Volume XXXII Issue 8 April 28 2023

28 April 2023

scrippsvoice.com

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Admitted Students DIVE into the Waters of Scripps

Courtesy of Corina M. Silverstein '25

By Belen Yudess ‘25 Social Media Manager

T

he 2023 Scripps DIVE program occurred in concurrence with Admitted Students Day from April 20-22. During this overnight program, current students had the opportunity to meet prospective Scrippsies and share their experiences through an in-person setting.

DIVE is a fly-in program for BIPOC and first generation admitted students that allows them to explore the campus, meet with current students, and connect with future peers. Students are housed at the Sheraton Fairplex and are provided with fully-funded meals and transportation.

The program is run by student volunteers under the leadership of admission counselors Lyanne Dominguez ’13 and Mariangelica Valle. Structured events included lunch with members of the Scripps community, SCORE after hours, student panels, and a trip to

the Los Angeles Farmers Market, as well as other Scripps activities that were happening the same weekend such as Levitt on the Lawn and the Sustainability Fair.

Charlee Mays ’26 was able to answer prospective students’ questions over lunch upon their arrival to campus on April 20. “It was really casual and felt like I was eating with friends since they were allowed to eat food from the dining hall and we all just sat in a large group on Bowling Green and enjoyed the warm, sunny weather,” she said.

Student volunteer Reyna Kleemeier ’26 hopes having these conversations will assist DIVE students with the transition to college life she experienced coming to Scripps. “I volunteered at the SCORE after hours to give my experience to students while also sharing my transition from attending a predominantly hispanic community to a PWI,” Kleemeier said.

Bella Guizler-Bonilla ’26 also

participated in SCORE after hours, and emphasized her excitement about the interpersonal conversations that the event facilitated. “I was able to talk and get to know other students on a more personal level,” she said. “It was such a nice vibe to hang out with these folks and get to talk to them about the college experience in a much more relaxed and unfiltered setting.”

DIVE is meant to empower BIPOC, first generation, and minority admitted students to find and foster a support system prior to their arrival at Scripps in order to ease the adjustment onto campus. This program is rooted in current student’s enthusiasm and desire to be a part of these support teams, a chance that meant a lot to Guizler-Bonilla.

“I had fond memories of when I did the DIVE program last year, and I even met one of my closest friends there,” Guizler-Bonilla said.

“So when I heard that they were doing it again this year, I jumped

at the opportunity to volunteer in any way that I could.”

Admitted student and DIVE participant Savannah Ramirez ’27 felt similarly to student volunteers.

“DIVE really reinforces the close knit community that is fostered at Scripps,” she said. “It gives students a chance to connect with Scripps and really get a feel for what the campus atmosphere and school is like.”

Although DIVE has several important implications, Guizler-Bonilla believes that its most valuable attribute is giving admitted students an opportunity to visit campus. “Many times, these students don’t have an easy way to tour their colleges or don’t have the support of other relatives to help with the college process,” she said. “Having this program in place has helped hundreds of students with their college process, even if that means that they don’t end up at Scripps. This program can be a life-changer in more ways than one.”

De-centering the White Voice: Environmental Jusice Conference

In Memoriam: Nina Howe-Goldstein, TSV Comedy Writer, Dead at 20

Abbott Elementary is Bringing Realness On All Fronts

IN THIS ISSUE Bringing Ukraine to the West Coast: An exhibit of extraordinary strength

1030 Columbia Avenue | Claremont, CA 91711 | Box 839 | scrippsvoice@gmail.com | Volume XXXI | Issue Eight

2 • News

De-centering the White Voice: How the Environmental Justice Conference created a space for organizers of color Clare Reimers-Hejnal ’26 Staff Writer

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n April 15, students from across the 5Cs gathered for the Environmental Justice Conference located on Scripps campus. The event was organized by Scripps’ Power, Justice, and the Environment class and received over 50 official attendees.

Throughout the day, many additional students were drawn in by the diverse offering of workshops and the welcoming atmosphere. This interest, in part, reflected the intentional focus placed on the role of people of color (POC) within the organizing space.

Jacqueline Tsai ’25, a member of the working group that planned the event, saw the conference as an important opportunity to break from the norm of white voices in organizing initiatives. As a POC herself, Tsai finds that organizing in a predominantly white space can be scary.

“Our conference organizers made sure that we did not perpetuate this cycle of white-occupied organizing,” Tsai said. The group paid special attention to center organizers of color in environmental justice work.

The majority of the speakers and workshop leaders at the Environmental Justice Conference identified as people of color, reflecting the demographics of the communities most intimately affected by

environmental justice issues. Their specialties varied but each speaker highlighted how environmental justice connects to abolition, workers’ rights, immigrant justice, Indigenous sovereignty, food justice, and beyond.

The conference was composed of a combination of workshops, keynote speakers, and a climate walking tour of Scripps campus. Participants were also invited to a community dinner and party at Pitzer’s Grove House at the end of the day.

“People of color are those that are systematically most impacted by environmental crises, and thus should be the ones leading this fight.”

- Jacqueline Tsai ’25 To kick off the event, ACT-LA Communications Director Alison Vu spoke about how intersectional coalition building is central to success in organizing. ACT-LA is a coalition of 44 nonprofits and community organizations across Los Angeles County, united in their recognition that housing and transit justice must be the first step in addressing many other issues impacting LA county residents.

Vu noted that though ACT-LA’s campaigns are focused on uplifting Black and Brown communities, as they are the most harmed by exploit-

ative systems, improvements in LA’s affordable housing and transportation system help everyone. “Collective liberation doesn’t happen until you lift those that are most disadvantaged in our communities,” she said.

The workshops that followed featured speakers from 5C Prison Abolition Collective, Huerta del Valle, the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, and the ACLU, and even the Scripps faculty. “I saw Alison Vu, Blessing, Annie, Nala, Maria Teresa Alonso, Professor Jasmine Baetz, Asiyahola Sankara, Eddie Torres, and Lizbeth Alben as examples of the intersectional nature of this fight, and by nature showed how centering voices of color is essential in winning this fight for environmental justice,” Tsai said.

One of the featured workshops was led by Blessing Roland-Magaji ‘24, Annie DeVoe ‘23, and Nala Berry ‘24. As members of 5C Prison Abolition who had participated in protests in Atlanta and the Weelaunee Forest against a proposed 300+ acre police training facility (Cop City), the group presented the basics of the Stop Cop City movement while sharing their experiences with both the forest defenders and the protests in downtown Atlanta.

Their stories showed how even with an issue like Cop City, where environmental protection is directly

tied to abolition of the Prison Industrial Complex, there is all too often a lack of intersectionality. They explained how the fifth Week of Action in the Weelaunee Forest was almost entirely led by white environmentalists who were focused on protecting the forest rather than how Cop City would further endanger marginalized communities. In contrast, protests in downtown Atlanta were largely led by BIPOC organizers and were centered around the goal of abolition.

While educating students of the Claremont Colleges on environmental issues, the Environmental Justice Conference also sought to address the lack of diversity in many leftist organizations and provide a platform for organizers of color.

“Collective liberation doesn’t happen until you lift those that are most disadvantaged in our communities.”

- ACT-LA Communications Director Alison Vu “This conference expanded who we viewed as ‘belonging’ to the organizing space, de-centered the white voice, and recentered voices of color,” Tsai said. “People of color are those that are systematically most impacted by environmental crises, and thus should be the ones leading this fight.”

Centering Queer Voices of Color at SCORE’s Queer Film Festival

By Anne Friedman ’25 Staff Writer

I

n 1992, Joan Jett Blakk, a Black drag queen, ran for President of the United States. Her story was the focus of the short film Beauty President shown at the Queer Film Festival hosted by Scripps Communities of Resources & Empowerment (SCORE) on April 18.

Following the success of SCORE’s Black History Month Film Festival in February, the SCORE Programming Interns wanted to extend this work through an additional film festival for Gaypril. Their first program screened films about Black experiences by Black filmmakers.

Gaypril is a celebration of LGBTQI+ pride that occurs throughout the month of April. While this celebration usually occurs in June, many educational institutions implement Gaypril as a way to ensure these identities are acknowledged and celebrated while students are on campus.

To celebrate Gaypril, different 5C organizations including the Queer Resource Center (QRC) planned events for the queer and trans community at the 5Cs. SCORE’s Queer Film Festival showcased four short films that centered the voices of queer people of color, with stories ranging from a high school prom to coming out to immigrant parents.

“We wanted to highlight stories of others, especially those you may

not see as much here at Scripps or are under-represented here,” said SCORE Programming Intern Paloma Ayala-Abellar ’25. “We felt it was really important to have difficult topics but also mix in lighter hearted films in between so it doesn’t feel so heavy.”

The variety of films emphasized the challenges and triumphs that queer people face in life. In the hourlong event, participants watched the films and contributed to conversations about the content.

The first film, Perennial, focused on the theme of womanhood through the story of June, a trans-woman, helping pre-teen Lou with her first period. In one scene, June and Lou go to buy pads and tampons. At the store, the cashier misgenders June, calling her “sir.”

Lou is confused because in Lou’s eyes June is obviously a woman.

June struggles with her identity as a woman because she had different experiences from cisgender women, like never having a period. The cashier tells Lou, “You’re a woman now,” a problematic statement because it is defining womanhood by something that not all women experience.

The film ends with Lou and June on the couch, leaning on each other.

June, who has been closed off to Lou and her ex-boyfriend throughout the film, opens up in the smallest way,

highlighting that she has begun to accept and validate her experiences and her identity as a woman.

The festival then moved to a film about coming out at prom in the South Bronx. In Crush, Michael debates whether or not to come out to his crush at the dance. It is a hilarious and heart-warming portrayal of a teen crush full of laughter and cringy moments.

In the middle of the film, Michael does come out to his crush, Brandon, only to wake up and realize it was a dream from getting briefly knocked out. However, the film ends with Michael asking Brandon to dance though the viewers do not get Brandon’s response. The open ending centers Michael and his experience rather than the outcome while leaving the audience hopeful for a happy ending.

Then, the festival turned to a film where six queer and trans Asian Americans read their coming out letters to their families. Unspoken: LGBTQ Asian Pacific Islander Stories tackles the intersectionality between queerness and race. All of the film’s participants are children of immigrant parents, struggling with their desire to live up to their parent’s expectations while also being true to themselves and their queerness.

It was hard to watch and listen as the participants read their letters and told their stories. Many of the

participants cried and shared painful experiences and thoughts. But in sharing their experiences, viewers experiencing similar conflicts are able to connect and feel validated; they are not alone.

Finally, the Queer Film Festival ended with Beauty President, in which Terence Alan Smith talks about his life and experience running for president as his drag queen persona, Joan Jett Blakk, amidst the AIDS crisis. Beauty President switches between an interview of Smith and videos from Joan Jett Blakk’s 1992 presidential campaign.

Smith emphasizes the need for visibility and how he raised awareness through his bid for president.

While everyone has a voice and is told to use it, marginalized groups are not always listened to and Smith made people listen to him.

Hosting the Queer Film Festival and similar events at SCORE has been a gratifying experience for Ayala-Abellar. She feels that spaces for joy and celebration are invaluable and these SCORE events, such as the Queer Film Festival, provide a wonderful space to celebrate marginalized voices.

In addition to the Queer Film Festival, Ayala-Abellar and the other SCORE interns have planned a Sapphic Soiree for April 27, a fun festivity to close out Gaypril and celebrate queerness at Scripps.

28 April 2023 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXI • Issue Eight

News• 3

11th Annual Sustainability Fair: Students Drive Real Change, Admin Lacks Commitment Abby Barahona ‘25 Staff Writer

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n April 27, Scripps students on their way to lunch were intercepted by a sea of white tents and tables on Bowling Green Lawn. In its 11th year, the Scripps Sustainability Fair organized clusters of environmental clubs and organizations, a jam-making station, a vegan food truck, and an environmentally focused art installation, producing a vibrant display of student solidarity for a more sustainable future.

This event was open to all from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.. Fifteen student volunteers, led by Sustainability Coordinator Lauren Ng and intern Sydney Hamel ’25, worked shifts at the welcome booth throughout the day and assisted with activities. “I think it’s important to bring awareness to the things we can do to help the planet,” said student volunteer Bella Guizler Bonilla ’26. “Overall, it’s just a really fun experience getting the community together for this.”

Fellow volunteer Reyna Manriquez ’26 shared that she enjoyed learning about the different sustainability groups across the 5Cs. “It’s important to be informed of what the problem is and how you can fix that problem in your own bubble, which for us is Scripps,” she said.

Participants who tabled the event included 5C Urbanscape, Ocean Initiative Club, Scripps Green Bikes, Scripps Stu-

dent Garden, the Robert Redford Conservatory, Inclusive Claremont, and the Hive. Scripps Facilities and Grounds, Divest Claremont Colleges, and Scripps Scrapps were also in attendance.

Students who checked in at the welcome booth received a piece of paper resembling a Bingo card, with each organization listed in a different square.

Participants received a stamp for each table that they engaged with, and with six stamps they received two tickets: one for a meal from 5 Elementos vegan food truck, parked right on the lawn, and one to enter a raffle. Prizes included a free pass to the Botanical Gardens, an environmentally friendly water bottle, an eco-friendly notebook, or a bottle of Scripps’ infamous olive oil, produced from existing olive trees on campus and harvested by students and staff. KSPC 88.7, the 5Cs’ studentrun radio station, fostered a lively atmosphere with feel-good music from start to finish.

“I feel like this year has really been a great improvement,” said Hamel. “It’s been great to see how the community has reacted to it and responded to it…

I’m super proud of what we’ve done.”

New to the fair this year was artist and environmentalist Eva Montville, who parked her sustainable art installation on Bowling Green Lawn for the event. Community members were able to walk through “The Heart Locker,” which contained 40 “broken hearts”

carved from manzanita root and hung on butcher hooks in a 10’ x 20’ space.

Montville drove from Joshua Tree to share her sculptures and message of heartbreak over the destruction of our planet.

Among the most popular tables were the Pomona Organic Farm, the Makerspace, and a lemonade stand run by the Scripps groundskeeping team. The Pomona Organic farm used their baked vegan carrot loaf and muffins with the carrots from our farm,” said Katja Reich ‘23 from the Pomona Farm. Their table also sold bouquets of flowers grown at the farm, which sold quickly: “We only have one bouquet left!” said Reich.

“This week at the Makerspace we’ve done different sustainability themed workshops like, for example, using fabric scraps to make a macrame plant holder,” said Sar. “We do our best to be involved in sustainability.”

Overall, the fair was an inspiring demonstration of environmental consciousness and sustainability, highlighting cross-campus collaboration and a strong commitment to community engagement. Some, however, were frustrated by the administration’s outward portrayal of Scripps as a sustainable institution considering the deficient funding they allot to sustainability groups on campus.

“This is a very performative fair,” Serena David ’24 said on behalf of the Scripps Free Closet. “Being on the

Scripps Sustainability Committee, it has been really hard trying to communicate with anybody on admin, especially regarding funding. We’ve asked the Sustainability Coordinator and different people on admin for very minimal funding from the five-thousand dollar grant they have for student sustainability initiatives and they refuse to give us any sort of payment.”

Adding to David’s feelings, Cecelia Blum ’24 said, “This sustainability fair really highlights that the sustainable efforts happening on this campus are students. It’s not admin saying ‘We want to make campus a more sustainable place,’ it is students who want to make campus more sustainable. They really put a ton of work and effort and blood, sweat, and tears into doing that.”

“Don’t get it twisted. This is definitely something that students do and not something that admin does,” said Blum, who was met with snaps of agreement from the Scripps Sustainability Committee, tabled a few feet away.

The 11th Annual Sustainability Fair was an impressive display of community engagement and interest in environmentalism. The fight for a sustainable future at Scripps is being headed by persistent and hard-working students, who possess the passion for the movement but lack necessary funding and feel under supported by Scripps administration.

COVID hit before we were able to do our performance,” she said. “Then in 2022, SCAMFest, which is hosted by the Claremont Shades, was moved up to the spring instead of the fall, so all the groups were not able to prepare two different sets of music.

That’s why we were very excited to put Human Symphony on again.”

Singh also noted that there is a significance behind hosting Human Symphony in the spring. “The tradition for Human Symphony is that it is an outdoor concert,” she said. “Historically our group has always hosted it near the Smith Campus Center steps, but we decided to do it at the Shanahan steps at Mudd instead.”

The venue change was ideal, according to Singh. “It was a really beautiful venue and allowed for us to keep that tradition of the springtime where everyone is outside enjoying each other’s company, the weather and listening to the music that everyone is making within their groups,” she said.

Human Symphony and being a part of a cappella throughout her college career held a deeper meaning for Singh, whose brother and Midnight Echo alum Zayn Singh ’20 participated in the last Human Symphony prepandemic. “I remember my brother was a junior when I saw him perform at Human Symphony when I was here for Admitted Students Day, and I loved it,” she said. “I always had this beautiful memory of it, so it meant a lot for me to actually be performing

in it. Also, just seeing all my friends perform in it from our group and the other groups was just a culmination [of everything].”

Mood Swing member Lucia Blumling ’25, who closed the show with an outstanding take of Paramore’s “Ain’t it Fun”, echoed Singh’s appreciation for a cappella and the bonds that are built within groups. “What I really love about Mood Swing is that when I came to the callback, I felt like they were my friends,” she said.

“Everyone in the group is so passionate about music, but also about the social aspects of it all. We joke about being like a family, but we are a family.”

Blumling joined a cappella this year after realizing her desire to find a community on campus that was centered around her enjoyment for

singing and performing. “I’ve always been involved in music since a young age and freshman year I found myself lacking in that,” she said. “I used to go to the dorm hall pianos to play and sing, but I was trying to find something a little more concrete.”

Although Blumling had musical experience coming into college, anyone can audition for a cappella. She encourages anyone interested to give it a try, and believes that a cappella is a supportive and empowering space for those who share a love for music.

“Don’t be afraid to audition,” Blumling encouraged. “All of the groups are very nice people and are so passionate about music and about having new members that no matter what the outcome of your audition is, you’re going to have a fun time.”

Human Symphony: A (Pitch) Perfect Finale to the 2022-23 5C Acapella Season Belen Yudess ‘25 Social Media Manager

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et it be said, sung and (midnight) echoed that the a cappella groups of the Claremont Colleges lit up the stage during their one night (stanza) at Human Symphony. Human Symphony, organized by Midnight Echo, took place April 15 at Mudd’s Shan Steps and featured two performances by each of the eight groups: Midnight Echo, Blue and White, Earth Tones, Afternoon School Special (ASS), Mood Swing, One Night Stanza, Ninth Street Hooligans, and the Claremont Shades.

From the upbeat take on 5 Seconds of Summer’s “She Looks So Perfect” by Ninth Street Hooligan’s Lila Feldmann PZ ’24, ASS’ Izzy YauWeek CMC ’25 and Lucy Thompson’s CMC ’25 powerful and tear-jerking rendition of Adam Melchor and Emily Warren’s “Last Song on Earth”, and Midnight Echo’s Annemarie Gerlach’s PZ ’23 show-stopping version of Whitney’s Houston’s “I Want to Dance with Somebody,” Human Symphony was an exuberant celebration of music and a cappella.

Midnight Echo’s music director Isha Singh ’23, whose solo performance of Sammy Rae and the Friends’ “Good Life” excelled, explained the significance of Human Symphony within the 5C a cappella community and the importance of this year’s concert.

“The last time that we did Human Symphony was in 2019 because

28 April 2023 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXI • Issue Eight

Belen Yudess ‘25 • The Scripps Voice

4 • Feature

President-ing our New Non-Interim President: Amy Marcus-Newhall!

By Belen Yudess ’25 and Juliette Des Rosiers ’26 Social Media Manager and Copy Editor Intern

A

my Marcus-Newhall began her three year term as President on April 6 following the departure of former President, Suzanne Keen on March 20. Marcus-Newhall has acted as interim President twice, once in 2015-16 and the second in 2021-22. Now, as she takes on the role of President, Marcus-Newhall is thrilled to engage with the Scripps community in this finally-official position.

Marcus-Newhall graduated from Occidental College with a BA in Psychology and American Studies, and attended the University of Southern California (USC) for her Masters and PhD in social psychology. Wanting to remain in a liberal arts environment, she began her time at Scripps in 1992 as a social psychologist for the Psychology Department.

After spending 18 years in the classroom, she decided to transition into administrative work and was appointed as the first Associate Dean of Faculty in 2000, eventually becoming the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty in 2010. She continued in this role, aside from her times as interim President until this year when she was elected as President.

Although Marcus-Newhall planned on returning to the classroom following the end of this academic year, her dedication and devotion to Scripps motivated her to accept the position as President, and continues to drive her enthusiasm about the role. “We have an inspiring mission and a superb academic program created and supported by our exceptional faculty,” she said. “Our students are of the highest caliber

academically, co-curricularly, and personally. Our stellar staff are as committed and dedicated as they come. I look forward to building on the community that we have and strengthening it even more.”

Marcus-Newhall has built an impressive resume throughout her time at Scripps, which includes the creation of Scripps College Academy, her work within Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity and Justice (DEIJ), the removal of the “Young Woman” statue from the Tiernan Field House, and most recently leading the departure of CMC from Keck.

“While I was Interim President, I helped negotiate with Pitzer and CMC regarding the departure of CMC from our science program,” said Marcus-Newhall. “That was a very important initiative to complete, and though we still have a lot of work to do there, it’s really exciting.

We’re building the Nucleus, which is a wonderful new building for science that is so well deserved. Keck’s classes have been over-enrolled for many years, so this is something that we wish we would’ve been able to do earlier. Most importantly, it’s the real excitement about thinking how the Scripps-Pitzer science program will flourish even more than they have been.”

Looking forward, Marcus-Newhall is dedicated to her work with DEIJ and the values exemplified in the Scripps College Academy, specifically, making a Scripps education more accessible to more students.

“A top priority I will pursue during my tenure as President is our student access initiative,” she said. “We are working diligently to increase the opportunities for any and all students to attend Scripps College regardless of their financial situation.”

Marcus-Newhall is also committed to transparency and commu-

Courtesy of Scripps College

nication with the student body. In addition to regular meetings with the SAS President and other SAS Committees, she looks forward to collaborating with students in more interpersonal ways. “I will have student office hours so that students are able to stop by the President’s Office and chat with me, fill me in on your hopes and dreams, and discuss with me ways to improve the College,” Marcus-Newhall shared.

Although Marcus-Newhall is juggling several important projects, the Centennial Plan in preparation for Scripps’ 100 year anniversary in 2026 is one of her priorities.

The plan focuses on four themes: inclusive student success, mission driven outreach, innovative learning organization, and distinctive identity.

“This plan, its themes, and its initiatives enable us to create and sustain a unique Scripps educa-

tional environment as a leading liberal arts women’s college in a consortium of distinguished colleges,” Marcus-Newhall said. “I have high aspirations for the next centennial for Scripps. We will continue to flourish and prepare our students to affect change in our world.”

Reflecting on her tenure at Scripps, Marcus-Newhall looks back on her decision to choose and remain at a historically women’s college, and how the Scripps community fosters a welcoming environment that facilitates a loyalty towards the college.

“Scripps fits my values of social justice and the empowerment of women,” Marcus-Newhall said. “I truly respect the faculty, staff and students, and this sense of community at Scripps is unique. There are lots of wonderful colleges, but everybody really selects to be at Scripps and stay at Scripps.”

Activism and Anatomy: Kelly McCreary Named 2023 Commencement Speaker

By Maeve Sanford-Kelly ‘26 Staff Writer When Scripps seniors graduate at commencement on May 13, they can look forward to seeing Grey’s Anatomy actress and voting rights advocate Kelly McCreary on stage delivering their commencement address.

McCreary, who is best known for playing Meredith Grey’s half sister, Dr. Maggie Pierce, on Grey’s Anatomy, was selected to speak by senior class co-presidents Elaine Yang ’23 and Ishi Gupta ’23 after a long process which included extensive student input.

“We had this event where we had a huge white board and had seniors come up and write down their potential speakers, like people they would like to see, and then we had a column of qualities they would like to

see in the commencement speaker,” Yang said.

After narrowing down the prospects, it was clear to Yang and Gupta that McCreary would be a perfect fit.

Her political activism, devotion to feminist causes, and experience as an alum of a historically women’s college (McCreary attended Barnard College) aligned with the values of the Scripps senior class.

In addition to her acting career, McCreary has been active in a multitude of political causes including as an ambassador for Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote campaign and advocating for protecting choice in the wake of the Dobbs v.

Jackson Supreme Court decision.

“Something about Kelly McCreary that we really liked was the idea of the truth and her practicing her truth every day,” Yang said. “She’s

an actress, but in addition to that, she uses her platform to stand for people who can’t stand up for themselves.”

The connection to truth, and living one’s own truth, was especially poignant for Yang and Gupta who were looking to tie the commencement address to the Class of 2023’s core theme: Truth. “The entertainment industry is somewhere you sometimes have to conform to the standard and [McCreary] is unequivocally her own person and always strives to own her truth and be authentic,” Yang said.

In a letter to the Scripps community, former Scripps President Suzanne Keen celebrated the selection of McCreary as “an exceptional speaker who will challenge and inspire us all.”

Moreover, the Scripps community is intrigued and excited to watch

McCreary grace the stage at commencement. Seniors, in particular, wait in eager anticipation. “I know [McCreary] is a women’s college grad,” Annelise Palacio ’23 said. “I’m really excited to hear her insights and what she has to share.”

McCreary has welcomed the invitation to honor graduating Scripps seniors. In her message to the school community, the actress expressed her gratitude for being selected for this role.

“Scripps College students are known to be seekers and speakers of truth, as well as leaders empowered to build compassionate community,” McCreary wrote. “They are graduating into a world that is ready and waiting for their mighty contributions. It is my honor to join the class of 2023 as they celebrate this momentous occasion.”

28 April 2023 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXI • Issue Eight

Feature • 5

Bringing Ukraine to the West Coast: An exhibit of extraordinary strength Belen Yudess ’25 Staff Writer

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arina Shishkina ’25 never fails to astonish audiences through her ability to curate and coordinate exhibits that showcase the power and unity created through art. Beginning in June, Shishkina’s newest mobile exhibit, entitled “RAW,” will run through her recently founded non-profit Bringing Ukraine to the West Coast. RAW looks to bring awareness to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the perseverance of Ukrainian citizens and artists.

Shishkina has successfully curated “Lovers, Strangers, and Friends” which was an independent project that focused on the connection between the body, mind and soul, as well as “Reprinting Claremont” which was run through Claremont Heritage and highlighted Claremont’s historic printmakers.

A traveling art gallery that aims to counter the erasure of Ukrainian identity and culture caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine (Bringing Ukraine to the West Coast about statement).

Shishkina, who is originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, was inspired to begin this project to bring the war back to the forefront across the West Coast.

“Raw is war spelled backwards, and that is exactly what we are doing with our exhibitions; we are portraying the raw narratives of Ukrainians within warzones,” she said. “Our presented artists have suffered the unimaginable; they have seen their homes completely erased and more.

The stories of these artists are the most authentic narratives of the war. People are forgetting what is really happening — from a distance, wars swallow individuality and personhood. So highlighting their voices and their raw reactions to the war is combining my heartache and my passion into one project.”

Shishkina also noted that her passion towards this exhibit stemmed from her own desires to engage with the war and its importance in encouraging action from the U.S.

Courtesy of Marina Shishkina ‘25 “Since the war has started, I’ve never felt more responsible, heartbroken, and angry,” she said. “Looking around, I notice that there’s a lot of people here that could be super helpful to people that are in need and want to be, but there are also people that don’t really care. I didn’t listen to politics, but I knew people were dying, that wars were happening and people were treated unfairly. But until it hits home, you really don’t know … It’s so hard to put into words, but I’ve entered college with intense trauma. I always felt like I needed to do something, and interacting with all of these Ukrainian artists and talking to so many Ukrainian people in the past five to six months has already made me feel a stronger connection to the community.”

Shishkina is not alone in organizing RAW, with her team consisting of 5C students and other peers who feel a similar

call and connection towards Ukraine.

Aside from Shishkina who is founder and director, her team includes co-director Sasha Shunko CMC ’25, engagement coordinator Caroline Tuck ’24, and graphic designer Oleksandra Tsapko Zurich University of Art ’24. The European Union of the Claremont Colleges has also been imperative in assisting with the funding and logistics of the gallery, specifically EU director Agneiszka Lazorczyk. Other essential collaborators include the Mgrublian Center of Human Rights director Wendy Lower and assistant director Kirsti Zitar; Linda Jaye Cox Shimoda from the Hive; Gretchen Maldonado from LASPA’s We Act Grant; David Shearer of Claremont Heritage; and Shishkina’s brother who has offered immense amounts of support, advice and love.

RAW is an unconventional traveling gallery that will be made up of different types of media created by Ukrainian artists such as paintings, video art, installation, performance, and photography regarding the war. The exhibit will begin at Claremont Heritage on May 11, and will proceed to make its way to Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle throughout the summer.

The project consists of five pop-up gallery exhibitions across the West Coast, featuring fourteen Ukrainian artists who will showcase their work from mid-May to mid-August 2023.

Courtesy of Marina Shishkina ‘25

The show will feature 14 Ukrainian artists whose work Shishkina was able to ship to California. Although there are myriad of pieces and themes being displayed and explored, Shishkina believes that rawness best embodies the collective idea being portrayed.

“They have no choice because their feelings, emotions and lives are just war,” she said. “They all have very different types of art and it’s all very multimedia, but they all rip their heart out and give it to the country and it’s something really beautiful to be a part of. But it’s also so heartbreaking because the country should be fulfilling the people, but right now the country

has broken legs, arms and neck.”

Shishkina has curated several shows before, but organizing RAW allowed her to learn more about her leadership capabilities and the formal process of putting on a large-scale exhibition.

The artwork explores the pure and raw emotions of Ukrainians living, grieving, and fighting through the war.

“This past month, I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned from this process is that I don’t [have to] put so much pressure into every single little thing,” she said. “If this show doesn’t get ridiculously recognized or I don’t become an independent curator in three months, it’s okay. I just want to have fun with this exhibit and travel the West Coast. I’m super excited to do this really meaningful project but also explore, surf, and make new friends.

I’ve learned trillions of things like how to write grant applications and how to talk to people [to negotiate or create contacts]; mostly I learned that being a leader is really hard.”

Shishkina is not only enthusiastic to bring RAW to the West Coast, but also to familiarize herself with the area that she is learning to call home.

“I think it’s my new home, at least for now,” she said. “This January I felt I finally had a space that’s mine and that I could start calling California my home.

I’m excited to visit my friends throughout the West Coast even though it is so far from home.”

RAW debuts in Claremont after the end of the academic year, but Shishkina encourages folks who are able to visit the gallery at Claremont or one of its many pop-up locations.

“If you’re home or working in California, Oregon, or Washington, come on over even if we don’t know each other!”

Shishkina said. “I would love to meet you.

Also if anyone also wants to get involved, we’re always looking for creatives and new friends.”

For more information on RAW, follow @ua.westcoast on Instagram.

28 April 2023 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXIII • Issue Eight

F E AT

6

Innovation at Keck: The International Environmental Chemistry of Dr. Purvis-Roberts Juliette Des Rosiers ’26 Copy Editor Intern

D

r. Kathleen Purvis-Roberts, who has been a professor at Keck since 2001, always knew she was on the path to a career in science.

“My parents are chemical engineers, so when I was growing up, we’d go to science museums or you look at power generating plants and things like that, like that was our fun as a family,” PurvisRoberts reflected.

Purvis-Roberts entered her undergraduate education at Westmont College as a psychology major, but changed her specialty to chemistry after taking a general chemistry class. She also readjusted her study while doing her PhD at Princeton.

“I was doing a kind of physical chemistry experiments and it was all in the basement of the chemistry building and I really liked to spend time outside,” she said. “So a couple of years into my experience, I was thinking that the experiments we were doing were really expensive to do and would be hard to do with undergrads. And I just wanted to be able to apply my research to more environmental problems.”

With this in mind, Purvis-Roberts pursued an extra certificate in Science, Technology, & Environmental Public Policy from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs. Through this program, she applied her knowledge in chemistry to environmental science and supplemented it with a study of environmental policy.

“I got to go to Kenya and actually look at the air quality in the industrial area of Nairobi, Kenya,” Purvis-Roberts said. “That was kind of amazing, because I got to learn more about the new culture.

I also got to do some measurements that were actually helpful to the people who worked in the industry there, and it just kind of opened my eyes to [doing] something more atmospheric chemistry related.”

As she continued with her research, Purvis-Roberts continued to travel for her work, doing environmental chemistry field work in Kazahkstan and Malaysia, as well as now in Thailand.

Her current project in Bangkok, Thailand is a partnership between students at the Claremont Colleges and graduate students at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi. “My students analyze the water and air quality of the canals, and then my colleague’s students, who are design students, design new kind of docks where electric boats could pull up in charge and pick up passengers to go on, kind of like a bus

system,” Purvis-Roberts explained.

She added how, at the end of the program, the collective of students presented their findings and designs over Zoom to people in Bangkok. Moving forward, they are analyzing the pollution in different areas of the city to observe how the location of one’s house could affect their air or water quality. “[My goal is] to get to know the people in that area and try to make a difference in their lives in some way if I can,” she said. “I think trying to use science to benefit people is one of my big goals too, in addition

humidity and what pollutants go in there,” she explained. “Then you can study three or four chemical reactions happening instead of the thousands that are going on in the chicken house.”

However, after the pandemic, travel restrictions have limited the expansion of that project and halted the procurement of new farm pollution samples. Instead, students in Purvis-Roberts’ lab are more focused on analyzing pollution data available online. PurvisRoberts said that her students are usually chemistry or environmen-

to learning cool science.”

Purvis-Roberts’ work located in the United States is also dedicated to environmental chemistry and pollution, specifically on farms.

With a team from UC Riverside in collaboration with the US Department of Agriculture, PurvisRoberts traveled around the country to dairy and poultry farms to measure the particulate matter in air pollution to identify its original source. Afterwards, they move to a lab at UC Riverside to analyze the processes associated with the particulate matter more closely.

“They have a big plastic bag, [which functions as] an environmental chamber, where you can control the temperature and the

Ellen Hu ‘24 • The Scripps Voice

tal science majors at Keck who have a strong background in general chemistry and an affinity for seeking out answers to complex questions.

“For example, I’m really interested [in] why there was air pollution in Chicago in the middle of summer that usually isn’t there,” Purvis-Roberts shared. So one student found out that there were all these wildfires up in northern Canada that were bringing all this air pollution out of the Midwest, and did some modeling around that.”

When asked about what values she thinks students shouldn’t underestimate in science, Purvis-

Roberts had a clear answer: creativity.

“Students sometimes think that they can’t really have that kind of creativity in the lab because they’re just learning things. But often they see the experiments and the overall goals of our labs in a different way than I do that can actually inform the way I think about the projects too.”

She expanded on this idea by expressing how much she enjoys working with students and looks forward to supporting them in their studies at Keck.

“I really like working with the students most,” she said. “That’s what gets me excited, when they’re excited when they get results for the first time. It’s super awesome.”

Purvis-Rober ts felt that her mentors really shaped her positive experience in STEM and helped guide her towards avenues she would not have considered otherwise. It was this experience that led her to teaching at a liberal arts college and developing the type of mentorship she hopes to have with her own students.

“Coming up with more mini projects that people can accomplish in the summer or in a senior thesis of the school year is a really strong goal for me,” she said.

Additionally, it is through mentorship that she hopes to inspire more women to pursue careers in STEM. Hearing the experiences of her mother in the 1960s compared to her education or that of her students shows promising changes in gender diversity in STEM, but she recognizes there are many ways it could improve.

“I think by getting students involved in research earlier or just to get them involved in science, we can help them see themselves as a scientist,” she reflected. “In Gen Chem, a few years ago, we implemented a program where we’d highlight a Black scientist every week so that you could actually see that all the white male scientists that are in the textbook are not necessarily the only ones out there.”

She hopes, however, that women students at Keck feel more represented, especially considering that 75% of the tenure track faculty in the chemistry department are women which, Purvis-Roberts points out, is “just unheard of.”

Ultimately, Purvis-Roberts strives to make a difference in her work and encourages students to keep an open mind about what they can do with science. “You have a lot of time left and you want to make sure that you’re doing what you want to do,” she said.“You don’t have to know what you’re doing right now.”

28 April 2023 • The Scripps Vo

TURE

Professor Amy Alemu Brings Interdisciplinary Approach to Scripps History Department

Sophie Folger ’26 Staff Writer

A

my Alemu is an Assistant Professor of History, currently in her second semester as a faculty member at Scripps.

Alemu’s work focuses on Ethiopian student activists organizing in response to revolution on U.S. campuses during the 1960s and 1970s.

Alemu was born and raised in Washington, D.C. and earned her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. As an undergrad, she was initially on the pre-med track. “I’ve been nostalgic for my pre-med classes,” Alemu said. “I do kind of miss multivariable calculus.”

She ended up switching her major to history after taking a history design studio course: a hands-on class that combined learning about history with practicing the field in multimedia forms.

“There’s no definitive moment, but there is a sort of creeping realization,” Alemu said. “Something that medical doctors and historians can share is a sense of the work as vocation, so, it’s a sense of being in tradition, being part of the legacy of people who have committed their lives to this pursuit.”

COVID-19 travel restrictions were put into place, so during the lockdowns she spent most of her time writing. The fellowship group she normally met with weekly to discuss their dissertations switched to virtual meetings, which Alemu found challenging. “I strongly believe that we need to be in community to produce good writing and good research,” she reflected.

After graduating from her

this class as “taking up what it means to do early historical work as a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary practice.”

For all her classes, Alemu uses both secondary and primary materials to teach themes and methods, often bringing her students to the Denison Library to do archival work. In her short time at Scripps, Alemu has been impressed by her colleagues and students and the unique 5C and 7C model.

oice • Volume XXXI • Issue Eight

Alemu is currently working on a book. It is a comparative study of what she calls the U.S. Cold War University, specifically, how it is being designed, built, and administered, and its relationship to student unrest in Ethiopia. Similar to her dissertation, the book covers student organizing and campus and university design in the 1960s and 1970s. Alemu will be submitting proposals to editors in the fall and looks forward to seeing how her book will be situated in conversation with other works in the field.

“Don’t be afraid to be bold in your choices.

Be bold in courses that inspire you and professors that inspire you.”

In her professional life, Alemu would like to make an impact and embrace tradition in a way that will extend past her generation. “I really want to de-exceptionalize Ethiopian history with respect to African Studies, to really promote connective histories among African and African diasporic histories, and to situate place, and situate built environment in global ’60s student protest,” she said. “I always do want to create connections for the next generation to build on this work, with a special interest in those who are maybe new to this idea or the possibility of this profession.”

“I really want to deexceptionalize Ethiopian history with respect to African Studies, to really promote connective histories among African and African diasporic histories.”

Af t er gradu at i n g, Al em u worked at a gallery doing digital media work and communicating exhibitions to public audiences. She then returned to Harvard, achieving a Ph.D. in African and African American Studies.

For her Ph.D. dissertation, Alemu studied Ethiopian and Eritrean student activists who would lead a revolution in Ethiopia in 1974, particularly their organizing at U.S. campuses during the 1960s and 1970s. This included researching Ethiopian and Eritrean leftism’s influences on black power concepts and thinkers and “trac[ing] those connected African diasporic traditions of leftism.”

Alemu had finished most of her archival research for her dissertation by the time

7

“I strongly believe that we need to be in community to produce good writing and good research”

Photo Courtesy of Scripps College

Ph.D. program, Alemu remained in Boston for a year and taught at Harvard in the Committee on Social Studies. She then joined the Scripps faculty last fall and taught a survey class in 20th century U.S. History and a seminar called Black International Politics.

This semester, Alemu teaches a Core 2 class on decolonization and a history seminar called Themes and Methods in African History. She described

“I look forward to planning a course that would be something like building the cold war university,” Alemu said. “It would be multidisciplinary, so it would be history, but it would also maybe be architectural design, it would be sciences of higher ed and administration, and then, because of my interests, it would also incorporate students and how students navigate those spaces.”

Extending her dissertation,

In her free time, Alemu enjoys watching television (she recently started watching The Last of Us), exercising, hiking in beautiful spots around the Claremont area, and having engaging conversations. She has some advice for Scripps students: “Don’t be afraid to be bold in your choices. Be bold in courses that inspire you and professors that inspire you, incorporate bold decisions...The idea of this kind of place and community is to learn without bounds, learn without limits.

And hold your friends close to you as well.”

Satire • 8

In Memoriam: Nina Howe-Goldstein, TSV Comedy Writer, Dead at 20

Aanji Sin, Belen Yudess, and TSV Staff Episcopalians, one and all

T

he Scripps Voice mourns the loss of satirist and columnist Nina Howe-Goldstein ’25, who died this Friday in what Campus Safety is calling a potential “three-way battle of wills between a human skull, a CMS football bro on an electric scooter, and the pavement.”

“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved writer,” said TSV Editor-in-Chief Aanji Sin ’24 in a pre-written statement dating back to 1998. “She died as she lived: flipping us the bird and yelling about the various moral failings of our student body.”

You know when a TV show ends a season but the writers clearly don’t know if they’re getting renewed or not? Yeah, that’s pretty much what’s happened here. Nina HoweGoldstein, bastion of Scripps College culture, has been accepted as a transfer student to such far-flung places as the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and is also still waiting on a few other places. She probably ain’t coming back, folks.

She is, in effect, deceased.

Howe-Goldstein was born in 2003 in Washington, D.C., an upbringing which she would later characterize as “like Guantanamo, but without the waterboarding.” In 2019, she gained international notoriety by winning the youth category of England’s national hand embroidery competition as an American (true story), attending the award ceremony in a bald eagle-patterned suit, and dumping tea Gatorade-style on the presenter when her name was

Isabel Suh ‘24 •The Scripps Voice

announced.

At Scripps, she devoted herself to the study of modern American history, embarking on a vast research project on housing inequality in her native Washington in the 1950s which was known to make listeners spontaneously gouge out their eyes after 10 minutes of Howe-Goldstein’s uninterrupted commentary. From Southern California, she maintained elaborate parasocial relationships with such public figures as Dr. Tony Fauci and Claremont McKenna Associate Professor of History Lisa Cody, whom she both baselessly dubbed “queer icons.”

Throughout much of her young adult life, she struggled with spurious allegations that she was secretly nonbinary on account of her ugly buzz cut, large earrings, colorful glasses, and strong white Aquarius energy. Howe-Goldstein publicly refuted the claims in a 20-minute, profanity-laden tirade delivered astride one of the seal fountains in Seal Court, in which she decried the “racial profiling” which led strangers to “they-them” her and baristas to assume she wanted oat milk in her tea lattes.

She informed the crowd that, if after death evidence is uncovered that she might have ever used they/them pronouns, they should assume it was planted evidence in a political assassination.

Campus Safety announced in a press conference this morning that (having completed a perfunctory investigation entirely by golf cart) they were investigating HoweGoldstein’s death as a possible

homicide. When asked if they had any suspects, a spokesperson for the department responded that, while many groups and community members had looked on her work with faint bemusement or annoyance — including, but not limited to, 5C InterVarsity, first love, Claremont Christian Fellowship, the Catholics, improv performers, actors, STEM majors, stoners, teetotallers, vegans, student athletes, Motley management, men, her friends’ boyfriends, and her ex-roommates — only Claremont’s approximately 4,832 shitty a cappella groups had sufficient motive to put out a hit on Howe-Goldstein, their most vocal critic.

Unfortunately, whether or not Campus Safety possesses the menacing police state power which student activists frequently claim it does, the assassination is likely to go unsolved. Howe-Goldstein’s murderer — who is believed to have distracted her with an ill-conceived performance of Sammy Rae and the Friends’ 2018 single “Kick It to Me” without any sort of musical accompaniment, leaving her vulnerable to electric scooter-based assault as she typed up an infuriated commentary for her Instagram story — seems poised to escape unpunished.

“I’m going to miss them,” said local commentator @tipsyscrippsie (’48) when reached for comment.

“When the wind changes direction, I can almost hear them complaining about the SAS bylaws.”

“Good fucking riddance,” said Mood Swing singer Riya Hariharan ’25 as she drove unspecified

scooter parts to an electronic waste disposal facility in San Bernadino County. “Another oppressor in the mud. Whoever ran them over — which I absolutely condemn, by the way — deserves the Amy MarcusNewhall Medal of Honor for standing up to the daily discrimination faced by a cappella singers.”

In a statement released by her family, they announced her funeral would take place on Friday, April 27 at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, and would be themed around two of her favorite local institutions, Deloitte and 5C Prison Abolition.

She will be buried with a collection of weapons, jewelry, history books, and 3D printers meant to convey to future archeologists that she was a revered feudal warlord who presided over a period of peace and technological innovation in the conflict-riddled foothills of Avii Kwatiinyam.

Instead of readings from the Bible (boring; done before) there will be several slam poetry excerpts from the much-defamed philosopher Olufemi Taiwo’s book Elite Capture.

Her coffin will be borne by a contingent of Motley barista pallbearers — so as they lower her into the grave, the coffeeshop can let her down one last time. After the funeral, her body will be placed inside her 2022 Honda CR-V hybrid (aka “The Beast”) and driven to Alumni Field, where it will be blown up with several pounds of C4.

In lieu of flowers, her family requests that donations be made to Pete Buttigieg’s 2024, 2028, 2032, 2036, and 2040 presidential campaigns.

28 April 2023 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXI • Issue Eight

Opinion • 9

An Addition to the Free Closet Could Broaden Its Environmental Justice

By Juliette Des Rosiers ‘26 Copy Editor Intern here is a special pride in graciously T accepting a compliment on an outfit with, “thank you, it’s thrifted.”

Looking to nurture Scripps’s thrift gods, the Scripps Student Sustainability Committee started the Scripps Free Closet sustainability initiative.

Yet, this project would be more impactful if it promoted a holistic, community-based approach to sustainability.

When the climate crisis time-bomb is ticking away, we cannot fall back on the comfortable reduce-reuse-recycle rhetoric of the 20th century. I am not here to argue that reducing clothing waste is not a worthwhile initiative when 17 million tons of textile waste is accumulated in the United States each year. However, I believe a Free Closet initiative can have a greater impact than simply collecting and trading used clothes.

The Free Closet aims to reduce textile waste by encouraging students to donate their clothes and shop from those of their peers. It opens every Tuesday in the Student Union from 7-9 p.m.

The Free Closet promotes sustainability by disrupting the consumer chain associated with cheap, exploitative fashion. Instead of throwing away their used clothes, Scrippsies are encouraged to donate their clothes and reroute them to a sustainable space. Students have equal opportunity to take advantage of free clothes rather than purchasing new pieces from brands that often have shameful environmental and labor practices.

The initiative achieves its sustainability goals by reducing waste and improving Scrippsies’ carbon footprint. I believe, though, that it could expand to support the communities around Claremont similar to other sustainability initiatives at Scripps.

On Instagram, the Scripps Student Sustainability Committee shared that they have redistributed 130 garments of clothing back into the Scripps community. However, the implication of

Ellen Hu ‘24 • The Scripps Voice

Ellen Hu ‘24 • The Scripps Voice ”redistribution” reinforces my main qualm with the Free Closet. At an elite institution that provides its students with a wide array of resources, this initiative is not redistribution, but simply keeping the same resources within the same group.

At Scripps College, students are taught about how institutions, both public and private, fail the people they are supposedly made to serve. Our Race & Ethnic and Women & Gender Studies General Education requirements exist to prioritize students interacting with critiques of these systems, as well as learning how to dismantle or improve them. I believe that this knowledge is a privilege in itself, since we have the luxury of learning about it from our classes rather

than lived experience. Therefore, we must take action and apply the critical teachings of these classes.

It is our responsibility to champion sustainability beyond simply reducing waste and examine how sustainability interacts with systems of power. Luckily, many of the initiatives fostered by the Scripps Student Sustainability Committee already recognize and implement these values of environmental justice and critical sustainability. For example, many environmental justice groups highlight the link between food deserts, industrial farming, poverty, and obesity. The Scripps Student Sustainability Committee sent a message to the school community on April 23 announcing their new initiative to reroute Malott’s food waste to a community garden in Ontario.

After successfully adding compost bins to Malott Dining Hall, the Scripps Student Sustainability Committee decided to take the initiative one positive step further. Instead of the compost waste from Malott being sent to a private, industrial processing facility, it will go to Huerta de Valle, a community farm that is dedicated to environmental justice education and combating unequal access to healthy food. This is a wonderful example of a Scripps initiative that improves sustainability on-campus and supports an invaluable organization to “form sustainable connections with the broader Inland Empire community, where we provide them with resources instead of extracting them,” according to the email.

Another example of a Sustainability Committee initiative that will have a positive social impact beyond campus is the in-the-works proposal to provide zero-waste alternatives for laundry detergent on campus. The hope is to partner with Generation Conscious, “a BIPOC-owned environmental justice startup devoted to providing college students with access to zero-waste, low-carbon laundry detergent”, according to a SASsy Newsletter announcement in early March. This initiative would provide students with a free, accessible, zerowaste detergent while simultaneously supporting the voices and initiatives of BIPOC entrepreneurs who are underrepresented in STEM policy fields.

Similar to the action taken with the Malott food waste or the piloted zero-waste laundry detergent, I hope

the Scripps Student Sustainability Committee can also take its Free Closet initiative one positive step further. Collecting clothes prevents single-use consumerism and disrupts the supply chain that contributes to textile waste. However, could these clothes benefit someone else?

I believe that there is a lot of value in supporting local organizations such as social justice initiatives or shelters that also often encounter obstacles to accessing resources and funds. These actions mean more than simply donating to Goodwill or Salvation Army, as you are supporting those in your local community rather than large, impersonal national or international organizations that can be less responsible and transparent.

Therefore, I encourage the Scripps Student Sustainability Community to consider expanding the Free Closet to include a clothing drive component that donates items to local shelters for women and gender-queer persons. This addition could work in tandem with the current, fruitful initiative and educate Scripps students on a holistic, justice-oriented approach to sustainability.

These donation locations could include the Pomona Pride Center, Crossroads Inc. in Claremont which supports previously incarcerated women, the Hope for Home Center in Pomona, or The House of Ruth in Pomona which shelters victims of domestic violence. Clothing that is not accepted to these shelters could be sold to Deelux or on-campus and the proceeds donated to these local organizations. Additionally, appropriate clothing could be given to the Queer Resource Center communal closet at Pomona College that promotes LBGTQ+ equity.

I do believe Free Closet does provide the opportunity for free clothes equally across the student body, a benefit that should not be eradicated.

I also believe the Sustainability Committee can add to the Free Closet to support surrounding communities in the inland empire who have less resources than Scripps and transform the already beneficial project into something with greater impact.

The committee can promote sustainability beyond composting, recycling, and rerouting clothes from landfills, similar to how other Committee sustainability initiatives expand beyond campus.

28 April 2023 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXIII • Issue Eight

Arts and Entertainment• 10

Across 3. Malott’s tropical fruit staple 5. Summer music festival that Frank Ocean dropped out of 9. Month celebrating LGBTQ+ history and visibility 12. Summer movie that takes place on a Greek island and stars Meryl Streep 13. Tropical tree right outside of Malott 14. Number of seconds in summer for Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood, Michael Clifford, and Ashton Irwin 15. Abbreviation for what Pomona College dorms don’t have 17. Summer days, drifting away, but oh, oh those summer…

19. Film of the century coming to theaters on July 21

21. Indonesian songwriter who wrote TikTok hit “Every Summertime” 23. “Summertime Sadness” singer 26. What college students apply to do over the summer 28. Some Scripps trees have this summer fruit 31. 2019 song of the summer 32. You can catch Scripps students doing this on the lawns on sunny days

Down 1. Ceremony for graduating seniors at the end of the school year 2. Disney Channel movie starring Ross Lynch 4. Author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series 6. Food at Malott every Saturday brunch 7. What science students do at Keck over the summer 8. When she’s drunk in the back of a car, and she’s crying like a baby coming home from the bar 10. Triangle-headed cartoon character that is making the most of his 104 days of summer vacation 11. Other movie coming to theaters on July 21 16. Glass Animals song; weather

phenomenon 18. Campfire dessert 20. June to July summer zodiac sign 22. Malott’s summer fruit staple 24. Lorde’s summer themed album named after a sustainable energy source 25. Day in June celebrating the emancipation of Black slaves 27. Abbreviation for where Scripps students live over the summer in Claremont 29. Only 5C to offer classes during the summer 30. Day in July featuring barbecues and fireworks

28 April 2023 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXI • Issue Eight

Arts and Entertainment • 11

Abbott Elementary is Bringing Realness On All Fronts

By Aviva V. Maxon ’24 Staff Writer

I

love sitcoms, probably more than the next person. Growing up watching Parks and Rec, The Office, and Arrested Development, my standards are pretty high. When I saw a new ABC sitcom, I was hesitant at first.

The sitcoms of the last few years have often fallen short, both in laughs and compelling storylines, but Abbott Elementary blew away all of my expectations.

One of my favorite aspects of Abbott Elementary is its realness. Unlike the dramedies and goofier sitcoms on TV currently, the situations and struggles are real and probable.

From complicated family relations, missed opportunities, and workplace romance to kids needing to use the bathroom all the time and teachers filling in so many other roles, Abbott portrays stories that feel real because they are. This is your official spoiler warning for seasons one and two of Abbott Elementary.

At the beginning of season one, we meet Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson), a second grade teacher starting her second year at Abbott Elementary. Alongside Janine, Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti) is the only teacher returning for a second year at the school. Substitute teacher Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams) is also introduced to the main cast after a teacher is fired in the first episode.

From the start, the show addresses the stresses and pressures on new teachers, particularly in underfunded public schools.

Janine and Jacob are optimistic and hopeful in ways that long-time teachers Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter) are not. They want to

make changes in the school and ask for more from the district while Barbara and Melissa hunker down and make do with what they have.

From the first episode, the cast had chemistry and felt comfortable together, which has taken other sitcoms multiple seasons to do. The jokes, laughs, and scenarios hit immediately out of the gate.

The relationship between Barbara and Melissa, who have both been teaching for at least 20 years, is particularly poignant. Barbara is an older Black woman who loves G-d, church, and her family. Melissa is an Italian-American with mob-esque connections, a baseball bat under her desk, and who knows how to hold a grudge. Both women are respected and valued by the students and other teachers.

Janine latches onto Barbara as a role model and mentor. Abbott is successful in showing the relationships and care between the characters from the beginning and the relationships only get stronger.

Another relationship the show spends a lot of time on is between Janine and her boyfriend, Tariq (Zack Fox). The two have been together since middle school, and break up in the season one finale. It is obvious to everyone else that Tariq is completely dependent on Janine, and the relationship is on Tariq’s terms, even though Janine pays 80% of the bills. Tariq did not grow up, and Janine accepted it.

Throughout the first season, we continuously see Tariq dropping the ball and Janine making up for it. In the end, when they break up after Janine decides to choose herself over him, the rest of the Abbott community

Crossword Answers Across 3. Pineapple 5. Coachella 9. Pride 12. Mamma Mia 13. Palm 14. Five 15. AC 17. Nights 19. Barbie 21. NIKI 23. Lana Del Rey 26. Internship 28. Grapefruit 31. Old Town Road 32. Tanning

Down 1. Commencement 2. Teen Beach Movie 4. Jenny Han 6. Acai 7. Research 8. Cruel 10. Phineas 11. Oppenheimer 16. Heat Waves 18. Smores 20. Cancer 22. Watermelon 24. Solar Power 25. Juneteenth 27. CCA 29. Pitzer 30. Fourth

Courtesy of Hulu supports her. Coming back for season two, Janine is still struggling from the breakup and the others support her, even helping pay her rent.

The breakup also makes room for the subtle romance between Janine and Gregory Eddie to bloom. They date other people, but still flirt and subtly move towards each other until they kiss halfway through season two.

Their relationship pauses there, but everyone knows it is going on; Janine and Gregory just do not know what to do yet.

This tension comes to the forefront in the season finale, where Janine decides she is not ready to be with Gregory yet. As a fan and a shipper, this was devastating, but also shows the depth of character. These characters are real people with real issues and are working to become better.

Beyond the excellent chemistry and storylines, Abbott Elementary portrays diversity and racial justice issues incredibly well. The majority of the main cast, students, and background characters are Black. The show deals with race and inequity but is not about either of those things.

Abbott is about a school — a school in a predominantly Black area that is underfunded. Abbott is just about Black people existing. The show does not demand anything of its charac-

ters, other than to be themselves, which is a departure from so many other shows with BIPOC main casts.

Jacob, one of the few white teachers in the school, is the character who explicitly talks about race the most.

He believes deeply in the work they are doing and in educating young minds. Jacob is corny, goofy, and hyper aware of being a white teacher in a Black school. He wants to use his position to improve the lives of his students and work towards a more equitable world.

The use of Jacob to talk about race is well done and allows the other characters to just exist as Black people, which inverts the traditional story narrative. Unlike shows starring Black people before Abbott that were targeted at Black people, Abbott is a show for everyone. That distinction from the network is a huge win for representation and media that actually shows all people.

Abbott Elementary is a comedy that gives you a whole range of emotions.

It is funny, serious, and real. Abbott is one of the best shows currently airing and is making so much progress for representation and diversity in media.

If you have not already, go watch Abbott Elementary. You will not be sorry.

12/10 gold stars.

28 April 2023 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXIII • Issue Eight

Column • 12

Summer of 2023 Horoscopes

By Izzy Silva ’24 Horoscope Columnist

Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 19) You are bold and adventurous, but one thing to improve on this summer is being bold and adventurous on your own. Go to a restaurant or to the movies alone. This is the summer to learn to love your own company!

Taurus (Apr 20 - May 20) I know the heat this summer may be unbearable. To deal, I suggest investing in one of those spray bottle and fan combos they sell at amusement parks.

This will also make people gravitate towards you even more – yay attention!

Gemini (May 21 - Jun 20) This summer will be a summer of great growth. You will grow in two ways: first a random growth spurt, and second you will learn even more jokes and level up as the ultimate comedian. Good luck!

Cancer (Jun 21 - Jul 22) This summer your inner child needs some love and caring. Take time to craft things that you used to love.

Maybe a little fairy house with teeny tiny little doors.

Leo (Jul 23 - Aug 22) This summer you will go camping.

On this trip, you will create a really good fire. You will roast the best s'mores of your entire life and feel the purest bliss you have ever felt.

Virgo (Aug 23 - Sep 22) This summer an album will be released that will change your life.

You will have finally found one that meets every single expectation for music you have ever had… and we know you are picky. Yay for you!

Libra (Sep 23 - Oct 22) This summer you will meet someone who inspires you to be more impulsive and take risks (safe ones, of course). Keep your eye open for any fire signs as they might be the ones to do so…

Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21) Get into scrapbooking this summer.

This will be something to help you stay grounded and keep hold of some special memories. It’s okay to be sappy sometimes!

Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21) This summer you will travel with no itinerary. Just rest and enjoy watching clouds, people, and the little moments.

You may also see a whale and you’ll be like, “Woah, that’s crazy!” Enjoy!

Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 19) This summer you will be in your bag.

I am so serious when I say you will be working very hard and earning lots of money, but be careful. Do not spend it all on pens… and notebooks… okay maybe you can get like two or three of each.

Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18) You will read many books this summer. You will find a quote in a book that really speaks to you. You will then tell everyone this quote, and that’s okay! It’s a little corny, but there is nothing wrong with that.

Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 20) I suggest that you take some time this summer to write poems, scripts, ideas for shows, etc. You have a creative side that sometimes needs a little encouragement. Well, here is your encouragement: GO DO IT! Write!

Predator

By Rebecca Allen ’25 Staff Writer In the summer in Palo Alto, we got drunk and high aimlessly and went night swimming in the neighbor’s pool to cool off.

We smoked and said daddy ironically and learned the freedom in buying a vintage leather jacket.

We cruised

Hope*

By Aviva V. Maxon ’24 Staff Writer

the neighborhood at night feeling the wind in our hair, the Stones blaring.

Soul words, and the warm perchesSings the sweetest and never asked Stops extremityMust be kept

I shared my last cigarette with you and made a wish.

It didn't come true.

“Hope” the strangest little GaleFeathers in tune with the chillest SeaSore on the land, heard in the storm That Bird, that abash so many, I’ve never without a crumb, -at allAnd yet, Heard it in me.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers

*This poem is a rearrangement of Emily Dickinson’s ‘“Hope’ is the thing with feathers”

28 April 2023 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXI • Issue Eight