Vol. CXXXIII No. 11

VOL. CXXXIII NO. 11

FRIDAY, FebRuARY 4, 2022

CLAREMONT, CA

Pitzer president to retire ANUSHE ENGINEER

strewn across the Mounds just opposite McConnell Dining Hall. Cacti, a defining feature of Pitzer’s campus, were especially impacted. Many plants were damaged and some completely knocked down. “They’re kind of supporting us, like relatives in a way. And just seeing them go, it’s as if you’re losing someone. So it’s not only part of your landscape, but at least for some like myself, it’s feeling as if you lost them when you saw them toppled over the next morning,” said Diego Tamayo PZ ’25, who felt a serious loss when significant trees at Pitzer were toppled. “I think that’s why they mattered, it’s because they are part of an extension of who we are here.” Harsh damage also befell Scripps College’s greenery. In total, eight trees were toppled over, along with serious damage to the diverse foliage dotting Scripps’ landscape. Cleanup efforts at Scripps began

Pitzer College President Melvin Oliver will retire from his post at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year, he announced in an email to the Pitzer community Thursday. He served as the school’s sixth president, beginning his tenure July 1, 2016. In his 45-year career in higher education and philanthropy, Oliver has been a teacher, scholar, administrator and leader. Although his decision to retire was received with “considerable regret” by Pitzer’s trustees, Board Chair Donald P. Gould said in a follow-up email, his contributions to Pitzer were highly appreciated. “President Oliver has calmly and skillfully navigated the College through a period of unprecedented challenges during his tenure,” Gould said Thursday. “He has done so while staying true to the College’s core values and pushing Pitzer forward in its educational mission.” The board of trustees will soon begin its search for a seventh president, slated to take office by the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year. The presidential search committee, which has yet to be formed, will be chaired by trustee Tom Brock PZ ’83, the current chair of the board’s Academic Affairs Committee, Gould said. An interim president will be selected in the coming weeks and will take office July 1, 2022. As his time at Pitzer draws to an end, Oliver said he hopes to help resolve the college’s challenges with Title IX procedures, oversee construction progress on the new Scripps Pitzer Science Center and move forward with the college’s diversity, equity, inclusion and justice initiatives. He expressed his gratitude at the relationships he and his

See WIND on page 2

See PRES on page 3

Left: A large fallen tree flanks Carnegie Hall at the corner of Fourth St. and N. College Ave. (Courtesy: Daniel Richards) Top right: Recovery is underway at the Claremont Colleges and surrounding communities as clean up efforts commence. (Florence Pun • The Student Life) Bottom right: Workers clean up a large tree which fell on Pomona’s Walker Beach, damaging the Clark I residence hall. (Courtesy: Evan Johnson)

In storm’s aftermath, growing back Claremont and 7C communities focus on recovery in the wake of January’s damage ELISA MEMBRENO & AVA FRANCIS-HALL The effects of the Jan. 21 Santa Ana windstorm continue to reverberate as cleanup efforts carry on across the 7Cs, while the loss of beloved trees has left students, faculty and staff questioning next steps. The windstorm struck on a Friday night, causing widespread power outages and leaving a large number of uprooted trees in its wake. Beyond the campuses, the severe winds damaged several homes in Claremont and blocked roads due to the fallen obstructive debris. The last time a windstorm of relative size hit Claremont was in the late 1990s, Ron Nemo recalled. Nemo, Pomona College’s manager

of grounds and landscaping, has worked on Pomona’s grounds for 25 years. “We lost about 25 trees back then, so this isn’t my first rodeo,” Nemo said. “But what we do is we clean up, take care of the land and get everything as safe as possible.” While the Claremont Colleges are certainly not strangers to strong winds, the intensity of this storm’s damage was unprecedented. “I’ve been asking a lot of folks who’ve been living here for 50 years or so, and they’ve all said that this is not something they recognize,” said Char Miller, Pomona’s W.M. Keck professor of environmental analysis. “Trees fall all the time, but not this kind of massive blast.” Miller’s conclusion is supported by figures from the aftermath of the storm. At least 300 or more trees were downed in the greater area of Claremont, according to Bevin Handel, public information officer for the city of Claremont. One fallen eucalyptus tree on College Avenue was planted more

Pomona students in COVID isolation say they’re struggling to get what they need SIENA SWIFT Testing positive for COVID-19 is an unwelcome surprise. But when some Pomona College students got their lab results over the last two weeks, they didn’t expect the news to get even worse from there. Still, Pomona students in isolation tell TSL the experience has often left them feeling isolated in more ways than one. From surprise roommates in rooms designated for one to a lack of basic cleaning supplies and repeated disconnects on when and how students could leave or test out, the experience is frustrating students who say the college should have been able to see these issues coming. In a Jan. 21 email to the Pomona community, President G. Gabrielle Starr said the school’s positivity rate was “far lower than our medical experts projected.” The final rate for the week of Jan. 16 was 2.95 percent, a total of 44 student positives, according to college data. Only a third of available isolation housing was being occupied, Starr said. But students were still

complaining of cramped housing conditions and general disarray. Although the email states that isolation housing is “clustered on campus,” some students were sent to isolate on Jan. 21 at 1200 N. College Avenue, referred to as “the Dean’s house,” which is not on Pomona’s campus map. “I feel incredulous that [the one third number] is accurate because a lot of us are being put in spaces that should only be for one person but have three beds in them,” said Daphne Chapline PO ’23, who was initially assigned to a triple in the Dean’s house for isolation. “And I don’t think that college admin were really fully prepared if they had to move some of us totally off-campus.” In an email to TSL, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Tracy Arwari said COVID-positive students are “housed in a variety of College-owned spaces, including Oldenborg, campus houses and Oasis apartments. Having various locations allows

See COVID on page 3

than a hundred years ago when the city was established in 1887. Although cleanup efforts are still underway, it will take weeks to fully clear all the debris and larger obstructions from campus and around Claremont. Repairing damaged infrastructure, such as sidewalks, will take even longer. In some cases, cranes have been called in to lift the larger trees. Miller attributed the high level of destruction to several factors, including the proximity of trees to one another as well as the effects of drought on the soil and rootbeds. “Soil starts to shrink in droughts and holds heat longer,” Miller said, “which means that for anything that’s rooted, it loses its strength.” Pomona’s campus was most impacted by the storm owing to the higher number of large trees. Many native oak trees were toppled over, including several along Stover Walk, the loss of which has drastically altered the appearance of the once-lush canopy. The most noticeable damage at Pitzer College was a large tree

7Cs earn court victory in property dispute with Claremont School of Theology AMARA MIR & MARIANA DURAN In the latest development in a protracted legal battle between the Claremont Colleges and the Claremont School of Theology, the Superior Court of California ruled in favor of the consortium’s legal right to repurchase the land owned by CST. Per the Jan. 4 ruling, the graduate school is now prohibited from leasing or selling the land to third parties. According to a statement from The Claremont Colleges Services spokesperson Laura Muna-Landa, TCCS envisions using the property to build additional student housing to address increased enrollment at the colleges, as well as office and classroom spaces for aging facilities. When CST bought the land from the Claremont Colleges, the two parties signed a land deed which agreed that the

HuXLeYANN HueFNeR • THe STuDeNT LIFe

In the latest development of the ongoing legal battle between the Claremont Colleges and the Claremont School of Theology, the Superior Court of California ruled in favor of the Claremont Colleges.

consortium would have the right of first offer if CST ever decided to sell the property. It also agreed that the Claremont Colleges would repurchase the land at a price calculated through an established formula. While in its possession, CST was required to use the land only for educational purposes. In 2016, after CST expressed interest in selling part of the property to address financial struggles, the Claremont Colleges offered to repurchase a

portion of the property at $14 million. According to Muna-Landa, this price was at “a fair market value [and] substantially more than the formula price [of $4 million].” However, CST said it had its land appraised for around $40 million and rejected the price offered by the Claremont Colleges. Instead, CST attempted to sell 10.5 acres of its 16.4-acre campus to a commercial developer for $25

See CST on page 3

SAMSON ZHANG • THe STuDeNT LIFe

ARTS & CULTURE Savoring a triumphant lemon after crab-cracking a juicy piece of Maryland crab meat has fruitful parallels to the beginning of a new 5C semester, writes food columnist Emily Kim PO ‘25. Read more on page 4.

The student newspaper of the Claremont Colleges since 1889

OPINIONS

SPORTS

Pomona College and Student Health Services must reassess their COVID-19 testing guidelines address discrepancies in instructions given to students, argues Annika Reff PO ‘25. Read more on page 7.

After posting an impressive 7-1 record in their past eight games, the Sagehens are now second in SCIAC conference play with a record of 7-2 and have improved their overall record 12-4 entering into the final month of the regular season. Read more on page 9.

INDEX: News 1 | Arts & Culture 4 | Opinions 7 | Sports 9

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Roll the credits: Claremont’s Laemmle theater may close for good KATHERINE TAN & LUCIA STEIN To the dismay of students and Claremont locals alike, the neon sign advertising Laemmle’s Claremont 5 may not glow much longer. The theater could be on track to shut its doors sometime this year if the sale of its property to Winfund Investment LLC is finalized. The Claremont Courier first reported that the Rancho Cucamonga company hoped to buy the Laemmle’s property in December. The theater is in escrow — meaning it’s in the midst of being sold — though the transaction had not been finalized at the time of the Courier article’s publication. After the sale, the building currently housing the Laemmle would be used to house multiple restaurants, an organic market and a rooftop bar, according to the Courier. CEO Greg Laemmle declined to comment to TSL beyond clarifying that “at this time, it does not appear that the theater is in any immediate danger of closing.” He told the Courier that the transaction “may come with a lease-back arrangement that would allow for some contingent operation of the theater into, if not well into, next year.” Julienne Ho SC ’23 knew about the Laemmle’s possible closure because of signs outside the theater, which sits at a central location in the Claremont Village. She has frequented the Laemmle since her first year at Scripps. Her first time at the theater was on a date to a Studio Ghibli film and she watched “Venom” there this past fall. “I think that students will get a lot less out of this new proposal than they did out of the theater,” Ho said. “There are already so many restaurants in the village, and I don’t really see this adding that much new experience.” Sylvie Kromer SC ’25 has been to the Laemmle multiple times, despite it being her first year at the Claremont Colleges. Although Kromer said a market could be a useful addition to the Village, she echoed Ho’s sentiment that “Claremont has a lot of restaurants already … and I think not

EMMA JENSEN • THE STUDENT LIFE

Laemmle’s Claremont 5 theater may close if a potential sale goes through.

having a movie theater is definitely a detractor.” Both Kromer and Ho said that the lack of a movie theater within walking distance to campus would affect students negatively. “Some of my friends are Marvel nuts, so every time one of the movies comes out, they’ll … walk down like a pilgrimage,” Ho said. The Laemmle closing would mean they’d have to pile into an Uber or find some other means of transport, she added. “It’s a bummer,” Kromer said. “It’s a really cute little theater, I’m definitely sad to see it go.” Eight other theaters owned by the Laemmle company remain in

operation, spread across the greater Los Angeles area. “In addition to standard movie-going, Laemmle provides unique cinematic experiences such as one-night screenings, special events, premieres, and Academy qualifications,” the Laemmle’s website says. The company prides itself on supporting a culture of the arts and creating community. Laemmle fans and film buffs may now join other small business devotees affected by the pandemic in reckoning with how to create community elsewhere now that their favorite haunts have closed.

FebRuARY 4, 2022

Norovirus is back, Pitzer says AVERI SULLIVAN As students returned to campus earlier this semester, so did another bout of stomach ailments, this time affecting students at Pitzer College. At least 23 students have experienced symptoms of what the college and public health officials believe to be norovirus, representing about 2.5 percent of the campus residential population, according to a Thursday community update from Pitzer Chief Operating Officer Laura Troendle. Norovirus is a highly contagious gastrointestinal virus that induces vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and general stomach pain. The virus typically lasts a day or two and “can spread quickly in places with a significant number of people living and eating together,” according to Vasquez. She added that the residential living system at Pitzer might play a role in the recent outbreak, especially “in places with a significant number of people living and eating together.” Pomona College seemed to experience a similar outbreak at the end of the fall semester. Based on Los Angeles County Department of Public Health standards, 14 cases are considered an outbreak, Vasquez said. Accordingly, Pitzer is working with Student Health Services and LACDPH to investigate. The LACDPH case manager indicated that it is “highly unlikely” that the cause of the recent spate of illnesses “is a food or water related illness,” but “highly likely that it is the norovirus.”

Bon Appetit, who serves as Pitzer’s dining provider, has no “outstanding violations” and retained its “A” rating after initial inspection, according to Thursday’s email. Still, Pitzer is heightening its cleaning practices in high traffic areas, including in bathrooms and McConnell Dining Hall. Student Health Services and the Pitzer administration advised students to take more precautions in light of the outbreak. Vasquez recommended that students who feel ill should test to ensure they are not positive for COVID-19. In the meantime, they should also follow Center of Disease Control recommendations, which includes avoiding food preparation, sanitizing contaminated surfaces and making sure to maintain proper hygiene practices. If students do fall ill, they should reduce contact with other students, drink clear liquids, limit their intake of solid food and seek medical assistance if symptoms persist, Vasquez said. The college is providing infected students with a care package that includes soup, crackers and electrolyte drinks. SHS encouraged students exhibiting symptoms of norovirus to avoid exposure to other students and stay home until they are no longer symptomatic. Stephanie Hannant, assistant dean of mental health and well-being at Pitzer, offered resources to affected students, including personal or academic support and mental health referrals. “We appreciate impacted students who have reached out to us so that we can best support our community through this,” Vasquez said earlier.

ReGAN RuDMAN • THe STuDeNT LIFe

23 students at Pitzer College experienced norovirus symptoms recently.

From Pomona to WIND: Materials will be reused presidential appointment: Biden nominates two alums Continued from page 1

COURTESY: GAGE SKIDMORE VIA FLICKR

Two Pomona College alumni were nominated for key positions by President Joe Biden last week.

ELINA LINGAPPA & RYA JETHA Two Pomona College alumni are among the nominees for top diplomatic and legal positions announced by President Joe Biden last week. The White House is putting forward Alexander M.M. Uballez PO ’08 for U.S. attorney for the district of New Mexico and Michael Adler PO ’86 for ambassador to South Sudan, according to statements released Jan. 26. Uballez graduated from Pomona with a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, after which he went on to Columbia Law School. From there, he took up assistant district attorney positions in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Since 2016, Uballez has served as federal prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of New Mexico. If confirmed, Uballez will be responsible for running the entire U.S. attorney’s office in New Mexico. Uballez is one of six nominees for U.S. attorney announced by Biden last Wednesday. The president has now appointed 43 new nominees to the role of U.S. attorney, with a total of 93 U.S. attorneys that he can elect either to keep or replace. “I’m honored to be nominated and I look forward to the confirmation process,” Uballez said in an email to TSL. He has received widespread support from a variety of figures, including current New Mexico Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján. “[Uballez has] pursued innovative ways to address our public safety challenges, recognizing that the answers rarely start and stop in the courtroom,” Heinrich and Luján said in a joint statement. “We are confident that Mr. Uballez is the

lead federal prosecutor [that] we need to uphold the law and take on our public safety challenges.” Adler studied a special concentration at Pomona, according to the college’s alumni directory, and received his masters degree from Stanford University. He has more than three decades of experience in the Foreign Service, serving in Lebanon, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France and Qatar. Most recently, he served on the National Security Council staff as the deputy senior director for South Asia and the director for Afghanistan. He also held posts in the State Department as director of the Office of Afghanistan Affairs and director of the Office of Near Eastern Affairs in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. He previously worked in the bureaus of Political Military Affairs and Near Eastern Affairs. Adler is among five other diplomatic nominees that Biden announced on Jan. 26, all of whom are waiting to be confirmed by the Senate, including John Godfrey, the nominee for ambassador to Sudan. Both nominees come with experience in wealthy Middle Eastern and Gulf countries, reflecting the countries’ growing influence in East African affairs, according to journalist Robbie Gramer of Foreign Policy. The nominees have already been vetted by the White House and will soon be privately and publicly assessed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. After receiving a go-ahead from the committee, Adler’s nomination will be voted on by the entire Senate. Adler could not be reached for comment.

at 5 a.m. following the night of the storm. Members of the Scripps community have grown fond of the surrounding trees, but Landscape Operations Manager Joya Salas said there’s a sense of anticipation to see how the recovery process takes form. “It was chaotic because there was so much damage, but everyone buckled down and most of us worked all weekend. And everyone really showed up in a beautiful way,” Salas said. “I like to think that the trees all have personalities at Scripps. And they’re all recovering in their own way. It’s gonna be a process for some of them to regain their shape.” In the midst of intense cleanup efforts across the campus, it was important to Salas to save wood from the fallen oak tree on the Scripps Jaqua lawn for repurposing at a later time. In the past, repurposed wood from a fallen Scripps tree was used to create the commencement podium. In contrast to their more tree-populated counterparts, Harvey Mudd College and Claremont McKenna College faced less damage. Similar to the other colleges, cleanup efforts at Mudd and CMC have focused on the fallen debris. As clean up efforts across the campuses continue, the big question on stakeholders’ minds is: what happens next? Replanting processes are still in the early stages and could take up to a year to complete, according to Nemo. Oak trees at Pomona will likely be replaced with 24 inch box trees, which will then take several decades to begin resembling the trees that were lost. Nemo emphasized that future plans will involve the college’s stakeholders and landscape architects as well as student and faculty input. Miller and a group of Pomona students majoring in environmental analysis are urging Pomona’s administration to think critically about the sustainability of Pomona’s landscape as replanting processes are organized. “You look at Pomona’s campus and you say, yeah, it’s beautiful. But there’s a lot of trying to bring the East Coast to the West Coast. And that’s not what we should be doing,” said Madi Brothers PO ’22, an environmental analysis major. “There’s a lot of good native species that we could plant that would all be genuinely

beneficial. We should be trying to enhance the biodiversity as much as possible.” Brothers suggested that Pomona might look to Pitzer’s campus as an example of responsible landscaping practices, referring to the Pitzer Outback Handbook as a guide. Nemo noted that certain areas of the Pomona campus are more formally designed than others, such as Marston Quad and the surrounding area, leaving less room for divergence from the original landscape. Over at Scripps, Salas said that the trees will be replaced as close to “like for like,” as possible and a canopy restoration plan will be created to guide appropriate planting in the newly created space. As for repurposing plans, Pomona professor of art Michael O’Malley is currently hoping to create benches and bowls from the wood in the hopes that the trees will remain a part of the Claremont community in new forms. O’Malley said that the wood will be used as material in art classes in the future and stressed the importance of repurposed wood as an educational asset. “People think that wood comes from Home Depot. And because we have a mill on campus, this is an opportunity for students to see how much work it takes to create wood from a living tree,” he said. O’Malley’s vision for reincorporation of the trees into the community through art might provide some comfort to those who will never again walk under their shade. “I think that’s why it’s really important not to just chip them off and remove them,” O’Malley said. “There’s a huge learning experi-

ence here that also creates intimacy with the material. It’s important for people to understand that the trees had a life and experiences, and you’re having another experience trying to transform them into something cultural.” While remnants of the fallen trees have been saved for repurposing projects later on, the majority of the wood is being sent to a green waste facility where it will be composted. In the aftermath of the storm, the surrounding community has rallied around one goal: preserving what can be kept and regrowing in a more sustainable way. After seeing the destruction her parents’ house in Claremont suffered, Britany Marticorena PZ ’23 recognized the opportunity to assist community members impacted by the storm. She created a small coalition of students to address the specific needs of community members who reached out. From tidying lawns to removing large branches, Marticorena says that making a change in the local community has been extremely rewarding. “When something happens locally, it’s just so easy to provide some help, you don’t have to think so globally or nationally. When things happen locally, it’s really easy to get out there and fix it a little bit if you can,” said Marticorena. Handel, from the city, praised community-centered efforts like those of Marticorena. “We’re just really thankful for the community that they’ve all pitched in. They were cleaning parks and helping neighbors out,” Handel said. “So if there’s anything good that came out of it, it’s just really that the community has really come together to help each other out.”

COURTESY: EVAN JOHNSON

Pomona students and staff line up for food trucks Saturday afternoon, under a college banner at Bridges Auditorium damaged by the storm.

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COVID: Miscommunication mars isolation process, students say Continued from page 1 us to meet student accommodation needs and provide appropriate services for these individuals.” Many students on campus who test positive for COVID-19 have been sent to isolate at Oldenborg Center, Pomona’s international language residence and dining hall. In the building, which has been slated for a complete reconstruction for years, students with COVID-19 have been made to isolate in forced doubles — single rooms with an extra bed crammed in — which share a bathroom with a room on the other side. SeoJin Ahn PO ’23 contracted COVID-19 over winter break and reached out to Dean of Students Avis Hinkson to be excused from standard PCR testing protocol, as was required of all students returning to campus for the spring semester. Those who test positive for COVID-19 are supposed to take an antigen test to prove they are not contagious, since a PCR test may come back positive even if the subject is no longer contagious. Ahn didn’t receive a response from Hinkson and had no choice but to take a PCR test when she arrived on campus, which, as expected, came back positive. She was immediately told to isolate despite trying to clarify matters with the dean of students office, with whom communication was consistently unclear. Nonetheless, she began quarantining Tuesday Jan. 18, settling down in her room. But, right before midnight, she heard someone trying to get into her room and realized that the deans had assigned someone to stay in the suite with her. Since she has an auto-immune disorder, Ahn was immediately concerned about the risk of re-exposure since she had COVID-19 just weeks ago. After repeated attempts to communicate with Director of Housing and Operations Frank Bedoya and Junior Class Dean Maura McDinger, Ahn convinced them not to assign any other students to her room. Ahn was not just concerned about exposure but also the capacity for rooms to house two people. “There was only one desk per room, so if they’re expecting people to take classes but there’s two people in each room then I just don’t understand that,” Ahn said. “My room, with the two beds, there was just no room for a second desk, there’s no way that it would have been possible.” Ahn said she felt like there was a lack of planning ahead of time in providing students basic necessities during isolation. “If I was super sick and had a roommate, I would have lost it, I think. I genuinely don’t think I could have attended classes,” Ahn said. “Just me alone in this space, bodily-healthy, is so anxiety inducing. If I was sick and making eye contact with another sick person that I didn’t know the entire time I just don’t know what I would have done.” But that was the reality for Anna Resek PO ’22 and Teodelina Martelli PO ’24, two sudden roommates in isolation. Resek, who is from New York City, took a PCR test on Jan. 14. She had a negative antigen test before flying to campus, but started to feel sick upon arrival. Resek finally got in contact with the lab on Jan. 17 and found out her PCR was positive. Resek said the room she originally assigned to in Oldenborg was tiny and filled with another student’s

COURTESY: DAPHNE CHAPLINE

Three students were assigned this isolation room at 1200 N. College Avenue.

belongings upon her arrival. “I was not told that I would be with someone else,” Resek said. “And I didn’t feel comfortable with that.” Before Martelli moved into her room, Resek was able to get reassigned to the empty room in Ahn’s suite. Upon realizing there were rooms available, she was confused as to why the college was putting students in forced doubles. “I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ There’s no one in here and they’re still trying to stack us preemptively or something. We’re supposed to be isolated alone. Why are you putting us in like sardines? Literally, in bunk beds on top of each other in single rooms with no desks,” Resek said. Martelli similarly did not expect to have a roommate when she arrived at her assigned isolation room Jan. 19. “[The email] said room 307 has been opened for you. It wasn’t room 307 [along] with this person,” she said. “I went upstairs and unfortunately forced my way in on a very surprised roommate who was in the middle of a class.” Resek requested a desk for Martelli when she realized she would have a roommate. No second chair was provided with the desk. Martelli said they had to adapt to taking Zoom classes at the same time. “It’s not perfect but the fact that I don’t have an option makes it not terrible … you just do it,” she said. Another concern for the roommates was that Martelli had tested positive four days after Resek. “I feel like there are a lot of uncertainties and I didn’t really feel like anyone directly ensured our individual wellbeing,” Resek said. Martelli was also worried about the comfort level of Resek and Ahn, with whom they were sharing a bathroom. “I don’t find [the housing situation] to be particularly fair for people who have already been

here for days longer than I have,” Martelli added. According to Arwari, students with COVID “may be housed with others who test positive within a few days of their diagnosis; this is in alignment with best practice as outlined by LA County.” Pomona’s procedures were developed in consultation with the SHS medical director, Hamilton Health Box consultants and LA County health officials, she added. One student in the class of 2024, who asked to remain anonymous, said she was also not prepared to have a roommate. Like Martelli, she assumed that the college would have informed her if she had to share a room with someone. She was also surprised to learn that her suitemate, with whom they shared a bathroom, was already on their ninth day in isolation. Under the new CDC guidelines, the colleges have updated their policies to allow antigen testing six days after a positive test. Ahn was hoping to get out as soon as possible since she did not think she should be in isolation. But again, Ahn faced several communication barriers in trying to get out of isolation. “Dean McDinger had said she would reach out to [Student Health Services] and other involved parties before but, when I finally made contact with SHS and contract tracers, they had no idea who I was,” she said. SHS asked her to send a timeline of her symptoms and include evidence such as emails and texts with professors or deans in order to let her leave isolation. Resek was hoping to get an antigen test to get out after five days in isolation, but was told by McDinger she wouldn’t qualify for one because her positive test was from an off-campus lab. To her surprise, SHS told her that the contact tracing team didn’t “even have an open case” for her. “I honestly would prefer to at

PRES: Oliver will conclude six-year tenure at Pitzer

COURTESY: PITZER COLLEGE

Oliver plans to focus on priorities including Title IX and the new Scripps Pitzer Science Center as he winds down his term.

Continued from page 1 wife Suzanne formed with several members of the Pitzer community, as well as the next steps in their life. “Suzanne and I look forward to the next stage of our lives where

we can focus on ourselves and our family without the stress and responsibilities that are part of a college presidency,” he said. Gould hopes to celebrate all of Pitzer’s many accomplishments under President Oliver’s leader-

ship at a later time. “President Oliver will leave the College in a much stronger place than when he arrived, and for that and much more, the Board and the College will be forever grateful,” Gould said.

least verify or see if I could [test negative]. I’m fine waiting till the tenth day if it’s not safe, but I want the option,” she said. “I want to have my right to this test that was promised.” Resek strongly criticized the Pomona administration’s handling of her case. “Honestly [throughout] this whole process I feel like admin has been gaslighting me and giving me misinformation and then when I go over their head and talk to SHS they tell me something else,” she said. “It’s a complete lack of emotional compassion for people who are literally sick. It’s like [admin] are forgetting that we’re sick and they’re supposed to take care of us.” Martelli and Chapline were asked to submit a daily health check via the SHS portal, but were confused when they could find no such form. It turned out that policy had been officially discontinued Jan. 17, though McDinger continued to instruct students to do so. “It speaks very much to how unprepared we still are for the pandemic, the fact that SHS merely tells us our viral state without having much of another say on our isolation, but the deans do. I do not find that [the deans] are trained in medical matters,” Martelli said. “I think the deans are swamped with something that they are not equipped for.” The Pomona sophomore in isolation said she was frustrated by the lack of supplies available to students in isolation. “We didn’t have any cleaning supplies, there was no soap in the bathroom at all,” the sophomore said, adding that she and her roommate have been using the body wash she brought as hand soap. Resek felt just as frustrated with the lack of information from administrators. Resek said the email with isolation instructions had a “little

graphic with Cecil’s packing list like we’re going on vacation or something.” “I learned from other people who were in isolation that there was nothing here so that’s how I knew what to bring,” Resek said. “It’s completely reliant on the fact that students should have not forgotten anything or have friends come at their beck and call. It’s really messed up.” Ahn added that there were multiple instances in which one or more of the suitemates did not receive meals. Maddie Ward PO ’22 said there were numerous hiccups in her isolation process as well. She did not receive isolation information in her Oldenborg room, she did not receive a message from SHS about scheduling an antigen test and she did not get lunch delivered twice within six days. Resek emphasized that more avenues for support and communication should have been provided. “All roads lead back to McDinger, who only has an email and there’s no phone number,” she said. “And there’s no medical personnel that might be able to provide [symptom] relief.” McDinger later conceded in an email to Resek that “the isolation instructions could have been more specific, and I recognize that your room assignment was complicated due to factors beyond your control.” She declined a request for an interview, sending TSL Arwari’s statement in response to questions. Like Ahn, the Pomona sophomore also faced roadblocks when trying to get an antigen test on her fifth day. She thought she would be able to test on Friday but was later told she had to wait until Monday, and the thought of being in isolation for longer caused her to have a panic attack. She used the 7C Health app for support, but “they were so monotone and dismissive,” she said, adding that the practitioner on call with her told her she was just getting worked up. “Do I know that I’m negative? No, but I was at least looking forward to finding out. So that was really stressful,” she said. “They should test us if for no other reason just to get us out of here so they can put other people in here.” The sophomore said students in isolation need “mental health support, people who actually give a single crap and don’t make you feel like you’re an idiot or you’re dramatic for feeling and experiencing the things that you are.” She said that she used the college-provided resource in hopes of learning methods “to not legitimately lose my mind in [isolation],” but ultimately felt worse after the call. Ahn’s ordeal came to a conclusion the morning of Jan. 21, when SHS informed her that she was cleared from isolation. “Dean McDinger had said that SHS was having a delay and that she was the liaison to speak through, but I found it much easier to reach both SHS and [the] contact tracers than any admin and get answers,” Ahn said. As Resek put it, “there’s just a lack of transparency.” Ward agreed. “The worst part of isolation is not knowing what is going on and having to chase up admin for resources and information that they promised to provide but haven’t,” Ward said. “It’s a complex situation but Pomona has had so much time to prepare for this and they are still just scrambling.”

CST: New ruling bars theology school from leasing out property Continued from page 1 million. The school planned to relocate and partner with Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. The school sued the Claremont Colleges, claiming the agreement was void and under-valued under California law. The case first went to trial in 2018. In 2019, the Los Angeles Superior Court ruled in favor of the Claremont Colleges, but the ruling did not solve all legal issues. Ignoring the ongoing litigation, CST signed an agreement with Yalong Investment Group, for which it has already been paid $10 million. The agreement gave Yalong exclusive use of the property. In response, the Claremont Colleges sought review of the Superior Court’s ruling by the California Court of Appeals. In January and June of 2021, the Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Claremont Colleges. The latest Jan. 4 ruling was broader t ha n t he prev ious ones. It stated that CST is prohibited from leasing, transferring or selling the property to third parties, including Yalong. Additionally, it stated that the right of first offer in the 1957 agreement was valid and in effect. Simply put, CST now needs to give the Claremont Colleges an offer to sell the

property. The colleges expressed satisfaction with the rulings. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to protect the legacy of the Scripps family and ensuring that the land donated to TCC and provided to CST in 1957 is used in a manner consistent with the higher education mission of The Claremont Colleges,” Muna-Landa said. CST has until March 2022 to appeal the Superior Court’s decision. CST spokesperson Steve Horswill-Johnston declined to comment. Horswill-Johnston told the Claremont Courier that CST had yet to make a decision, but that it was considering appealing the ruling. “Our goal remains trying to get an equitable price for the property and we hope to work with TCC to make that happen,” he told the Courier. CST had previously stated its hope to establish a two-campus model: remaining in Claremont while maintaining its partnership with Willamette. However, these plans have remained in stasis since 2019. CST is currently fully online for academic instruction. Other third parties, including the Western University of Health Sciences, are currently occupying the property, violating the terms of t he Superior Court ’s latest ruling. Muna-Landa said that the Claremont Colleges intend to seek an injunction prohibiting this.

Arts & Culture

PAGE 4 MOMENTS TO SAVOr

FEbruAry 4, 2022

rEGuLArLy SCHEDuLED PrOGrAMMING

Cracking crabs and fighting failure EMILY KIM If there’s one thing that I know about Maryland, it’s that Marylanders sure do love their crab. My parents grew up in Baltimore and swore that I, their born-and-raised Southern Californian daughter, would grow to appreciate this crustacean in the true Maryland spirit. Now, at the age of 20, I have to say that crab is easily one of my favorite dishes, and not just because of the taste: The eating process itself is a hands-on, immersive experience. Before you can eat crabs, you have to break them down. My family and I take the process very seriously; crab-cracking for us is a silent affair. We don’t want to disturb each others’ momentum, and we share a mutual understanding that our conversations will be more lively when there is fresh crab meat within our reach. The first few steps involved in breaking down a crab are simple. Remove the legs, separate the body from the shell, split the body in half and discard the inedible pieces. However, the next stage of the breakdown process — cracking the legs — requires a great deal of precision, and it is here where errors, and oftentimes frustration, abound. Here’s the thing with crab legs: To get the meat out in one piece, you need to break the leg ever so slightly so that you can pull the shell apart from both sides. However, if you accidentally snap the leg in half, extracting the meat becomes nearly impossible. You may need a mallet or even scissors to cut through the broken leg, and search for pieces of unreachable meat. In moments like these, my dad — having already started eating his pile of cracked crabs — encourages me to just try again with the next leg. I resist, but then concede. After all, there’s nothing more satisfying than reaching for another leg and handling it correctly. My botched attempts at crabcracking are always followed by the most gratifying successes. I crack the leg more gently this time and uncover what seems to me like the plumpest slice of crab meat to ever exist; that first bite

tastes so sweet. The joy of eating crabs is in the process: I love the triumph that comes from my first successful crab leg of the night, the discovery of my crab-cracking rhythm (crack, tug, eat, repeat) and even the renewed determination that comes with messing up after three or four successful runs. And when all the crabs are gone, I love the way that my family and I end our eventful meal: with lemon wedges. Growing up, my dad taught me to squeeze lemon juice onto my hands after eating crabs to remove the scent. But I would always take it a step further and actually eat a couple lemon wedges, too. Now, before you question my citrus choices, let me explain. I actually appreciate lemons’ extreme tartness, which effectively cleanses the palate after a satisfying meal. When I sit down to eat crab, I struggle, I triumph, I relish in my successes and savor the victories, and then, through the lemon, I feel utterly refreshed. My taste buds are satisfied and ready for the meals to come. So, as college students, regardless of our seafood preferences, I believe that we can all somewhat relate to this crab-eating process. We successfully made it through the fall 2021 semester. We experienced both triumphs and failures: There were likely times when our crab legs snapped, and others when we pulled out the perfect slice. Winter break was hopefully a time of rest for all, and now I think it’s time to bite the lemon. A new semester means new things to learn and new opportunities to seize! As we move into the fourth week of the spring semester, I hope that we can all cleanse our palates of the fall and turn our taste buds, expectantly, to all that the spring has to bring. Emily Kim PO ’25 is from Irvine, California. She loves baggy sweaters, YouTube karaoke and banana bread.

LuCIA MArQuEZ-uPPMAN • THE STuDENT LIFE

‘The sidekick is the lead’ on ‘Euphoria’

bELLA PETTENGILL • THE STuDENT LIFE

CLAIRE DUMONT This article contains spoilers for “Euphoria.” When HBO’s “Euphoria” premiered in June 2019, it dominated the cultural conversation for the rest of the summer. The impact was longlasting: Trends inspired by “Euphoria” were still popular up to two years after the first season came out, and the currently airing second season was anxiously anticipated. In the almost three year period between seasons one and two, fans of the show talked at length about the main characters, notably Cassie, Rue, Jules, Nate, Kat and Maddy, both about what happened last season, and predictions for season two. When I first watched “Euphoria,” I found these characters interesting. I disliked (and still dislike) many of them, but as the main characters, it was hard to ignore their plot lines. But I always found that the character I related to the most was the more overlooked Lexi Howard. So far in season two, as a Lexi fan, I finally feel that her time has come. Lexi’s character arc this far into the season shows that she is one of the most compelling characters in the show. Lexi (Maude Apatow) is introduced in the first season as Rue Bennett’s (Zendaya) childhood friend and the younger sister of Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney). Compared to Cassie’s bold personality, Lexi is almost the complete opposite. She is bookish, quiet and mainly keeps to herself. Her hair and makeup looks, as well as her wardrobe, are more understated and less noticeable. When it was popular to do “Euphoria” season one inspired makeup

looks on TikTok, it was pretty rare to see someone trying to emulate Lexi. For the most part, Lexi went pretty unnoticed in the first season — but not to me. I knew even from watching only about half of season one that she was one of the only characters I liked. One of the only things I wanted to see from a new season was an expansion of Lexi’s storyline, or, at least, any storyline at all. I was pleasantly and happily surprised when in the first episode, the seeds of an interesting and exciting Lexi plotline were planted, when she sits next to Fezco (Angus Cloud) at the New Year’s Party. In episode two Lexi has discovered a newfound confidence within herself. She puts on a new outfit, blasts hyperpop and bikes over to Fezco’s convenience store. Lexi has decided that she is done remaining quiet and being known just as Cassie’s younger sister. Her confidence comes from inside her, and although she is doing it partly to impress Fez, she is doing it mainly for herself. She doesn’t have a cliche makeover montage, where she takes off a pair of glasses and now suddenly everyone notices her. Fez sees her at the party in her own style, and their conversation centers on her. When I was in high school, I was definitely like Lexi. Even now, three years out from high school, I still deeply identify with her. Rue’s narration in the third episode of season two described Lexi as an “observer.” She is seen as taking a backseat to the more interesting plot points of the characters around her, choosing to handle her own problems on her own. The episode also showed how she actually deals with her life, which is by imagining her life as a scripted TV show that she is writing, with her friends and family cast as the other characters. As she says, “the

sidekick is the lead.” She both believes that she is writing her own show, and is literally writing an autobiographical play to put on at school, with characters exactly like the people in her life. This season, Lexi is more of an asset to the plot. While in the last season she mainly operated with concerned looks as her close friend and sister did potentially destructive things, this season she has decided to use being an observer to her advantage and take charge of the narrative going on around her. Literally. The consequences of the autobiographical play she’s writing have yet to completely pan out, but the groundwork has clearly been laid for a blowout reveal before the finale. The drama of the season has definitely been building, with upcoming conflicts inevitable. But, it is incredibly compelling to think about the possibility that the most drama could come from what Lexi’s play reveals. Even though she has been continually overlooked and dismissed by the other characters, they are just underestimating her ability to observe. Lexi’s tendency to observe what’s going on around her mirrors how the audience is watching everything play out on their own screens. In a way, her character breaks the fourth wall by noticing the drama of the other characters and plot lines in the same way the audience dissects and breaks down each character and plot point. In the grand scheme of “Euphoria,” Lexi might not be one of the most interesting characters, but she’s my favorite because her tendency to observe reminds me of my own. Her confidence and desire to stand up for herself this season has come from inside herself, rather than for someone else. Claire DuMont SC ’23 is one of TSL’s TV columnists. She is hoping for more Fez and Lexi scenes in the rest of the season.

‘Wait, What?’ Pomona professor’s latest album is a treatise on life and love DIYA MEHTA “I was making love to Scarlett Johansson, / Who calls me Mr. Handsome,” Pierre Englebert croons to open his new album, “Wait, What?” Arresting, unexpected and deeply funny, these lyrics set the tone for the rest of the album and the musical journey on which it takes its listeners. These lyrics come from “Scarlett, We Need to Talk,” a sharp, unconventional love song and a fitting opener for the witty and entertaining album. A Pomona College professor since 1998, Englebert is the H. Russell Smith professor of international relations and professor of politics. Specializing in African politics, he is also a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. Englebert has always loved music, playing in his own band in college. After losing touch with this passion, he recently found his way back to the joy of music during a sabbatical, where he began to take music lessons at the Claremont Folk Music Center and, eventually, Pomona itself. With his five children now past elementary school, Englebert found he had more time for his passions. “I mean, having the kids was great,” Englebert said. “But now that’s over, time has opened up, and I think that music was like, ‘Hey, I’ll take up the space available here.’ And it’s been wonderful. I’m so grateful.”

After many evenings spent with his guitar, Englebert released his third album, following “Back to Plan A” and “Well, not a moment too soon.” The album contains songs that are deeply personal as well as deeply smart and humorous, “a balance of silly and heartfelt songs,” according to Englebert. The variety of songs include “Claremont, California” — both a love letter and historical account of Claremont — and “A Manly Man I Am,” a criticism of those that oppose freedom of gender and sexual expression coupled with an affirmation of the beauty of love, no matter who it is between (and in all of this, a truly delightful Stan Lee joke). This album marks a new stage in Englebert’s musical exploration. “‘Back to Plan A’ was my first time going back to music, and so it was kind of rock music,” he said. “And I was just starting, so the compositions were less elaborate, and I didn’t try hard to do a lot of different harmonies and all that. I was new.” This time, Englebert was more invested in the creative and production process, wanting to showcase his new grasp of music theory. “With this album, I took four classes in the music department, so I became a little more grounded in the music theory part,” Englebert said. “And so I was more explicit in my mind about trying to do something that’s bet-

ter quality. I thought, ‘I want to work on this. Let me think of a nice progression between these two chords. If it’s a simple transition, let me add more layers.’ I was really trying to make better music.” This attention to musical detail shines in the tracklist. For example, “Scarlett, We Need to Talk” has a “more classical bend to it,” according to Englebert. When listening to the album — which features more classical instruments, complex chord structures and melodies than his previous work — listeners can definitely notice the added nuance and texture. Englebert has also taken more creative risks with this album. The last track, “Like a Virgin,” is purely instrumental, and “Long Story Short” is a mid-album interlude inspired by an assignment Englebert completed for a music theory class that asked students to include as many secondary dominant chords as possible. “If I do my homework, I’m gonna get something out of it,” he said. The album also functions as a cross-section of Englebert’s work as a politics professor, his research into African politics and his music. Songs like “In the Zoom Breakout Room” chronicle an emerging Zoom romance, inspired by Englebert’s observations of student interactions during online school. “Yo, Boy!” is a song about the horrors of war, inspired by Englebert’s re-

KIrby KIMbALL • THE STuDENT LIFE

Pierre Englebert — the H. russell Smith professor of international relations and professor of politics at Pomona College — released his third album, titled “Wait, What?”

search on civil wars in Africa. Looking to the future, Englebert’s plans include more music, potentially released as singles whenever songs are ready. He is also looking at performing his work at live concerts, an exciting new development in his career as a musical artist. At the end of the day, however, it truly is all about the music. Music means a lot to Englebert, and that passion and care for his craft can be clearly felt when listening to the album. After his

time away from music, his return has bought him creative and personal fulfillment. “Oh, my goodness, it makes me so happy,” he said. “I feel like I didn’t realize how much I was missing it. It’s really been incredibly enjoyable, satisfying and liberating. So I really love it. When it comes to my music, I don’t really have any other goals, except to make music. Music has become a great part of my life, and it makes me happy, and I hope it doesn’t go away.”

Arts & Culture

FEbruAry 4, 2022

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Sofia Dartnell PO ’22 awarded esteemed Gates Cambridge scholarship ZOEY LOFGREN Many people are bugged by insects. They think that many-legged crawlers are creepy or a nuisance – in short, mere pests. But Sofia Dartnell PO ’22 has always believed that butterflies and bees are nothing to truly be afraid of. Dartnell’s obsession with bugs began early in her life. “I was literally just the kid who would sit there in the grass collecting bugs,” Dartnell said. “I’d catch them in my little net … bring them in the house to look at, bring them outside and release them.” Dartnell’s passion for plant pollinators has now procured her the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship. After she graduates from Pomona College in May, she will fly across the Atlantic to study at the world-renowned University of Cambridge in the fall. Dartnell is one of only 80 students selected to join the 2022 cohort. The Gates Cambridge Trust was established in 2000 and offers 80 full-cost scholarships annually to students from outside the UK to pursue postgraduate research in all disciplines. To be selected for the program, a student must demonstrate four criteria: outstanding academic achievement, reason for research, a strong commitment to helping others and leadership potential. Dartnell found out that she received the award in an airport bookstore while she was waiting for her flight back to school. She was “floored,” she said, almost passing out from excitement. Then she called her parents, who she cited as her biggest supporters all along. “It’s really my parents who fostered [my] interest in [insects] and

… allowed me to pursue it,” Dartnell said. “A lot of people aren’t super bug friendly, or happy about bringing ants in the house and that sort of thing.” Dartnell considers herself to be a bug expert at this point in her life. “I would call myself an entomologist by training,” Dartnell said. “I really love insects, and I have ever since I was little.” Dartnell’s interest in insects has only grown since coming to Claremont, where she has been able to become involved in a variety of different insect projects. In her sophomore year, she joined associate professor of biology Wallace “Marty” Meyer’s lab and was supposed to start studying ants as part of the lab. However, after just two weeks of research, COVID-19 struck, and everyone was told to leave campus. But this didn’t stop Dartnell. When classes went remote, she emailed Professor Meyer to see if she could somehow still gain research experience. He presented an opportunity to her: to analyze and write up a six-year dataset on how five different habitat types affect butterfly communities at the Robert J. Bernard Field Station in Claremont. “Basically, my research showed pretty conclusively that the grassland does not harbor as many butterfly species as this native area does,” Dartnell said. “It’s really sort of a pointer to save the [California] sage scrub, which is cool.” The paper, for which Dartnell is first author, was recently published in the Journal of Insect Conservation. “I think that everything that [we’re] doing, … contributing to

literature, and thought processes and data, hopefully will move us forward [towards] a sustainable kind of future,” Meyer said. “Preserving biodiversity in these areas that are heavily impacted by human use is critically important if we want to, in [the] most extreme case, stop the sixth mass extinction.” For associate professor of biology Frances Hanzawa, it was during her Insect Ecology and Behavior class, Dartnell’s first upper level biology course, when she realized Dartnell was going to excel at research. In the independent project portion of the course, Dartnell examined the behavior of crickets when escaping predators, cobbling together creative ways to simulate such interactions in the lab. “Most people would have gotten intensely frustrated because it was difficult,” Hanzawa said. “For her, it was a challenge. There was problem solving. It [was] fun … She hadn’t done independent work before. [It] was really impressive.” Even when the pandemic disrupted life, Dartnell saw a problem to be solved, not an impediment. In the summer of 2020, when most labs did not do in-person research, Dartnell got a position at the Rocky Mountain biological lab, where she started her research on bumble bees. “Through summer research opportunities [like this], I’ve become super interested in bees,” Dartnell said. “[There’s] sort of a two-way street of how we should be promoting their diversity and sort of keeping them around … and how that can play back into crop bene-

SHELF LIFE

Saga #55 is a gloriously familiar fever dream

GAbrIELA CAMACHO • THE STuDENT LIFE

Celebrity fans of “Saga” include Alan Moore and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

KATE JONES This article contains mild spoilers for Saga #1-#55. In an attempt to describe Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ “Saga” to my editors in a single sentence during our pitch meeting, I rattled off, “Romeo and Juliet, with-sex-and-drugs-andaliens.” This isn’t far from the truth. The sprawling comic epic — which returned from a nearly four-year hiatus with its 55th issue on Jan. 26 — begins with the story of Alana and Marko, starcrossed lovers from the eternally warring planets of Landfall and Wreath. Against all odds, they fall in love and give birth to Hazel, the series’ narrator. The result is a fevered rollercoaster of a cross between a romance and a coming-of-age tale. “Saga” documents Hazel’s upbringing as her family travels across the stars, encountering allies and enemies: the prince of the Robot Kingdom, spaceships that grow on trees, self-pleasuring dragons, a three foot tall battle ax-wielding seal-man named Ghüs, phantom babysitters and a cat who always, always knows when you’re lying. The story is gory and graphic and bizarre, laced with famously idiosyncratic humor: in Saga #48, published in 2017, the words “do you even know what a fidget spinner is?” appear for no discernable reason other than the (then-timely) bit. However, “Saga” is more than the sci-fi soap opera it appears to be. There’s a reason it has built up a massive and loyal fanbase (including Alan Moore of Watchmen fame and Lin-Manuel Miranda) and won no fewer than 12 Eisner awards. There’s a reason I closed Saga #54 sobbing and scoured the internet for information each year of its prolonged hiatus. Vaughan has a track record of using surreal lenses to tell remarkably relatable stories. His past

work includes Barrier, a story of language difference and xenophobia told through the lens of an alien abduction, Runaways, a Marvel superhero arc about growing up and away from one’s family and Paper Girls, a beautiful meditation on friendship, girlhood and time-travel. “Saga” is no exception. It’s ironic that a story so explicit can be referred to as a “family” tale, but that’s exactly what “Saga” is: a story of family, lost and found, adopted and biological. In a universe populated by aliens, the characters feel deeply human. They fight and fail to forgive each other, they cope with death and heartbreak; there’s a poignant family reunion in Saga #36 and a gorgeously written and heartfelt father-daughter conversation about kindness (and procreation) towards the end of #54. And though it may seem unlikely, the action-adventure comic book form conveys this humanity in a uniquely compelling way. Through incremental, monthly publication, Vaughan and Staples let the story grow alongside its readers (the first issue came out in 2012; in 2022, Hazel is newly 10 years old) and tackle topical themes (an issue with fake-news undertones published during the Trump presidency comes to mind). It’s difficult to think of another medium that allows its story to evolve and react in the way “Saga” does, especially once you factor in Staples’ crucial, incomparable talent as an artist. In the midst of the characteristic chaos — the blood, the glitter, one horrifyingly vengeful star-nosed mole — Staples has the ability to crystallize moments words could never convey. The warmth of curling up next to a cat. Secondhand parental joy. The stomach-jarring silent heartbeat just before a character begins to cry. It’s the juxtaposition of familiar and fever dream that makes these moments so much more

powerful. In these panels, the comic’s indomitable humanity is formed. With Saga #55, Vaughan and Staples prove that despite a brutal hiatus, the spirit of “Saga” is alive and well. There’s sex, violence and a pink koala-man built like a pro wrestler, but a highlight of the issue is a sentimental moment midway through, where Hazel dances to a stolen tape recording while background text contemplates growing up. Captivating and familiar, the scene is Saga’s distilled essence: coyly eliciting nostalgia in the midst of the bizarre. Just as coyly, however, the passage is abruptly cut off; the page is turned to reveal a punchline (“The song, of course, is Assassins of Sadness by Fartbox”), and the story continues. This is what “Saga” does: It refuses to be boxed in. It plays with expectations and compromises nothing; Vaughan has referred to it as “unadaptable”. And Saga #55 is the story at its most essential. It’s graphic and gorgeous. It toes the line between heartfelt and irreverent. It ends leaving the reader wanting more. “Saga” might start out as a love story, but it ends as a love letter to its medium. In its essential humanity, its refusal to choose between action-heavy sci-fi tale and sappy family drama, it embodies graphic storytelling to its full potential. Now, this ode to print comics is slowly drawing to a close (Vaughan has revealed there will be 108 issues; #54 and #55 mark the halfway point). It’s the perfect time to hop on the roller coaster and stay along for the ride. Kate Jones PO ’24 is from Seattle, Washington. If you need to find her, she’ll probably be on the second floor of Honnold-Mudd, staring awestruck at the graphic novel collection.

COurTESy: SOFIA DArTNELL

Sofia Dartnell PO ’22 won one of 80 Gates Cambridge Scholarships, earning her a full-cost scholarship to the university of Cambridge to pursue a PhD in zoology.

fits for farmers. And so for me, my main research interest is sort of targeted habitat modifications.” Currently, Dartnell is in the process of finishing up her thesis on the fall pollinator community, to see which bee species pollinates plants that bloom in the fall. At Cambridge, Dartnell’s research will be focused on how targeted habit modifications can strengthen biodiversity on farmlands, ultimately benefiting the environment, farmers and consumers too. Dartnell will be studying at Cambridge’s Darwin College and pursuing a PhD in zoology in the agroecology group led by Dr. Lynn Dicks. “What I think is really interesting about the Gates Cambridge Scholarship is that it’s really focused on social impact,” Dartnell

said. “That, for me, is at least what set it apart … the whole thing with bees is that bees benefit humans also.” Dartnell noted the importance of positivity when thinking about the issue of climate change. Though we may not necessarily be able to reverse things, according to Dartnell, we can still mediate the change and keep it from becoming more severe. “If the world … unites behind this cause, there is still hope,” Dartnell said. “I think it’s important to keep a positive outlook because if not, you’re sort of turning people off of the idea of helping.” The biggest lesson Dartnell has learned throughout college is to pursue her passions. Just like the humble bumble bees she studies, she’s planning on working to bring about a better world.

5C band “Josie on the Rocks” celebrates creativity, collaboration SASHA MARLAN-LIBRETT Artists don’t make art because someone asked them to. The student artist’s job involves anticipating the need for art in their community — or recognizing this need within themselves — and finding the ability to advocate for and pursue it. No small task. Lily Silver SC ’23, Alex Albrecht CM ’23, Graham Derzon-Supplee PZ ’22 and Luis Verdin CM ’22 are four such artists who have recognized their internal need to make art, channeling it into forming their band, Josie on the Rocks (Josie for short). The band’s formation was described by Silver as “serendipitous.” Albrecht (bass and backup vocals) and Silver (lead vocals and keyboard) grew up in Seattle, Washington, but met for the first time through a mutual friend in the summer of 2021. Silver proposed that the two play music together when they returned to school in the fall. When Albrecht and Silver both discovered that the other was serious about starting a band, they unknowingly thought of the same drummer and lead guitarist: Derzon-Supplee and Verdin. Derzon-Supplee had gotten many similar offers in the past. “If I had $1 for everybody that said we should start a band, I’d have like at least $8,” Derzon-Supplee said. The other bands he had joined in past years had been fun, but they never met frequently enough to keep making progress and writing new songs. This one, though, felt different. “It was one of those things that felt very meant to be,” Silver said. At the band’s first concert this fall, a 5C Ski Club event at Last Name Brewery, they settled on the name Josie on the Rocks minutes before performing. “And thus, we were a band,” Derzon-Supplee said. If he “absolutely had to put a label on it,” Verdin said Josie would be labeled indie or alt rock. All four members have different musical backgrounds, influence and interests. Silver and Albrecht share a love of the Seattle grunge scene, while Derzon-Supplee drums to electronic music. Verdin mostly practices jazz, although he listens to a ton of heavy metal, Latin music, rock and hip hop. “At first, it was kind of like whoa, we are all trying to do something very different from each other right now,” Silver said. “But then after a couple practices, we ended up realizing, that was kind of the coolest thing about what we have going on.” Josie is a collaborative process: each member agrees that everyone contributes to the creation process equally. Sometimes, they’ll start by jamming and write lyrics after; other times, Silver or Albredcht will propose some pre-written lyrics. Although Derzon-Supplee hadn’t done much songwriting in the past, Silver said that one night he picked up her ukulele and “blossomed,”

writing eight songs in one night. Being a student and a performer comes with its challenges. Both Derzon-Supplee and Albrecht reported feeling utterly overwhelmed by their commitments this year. Between school, sports, clubs and being in another band, Albrecht said, “I just don’t think I gave myself enough time in the week to do any one thing well.” Even so, he still experienced the band as “overwhelmingly positive and fun.” “It’s a release even when you’re working hard,” Albrecht said, and being motivated for something “that is not just a solo endeavor” gives Derzon-Supplee a cause — something to care about more than his schoolwork. Verdin craves the kind of musical fulfillment that Josie gives him. He sees “being a part of the band, and constantly involved in musical activities” as “the best de-stressor” he could think of. Silver credits Josie as the reason she came back to school this year after having a difficult summer mental-health-wise. Even so, before Josie’s first show, Silver feared her anxiety would stop her from getting on stage. “I was thinking, I totally made these guys think that this is something I can do. And I can’t do it,” Silver said. But she did, and what she gained from being onstage was overwhelmingly positive. “I haven’t felt that little anxiety in a really long time,” even in regular life, Silver said. The members of Josie trust each other, and performing has become a ritual that all of the members now depend on for the good of their mental health, fulfillment, and sense of purpose. Band members want to advise their peers who are worried about time management while prioritizing artistic endeavors to focus on what fulfills them in the present. Playing music for enjoyment in the present, regardless of what it might bring them in the future, is vital to the wholeness of Josie’s members’ lives. It’s important for us all to find what is meaningful and what propels us to show up and work hard. Silver went into this band with the knowledge that music was what made her feel good, not expecting Josie to be recording their first EP just four months later. “I’m just gonna ride with it where it goes,” Silver said. “But we’ve had so much fun and … we’ve made some really special music that I feel really proud of.”

COurTESy: JOSIE ON THE rOCKS

“Josie on the rocks” settled on their name right before their first concert this fall, a 5C Ski Club event at Last Name Brewery.

PAGE 6

Arts & Culture

FEbruAry 4, 2022

THE 5 TO THE 10

Unpacking the Scripps campus and Mission Revival mythology

JANEy MATEJKA • THE STuDENT LIFE

Left: The Claremont Colleges currently occupy Tovaangar land, which was first colonized during the Portola Expedition in 1769. Right: Scripps College’s architecture is built in the Mission Revival style, which furthers a revisionist history of the colonial mission project, argues Cassidy bensko SC ‘25.

CASSIDY BENSKO Scripps College is gorgeous, we know this. Touring Scripps for the first time as a Southern California local, I recalled the blindingly-white Mission Revival-style luxury hotels littered through Santa Barbara, a similarly orange-roofed animal hospital in Ojai and the pink pearly peppercorn trees in my hometown. Every aspect of the campus is a feat of aesthetic pleasure and quintessentially Californian. Growing up in Southern California, my fourth-grade social studies unit on the California missions lined up pretty keenly with the beauty and ubiquity of Mission Revival style. We were told that the missions were benevolent Christianizing institutions that Indigenous people came to and remained at willingly. Some of my classmates took field trips to remodeled missions in San Fernando and Santa Barbara, making sure to exit through the gift shop at the end. Others were tasked with creating their own mission out of popsicle sticks and non-toxic glue. This narrative of colonial be-

nevolence is known as Mission Mythology: a revisionist history of the mission project which is reproduced in fourth-grade classes, historic mission gift shops, and, among other things, Mission Revival architecture. Now, eight years later, I attend Scripps, an institution applauded for its Mission Revival architecture. Queer Indigenous author Deborah A. Mirandah describes the Mission style derived from this colonial era as a “visual mythology” accompanied by a “cultural storytelling” which “drains the missions of their brutal and bloody pasts for popular consumption.” In essence, the image of missions is not associated with colonial violence; rather, it’s a setting for weddings, prom photos, and, as explored by former TSL columnist Frances Sutton PO ’22, the protection of white womanhood. The Claremont Colleges currently occupy an area known as Tovaangar, a stretch of land which has been held in stewardship by the Gabrielino-Tongva for 2,500 years. Reaching from

the coast to San Fernando, the San Gabriel Wilderness and Mission Viejo, Tovaangar contained tens of villages, the closest of which to campus was Pemookanga, in what is now Walnut, California. First colonized during the Portola Expedition in 1769, the Gabrielino-Tongva were enslaved and forced to construct the San Fernando and San Gabriel Missions, both of which are under 50 minutes away from campus. The Gabrielino-Tongva’s resilient history in the Los Angeles Basin is reflected in a recent art installation titled TongvaLand. The project exhibited seven billboards across Los Angeles from August to September 2021, featuring artwork by Chemehuevi photographer Cara Romero and Tongva artists. Romero approached TongvaLand wanting “to convey that LA is a Native space; that the Tongva People are here, and that it is our responsibility – whether we ourselves are Native or not – to educate ourselves about whose land we are on.” Further, the project serves as a means of raising “critical pub-

lic awareness to the fact that the First Peoples of the city with the second-largest Native American population in the US do not have Federal Recognition.” Mission Revival architecture and the cultural storytelling it accompanies attempt to gut Southern California of its true history, masking genocide behind pristine stucco walls. Yet, TongvaLand places Indigenous narratives back in focus. The Gabrielino-Tongva have been recognized by the state of California since 1994; however, their lack of federal recognition excludes the tribe from a variety of federal aid, including, but not limited to, pandemic-related relief funds. Though the tribe has actively sought federal recognition for years, they remain “one of two state-recognized tribes and the best-documented tribe in the State without federal recognition.” Indigenous populations are among those hit hardest by COVID-19 and the lack of federal recognition only exacerbates this issue. Just as these fantasy heritages and imaginary histories were

reproduced in my fourth-grade social studies class, they are reproduced every time the Scripps campus is praised, toured and posted on social media without historic context. With the acceptance of this fantasy comes complicity in the maintenance of false cultural narratives which have served as the basis for the erasure of Indigenous communities who have cared for the Los Angeles basin for several thousand years. I implore Claremont students to not only refuse to be fooled by Southern Californian fantasy mission mythology but to also take on an active role as a steward of the history discussed in this article. The Claremont Colleges owe our Indigenous students, friends and neighbors a helping hand in the fight to recognize TongvaLand. For more information regarding the Gabrielino-Tongva, please visit gabrielinotribe.org/history. Cassidy Bensko SC ‘25 is TSL’s Southern California Columnist from Santa Clarita, CA. They’re a certified tree hugger, goldfish enthusiast, and lover of comedy.

New Benton exhibition celebrates knowledge and how we find it

EMMA JENSEN • THE STuDENT LIFE

Salim Moore curated “Known & Understood: Selections from the Permanent Collection,” the Benton Museum of Art’s newest exhibtion.

INDIA CLAUDY On Thursday evening, the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College opened its newest exhibition, “Known & Understood: Selections from the Permanent Collection.” The first event of the spring semester, the exhibition opening was casual, allowing visitors to come and go as they pleased –– a format conscious of crowding as the museum remains wary of high COVID-19 numbers in the county. Salim Moore, the Benton’s assistant curator of collections, curated “Known & Understood,” his first museum show. Curatorial interns Amanda Owens SC ’22 and Joseph Frankel PZ ’22 also helped with the show, and Moore made gracious mention to the whole Benton staff for the vital roles they played in the show’s production. Moore began work on the exhibition while living in Chicago in January 2021, sorting through photographs of the museum’s collection online before moving to Claremont three months later in April. He had “a long distance relationship with the works. And then I met them in person. And

you just see it differently: you see how it looks under the light with your own eye, you actually see how the sense of scale is big, is small,” Moore said. “All those little things come together … I would say it was a process of becoming.” Curators can use any number of starting points when creating a show: a theme, an exhibition The exhibition interrogates knowledge and its acquisition, a fitting theme for a college museum. “What the show is striving to do,” Moore said, “is find works of art that are about knowledge and information: how we know what we know. So, what can art tell us about forms of knowledge and how the world is perceived? About how the world was perceived? It’s a way of knowing… [The show is about how] to receive it and the various ways that it can be communicated.” The first piece that visitors see walking into the gallery is a large painting on the back wall. An acrylic by CalArts painter Jack Goldstein, the work is magnetic, drawing in visitors with a visual that emanates a nearly palpable heat. The untitled piece utilizes

computer-generated imagery, bringing information and technology-based conceptions into the realm of art. “[Goldstein] got really interested in making paintings that were of visual phenomenon[a] that the eye can’t perceive,” Moore said. “Because [during] this time telescopes, the Hubble telescope, computer generated images, even digital imagery was brand new, and it was bringing us phenomena of light that we couldn’t see with our own eyes.” Investigating a similar idea of seeing as believing, the gallery’s opposite wall features 16 sixteen photographs by Patrick Nagatani. These works seek to explore hoaxes and fake news. “He’s trying to get us to ask questions about the authority of photography,” Moore said. “It’s a little different now, but for a long time, before everyone had a camera in their hand, seeing was believing. But you can be manipulated very easily by a photograph. So, he’s making make-believe scenes that don’t really exist, but he’s using the tricks of the camera and photo montage to get us to believe in these images.” Seamlessly integrating

automobiles into the foregrounds of certain well-known locations –– Stonehenge, for example –– Nagatani uses his artistic vision to poke holes at understanding and the ways in which we are often too trusting when gathering knowledge. Other pieces in the exhibition bear a more explicit connection to the theme of knowledge, like the 15th century alabaster carving titled “The Education of the Virgin.” “In this alabaster,” Moore said, “[the Virgin Mary’s] mother is pointing at a lectern and instructing her daughter how to read. So, it’s about knowledge and women’s literacy. And then her father [is] standing off to the side… illustrating how a family should want their daughters to be educated and literate.” The other works in the collection speak to knowledge on a wide spectrum of topics, from gender identity to climate change to religion to drugs. Seemingly disparate when considered separately, the works find cohesion under the subject of knowledge. Bolstering this theme of the

exhibition, many of the pieces’ labels ask questions of the visitors, leaving them with something to consider. The gallery’s main text testifies to this continuity in a message especially apt for students: “Our hope is that in thinking about these works of art you might consider knowledge not as a static body of facts or systems but as a consistent act of creation.” Due to the gallery’s 10 person capacity, the show was not crowded, and this regulation allowed for viewers to enjoy the pieces in a quieter, more intimate moment. The exhibition will be on view for the entire spring semester, so there is plenty of time to experience this visual exploration of knowledge –– and plenty of time to come back around. “It’s a show that people should revisit more than once,” Moore said. “It’s loose on the surface, but then it gets very dense.” Space, a lone color. Since Moore was tasked with selecting pieces from the Benton’s permanent collection, he began with the physical objects he had already selected. Only once the pieces came into conversation with each other did he uncover a unifying theme.

OpiniOns U.S. Holocaust education needs to be better, and so do 5C students

February 4, 2022

COurTeSy: MaTTHeW DeLaNey VIa WIKIMeDIa COMMONS

education on the Holocaust and modern-day anti-Semitism is sorely lacking in the u.S., write Nicole Smith SC ‘25 and Gwen Tucker SC ‘25.

NICOLE SMITH & GWEN TUCKER Just days before International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27, the school board of McMinn County, Tennessee unanimously voted to remove the graphic novel “Maus” from its curriculum. Art Spiegelman’s groundbreaking book is best known for its unique ability to introduce young people to the horrors of the Holocaust by using the familiar medium of graphic novel illustrations. The banning of “Maus”, along with the decision’s darkly ironic timing, resulted in a national outcry of opposition and the reignition of a conversation about the U.S. education system’s refusal to confront the tragic realities of the Holocaust. The censorship of “Maus” is a symptom of this much wider issue. Any Jew who has had to endure a conversation about Jewish issues with a well-meaning but ignorant non-Jew can attest to the sad state of Holocaust education in this country, and the data reflects that reality. The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany conducted a survey of millennials and Generation Z in the United States in 2020, assessing their knowledge of facts about the Holocaust. The results are alarming. 63 percent of respondents didn’t know that six million Jews were killed, and 36 percent thought that the number was two million or less. 48 percent couldn’t name a single one of the over 40,000 concentration camps and ghettos. Half claim to have seen Holocaust denial or misinformation on social media. Most disturbingly, 11 percent of U.S. millennials and Gen Z believe that Jews caused the Holocaust, with the number as high as 19 percent in states such as New York.

The Claims Conference’s interaction map illuminates a significant disparity in knowledge from state to state. The only thing that seems to be consistent across U.S. Holocaust education curricula is their inadequacy. It is important to note that ignorance of Jewish issues is not confined to states like Tennessee; living in the progressive California bubble does not make one immune to antisemitism by any means. The consequences of poor Holocaust education are felt by Jewish people across the country, including students at the 5Cs. The Scripps Core I curriculum for the past three years has, coincidentally, included Spiegelman’s “Maus.” Many in-class discussions of the book last semester were a staggering display of how students have been failed by their prior Holocaust education. Students expressed their confusion with the book’s presentation of the racialized component of Holocaust-era antisemitism, uncritically spouted inaccurate history, and even admitted to the fact they had yet to learn about the Holocaust in an academic environment. Overall, it was clear that many non-Jewish students were fundamentally unequipped to discuss antisemitism and the Holocaust. And it is Jewish students who are often tasked with the responsibility of correcting classmates’ misconceptions on top of trying to learn and work through their own personal relationship to the tragedy. In just the last month, American Jews have experienced countless instances of antisemitism, including (but not limited to) the hostage situation at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, Robert F. Kennedy’s harmful statement comparing vaccine mandates to

the Holocaust, and a Tennesse couple being denied the ability to adopt simply for being Jewish. As antisemitism rises and politicians attempt to redefine the tragedies of the Holocaust to fit their harmful agendas, it is clear that Holocaust education has never been more important. The U.S. education system must do better; all children deserve to — and must — learn the history of the Holocaust and the crucial lessons that can be taken from it. As we fight to ensure students across the United States have access to comprehensive and accurate Holocaust education, it is crucial for 5C students to take action to remedy the gaps in their own knowledge. For you, maybe that means visiting the Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles, or reading one of many accounts written by Holocaust survivors. Maybe it means engaging with resources about modern-day antisemitism (“The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere” by April Rosenblum or “Understanding Antisemitism” by Jews for Racial and Economic Justice). Or, perhaps, take a moment to donate a copy of “Maus” to the Tennessee Public Library system. Whatever you can do to educate yourself about the Holocaust and ensure future generations are able to do the same, we implore you to do so. Your Jewish community members depend on it.

PaGe 7

When it comes to self-care vs. academics, you can have both SHAY SURESH Confession time: I feel guilty about making time for myself. I look at a calendar filled with colored boxes, squint at the tiny gaps, and feel sheepish for choosing to dance or read or write for fun instead of making headway on pending deadlines. I realize now that I need to reframe my mindset: to not think of self-care as a sacrifice for better grades, or lower grades as a sacrifice for better mental health. It’s not one or the other — the point is to understand that they can coexist. I’ll set up a scenario for you: Imagine you’ve just finished a class and you have thirty minutes until the next one. With the time on your hands, you wonder whether you should watch a bit of that show or go on that walk or maybe just get started on that upcoming assignment. I’ve fallen prey to the self-condemnation that results from setting time aside for self-care and then immediately feeling remorse due to knowing that time could be replaced with work. It’s easy to own the attitude of “hey, if we work hard these four years, we can later enjoy the fruits of our labor.” But this philosophy indicates that we’ve resigned ourselves to some belief that prioritizing mental health in the present negatively correlates with poorer academic performance. Mental and emotional stability should be the solid foundation for academic and career motivation. It turns out we can have our cake and eat it too. One lesson I’ve learned from my own journey is that self-care has an image on social media that doesn’t necessarily manifest itself well in real life. Self-care isn’t only cucumber eye pads and face masks. It shouldn’t even have to detract from your productivity; rather, it should be a mindful practice that flourishes into positive and rewarding changes in your behavior and lifestyle. For me, self-care is tending to the garden of my mind and being thoughtful of my mental health and its paramount presence in my life. Self-care is asking my roommate to go on a walk around campus, earbuds in, our silence emphasizing our need to disengage from our work for a

bit. Self-care is queuing happy songs and letting myself dance liberally in my space. Self-care is reading for pleasure and escaping reality. Selfcare is everything and anything that services our wants and needs. The question of how to make time for self-care without feeling a threat to our academics has a plethora of solutions. A common and practical tool for students is organization apps like Google Calendar, Calendly, or Notion. Calendar organization apps are greatly beneficial to students in maintaining balance. In your own calendar, you can block out times for everything; this includes classes, homework, alone time or hangouts. It may seem overwhelming at first, but seeing the day’s activities collectively in one place gives me a sense of peace and assurance. Looking at my calendar, I know that an academic day can be a leisurely one as well. From deep breathing exercises that I do before starting my homework to finding easy reads, I continue to find ways to balance my mental wellness with my grades. For the sake of convenience, I spend most of my meals with my closest friends or reach out to those I haven’t seen in a while to meet up for dinner. That way, the uniformity of our days still allows for the flexibility of quality time with friends. Intrinsically, cultivating meaningful relationships with people willing to put in the effort is deeply gratifying and enables a true support system. Another option is working outside — we have beautiful campuses and generally temperate weather, so it’s nice to switch up the work environment and indulge in the fresh air. Whenever I work outside, I bring something with me — like a book or card deck — so I intersperse my studying with recreational distractions. Self-care can also consist of self-reflection, in which case apps like Calm are ideal for those who are new to mindfulness and are seeking guided meditation to either start the day or unwind after a long one. At its core, a robust sense of self-awareness, self-worth and selflove is what keeps my motivation consistent and my aspirations attainable. We all must remember our performance thrives most when our personal needs are actualized and fulfilled. Shay Suresh CM ’24 is from San Jose, California. She loves literary fiction, indie music, and making Pinterest boards.

Nicole Smith SC ’25 is from Boulder, Colorado. They enjoy hiking, poetry, and making oddly specific Spotify playlists. Gwen Tucker SC ’25 is from Evanston, Illinois. She is passionate about community organizing, Jewish identity, and showing everyone pictures of her foster dogs.

SaraH FLeMMING • THe STuDeNT LIFe

Pomona must clarify its COVID testing policy as students return to in-person learning

NaNCy CHeN • THe STuDeNT LIFe

Pomona College and Student Health Services must reassess their COVID-19 testing guidelines, writes annika reff PO ‘25.

ANNIKA REFF As students return to campus, it is becoming increasingly clear that the current COVID-19 testing and isolation guidelines need major reform. The housing provided to those who test positive at Pomona College can be dismal. TSL recently reported that students in isolation have faced a lack of basic necessities and, sometimes, the tools

to accommodate learning via Zoom. Isolated students can run into difficulties going outside to take a walk, even while masked. Such conditions create anxiety and discomfort for students already suffering from the physical and mental weariness that come with contracting COVID-19. Additionally, contradictory instructions for testing and release from isolation have been provided by Pomona and Student Health Ser-

Editorial Board

vices, creating confusion for students navigating isolation. Also notably missing from guidelines provided by Pomona or SHS are an acknowledgement of testing error and measures to address potential false positive test results. Last week, I received a positive COVID-19 test when I returned to campus, so I decided to return home to self-isolate, fortunate to be able to forgo on-campus isolation living spaces. On my way home, I stopped at a testing facility in Los Angeles, and it was to my surprise when later that night I received a negative PCR result. A Pomona College dean called me the next day to check in on my symptoms, and I was excited to report that not only was I asymptomatic but also negative. I suggested Pomona allow me to retest and determine my most up-to-date COVID-19 status. I was told that it would not be possible, and I would have to wait until my Day 6 for an antigen test provided by SHS. The dean reassured me during multiple subsequent phone calls that SHS would reach out to me on Monday or Tuesday (Day 4 or 5) of my isolation so that I could come take an antigen test on Day 6. However, when Day 7

arrived, and I still had no contact from SHS, I decided to call them myself. The SHS representative told me that my dean had been misinformed, and that it was my responsibility to contact them to schedule a test. Luckily, SHS had an opening for later that morning and, within 15 minutes of my test, I learned that I was, indeed, negative. Filled with relief, I returned to campus later that day. The one-day difference in my antigen test made little substantial difference; due to Zoom classes during my isolation, my COVID-19 status did not impact my access to my education. However, as we return to in-person learning this week, it is essential that Pomona and SHS work out the kinks in their guidelines so that healthy students can get out of isolation and back into the classroom as quickly as possible. The current online Pomona COVID-19 guidelines state that “the contact tracing team will reach back out to you and let you know when you will become eligible to schedule an antigen test.” The SHS website contains the same phrase verbatim. So why was I never approached by the contact tracing team, nor told that it was my duty to book the test? The discrepancy between the stated policies of Pomona

and SHS and the instructions administered to those in isolation is concerning, and breeds confusion and distrust among students. I do not know for sure whether my initial COVID-19 test was a false positive, but there should be a system in place for students who test negative after an initial positive test. Pomona should allow students to be administered another test to rule out the possibility for false positives ahead of the Day 6 antigen test. Pomona also currently lacks a hybrid schooling model, meaning every day spent in isolation is a day of education lost. While Pomona and SHS face a daunting task of keeping our community safe during this pandemic, they must also work to alleviate unnecessary anxiety, confusion and stress for students dealing with COVID-19, by improving on-campus isolation conditions and testing guidelines. By streamlining policy and communication, Pomona can ensure that infected students have everything they need and healthy students can quickly return to the classroom. Annika Reff PO ’25 is from Los Angeles, California. She enjoys consuming an unhealthy amount of caffeine and listening to the soothing voice of Michael Barbaro.

THE STUDENT LIFE

JASPER DAVIDOFF, Editor-in-Chief ANUSHE ENGINEER, Managing Editor CAELAN REEVES, Managing Editor

Senior Staff JAMES KARSTEN, Production Editor GRACE SAUERS, Production Editor MARCELLA CANNATTI, News Designer KLARA JACOBS, Arts and Culture Designer GIULIA BELLON, Opinions Designer JOSIE DE ANDA, Sports Designer LONDON LORDOS, Copy Chief ANNA PREWITT, Copy Chief

HUXLEYANN HUEFNER, Photo Editor NANAKO NODA, Photo Editor BELLA PETTENGILL, Graphics Editor JENNA MCMURTRY, News Editor SIENA SWIFT, News Editor SAMSON ZHANG, News Associate MENA BOVA, Arts & Culture Editor ELIZA POWERS, Arts & Culture Editor

HANNAH WEAVER, Arts & Culture Associate SAE FURUKAWA, Opinions Editor BEN REICHER, Opinions Editor ALEX CHUN, Sports Editor HANNAH WEAVER, Sports Editor KENNY LE, Diversity & Inclusion Editor ANURADHA KRISHNAN, Diversity & Inclusion Editor

TSL’s Editorial Board consists of the editor-in-chief and two managing editors. Aside from the editorial, the views expressed in the opinions section do not necessarily reflect the views of The Student Life. Singles copies of TSL are free and may be obtained at news stands around campus. Multiple copies may be purchased for $0.47 per copy with prior approval by contacting editor@tsl.news. Newspaper theft is a crime; perpetrators may be subject to disciplinary action as well as civil and/or criminal prosecution.

OpiniOns

eDITOrIaL bOarD

Our staff are our backbone When we woke up to a campus littered with tree branches, tent poles and chairs strewn everywhere on a Saturday last month, some of us didn’t know what to think. But without batting an eye, the 7C grounds staff and other campus workers leapt into action, responding to what they could and making plans to safely and efficiently handle the rest. The Claremont Colleges, no surprise, are routinely billed as some of the most beautiful campuses in the United States. And it’s true: the immaculately manicured quads, gardens and courtyards across the consortium are part of the privileges of living, learning and working here. But what should also be evident is the immense amount of dedicated work that goes into maintaining such a stunning environment for the rest of us. A great campus and top-notch colleges aren’t just the result of good planning — it’s the people who work tirelessly day in and day out to keep them running. Their work never ceases, but it’s important that the rest of us take a moment to acknowledge just how vital they are. The COVID-19 pandemic has asked more of our staff than ever before. You can see it in the numerous building modifications and stepped-up safety features that greeted us all when we returned in August. Those didn’t come out of nowhere. And we could see it clear as day when January’s wind storm knocked our campuses down and, without blinking an eye, staff began getting them going again within hours. The workers who keep us nourished throughout the week deserve our profound gratitude this semester. On not much notice, they converted eateries around the colleges into seamless takeout operations, serving us with the same care and enthusiasm as ever. Staff shortages caused by skyrocketing case numbers and other constraints have been a challenge, but that hasn’t changed their standards. The fact that we’ve been able to enjoy healthy and delicious offerings throughout this return period is a testament to their dedication. When college administrators tout the extensive measures they are taking to keep us safe this year, those measures are by and large the unending work that our facilities staff contributes to ensure our spaces stay clean and we stay healthy. From sanitized residence halls and dining areas to reorganized indoor and outdoor instructional spaces, they’ve had even more than usual on their plates — not to mention

handling the increased amount of waste that the pandemic’s revised routines have produced. We would be remiss not to mention the vital testing apparatus that Student Health Services and Hamilton Health Box have mounted this year. It takes time and effort to ensure the locations around the consortium are open and accessible, with results that come back in time for us to take action and keep each other safe. The medical workers who make this possible are here for us every week, and they’re making it possible for us to be back with each other. This is all to say that, although our staff operate so professionally and efficiently that we don’t always notice how much they’re doing, they deserve to be recognized and commended for what they do. There would be no return to campus this year without their tireless efforts. When this consortium and its members shine, they’re the reason. The least we can do is to make their jobs as easy as we can, with simple actions like being thoughtful about our impact on the spaces we inhabit and the items we use. But the 5C Student & Worker Alliance also facilitates requests for support from workers across the consortium, and pitching into their mutual aid fund is an important way to contribute to those efforts and show solidarity (more information is available on their Instagram account @_cswa). All in all, we should be doing whatever is in our capacity to say thanks. As students or faculty, we can express our gratitude verbally, financially and through day-to-day interactions. For their part, administrators can ensure they reflect gratitude by seeing that staff receive suitable compensation, generous healthcare, reasonable working hours and support when they or family members get sick. If we’re all one college community, as our leadership has been so happy to say recently, let’s ensure everyone is an equal part of the team. And, on our part, to the workers who support us every day: Thank you, for all that you do. TSL’s editorial board is comprised of its editor-in-chief and two managing editors, and does not necessarily represent the views of other TSL staff members.

CLARGUMENT

After a winter break where my days consisted of binging “Pretty Little Liars” and ordering Doordash, I was apprehensive to climb the mountain that is Roberts Pavilion. As we make the transition from Zoom University to in-person residential living, many of us aren’t at our goal weight, fitness level or mental state. So, now more than ever, 5C students must be respectful and welcoming to people of all fitness levels, instead of judging others for their lack of fitness experience. I started college in person as a sophomore after spending essentially two years in quarantine. For me, quarantine consisted of almost no social interaction or exercise, and lots of insecurity. Going to college was supposed to be a segue back into normal life — connecting with peers, working on my mental health and exercising. I remember walking into Roberts and seeing everyone with Airpods in, sprinting six minute miles and pumping what seemed like impossible weights. I was excited to get back into the swing of things, but insecure at the weight I had inevitably gained during quarantine and having to start from square one. I went upstairs and got on the elliptical, feeling

accomplished and proud about starting my new journey. Just after I finished, someone leaned over and made a joke about how I had only been on the machine for twenty minutes, but I looked red as a tomato. At that moment, I wanted to drop my Celsius into the trash and run right back out the front door. But luckily, I had a great friend in my life who taught me about the endorphins released during exercise and showed me how to get started. This should be the blueprint around how we talk to our friends about exercise. Unfortunately, many of my peers have not been so lucky. They have been told that they are using machines wrong, that they are lazy for not going to the gym enough or laughed at for walking on a treadmill. Not only is this unnecessary and rude, it’s also counterproductive. Don’t shame your friends who choose not to go to the gym or make comments about how they’ve been skipping out on workouts. Shaming others for their workout habits can cause them to feel they aren’t the ‘type’ of person who can work out and that they don’t fit into that environment. In discussing exercise habits, people should also be considerate of other people’s COVID-19 concerns. Someone may want to

CaeLyN SMITH • THe STuDeNT LIFe

5C students must be welcoming to people of all fitness levels and maintain a positive dialogue surrounding exercise culture, writes anna Tolkien CM ‘24.

What’s the best controversial pizza topping?

In our new feature, we ask TSL’s Instagram followers a question every Monday and share their responses here.

Mac and Cheese because cheese is already great on pizza @jad.gorman Guacamole – cuz depending on what other toppings you have then you might have nachos @lystone11 obviously pineapple but ppl stay sleeping on feta bc it doesn’t melt right, SLAPS THO

@cicerice Beans bc they provide a non-processed form of vegan protein!

@simrunshroff

To weigh in on next week’s question, follow us on Instagram @TSLnews and keep an eye on our story on Monday! If you have a suggestion for a future question, send us an email: opinions@tsl.news.

We have a new opinions feature! Social media engagement FTW

Kayla visited us on Thursday! She doesn’t even go here

No one understands the name It’s Claremont + argument!!!1!1

Claire didn’t visit... How regularly scheduled can it be, Claire?

The gym is not a place for competition. Don’t make it one ANNA TOLKIEN

February 4, 2022

THE

OFF THE RECORD

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be physically fit, but could be worried about spending time in an indoor, busy area. While someone may seem inactive, they really could be choosing to exercise by doing stretches in their room, jogging or taking walks, or practicing yoga. Instead of immediately judging or lecturing someone about their lack of fitness, take a moment to consider their circumstances and reframe what you were going to say. We need to get rid of the competitive, shaming, calorie counting and judgemental aspects of workout culture. Such behavior prevents newcomers from benefiting from facilities, making them feel insecure and unwelcome if they aren’t a student athlete or fitness titan. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for working out with friends and giving helpful advice. But we must be conscious about how our words affect the people around us. Instead of asking your workout buddy how many calories they’ve burned or how far they’ve run, tell them how much you love going to the gym with them. We should encourage the mental health benefits that come along with getting into fitness, and how working out can be a time for self-care. When attending classes, working jobs and keeping up a social life, everyone needs to take time to do something that relieves stress and increases energy. Going for a run, working out on the rowing machine or lifting weights can be extremely beneficial to have some time to internally focus on yourself before quickly moving onto the next task. If we can implement this new positive dialogue around exercise — where we welcome newcomers and help them when asked for advice, instead of giving unnecessary critiques — we will see a happier, healthier campus community. Anna Tolkien CM ’24 is a literature and film dual major. She loves her pugs, creative writing, and iced coffee.

Jasper’s Crossword: That’s the spirit!

JaSPer DaVIDOFF • THe STuDeNT LIFe

ACROSS 1. Site you could use to access Outlook 4. Gave a ___ the back 6. Channel that used to carry “Conan” 9. Mysterious specter 10. Burning 13. Artist who sings “Scared, I love you so much I’m scared” 16. Russell on “The Americans” 17. Wiseman who directed “Total Recall” 18. “All in a day’s work!” 19. Potential complaint about this puzzle’s creator? 22. Assent 23. Song where Billie Eilish sings “At least I gave him something he can cry about” 24. Vehicle w/ spooky implications for the climate crisis 25. Number of duel commandments 26. ADHD prescription 30. Committed the crime 31. Long, thin mushroom 32. “Had it ___ for her...” 34. Haunts, in a way

DOWN 1. What to say when you get a lei 2. Eerie looks 3. Outburst before something scary happens 4. Tire stat. 5. Flanders who might show up in “Treehouse of Horror” 6. Tik___ 7. Vampire’s utterance 8. Greek enchantresses 10. Guy who may help with revenge 11. Spooky monster 12. Casper figurine, e.g. 14. Stamina, for James Bond 15. Traveled (on) 20. What some mysterious specters might be captured on 21. Mysterious specters 27. Darkens 28. Company with a spooky attitude towards software ownership 29. Enjoys 32. “Mambo ___ 5” 33. Midwest state with some ghost towns, for short

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February 4, 2022

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Hens near the top of SCIAC men’s basketball standings after seventh consecutive win ALEX CHUN With the top spot in SCIAC up for grabs following Claremont-Mudd-Scripps’s double-digit loss to Occidental, the Pomona-Pitzer men’s basketball team jumped out to an early lead against Redlands and never looked back, silencing the Bulldogs 81–72. The Sagehens heavily relied on the scoring production from their starting five, with four of them notching impressive double-digit point totals. Against a persistent Redlands defense who caused 20 P-P turnovers throughout the game, forward Pete Boyle PO ’25 scored a career-high 17 points on a 5-for-11 shooting clip while knocking down four three-pointers. Other key contributors for the Sagehens included veteran guard Brendan Mora PO ’23, who led P-P in all major statistical categories by scoring 20 points, grabbing 14 boards and dishing six assists. Guard Joe Cookson PO ’25 and center Johnny King PO ’23 were also in the mix, tallying 11 points each while securing five and eight rebounds, respectively. Including their efficient 44 percent from three and 52 percent shooting overall from the floor, the Sagehens proved victorious by more than doubling the Bulldogs’ rebounds. With a 44–20 advantage on the glass, P-P earned multiple second-chance scoring opportunities and controlled the paint. The first ten minutes of the game featured a low-scoring, tight back-and-forth affair between the two teams. Boyle began the scoring for the Sagehens by connecting on two consecutive three-pointers — answered immediately by two Bulldog field goals. Minutes after, Mora shifted through the Redlands defense and smoothly scored two layups, earning a small five-point lead for P-P. However, the Bulldogs instantly responded with a three-pointer and a layup of their own, knotting the game at 10 apiece. After continuing to trade blow-for-blow, the Sagehens began piecing together a run through the midway point of the

abbey LIaO• THe STuDeNT LIFe

Joe Cookson PO ‘25 dribbles through Chapman defenders.

first half. By playing excellent defense in their own half, P-P earned four consecutive defensive stops and capitalized by scoring numerous layups, building a 22–15 lead. Despite Redlands quickly crawling back into the game and getting as close as 29–28, the Sagehens closed out the final four minutes on a 10–4 scoring run, featuring layups from Mora and Ty Bergman PO ’25 and threes from Cookson and Owen Avdalovic PZ ’25. The Sagehens ballooned their lead back to 39–32. Following this momentum, the Sagehens picked up right where they left off after the break, forcing careless Bulldog turnovers and converting them into layups. After trading bas-

kets, Mora sparked the P-P offense by crashing the offensive glass, which led to an easy putback layup. After another defensive stop, the veteran guard dished out an assist for a Peyton Mullarkey PZ ’25 three-pointer, and then proceeded to make a contested-and-one layup on the ensuing offensive possession. This rapid 8–3 scoring run forced Redlands to call timeout, growing the Sagehen lead to 55–42. This break proved vital for the Bulldogs to slowly come back into the picture, staging a 10–2 scoring run within a three-minute frame. The outburst cut the Sagehen lead to five points, after P-P committed costly turnovers in consecutive offensive possessions.

top ranked women’s water polo treads impressively through uncharted preseason waters JUSTIN GUO

Despite this minor setback, the Sagehens reestablished their offensive groove and preserved their lead for the next seven minutes, trading baskets with the Bulldogs. With six minutes remaining in regulation, a three-point basket by star forward Matthew Eberle PO ’22 extended the Hens’ lead back to double digits. After trading missed shots, P-P earned trips to the free throw line continuing to grab rebounds and by staying aggressive by inducing Redlands fouls inside the paint. Following pairs of made free throws by Cookson and Boyle, the Sagehens iced the game and earned the 81–72 victory. In their following neck-andneck matchup against Chap-

CMS softball stumbles on first two games of the season DAISY ALVAREZ

Namlhun Jachung PZ ‘24 participates in a passing drill at practice.

JUSTIN GUO Ranked first in Division III preseason power rankings, the Pomona-Pitzer women’s water polo team has proven to be impressive competition against top-notch competitors. They kicked off their season late last month with four non-conference games against three DI water polo programs and one DII water polo program. After pulling away with a 9-7 upset victory over Biola University Jan. 23, head coach Alex Rodriguez expressed content with the outcomes. “I generally schedule a pretty challenging first few games because I don’t think you can get better playing teams that aren’t as good as you,” Rodriguez said. “I thought we played well and I think we came out with good energy, though I’m a little worried that we don’t have that killer instinct that I want them to have.” Boasting a rotation 22 players deep, Rodriguez noted the team’s strength in numbers as one of their biggest assets heading into the season. “It’s actually been a struggle to decide playing time, because we have so many girls who are capable of helping us win games,” Rodriguez said. “This is also by far one of the most athletic women’s teams I’ve led; I have a lot of girls who can shoot the ball, and this team is really tall compared to what teams I’ve had in the past.”

Co-captains Lucie Abele PO ’22 and Allison Wu PO ’22 cited the team’s chemistry, culture and work ethic as additional strengths. “As captains, Allison and I have really tried to foster a healthy and energetic environment, and I think our team has done an incredible job with that,” Abele said. “The girls in our team are always super eager to get into the pool and work hard, [which is] really encouraging and exciting for Allison and I to see.” Outside of the pool, the team has had beach days and team dinners together, building camaraderie by frequently supporting other teams on campus. The captains also check in often with each player and have them write out their fears and goals for the season, collectively addressing any personal issues one may have. As for areas of improvement in the pool, the team emphasizes focusing on conditioning and individual technical skills. Moreover, with many still acclimating to the program, Abele mentioned how the “different team dynamic” required extra adjustments. “In previous years we used to have a small team, but now we have a bunch of players that we can rely on,” Abele said. “Plus, because of COVID-19, the majority of our girls are new to the program, so we’re still learning how to play with all these new people with their unique skills and tal-

abbey LIaO• THe STuDeNT LIFe

ents.” In regards to the COVID-19, health protocols have become stricter. If a player is contact traced, they have to quarantine for 10 days and can’t enter the pool at all; if they get infected with COVID-19, they have to completely self-isolate for five days. “We are masking in the locker rooms, we’ve limited in person activities and we watch film and scout other teams over Zoom,” Wu said. “It’s definitely frustrating because we want to live a full college experience, but given the situation, we are all prioritizing water polo and having a successful season.” Despite minor setbacks, the team has high hopes and confidence for this season. “Simply put, our main goals are to win SCIAC and the NCAA DIII Championship — we saw the men’s team do it in their season, and we want to do it in ours,” Abele said. “We also want to keep supporting our teammates throughout the entire season, showing everybody our all and constantly working on personal improvement and team achievement.” The P-P women’s water polo team will next hit the road to face the University of Texas at Austin and Brown University in a double-header in the Bruno Tournament tomorrow afternoon.

man, the Hens constantly faced an uphill climb against the Panthers throughout the game. After starting off the game slow, the Hens battled back through the efforts of Mora and King, who scored 24 and 15 points, respectively. However, after clutch baskets made by the Panthers late in the second half, the Sagehens’ comeback proved too little too late, unable to close the gap by committing costly turnovers in the final minutes of the game. With this 1-1 result, the Sagehens have an impressive 7–2 record against SCIAC opponents and are 12–4 overall heading into the final month of the season. P-P will next host Cal Lutheran at Roberts Pavilion tomorrow evening.

Following their impressive 24-4 SCIAC record and reaching the NCAA West Regionals tournament in 2019, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps softball team had high hopes to replicate their previous successes this season. In their first matchup of the year on Jan. 29, the Athenas aimed to take home two wins in back-to-back matchups against the Azusa Pacific Cougars at Athena Field. But after seven innings and three hours of worked up sweat, the first game resulted in a 6-3 loss. Lauren Richards CM ’22 threw strategic pitches, pulling in strikeouts with a fair amount of low balls in the strike zone. Meanwhile, Cougars pitcher Katie Korstrom packed a punch by pounding the zone with scorching fastballs, challenging CMS bats. Although both teams filled up the stat sheet by recording 10 hits each, CMS was unable to send players home on key situations with runners

on the basepaths. After the Cougars grabbed a 6-1 lead after five innings, CMS fell short on a late comeback attempt within the last two frames. The sixth inning reflected this outcome for the Athenas. With CMS up to bat, hitters Maren Summers CM ’23, Ashleigh Adkins SC ’24, Kristin LeBlanc CM ’23 and Destiny Garcia SC ’24 produced powerful swings that caused errors from the Azusa defenders. As a result, CMS advanced from base to base, allowing LeBlanc and Adkins to cross home plate and secure two runs for CMS. However, the comeback proved too little too late, as Cougar pitchers caused strikeouts to end the inning. Shortly thereafter, any possibility of a break-even-matchup was scrapped by the Cougar’s 4-0 lead, locking up the game by the fifth inning when it was called due to darkness. Although unable to secure any wins, the Athenas are far from discouraged. CMS is set to face the Vanguard Lions in another double-header this afternoon.

CHrISTOPHer WaNG• THe STuDeNT LIFe

Destiny Garcia SC ‘24 produces one of the ten hits the athenas accumulated during their match against Azusa Pacific.

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February 4, 2022

Walking the talk: How Cooper made his way to P-P men’s basketball ELI WEISS

abbey LIaO • THe STuDeNT LIFe

Sam Cooper PZ ‘25 grew up playing basketball in his home state of New Mexico.

Most student athletes enter their first year of college having spent months getting to know their future teammates and coaches. But for a walk-on athlete like Sam Cooper PZ ’25, the journey to playing basketball began differently. “I wanted to walk on pretty much regardless of whatever school I got into,” he said. Student-athletes are typically recruited for college varsity teams while they’re still in high school. Walk-on athletes join the team by proving their athletic capabilities to the coaches. That’s exactly what Cooper did when he managed to impress Charles Katsiaficas, head coach of the Pomona-Pitzer men’s basketball team. Katsiaficas invited him to scrimmage with the current players in the first few weeks — shortly after, he began playing in live preseason games. Cooper has always been passionate about the sport, having played throughout high school.

His curiosity, dedication and love for the game come from his family, many of whom also played collegiate basketball. “[Basketball has] always really helped me with school just like being active,” he said. “It’s just something that really relieves a lot of stress, and I really have a lot of fun doing it.” Although he came into practices with the intention of working hard and making the most of his opportunities, Cooper had a few hurdles to get over first. “At first, it was a little bit challenging because I was concerned whether or not I would be able to play at the level of competition with the players because they’re all very talented,” he said. “I think as the open runs went on, it got a little bit easier.” One of his initial challenges as a walk-on was acclimating to the higher level of competition presented by the team. “I think definitely the level of competition was difficult for me. [Coming] from New Mexico, it wasn’t necessarily the most competitive area, so it was chal-

lenging to adjust [to California’s higher standards],” he said. “Another thing was just [perfecting] the smaller things: like dodging screens, cutting, the basics of the game.” For Cooper, walking on to the basketball team has been an incredibly rewarding experience, one that has given him the opportunity to make memorable experiences with great teammates. “At first, it was difficult because I didn’t really know any of the players beforehand,” he said. “But they were also very inclusive and very welcoming; the captains often planned team dinners and we even went to a [Los Angeles] Clippers game once.” Cooper is grateful for his coaches for giving him this opportunity and being so supportive. “If you’re interested in playing a sport, you should 100% consider walking onto a team,” he said. “It’s definitely a very great experience being able to connect with a team and being able to learn through everybody who is very skilled.”

Athletes of the Week Pomona-Pitzer

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps

Alexandra Turvey

TJ Askew

PO ’24

CM ’25

Vancouver, Canada Women’s Swimming & Diving

Nakui, Papua New Guinea Men’s Basketball

During P-P swimming & diving’s dominating 203-95 rout against Caltech, featuring 12 won races, Alexandra Turvey showed an impressive performance in the water, participating in four events and ranking top three in each event. In her individual swims, Turvey touched the wall first in the 100m butterfly while clocking in at runner-up for the 200m freestyle. During her relay swims, the sophomore stud swam the third leg of a 400m medley relay and anchor leg of a 400m freestyle relay, contributing to a second and first-place finish, respectively. Through her efforts, the P-P swim & diving team has won several consecutive meets, achieving first regularly since November.

Askew collected 6 rebounds and scored an impressive 21 points in CMS’s most recent win against La Verne. In the two previous games this week, Askew averaged 18 points and 8 rebounds. Courtesy of his efforts, the Stags finished the week with a 2-1 winning record. Ranked atop of conference standings after Pomona-Pitzer’s loss, CMS is now 8-2 against SCIAC competition and 14-3 overall on the season. They will next travel on the road to face Whittier on Saturday.

Sports Calendar P-P

CMS

Friday, Feb. 4

Friday, Feb. 4

Men’s Tennis

baseball

vs. Hope Int’l

vs. George Fox

baseball

Softball

vs. Lewis & Clark

vs. Vanguard Double header

Men’s Tennis @ Asuza Pacific Saturday, Feb. 5 Men’s & Women’s Saturday, Feb. 5

Swimming and Diving @Pomona-Pitzer Invite

Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving

Men’s Tennis

Pomona-Pitzer Invite

Ted Ducey alumni Match

Women’s Water Polo

baseball

vs. Marist

vs. George Fox

@ brown

Double header

@ Providence, r.I.

Men’s and Women’s

bruno Tournament

basketball @Whittier

baseball vs. Lewis & Clark Double header

Monday, Feb. 7

Men’s & Women’s

Men’s basketball

basketball

@ Caltech

vs. Cal Lutheran @ roberts Pavilion

Women’s basketball vs. Caltech