THE STUDENT LIFE FRIDAY, SeptembeR 20, 2019 | CLAREMONT, CA | VOL. CXXX NO. 1
FLI-ing solo
JUSTIN SLEPPY • THE STUDENT LIFE
Claremont’s only movie theater may go up for sale See tHeAteR on page 5
Starr doesn’t deliver on alleged Bridge promise
Pomona students struggle to navigate textbook aid
HAIDee CLAUeR
JASpeR DAVIDOFF
First-generation, low-income (FLI) Pomona College first-years arrived on campus this fall without a summer orientation “bridge” program, despite Pomona President G. Gabrielle Starr’s commitment last year to implement such a program in the near future. The situation angered FLI students on campus, who felt Pomona wasn’t delivering adequate resources to support them. “There have been multiple times that the administration says, specifically to FLI students, that they’re here for us,” Te’auna Patterson PO ’18 said. “But when push comes to shove, they don’t follow through for us.” Bridge programs aim to ease FLI students’ transitions to college by inviting them to campus ahead of the academic school year to introduce campus resources and build community, according to Patterson. She worked alongside students and faculty in several 2018 committees to research and plan the bridge program based off similar models from other competitive colleges, such as Yale University, Stanford University, Princeton University, Washington University in St. Louis, Tufts University and Amherst College. Patterson said Starr gave student and faculty committees a go-ahead in spring 2018 to complete plans for the program. Daniel Garcia PO ‘21 also said Starr committed resources to it then. Starr said she was “very supportive of the idea” at the time, and told students she would do her best and thought it was “a good idea,” but stopped short of giving a go-ahead. The summer bridge program never occurred because
The myriad overlapping programs Pomona College’s Financial Aid and Dean of Students offices have implemented to help students afford textbooks — including emergency grants, bookstore vouchers, financial aid refunds and loans — have left many students unclear if and how they can receive financial support for academic materials. The Pomona 2018-2019 financial aid handbook advises students to “arrive on campus with $500 for books, even if you have requested a loan or have outside scholarship assistance.” But that can pose a heavy burden for some students. This semester, the Office of Financial Aid offered a group of students the option to charge the cost of books and supplies from Huntley Bookstore to their student accounts, according to Dean of Students Avis Hinkson. The pilot program — which includes about 450 students, according to Pomona Director of Financial Aid Robin Thompson — is intended to allow students to secure textbooks and other materials at the beginning of the semester without immediately having to pay out-of-pocket or receive an emergency grant from the Dean of Students Office, officials said. The college makes emergency grants, usually up to $500, available to students on financial aid to cover certain academic and non-academic expenses “when other funding is unavailable.” The new program is intended to make it easier to for students to buy books “without having to wait for refunds or seek emergency grants,” Dean of Students Avis Hinkson said in an email. Any student on financial aid may ask their counselor to join the program. If students’ financial aid packages, outside scholarships and student loans exceed their cost of attendance, they can apply
See bRIDGe on page 2
See bOOKS on page 2
Trouble on the turf: Long lines at annual dinner frustrate students JULIA FRANKeL When JJ Shankar PO ’22 arrived at Scripps College on Tuesday for the Claremont Colleges’ annual “Turf Dinner” club fair, he was forced to join a 45-minute line that zig-zagged several times across the grassy Jaqua Quadrangle. With all dining halls closed for non-athletes, Shankar was one of thousands of hungry students who descended on Scripps for dinner, creating a chaotic atmosphere. While in past years, each dining
hall has received its own area to set up and students have lined up separately for each, Scripps’ layout Tuesday grouped the seven dining halls under one tent, making students wait in one line for food. “I appreciate the work the dining staff put in and the festive atmosphere,” Shankar said via message. “But waiting in line was tedious and inefficient, especially as someone who just wanted sustenance.” Scripps’ chosen layout strayed
from the setup it used when it last hosted the event in 2016. Then, Scripps set up tables for clubs and organizations on its Bowling Green and placed the dining halls at different stations around Jaqua Quadrangle, according to John Lopes, assistant director of the Smith Campus Center and manager of student clubs and organizations. This year, the entire event crowded both the dining tent and club tables on Jaqua Quadrangle. But administrators couldn’t agree
on where the idea originated. Brenda Ice, Scripps Director of Campus Life, said via email the layout of Turf Dinner was determined by student activities administrators across the Colleges. “The placement of dining was in consult with the activities group and event services to ensure all campuses were in close proximity to one another and their electrical needs,” Ice said. Others said the idea came from Scripps’ administrators. Lopes attributed the layout to new ideas
coming from the Scripps student affairs staff. “Sometimes with new folks come new ideas, and folks want to try new things,” Lopes said. Other administrators and staff agreed that the host campus plays a critical role in organizing Turf Dinner each year. Tonian Morbitt, Miguel Ruvalcaba and Jose Martinez, the general managers of Pitzer College, Harvey Mudd College and Pomona Col-
See tURF on page 2
COURTESY OF LINDSEY LARSON
(left) Students line up by a table, waiting to be served food. A server offered students watermelon slices and sandwiches. (right) Students flocked to Scripps College for the annual Turf Dinner where they had the opportunity to learn about 5C clubs.
LIFE & STYLE
Erin Slichter PO ’21 uncovers the secrets of off-campus cuisine with Kyla Smith SC ’19 and finds out what’s in 5C fridges. Read more on page 4.
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OPINIONS
SPORTS
Duo, the two-factor authentication program some of the Claremont Colleges use, is annoying. But Michelle Lum HM ‘23 argues that it’s also completely necessary for good security. Read more on page 8.
Christina Williamson PO ‘17, a former Sagehen swimmer and water polo player, has made waves on the analytic side of sports tracking performance data for the Yankees. Read more on page 10.
INDEX: News 1 | Life & Style 4 | Opinions 7 | Sports 10