Oct. 17, 2013 by The Scripps Voice

October 17, 2013

voice.scrippscollege.edu

The Scripps Voice recent sexual assault cases shed light on safety concerns at all five campuses

In loving memory of

Bekki Lee

By Noor Asif ‘16 Staff Writer

The Scripps Voice would like to honor the memory of our Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs, Bekki Lee. She was an important member of the Scripps College community, and The Scripps Voice extends its condolences to her family and friends, as well as to the students and staff of Scripps College. The Bekki Lee Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund has since been created in her honor.

Inside This Issue:

Op-Ed: page 4

Stephanie Huang profiles a changing fashion world

Features: pages 6-7

Different publications at Scripps College are profiled

1030 Columbia Avenue | Claremont, CA 91711 | Box 386 email: scrippsvoice@gmail.com | Volume XVII | Issue Four

he Claremont Colleges are generally perceived to be a safe environment for every individual, regardless of gender, sexual preference, race, and more. In recent weeks, however, this perception has been challenged by a series of notifications circulating through email regarding episodes of sexual assault at 5C parties. One of the incidents occurred at Pub, the event most closely tied to the occurrence of sexual assault due to its dark, cramped venue in the basement of the Coop at Dom’s Lounge. Pub has been known to have a “rapey” feel; there is a lot of unwanted touching, groping, and grinding that occurs on the tight, poorly lit dance floor. On Sept. 18, a male student sexually assaulted a female student at Pub, according to one of the emails that campus safety sent out. This is just one reported incident; many other unreported incidents have possibly occurred as well. This event caused Pub to be cancelled until further investigation deems it safe enough to reopen to the students. This is not the first time Pub has been cancelled; last year towards the end of the semester, Pub was not only cancelled for a week, but was also altered in order to increase security by keeping the lights on during the party. However, a Pub with lights on just isn’t the same Pub, and dancing in the dark is more comfortable for many students. It is difficult to find a balance between maintaining the feel of a club and providing a safe environment for all students in order to prevent incidents of sexual assault from occurring. Another one of the incidents occurred at the 6:01 party earlier in the semester, in which a female student sexually assaulted a male student. She had reportedly offered to take care of him when he left the party heavily intoxicated, but then assaulted him even after he said no. It is disturbing to think that incidents of sexual assault can occur so early in the year, at the first big 5C party, and, more alarmingly, to someone who cannot take care of themselves due to alcohol by someone who had previously aided them. One other incident involved a male student from USC sexually assaulting a female student from one of the

continued on page 2

News: page 2

Nancy Herrera discusses the problems with the SAT test

2 • News

problems with the sat BY NANCY HERRERA ‘15 GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

After the creation of PACDI (the President’s Advisory Committee for Diversity and Inclusivity), and with the on-going progress on writing a strategic plan for diversity and inclusivity, I urge everyone at Scripps to re-consider the admissions requirement of submitting a standardized test score. In the next issue, I will tackle the alternatives to requiring a standardized exam, as part of college admissions is about finding objective measures by which to compare one person to another. Stay tuned!

The SAT is inherently biased and does not measure academic skills

tudies show that the results on the SAT Reasoning test are directly correlated with family income. Students who come from more well-off families tend to do better on the exam. In addition, the test is biased against African American students, and to a lesser extent Latino(a) students. Even more so when compared to other standardized tests, the SAT does not measure academic performance. The SAT writing section only measures how fast someone can churn out a formulaic essay in 25 minutes. The reading comprehension and math section serve as ways to measure how well someone can approximate and do as little work as possible under a time-limit. Evidence of this can be found by reading any Princeton Review prep book. In addition, the College Board now sells their own SAT prep materials. Keyanay Colvin ‘15, commented, “It’s like they are saying you can have the answers, if you pay the right price.” A 2006 study by the College Board, the organization in charge of making the SAT, showed that there is a correlation between high SAT scores and good performance in the first year of college. It did nothing to predict success in any other year of college, and did not correlate with students’ graduation rate. In addition, the correlation is less significant when it comes to Latino(a) students. According to research done by Colby College, success in the SAT Subject tests is more indicative of academic success. However, Scripps does not require these exams for admissions.

the new sat...again

he College Board has announced this year that it is planning on redesigning the SAT in order to focus more on core academic standards. In this way, it will become more like the ACT. This makes sense due to the fact that 2013 is the first year that more people took the ACT rather than the SAT. However, according to “A New SAT” by Scott Jaschik, the 25-minute essay writing portion and the math portion will remain the mostly the same. Becoming SAT-optional would allow Scripps to remove itself from every problematic aspect of the SAT. Rather than wait for the new version to come out, and then for new research to appear to see if it is effective, Scripps can focus on using a holistic admission model that does not include standardized exams.

a step forward in scripps’ diversity and inclusivity

liminating the SAT and ACT as an admissions requirement could be a step forward in increasing Scripps’ diversity, something it aims to do in creating the Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusivity. This is because making admissions testing optional tends to increase the amount of applications from traditionally underrepresented students. According to Inside Higher Ed and the Huffington Post, this has been the case in Wake Forest University and Pitzer College. Students disproportionately affected by the testing system, such as African Americans and students with lower incomes, now would not have a demerit in their applications. This means that more students would feel comfortable applying. In addition, there is a weight of anxiety that is removed from applicants with low scores, as now they do not have to worry about inherently having a disadvantage to the rest of the pool. As previously mentioned, Scripps would then also allow students without access to the SAT or ACT to apply. The exam is expensive, with the SAT costing $51, and the ACT costing $52.50. Most students take at least one of these tests twice. Reporting scores to colleges for the SAT is free (for up to four colleges) with registration and $11.25 afterwards. This is the same with the ACT, with a charge of $12.00 dollars for each additional school. Students with an income of $43,568 or less (in a household of four) are eligible for a fee waiver, which covers the cost of the exam and reporting to a maximum of four colleges. Everyone else has to pay the full price. There is no way to request fee waivers directly from ACT or the College Board, so students must depend on their schools to obtain them. There are schools where SAT fee waivers are scarce, and students who simply cannot obtain a fee waiver in time for the exam, so they apply to either the California State University system or SAT/ACT optional private colleges. The Scripps College Academy, which assists high school students from underrepresented backgrounds to get into college, is not eligible to hand out SAT fee-waivers, only ACT ones. These kinds of practices limit students to only being able to take one test over the other, rather than seeing what tests they do their best in. In addition, the College Board lowers the amount of fee waivers given to a school if students use them and do not show up the day of the

exam. Through this practice, entire schools can suffer from fee-waiver shortages. Scripps, by becoming SAT and ACT optional, will not have to worry that it potentially excluding great students because of their inability to pay for the exam or find a fee-waiver in time.

improving scripps’ image

uring the last Board of Trustee meeting, I brought up the idea of making standardized exams optional. As a student body, we had a small discussion about it; most students were on board with the idea, because it would improve Scripps’ prestige. Scripps would join the ranks of other top tier colleges, such as Swarthmore and Mount Holyoke, which have gotten rid of the standardized testing requirement. These other colleges are evidence that it is possible to still have a holistic admissions process without the need for the SAT or ACT. These schools typically become more selective. If Scripps becomes SAT optional, it will be able to open its doors to students who cannot access the SAT and to those who prefer to not take the exam as a political statement. Therefore, it is likely that applications will increase, and there will be more of a chance to pick the best from those who previously fell through the cracks. Students with a high SAT or ACT score will still choose to report it in their application, and so the overall average SAT scores will increase. These two factors may cause our school’s national ranking to increase, a nice bonus for taking a good action.

STAY TUNED FOR NANCY HERRERA’S UPCOMING ARTICLE ABOUT ALTERNATIVES TO THE SAT FOR THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS

sas discusses functions of the student union By Minjoo Kim ‘16 SAS Media Relations Chair

accessible involves improving its basic organization and implementing specific policies. Changes made so far include improving the ithin the first week of classes, the reservation process for the Conference Room Student Union Chair e-mail inbox was and the Study Rooms. The reservations must flooded with messages, asking about sup- be made 24 hours prior to the meeting by plies, how to reserve spaces and rent out contacting the Student Union Chair through lockers. Students were constantly in and e-mail, who then posts updated weekly calout making posters and holding meetings. endars in each of the rooms available in the Even so, this still leaves SAS feeling that this Student Union. It is crucial that the times space is underutilized, and makes us ask, reserved to clubs and students are in the what else does the Student Union have to printed copies of the calendars, because offer? there have been countless instances where Student fees fund the Student Union, so people have had to ask others to leave the it is important that the area is serving the rooms during their reserved hours. interests of the stuIn order to avoid dent body. In this those awkward situStudent fees fund the spirit, the Student ations, please reUnion Chair hopes member that it is Student Union, so it is to work closely with important to reserve important that the area is the CLORGS Chair to rooms through the help make this space serving the interests of the Student Union Chair. more accessible to As for the locker student body. all of our students. rental system, the Scripps students service now comes have resources such as SARLO and SCORE, with a terms and agreements form attached but for clubs that are less event-, aware- to the confirmation emails, as to preserve ness-, and politics-based — like the Fine the confidentiality of the lockers and to Cheese Club, Get Your Nerd On, or clubs maintain that these are used for the benefit for biology enthusiasts — could the Student of the student body. Union provide more services and options These are relatively small changes, but and essentially become a better resource come under the general understanding that for our student organizations? there are many benefits to the currently Part of making the Student Union more informal nature of the Student Union - im-

promptu study sessions and 24-hour access to supplies like markers, paint, and butcher paper being among them. So where is this space, established only a few years ago, headed? Who is to decide where it should go? The answer to the latter question is most certainly our student body, and the former question will have to be answered by them. Earlier this semester SAS voted to get rid of the helium tanks in the Student Union since, under California law, only people who were certified would be able to use them. Getting rid of the helium tanks helped free up a significant portion of the Student Union budget. However, we do not want to entirely get rid of the services that we provide but hope to replace them with environmentally friendly and more student-accessible options, and more information about them will be coming out soon! As for some exciting news, the supplies from the first order have finally arrived and they are available for all Scripps students to use! But please keep in mind that these supplies only belong in the Student Union and that they do not last forever, but we can always try to have them last longer if we put the supplies back in place! We value student concerns and interest and want to know how the Student Union could better serve the student body! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to e-mail the Student Union Chair, Minjoo Kim at studentunionchair@gmail.com

sexual assault cases on the 5c campuses continued from page 1

Claremont Colleges at Toga. USC has been known to be a “party school,” a term with mixed connotations. Frat parties have a reputation of being non-conducive to consent culture, to put it lightly. The USC administration recently forwarded an email to its students about 16 cases which have emerged since the start of the semester regarding sexual assault, yet the administration itself is being investigated to see if there are any more cases which either have not been officially reported or else have been neglected. USC and the Claremont Colleges are extremely different in terms of culture, location, student body size, and attitudes toward consent culture. It is important to remember that our proximity to USC means students from Claremont and USC will inevitably interact at parties and other social events. Officals on multiple 5C campuses have moved to limit the type of guests that are allowed into 5C parties and make hosts of guests from other non-5C campuses more accountable. Staying safe is really the most important thing when going to a party along with having fun, so it is important to follow the campus safety tips that are attached to these emails. They encouraging students to walk in pairs at night, to make sure that friends are leaving the parties with reliable people, and to trust one’s instincts if sometimes does not feel quite right in any situation.

October 17, 2013 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Four

Opinions and Editorials • 3

Thoughts on

The Scripps Voice Editors-in-Chief Megan Petersen Aidan Harley Advisor Sam Haynes Design Editors Selene Hsu Jessica Lin Elena Pinsker Copy Editors Ashley Minnis-Lemley Star Schneider Alexandra Vallas Photo Editor Emily Morris Business Manager Lily Comba Webmaster Sophie Saouma

feminism By Kayon James ‘16 Feminism Columnist

Columnists and Staff Writers Lucy Altman-Newell Noor Asif Natalie Camrud Katie Girvan Stephanie Huang Kayon James Anissa Joonas Elizabeth Lee Meagan McIntyre Caroline Miller Caroline Nelson Kara Odum Bailee Pelham Staff Photographers Noor Asif Tianna Sheih Nicole Zwiener Comments and letters can be sent to Scripps College The Scripps Voice, 1030 Columbia Ave, Box 386, Claremont, CA, 91711. You can also email The Scripps Voice at scrippsvoice@gmail. com or visit our website at voice. scrippscollege.edu. The Scripps Voice is a student forum and is not responsible for the opinions expressed in it.

hen I first heard that “there are as many types of feminism as there are feminists,” I was surprised. Having been raised in a religious household that advocated tenets of “traditional” femininity, I had envisioned feminists as a monolithic group of white women who stomped around angrily in combat boots, shouting illogical nonsense about things I thought were important: family, marriage, and gender roles. Even as my opinions changed, it took years for me to identify as a feminist because the image of privileged white women acting as though their way was the right way was thoroughly imprinted in my mind. It is only recently that I have understood the history behind my previous assumptions. As Ann Russo (a white feminist writer and activist) says, “The women’s movement and feminist perspectives in the United States have been associated primarily with white women, though this is not because many women of color have not identified with the movement, but rather because many of the more visible organizations and leaders identified as feminist have been white.” This rendering of white feminists as visible and women of color as invisible is not incidental, but rather the result of a strategic history. Ida Bell Wells-Barnett (an African-American suffragist and writer whose life spanned from the late 1800s to early 1900s) detailed how Susan B. Anthony refused to organize Black women in the South because she feared losing the support of Southern white women in the suffrage movement. There are innumerable cases like this, both on and off the records of written history. White feminists have strategically picked their battles, carefully attempting to separate such categories as gender from race. What Adrienne Rich has described as “white solipsism” explains the historical amnesia and continued racism within white feminist organizing. White middle-class problems have long been presented as “feminist issues” because these feminists often possess the most power, privilege, and thus visibility. Even when sexuality has been brought to the forefront, the connections to

race and class have often been obscured. What does it mean to be a Black queer woman? What can White feminism do for working-class, undocumented women when immigration is hardly ever seen as a “feminist topic of discussion?” Where is the place in White, American, middle-class feminism for those people who fall outside of the scope of white solipsism? Their positions are rendered “problems” within the movements because they highlight the gaps in long-standing, normative logic. Silenced and rendered invisible by such a “progressive” movement, many have fallen silent and resentful of the term “feminist,” with its record of false inclusivity.

I came to realize that the feminism I’d heard of, the one most people have heard of, is actually white feminism. The whiteness, as is usually done, has been normalized and sent to the background. It is because of this history that I was reluctant to identify myself as a “feminist.” As a first-generation American whose family comes from a country that has been deemed “Third World,” I’ve been trained to be wary of supposedly-progressive movements that are acts of cultural imperialism. I feared losing myself and my cultural identity as I became more like “one of them”: a college-educated, Americanized, assimilated Feminist.

October 17, 2013 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Four

Thankfully, at Scripps, I have had amazing professors in the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department who make a conscious effort not to marginalize the writings and experiences of women of color feminists. As I read Chela Sandoval’s description of Third World women of color as “urban guerillas trained through everyday battle with the state apparatus”, my heart pounded in my chest – the instant recognition I felt was overwhelming. I spent long hours after reading Audre Lorde’s biomythography, “Zami,” curled in a fetal position shaken to my core: seeing clearly that someone who lived and died before I even exhaled my first breath had felt the sharp pains of being a queer, firstgeneration Caribbean-American woman living in the United States. Someone—a woman—had survived the isolation, borne the scars, and flourished; and this was enough to give me hope. Feminists. These women who’ve impacted me so greatly were feminists. I came to realize that the feminism I’d heard of, the one most people have heard of, is actually white feminism. The whiteness, as is usually done, has been normalized and sent to the background. It was placed in brackets before the word: [white] feminism. I finally saw that the most privileged voices were not the only ones in this movement. My feminism did not have to be white, and I did not have to analyze my queerness through a White-American, middle-class lens. Women of color have always been, and always will be, fighting the feminist fight. We are not accessories to the White woman’s fight against the White man. Instead, we are women who come from a wide variety of backgrounds, yet realize that class is not separable from race, race is not separable from gender, gender is not separable from religion, religion is not separable from sexuality and that an innumerable amount of simultaneous oppressions exist; and never do these patterns occur in a linear form. They’re interwoven and wrapped around us; the alterity of this experience providing both weight and warmth as we consult with other women who have had similar experiences.

4 • Opinions and Editorials

why fashion is getting faster

zara’s two-week fashion cycle beats usual half-year By Stephanie Huang ‘16 Fashion Columnist “They broke up a century-old biannual cycle of fashion. Now, pretty much half of the high-end fashion companies make four to six collections instead of two each year,” said Masoud Golsorkhi, editor of London fashion magazine Tank. “That’s absolutely because of Zara.” While Zara, the Spanish-based clothing company, may not be as prevalent in the U.S. as it is wildly successful in other countries in Europe and Asia, Zara’s rapid-fire methods of production are now changing the way fast fashion is consumed worldwide. By fast fashion, I mean a measly two-week drawing-board-to-store-shelf production time. Compared to the usual half-year industry average, Zara is decidedly one of the fastest retailers in the world, releasing new products each week. With its fast production time, Zara is now known for its ability to emulate trends from upscale designers and fulfill the demands of customers, so much so that Louis Vuitton Fashion Director Daniel Piette described Zara as “possibly the most innovative and devastating retailer in the world.” “To the luxury brands, they are copycats, they are like mushrooms feeding off the main body of fashion… [but] I realize that fashion companies also copy each other. In the end, no one’s original,” said Golsorkhi. Yet unlike other low-cost retailers, Zara has created image scarcity with its products, ensuring that its products do not stay in stores for long. By doing so, the retailer builds a certain type of hype and excitement surrounding popular items that seem likely to disappear. Take the now-notorious asymmetrically-hemmed Zara skort for example. An architectural yet minimalist piece, the Zara skort became a

Zara accomplishes an interesting fashion feat; the company is able to do in two weeks what takes most fashion labels half a year. They design, produce and sell their clothing at such a fast rate that the way fashion is consumed has begun to change worldwide. Photos courtesy of Zara.

cult item among girls from Los Angeles to Hong Kong ever since it was released in white in stores last spring. Supermodel Karolina Kurkova as well as a multitude of bloggers were photographed in the skort. The demand for the skort continually rose, and thus, was continually restocked and introduced in new colors. Yet slowly, the store stopped

stocking certain colors, but stocked it in new prints and fabrics, transitioning the piece into this fall. The skort was later on copied by other smaller retailers. The fact that Kurkova, a former Victoria’s Secret Angel reached for a Zara skort rather than a luxury counterpart establishes that Zara has elevated itself as favorable among the crème

de la crème despite its lack of luxury-price elitism. The owner of Zara (and its Spanish parent company Inditex) Amancio Ortega Gaona, surpassed Warren Buffett last year on the Bloomberg billionaire index. In 2005, Zara replaced H&M as the leading retailer of inexpensive clothing. My one question is: when will the other retailers catch up?

a changing economy: the good, the bad, and the ugly “non-essential” federal workers furloughed

national parks closed

cease of some fda food safety operations By Kara Odum ‘15 Economics Columnist The Good: The White House confirmed that Janet Yellen will get the nomination to become the next Federal Reserve Chairman after Ben Bernanke, the current Fed Chairman, steps down at the end of his term. She will be the first female Fed Chairman in the history of the Fed, marking a big step in breaking through the glass ceiling. Yellen is currently the Vice Chairman of the Fed, a position

veterans not receiving benefits

which she has held since Oct. 2010, and has a resume second to none for this position. She has been the president and CEO of the San Francisco Federal Reserve for 6 years and has served as chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, which advises the president on economic matters. Her appointment will likely pass without problems from the Senate and when she becomes Chairman, she will most likely continue running the Fed very similarly to its current operations. She has been a big proponent of keeping interest rates low by

using economic tools such as quantitative easing, which are outside the realm of normal Fed activity, and is expected to keep these programs going in order to further bolster the economy. The Bad: The federal government shut down on Tuesday, Oct. 1 after the House failed to pass a spending bill in time. The fiscal year ended for Congress on Sept. 30 and Obamacare was set to go into effect the next day. The House Republicans tied further spending to defunding Obamacare,

October 17, 2013 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Four

which was rejected by a Democrat-controlled Senate and sent back to the House where no deal was reached thus starting the government shutdown. Some immediate effects included shutting down national parks, furloughing non-essential federal workers, and the temporary cease of some FDA food safety operations, and EPA monitoring of air pollution and pesticide use. Longer term consequences include veterans not receiving benefits, the CDC having to halt its flu vaccine program, the Women Infants and Children program shutting down, and disability benefits from the Social Security administration being put on hold. The Ugly: On Oct. 17, the U.S. will once again hit its debt ceiling, which means the Federal government cannot borrow any more money to support its operations. While many people are oblivious to the effects of a default, the Treasury Department is saying that it would be “catastrophic” for the economy, and with good reason. A default would mean the world’s largest borrower fails to repay its debt, which would devastate stock markets, destroy the dollar, and throw the world into a recession. This probably sounds outlandish and hyperbolic, but make no mistake: a U.S. default would produce a financial apocalypse far surpassing the financial collapse of 2008. Currently, the U.S. debt is at 12 trillion dollars but this time around most people don’t think the U.S. will default, although the chance is no longer zero percent. Most professionals in the industry are not worried that the U.S. will default because Congress will get its act together one way or another to avoid the major fallout, but it’s still an alarming pattern that the legislative branch repeatedly uses the debt ceiling as a political power play. If a deal is reached, it will only postpone the debt ceiling debate for another month or so without any real changes being made.

Opinions and Editorials • 5

Don Jon (Sort of) triumphant

f i l m e n t e r ta i n i n g d e s p i t e l a c k o f r e l ata b i l i t y By Elizabeth Lee ‘16 Film Columnist

espite my efforts as a columnist to offer regular thoughts and suggestions on movies that I consider hidden and easily accessible gems, there’s little sense in always flat-out ignoring the films in plain sight that are also just as easily accessible. Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut “Don Jon,” which he also wrote and starred in, has been one of the most highlyanticipated films of the year and is currently playing at the Claremont Laemmle. As a warning up front, the film is very graphic in its portrayal of sex—it is, after all, about man with a porn addiction. Whether that is considered encouragement or discouragement to see the film is completely based on individual interpretation. Either way, the sex scenes are not just casually thrown in there. They, as with most everything else in the film, are included for well-considered purposes. Gordon-Levitt definitely had a clear idea of about what he wanted the movie to be. It’s a story about the transformation of the good-looking, if slightly-appalling, antihero known as Don Jon, who metamorphoses over the course of the story as he slowly learns that intimate relationships go two ways. It attacks the use of mainstream media as a means by which to hold on to one-sided fantasies— the perfect sex in porn, the perfect knight in shining armor of cheap romances—and suggests that when we try to implement them in our real lives we only end up distancing ourselves from one another. In the beginning Jon has a consistent routine of picking up girls at the bar at which he works, watching porn after a one-night stand, keeping his apartment spic-andspan, working out at the gym, meeting his

“Don Jon” provides an entertaining story, although the relationship between Don Jon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Esther (Julianne Moore) seems strained and the film lacks relatability. Photos courtsey of Studio System News and Connect Savannah.

family for dinner, and yelling expletives at the car in front of him on his way to church at the end of the week. His life works based on a meaningless system of points, wherein he tallies up his sins during confession and is effortlessly absolved of them after being prescribed however many “Hail Mary”s and “Our Fathers.” His relationship with Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson), a woman he seeks out after dubbing her a “10,” is based on a foundation of his lies about his porn addiction and her attempts to bring romance movie fantasies to life by manipulatively molding him into the perfect man. It isn’t until he meets an older woman named Esther (Julianne Moore), who is something of an oddity, that he begins to question his regular routine and learn about

moby chick

real intimacy. His porn sessions begin to seem meaningless as well as less satisfying. The silence on the priest’s end, when asked during confession how he determines the number of prayers that amount to absolution, makes the conventional system of morality seem arbitrary. The tone of the overall film shifts from caricaturized depictions of “Jersey Shore”-like characters and grand, sweeping music during 360 shots to more simple and real moments as the Don Jon persona is stripped away to reveal that Gordon-Levitt is nothing more than a Regular Joe. The fault in the film’s overall effect, however, is that our emotional investment in and ability as viewers to make sense of the story were sometimes sacrificed by the

statements Gordon-Levitt was attempting to make. Despite the predictable nature of Jon’s character arc, the film still feels somewhat unresolved in the end, and the relationship between Esther and him comes across as strained. The focus on themes ultimately took away from the emotional level of a film supposedly about finding intimacy, and the story feels as shallow as its protagonist. If nothing else, it’s at least fun to see the star cameos by Anne Hathaway, Channing Tatum, Emily Blunt, and John Krasinski that make it feel a bit like a home movie. It’s no perfect fantasy of a film, but as GordonLevitt points out, who wants that all the time anyway?

a c l o s e r l o o k at e p i s o d e 5 o f “orange is the new black”

By Caroline Nelson ‘16 TV Columnist

ll comedy dramas face the difficult balancing act of attempting to make sure that their material is both adequately serious and amusing without the levity or the gravitas undermining each other. When this goes wrong, as it usually does, one has a drama-marred uncomfortable comic relief or a comedy that would have funny if not for its pretensions. However, when a series manages to strike a balance between the two without giving the viewer a case of mood whiplash, the two elements compliment and enhance one another. One of many strengths of “Orange is the New Black” is the show’s ability to juxtapose a variety of weighty issues with almost sitcom levels of absurdity. This is possibly best displayed in the episode “The Chickening,” where Piper’s vision of a feral chicken throws the prison into chaos. On the one hand this is a classic comic plot, a small inciting incident is compounded by various misunderstandings and wacky shenanigans ensue. But of course in this case a chicken is not just a chicken, and to say that the episode is just about a bunch of women going after a chicken is a bit like saying Moby Dick is about some dudes chasing a whale. At the heart of this episode is the question of symbols and their interpretation, which is why it begins with an argument about hanging a cross in the prison chapel. The local evangelical wants to hang her tacky woodshop creation in a space that is supposed to serve multiple denominations and by attempting to force her interpretation on the sacred space she destroys it. In another conversation a nun jokes about how communion wafers go well with dip. On

Photo courtsey of Vulture.com

the one hand all this is rather funny, to see people in an uproar over a couple pieces of wood, some crackers, and a chicken. But of course this is not an accurate description of any of those. The crackers are

the blood and body of Christ, the wood is a symbol of love and ultimate sacrifice, and the chicken is equally powerful, if localized. This is a chicken smart enough to escape its own destruction.

Piper may not express a desire to eat it to gain its wisdom in the same way that Red does, but she continues to chase it until she realizes that to do so is futile, that she will never possess that knowledge.

October 17, 2013 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Four

6 • Features

Features • 7

An interview with Professor Cody “

Questions& ” answers

Student-run

Publications By Katie Girvan‘16 Staff Writer

cripps College has several publications that students can read and write for. While some publications have more publicity, others are less well known. However, every publication, whether it is a magazine, newspaper, or journal, definitely adds a unique voice to the college.

Becca Marion ‘12 and Laura Passarelli ‘12 founded [in] Visible in 2009, and the magazine derives its name from a line in the French novel The Little Prince: “L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.” (Translation: the essential is invisible to the eyes). Initially, [in]Visible’s primary focus was body image issues and stereotypes, but it has since broadened its reach. Vivienne Muller ‘16, the writing director of the magazine, explained why the magazine was important to Scripps, saying, “We talk about gender issues from a perspective of diversity and inclusive feminism. There isn’t another publication like us at Scripps and we feel like we are a valuable alternative or addition to the other publications around.”

By Ashley Achee ‘16 Staff Writer This past week, I interviewed Dr. Lisa Cody of the CMC History Department. As a specialist in early British history with emphasis on gender and feminist issues, she was a unique addition to the history department at Claremont McKenna in 1996. Sitting down in the Kravis Center with Professor Cody felt very much like sitting down with a friend. She was very open and talkative about the different projects she is working on, her opinions as a feminist, and why she chose history.

Q: Why did you decide to study history? A: Well, I was actually pre-med when I

entered college. I knew that I didn’t want to be a physics major, but I didn’t want to be a history major either. I took a class called “London, Paris, and the Nineteenth Century” and it totally changed my mind.

Q: Do you have a favorite period in history? A: I have a favorite year! 1760! It was the

year an important book about midwifery was published. In general, I love the 1760s, though.

Q: Do you identify as a feminist? A: Absolutely! I remember writing diary

entries when I was in third grade about women’s equality.

That’s terrific! What made you so passionate at such a young age?

A: I had watched this show on PBS, actually,

with my family, called “Shoulder to Shoulder” about the British Suffrage movement. And I remember that it raised a lot of gender and equality issues that really had an impact on me making me think how much women

had to fight for very basic civil and political rights and it had actually occurred in my grandmothers’ lifetimes.

Q: Tell me about what it was like to write a book.

It was definitely a busy time. I was pregnant through much of the process, but I was lucky that my husband was able to really raise the children while I was writing and doing research. [“Birthing a Nation”, Dr. Cody’s first book, was published in 2005.]

Q: What are you working on now? A: I don’t want to give too much away,

but I am currently writing a book about eighteenth-century marriages. I’ve been examining over 2,000 court cases, which is a lot to sort through. Essentially, it focuses on how women found power and influence under patriarchy.

Q: Are you happy at CMC? A: It’s the best place to be an eighteenth-

century British historian because of the nearby Huntington Library. There are so many resources available at the colleges. Also, the students are incredibly engaged and passionate and my colleagues are terrific.

Dr. Cody currently teaches several history classes at CMC in addition to her research for her upcoming book. Her class Gender and Revolution: Europe from 1500-1900 covers topics ranging from gender bending in early Europe to feminism in the early twentieth century. On Oct. 17, she will be screening “Dangerous Liaisons” with the CMC history department. The event is free and open to anyone with an interest in history and a love of films.

A new publication that will be launching soon is Our Sound. It’s a literary and art magazine funded through SCORE and is currently seeking submissions for its first issue. “We provide a platform for voices society often ignores or dismisses to speak via publication,” Muller, who is also involved with this publication, said of the magazine. “We would love to see writing and art exploring roots and individual realization.” You can get in touch with the creators of Our Sound on their Facebook page to be a part of this innovative publication’s inaugural issue.

The Scripps College Journal is another publication that may be unknown to some students. An annual literary magazine, it publishes art and writing from students from Scripps. Although it is only published once a year, it is a fantastic way for students to showcase their creativity. Star Schneider ‘16, one of the Editors-in-Chief of the Scripps College Journal, describes the journal as “a platform for any and all Scripps student voices who desire to share their academic or creative work with their community.”

Photos courtesy of [In]visible Magazine and The Scripps College Journal

October 17, 2013 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Four

8 • Features

Scripps College Press

Makes typography into art

Photo courtesy of The Scripps College Press.

By Lucy Altman-Newell ‘17 Staff Writer

id you know that students at the Scripps College Press create and publish their own artist’s books? This semester, the students in Art 135: “Typography and the Book Arts” are producing the fifty-second title to be published by Scripps College Press, Paper as an Agent of Social Change: “Paper and Ideas.” The Scripps College Press, located in the language art studios of the Millard Sheets Art Center, is unique in that it uses oldfashioned, steel printing presses, and is one of the only college presses run and operated by undergraduates. Founded in 1941, Scripps College Press was run by Dorothy Drake and commissioned by Frederic W. Goudy, the renowned type designer who created the “Scripps College Old Style” font and whose name graces the title of Scripps College Press’s semesterly speaker series, the “Goudy Lectures” This semester’s Goudy Lecture is entitled

“Making Paper Means Something,” and was presented on September 28 at 7:00 p.m. in the Scripps College Humanities Auditorium by John Risseeuw, an artist who makes paper by hand. In 1986, Kitty Maryatt became Director of the Press, and was charged with making it more of a presence on campus. She did this by creating the Typography and Book Arts class—open to students of all five of the Claremont Colleges—and by taking the opportunity to create a creative work to disseminate to the larger community. The Scripps College Press currently sells to fiftysix standing-order patrons, five book-sellers, and a limited number of the interested public (only about one hundred copies are printed for each title). Books printed by the Scripps College Press may now be found internationally, exhibited in such places as the Victoria Albert Museum in London. Said Maryatt, a Scripps alumna and professor, “In most big cities throughout the country, you can almost always find at least one copy of a book printed by our press.” In addition, each

student in the class receives a copy. But what exactly are these books, and how are they produced? An artist’s book is a type of art in which a book is used to convey or explore an idea utilizing every aspect of the book. Tactile sensation, text, images, and even the process of reading itself are all synthesized and utilized in order to create a unique reading experience. As artist’s books, every aspect—type, placement, balance of image and text, etc.— must bring forward the message of the book. For example, Deep Rooted, a book about trees and “treeness” produced by Scripps College Press, utilized “walnut ink” and a bark cover to further the idea of treeness. Similarly, this semester’s project, “Paper as an Agent of Social Change,” is composed of paper that the students created by hand. Everything about these books—from conception to production— is purposeful and effective. Conception begins when Professor Maryatt choses a topic—vague, concrete, or anything in between. Once she has “catapult[ed] the class” in this way, the students spend a

good deal of time researching the selected topic. Next, they begin with images, or, more commonly, with the text of the book. Each student is responsible for a section, and each strives to collaborate so as to create a cohesive whole which sounds as if one mind put the artist’s book together. Responsibilities include hand-drawing illustrations, creating text, and doing “print runs.” The Typography and Book Arts Class generally spends the first four to five weeks in developing the concept for the artist’s book. The next six weeks are spent in production, and the following three weeks focus on binding the books. Finally, the books are bound up and sent out to the fifty-six standing-order patrons, the five booksellers, and Denison Library. If you are interested in learning more about Scripps College Press, or would like to order your very own Scripps College Press artist’s book, visit them online at http://www.scrippscollege.edu/campus/ press/ or like the Facebook page “Scripps College Press.”

Examples of books printed by students at the Scripps College Press. The printing press pictured in the center shows a book in the process being printed. Each letter is carefully designed and hand carved into wooden blocks by the artist. Photo courtesy of The Scripps Press.

October 17, 2013 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVIII • Issue Four

Student Life • 9

First-Year Perspective

Revisioning Malott through the claremont Student shares her accounts of her Humane Society year so far By Julia Thomas ‘17 Staff Writer

By Bailee Pelham ’17 Staff Writer

e first-years have been in classes for a few weeks now. We’re all adapting, getting to know new people, and suffering under the tyrannical rule of Core I. But by far, my favorite part of Scripps has been the academic rigor. When I was a prospective student, I heard horror stories of the infamous Core I. My hostesses told me all about the incredibly large amount of reading. The first week of Core seemed pretty manageable. We only had a few readings, and honestly, every upperclassman was telling me how lucky I was that our topic was violence. I didn’t have any other experience with Core so I just had to take their word for it! The part of Core that everyone warns us about is the papers: especially the first big paper for our Core I class. It’s a huge part of our grade. Something like 20 percent of our grade. All the upperclassmen remind you about it and ask how it’s going. Our peer mentors bring us Core I goodie bags. There’s even Core paper editing sessions and NO

CORE ALLOWED get-togethers. What I don’t understand is why there is so much hubbub over this paper. Yeah, it’s a lot of writing. Yeah, a decent part of our grade is on the line. On the other hand, it’s just an essay. Write it, edit it, and then let it go. You can only do the best that you can. To me, it just seems a bit excessive to stress yourself out over something that we will have finished in just a few short days. I’m certainly not advocating that you should just let this paper fall by the wayside. I’m just suggesting that we don’t let it have an indomitable rule over our week. While Core has most of us hanging our heads as a glum reminder that we have more reading to do, Professor Novy, my Writing 50 professor, reminds us that Writing 50 plays the good cop while Core is the bad cop. Writing 50 is one of the best classes I’ve ever taken. Intriguing and entertaining, it really helps me think outside the box when it comes to academic writing. No longer are we confined to dull, five-paragraph, structured “essays.” As a first-year, I’ve only begun experiencing the amazing new world that combines creativity with academic writing.

As we began writing our first essay, we were told to create our own prompt and not worry about grades. Writing 50 is simply for learning to better our writing, and in these few weeks, I feel like I’ve learned more than I did in four years of high school. Scripps is truly a one-of-a-kind college. The academics push us to our limits. But behind all the stress that classes and papers bring, we find out just how great our newfound friends are. They encourage us, constructively critique our papers, bring us goodie bags to comfort us during those really stressful times, and, most of all, they’re with us every step of the way. It’s during these trying classes that we learn just how much our professors care about how well we do. They push us to succeed and encourage us in our every endeavor, despite how completely wacky the prompt we made up sounds. No other institution is quite like Scripps in the way students form bonds with their fellow classmates and professors, and this first-year is just beginning to realize how important those connections are.

ach day, as hundreds of students filter through the doors of Malott, not often do we pause to think about the food we are consuming. Though Malott aims to provide a wide variety of healthy options for students, much of the meat served in the dining hall comes from large factory farms, many of which have undergone investigations and lawsuits for their inhumane practices. This year, Juliana Beall ’16 and Jenna Perelman ’16 founded the Claremont Humane Alliance to act upon this issue. The club was born out of the pair’s mutual passion for the humane treatment of animals and an opposition to modern agricultural practices, with an aim to help Malott transition to a cage-free, organic, and humane dining hall. The club is focused on assisting Scripps in a move to sourcing more sustainable meat products, such as slaughtered beef, pork, poultry and fish, as well as cage-free “What we desperately need are people to start caring: to demand that battery cages and gestation crates be banned, that slaughterhouse lines be slowed, that antibiotics and growth hormones be thrown out. Organized voices make change. Be one of them.” - Juliana Beal ‘16, Co-founder of the Claremont Humane Alliance

Writer Bailee Pelham, pictured far left, at her matriculation earlier this year with her fellow Scripps Students. She reflects on her semester so far as a first year student, including her classes and events she attended. Photo courtesy of Bailee Pelham ‘17.

dairy products, through a partnership with the Humane League, an animal advocacy organization. The Humane League has a 100 percent success rate in its program working to transition college campuses to be cage-free. “The national movements to reform the modern factory farm are still small, but we foresee a huge movement on the horizon,” said Beall. “We are excited to be a part of it.” The co-presidents aim to raise awareness for the risks posed by non-sustainable farming practices through educational campus-wide events such as screening educational movies and bringing sustainable food experts to speak. In addition, the club looks forward to a trip to Farm Sanctuary, a rehabilitation organization for former industrial farming animals. Through these events, they hope to inspire change in a grassroots, student-led movement. Club meetings will be held every other week at 9 p.m. on Mondays in the Clark Living Room. The club also has a Facebook page, where events and information will be posted. Any and all interested students are welcome to attend meetings and get involved throughout the school year. “What we desperately need are people to start caring: to demand that battery cages and gestation crates be banned, that slaughterhouse lines be slowed, that antibiotics and growth hormones be thrown out,” said Beall. “Organized voices make change. Be one of them.” For more information, you can find the Claremont Humane Alliance on Facebook.

October 17, 2013 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVIII • Issue Four

10 • Student Life

Dealing with the

Mental Health

bulldozer: first steps

Anxiety AD(H)D Addiction Autism Spectrum Bipolar Eating Disorders Depression OCD Schizophrenia Trigger Warning: This article contains descriptions that may be triggering to people who have experienced feelings of hopelessness and thoughts of suicide By Anonymous

like to think of myself as a strong person. I’ve been told that I come off as confident, intimidating, knowledgeable—and I take pride in that. To me, it always meant that people listened when I spoke, took my opinions seriously, and generally treated me with respect. Recently, though, all of that came crashing down around me. As someone who tells herself she’s “strong,” I often take on lots of responsibility—but, I always seem to argue, I can “handle” it. So when I suddenly started having trouble getting out of bed and started feeling deeply inadequate earlier this semester, I told myself I could “handle” it. When I started noticing weird symptoms towards the end of my menstrual cycle a month ago—deep sleepiness, lack of motivation, inadequacy and guilt—I told myself it was just for a couple days, and I could handle it. I mentioned it to the doctor who prescribes me my birth control and she suggested that could be an indicator of depression, and that I should go talk to someone at Monsour. Again, I decided that it was PMS and not depression—“I’m too strong for that”—and basically forgot about it. Then, a few weeks later, an innocent weekend visiting a friend somehow spiraled out of control into a complete mental breakdown. I wanted to punch something. I wanted to rip myself in two. I wanted to fall and break my skull on the tile floor. I felt so heavy and dense that I was going to cave in on myself. I felt empty and pointless. I wanted to scream so loudly that

everyone would hear. I wanted to be silent. I wanted nobody to notice me at all. After that weekend, nothing has been the same. My dreams are roller coasters that leave me feeling completely unrested. I can’t focus enough to follow a conversation. I realized one day that I couldn’t remember the last time I’d showered, and I can’t bring myself to do laundry. Sometimes I can’t even get out of bed. Until a few weeks ago, I had no experience with mental health. I knew nothing of the social discourse surrounding mental health. I had heard of the stigma attached to talking about and addressing mental health issues, but had never comprehended what such a stigma might mean. And, most profoundly, I knew nothing of the struggles people with mental health go through. And, to a great degree, I remain ignorant. I have no education in the language one uses to talk about these things. I have no idea what one should expect when it comes to mental health care. Here I am, profoundly affected with something I can neither describe nor name nor begin to address. So I made an appointment at Monsour. I was told I had to wait two and a half weeks to see anyone, but I could always call if I had an emergency. I booked the appointment, and said—guess what—“I can handle it.” Of course, everything in my being told me that I needed to see someone sooner, that I wouldn’t have asked unless I really needed it, that I was scared and needed

answers. I couldn’t say that, though. I had gone to Monsour partly to talk to someone, and partly to be told what I needed. I thought that since they hadn’t put me in with someone right away, I must not really be in danger. This must not be that big of a problem. I can probably—definitely—handle it. Again, as usual, I was wrong. Nothing has been getting better. I’ve fallen behind on homework. I’ve asked for extensions on assignments—something I never, ever do. I’ve spent days in my bed and nights trying to cry myself to sleep because nothing else works. And right now, I have no idea what’s wrong with me and I don’t know what to do about it. People I talk to keep using analogies about broken bones. Like, if a bone was broken, I’d go to the hospital and it wouldn’t be a big deal, but when your brain or mind isn’t working, it’s the same thing but people treat it differently, and that’s not okay. That’s a nice analogy, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. I’m only starting to unlearn the perceptions I had about mental health—not because I ever questioned them before, but because I’m trying not to allow them to dig this hole even deeper. My already deep-set feelings of inadequacy are compounded because I was always taught that people used mental health issues (and other invisible illnesses and injuries) as an excuse to get out of something. I was always taught that only certain types of people could “get” mental

illnesses. I was always taught that I was stronger than that. And while I’ve learned a little bit, I’m still struggling so much to figure out what I don’t know. I can hear, read, think, “You don’t have to feel bad about needing help” a hundred thousand times but I think it’ll be a long time before I actually believe it. I think it’ll be a long time before I can rewire my thought process to stop destroying me in this way. And maybe it’s selfish and pathetic of me to even write this. I’m acknowledging here that I was wholly, inexcusably ignorant before I got bulldozed by this myself, and I’m not sure I can forgive myself for that. But that’s also why I’m writing it. I’m writing to let whoever’s not going through this that this shit happens to people, to anyone, sometimes out of nowhere. So I guess I’m writing to start that process of dialogue. I’m also writing because I am weak. I’m not strong enough to stand up to anyone who tells me that I’m just incapable of handling my commitments. I can’t even stand up to myself. This is me articulating that weakness. This is me begging you not to make me feel weak, to emphasize it, to rub it in my face. And secretly, I’m writing this because I still like to believe that I am strong enough, that I can handle this, and that, maybe someday, I’ll be able to feel like I can breathe again.

The Editors-in-Chief of The Scripps Voice want to encourage anyone who felt that this description of depression resonated with them to seek help. Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services can be reached at 909-621-8202. Their after hours emergency number is 909-607-2000. If you have also had an experience dealing with mental health and psychiatric issues while at the 5Cs, and want to write about it, contact the EICs of The Scripps Voice at scrippsvoice@gmail.com.

October 17, 2013 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Four

Student Life • 11

Club SPORT

Spotlight:

Intertube

water polo

Photos by Tianna Sheih ’16

October 17, 2013 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Four

12 • Student Life

Athlete Spotlight: Quin Morisson ‘17 — CMS Volleyball By Meagan McIntyre ’17 Staff Writer

ith an overall record of 13-3, the Athenas are creating a presence on the volleyball court. Freshman Quin Morrison of Santa Cruz has joined this tiny, but strong, team and has helped contribute to the team’s great success.

Q A Q A

: How long have you been playing volleyball? : 10 years.

: What’s your favorite part about the team thus far? : I love how cohesive and close we are. We’re the underdogs this season because we are such a small team but we’re doing really well.

Q A

: Do you have any weird pre-game rituals? : I always clean the bottoms of my shoes really intensely so I can move better on the court and dance in the locker room to Regina’s music.

Q A

It’s so pretty it’s like living in a resort, and the food and teachers are awesome.

Q A

: What’s been the hardest adjustment thus far? : I’m a right side hitter but I am playing middle this season and that’s been a really big adjustment. It’s always been my least favorite position and I’ve had to learn a lot really quickly but it’s actually starting to grow on me. That and the deathly heat of pre-season and the lack of AC in the gym.

Q A

: Any guilty pleasures?

: I watch so many shows: Modern Family, Homeland, Arrested Development. I’ve watched GOT about 5 times through, no joke. I also eat constantly.

: What made you choose Scripps?

: My cousin went to Scripps and made me obsessed with it when I was little.

Play a sport? Know a Scripps Student who does? Every issue, we feature a new athlete and we want your input. To suggest a CMS athlete, contact us at ScrippsVoice@gmail.com

Quin Morrison ‘17 of the CMS Volleyball team answers some questions with writer Meagan McIntyre ‘17 about her first season so far. Photo courtesy of Quin Morrison.

Vape & Smoke Shop

Smokes N’Puff

W. Foothill Blvd.

Benson Ave.

Central Ave.

Smokes N’ Puff

smokes.npuff

October 17, 2013 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XVII • Issue Four