Volume XXXV Issue 1 October 9 2026

9 October 2026

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Presence is Protest: Walkout for the Third Anniversary of Genocide in Palestine By Louisa Chiriboga ’29 and Phoebe Schwab ’29 Copy Editors

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n Wednesday, Oct. 7, the day that commemorated the third anniversary of the ongoing genocide in Palestine, the students of the 5Cs walked out of their classes at 10:07 a.m. to attend the People’s University Safety Program on Pitzer’s Commencement Plaza. The event was led by the Claremont chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and offered a variety of ways for students to involve themselves with activism. Programming took place from 10:07 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., including a lecture from Dr. Arón Montenegro, “From Turtle Island to Palestine, with Love” at 11:00 a.m. Montenegro, a former visiting assistant professor of global studies and Latinx studies at Pomona College who now teaches critical global studies at Pitzer, was arrested on account of trespassing on Pomona’s campus on Nov. 29, 2023. That day, Montenegro welcomed students to the Palestine “die-in,” a form of protest where participants lie down and enact being dead to evoke the imagery of the mass loss of Palestinian lives. The purpose of the die-in was to demand that the college divest from its $2.8 billion weapons endowment from manufacturers, while music with lyrics like “Free Palestine” and “Fuck the police” blasted in the background. On Dec. 2, 2023, Pomona President G. Gabrielle Starr emailed faculty to confirm that Montenegro had withdrawn from his role of instruction at Pomona College. Prior to Montenegro’s speech, students were spread out across the grass at different tables. Many students sat in the grass and painted protest signs, with messages like “From the River to the Sea” and “The 5Cs are Complicit in Genocide,” with red, white, green, and black and watermelon iconography. There were tents set up for making pins for proPalestine advocacy and urgent messaging for the colleges to participate in the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement, as well as for purchasing keffiyehs with the proceeds going to a Palestinian business in Anaheim, CA. On the side of the tent with paints, there was a cloth sign with three

Phoebe Schwab ’29 • The Scripps Voice

straightforward demands written in red paint to the Claremont Colleges in regard to their expected role in opposing the genocide: Disclose and divest Scholarship fund Stop the repression These demands largely refer to students’ desire to remove their colleges’ investment in weaponry companies and negative responses to student protest work. Namely, during the Oct. 2024 Claremont Colleges divestment walkout and Carnegie Hall Takeover, Pomona responded with the suspension of 12 Pomona students and the banning of 36 non-Pomona students from their campus. Students also spent the first hour drawing messages on the sidewalk in chalk, such as “Israel bombs, Pitzer pays,” and paying vigil to Palestinian individuals killed by Israeli forces. Their faces and stories were printed on sheets of paper, laid out on a keffiyeh atop the grassy lawn with tea candles. Individuals featured ranged from a new engineering graduate engaged to be married named Mohammed Abdelhakim to a seven-year-old boy named Mohammed Aqil who was killed as a result of Israel’s bombardment of the Al-Burij refugee camp. Student safety was prioritized at the event. Due to the extreme heat,

students accessed bottles of water and snacks via a water cooler. Additionally, student leaders in yellow vests were stationed as safety resources for program participants with concerns. Resources were provided by the SJP to supplement the experience. Two zines were given to protesters by Dr. Montenegro, one of which gave background on him, his case, and how to support the cause. The second contained Palestinian poems used in Dr. Montenegro’s global studies protest class. A third zine was provided by SJP regarding safety at the protest. Peaceful protest activities were also available, including button making, poster painting, and chalk, with all materials provided. After Dr. Montenegro’s portion of the People’s University Safety programming, SJP hosted a Palestine 101 information session, followed by a Pomona Settlement Talk, a critical mass surveillance teach-in, an ecocide teach-in organized by 5C Environmental Justice organization (5CEJ), and a poetry reading. Due to previous incidents with students’ peaceful protesting, including forced leaves of absence, hostile administrative emails, and silencing of students’ voices, the entire event was on edge. Protest-goers were en-

couraged to wear masks, provided by SJP’s safety team, and leave their phones and student ID cards at home. If students needed their phones at the protest, they were encouraged to stay off of the campus WiFi and disable Face ID. All of these security measures were created in response to the administration’s mishandling of previous protests. Safety zines were handed out by the SJP safety team, including a page about group liability. It states, “Any individual acting in a non-peaceful or disruptive manner, whether they are acting individually or within a group, may be charged on the basis of the individual’s or group’s behavior with a violation of this policy.” Unfortunately, because of past protests, students were incredibly wary of being photographed, questioned, or even speaking aloud. As stated on the zine, “Presence is participation.” Students ran the risk of suspension, academic probation, and even legal action, just by showing up to the People’s University. Therefore, students were incredibly wary of talking to any news sources. SJP members told reporters that they had agreed to deny interviews beforehand, but they mentioned that their official statement would be made available in time.

Billie Lee, Trans-Advocate, Speaks at Scripps Presents

A Recurring Issue with the Core Curriculum Summer Reading

34 Questions to Fall Into Deep Friendship at Scripps

IN THIS ISSUE SAS Restructures Senate into Committees

1030 Columbia Avenue | Claremont, CA 91711 | @scrippsvoice | scrippsvoice@gmail.com | Volume XXXV | Issue One

2 • News

Back 2 Skool: The Motley Opens Its Doors to a New Year of Coffee and Community

By Anna Grez ’27 Design Editor

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n Sept. 18, hundreds of students attended the Motley Coffeehouse’s opening party. Each semester, the Motley reopens its doors a few weeks into the term. The weeks off allow the beloved coffee shop to hire new baristas, train and retrain staff, and to prepare for the beginning-of-semester rush. While students patiently await their favorite study space and its familiar – and necessary – caffeine sources, the Motley’s managerial team is hard at work planning the night which marks their return to business. The Motley opening party has been a part of the coffee shop’s canon for years. “I don’t have a good idea of how long [the Motley has hosted opening parties,] but definitely more than 10 to 15 years,” said Special Product Manager Karina Hernandez ’27. Current seniors may remember “The Motrix” opening party on Sept. 15, 2023. This opening was the first to use a pun on the word “Motley,” based on the archives of the Motley’s Instagram, @motleycoffee. The theme for the opening party of spring 2023 was “Jopening,” inviting students to don a Canadian tuxedo in celebration of opening night. Since “The Motrix,” other Motley opening themes have included “Motburn,” “Motagascar,” “Masc, Mask, Motsquerade,” “Motgun Wedding,” and “Motwrecked.” Themes are traditionally announced via the Motley’s Instagram a few days before the party. This year, the post described two connecting themes: “MOpen15” – a play on the comedy TV series Pen15 – and “Back 2 Skool.” Posted only three days before the event was set to occur, the Instagram announcement stated: “WELCOME TO MOTLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL.” The date and time were also included, but dress inspiration and drink menus were only teased. The theme idea was pitched to the Motley team by Edith Corrigan Conaty ’29, community engagement manager. “I was on TikTok and saw an edit of Anna and Maya, [the protagonists of Pen15,] and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this would be so good as the opening theme.’ And then I was like, ‘Wait, ‘MOpen15’ – that’s literally perfect,” said Corrigan Conaty. The following day, @motleycoffee posted again, this time releasing an Instagram Reel to tease the event. The video was directed by Phoebe Baker ’28, a Barista Lead at the Motley. “We don’t always do teaser videos, but they had that idea this year, and I got really excited,” Baker said. The video begins by zooming in on a fallen sanitary pad on the floor, with the date and time of the MOpen15 party written on the item. Drawing on inspiration from the awkwardness of middle school, the baristas starring in the production wear backward baseball caps and braces, and a crumpledup note is thrown at one of the actors to reveal the name of the event.

Photo courtesy of Mady Chung Lee ’27

“One random night, we got [Motley employees to gather at] the Humanities building and then we filmed for an hour, and then I went home and immediately edited it,” said Baker. “I had so much homework that night, but I was like, ‘This is the only thing I can think about.’” The Motley’s next Instagram post offered outfit inspiration: backpacks, braces, stripes, accessories. Maya and Anna, the leading characters of Pen15, were also suggested as inspirations for the vibe of the event. “I loved the universality that us baristas had in the awkwardness that middle school embodies,” said Hernandez. Sept. 18 at 10 p.m., the Motley’s doors opened for the first time since May. The inside of the cafe was decorated from floor to ceiling. A disco ball, hanging shiny decorations, and emoji-shaped balloons glittered above the dance floor. On the walls, decorations DIY’d by the Motley team included a cardboard cutout of Pen15’s Maya and Anna and a large calculator with “80085” typed on its screen. Motley baristas’ own middle school photos were posted by the bar. The Motley’s primary space was transformed from its typical arrangement of tables, chairs, and comfy sofas. The furniture was pushed to the sides of the room to make space for a large dance floor where students moshed, sang, and partied to middle school classics. “The theme had a big joke-y element to it, and I feel like that just made it way more relaxed and laid back and unserious. Our decorations were falling off the walls, the paper chains were hitting people’s heads by the middle of the night. I feel like that’s just so middle school-core,” said Corigan Conaty. Being a coffee shop first and foremost, the night’s drinks were highly anticipated, having been announced the previous day on Instagram. A drink committee designed each drink to match the theme. “We met, and we were just bouncing ideas of random things, and then

we came up with the menu [items],” said Baker. The drink menu drew inspiration from Pen15. The “Creamy Pen15ade”, a Brazilian limeade topped with special sprinkles, was a favorite. Also offered were “Flymiamibro’s Juul”, a “Miami Mint” and mango Italian soda; the “Babyspice666”, a ginger cardamom oat milk latte with cinnamon cold foam; and the “Bloody Maya,” consisting of cherry cranberry soda with strawberry “clots.” A line of students waiting for drinks wound through the Motley’s lobby and twisted through Seal Court, spanning all the way to the bathrooms at the opposite end of the courtyard at times. Baristas manning the event whipped up the four themed drinks until the bar closed around 11:30 p.m. Part of Corrgian Conaty’s role as community engagement manager was planning the music for the opening party. “We wanted the DJs for the opening event to fit with the middle school vibe more and play throwback songs. I felt like it went with the lights and the overall joke of what was going on,” said Corrigan Conaty. The event had two DJs: DJ luvbug and DJ L3N1. In homage to middle school dances, the music lineup included a fair number of slow songs, including “All of Me,” by John Legend. “[The DJs] both killed it,” said Corrigan Conaty. Current four-year students at the 5Cs attended middle school between 2016 and 2022. Attendees’ outfits drew inspiration from their own middle school styles as well as the theme direction towards the style seen in Pen15, set in 2000. People wore plaid Bermuda shorts, T-shirts tied with a hair tie at the waist, polo shirts, and barrettes. “I wore a Troy Bolton shirt and leggings with long white socks over them and a high ponytail. It was very accurate,” said Baker. “I was able to wear my signature look, which was leggings under shorts and a graphic tee, so I definitely felt like I was my middle school self again,” said Hernandez.

At 10:55 p.m., the fire alarm went off, despite no fire occurring. People cleared the dance floor and into the already-full Seal Court. Groups meandered to Elm Tree Lawn, avoiding the timer-controlled sprinklers, which went off shortly after the migration. Motley managers called Campus Safety, who disarmed the fire alarms. At 11:08 p.m., people were permitted to enter the space again. The fire alarm went off one more time shortly after, but with assurance from Campus Safety that it was safe to continue the event, the party restarted. The alarm turned off on its own shortly after. Despite having to stand in the cold outside of the party for 15 minutes, the opening party quickly regained lost momentum. “Everyone just went outside and then came back in. It was lowkey cute,” said Baker. Managers and party-goers alike were excited that the false alarm did not end the party. “My perception of [people’s return] is that they were having fun, that they did feel welcome in the space. Obviously there are other options for that night. Knowing that they stuck it out, that’s super meaningful for sure,” said Corrigan Conaty. “The Motley parties are so fun because we get to be in this space in a different context, and we’re not just doing homework or whatever. We are actually having fun. It’s awesome, and I think it’s great that a lot of people stayed because we did put a lot of work into decorating and the drinks and the video. It’s nice to be supported by the rest of Scripps,” said Baker. At 1 a.m., MOpen15 ended. “Everything about the night was so middle school. I was like, ‘If there is something that goes wrong, that’s just so middle school’,” said Corrigan Conaty. After party-goers left the space, the Motley managerial team took charge of cleaning up. The Motley team spent Saturday, Sept. 19, deep-cleaning the space before the official opening day: Sept. 20.

9 October 2026 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXV • Issue One

News • 3

Pipe Down! The Week-long Humanities Building Closure and Reopening By Margaret Graham ’29 Staff Writer

n Sept. 5, a mass email hit the O inbox of Scripps students citing a temporary leak and ‘Humanities

Building closure’ — three humanities classrooms were temporarily closed, and water service in the Edwards and Miller wing was shut off. According to the email, the incident occurred at about 5 p.m. when a water line in a second-floor bathroom burst, affecting not only classrooms, but also restrooms, utility closets, and art storage spaces. Immediately, the school called in facility vendors to begin restorations. Despite the incident occurring on Labor Day weekend, the facility team responded almost immediately and was able to mitigate the situation within 12 hours, therefore salvaging all the artwork in storage that faced a risk of water damage. The Edwards Humanities Building, built in 1970 as a stylistic nod to 1920s Mediterranean architecture, serves as the primary classroom building for the interdisciplinary Humanities Program. Over the years, the building has undergone sig-

nificant upgrades, including a 2018 structural engineering addition to reinforce frameworks from potential damage in the 1970’s. However, no significant plumbing or architectural problems have since affected the building. After the initial email on Sept. 5, a subsequent message was sent out on Sept. 7 concerning approximate dates for classroom reopenings and alternative classroom spaces. Two of the three affected classrooms were scheduled to reopen Monday, Sept. 14, but continuous efforts were in place to work towards a sooner reopening. Initially, faculty hoped that one classroom would reopen as soon as Sept. 8; however, an additional week of closure was required. Students walking to their classes in the Humanities building cited seeing large patches of water covering massive areas on the first floor and active construction for the weeks during repairs; however, the specifics remained rather ambiguous, even as construction sounds persisted. This incident highlighted logistical challenges that can arise when one building is the active center of campus; the leak affected not only physi-

cal spaces but also electrical infrastructure, so areas had to be dried, assessed, and repaired before line restorations could begin, especially in the storage units that were affected. The college’s updates indicated that the restoration process occurred in stages rather than through a single reopening. This phased approach allowed facilities teams to continue addressing affected areas while other portions of the building became accessible again. For students and faculty, the closure meant more than just relocated classes and a slight adjustment, as intermittent construction noises continued to disrupt opened classrooms for the days of repair. The school worked to provide constant updates and communications to students, ensuring that significant progress was being made daily. The college did not provide a detailed estimate of the cost of the water damage or repairs, nor did they identify the specific cause of the second-floor water line failure. These unanswered questions leave the full scope of the incident unclear. Considering that the incident happened within the first full week of

school, classroom availability and consistency play a critical role in establishing a steady class routine and understanding of campus and classroom layout, especially for first-year students. But the consistent email communication helped inform students about reopening schedules, where additional restrooms could be found, and thanked students for their patience and understanding With repairs now complete, the Humanities Building has returned to normal operations. Classrooms, restrooms, and other affected spaces have reopened, allowing students and faculty to return to their usual routines. While the closure was temporary, the incident demonstrated how quickly an unexpected facilities problem can affect academic spaces and everyday campus life. What began with a broken water line in a second-floor restroom ultimately required days of repairs, safety assessments and adjustments across the building. Now, with the damage addressed and the building fully reopened, the Humanities Building has returned to being a familiar and functioning part of daily life at Scripps.

SAS Restructures Senate Into Committees to Improve Communication

By Annabelle Lee ’30 Staff Writer

new year at Scripps means new A changes — SAS is restructuring the Senate and introducing three

new committees: Diversity & Inclusion, Sustainability, and Transparency & Outreach committees, respectively. As described by Executive Vice President (EVP) Sammy Natesan ’27, the Senate is intended to serve as a bridge between the student body and the student government. However, despite its purpose, the Senate has historically struggled to adequately communicate with the student body. “[Senate] has made a resource map before, with all of the resources, clubs, and organizations Scripps has on campus,” Natesan said. “But these things aren’t well known. Even in my four years at Scripps, I only found out about [these resources] because I was a member of SAS.” In response, former EVP Rebecca Yao ’26 brought forth an idea during the 2025-26 spring semester: having different committees within the senate that work directly with another SAS position. For example, the newly formed Diversity & Inclusion Committee works closely with the SAS Diversity & Inclusion Chair. Previously, the EVP would send out an application form to all students who wanted to be involved in student government. The EVP would then pick about 15 to 20 students and separate them into groups according to their interests to work within the Senate. This placed substantial responsibility in the hands of the EVP role, who connected the different groups with parts of admin. However, the EVP, according to Natesan, often did not have these necessary connections because they did not specialize in the area of each admin or of the groups. Essentially, the Senate was a large group that, despite their best interests, worked separately from SAS, which negatively affected communication between the two groups. “I feel like admin doesn’t engage

Photo courtesy of Tomi Jinks ’26

with Senate as much as they do with the SAS group,” Natesan said. “A lot of amazing changes pushed by [Senate members] didn’t really come to fruition because we felt like we weren’t able to connect with the right people.” The new change in Senate committee structure attempts to address this issue. Rather than the separate groups all asking the EVP for admin contacts, committee members can reach out directly to their respective chairs, who each have their respective admin contacts. And now, chairs can rely on the support of their committees for larger-scale projects that wouldn’t be feasible for them to pull off alone. “Now, I can connect students with the people they need,” Natesan said. “I can connect people interested in sustainability with the Sustainability Chair. I can connect people interested in diversity and inclusion with the Diversity & Inclusion Chair.” Now, activity is already bubbling within the committees. Vita Santa Cruz ’29, chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, is working with her committee to do more activities for heritage months. Junee Manand-

har ’27, the chair of the Sustainability committee, wants to work with environmental professors across the 5C’s and community partners as well. As for the Transparency & Outreach Committee, co-led by Natesan and SAS Secretary Amanda Forte ’29, they are hoping to improve Scripps’s social media presence. “Pitzer’s Instagram posts are like, ‘This student got a Fulbright award,’ or ‘This student did this internship,’” Natesan said. “And Scripps is like, ‘Look at the squirrels.’” “We’re thinking of having the SAS Instagram focus more on highlighting student achievements,” Forte said. “We want to make it more student-focused and not just about what event is happening this week.” Although the change is being implemented successfully so far, Natesan was initially hesitant about dividing up senate. The “one big group” aspect of Senate had caused communication issues, but its strength lay in the resulting strong community network. “If we separate Senate into different committees, of course, they’ll still be interconnected,” Natesan

said. “But will Senate still feel like a hub for student leadership?” Her plan to keep the community aspect of Senate means that members will be expected to show up to all committee meetings, even if their expertise does not lie in that meeting’s specific topic. In this way, future EVPs will not be stepping back entirely from managing all of the sub-groups of senate. Natesan said she also hopes to hold events where SAS students, including Senate, can form closer bonds. With these changes addressing communication issues, Natesan hopes that this will help improve efficiency and allow for the student government to make more of their ideas reality. Based on how this pilot year with the new senate system goes, the student government will make more changes to the system as needed next year. “We care about what you think, and we want to hear student feedback,” Natesan said. “We have tons of diverse perspectives in the Senate room, but it’s never going to beat the diversity of Scripps as a whole. I want this change to be an open conversation.”

9 October 2026 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXV • Issue One

4 • Feature

How to Plan (and Shut Down) a Scripps Party

Evelyn Cantwell ’28 • The Scripps Voice

By Charlotte Korer ’27 Editor-in-Chief

n Sept. 12, Scripps hosted O Eurobash, the first SASorganized party of the year.

Eurobash featured blacklight face paint, a DJ booth, and a dance floor. The Claremont Police Department subsequently shut down the party after receiving a noise disturbance call from a Claremont residence at 12:30 a.m. I chatted with Evelyn Cantwell ’28, 5C events co-chair, to learn what goes into planning a party for the Scripps community. Q: How did the Eurobash party come about? We had so much fun planning the Scripps Eurobash Party! Avni [Kalia ’28, 5C events cochair] and I started planning this in May, submitted our proposal in early July, and then we made it happen! The really cool thing about Eurobash is that it is an institutional tradition. Starting in the late ’90s, Eurobash went by a slightly different name, but was hosted annually at Scripps, and it was Scripps’s biggest party of the year, but it died just before COVID. We did some digging, and we decided to bring it back! What a fun theme. With Zara Larsson and Eurosummer trending, this period of dance music is having a big comeback. So we decided to throw a Eurodance party. Q: What is the value of a Scripps party? We want to bring Scripps nightlife back. Scripps is not known to be a party campus. We have a very quiet, quaint, historically-protected campus. We want to make sure that Scripps students get themes and features that they love, and obviously the other 5Cs are welcome too. We tried to cater mainly to Scrippsies first and foremost, giving them priority wristbands. Creating vibrant life on Scripps campus is really important. Avni and I believe

that shared values come from shared experiences, and those shared values are the foundation of community. We want to give students as many opportunities as possible to connect and dance together and find joy. That’s what builds Scripps’s community. Joy is powerful. Q: How did Eurobash go? I think we had a pretty solid turnout. It was maybe the earliest I’ve ever seen that many people come to a party. It was pretty busy early on, which was really, really fun. A lot of people with blacklight face paint, and passing the giant inflatable bubbles around. People were smiling and that made us happy. It wasn’t crazy-packed towards the end, as we were turning the sound up and down with the noise complaint. So we lost some attendees, but overall, we’re pretty happy with how it turned out. Q: What goes into planning a Scripps party? The Office of Student Engagement (OSE) requires us to submit our event proposal, which includes a detailed layout, all of the event features, Emergency Medical Services, restrooms, and our projected budget. How many Campus Safety officers and how many people we are expecting to have at the party need to be known ten weeks in advance. We then communicate with the Offices of Risk Management, Facilities, Grounds, and Public Events to coordinate approval of all of our different event elements, make sure that we can actually get the date and the venue, and have the staff available. We make sure that nothing threatens the sprinklers in the grass and make sure that we don’t need waivers for attendees. So we talk about all of the different levels of risk with Risk Management to figure out how to make it the safest party for everyone. There are a lot of different things we have

to consider. We have to have Emergency Medical Services on site. We have to make sure that staging is compliant and that wristbands are secure, and that we have enough campus safety officers per person. So there are hours and hours of work that go into just proposing the initial event. Then we eventually do a walkthrough with all of these stakeholders that I mentioned, usually two weeks in advance of the party. Amid all of this, Avni and I are ordering decor and designing posters and wristbands and coordinating with volunteers. Then right up to the day of, it’s an all-hands-on-deck weekend; we wake up early in the morning. to make sure that fencing arrives on time. We don’t get to go to sleep until 4 a.m. because we have to put the bollards blocking car access to campus down when the night’s over. But we have SAS volunteers to help, which is really great. Q: Where does the funding for Scripps parties come from? Our funding comes from student fees, so all different SAS position budgets are allocated from a pool of student fees, which is a small portion of our tuition, essentially. Those go to the school, the school gives them to SAS, and we tell our finance executives how much money we need for the events. We budget very, very carefully. The wristband funds just go to paying for the party. Those help us pay for DJs, water, and pizza. Q: What happened with the Claremont Police Department shutting down the party? We got a noise complaint from a Claremont resident, which prompted cops to show up. They spoke to Jessica Nelson, Area Coordinator for Student Engagement, and Winnie Bee, Assistant Director of Student Engagement at the Office of Student Engagement (OSE). Nelson tried to negotiate with them, and we turned the sound

down significantly, but, unfortunately, they said it wasn’t enough and that if we didn’t shut down the party immediately and turn off all sound, OSE would receive a $1,000 or more fine or Nelson and Bee would be arrested. That was the point that we shut it down, which was a bummer; nobody got to hear all the greatest hits that come on at the end of the night. Campus Safety doesn’t have the authority to shut down an approved party unless something really dangerous is happening or somebody gets hurt. When a resident of Claremont calls in a noise complaint, that’s under city code. The police have to show up, and then they have a choice about what they get to do next – whether or not to allow us to turn the sound down and proceed, or to shut it down directly. Their discretion was just to shut it down. Q: What message do you have for the Scripps student body? Big things are coming for Halloween. We’re partnering with Pomona, so it’s gonna be an epic Pomona Events Committee-SAS collaboration!

TSV Editorial Staff 2026-2027 Charlotte Korer ’27 Editor-in-Chief Clara Ann Bagnoli ’28 Editor-in-Chief Louisa Chiriboga ’29 Copy Editor Phoebe Schwab ’29 Copy Editor Jiwoo Lee ’29 Copy Editor Sophie Mirza ’30 Copy Editor Norah Schwimmer ’30 Copy Editor Intern Claire Williams ’30 Copy Editor Intern Cecily Hauser ’30 Copy Editor Intern Sammy Song ’30 Copy Editor Intern Yeneisy Morocho ’29 Copy Editor Intern Hannah Fawley ’27 Head Design Editor Anna Grez ’27 Design Editor Ava Li ’29 Design Editor Margaret Judge ’29 Design Editor Lucy Heyd ’30 Design Editor Intern Elizabeth Clark ’27 Social Media Manager Genevieve Lagrant ’28 Webmaster

9 October 2026 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXV • Issue One

Feature • 5

Billie Lee, Trans-Advocate, Speaks at Scripps Presents By Katelyn Sewell ’27 Staff Writer

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n Sept. 22, Scripps Presents hosted transgender activist and comedian Billie Lee to speak and share excerpts from her book, Why Are You So Sensitive? Navigating Everyday, Unintended Microaggressions. The book is co-authored by Dr. Gina C. Torino, a psychologist and microaggressions expert. The book covers microaggressions from a variety of perspectives and discusses what we can do about them. Dr. Torino’s contribution to the book comes in the form of insightful analysis in which she additionally provides tools and helpful resources in response to handling microaggressions. The inspiration for Lee’s book came from her years in Los Angeles after coming out as transgender. Lee noticed a pattern of compliments that didn’t really feel like compliments from those who knew of her trans identity. One such comment included, “You look better than me, and I’m a real woman.” Even though she knew the microaggressions came from good intentions, she validated how painful they could be. Lee wasn’t always a public figure in the trans community. She grew up in Indiana and graduated from an Illinois broadcasting academy with her radio, TV, and film degree before making the decision to move to California.

Lee got her start in the industry and gained popularity when she joined Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules in 2018 – a reality TV show following the chaotic personal and professional lives of the staff at Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant in West Hollywood. After joining the cast as a hostess at Sexy Unique Restaurant (SUR), she went on to become the show’s first openly transgender cast member. During her talk, Lee discussed the impact of her decision to join the reality TV show. Prior to the show, she owned an organic cafe where she cultivated a vibrant business for two years before selling. This was also where Lee made her decision to tell the world she was transgender. Lee further stated that prior to coming out as trans, she was living her life in “stealth.” She was prompted to come out when regulars at her cafe had made transphobic comments. Lee realized her “community was under attack,” and wanted to put her voice into the conversation by starting a blog about her own experiences navigating her trans identity. Lee’s blog quickly gained popularity, which brought Vanderpump Rules casting to her door. Later, in the Q&A portion of her talk, Lee answered a few questions about her time after Vanderpump Rules. In answering the question about whether or not she was still friends with former

castmates, she said it had been many years since speaking with them. Furthermore, Lee talked about how exhausting the show had been for her, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Call times beginning in the early hours of the morning, and ending late into the evening. Lee even recalled the burden of the show calling her at any given time, outside of her call times, requiring her to come to set so they could get her reaction to an incident. Lee spoke of the double-edged sword that was her experience on Vanderpump Rules. While national television brought her broader visibility, Lee also found herself and her identity being minimized to her trans-identity for plotline sake. She spoke candidly of the whirlwind that was the false narratives that the Bravo hit created about her. “Who the fuck did I just watch on my TV?”, were akin to texts Lee received from long-time friends who seemingly didn’t recognize the person Lee was depicted as in the drama series. While the show gave Lee a platform, it also demonstrated how poorly equipped mainstream television was and is at handling highly nuanced marginalized experiences. Lee continued the talk by reading out a few chapters from her book. The chapters were compiled of her own perspectives mixed with friends of

hers. The excerpts detailed personal experiences varying from her childhood in Indiana battling an unaccepting environment to her transitioning process that took place in “Thailand to get [her] vagina and boobs done.” Additionally, stories like Joecelyn Mondragon-Rosas's, a friend of Lee’s and disability advocate, were included. Mondragon-Rosas's story described the microaggressions she received from the public, such as, “I don’t know how you get up with a smile every day.” The Scripps Presents event concluded with an open Q&A where Scripps students and community members engaged directly with Lee. Her answers and interactions highlighted the navigation of microaggressions within progressive spaces while seamlessly integrating humor with her inspiring honesty. Now, Lee travels the country as a stand-up comedian, continuing to use her platform to advocate for the trans community and to educate about microaggressions. Lee’s comedy demonstrates how humor can serve as a survival mechanism and a disarming tool for complex conversations. Her Scripps Presents talk engages with highly salient dialogue surrounding a variety of communities and the microaggressions they suffer, encouraging us to learn to be better, more compassionate people within a community.

Scripps Floats Into Fall With Flick & Float By Margaret Judge ’29 Design Editor

T

he sun had barely dipped below the horizon on Friday, Sept. 25, when the first Pitch Perfect quote echoed across the pool deck. Some students arrived in swimsuits. Others showed up bundled in pajamas, blankets draped over their shoulders, ready to watch the movie from the comfort of deck chairs. Scripps College's Office of Student Engagement (OSE) hosted its bi-annual Flick & Float at the Tiernan Field House pool at 7 p.m., screening Pitch Perfect for students who wanted to swim, lounge, or enjoy some snacks. The event gave Scripps students a low-key way to settle into the semester. The weather cooperated, with mild temperatures that held up well! Unlike last year, each Scripps student could bring a guest, which resulted in a larger crowd than the year before. In the days before the event, OSE asked students through email to choose the movie, and Pitch Perfect – a 2012 comedy that follows a college a cappella group through a national competition – came out on top. Students who read through all their emails (which I assume is very few) could cast their vote and see the result before the night arrived, which built some anticipation for the screening. But with the turnout, I might have to reconsider my earlier assumption. Maybe Scrippsies do check their email! Students picked the film themselves, and, as a result, the crowd arrived already invested and ready to enjoy. By the time the sky turned orange, the pool deck was full! Students claimed

spots in a mix of seating options, including the standard green sun loungers and the Levitt on the Lawn chairs that were originally provided by Scripps alumna Liz Levitt Hirsch ’74. The line for the provided Chipotle stretched along the edge of the deck. It moved quickly, and the free tacos drew a steady stream of students through the night – the lifeguards even took some home! The food was free for everyone who attended, and students filled their plates and carried them back to their spots among the towels and pool floats. One student even admitted they came just for the burritos. Others arrived with the water in mind. The pool was warm enough that students could stay in through the entire movie, and the evening air stayed mild as the sun went down. The water temperature was just right, neither a shock when students first stepped in nor too warm to enjoy as the night cooled off. Because the movie started at 7 p.m., students watched the sky fade from orange to dark while the projector screen grew brighter against the water. Even those who skipped the pool stayed comfortable on the deck for the whole film. The pool was filled with floats in every shape, including donuts, sharks, and watermelons. The floats drifted across the surface throughout the film, and students traded them back and forth. The setup let everyone choose how much of the night to spend in the water. Some floated on their stomachs and watched the screen overhead. Others stayed curled up in hoodies and sweatpants, and a few moved between the two as the movie went on.

The crowd became part of the soundtrack! Many times throughout the movie, the loudest sound over the projector speakers was students singing along. I will say they did not disappoint because when the Barden Bellas hit their big numbers, the crowd laughed and sang, and the chorus echoed across the pool deck. The guest policy marked a change from last semester, when OSE screened How to Train Your Dragon (live action) and Scripps students couldn’t bring a guest. Alex Wede ’28 said that screening drew far fewer students, and the new policy likely played a role in this year's turnout. For some students, the guest policy was the draw, since it allowed them to invite a friend from another campus or a roommate who might not have heard about the event otherwise. The change let the event reach beyond Scripps students alone, and the crowd reflected it. OSE hosts Flick & Float every semester to give students a place to connect

and a little break from the abundance of coursework. Hosting it earlier in the fall gave students a chance to catch their breath before midterms picked up. Students who attended said the night offered something different from a typical week on campus. "I'll be honest, I came for the Chipotle. But then everyone started singing 'Cups' and I forgot I was even hungry," Parker Jones ’29 said. For almost everyone, the night was simply a reason to be outside on a warm evening. As the credits rolled and the pool lights came on, students gathered their towels and shoes to walk back across campus in the dark. With damp towels draped over arms, chatter followed students across campus. OSE announces its events on its Instagram account, @scrippscollegeose, where students can find details about upcoming programs and votes like the one that picked this year's movie. Students who want a say in future events can follow the account for the next vote.

9 October 2026 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXV • Issue One

Ava Li '29 • The Scripps Voice

OPIN

6

The Scripps Standard: Why Women’s Colleges Are the Guiding Light for Campus Toxicity

By Sophie Frye ’23 Scripps Alumna

s higher education reaches a A breaking point over the persistent crisis of campus sexual violence, the recent Cornell 7 lawsuit exposes an alarming toxicity in college campus culture. The civil lawsuit filed by Jane Doe, an anonymous student at Cornell University, details an incident in which an alleged multi-hour assault was casually broadcast in the Chi Phi fraternity group chat like a spectator sport. In response to students‘ outrage, administrators across the country have issued empty statements about culture shifts and promised new task forces. Cornell’s administration and the district attorney failed Jane Doe, but so did many of her friends, peers, and, overall, the culture on Cornell’s campus. The incident leaves many wondering where women are free to pursue an education. The blueprint for a safer, more accountable, and deeply protective campus culture already exists. It lives within the nation’s remaining thirty historically women’s colleges. These institutions face their own existential task of proving why dedicated spaces for women’s education should continue to exist in the 21st century. The answer has never been clearer than it is right now. My alma mater, Scripps College, along with our peer institutions, offers the antidote to the toxic passivity that allows sexual violence to metastasize on college campuses. We are crucial interlocutors capable of guiding the nation through this crisis of hostile campus culture. Still, the campus cultures

of women’s colleges are not perfect. We are not immune to sexual violence, race- or class-based microaggressions, political disagreements, or the complex social dynamics that exist anywhere students gather. What sets Scripps apar t are our values and how we educate our students to be engaged members of our community. We operate on foundational values of collaboration, communal care, personal responsibility, accountability, and advocacy. At Scripps, we are socialized from day one to understand that the health, safety, and success of our peers are inextricably linked to our own. Because women occupy every tier of leadership — running our student government, heading our campus organizations, driving our community initiatives, and serving as college president — we hold the power to set our own cultural terms. When issues arise, instead of waiting for top-down solutions, Scripps students use their own collective voice to shift campus culture, holding themselves and their peers to a higher standard because they know their safety belongs in their own hands. A common misconception is that the supportive culture of a women’s college exists purely because of the absence of men. Scripps belongs to a consortium with four co-ed colleges, which makes men active participants in our campus life. During my time as a Scripps student, my male peers from across the consortium frequently admitted to me that the moment they stepped onto Scripps’ campus, they sensed an immediate shift in the social dynamics. They

felt a tangible, higher standard for their behavior. This was not because of policing by administrators, but rather because the student body itself projects an unmistakable air of zero tolerance for disrespect. When looking at crises like the one at Cornell, the breakdown occurs because the community allows certain student populations to “opt out” of its values. In fractured campus cultures, a faction that watches, ignores, or — as seen in the stomach-churning chat logs of the Cornell case — participates in unacceptable behavior is deleterious and, frankly, incredibly dangerous to the entire community. To realize that the level of safety and mutual responsibility I felt as a student is an anomaly rather than the baseline of higher education is profoundly disturbing. All students deserve an education where they feel nurtured, believed in, and protected. This requires all students to commit to upholding their community values. Crucially, the onus of preventing sexual violence and reforming campus culture should never be placed entirely on the shoulders of women. Women should not be required to withdraw into gendered institutions to find peace. Rather, our college serves as a proof of concept for the baseline of respect and responsibility that co-educational spaces must mandate. As Scripps celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding, we look to the future of fostering a culture of excellence and continuing to serve as a compass for others. From the very beginning, our founder Ellen

Browning Scripps envisioned a college that offered women a rigorous liberal arts education while recognizing that true intellectual growth depended on a safe, comfortable environment. Our famously idyllic campus and amenities were designed to facilitate and protect this sanctuary of learning. They serve as a physical manifestation of our institutional values and boundaries, reminding anyone who enters that this space belongs to women, and its standards are non-negotiable. Today, the broader Scripps community — our students, alumnae, families, faculty, and staff — must recognize that the ways in which we treat one another and the causes we support with our time, our voices, and our money determine the strength of this sanctuary. The culture on our campus directly impacts the standard of values students should expect on all college campuses, and, as a result, serves as a beacon for colleges nationwide. As institutions of higher education search for ways to dismantle the social structures that perpetuate harm against women, they must look to the institutions that have spent a century specializing in women‘s education. To colleges everywhere grappling with a toxic status quo, the message is clear: stop managing the fallout of a broken culture and start building an environment of non-negotiable accountability. And to the Scripps community, our charge is to lead by example, demonstrating what it looks like to cultivate a culture that fundamentally supports survivors and refuses to tolerate sexual violence on our campus and beyond.

Ignorance is Not Bliss: A Recurring Issue with the Core Curriculum Summer Reading

By Louisa Chiriboga ’29 Copy Editor

ne of the first articles I wroO t e f o r T h e S c r i p p s Vo i c e happens to be one of my most

combative, which is surprising to me. I am vaguely impressed that, as an anxious first-semester freshman, not looking to say anything disagreeable, I wrote a heavily critical piece on Scripps’s Core A summer reading author and guest speaker Michael Roth, scathingly titled “The Welcome That Wasn’t,” about his book The Student: A Brief History. I was lucky enough to have the platform of The Scripps Voice to voice my opinions, but I soon learned that I was not the only one to feel this way about our Core lecturer’s sentiments. As a result of the onslaught of negative feedback, you would think that the Scripps Core department would take these criticisms into consideration when choosing the summer reading text and author lectures. However, repeated concerns were voiced this year as a result of the strange selection

for the 2026-27 academic year first-semester freshmen: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth, who is set to be the keynote speaker of the Scripps College Centennial Women’s Leadership Summit on Oct. 10, 2026. The two-semester Core Curriculum is framed by the administration as an opportunity to apply multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary methodologies while introducing students to college-level critical thinking, writing, and discussion. Last year, Core Program Director and Associate Professor of Music Dr. YouYoung Kang told me that the first-year Core program is designed to be “an introduction to a liberal arts education… [for] Scripps students to engage in interdisciplinary investigation at the same time that they take introductory courses in the disciplines.” Core can genuinely provide that opportunity. I certainly had informative class discussions in my Core A class, “Christian Herstory,” and was exposed to experiences that helped me grow

as a writer, reader, speaker, and listener. However, Scripps‘s Core Program dramatically missed the mark with the introductory summer reading selections. Last year, my least favorite part was easily sitting in Garrison Theater on Sept. 12, 2026 being lectured to during what was advertised as “A Conversation with Michael Roth.” During his hour-long lecture, Roth claimed that critical thinking is “vastly overrated” because it encourages negativity, discussed the supposedly positive elements of artificial intelligence (AI), characterized the value of women’s colleges condescendingly, and suggested that colleges should consider implementing affirmative action for politically conservative voices on campus. All of these takes were problematic, to say the least. My issue with the lecture lies not in my ideological disagreements with Roth’s beliefs; indeed, disagreement is a healthy and constructive facet of a liberal arts education. But I struggle to understand why a program that claims to introduce students to

interdisciplinary inquiry would begin by centering a text and speaker whose arguments seemed to invite such little meaningful interrogation of the systems surrounding higher education. After the negative feedback students provided to Core teachers – seeing as my classmates and I heavily slandered Roth’s book in our discussions with our professor – I was disappointed and surprised to hear that the Core A summer reading was Grit, a book I have harbored criticisms of for a while. In summary, Duckworth’s 2016 book centers on the thesis that “grit” is a developable mindset and leans into the idea that anyone can achieve anything if they work hard enough and demonstrate passion and dedication. While there is value in encouraging students to persist in the face of difficulty, the book’s central premise lacks nuance in how individual determination is characterized as the primary explanation for success and failure, and external societal factors are ignored.

9 October 2026 • The Scripps Vo

NION

7

Ignorance is Not Bliss: A Recurring Issue with the Core Curriculum Summer Reading continued

In some ways, Grit mirrors the message of The Student: Roth presents higher education as the sole way to access true enlightenment. Roth commits to this argument by assigning individual blame, writing in The Student that not pursuing higher education is a form of “self-mutilation,” to which my friend brilliantly raised her hand and asked what that means for people who do not have access to higher education. Both authors’ purports, while containing some merit about the undeniable value of resilience and hard work, feel dated in light of broader modern understandings of socioeconomic, racial, gender-based, and other structural barriers that prevent equal access to opportunity in the first place. This feels especially out-of-touch in the context of a historically women’s college, an institution founded in the legacy of the struggle for women to receive access to education and the historical and continued marginalization of women and non-men in coeducational institutions. Therefore,

it feels a bit ignorant to choose texts for Core that do not acknowledge how oppressive systems play a role in deciding who gets to succeed. With a surface-level assessment, I can understand the reason for picking these books. They seem to convey ostensibly positive messages to teach new, impressionable students in an academic environment that will prepare them for success: education is important, hard work matters, and perseverance is useful in achieving one’s goals. But beyond my disagreeing with the messages that they promote, The Student and Grit simply aren’t very interesting texts to be part of an introduction to a liberal arts education. I, along with pretty much everyone, have heard the ideology that hard work pays off my entire life. I struggle to see what new intellectual insight either text offers. These books’ theses are unoriginal, not entirely accurate, and incredibly tone-deaf as inspirational ways for students to spend their

summers, in the midst of the current political climate with a presidential administration violently working to strip away the rights of marginalized communities. “The paramount obligation of a college is to develop in its students the ability to think clearly and independently, and the ability to live confidently, courageously, and hopefully,” Ellen Browning Scripps wrote as a guiding message for Scripps’s founding in 1926, engraved on the wall next to Honnold Gate. The Core program’s texts are reductive and counterintuitive to that sentiment, which is unfortunate since they are Scrippsies’ first exposure to collegiate academics. These literary selections are not encouraging students to take full advantage of all the opportunities that Scripps and the broader 5C network have to offer. Rather, it encourages a popular mode of thinking in line with decades of institutional practices that depend on systemic exclusion, constructing a narrative in which success is primarily an individual effort in a vacuum that does not

question why some people are afforded greater opportunities to succeed than others. The assigned reading for Core should be an opportunity to introduce students to intersectional philosophies, ideologies, and scholarship, ranging from feminist thinkers to critical race theorists to postcolonial writers to scholars of class inequality. It should inspire students to interrogate competing interpretations of merit, opportunity, power, education, and accessibility, while exposing them to ideas that challenge the assumptions they may have arrived with — essentially, fulfilling the purpose of a liberal arts education. Instead, Grit asks its readers a relatively simplistic question with a straightforward answer: what does it take to succeed? Hard work and perseverance. We have all heard that question and received that answer before. The Core Curriculum is an opportunity to ask students something new, something that cannot necessarily be answered immediately.

NSPMO By Claire Williams ’30 Staff Writer

ew Student Programs and N Orientation (NSPO) is a series of events and activities that take

place between new student move-in day and the start of classes for incoming first-years and transfer students. In my case, NSPO lasted four days, plus the evening of move-in day. The Claremont Colleges all go about orientation differently, but a majority have one thing in common: their students leave campus during first-year orientation, going on trips to places like amusement parks and beaches. Scripps’s orientation varies from the other undergraduate colleges at the consortium; our orientation activities occur entirely on campus, except for an optional trip to Target. Staying on campus all week offers both pros and cons. The main benefit of staying on campus is that students get to know the Scripps‘s campus itself. I live in Schow Hall, and walking to Malott every morning – which is just a little bit of a hike – helped me figure out a way to navigate my daily routine. For example, I made friends who live in Dorsey Hall, which I learned is closer to Steele Hall and the Scripps Rose Garden, which leads out toward Harvey Mudd. The downside of staying on campus the entire time was the abundance of NSPO lectures that were, to put it plainly, not very interesting. Most of them contained important information about various resources on Scripps campus and the 5Cs, but I found it took up very little of the actual lecture. Then there was one morning at Garrison. The lecturers would give us a topic (i.e., cats versus dogs)

oice • Volume XXXV • Issue One

and depending on which option we liked better, we would walk to that side of the theater. Then, a few volunteers from each side would debate each other to prove their point – and to earn free T-shirts. I guess this activity was supposed to help with conflict resolution, but I personally didn’t need to spend that much of my day debating whether TikTok was better than Instagram Reels. Seeing as some other schools go to amusement parks and such for their orientation, I would much rather be getting to know my classmates at Knott’s Berry Farm than listening to people passionately state why vanilla is better than chocolate (although kudos to them for delivering such convincing arguments). Another complaint I have is regarding alcohol education. One thing to note: the official AlcoholEdu was cancelled due to the CGU lockdown. Before coming to Scripps, new students were required to complete an online training session that consisted of three sections, including alcohol education. Each session took about an hour to complete. My question is: why are we required to complete a preliminary, time-consuming training only to be lectured twice more about alcohol – or what should have been thrice more – during orientation? What I considered to be the most important information was included in the orientation lectures, so it seemed redundant to have completed the pre-seminar training online before even setting foot on campus. I’ve said a lot about the negative aspects of NSPO, but there were some things I enjoyed as well! My overall favorite part was getting to know people. As an introvert, this can be kind of scary, and I thought

Evelyn Cantwell ’28 • The Scripps Voice

it would take forever for me to make friends. However, I ended up meeting some amazing people who I love and could not be more grateful to know. Also, my NSPO ambassador, Lilah, was one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. She was super fun to be around, and it’s been awesome to see her on campus throughout the semester so far. Of course, the main attraction of NSPO this year was the brand new NSPO Olympics. At the beginning of the week, we were split into groups with an assigned color; each group made a name involving their color, a team flag, and a chant. The week’s events culminated in a highly spirited talent show, where each team showed off their spirit and charming routines. Our group, The Sexy Citruses (Orange is Implied), danced a line dance tribute to “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton. At the Olympics themselves, there were two different rounds of events, ranging from a paper airplane toss to sharks and min-

nows. I competed in trivia the first round, and the hula hoop circle the second round. The trivia questions were pretty easy, which I was a little disappointed about, but our group did well. Also, we absolutely killed it on the hula hoop circle! One improvement from last year: we didn’t take the class photo right after Family Farewell on move-in day! It was day two or three that we did, and we took it right before the Matriculation dinner and dance. I had time to put on a nice dress and touch up my makeup. If we had taken the photo right after Family Farewell, my eyes would have been puffy from crying, my nose would have been running, my hair would have been a complete mess, and my entire face would have been sweaty. This timing is a definite improvement from last year’s orientation, so … yay for that! If I had to sum up NSPO in one sentence, it would be this: a scorchingly hot, boring-yet-at-timesinteresting sequence of days that I’ll never forget.

8 • Upcoming Events

9 October 2026 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXV • Issue One

Upcoming Events • 9

To advertise an event with TSV, email scrippsvoice@gmail.com

Back to School! By Ava Lori Hudgens ’28 Staff Writer Across 1. A not-very-nice way to refer to someone (abbrev.). 4. “That’s funny!” 6. Southwestern party school. 7. Someone from Boston might drop these from words like “car” and “bar.” 9. An adjective to describe this week’s weather — or to describe Paige Bueckers. 10. The anniversary that Scripps is celebrating this year. 13. To get married, without a wedding. 14. The office you’d email to get yourself a (much-needed) single room or extra time on tests. 15. The result of continual concussions (rugby anyone?). 16. Common Mudd major. 18. With add/drop closed, yours should be finalized by now! 21. Indicative of an alias, or a Divine Nine sorority. 22. ____ fiction. 24. Something you might take after a long day of classes. 25. When repeated, what the Peanuts parents sound like.

Down 1. Where your music classes and ensemble performances might be. 2. The department that gives prizes for green outfits on Wednesdays. 3. We’ve been getting a lot of it lately (don’t get burnt!) 4. When repeated, what this author might sing when it’s gloomy out. 5. Georgia capital (abbrev.). 7. Influencers will try to do this to sell stuff to you. 8. If your roommate did this last night, you might have been kept awake. 9. A Shakespearean “Hurry up!” 11. What professors do (or don’t, if they’re bad). 12. Gov. department tasked with protecting public lands. 16. You might be joining (or starting!) a new one this year. 17. Scripps Scrapps does this with our old stuff. 18. Genre you might hear playing at Pitzer (Sublime is one example). 19. A baseball hat, or lies, slangily. 20. Pixar movie with a devastating opening sequence. 21. A, when used before a vowel. 23. Father, in an old Western.

9 October 2026 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXV • Issue One

10 • Column

34 Questions to Fall Into Deep Friendship at Scripps By Mady Chung Lee ’27 Staff Writer

7. Do you regret joining any clubs on campus?

H

appy October, Scrippsies! While fall hasn’t been feeling quite

like fall with this heatwave, I wanted to bring some coziness as the leaves begin to turn slightly brown, the warm drinks at the Motley become more popular, and people begin to layer. If you’re ever in a circle with some

the team and why? 19. What is a themed party you’d

would you choose and why?

love to see hosted on campus

28. What is the funniest conver-

or you’d love to host yourself?

sation you’ve eavesdropped

8. Do you regret not joining any clubs on campus? 9. Who is your campus friend

20. Would you rather never be

crush? 10. Who’s your campus crush crush? 11. Who is a campus celebrity 12. Who is someone on campus

deeper conversation or spending a

you think you can beat in a

Friday night in, use these questions to

thumb war?

on at Scripps?

able to go to the Motley or

29. What is the weirdest dream

never be able to swipe into

you’ve had while at Scripps?

Malott?

Did it include Scripps charac-

21. What is a Scripps hot take

to you?

friends, maybe at a meal, itching for

building at Scripps, which one

ters in the dream?

you have?

30. Is there anyone at Scripps

22. What is a Scripps lukewarm

who has hair that you would

take you have?

want to steal off their head?

23. If you had to be reincarnated

31. Have you ever triggered the

dig deeper. This is my version of the

13. Who is someone on campus

into a Motley drink, which one

fire alarm in a dorm? If so,

NYT questions to fall in love; rather,

you think you cannot beat in

would you choose and why?

tell us the tale; if not, tell us

it’s the TSV questions to fall into deep

a thumb war?

24. If you had to get married

about a time when the fire

14. Pull up your camera roll and

somewhere at the 5Cs, where

alarm went off and what was

show me the first photo you

would you host your ceremo-

your reaction?

campus to be reincarnated as,

took of yourself at Scripps.

ny and why?

which one would you choose

15. Pull up your camera roll and

25. Have you ever had a first date

Did it go fizzin? If so, do a re-

show me the latest photo you

at a dining hall? If so, tell the

veal; if not, do a reveal of your

2. What do you want your last

took of yourself at Scripps.

tale, and if not, which din-

fizz upvotes.

meal at Scripps to be?

16. How much would you have to

ing hall and meal would

33.

friendship at Scripps. 1. If you had to choose a tree on

and why?

3. Do you have any secret spots

32. Have you ever posted on fizz?

What

is

be paid to cannonball into the

you choose and

Seal Court pond during peak

why?

you’d do to skip

26. Would you

the line at the

17. Have you made a Scripps

rather burp

Motley during

bucket list yet? If so, what is

every time

a terrible rush?

5. What is one decision you

on the top of the list? If not,

you laugh

34. W h a t

made while at Scripps that

what is a bucket list item you

or fart ev-

your favor-

created a huge domino ef-

have?

ery time

ite bathroom at

on campus? 4. Who do you think has shaped you into who you are the most at Scripps?

fect?

Wednesday Tea hours?

18. If you had to assemble a

the craziest thing

you sneeze?

6. What’s the worst fall, tumble,

dream team for an ultimate

or slip-up you’ve had on cam-

high-stakes dodgeball game

24 hours without

pus?

on campus, who would be on

leaving in only one

is

Scripps?

27. If you had to spend a full

Ava Li '29 • The Scripps Voice

The Birth of The Scripps Voice Advice Column Phoebe Schwab ’29 Copy Editor

H

right answer: us! You may know me

should be kept lighthearted and

from my horoscopes, located all the

minor – if you need real help, go to

•

ear ye, Scrippsies! As the

way at the back of the paper. But

your therapist or something. There’s

These are all issues I have clearly

school year moves along, you

fear not, we are moving on up in the

only so much a newspaper can do.

never had. Besides maybe the last

If you are in need of guidance, but

(on occasion). So, obviously, I am

don’t know where to start, allow me

deeply and expansively qualified

to provide some inspiration:

to talk you through it. There’s only

may be faced with

world (or issue)!

little too much? Sad?

hardships – nay,

The launch of The Scripps Voice

traves-

advice column was, yes, spontane-

ties. The

ous, but certainly well-loved. See,

Are you:

so much your Scripps faculty advi-

m o s t

I love to meddle. And, while your

•

Still in love with your ex of

sor can do for you — come to your

troubling

submissions remain completely

three years?

Scripps Voice life advisor instead.

part of this

anonymous, I want to stay in the

Struggling to see the will to

Ask away!

is: who can

loop on troubles at Scripps, although

you count on

I have enough of them myself.

•

finish your chem major? •

Realizing that maybe your

for wisdom? I,

Have my horoscopes proved

along with the

themselves true to you in the past?

rest of the staff

Well then, clearly, our stars are

here at The

aligned. Gain a more personal scope

Scripps Voice,

on your problems by submitting your

that has had frat flu for the

am here to

questions or ailments. Although

past two months?

guide you to the

I must add, these submissions

parents sucked? •

Realizing that your only purpose in life is partying?

•

•

Trying to avoid the roommate

Believing in horoscopes a

9 October 2026 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXV • Issue One

Column • 11

Lizzy McAlpine’s Angel Reveals That Happiness is the Greatest Inspiration of All By Talia Lee ’29 Staff Writer

L

izzy McAlpine stole my heart when she released Older in 2024. I was eighteen, introspective, and eager to depart from the familiar. The title track, with its simple piano composition and deeply visceral lyrical prose, serves as a reminder that vulnerability functions as language and as truth. In her three previous albums, Give Me a Minute, five seconds flat, and Older, McAlpine grounds her lyrics in the promise of becoming: becoming the friend she yearns to be, becoming a daughter in different stages of life, becoming someone’s partner, becoming herself. Her newest studio album Angel, released in September, is inspired by artists Joni Mitchell; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Nick Drake. The listening experience feels like lying in bed during sunset, watching your curtains blow in the wind. It is introspective, yet hopeful. In Angel, McAlpine shares that romance and happiness are the greatest muses of all. The opening track, “The light in the painting,” establishes the melancholic and intimate tone that carries throughout the entirety of the album. McAlpine harnesses her signature sorrowful prose with a handful of faith. The lyrics, “Hold my breath when you’re near / What a beautiful way to finally feel something,” emphasize the excitement and joy of the unknown. The closing lines, “If somewhere there is a heaven / This

is as close as I will get,” reveal the enveloping nature of a relationship’s honeymoon phase, a feeling that McAlpine carefully cradles like glass. “Anybody’s fool,” the album’s second track, balances lingering feelings of attachment to past relationships with the desire for emotional independence. “But when the bombs hit, I look for you,” highlights how McAlpine yearns for the familiar. Her internal conflict of desire, yet the realization of her empowered emotional soul, stirs McAlpine into an ebb and flow. “A car wash and a new pair of pants” embodies the influence Joni Mitchell has on McAlpine as an artist. Her stylistic approach to lyricism and playful chord progression captures the folky undercurrent of Angel. The lyrics, “You wanted the people to notice you / you wanted my name to be yours,” explore the way in which McAlpine’s ex-partner used their relationship as an opportunity for fame. “I have a friend” tenderly reflects on her romantic partner as also her best friend. McAlpine has not only found company, but companionship. The soft strum of guitar and McAlpine’s whispery vocals force listeners to lean in. “There is no song without his love to make it sing” allows listeners to envision love twirling around our fingertips. Love, as both romantic and platonic, is as cinematic as morning doves but as sorrowful as a goodbye and a train ride home. McAlpine’s work explains how there is magic in the risk.

The fifth track, “The moon,” cinematically opens with layered drums and guitar, and introduces McAlpine’s enchanting voice as she describes her relationship as her happy ending. “Ugly Things” unveils the sore, aching, and unhealed emotions that awaken when watching your expartner move on, and “Watching you walk around with someone else” reminds listeners that moving on does not mean that your heart is finished yearning – attachment is human, and uncontrollable as love in itself. The track’s closing instrumentals are as devastating as Phoebe Bridgers’s “Scott Street.” “Over country,” one of the album’s most popular tracks so far, follows McAlpine’s connection to place. Her conception of home is defined by the warmth of her friendships and the people she loves. The song is a ballad of gratitude, proving that distance is no barrier to the truest of connections. “The crowd,” “I don’t know anything but what I get from Mom sometimes,” and “I can make it big so you can hear the crowd” are thoughtful tributes to McAlpine’s late father, reflecting on her desire to have more time with him and to make him proud. Throughout the album, McAlpine employs a motif of heaven and having found an angel to describe the feeling of being in love. The fourteenth and final track “Angel,” which also happens to be the album’s title track, sews every torn seam scarred from the cuts of past relationships,

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

bleeding insecurities, and blistered grief as it carves into our reflections. McAlpine closes the album with a sentiment of acceptance and of faith, singing, “Home and free / I have always been here waiting / Just to be,” to convey an air of renewal and romantic homecoming. She reminds us that yearning for magical, ethereal love is not trivial, but a universal human truth. The more I listen to this album, the more I am reminded that love, as complicated as it may be, saturates and soothes every swollen absence the same way the summer rain soaks my hair. Cradle your friendships and relationships, with the embrace of both affirmation and gratitude. Love is the reason why life is worth anything at all. Lizzy McAlpine’s Angel inspired me to see the aching duality of love as it yearns and churns inside our internal soul, to see the magic in risk, and to wade in the introspective, folky composition as it ripples around you.

Silence, the Show is About to Begin: ADÉLA’s Prima

Photo courtsey of Scripps College

By Yaretzi Cedillo ’30 Staff Writer

O

n Sept. 4, 2026, ADÉLA released her debut album Prima. Mixing messages of femininity, ambition, and introspection, Prima raises the question: is ADÉLA a passing buzz or our next pop sensation? Prima. A prima ballerina is a ballet company’s highest-ranking female dancer and its most coveted role. It’s a nod to both ADÉLA’s classical dance training and her ambitions. The album begins with the abrasive hyperpop song “KGB,” connecting the calculated nature required for pop stardom to the KGB, the Soviet Union’s main security and intelligence agency. Known for running surveillance and espionage until the USSR’s collapse in 1991, ADÉLA sings, “I’m like a spy, I studied this shit, call me the K-G-Bitch.” The second track, “Nicole Kidman,” evokes classic nostalgia, sampling the hymns “In My Father’s House” by God’s Gospel Angels and “Ironside” by Quincy Jones, turning them into a glamorous fantasy world with classic Hollywood stereotypes, such as Louboutins, corsets, and private drivers. Although easily written off as a main character soundtrack, it is more a peek into ADÉLA’s mindset about her future.

It continues with “I’m the Man,” a laid-back flirt about ADÉLA’s self proclaimed dominance and “Boys,” an electric and sweaty club song, reminiscent of 2000s Timbaland. The album then takes a step back and strips down. In “Red Bottoms,” she sings “Nobody wants dirty shoes / nobody wants dad issues,” comparing herself to Louboutins and asking her partner whether she will be valuable to him once he finds out what’s beneath the glamour. “Hitachi” depicts the last chapter of a fleeting relationship. It keeps the tempo low, until it is picked up by “Fantasize,” “Starving Artist,” and “Marijuana,” all ambient, yet experimental pop. The album closes out with two songs that reveal a level of vulnerability and rawness that has been longabsent in recent pop with “Therapy” and the album’s hit “Ain’t in L.A.” Created out of a ranting session, “Therapy” is a collection of random bits and pieces that reveal the pain and sacrifice ADÉLA contends with. Contrasting her dominance in “I’m the Man,” she sings, “I have to talk to the people that I have to talk to / They are old white men and they’re so annoying / But they hold the keys to my future, so I have to do it.” She adds, “I miss when my little sister used to call me ‘Mom’ / ’cause now

she gets a little awkward when I talk to her… and that’s awful ’cause she’s my baby.” It underscores ADÉLA’s road to success, what she gave up along the way, and what she continues to cope with. Inspired by her own Slovak background, “Ain’t in L.A.” is a heartfelt anthem dedicated to all the girls who aren’t in L.A., singing, “It’s all a lie, the baddest bitches ain’t in L.A.” It’s a reminder that beauty and talent are not just what is found in the mainstream, represented by L.A., but rather all across the globe. In an interview with The Rolling Stone, she reveals the track was inspired by her own mother’s love of pop culture. “My mom shared a bedroom with 3 younger siblings and had the walls covered in pop culture… she is me and I am her, but a lot more fortunate and free,” said ADÉLA. What stands out the most about ADÉLA is the story beneath her songs. Born in Bratislava, Slovakia, Adéla Jergová is one of three siblings. Growing up, she dreamt of pop stardom in secret and learned English through American pop media. “I was like eight working the nightshift to learn English,” she sings in “KGB.” This same drive led her to audition for HYBE x Geffen’s Dream Academy, in which she was one of twenty cho-

sen from one-hundred and twenty who auditioned. Despite her efforts, she was the first to be eliminated with Mitra Darab, president of HYBE x Geffen saying, “We see Adéla as a solo artist.” Those words would seemingly become a prophecy. After releasing two self-funded songs, she signed with Capitol Records, releasing her EP The Provocateur, and now her debut album. Prima debuted at number four in the U.S. Billboard, number one in Slovakia, and has made ADÉLA the first Slovak artist to debut in the Billboard Top 100 with “Ain’t in L.A.” I would not go as far to say that Prima has revolutionized modern pop music or identifies a clear sound for ADÉLA, but these requirements in particular come from a misunderstanding about what a debut album should set out to do. To me, a debut album is the answer to “Who are you?” and I believe that, through Prima, ADÉLA puts that answer in light. She is a Slovak girl with big dreams and just as much determination to get there. Through language barriers, immigration, literal rejections, personal hardships, and more, ADÉLA continues to shine onstage. If you ask me, it’s what makes her shine even more. Silence everyone, our new pop sensation is about to begin.

9 October 2026 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXV • Issue One

12 • Column

Sorry, Sometimes I’m a Pessimist Phoebe Schwab ’29 and Belén Yudess CGU ’27 Copy Editor and Copy Editor Emeritus

I beg thee, stop performing!

Whattdaya know, it’s the first

a 1920s circus! Strip off

birthday sign of the 2026-2027

those cheaply painted-on

Scripps Voice Horoscopes!

layers and show Scripps

This is your personality, not

Oh dear Libra, happiest of

who you really are. I

happy birthdays to you. So

know it’s beyond scary,

many trips around the Sun,

but it’s the only way to

you’re basically a pro! Whip out

be happy here. Besides,

the cheap birthday cake and

if you run the circus, you

streamers: I’m ready to watch (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22)

you party and crush this year.

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 19)

Have you ever thought about stamp collecting? Well, Capricorn, ‘tis the time to take that random thought that tumbles around in your head and just roll with it. Mulling over adding a minor? Do it! Itching to adopt a rat dog? I think a Scripps baby tee would fit it just swimmingly! Like the late, great Tim Curry once bemused, “Don’t dream it, be it.”

(Oct. 23 - Nov. 21)

might as well be the clown.

(Jan. 20 - Feb. 18)

Heat wave? More like, Heated Rivalry! Darling Aquarius, as you brave this dreaded weather, maybe consider rewatching (because we all know you’ve seen it at least five times) Heated Rivalry inside an air-conditioned rec room instead of actually going outside. Like babygirl Ilya Rozanav once said, “such a good trick”... to beat the heat, obviously.

Please don’t hire an Etsy witch. Whatever mystery you’re trying to solve in your life, it’s truly not worth the $20 (excluding tax). Stick with the good ol’ horoscopes and trust me when I tell you that all will work itself out. Yeah, it’s trite, but it’s trite for a (Feb. 19 - Mar. 20)

good reason. Patience, babe.

That test is scary.

I’m feeling sinister energy

Hold on, truly, I need a minute to

I’m right there with

emanating from your side of

you. But no matter

campus. Maybe it’s just my

how much you

usual level of distrust, or my

study, you’re never

excitement for Halloween,

going to feel that

but something doesn’t seem

Screaming, laughing, sobbing — all at once? I would say take a chill pill, but I think a horse tranquilizer is what’s needed.

it’s enough. Locking

right. You can combat this

yourself up in the Nucleus is only going to destroy

by being kind (to me, and

The tornado will stop soon,

your will to live. Please, for the love of those

me only). Resume with your

and I see clear skies ahead.

around you, take a break. You’re gonna ace it.

Yawn. Come on, give me some

Aren’t you just the

excitement! Wake up, go to the

star of the show?!

Motley, cry over work, watch

Look at you, strutting

and academic life, (July 23 - Aug. 22)

graceful as ever!

Be sure to keep the pressure off your mind. It’s easiest to trip when you’re already up high on

could happen next. Buzzcut?

the pedestal, but that doesn’t mean you will.

1. PAC 2. OSE 3. SUN 4. HOA 5. ATL 7. RELATE 8. SNORED 9. HIE 11. TEACH

Down:

12. NPS 16. CLUB 17. SELL 18. SKA 19. CAP 20. UP 21. AN 23. PA

9 October 2026 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXXV • Issue One

Across:

balancing social

class. There’s no telling what

Crossword Answers

(Aug. 23 - Sept. 22)

Don’t know what to do for fall break? Well, don’t let that indecision *break* your spirit or your stride. Maybe make the traditional pilgrimage to Joshua Tree with the suitemates? Or a road trip up to the Bay for $10 coffee and sourdough bread? And of course, nothing wrong with a relaxing weekend at the Tiernan Pool. Whatever you decide, make sure to get some R&R, Virgo, you’ve earned it!

15. CTE 16. CS 18. SCHEDULE 21. AKA 22. PULP 24. NAP 25. BLA

small as taking a new route to

life…I’ve got my eye on you.

around campus,

Experiment with novelty these next few weeks—it can be as

(May 21 - June 20)

1. POS 4. HA 6. ASU 7. RS 9. HOT 10. CENTENNIAL 13. ELOPE 14. AARS

(Apr. 20 - May 20)

TV, and go to bed? I’m sick of it!

(June 21 - July 22)

(Nov. 22 - Dec. 21)

this season. Such ventures may range from braving Collins for dinner to finally defining the situationship. Whatever it may be, take comfort in the fact that Sue Sylvester would definitely do something much more deliciously chaotic.

What on Earth am I looking at?! understand this dishevelment.

(Mar. 21 - Apr. 19)

Ryan Murphy is rebooting Glee, which means, dearest Sagittarius, that it’s time for you to take a major – possibly emotionally tumultuous – risk