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BITCOIN: THE CRYPTIC CURRENCY
COMPUTER SCIENCE AT THE 5Cs
INTERNET ANONYMITY
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staff + editor’s note
TIM REYNOLDS
editor-in-chief
JAYA WILLIAMS
publisher
STEPHANIE STEINBRECHER
campus editor
RAE BROOKSHIRE LOGAN GALANSKY
international editor
COPY EDITORS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EMERITUS ART STAFF
national editor
ANDY WRIGHT web editor
ALEX MA web editor
LILLY CARVER, MARYL EVANS, FEATHER FLORES, BENJI LU, NINA POSNER + KRISTI SUN FRANCES WANG SAM KAHR EMMALINE MEILL GRACE GELLER CHELSEA CARLSON WILL CAFRITZ (photographer) SAMI CLELAND (photographer)
Editorial: Searching for a Progressive Future In the Port Side’s first issue of the semester, we adopted a historical focus for our tenth anniversary issue in the hopes of making sense of our present by understanding our past. In this issue, we consider the future promised by cutting-edge work in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This seems an intuitive theme for a progressive publication, since we are just as concerned with our dreams for tomorrow as with the problems of today. Yet many of the stories in these pages are cautionary tales, articles meant to demonstrate that technological advancement does not always bring along social progress. New technologies can be plagued by ineffective implementation. Bitcoin, a virtual currency that’s taken both Silicon Valley and Wall St. by storm, promises to democratize global finance, yet it is difficult for many to invest in and may be even more difficult to understand (page 14). The Affordable Care Act promised coverage for all, yet its implementation has been hindered by glitches on Healthcare.gov, marring the legacies of both Obama’s signature healthcare law and
the president himself (page 4). Then there are the so-called “side-effects” of living in an increasingly technological society. The Kyoto Protocol and other efforts to curb climate change have failed as the international community prioritizes industrial development over environmental sustainability (page 8), while the Internet functions as both a conduit for hate and as a means for pushing for social justice (page 16). Yet perhaps most insidious of all are the systems of power and privilege lurking beneath the glossy surface of our ideal future. Even as the Claremont Colleges encourage all of their students to engage in STEM research (page 15) and to study computer science (page 9), STEM fields and industries remain disproportionately dominated by white men (page 10). It seems almost a foregone conclusion that the future will be crafted in university labs and startup offices, yet tomorrow will be shaped not only by inventions, but inventors as well.
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The tech elite of Silicon Valley, for example, seem intent on wielding their newfound political power, as demonstrated by their involvement in the California congressional race between incumbent Mike Honda and newcomer Ro Khanna (page 18). Granted, that the Valley’s billionaires want to make an impact in Washington is not necessarily a bad thing. But as the Democratic Party seems to move away from traditional progressives to tech-friendly liberals, those on the left would do well to remember their populist roots. Scientific and technological advancements are often praised without question. But whether technology—as a manifestation of power—advances the cause of social justice or hinders it depends less on the gadget itself than on who controls it.
Letters, Questions, Comments? editor@claremontportside.com
table of contents
the
compass international
campus
national 4 | ACA IMPLEMENTATION lauren sampson 6 | 3D PRINTING frances wang 16 | INTERNET ANONYMITY emlyn foxen 18 | SILICON VALLEY GOES TO DC saahil desai & tim reynolds
8 | CAPPING CARBON kevin wu 12 | HACK POWER becca marx & rae brookshire 14 | BITCOIN andy wright
5 | WHERE’S OUR FOOD FROM? veronica salas 9 | COMPUTER SCIENCE AT THE 5Cs maryl evans 10 | DIVERSITY IN STEM giselle garcia & cosette dwyer 15 | PUBLISH OR PERISH nick browne 20 | GYM CULTURE nina posner
ABOUT US: The Claremont Port Side is dedicated to providing the Cla-
remont Colleges with contextualized, intelligent reports to advance debate among students and citizens. We are a progressive newsmagazine that offers pertinent information and thoughtful analysis on the issues confronting and challenging our world, our country, and our community. Each article in the Claremont Port Side reflects the opinion of its author(s) and does not represent the Claremont Port Side, its editors, its staff, or the Claremont Colleges.
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national
Obamacare on Pause
What’s wrong with the Affordable Care Act? By Lauren Sampson Staff Writer, PZ ‘14
educating low-income families about the Affordable Care Act.
Healthcare.gov, the new online health insurance marketplace created as part of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, went live Oct. 1. Just over a month later, how are things going? Not well, not well at all.
“I don’t really like Obamacare,” Bourscheid continued. “It’s a band-aid over an open wound. It’s not solving the problem.”
First and foremost, the website is overrun with “glitches,” making it difficult, if not impossible for many to sign up. Healthcare.gov is designed to take a bunch of self-reported data that individuals input into the system, and then check various aspects across many different government agencies. The problem that the platform is now facing is trying to get the various systems to talk to each other, something that the government has struggled with for years.
“This is a problem in general with the political class,” Flynn said. “They tend to view whatever’s wrong with society as a function of either bad laws or bad intentions, and they think that you can just pass a law and make something happen.” “Like drug prohibition you can’t just make the stuff illegal and think a whole bunch of social ills will go away,” he said. “It doesn’t work that way.”
Sean Flynn, professor of Economics at Scripps College, blames the rushed nature of the legislation through Congress.
President Obama promised these problems would be fixed by Thanksgiving, and while the site’s performance has seen moderate improvement, many are still disillusioned by the botched rollout of Obama’s signature healthcare law. “It’s really upsetting to think that after all that work they might not even get health care now,” Caroline Bourscheid PZ ’16 said. Bourscheid spent the summer going door-to-door
“Something has to give here,” Flynn said. “There’s not going to be enough money to pay for all the promises.” What then will be the fate of healthcare in America? “Let’s think really radically here for a minute,” he urged, pointing to governments in countries such as Kenya and Botswana, who simply hand cash to the poor. Alternatively, and more politically plausible, Flynn suggests the use of a voucher system to accomplish the same goals. A predetermined amount of money, say $12,000, would be mailed to everyone each year, as a base income to cover basic necessities, including health care. This would practically eliminate administrative costs, which impose a major strain on any complicated system. “Sure, there will be cheating,” Flynn said. “But likely cheating has lower costs than all of these regulations. On the whole, people are trustworthy.”
“My sense is that if the legislation had had more time to percolate and more people had been able to comment before it was finalized, someone in Congress would have realized that what they were asking the computer engineers to do was damn near impossible,” Flynn said. The aims of the Affordable Care Act are admirable, yet the Obama Administration has bungled an important opportunity to extend healthcare coverage to a larger share of the American people.
the exchanges. This is going to create massive expenditures for the government, and we are likely to see a rise in premiums in the private market. This is not sustainable.
Leora Paradise PZ ’14, also has mixed feelings about the act. “I guess I think it’s a good start. It’s important and we shouldn’t scrap the whole thing, but it’s not really fulfilling people’s needs right now…Maybe when it goes into full effect in January we’ll see if it lives up to all the fuss.” Another major obstacle for the act is that it relies on young, healthy individuals to sign up to help mediate the risks from older, sicker individuals. So far, this has not been the case. For the most part, we are seeing an increase in Medicaid applications, but not very many people are signing up for private coverage on
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However, this doesn’t seem to be the most politically probable outcome. Flynn sees movement toward a nationalized system, similar to that of Canada, as the most likely outcome. Politically, it is the easiest fix for both sides. A nationalized health care system would entail public funding of private care, essentially extending Medicaid to the entire U.S. population. On the one hand, if you believe that healthcare is a universal right, then government provision is an attractive option. On the other hand, the recent roll out of the Affordable Care Act hasn’t exactly demonstrated the government’s aptitude for tackling this issue. While the government may one day be willing to try new solutions to the healthcare problem, thus far, it does not appear able.
A digest of sustainability in the dining halls By Veronica Salas Staff Writer, CMC ‘14
Quinoa, kale, Taco Tuesdays, sushi night, pho, and fresh chocolate chip cookies— here at the Claremont Colleges, we like to think our dining halls have it all. When it comes to our health and the environment, however, much less is known about whether food administration at the 5Cs is really top-notch.
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We want to not only be stewards of the environment, but also serve responsible food.
General Manager McConnell Dining Hall
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Dennis Loftland
As it turns out, all five college dining halls have embrace sustainability and actively seek to minimize their carbon footprints through composting. Further, each dining commons emphasizes buying local and organic so as to minimize transportation costs and to embolden the family-run, small-sized farming model, a dying breed in the age of big agribusiness. Some even purchase products, such as coffee, chocolate and yerba mate, from the fair-trade market. Bon Appétit, the company contracted to administer dining services for Pitzer and Claremont McKenna, has adopted a comprehensive ‘Farm to Fork’ initiative. First instituted in 1999, this company-wide policy prioritizes the purchasing of ingredients from owneroperated farms that lie within a 150-mile radius of the Colleges.
“It’s really about creating relationships with local farmers and making sure they are using
sustainable practices. We want to not only be stewards of the environment, but also serve responsible food,” said Dennis Loftland, a regional forager for Bon Appétit and General Manager at Pitzer’s McConnell Bistro. Food foragers like Loftland personally visit each farm from which their clients purchase products, tasting individual items and confirming that all farming methods are indeed USDA-certified organic and that animals enjoy free range. Sodexo—the corporation that coordinates Scripps’ and Harvey Mudd College’s food management services—has likewise pledged to uphold ‘Better Tomorrow Commitments’ that promote local communities and environmental responsibility along with nutrition, health and wellness. Sodexo particularly works to reduce sugar, salt, and fat intakes at its client facilities. As the only independent entity charged with food administration at the Claremont Colleges, Pomona Dining Services has spearheaded its own Local Produce Program, through which the College buys bread, vegetables and fruit from businesses that operate within 250 miles of campus. Pomona College also has a 1.2 acre farm on the southeast portion of campus that not only adheres to sustainable food production but provides educational opportunities to explore intricacies of the trade. According to its 122-page Sustainability Action Plan, approved by the Board of Trustees in May 2011, Pomona hopes to expand the selection of organic products available at the Coop Store to the Coop Fountain and Sagehen Café. All dining halls report analyzing data and highlighting trends regarding how many students swipe into their facilities for specific meals each day of the week. This process permits food administrators to make projections about how much food to produce daily, thereby minimizing excess food.
In the event of over-production, student volunteers from Harvey Mudd College deliver food carts to Pomona Valley Christian Center for the hungry and homeless: “Since early 2010, Sodexo’s team at HMC has been supporting Mudders Making a Difference by washing and sanitizing containers before filling them with leftovers. It only takes a few minutes of our time to get them ready, and if it feeds even one person, it’s worth it,” said General Manager Miguel Ruvalcaba of Hoch-Shanahan Dining Commons. Pam Franco, General Manager at Collins Dining Hall, mentioned a similar project by which she and her staff collaborate with students from CMC, Pomona, and Scripps to package leftover food and transport it to local food banks on a bi-weekly basis. Franco also briefly described efforts school administrators have made to compost responsibly: “I, along with other Bon Appétit managers, took part in periodic weighing of food scraps to get a picture of the amount of waste occurring each day, week, month, etc... CMC Facilities Director Brian Worley then purchased decomposers which I trained my team to utilize daily to manage that waste.” On the composting front, Pitzer College appears to be leading the way at the Claremont Colleges with its student-led initiative that composts over 1,000 pounds of food scraps a week, converting food waste into organic fertilizer. All in all, however, those trusted with food administration at the 5Cs are on the brink of their fields in large-scale, sustainable dining, especially on college campuses in the United States. With increased awareness about the practices utilized, perhaps students can play a role in pushing for access to more local and organic products, the distribution of excess food at charities, as well as accountability mechanisms to verify that food waste is kept to a minimum.
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campus
Where Does Our Food Come From?
national
Printing the Future
Going in depth with 3D printing By Frances Wang Assignment Editor, CMC ‘16
Imagine the future promised by 3D printing. Everything from phone cases to car parts is available at the click of a button; toys that children can design and create themselves; a whole factory at your fingertips. There are downsides as well, since for would-be attackers, a 3D-printed gun or other weapon is also just a click away. Such a future may soon be more than a hypothetical. Already, 3D printing technology has begun to play a significant role in the supply chains of major industries. Developed in the late ‘80s, 3D printers were invented to test prototypes of products slated for mass production. Early forms of 3D printing were incredibly costly and used mainly for testing high-end products. 3D printing did not become popular beyond prototyping until 2007 when some patents expired, dropping the prices significantly and allowing for the development of personal desktop printers. Recent developments have led to the production of machines that cost less than $500. These new designs have allowed engineers, scientists, and even the average consumer to have access to 3D printing. In this form of printing, 3D products are created by depositing layers of the desired material from a moving nozzle. This technique, termed “additive manufacturing,” allows for the creation of complex designs at low costs. Furthermore, because each product is printed individually, there is no additional cost to customize each product. Currently, most 3D printers use plastics and rubbers to create models. Higher-end printers can print glass, ceramic, metal, and even food like chocolate. Most printers can only use a single material, but some commercial printers can print both plastics and rubbers.
The availability of 3D printing will have a large impact on the future in many ways. For one, it will open the doors to mass customization. Consumers will have access to printers that can inexpensively print out any design they want. “When personal printers come around, the ability to prototype and make things at home will be given to individuals,” said Jonathan Schwartz HM ‘13, co-founder of Layer by Layer, an online marketplace for 3D printed products. “In the future, people will be able to take a scan of their foot with a smart phone, upload it, and create a pair of sneakers. Hours later, they can open an oven-like appliance in the house and pick up a customized, perfectly fit pair of sneakers.” The ease of customization will also lead to increased everyday convenience. Instead of running to the store and looking for a shower head, consumers will be able to customize and print one out at a low cost at home. But 3D printers aren’t just convenient for home use—they could revolutionize a number of industries as well. On a medical level, the availability of 3D printed organs will be exceedingly beneficial in the future of biotech innovation. If developed from one’s own stem cells, 3D printed organs will not be rejected by antibodies when transplanted. If the technology can become available at a relatively low cost, the innovation will help mitigate the currently high demand for organ donations. This could also severely cut back on illegal organ trafficking from developing nations. Additionally, companies such as Boeing can benefit from producing complex design aircraft structures that are of the same durability but significantly lighter, said Schwartz. “The important thing to realize about 3D printing is that it is a really broad technology,” Schwartz said. “It is not just the printer sitting on your desktop. Probably 90 percent of all industries will be affected.”
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“I find 3D printing very helpful in my research,” Claremont McKenna College professor Babak Sanii said. “It is a tool used to make things. We are developing a way to build efficient microscopes from store-accessible materials and cheap 3D printed elements. It is so easy to make custom parts. You can just send in the model to a company and they will 3D print it for a few dollars.” However, the increased convenience of 3D printing technology has also given rise to several concerns. For instance, copyright laws may be hard to control when printing out 3D designs. “Designers cannot sell their products without having to worry about others downloading it illegally,” Schwartz said. “In order to let you print something out, the designer would have to give you the original file for it. When that file is transferred, you can distribute it as you like. You can put it online to be pirated, send it to your friends, print it out 50 times, or even alter it and put it online.” Also, if the file for a patented item is posted online, anyone with a 3D printer can make the object themselves at a lower cost by not having to pay the inventor. At Layer by Layer, Schwartz has already begun to develop software to resolve this issue. He said that by streaming the code directly to the printer, the whole file is never on the computer all at once. When the object is finished printing, the file is self-deleted. This will limit access to the patented material while retaining the benefits of sharing open source code from other places. Despite its benefits, the ease of accessibility for other open source files online can still pose problems. For example, the simplicity of creating a 3D model on a computer and printing it out on demand has led to unease over the potential production of undetectable firearms.
A nonprofit group called Defense Distributed released files containing blueprints of the first fully functional 3D printed gun, the Liberator. Before the U.S. Department of State took it down, the files were believed to have been downloaded over 100,000 times. With the design, anyone with a lowcost 3D printer could make unregistered guns at home for $25 per firearm. The plastic design can also bypass metal detectors. With the expiration of the Undetectable Firearms Act, printing out large numbers of undetectable guns will be legal with a license. This will pose a serious obstacle to the government if it is to minimize the underground distribution of these cheap firearms. Additionally, the future of corporate industries will change as 3D printing becomes more commonplace. “Big businesses are not going to be happy with a cheaper product that works just as well, especially electronics such as phones,” said Victoria Nguyen SC ’16, who works in a 3D printing lab at Keck. “Companies will basically have to reprove their products or try to obtain as many 3D printing patents as possible. If there
is huge demand for 3D printed material, I can see them available in stores.” “3D printing will allow companies like Walmart to print items on the spot instead of stacking their shelves with rows of items in hopes that one person will need one of the things,” Sanii said. “They will be saving a lot of money.” Sanii says that having 3D printers in stores could cut down on manufacturing and shipping costs for both corporations and small businesses. Products will be able to be created locally, and only raw materials will need to be shipped. Still, Schwartz said that he does not believe that 3D printing will ever replace mass production. “When you have massive machines like injection molding that can pump out thousands of parts per second really cheaply, there is no way 3D printing can compete,” Schwartz said. “There will definitely be a balance between the two.” So, with all this hype for the future, where do we go from here? In order for more products to be created, a preliminary
step would be to increase the quantity of materials that can be printed and create cheap printers that can print multiple items. The ability to print both electrical conductors and resistors at once would be a great step in the advancement of electronics production, Sanii said. Two other areas that companies like Layer by Layer are currently trying to improve are availability of designs and accessibility to printers themselves. Very few starting designs ready for printing can be found online. In order to print items currently, users need to know how to construct a computer model of their desired designs and then write code to program the 3D printer. This makes the process complicated for everyday use, even for engineers. User-friendly software is a possible innovation that would enable the everyday person to customize and print products. “3D printing will make life a lot more convenient and make ideas more accessible,” Nguyen said. “However, we still have a long way to go. It is not going to happen right away, but I am excited to be hearing a lot about it in the next few years.”
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national
INSIDE HARVEY MUDD’S 3D PRINTING LAB
international
Capping Climate Change
Can the international community cool down global warming? By Kevin Wu Staff Writer, CMC ‘16
In the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, the violent effects of climate change are evident in the mass destruction of flooded streets, floating debris, and flattened homes. Still, the outlook of climate scientists is bleaker: the rise of ocean levels and the increase in extreme weather will affect larger populations, and extinction will become more common. A review of international action against climate change, beginning with the widely debated Kyoto Protocol, presents a diverse range of policies and effectiveness.
The plan also promoted the transfer of green technology from developed countries to developing countries through the clean development mechanism (CDM). Developed countries could start projects in fields such as hydropower and wind energy that would be accredited under CDM and gain credits, allowing them to offset their emissions. The United States was the only major industrial power to not ratify the protocol, perceiving the lack of binding targets for developing nations like China and India as unfair.
Harvey Mudd associate professor of political science and environmental policy Paul Steinberg summarized, “Although international agreements are often weak, there are countless bilateral agreements between the US government and individual countries that lead to investments in climate mitigation.” In many cases, Steinberg finds, “Some developing countries are at the forefront of efforts to address climate change.” Many of these efforts began with the Kyoto Protocol adopted in 1997, which aimed to avert the worst effects of global warming. As a legally binding agreement that came into effect on February 16, 2005, Kyoto stipulated that 37 industrialized countries and the then 15 states in the European Communities had to collectively reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2% compared to 1990 levels. Within this first commitment period from 2008-2012, there were different targets set for different countries and regions. Under this principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities,” developed countries were given a larger burden compared to developing countries, and an international emissions trading system incentivized countries to exceed targets.
2012. Despite the reductions by the ratifying countries of Kyoto, the United States and China produced enough greenhouse emissions that the reductions were effectively erased. Kyoto’s second commitment period from 2013-2020 was an optional extension that was rejected by Japan, Russia, New Zealand, and Canada. The European Union and Australia accepted legal binding targets and to reciprocate, rich and poor countries agreed to negotiate a new treaty by 2015 that would go into effect in 2020. Many other industrialized countries set their own ultra-modest targets for the same period. Current negotiations at Warsaw show little resolve. Claire Goodrich CMC ‘15, a former intern at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, finds the indecisiveness a failure of diplomacy.
This non-participation in the Kyoto Protocol has severely hindered the efficiency of the protocol, limiting resource transfer between the US and developing nations. In spite of this, the CDM has garnered some success. It’s estimated that across projects in 81 different countries from 2001 to 2012, the CDM reduced carbon emissions by 1 billion tons. A significant portion of these projects involve technology transfer that allows developing countries to work on independently creating infrastructure that will be efficiently powered by renewable energies. Many continue to argue that the Kyoto Protocol largely failed because countries saw the short-term costs of reduction as too high given the diffused and drawn out long-term benefits. More startling, however, is the fact that greenhouse gas emissions have actually increased globally by 58% from 1990-
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“Something needs to change; there needs to be a bigger sense of urgency with leaders taking it seriously and participating themselves,” said Goodrich. Hilary Haskell CMC ’14 stresses a uniquely American responsibility. “The United States needs to set a precedent,” she said. As a student manager at the Roberts Environmental Center, Haskell leads a team for researching best practices in sustainability at both a regional and product level. She particularly emphasizes the broad range of infrastructural improvements that developed countries can make without taking a huge hit to their economies or successes in energy trading. With international agreements quickly surpassed by the rate and scale of climate related disasters, countries should use domestic policy to invest in research and development of alternative energies. Equally critical are bilateral agreements directed by sustainability leaders towards both climate disaster aid and development.
How Computer Science is becoming the next form of literacy
A general assumption exists that a degree in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) field is more valuable than a degree in the liberal arts. In a future characterized by new technologies and revolutionary advances in the sciences, it would appear that there is little room for the classic arts. The present trend suggests a future where STEM dominates the liberal arts, but will writing code really replace writing essays? In Claremont, this line of thinking is put to action as thousands of students pursue degrees in both fields, all of them hoping their degree will be valuable. Notably, there is an increasing number of students enrolling in Computer Science (CS) courses, particularly the introductory course, CS5, taught by Professor Zachary Dodds at Harvey Mudd College. “In 2013 CS’s star is rising,” Dodds explained “Right now it is something that employers value and that has made its way into the consciousness of undergraduates.” According to Dodds, having a background in CS will often serve as an advantage. “If you are an outstanding chemist and there is another outstanding chemist, if you’ve got more CS on your resume that tends to be a good tiebreaker.” Students at the Claremont Colleges have internalized this notion, as evidenced by the estimated 370 students currently enrolled in CS5 this semester, many of whom are from other campuses, sometimes with completely unrelated majors. Lauren Burke SC’ 16 is an Anthropology major currently enrolled in Dodds’ CS5 course. The course had such a profound impact on Burke that her major has now shifted to a potential dual major in Anthropology and Science, Technology, and Society (STS).
“I thought it was going to be an adventure,” Burke reflected. “I thought I was going to be absolutely horrendous at it… so it was a nice surprise.” With absolutely no previous experience in computer science, Burke noted that a lot of students, herself included, would be surprised by how the subject is actually very approachable for students of any proficiency level.
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Right now [CS] is something that employers value and that has made its way into the consciousness of undergraduates.
Zachary Dodds
Computer Science Professor Harvey Mudd
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By Maryl Evans Copy Editor, SC ‘16
Furthermore, the course enabled Burke to view her anthropology major through the lens of CS. “Everything I am interested in has to do with internet and computers, so not only understanding the culture that comes from the connectivity of the internet but understanding the actual programming of the internet allows me to have a greater perspective.” Dodds perceived this same effect in using the course in conjunction with a variety of other interests. “CS is really a supporting discipline,” he explained. “CS has the opportunity to help people in lots of disciplines and that’s where I see most of the room for growth.”
be looking to see how your major is affected by what is being done in these STEM fields. I think just having a base knowledge of these sort of things will help you look at [your interests] in a new and different way.” However, Dodds also predicted that CS massive growth on the academic scene will not continue endlessly. “It will change. We’ve seen this happen at least twice in my 15 years where it goes up and then it goes right back down just as fast.” Until then, it appears that the CS bubble will continue to inflate as more students from all the campuses opt to enroll in CS courses and reap the benefits of this additional educational opportunity. For many students, CS offers advantages long sought after in the liberal arts fields. “I think personally for me, I have gotten more out of this CS class than I’ve ever gotten out of any of my English classes.” Burke asserted. While Computer Science is relatively new, the liberal arts have largely stood the test of time and ultimately, arguing one will eclipse the other may not be a fair comparison. Both areas have vital merits and seek to improve and advance society by different means. However, in a world of driverless cars and genetically engineered food, elementary CS classes taught alongside basic literature arts classes for primary students may not be all that far off.
Additionally, Burke admitted that the future was really targeted towards interests in CS related fields. “All the new exciting things that are happening are in the STEM classes,” she effused. “You can live in your own little bubble with your major, when you should
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campus
Will Writing Code Eclipse Writing Papers?
campus
the Diversifying STEM
Students and professors try to mix it up the lab By Cosette Dwyer, Staff Writer, SC ‘17 & Giselle Garcia, Staff Writer, SC ‘17 Lack of diversity in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields has long been a problem for institutions of higher learning across the country. According to a 2010 national study by the National Science Foundation (NSF), about 59.5% of individuals who earned a doctorate degree in a science or engineering field are white while 10.5% of individuals with a doctorate are Hispanic or black. Only 31% of these degrees are held by women. The Claremont Colleges have attempted to take a lead in implementing various programs aimed at increasing the number of minorities and other typically underrepresented groups in STEM fields. Diversity in STEM majors, both within the consortium and worldwide, is growing despite serious disparities. Minorities in STEM oftentimes face discrimination that can serve to hinder their participation. In fact, computer science has nationally regressed, with fewer women getting CS degrees in 2010 than they had two decades previously. All forms of prejudice must be overcome to encourage marginalized groups to pursue careers in which they are traditionally underrepresented. Far too often, minority students are underrepresented in STEM fields because they lack proper preparation in high school. For example, the National Education Association states that 42% of black students attend under-resourced schools. David Hansen, Dean of Science at the Keck Science Department, has made this observation even in Claremont. “A disproportionate
number of underrepresented minorities come from schools that are under-resourced, so there is an intersection there of being underprepared and being an underrepresented minority,” he said. Therefore, the issue of diversity sometimes arises at the high school level, especially since almost a third of core academic teachers at schools with many minority students lack appropriate certification. Hansen, along with many others at the 5Cs, hopes to minimize this problem by creating programs targeted to increase opportunities for minority students. This would benefit underrepresented individuals in many ways, including the potential to succeed in college and in a future STEM career. The Claremont Colleges have recently implemented a joint Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), funded in part by the Howard Hughes Medical Institution. The program’s goal is to give students who may be interested in science the opportunity to participate in research with 5C science professors. Although the program was not specifically designed for minority students, over 50% of participants were nonwhite. SURP is one of the many organizations that, despite not being specifically designed to promote diversity, has embraced a more diverse group of students than similar programs traditionally included. Similarly, CMC, Pomona College, and the Claremont Graduate University initiated a program known as GEMS, “Gateway to Exploring Mathematical Sciences.” Through this program, the colleges reach out to middle school and high school students to give them
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a firm foundation in mathematical sciences. CMC Professor Asuman Aksoy utilizes a grant from the Mathematical Association of America to strengthen mathematical minority achievement. The GEMS sessions are remarkably successful; generally, over half of participating students are from underrepresented minorities. Furthermore, more than half of the students are female. “Even if they [the students] don’t come to CMC or one of the other Claremont Colleges, it means our department is energized into bringing minority groups into mathematics,” CMC’s Dean of Faculty Nicholas Warner pointed out. Additionally, CMC encourages first generation students, students from under-resourced high schools, minorities and students in need of financial aid to study science by awarding a highly selective scholarship. The “Interdisciplinary Science Scholars” award, according to Warner, is “one example of how there’s an attempt to not just admit [ISS recipients], but welcome them to CMC.” Thanks to perks such as field trips and a special dinner with professors, highly respected faculty members, and the President of CMC, selected students feel welcome to STEM opportunities at CMC. In order to receive this scholarship, students must either dual or double in a science and another major, or pursue an interdisciplinary science major. Grace Lee CMC ‘17 is one of the 20 scholarship recipients. She is currently an Environmental, Economics and Politics interdisciplinary major. “I think that science in the future is going to be increasingly important in every field,” Lee said. “EEP, which incorporates studies in the environment, economy, and policy is very unique in that it provides students with exposure to various studies that will be needed to, for ex-
By Tamara Savage, Staff Writer, HMC ‘16
ample, work as an environmental consultant for companies, a policy maker who will make decisions about environmental issues, or simply as an environmental scientist.” The Keck Science Department also has numerous programs geared toward students interested in science. Summer Science Immersion Program is a one week-long science engaging experience for students. “[The program was] explicitly created to build a community for students who are first generation, under represented in the sciences, or from under resourced schools,” Hansen said. This program provides students with the opportunity to interact with professors before matriculation and allowed them to participate in cutting edge science. Some of the program’s highlights include a welcome dinner and reception, research experience, and a visit to the Griffith Observatory. The results were truly amazing and, according to Hansen, “the cohesion among the thirty-eight students was incredible.” By fostering a supportive group of students interested in science, Keck promotes diversity at the intercollegiate level. A Keck professor, who wished to remain anonymous speaking about sensitive race and gender issues, believes that the environment at the 5Cs is much more encouraging of diversity in STEM. When asked about dealing with race and gender in the classroom, he responded, “I’m only aware of it when I step out of this bubble and hear astonishing things from colleagues at other universities.” Considering some of the statistics, such as a 2010 NSF report indicating that 82% of bachelor’s degrees in engineering are held by men and 72% of employed engineers are white, this professor might be justified in his astonishment. However, he believes that teachers at Keck “see smart people who are secure and realize it doesn’t matter what their race or gender is.” He said that he specifically rarely works with groups that go out to encourage diversity but
rather, like many instructors at Keck, “try our best to help all students” and attempt to “retain all STEM students.” In reference to trans science students, he said, “If they were Abby and now they’re Frank, that’s great. Just do your integral.” He said that gender is not a factor in one’s ability to succeed in science. However, he is unsure if other Keck professors feel entirely the same way. Furthermore, he believes most professors are tolerant of trans students, but noticed that not all of them seem comfortable with another Keck professor who is identified as transgender. Overall, he does believe that the professors at Keck are very accepting of diversity and create an environment that allows it to flourish in STEM fields. Additionally, he expressed concern for all students after they graduate, regardless of their ethnicity or gender. “The hard part is that there’s still competition out there unlike here and [graduates] have to be aware.” Andrea Gochi PZ ‘14 has observed that many students who start their college career on the pre-med track soon switch to another major. “You just have to work harder… struggling is part of the nature of science,” she said. The issue of diversity expands beyond the Claremont Colleges. For example, African Americans, Native Americans, and Latinos account for 34% of the total U.S. population but earn only 12% of undergraduate degrees in engineering. According to a STEM connector, male students are three times more likely than women to have an interest in STEM majors. These statistics reveal clear issues. “One way to solve this problem, besides creating programs that reach out to students, is to have these conversations,” Keck Professor Diane Thomson said. “If we walk around recognizing this problem and telling ourselves that we are not biased, then we are doing a better job at actually working towards a solution than if we just create programs… but do not think about the problem.”
In an October lecture at Harvey Mudd College, Dr. Kelly Mack, Executive Director of Project Kaleidoscope, emphasized that we should all be held accountable for making the Claremont Colleges a more inclusive place—simply put, diversity is everyone’s business. “There is significant evidence in the literature that indicates that diversity improves performance of any organization,” Mack wrote in an email. “In higher education, it has been documented that diversity enhances the learning experience of students from all backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and genders.” Increasing diversity is particularly important for STEM fields. “Scientists, engineers, and mathematicians are the ones who will come up with new technologies that will drive our economy forward,” said Professor Darryl Yong, HMC Associate Professor of Mathematics and Associate Dean for Diversity.”We need to produce more of them so that America remains economically competitive.” Yong pointed to a growing body of evidence that shows that more diverse teams perform better than homogeneous teams—but it’s more than just a statistical concern. “Since going into a STEM field is one way to move up in society,” Yong said, “If we continue to produce STEM graduates who are not representative of [the demographics of] American society, then we will create a more unequal society.” These concerns have been in the limelight at Harvey Mudd, where President Maria Klawe is spearheading a charge to recruit and enroll a more diverse student body. According to HMC’s admissions website, the student body is currently split fairly evenly between men and women—56% and 44%, respectively, which is not the case at most technical institutions. 54% of the student body identifies as white, 22% as Asian-American/Asian, 8% international, 7% Latino, 1% African-American/Black and less than 1% American Indian/Alaska Native. There are efforts underway to increase both the diversity of the student body as well as the faculty; the Class of 2017 is the most diverse yet, with 40% of the class identifying as white, 30% as AsianAmerican/Asian, 12% as Latino, 2% as AfricanAmerican/Black and less than 0.46% as American Indian/Alaska Native. “We’d like to broaden participation here at HMC so that the demographics of our students and faculty look more like what you’d see if you step off campus… while maintaining our high standards of excellence and at the same time making our campus a more welcome environment for everyone,” Yong said.
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WHY DIVERSITY MATTERS
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HACK POWER How cybersecurity will shape the next era of foreign policy By Becca Marx, Staff Writer, SC ‘16 & Rae Brookshire, International Editor, CMC ‘16
The threat of a cyberwar has been the great hypothetical brandished by policy experts and government officials since the advent of the public internet more than twenty years ago. Recently, the rhetoric surrounding acts of virtual espionage, attack, and security has taken on the tone of an arms race: precarious, and immensely competitive globally, with winners and losers, and victory essential for national security. Rachel Davidson PO ’14, head of the Claremont Libertarians, articulates the fundamental concern of those worried about hacking: “Since most everything runs on computers these days, the results of a major cyber-hack—or even worse, a large-scale electromagnetic pulse—would be devastating to the country.” Discussions about cyberwarfare have largely focused on what could potentially happen, rather than what has already occurred, and even within this world of hypotheticals, it remains unclear who the major players—whether states, groups, or individuals—will be.
The China Question In the cybersecurity world, China has been identified as the primary threat to the United States and, some would argue, the whole world. Much of the nation’s infamy began in a highly publicized 2003 incident, in which
cyber espionage ring Titan Rain infiltrated both private and and state networks in the U.S. and made off with terabytes of military intelligence and classified data. The exact source of the attacks is unclear, though most experts believe government-backed groups were those responsible. Since then, China’s acts of virtual espionage have garnered attention not only for their increasing strength, but also for their increasing frequency. Reports have documented strikes on everything from NASA to Coca Cola, and American cybersecurity firm cybersecurity firm estimates over 140 intrusions occurred from 2006 to 2012. Of course, the most insidious cyberattacks may be those we do not even know about. Almost as clandestine as the acts themselves is where the Chinese government stands and what portion of the blame they deserve. At least publicly, Beijing has denied supporting any hacking groups. Yet in the same Madiant report, several hackers were traced back to the same building in Shanghai occupied by unit “61398” of the People’s Liberation Army. With at least some military might behind these virtual forces, many commentators are now wondering what exactly China has to gain. Any commercial or technological secrets gained from hacking risk a loss of credibility if such breaches are ever discovered. Considering how dependent the Chinese economy has been on foreign direct invest-
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ments for the past thirty years, the arguments in favor of trust might appeal to more economically leaning state planners. Still, Sino-relations experts like Minxin Pei, CMC professor of government and Director of the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies, warn not to oversimplify the constantly shifting system in flux. As Pei argued in an Economist debate earlier this year: “In the complex and multi-faceted US-China relationship, there are other factors that affect the tenor and nature of this relationship in a far more important and substantive way than industrial cyberespionage.”
The Cost of Digital Freedom Across Eurasia, hacking seized headlines in 2007 when a pro-Kremlin youth group managed repeated distributed denial of service attacks on major Estonian websites. While the hacks managed to cripple online government services, news and broadcastings services, and even trading, the attack is now perceived more as a cyber riot instead of a cyberattack. The attack was a type of attack known as a Denial-of-Service (DoS), in which a network of bots overwhelm a website’s server, causing the site to crash. The tactic, used across a wide variety of circles, has not become all that much more sophisticated since its inception. Perhaps paradoxically, Estonia has topped
The security state has also led to increased surveillance of both American citizens and foreign nationals alike, including the leaders of major world powers. As Davidson says, our age of “high-tech intrusions, quasi-legal maneuvers, privacy breaches and massive information gathering” leaves few digital pages unturned. Some have justified these measures on the basis of national security, yet it is unclear whether such measures protect the U.S. from the same risks that others countries face, or whether they simply invite more animosity toward the U.S. It seems similarly unclear whether it is the responsibility of private companies or government agencies to keep consumer and citizen data secure.
The Future of Conflict Up until now the reported victims of cyber attacks have ranged from American drones to Iranian centrifuges to Russian pipelines. Yet as the virtual nature dictates, the intended target has always been some virtual data or physical piece of infrastructure. Put more simply, there is yet to be an cyberattack that claims a human life. Though John Mueller’s famous assessment
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Since most everything runs on computers these days, the results of a major cyber-hack— or even worse, a large-scale electromagnetic pulse—would be devastating to the country. Rachel Davidson Claremont Colleges Libertarians President, PO ‘14
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For supposedly more sophisticated countries like the United States, the rise of the internet and connected citizenry has been coupled with an equally large rise of the security state. The literature documenting the growth of the estimated 3.5 million people to hold secret government security clearance is vast, and yet hackers inflicting globally feared damaged come down to a few infamous aliases.
that war has ceased to exist has been proven wrong, many commentators and international relations theorists are beginning to ask new questions: are we entering into a new age of digital violence in which the trauma, injury, and physical destruction of conventional warfare ceases, at least in the most direct ways, to exist?
While the opinions on the exact definitions and effects are currently forming and assessed in the many public forums of international relationships, the general consensus has been one of reluctant optimism simply, none of the sensationalist headlines of the early nineties all the way to the present have solidified in much tangible aggression, particularly state sanctioned.
As Pei concluded for the case of China: “There is simply no historical precedent in which disputes of an economic nature directly led to shots fired in anger… And there is no doubt that allegations of Chinese industrial cyber-espionage have hurt US-China relations. But states do not base their foreign policy exclusively on economic calculations.”
The United States should aim to make its citizenry more aware of their place in the cybersphere and the international implications their data could have. While hacking might thrive in some exclusive circles, much of coding remains an item outside of common curriculum (even at the most exclusive liberal arts colleges). Schools still lack suitable courses, and capable specialists may have acquired criminal records through experience as black hat hackers. Kim Merrill PO ’14, co-founder of the 5C Hackathon, identifies the dearth of coders as largely systemic, “If people were introduced to [coding] at an earlier age, they would be much more likely to pursue it later on...if we were able to make [spaces to learn coding] more widely available at colleges or earlier on in life, people would see that this is a really exciting thing.” In the face cyber attacks and debates on cyber security, Merrill emphasizes the more positive side of coding, including its applicability across all disciplines. “Hacking for us is just building something quickly… it’s just like, coming together with other people and building something in a certain amount of time; for the experience or for the fun of it,” Merrill said. The tools employed by those who wage cyberwarfare, then, may be just like any other tools humankind has invented, with different uses in war and in peace.
Rise of the Coding State (and Student) A large component of U.S. cybersecurity depends on the development of security tools to protect existing data, but a critical part of potential cyberwarfare comes down to the individual.
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digital freedom rankings and is a world leader in internet access and technology utilization. The small country is globally cited for everything from their online voting option to circulating plans to integrate coding into state mandated curriculum as early as the first grade.
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The Cryptic Currency Inside the mystery of Bitcoin By Andy Wright Web Editor, PZ ‘16
than just a currency… it’s an extension of free speech.”
From Paypal to Amazon, recent decades have witnessed the rise of online transferral of goods and currency via large controlling bodies. Bitcoin is one participant that has steered clear of a nation or material basis to back it, relying instead on computer systems and volunteers. Despite critics and their doubts, the value of one Bitcoin has recently skyrocketed, reaching more than $1000 per Bitcoin in late November, a 275% increase from its previous high of $266 in April 2013.
DeRose represents a camp that sees Bitcoin as a “democratization of currency,” or as a way to avoid perpetuating government currency. Bitcoin can be used as an alternative for unstable national currencies, or as a way to make a political statement. “If I don’t want to support [the government spending money on weapons,] I have the choice to use Bitcoins [instead of dollars],” DeRose said.
The creation of new Bitcoins is based around a simple system of peer-to-peer problem-solving. One central “block chain,” run by “miners” who contribute portion of their computational power to the cause, continually generates increasingly difficult puzzles. Once a puzzle has been solved, the triumphant user is awarded a number Bitcoins and the system generates another, more difficult puzzle. Puzzles are solved at such a pace that proliferation does not stray into inflation or overvaluation, with a finite amount of Bitcoin that will ever exist. In 2008, a mysterious “Satoshi Yakamoto” published a paper that mentioned the viability of an online, unregulated currency; by 2009, Bitcoins were operational and circulating. “I think that people were just fed up with the banks and the way the government [was] manipulating currency [in the wake of the 2009 financial crisis]” said Bill DeRose PO ‘15 of Bitcoin’s initial success. “Bitcoin is more
An additional reason Bitcoin achieved success was due to a controlled adoption by businesses. “The project needs to grow gradually so the software can be strengthened along the way,” Yakamoto said in a 2010 appeal for Wikileaks to not accept Bitcoins. “Bitcoin is a small beta community in its infancy. You would not stand to get more than pocket change, and the heat you would bring would likely destroy us at this stage.” As Bitcoin has grown, so has its market. Major websites like OkCupid, Baidu, Reddit, Humble Bundle and Foodler have begun accepting Bitcoins. Recently, Virgin Galactic has announced that they will accept Bitcoin transactions. Such support has made Bitcoin into a household name, but not always for the right reasons. Because the currency’s generation and regulation are controlled by users, Bitcoins
are used by citizens on both sides of the law. Anonymous detachment from federal regulation and taxation makes Bitcoin ideal for outlaws. When the online black market site Silk Road was shut down earlier this year, the FBI seized 144,000 Bitcoins valued at $28 million from the site’s alleged owner. Though the context of the site played to Bitcoin’s anonymity, the subsequent seizure threatened to crash the confidence-driven Bitcoin market. Because Bitcoin is based on digital media and associated with criminals, some potential investors have kept their distance due to the potential of fraud. In its nascent days, users discovered an exploit allowing for the creation of infinite Bitcoins, instantly devaluing all existing currency. However, involvement and faith in Bitcoin’s infrastructure by the technology community means that cheating the system is becoming harder and harder. Bitcoin also faces charges of being extremely volatile, and rightly so. On November 6th of this year, BusinessInsider.com published an article entitled “Bitcoin Is A Joke,” with the subtext that Bitcoin is “a currency for clowns.” The next day, the same website published a brief report on a $45+ increase per Bitcoin that occurred seemingly overnight. It’s difficult to say where the future of Bitcoin is headed. Harvey Mudd Professor Gary Evans knew enough about Bitcoin to incorporate it in his curriculum just a few years ago. “I used to be well-informed about Bitcoin but lost interest in the last couple of years and generally don’t consider myself knowledgeable about the topic anymore,” wrote Evans in an email. “Good luck on finding someone who knows about this stuff there aren’t very many.” Despite this, some investors have placed their bets on Bitcoin in the hopes that it will grow more valuable along with the current trend. “[People need to realize Bitcoin] is a lot bigger than making money,” said DeRose of this trend. “There’s more at stake.”
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Publish or Perish
The importance of research in higher education By Nick Browne Staff Writer, PO ‘15 Over the past decade, colleges and universities throughout the country have increasingly emphasized research in STEM fields. For undergraduate students, this has provided more opportunities to participate in projects once encountered only at the graduate level. For faculty, output of scientific papers has become essential for tenure and promotion.
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Competition for faculty positions has really increased, and we’ve expected more and more of our young faculty in terms of research.
Professor of Geology, Pomona
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Bob Gaines
A mixed narrative of this trend has emerged, in which undergraduates have more opportunities and professors produce more scientific papers, but where students hoping to pursue scientific careers scramble to gain experience and faculty find themselves under pressure to publish.
For Pomona College Geology Professors Jade-Star Lackey and Bob Gaines, the intensified focus on undergraduate research has been a concerted effort to incorporate fieldwork into their program. “It’s been something that we’ve added deliberately to the curriculum,” Gaines said, noting the important role of improved technology in expanding opportunities for students. “Our new facilities in Edmunds and our new equipment have really enabled us to take [research] to a really exciting level.”
Neither felt that the department was emphasizing student research because of external pressure, and in Lackey’s words, “[Research] is something we’re deliberately growing. I think it complements the mission of the college, but [the college] is not being driven by it.” Regarding faculty research, meanwhile, Gaines emphasized that the number of papers a professor publishes is not the lone deciding factor in the hiring process—at least not at Pomona. “Competition for faculty positions has really increased, and we’ve expected more and more of our young faculty in terms of research,” he said, “but while at a larger research university that might be the only thing considered, or one of the few things considered in a tenure decision of promotion decision, at Pomona we obviously value teaching and service to the college community as well.” For undergraduate students hoping to pursue scientific careers, participation in summer research programs has become more common and more important in the process of applying to graduate programs. Laurel Estes PO ’15 spent two summers working in a biochemistry lab at University of California, San Francisco. Her motivation for participating in this program was to get a taste of what it was like to work in a lab, as she is still deciding whether she wants to pursue a research career. “You see everyone else doing what they do every day, and it was a very helpful experience to test run, like ‘if I were to do a postdoc, this is what I’d be doing,’” Estes said. “In that sense, now I feel like I know what I would be getting into a lot more. I feel much more informed, which is great.” Estes regarded the lab as a fairly low-stress environment where teaching of experimental design was emphasized.
“People would take me seriously,” she said. “I found the atmosphere to be really nice, because people were constantly asking each other questions in the lab. There wasn’t a lot of stigma associated with needing to know how to do something.” Mathematics major Gill Grindstaff PO ’14, who spent one summer at the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in Oregon and a second summer doing research at Pomona, expressed the opinion that it was valuable for her to learn what it might be like to be part of a research group and engage in complicated projects. “It was cool to feel like I was actually a part of that research community, because in math, you stay a student for so long”, she said. “When you work at an undergraduate level, you work at a level pretty far removed from working areas of mathematics, working areas being things that haven’t been fully researched and processed into textbooks and such.’” Grindstaff expressed an opinion similar to that of Gaines and Lackey in that she did not observe a cutthroat atmosphere at either program and generally felt that the people involved were supportive of student research. “There’s always the possibility of someone helping you, of collaboration. You don’t even have to be in the same place, or anything. If somebody finds your work interesting, they can just email you back and forth for a while,” said Grindstaff. The general consensus among Claremont students and faculty appears to be that this increased emphasis has diminished neither the quality nor the importance of research. This suggests that the “publish or perish” narrative, as problematic as it may be on a national scale, may be more prominent at larger universities than at liberal arts schools and individualized programs of small size.
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Hiding Behind Keyboards The dangerous duality of internet anonymity By Emlyn Foxen Staff Writer, PO ‘16 The Internet is, above all else, a tool of communication. Its ability to facilitate connections between communities of all sizes, local and global, is undeniable. Beyond expediting communication, however, the Internet is also reshaping and affecting both the psychological and tangible components of human interaction. With the rise of social networking, and the Internet’s growing use as a forum to declare and share ideas, beliefs, and opinions, the norms of the Internet and their potential effects on the material world have both merits and drawbacks. The constructive potential of the Internet is evident when one considers the global impact of V-Day, the movement led by Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues, to end violence against women around the world. V-Day extensively networks over the Internet to promote community engagement events and share articles and links challenging violence against women. Furthermore, V-Day has helped initiate thousands of antiviolence campaigns, most famously the One Billion Rising For Justice campaign, where women and men come together and dance to demand an end to violence against women and girls. Here the positive influence of the Internet is demonstrated. Through a strong online presence, the V-Day movement is able to significantly increase accessibility and visibility of information for users of social media outlets. Last year, Pomona College sophomore Kara Bank and her roommate organized a One Billion Rising event for Claremont students after they heard about what the campaign was trying to accomplish. The event was organized without much advance notice, but Kara says she knew the event could still make an impact and raise awareness because of the power of the Internet. “Even though it was last minute, we knew everyone was checking Facebook and would at least see the event,” she says.
Exploring V-Day’s website, Kara found ways to schedule, post, and share information about the events that had previously been held, further evidence of the Internet’s resources for facilitating productive community building and engagement and promoting positive norms. In the cases where the Internet is used for constructive, positive growth, it seems like a wonderful tool for people, especially women and other minority groups, to build a supportive network. For instance, a victim of domestic violence who watches one of the videos on V-Day’s site documenting the global network of women rising for justice might feel empowered and comforted by the number of women, and men, demanding a worldwide shift in the mindset concerning violence against women and girls. However, the Internet can be used as a mechanism to magnify what Pomona College psychology professor Paul Pearson calls the “group polarization” effect: when something is used as a shield to protect anonymous users or as a place to promote radical, hateful norms. “If I have a strong prior attitude about something,” Professor Pearson says, “and I talk to people who have the same views as I do, it strengthens my prior belief.” It makes sense, Pearson says, that “the ease of finding groups or individuals who share views that you do,” provided by the Internet, might aid someone with radical prejudices, or someone with a budding sense of prejudice, in finding a broader network of people who share the same perspective. A staggering number of websites and news sources online do not work to advance positive ideals such as gender equality, like V-Day does. Returnofkings.com, for example, promotes the exact opposite: the website description says that it is “meant for a small but vocal collection of men in America today who believe men should be masculine and women should be feminine.”
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Some of the “ROK Community Beliefs” published on the website include “women are sluts if they sleep around, but men are not,” and “a woman’s value is mainly determined by her fertility and beauty,” while a man’s value is determined by “his resources, intellect, and character.” The articles put out by ROK, including one titled “20 Things Women Do That Should Be Shamed, Not Celebrated,” are written by anonymous, first name only authors. In the case of websites like ROK, several psychological phenomenons involving social media and the Internet are at play. Because authors can write anonymously, they are “more likely to express a view that may not be socially deemed acceptable,” says Pearson. Before the advent of the Internet, expressions of radical, harmful ideals in a community setting might have been less likely to occur, or at least less encouraged. Pearson states that deeply ingrained in human nature is the desire to fit in and avoid social ostracizing. Thus, “in the past, [if] we don’t see agreement with our views and then we assume others don’t hold those views… we may update our views.” The internet, however, has eradicated any need for this kind of “updating” due to lack of normative support. Now, says Pearson, “if I go online I can find one hundred people who might share the same view, so I might start to overestimate how many people share that same kind of view too, and then I may talk to them, and then the process of talking to them might kick-start the group polarization effect.” At ROK, anonymity and accessibility meld into a dangerous combination that can precipitate some sort of negative action. In some situations, the negative manifestations of the Internet’s darker side are readily apparent. Take, for example, the work of crimesagainstfathers.com. The two men at the head of Crimes Against Fathers, one named Peter Nolan, the other an anonymous user called John Rambo, work to take action
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against women who they believe slander and “wrongly accuse” men of committing rape or sexual assault. Most recently, they falsely identified an Ohio University student named Rachel Cassidy as the the victim of an incident of sexual assault on campus that was recorded and posted all over the Web. Crimes Against Fathers mercilessly incriminated her on Twitter and other social media outlets, so much so that she rescinded all internet presence and is reportedly afraid to leave her house. This very real expression of the harmful effects of Internet abuse is more than unnerving. Pomona anthropology professor Sylvia Martin, however, cautions against focusing on the negative aspects of the initially ambiguous
force of the Internet to cause social change. “It’s not an either/or, it’s both, and it’s more,” she says. “There is always a lot of anxiety with any new medium,” she adds. For example, when radio use became widespread in the twentieth century, “people said it was damaging family values,” Martin says. And with regard to the Internet, Professor Pearson says, “the norms haven’t really developed.”
of the Internet that are commonly regarded with unease, like anonymity, can work in positive ways. For example, he says, “the state of being anonymous [that] makes us more likely to conform to group norms,” a concept that social psychologists call “de-individuation,” is not necessarily a bad thing. Anonymity can “lead to conformity in positive ways if the norm is more helpful.”
In order to address both the negative and positive action that the Internet might help invoke, people need to “think through other things as well that are very powerful influencers of action,” Martin remarks. The issues of Internet regulation, government oversight, and freedom of speech on the Web will contribute to how these norms are shaped and solidified.
Perhaps the growing concern over the varied results of the Internet’s influence should be focused not on the Internet itself, but on the people behind the keyboards. The easy and anonymous access the Internet provides to people who want to perpetuate harmful stereotypes and norms might be unique in its novelty, but really, it is simply a magnification of the darker aspects of human nature.
Additionally, Pearson asserts, some aspects
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The Technodemocrats
How Silicon Valley is changing progressive politics By Tim Reynolds, Editor-in-Chief, PO ‘15 & Saahil Desai, Staff Writer, PO ‘16 In the wake of the 2012 election, much has been made of the growing fissures within the Republican Party. By now, the big questions about the GOP’s future are fairly familiar: Can Tea Party and establishment Republicans continue to coexist? Will shifting demographic trends make the Republican Party irrelevant? Is the GOP out of touch? On the other side of the aisle, the Democratic Party seems to be riding high after dominant presidential victories in 2008 and 2012. But the race for a congressional seat in Silicon Valley suggests that Democrats may be due for a change. In California’s 17th Congressional District (CA-17), incumbent congressman Mike Honda faces off against newcomer Ro Khanna. Honda is a lifelong progressive in his seventh congressional term, while Khanna is a former member of President Obama’s Department of Commerce who is promising a more pragmatic approach to economic policy. “Mike [Honda] represents the older vision of Silicon Valley, and Ro [Khanna] represents what it is now and what it will be in 10 or 15 years,” said former Young Democrats of America Treasurer Jonathan Padilla, a San Jose native who has been involved in Democratic politics for over a decade. Khanna’s garnered significant support from Silicon Valley’s tech elite, who are trying to flex their political muscle. “There’s a hunger there from certain elements within S.V. to have one of their own as a member of Congress,” Padilla said. CA-17 encompasses parts of Alameda and Santa Clara Counties, and is home to the headquarters of Apple, Intel, Yahoo, and eBay. The district is one of the nation’s wealthiest and, after redistricting in 2012, it became the mainland’s first majority Asian-American congressional district. CA-17 is unique in many respects, but as the contest between Honda
and Khanna demonstrates, the district’s tech community seems ready to make an impact on national politics.
Part of the Old Guard Mike Honda, 72, is a third generation Japanese American who spent much of his early childhood in an internment camp in Colorado. A graduate of San Jose State University, he worked as a public school teacher before entering politics in the 70s. He rose through the ranks of local and state government before running for Congress in 2000. He won his district by 12 points, and his liberal constituents have re-elected him by wide margins ever since. Dana Nakano, a lecturer in sociology at Pomona College, worked in Honda’s office through a fellowship with the Japanese American Citizens League, and he describes Honda as “friendly” and “gregarious.” “Politically speaking, he’s a really generous person,” said Nakano, who studies Asian American issues. “So he’s taken on a kind of mentorship role with a lot of up-and-coming Asian American politicians. It’s something he takes a lot of pride in.” “He’s very cognizant of the kind of mentorship he has received, particularly under Norm Mineta,” Nakano said, referring to the former politician who served as Clinton’s Secretary of Commerce and George W. Bush’s Secretary of Transportation. When he was elected San Jose’s mayor in 1971—making him the first Asian American mayor of a major city—Mineta appointed Honda to the city’s planning commission, kickstarting Honda’s career in politics. “I think that’s the pipeline Mike sees himself as part of and he wants to get back to that pipeline,” Nakano said. According to Padilla, Honda is a remnant of the “old valley,” which was built on unionized, manufacturing jobs—many of which have been shipped overseas as Silicon Valley gives way to a more white collar workforce. “[Honda] is a true progressive, an old guard
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politician,” said Padilla, who was in Honda’s district before 2012’s redistricting and who interned in his D.C. office. “Honda’s willing to make a stand. He’s a true liberal in every sense of the term, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. People love him for it.” A member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the House Appropriations Committee, Honda has taken principled leadership roles on minority issues and in opposing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Though Honda has championed nanotechnology research and development, some in Silicon Valley still feel they’d be better served by a candidate more in tune with their business interests.
The New Kid Though both Asian-American Democrats, Ro Khanna, 36, and Honda had starkly different upbringings. A product of the country’s growing Indian-American elite, Khanna is a graduate of the University of Chicago and Yale Law School, and his political rise has rivaled that of his former employer, President Obama. During Obama’s first term, Khanna served as assistant deputy secretary in the Commerce Department, where he focused on trade and exports. This economic experience has attracted him allies in Silicon Valley’s business community. “The Valley is finally figuring out how to play the Washington game,” Padilla said, pointing to FWD.us, the lobbying group led by Mark Zuckerberg and supported by tech execs like Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and AOL CEO Tim Armstrong. “They are trying to flex their muscles, which is a significant change from just four years ago.” Bankrolled by tech elite including Yahoo’s Marissa Meyer and Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, Khanna has out-fundraised Honda, with almost $2 million in the bank compared to Honda’s $550,000, according to an October Politico article. Honda still leads in the polls, yet Khanna has hired a top-notch team of political
national
operatives from Obama’s 2012 campaign in an effort to catch up to the well-liked incumbent. “I think he [Khanna] does things a little bit different [from Honda], because he has a different perspective on Silicon Valley, being a businessman and working with the businesses that come from there,” said Pranay Yeturu PO ‘16, who interned for Khanna this summer. “He can say pretty heavily, ‘Hey, I’ve worked here. I know exactly how this place works.’” “He has this new economy mindset,” said Padilla, who considers Khanna to be slightly more moderate than Honda. “I think Ro represents a new generation of leadership that isn’t as ideological as Mike Honda is, and is more focused on pragmatic results.”
believes in a slightly lower corporate tax rate (justified, he’s said in interviews, by the demands of an export economy), Nakano said, “he’s very much the type of person that Mike would want to vet for.” This race, then, may be less about the candidates themselves than the interests supporting them. As union membership plummets across the country, the traditional progressive base of the Democratic Party may give way to more moderate, businessfriendly liberals like Khanna.
“There’s the old joke, ‘I’m not a member of an organized party—I’m a Democrat,’” Padilla said. “Democrats are a little more sensitive to the need to build coalitions… the party is much more used to dealing with fractures than Republicans.” Padilla says the Democratic Party—whether or not it ends up shifting to the center—would do well to remember the importance of workers’ rights, even as organized labor’s share of the workforce (and hence, its political power) gradually shrinks.
Fighting for the Left In California’s open primary system, the primary’s top two finishers advance to the November election, regardless of their party affiliations. For California’s strongly liberal 17th district, that means Honda and Khanna’s June primary faceoff is little more than a prelude for what will likely be a drawn-out campaign to November. Like any other candidate challenging a popular incumbent, Khanna’s task in the coming months will be to make himself known to voters. Yeturu, though, says Honda’s time in Congress could end up helping his young opponent. “When you have a candidate [Mike Honda] who really hasn’t really done anything interesting in his seven terms, there’s a reason you want something new.” Nakano points to Honda’s powerful role on the Appropriations Committee as a potential reason to support the seasoned congressman. “Should Ro Khanna defeat Mike, they [Democrats and CA-17’s constituents] would lose that place,” Nakano said. “There’s value to having an incumbent congressman with the power he’s been able to accrue due to his seniority.” Still, both Khanna and Honda are ardent advocates for education, immigration reform, and social welfare programs. Though Khanna
As Christine Wilkes CMC ‘16, External Vice President of the Democrats of the Claremont Colleges, put it: “I think it is clear that no matter how the race turns out, this is not the last time we will hear from Ro Khanna.” This rise of a wave of “New Democrats” like Khanna (and, as some would argue, Barack Obama) may change the party, but it seems unlikely to result in the sort of dramatic infighting visible within the GOP, in large part because the Democratic Party is used to internal divisions.
“There’s a great divide between folks who are making minimum wage and folks who are cashing in on Twitter’s IPO,” Padilla said. “There’s really two valleys in Silicon Valley—the haves and the have-nots.” Though they may come to power by defeating old school progressives like Honda, Khanna and the accompanying cohort of New Democrats nevertheless have an obligation to tackle issues like income inequality, to stay true to the party’s progressive roots.
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the
Get Ripped
Sculpting body image on campus By Nina Posner Copy Editor, SC ‘17
lar societal values and are perpetuated by gym culture or vice versa, the fact remains that much of our perceptions arise from a singular ideal of bodily perfectionism.
You fling the doors open and are greeted by cool air and a smiling employee. In the locker room, you swap street shoes for sneakers. Treadmills, ellipticals, Stairmasters, and free weights abound. Look how fast that man is running; he’s hardly breaking a sweat! Why does the cover of that women’s fitness magazine telling you to “melt off the pounds”? With so many options, where do you begin? Welcome to the gym.
In reality, healthy living takes a different shape from person to person—health is not homogenous. No one should feel unwelcome at the gym, a place that claims to champion mental and physical well-being. Regardless of whether people feel uncomfortable due to external pressures or internal anxieties, we must strive to promote a healthy body image in all people rather than promoting the idea that perfection comes in one size or shape.
Frequent, expedited trips to the gym are no longer embraced only by fitness buffs. Over the past few years, our social perceptions of the ideal physique have shifted from praise of the ultrathin to praise of the ultrafit standard. Whether students exercise for health reasons, to clear their minds, or simply to feel good, a common perception is that the majority of people at the 5Cs work out.
“My friends at home went to the gym and I didn’t know. Here, people are always going to the gym and you always know about it. People like to talk about when they go to the gym,” said Abi MacCumber SC ’17. Such an observation is perhaps indicative of the pervasive attitudes on campus about the emphases and pressures placed on exercise. CMS varsity golfer Ahmed Eltamami CMC ’16 feels that the gym atmosphere promotes personal excellence rather than outward competition. “The personalities that CMC attracts are very casual when it comes to other people at the gym because people are very committed to their own workouts,” he said. “Outside of CMC, there definitely is competition, but not as much as people think. Some people think that lifting more or running faster just means you’re more of a man and are somehow better.” How have these ideas entered our common consciousness?
Exclusivity and elitism in gym culture only feed these impediments to good health for all people. The Scripps-only and women-only hours at Tiernan Field House beg the question: do limited coed hours perpertrate a negative, less-inclusive gym culture or promote healthier body image among female students? “Last year Scripps students felt they weren’t getting to use the Field House for themselves,” explained Scripps Associated Students’ Student Activities Chair Francesca Simmons SC ‘14.
This perceived emphasis on “being in shape” or being a regular at the gym perpetuates certain ideal body stereotypes. MacCumber argues that the ideals praising “slim and toned bodies for women and buff and big bodies for men” begin with societal and pop culture pressures. “Most people who go the gym want to get a slimmer body or more muscle. I think it’s natural that as more people go the gym, there will… be an increase in thinking towards those stereotypes,” Eltamami said. Whether our society’s standards of beauty stem from notions set forth by popu-
This year, MacCumber notes that the gym is less crowded during those hours, but she does not see many men at the Field House in the first place. “[Women-only hours] make some people less self-conscious, so they can work out when they want to,” she said. But if some people feel uncomfortable with certain exercise atmospheres, what does that say about our standards of fitness and the way we view our bodies? Gym culture ought to promote rather than undermine positive body image and physical and mental health. At the 5Cs, we might begin to address issues of negative body image by first shifting attitudes surrounding the gym away from emphasizing measurement against others as the motivating factor in exercise.