Vol. CXXXI, No. 21

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THE

STUDENT

LIFE

The student newspaper of the Claremont Colleges since 1889

CLAREMONT, CA

Denver House buzz: Experts weigh in

FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2019

VOL. CXXI NO. 21

Kohoutek Catastrophe

CMS tabs collegiate tennis executive as first female AD

SIENA SWIFT The 5Cs were abuzz with speculation and discussion this week about the spiritual group living at the Denver House, following TSL’s recent article in which residents of the house discussed their beliefs and lifestyle. With rumors continuing to fly and some students speculating that the Denver House is a cult, TSL consulted two experts, who gave differing opinions on the topic. Rick Alan Ross is a cult specialist and founder of the nonprofit Cult Education Institute, which keeps records of cults, as well as controversial groups and movements. Ross said he considers the Denver House to be a “personality cult” — a group of people who admire or devote themselves to one leader — with the group’s spiritual teacher, Satguruyogiprabhu Jnandamokshabrahmananda, who goes by Jnanda, as the cult leader. However, he said he needs more information from former followers to fully analyze the risks or dangers of the group. Ross is a well-known cult expert, but has faced criticism for his methods of reversing cult indoctrination, including an accusation of kidnapping. The incident led to his arrest for unlawful imprisonment in 1995, according to The Seattle Times. Ross was ac-

See DENVER on Page 2

TORREY HART

MEGHAN JOYCE • THE STUDENT LIFE

After Kohoutek was forced inside by a noise complaint, a small crowd gathered at the Gold Student Center at Pitzer College April 20.

Lively music festival stifled by noise complaint EMILY KUHN Kohoutek, Pitzer College’s annual music festival, was nearly shut down this past Saturday by Claremont Police Department officers, who arrived in response to a noise complaint. The festival, which frequently attracts more than 1,000 attendees, including students, parents and big-name artists, was forced to move indoors to the Gold Student Center, which limited attendees to 200 and put a damper on proceedings. By 10 p.m., far fewer than 200 festival go-

ers remained. The two-day festival began smoothly April 19, but issues began the next day around 3 p.m. when Campus Safety officers alerted the organizers to a noise complaint. The organizers responded by reducing the volume. Shortly after the complaint, CPD arrived and spoke with EB Kolbrener PZ ’21 and Julia Fradkin PZ ’21, two of the festival organizers. The students said the officers were apologetic and tried to help mediate the situation between the organizers and the disgruntled “community mem-

ber” who issued the complaint. “The police informed the caller that the sound had been turned [down] by 50 percent and if they called again, the leaders of the festival would be arrested,” Kolbrener said. “It sounds like whoever was on the other end said ‘go through with that, you have to shut off the event completely.’” Much to the dismay and frustration of everyone involved, when another call came, the organizers had to shut down the music or be arrested. The organizers said the officers told them that due to Cal-

ifornia state law, anyone who repeatedly calls to report a disturbance of the peace twice or more in 24 hours essentially has full control over the situation. CPD would not provide a detailed account of the incident. Moderate noise is allowed in Claremont between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., according to a city code summary, but the city “has established strict standards to control excessive and annoying noise.” The city code makes exceptions to noise policies for

See KOHOUTEK on Page 3

Mudd to revise Core Math curriculum

Two years after campus protests, first major change emerges from review designed to decrease workload JAIMIE DING Two years after protests over high stress and excessive workloads rocked the Harvey Mudd College campus — resulting in two days of canceled classes and promises to modify the school’s Core curriculum — changes are beginning to emerge from the curriculum review process.

The incoming class of 2023 will be the first to experience the new pilot Core Math curriculum, according to the February update on the Core review process. Mudd’s campus broke out in protests in March 2017 after TSL published a leaked report that included anonymous quotes from students and faculty criticizing the school’s cur-

riculum, which was described so overwhelming that students didn’t have time to eat, shower or sleep. Over the following weeks, Mudd students voiced their concerns to administrators in walkouts, rallies, sit-ins, town halls and meetings, and the school went into “crisis mode,” HMC President Maria Klawe told NPR.

LIAM BROOKS • THE STUDENT LIFE

A demonstration led by Black Lives and Allies at Mudd took place outside the Shanahan Center in March 2017 in the wake of the publication of the Wabash Report.

LIFE AND STYLE

Administrators and the board of trustees ultimately promised to add funding and resources for on-campus mental health and mentorship programs and planned a review of the Core curriculum. Months after the tumult of the spring 2017 semester, Patrick Little, an engineering professor and chair of the faculty, told TSL that he expected the curriculum review would aim to make Mudd’s workload more manageable. “Our intent is to … preserve those parts of the Core that the community believes are most important while at the same time addressing some serious shortcomings and defects that have already been identified,” Little said at the time. In the ensuing period, the college has used grant money to contribute to diversity efforts and the core review, and hired more support staff in the student affairs office. Mudd also conducted internal and external reports on the Core curriculum. An internal report published in November 2017 concurred with the original leaked report, and said that the curriculum was excessively stressful and more strenuous than that

of peer institutions. An external report on the Core Curriculum commissioned by the college, published in December 2017, recommended restructuring Core “from the ground up” to effect persistent change. The campus climate has cooled off significantly since the protests, Harry Fetsch HM ’20 said via message. “I think it’s become more subdued, especially compared to spring 2017. Of course, students still care, but it feels like as a community we’re less close to a complete breakdown,” he said. “I don’t know if concerns have really been addressed or if they’re just less visible, but I certainly think the consensus has shifted away from the complaints about overwhelming workload that we heard two years ago.” Since the upheaval, Mudd’s development of a new pilot math program is the first major change to the curriculum. The current Core Math consists of six half-semester courses: “Calculus,” “Probability and Statistics,” “Intro-

See MUDD on Page 3

LIFE AND STYLE

The Shark Tank-inspired Sage Tank will take place May 3. TSL gets the inside scoop on the startups that students will be pitching at the event.

An executive at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association will soon become Claremont-Mudd-Scripps’ first female athletic director, Claremont McKenna College announced last week. The CMS athletic department named Erica Perkins Jasper, who has served as the ITA’s chief operating officer since 2015, to the position. She has also coached tennis at a number of colleges and worked for the U.S. Tennis Association as the senior manager of junior and collegiate competition. “Erica brings both exemplary experience and the strongest commitments to high academic achievement, athletic competition, superior coaching and leadership development,” CMC President Hiram Chodosh said. Perkins Jasper will move to Claremont with her husband and two sons and begin work on June 1, the announcement said. “CMS student-athletes represent everything right about college athletics,” Perkins Jasper said in the announcement. “They are high-achieving in the classroom and competitive on their respective fields of play. They have strong relationships with their peers and faculty, they are leaders in campus organizations, and they are passionate about making an impact.” The hire concludes a 10-month search that began when former AD Terry Tumey departed Claremont for Fresno State University last June. Tumey held his position for two years. In the interim, Mike Sutton CM ’76 — who was CMS’ AD for 16 years prior to Tumey’s arrival — has headed the department. Last fall, CMS hired Odgers Berndtson, a consulting group specializing in sports leadership in higher education, to lead the search. Berndtson held three open meetings on campus in October to communicate with students and build See JASPER on Page 3

COURTESY: CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE

Erica Perkins Jasper will be the first female AD in CMS history.

OPINIONS

Several female student DJs are shaping the 5C party experience.

Students in the spiritual group living in the Denver House share their beliefs

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SIXTH STREET

RIVALRY

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Vol. CXXXI, No. 21 by The Student Life - Issuu