THE STUDENT LIFE FRIDAY, OctObeR 11, 2019 | CLAREMONT, CA | VOL. CXXX NO. 4
5Cs expand CS as Mudd struggles to handle demand JAIMIe DING Computer science has skyrocketed in popularity at the 5Cs in recent years, pushing the limits of Harvey Mudd College’s resources and dampening the prospects of students at other colleges hoping to major in CS. Now, new Scripps College, Pitzer College and Claremont McKenna College students interested in computer science are being told they may not get to explore the field as fully as they’d like — and the schools are scrambling to expand their own CS offerings. The three schools, which lack CS majors of their own and largely rely on Mudd’s program, informed their prospective students who indicated an interest in CS before the May 1 college decision deadline this spring that they could no longer guarantee those students’ placement in HMC computer science courses or the Mudd CS major, according to the deans of faculty of the respective colleges. “Scripps was my top choice,” Hana Ahmed SC ’23 said. “Then suddenly I had to re-evaluate everything.” Ahmed eventually decided to attend Scripps anyway due to the “liberal arts presence” and the resources of the consortium. She said she will still try to major in CS, but will also explore math and other majors. “If I couldn’t do CS at Scripps, I probably wouldn’t have come to Scripps,” said Wendy Zhang SC ’22, whose CS major application was accepted this year. Pomona College offers its own computer science major but is not accepting any off-campus majors at this time, according to Scripps Dean of Faculty Amy Marcus-Newhall. Yuqing Melanie Wu, Pomona’s CS department chair, did not respond to a request for comment. HMC Dean of Faculty Lisa Sullivan led a computer science task force in May 2018 with deans and representatives from all 5Cs to address CS overcrowd-
See cS on page 2
Student Health made decision to suspend appointments without consulting deans JULIA FRANKeL When Student Health Services decided to suspend routine medical appointments Sept. 24, student deans across the 5Cs found themselves in the same boat as students: completely unaware. Or at least, that’s what the consortium says now. Last week,
The Claremont Colleges Services said deans were involved in “all the changes to the services being provided at SHS.” Either way, students remained without formal notice from their respective colleges for two weeks. Last week, a statement on the SHS website announced the center would be temporarily suspending
Despite cutting the number of students cited for alcohol policy violations in half last year, Pomona College still took disciplinary action against more students than all the other 5Cs combined, according to 5C crime and disciplinary data released Oct. 1. The school referred 60 students to campus judicial authorities for incidents involving alcohol, according to its Annual Clery Fire Safety and Security Report for the 2018 calendar year. Every other undergraduate Claremont college referred a combined
confirmed that SHS and TCCS personnel unilaterally made the decision to temporarily suspend routine appointments, without consulting student deans. “Upon review, we believe a delay in notification to the college deans created a delay in notification of
See SHS on page 2
THE DARK SIDE OF SPORTS Athletes describe life after career-ending injuries
TALIA BERNSTEIN • THE STUDENT LIFE
Spencer Sheff CM ‘20 (left), Dawson Reckers CM ‘21 and Margot Mafra Spencer SC ‘21 have all dealt with career-ending injuries.
MAttHeW KIM Margot Mafra Spencer SC ’21 was playing defense in the back row of a preseason Claremont-Mudd-Scripps volleyball practice last year when she was hit in the head by a ball. Her mobility was limited due to a recent back injury, and she didn’t have time to adjust to the slightly high hit. The ball smacked her right temple instead of her forearms, whipping her head around and causing her to fall and black out for a few seconds. “I knew that I had a concussion immediately, but I didn’t tell anyone. I sat out for one play, then told the team I was fine to play and continued in the drill,” Mafra Spencer said.
Pomona cited more students for alcohol policy violations in 2018 than other 5Cs combined JASPeR DAVIDOFF
scheduling routine appointments — including physicals, women’s health exams, vaccinations, tuberculosis tests and sexually transmitted infection testing — due to a “critical” shortage of registered nurses and medical providers. Vice President for Student Affairs Janet Smith Dickerson and TCCS spokesperson Colin Tudor
total of 45 students during the same period. In 2017, Pomona cited 131 students for alcohol violations, its report said. The Clery Act requires colleges to release such reports annually. Claremont McKenna College reported the lowest number referred, citing only a single student. Pitzer College reported 29, Scripps College reported eight and Harvey Mudd College reported seven. ASPC President Miguel Delgado-Garcia PO ’20 said the statistic demonstrates a failure in Pomona’s handling of on-campus drinking
and partying. “That number is not super convincing that the college is moving towards a place of healthy drinking culture,” he said. Delgado-Garcia speculated that Pomona’s restrictive attitudes toward substance use could motivate students to develop unhealthy habits of consuming substances in private. “If we’re taught from day one that drinking is not allowed on this campus ... forcing it behind closed doors doesn’t create a
See ALcOHOL on page 2
MARC ROD • THE STUDENT LIFE
LIFE & STYLE Relationships columnist Micaela Macagnone PO ‘20 writes about her semester abroad in Madrid and sobering return home after her father’s passing, reflecting on how she found self-care amidst grief. Read more on page 4.
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“I immediately got hit in the head again. Then I knew I was definitely concussed.” She continued to play for the next few days until the pain became unbearable. She tried sitting out for a month. But it wasn’t enough. The injury eventually ended her volleyball career. “The concussion affected everything about me: my personality and my mood, I had panic disorder, severe depression and anxiety,” Mafra Spencer said. “I was color blind, had a stutter, I had difficulty writing and reading and was cognitively functioning at the level of a 7-year-old.”
See INJURY on page 11
Some CMS men’s swimmers were suspended as investigation into possible misconduct began KeLLeN bROWNING & JAIMIe DING A number of men on the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps swim team were suspended from practice for a week in mid-September, head swim and dive coach Charlie Griffiths told TSL Thursday, as the CMS athletic department and its associated schools launched an investigation into reported actions that may have violated the department’s values. Griffiths summoned his swimmers and divers to an early-morning meeting in Roberts Pavilion on Sept. 19, according to an email shared with TSL. There, he delivered a lecture about team standards and announced that some of the male swimmers were being temporarily suspended, according to three sources familiar with the meeting. The day before, several senior women on the team had told Griffiths they were quitting, citing a team culture they characterized as “pervaded by toxic masculinity,” according to a source familiar with the team. The breaking point, two sources say, was this year’s edi-
OPINIONS
tion of the “Stag Survival Guide,” reportedly a document circulated among the men’s team each year to “introduce new freshmen to the team and crack jokes at existing members.” This year, some of the women who saw the alleged document thought it was inappropriate, the source familiar with the team said. They say it included offensive comments about other team members. “Really [it was] the culmination of everything,” the source said. “The [Stag Survival Guide] was the epitome, the last straw.” The CMS investigation is being led by Nyree Gray, Claremont McKenna College’s assistant vice president for diversity and chief civil rights officer, according to CMC spokesperson Gilien Silsby. In response to a series of questions about the investigation, Gray said via email that she “cannot respond [...] at this time while the matter is still pending.” The investigation is expected to conclude soon, the source said. The athletic department and associated colleges “are committed to maintaining an environment in which every community member
See SWIM on page 10 SPORTS
“Sorry to break it to you, sweetie, but not everyone is as quick to become a fake Marxist as you are, so cut people some slack.” — Cameron Tipton PO ‘20 Read more on page 9.
The Gary Troyer Tournament, followed by Wednesday night’s rivalry game, made for an eventful week in men’s water polo. Read more on page 12.
INDEX: News 1 | Life & Style 4 | Opinions 7 | Sports 10