,” said Peng.
Photo Courtesy of Scripps Associated Students
President Kelly Peng Vice President of Student Activities Kaya Mark Executive Vice President Irene Yi Co-Treasurers Romanshi Gupta & Grace Wang Student Organizations Commissioner Madeline Warman Diversity & Inclusion Chair Abby Clarke Faculty Staff Relations Alix Hunter Judicial and Academic Review Chair Ryan Finley Sustainability Chair Leta Ames 5C Events Chair Ariel Lewis Sophomore Class President Aleah Booker Junior Class Co-Presidents Casey Harris & Jahnavi Kothari Senior Class Co-Presidents Aliza Adler & Helen Thomason Recent Graduate Trustee Sneha Deo
20 April, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue 8
8 • Features
Little things you can do for the environment
By Isobel Whitcomb ‘17 Environmental Columnist
The environment is a heavy topic to tackle. Over the past three academic years of my Scripps Voice column on Science and the Environment, I have reported on some national and international events that offer hope, but many that signal crisis. However, I am a graduating senior, and this is my last column in The Voice. I want to end on a note emphasizing action and resilience. I want to ask: what we can each do to take our education into the world and make environmental change? Just as our chosen fields of study and future career paths are incredibly diverse, so are the skills we individually have to offer. While some people might make their strongest contribution participating in direct action, others might feel most useful inside a lab, researching the effects of climate change on coral. If you feel stuck, you’re not alone. Here are a few potential ways you can help-- based on what you already know you’re good at.
IF YOU ARE A STRONG ORGANIZER AND HAVE PLENTY OF TIME AND ENERGY --- Organize and participate in protests. If you’re a participant, ask organizers how you can help. If you want to work within the system, write letters to congressmen and encourage others to do the same. If not, organize within your community. Join divestment campaigns, help organize community education events, and lead or participate in local food movements. IF YOU HAVE TIME AND ENERGY, BUT PREFER NOT TO ORGANIZE --Remember that social movements need crowds in order to work. Just showing up at a protest or other action or quietly divesting from your bank is not just effective: it’s necessary. If you’re willing to do a little more, quietly ask event organizers if there are ways you can act that are less overwhelming organizationally. You might be able to help with the little, crucial logistics like donating resources or offering rides. IF
YOU’ARE VERY EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATING ONE-ONONE --- Not everyone has the ability, time, energy, or resources to lead social movements, and that’s okay. Begin to view yourself as an instrument of change on an individual l e v e l . Take extra time to do research, whether that be in the lab, field, or on Google. Instigate conversations. Ask hard questions. Bring up avoided topics at the table, but do so in a way that allows for dialogue. Talk to friends and family about the changes they could make. Hold your ground, stay respectful, and remember that it takes much more than one conversation to change someone’s mind. But of course, you’re a good communicator, so you know this. IF YOU’ARE ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA --- Use this as a platform to open conversation. Follow advocates within both social and environmental justice circles (preferably both) and retweet/share what they have to say, especially if they are from marginalized groups. Don’t just share articles (although this is important too), but start conversations. Ask questions, both of those who believe strongly in social and environmental justice and of those who are ambivalent. As always in your personal communications, try not to alienate people who disagree with you. This doesn’t mean you should censor your views, but engage people in a way that might challenge their thinking (while protecting yourself by unfollowing/blocking if things stay aggressive). This is especially true if you have white, male, and/or cis privilege and are less vulnerable to internet threats.
The “all or nothing” trap of thinking is an easy one to fall into. Too often, people either see themselves as part of a movement, or separate from it. But movements don’t have to be so exclusive. Begin to view yourself as a participant, regardless of how active you are. Perhaps your participation includes dietary changes, social activism, education, or your chosen career. Perhaps you participate in just one way, or ten. Perhaps you engage in a highly visible way, or quietly. Participate in whatever way you can, but do stay engaged and play to your strengths.
20 April, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Eight
Features • 9
film
review ********** By Ittai Sopher PZ ‘19 Staff Writer
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tender young man has been stabbed by a bayonet in the Korean War. Helplessly looking up at the stars, he remembers a young blonde woman wagging her leg in a college library. The young man ruminates in his final moment: “there are reasons why we die”. James Schamus’s Indignation, explores Marcus Messner’s exodus from the lower-middle class Jewish community of Newark, New Jersey to an elite and very Protestant liberal arts college in Ohio. Marcus is escaping a world that is obsessed with death. In the synagogues of Newark, a man recites the Mourner's’ Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead, for his fallen child. Marcus’s friends take jabs at the fallen boy, a teammate of Marcus named Greenberg from the local baseball team, and suggest that the boy’s death is made more tragic by the fact that Greenberg was a virgin. Foreshadowing the important role that sex will play in Marcus’s short time at a liberal-arts college in Ohio. Marcus’s father is feverishly and obsessively worried that Marcus will put himself in danger in college. After Marcus tells Greenberg’s mourning mother that he’s going to college in Ohio, the mother voices the concern which will make anyone raised in a traditional Jewish community burst out into laughter: “Ohio!? But how will you keep Kosher?” Later, once in college, you can almost feel the mourning mother’s warning bubbling in Marcus’s head as he slowly contemplates eating an extremely non-Kosher entree of Escargot in the fanciest restaurant of Franklin County, Ohio-- he does. Throughout Marcus’s exodus from Newark, New Jersey to Winesburg College in Ohio, Marcus exhibits a strong disconnect from a surrounding environment which is obsessed with death. The ROTC marches in the background while the Dean of the College, Dean Caudwell, mourns in the pews about the tragedies befallen American soldiers in The Korean War. Marcus falls in love with Olivia Hutton yet ignores the scars on her arm from cutting herself, and instead refers to her calmness and expertness, to which Olivia responds “Are you blind?” The relationship between the two is as gentle as it is seemingly lethal. As Olivia’s own emotional state becomes more fragile, Marcus only falls more in love with her and sees more beauty in who she is. Marcus’s mother warns him to disconnect himself from Olivia after Marcus’s mother sees the scar on Olivia’s wrist and Marcus’s father without even knowing who Olivia is warns Marcus about dating people, “Be careful!”, he screams into the phone. At the end of the film, as we see Marcus and Olivia reaching their final moments, Marcus in Korea and Olivia in an oldage home decades later, the larger theme of the reasons behind how we die, and how who we are shapes our demise, is extremely evident and adds nuance to Marcus’s unwavering ideological clash with Winesburg. The film also shows the audience long and painstaking debates between Marcus and Dean Caudwell about how Marcus does not seem to fit into the institution and how the “accommodations” made for Marcus isolated him even more. More
Photo courtesy of IMDb. importantly, Dean Caudwell, challenges Marcus’s insistence in rebelling against the religious indoctrination imposed upon him, and advises Marcus to instead meditate on these feelings within the establishment. Logan Lerman as Marcus sweats in heated exacerbation as the Dean of Winseburg continuously challenges the fundamentals of who Marcus is. These moments are the strongest of the film and create a foundation for all other conflicts within Marcus’s brief college experience to revolve around. His internal struggles and debates about his Jewish identity and his positionality within the institution which manifest themselves in his work ethic and his initial disdain from joining a Jewish fraternity, are all put on hyperfocus in these scenes and the audience can not help but empathize with Marcus’s zealotry. The film, set in 1951, is also extremely relevant to the Claremont Colleges today. In a college environment where so much burden is placed on marginalized groups to adjust to the college’s environment, Marcus’s approach to his school’s neglect of his identity is refreshing and timely. Marcus’s rejection of the “go along to get along” policy of his institution brings to mind the theories presented in Audre Lorde’s Transformation of Silence into Action in which Lorde asks her
audience: “What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and attempt to make your own, until you will sicken and die of them, still in silence?” In his debates with Dean Caudwell, Marcus is not interested in swallowing tyranny and opts to die with his voice heard rather than in silence. Marcus’s demise, which are made possible by consistent his acts of rebellion against institutional norms, raises questions about whether a system based on compromise functions as a form of violence against oneself and their community. While Marcus’s constant and unabiding feelings of indignation without fear of his demise ultimately lead to his death in the Korean War, his final thoughts about how our decisions are always indicative of our mortality lend credence to the notion that every single decision we make within our communities has repercussions and consequences. For Marcus, as a Jewish Atheist who is immersed in a very nonJewish institution and in love with a supposedly self-destructive woman, this rebellion means standing up for his beliefs over the status quo regardless of the circumstances. The result of his actions are tragic yet extremely noble in that they represent an unwavering commitment to righteous and pluralistic values.
20 April, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Eight
10 • Arts
ANYA COOPER Part Three: A New Beginning Anya took a deep breath, the cold air rattling inside her lungs like loose change as she stared up at the large stone building. The old marble gargoyles glared back menacingly, their frigidly fierce gaze causing her to question for the thousandth time whether this appointment was worth it. Shivering, Anya rubbed her hands together, her breath quickening slightly as she thought back to that phone call, to the accusatory sharpness of the woman’s voice when she said “Charlie Cooper’s granddaughter.” At the thought of Gramps, Anya stiffened, straightening her spine as she thought of all he’d sacrificed for her, all the years of advice, and finally, of his death as the seawall finally broke loose and flooded. “Oh Gramps,” she murmured softly, her voice catching on the last syllable. “I owe you at least that.” Steeling her nerves, Anya walked up the three short steps outside the building, her footfalls thudding through her body like a second heartbeat as she pushed open the heavy marble door Immediately, a blast of warm air shocked the feeling back into Anya’s limbs. As she began removing her coat, Anya glanced around the spacious lobby, amazed at how welcoming it was compared to the frightening gargoyles out front. The entrance itself was narrow, but it opened outward into a wide circular reception area, with a tall dome sloped downwards in the old style. Towering white pillars stretched from floor to ceiling, their ridged surfaces reminiscent of the columns seen in photographs of the Parthenon in Greece. The lobby was divided into four different sections: a curved desk in the center, which served as a reception area and general directory for guests, a long and curling staircase behind it, on which people in varying degrees of business casual bustled along hurriedly, and two seating areas to the right and left, each furnished with Victorian-style couches and plump pillows. As she took in the sights, Anya slowly made her way to the main desk, her unease slowly seeming to fade the further into the warmth she traveled. Older, surly men, their hair streaked with silver and their faces creased with light lines of wrinkles glanced at her somewhat curiously, their grizzled brows raised slightly in curiosity as Anya, a mere five foot two, meandered through the crowd of taller, older gentleman. “Can I help you?” chirped the young man at the desk, his eyes still glowing with the eagerness of youth as Anya warily approached the center of the lobby. “Yes,” she replied with as much authority as she could muster. “I’ve got a 9 a.m. meeting at Clark Industries. I received a call about an interview from Susie Shipton.” “Oh! Y-y-yes of course they’ll be expecting you,” squeaked the concierge, hastily grabbing the nearby iPad and punching in a code, his eyes fluttering from the screen and back to Anya every few seconds. After a longer pause in which he made a grand show of checking and double-checking the iPad, the concierge looked up at Anya and replied, “Alright, I’ve sent them a notification that you’re here. They should be down any moment now. Ms. Shipton has a tight schedule, so she’s always very prompt, and if she thinks you’re wasting her time, she will tell you.”
A Serial Story by Elizabeth Willsmore “Thank you,” Anya replied taking the guest past the young man offered up to her shakily. “I’m sure this won’t take too long, especially if she’s a busy as you say she is.” With a greater confidence than she felt, Anya marched breezily past the desk towards the staircase, glancing down at the reception card to see which floor she needed to find. As she made her way up the winding velvet steps to the third floor, Anya felt a slight knot begin to form in her stomach. What if this Susie Shipton had called her in to ask about the Sea Wall? Losing her title, but even more so, hearing Gramps’ cries for help in her dreams every night was punishment enough. Besides, the accident had occurred almost three years ago now; any charges she faced would have surfaced already. Eventually, Anya reached a tall oak door about nine feet high, its surface polished to such a sheen she could practically see the red glint of her hair in it. Taking a deep breath, Anya closed her eyes as she turned the knob, opening them as she stepped into an airy room made almost entirely of windows. Across the foyer was a tall desk made of the same oak as the door, its rich, chocolatey grain gleaming in the winter morning sun. Behind the desk sat a tall, swan-like woman, her dark, tight curls elegantly backlit, framing her face like a cloud on a sunny day. She smiled slightly as Anya walked towards the desk, a faint upturn of the lips which for some reason made Anya’s blood run cold. “Welcome, Anya.” Susie Shipton began, her voice even silkier and cooler in person than over the telephone. “I’ve been awaiting your arrival here for a while now. We could use an engineer like you.” “Oh no I’m afraid you’re very mistaken,” Anya’s words rushed out in a panicked tumble of syllables as her heart beat leaped into her throat. “I’m not qualified for whatever it is you’d like me to do. I mean, I was, at one point, but then the Sea Wall, and . . .” she trailed off as that slight smile crept back onto Susie Shipton’s lips. “My dear,” the smooth voice began, “you designed the Sea Wall, did you not?” “Yes, but-” “And you were the youngest engineer contracted by Butchers, were you not?” “Yes but you see-” “Ms. Cooper,” Susie Shipton’s calm timbre rose slightly, the sternness in her tone stopping the words on Anya’s lips. “We do not care what your prior mistakes have been. Our success rests on having the best engineers, the most current knowledge and techniques, and the brightest minds available.” Here Susie paused, standing up from desk and walking around it to face Anya. She was slender, roughly five foot seven in height, with brightly polished nude pumps which glinted in the glow of the winter sun. She took four centered deliberate steps until she stood face-to-face with Anya, the former’s mop of black curls backlight like a kind of eerie halo. “What we are looking for, Ms. Cooper, is an engineer to commission what we believe to be our most ambitious project yet. You are searching for a fresh start, otherwise you wouldn’t have responded to my calls at 4 a.m. nor come to this meeting at all.” Swallowing nervously, Anya raised her eyes up until they were locked with Susie’s intense brown ones. “What makes you so sure I’ll take this job?” she whispered, her eyebrow cocked slightly, challengingly. “Because,” Susie murmured, equally as assuredly, “you owe it to him.”
She smiled slightly as Anya walked towards the desk, a faint upturn of the lips which for some reason made Anya’s blood run cold.
20 April, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Eight
ask LUE
SEXUAL HEALTH, QUEER RESOURCES AND INTIMATE ADVICE By Luena Maillard ‘20 Sex Columnist
H
ello! Welcome to my new column! Here you will find answers to anonymous Questions from Scripps students, submissions can be posted to a google doc shared on the Scripps student FB page, but if you’re willing to type it out, here is the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScPMpcomQqyvqeA00IeJ4crp_5abUl_455pD HOfHs4b93a6SQ/viewform How do I get my boyfriend to take an STD test? -No Confrontation Hey No Confrontation, This can be a difficult conversation to have, as it can be taken in many different ways by your partner. As cliché as this sounds, trust me I know, the most important thing when having this conversation with your boyfriend is honesty and good communication. That sounds really vague, but if you just express to them your sincere thoughts and reasons, they should be able to understand. Try to stress the ideas of comfort and certainty, that you two would be able to feel way more comfortable together if you were 100% certain there would be no risk of transmitting something. Try not to single out anything specific about them that could be taken badly (ex. “I know you’ve slept with a lot of people, etc.”), rather make it clear that you would be asking this regardless of who your partner is, maybe even going as far as to say it’s your “personal policy” whenever you’re dating someone new. Another thing that would make the interaction less uncomfortable is that you can offer to go with them to get tested/even get tested yourself! This would make it easier on your partner, as well as make it something you two can do together for your relationship. Lastly, and most importantly, stand your ground. This is a hard conversation, but you are looking out for your own safety and that of your boyfriend. It’s important to you, so it should be important to them as well, and while it may be awkward to talk about, don’t shy away from having this talk. Also, alongside hormonal methods (the Pill, IUD, Nuvaring, etc) make sure to continue/ start using barrier methods (condoms, dental dams, etc) Good luck! Lue How do you perform oral sex on an uncircumcised penis? -Embarrassed and uneducated Hey Embarrassed and Uneducated, The truth is, while there are some differences to oral sex with an uncircumcised penis, for the most part it’s the same as oral sex with a circumcised penis. The same blowjob techniques usually work on both. With an uncircumcised penis, you’re obviously going to be working with foreskin, which just means a few minor adjustments. You might need to gently pull the foreskin back just enough to expose the head if it is covering it. And of course, you can always ask your partner what they like, because it does vary from person to person. Best wishes, Lue
Opinions • 11
STUDENTS must
HUSTLE
FOR SUCCESS IN
HOSTILE CLIMATE By Jo Nordhoff Beard ‘19 Sports Columnist
In the past two weeks since I’ve written a column, a lot has happened on the Scripps campus and at the Claremont Colleges as a whole. The Scripps RAs have gone on strike, students have protested Mudd’s toxic work culture, and as a result Mudd placed their administration’s only advocate for marginalized students and changing Mudd’s culture on paid leave. Many students have protested and shown solidarity with their peers who are brave enough to risk their employment to hopefully improve the future of their college. I think that at least for this week, news is more important than sports, and that I want to respect my peers and the effort that which they have put in to stand up for social change by not writing an article that is out of touch with the current campus climate. However, the theme that I have found when thinking about both sports and campus news this week is that however hard people try and hustle, it is very difficult for the good guys to come out on top. This week, Aaron Hernandez, the former tight end for the New England Patriots, was found not guilty for allegedly murdering two people at a bar in July 2012. Even though Hernandez is already serving a life imprisonment sentence for the murder of his sister’s ex-fiancé Odin Lloyd, the fact that he was acquitted shows the massive flaws in the American justice system that need to be changed. Hernandez’s lawyers painted Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado as gang bangers and drug dealers, and the jury was chock full of people who would be very susceptible to this narrative. Abreu’s and Furtado’s families were upset that Hernandez was acquitted, but felt better that he was already serving life imprisonment. However, Hernandez’s lawyer said that there is a chance to overturn his conviction for murdering Lloyd. Hustling is an important part of any activity that which someone does. In order for people to be successful, they have to push harder than anybody to win and be the best. This is true in sports, but it is also true in student organizing. Even when it is very difficult, I have the utmost respect for people who push through the pain, injuries and mental blocks to keep working towards their goals. The only way athletes and student organizers become successful is to take risks and put themselves out there. This week, we as a Scripps College community have seen a lack of support from our peers following the RA strike, the CMC president and dean of faculty promise disciplinary action for people who protested at Heather Mac Donald’s Athenaeum talk, and a Mudd sit-in following Dean Q’s administrative leave. I call on all of us to support our peers as they hustle our way to success as best they can.
Illustration courtesy of awarenessdays.co.uk
20 April, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Eight
12 • Arts & Entertainment
Motormouth hosts brown noise spring finale By Rhiannon Schaub ‘20 Design Editor
Motormouth hosted the final Brown Noise event of the year at the Motley on April 13. Brown Noise events provide a space for people of color performers of the Claremont Colleges to “share any arts or form of performance they deem adds positively to the space,” according to the Facebook event. These events are open to the public so long as the audience members are respectful. Brown Noise was co-founded by El Ismail of Scripps College and Avery Jonas of Pomona College, both of whom recited poetry at the event in addition to the feature poet Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi (who you can find out more about at ladydanefe.com), among others.
UPCOMING EVENTS THURSDAY, APRIL 20 Are you Awake?: Shakedown Sounds Open Mic SPLASH! OF COLOR: an AAPI Art Show Mural Dedication: “Sacred Grandmother”
8:30pm - 10:30pm 6:00pm - 8:00pm 2:30pm - 4:00pm
The Shakedown Cafe, Pitzer College Pan-Asian Community of CMC: 888 Columbia Ave Scott Courtyard, Pitzer College
FRIDAY, APRIL 21 25th Anniversary Poetry Marathon Best Coast West Coast Final Friday Night Swing Scripps Dances 2017 Concert
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm 9:00 pm - 12:00 am 8:00 pm
Founders Room, Honnold Library Jacqua Lawn, Scripps College Platt Campus Center, Harvey Mudd College Garrison Theater, Scripps College
SATURDAY, APRIL 22 Scripps Dances 2017 Concert 2017 L.A. Times Festival of Books Trip Claremont Earth Day: Plant Seeds of Hope Claremont Zine Fest No Man’s Land Film Festival Spring Farm Fest! Pomona Spring Formal
2:00 pm, 8:00 pm 9:00 am - 7:30 pm 10:00 am - 3:00 pm 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Garrison Theater, Scripps College University of Southern California = Register: https://tinyurl.com/lk79kr7 2nd St, Claremont, CA The Packinghouse: 532 W 1st St, Claremont Balch Auditorium, Scripps College Pomona College Organic Farm Walter’s Restaurant, Bar and Lounge - Sign up in ASPC office
SUNDAY, APRIL 23 HMC Concert Series: MicroFest
8:00 pm
Shanahan Center, Drinkward Recital Hall
MONDAY, APRIL 24 Lavalas Presidential Candidate Speaks
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Balch Auditorium, Scripps College
TUESDAY, APRIL 25 Free Trip with DPL: Spoken Word in LA Film Screening: The Summer of Gods
6:15 pm - 9:00pm 6:00pm
Da Poetry Lounge, Los Angeles CA - Register: https://tinyurl.com/l5hn5zm Broad Performance Space, Pitzer College
SATURDAY, APRIL 29 People’s Climate March Los Angeles Ballroom Dance Company Spring Concert 10th Annual Rockabilly Festival JSOCC Somen Soba Social w/ 5C Hawaii Club Women of Color and LGBTQ Alumnae Mixer Mozart: Requiem Mass in D minor
11:00 am - 3:00 pm 6:00 pm 11:00 am - 11:00 pm 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Banning Park 1331 Eubank Ave Wilmington, CA 90744 Bridges Auditorium, Pomona College Pitzer College Margaret Fowler Garden, Scripps College Scripps SCORE Garrison Theater, Scripps College
SUNDAY, APRIL 30 Ballroom Dance Company Spring Concert
1:00 pm
Bridges Auditorium, Pomona College
TUESDAY, MAY 2 Masculinity Myths: Challenging the Narrative
12:15 pm - 1:15 pm
Hoch Aviation Room, Harvey Mudd
FRIDAY, MAY 12 International Place Farewell Celebration
8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
International Place of the Claremont Colleges: 390 E 9th St
20 April, 2017 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Eight