Vol. CXXX No. 13

FRIDAY, FebRuARY 21, 2020 | CLAREMONT, CA | VOL. CXXX NO. 13

Former A.G. endorses SCOTUS term limits at PO talk LIAM CHALK

AMY BEST • THE STUDENT LIFE

Alfredo Reyes-Guzman PO ’20 takes a customer’s order during the Coop Fountain’s lunch rush hour Feb. 20.

ASPC mulls flying the Coop As eatery’s losses continue, Dining Services may take over JASPeR DAVIDOFF & ANuSHe eNGINeeR ASPC is considering a proposal to transfer the Coop Fountain to Pomona College Dining Services, which would put the college in charge of running the restaurant and paying for associated costs. The Fountain, a student-owned-and-operated eatery at the heart of Pomona College’s campus, has never been particularly profitable. But this year, when ASPC hired its first ever director of operations, Samuel Lin PO ’20, the body’s executive vice president Payal Kachru PO ’21

asked Lin to find out definitively if the Fountain’s financial status is a long-term concern. “Kinda turns out that it is,” Kachru said. Losses continue to pile up The Fountain’s losses in the last decade have been massive, according to ASPC financial records. In the 2018-19 school year alone, the Coop Fountain was $114,467.91 in the red — with the exceptions of 2012-13 and 2015-16, the losses have totaled over $100,000 each year. The Fountain is not necessarily expected to make more than it spends, due to its role as a campus service, associate dean of campus life Ellie Ash-Bala said via email. And because the Coop Store, which ASPC also owns, generally makes a profit, the goal historically has been for combined Coop operations to

See COOP on page 2

HANK SNOWDON • THE STUDENT LIFE

Pitzer, Pomona threatened with anti-Semitism lawsuit Controversial rightwing org says colleges fund ‘hate group events’ eRIKA SCHWeRDFeGeR The David Horowitz Freedom Center, a controversial right-wing foundation, is planning to sue Pitzer College and Pomona College for “college-sponsored anti-Semitism,” the center’s lawyers said in a letter to the colleges Feb. 3. The letter, addressed to Pitzer President Melvin Oliver and Pomona President G. Gabrielle Starr, accused the colleges of violating Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Title VI “prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.” The letter also cites Executive Order 13899, controversially signed by President Donald Trump last December, which targets alleged anti-Semitism on college campuses. The suit could be an early test of the new executive order. The letter mentions a litany of alleged offenses by Pomona, Pitzer and the student group Students for Justice in Palestine, including Pitzer College Council’s vote to end the college’s study abroad program in Haifa, Israel — which Oliver vetoed — and SJP’s event last semester featuring speakers who have made controversial claims about Israel in the past — which was sponsored by several departments at Pomona, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges.

“We write to inform you of your colleges’ liability under Title VI … arising from your institutions’ ambivalence toward — and even support and funding of — anti-Semitic hate group events and activities on your campus,” the letter states. Both Pomona and Pitzer issued statements to TSL condemning anti-Semitism and denying the letter’s claims. “We strongly dispute the letter’s portrayal of our campus and we are deeply committed to encouraging the open exchange of ideas with respect for all,” Pomona’s statement said. “The college upholds free speech, academic freedom and open dialogue. We aim to foster an atmosphere of respect for all members of our community and we seek a diversity of viewpoints.” Pitzer responded similarly. “Pitzer encourages the open exchange of ideas, protects the rights of all individuals in pursuit of their education and is committed to the exercise of inquiry, free speech and academic freedom,” the college’s statement said. The center’s letter to the presidents requested action from the colleges by Feb. 14. Pitzer’s Oliver responded with a brief statement to the Horowitz Center’s attorneys disputing the letter’s claims, while Pomona did not respond to their request, according to David Horowitz, the center’s founder. Individual members of SJP declined to respond to the claims in the Horowitz Center’s letter for this story. The Horowitz Center was founded by Horowitz in 1988 and

describes itself on its website as a “School for Political Warfare” that “sees its role as that of a battle tank, geared to fight a war that many still don’t recognize.” It pursues “war” on “radical extremism,” including “leftist organizations and individuals … [and] their overarching sinister agendas.” The Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit that tracks extremists and hate groups, classifies Horowitz and others involved with the Horowitz Center as extremists, and describes him as “a driving force of the anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant and anti-black movements” since the 1980s. “Under Horowitz’s direction, the Freedom Center has launched a network of projects giving anti-Muslim voices and radical ideologies a platform to project hate and misinformation,” the SPLC says. Horowitz denied these charges, and called the SPLC “an utterly discredited hate group” that has “smeared me with … false and reputation-damaging lies,” in an email to TSL. He added that he is not anti-Muslim and “I have been a lifelong advocate for civil rights and have black great-grandchildren.” Horowitz also told TSL in an email that the colleges’ responses to the center’s letter were “brief and disingenuous.” Although the letter says the Horowitz Center wants to protect Jewish students, some at the 5Cs don’t support its planned

See LAWSuIT on page 2

LIFE & STYLE

The Motley Coffeehouse hosted its first Valentine’s Day Drag Show, featuring sing-along bops and queens Violeta Luvvv and Tired Old Queen. Read more on page 3.

The student newspaper of the Claremont Colleges since 1889

In a tumultuous time for the U.S. legal system, Eric Holder’s perspective has quickly become a hot commodity. Holder, who served as attorney general for the first six years of Barack Obama’s presidency, offered some of it Saturday at Pomona College’s Bridges Auditorium for the third annual John A. Payton PO ’73 Distinguished Lectureship, named for a pioneering civil rights lawyer. Through stories and a healthy portion of jokes, Holder gave audience members insight into the operations of the Justice Department under Obama, the criticism that current Attorney General William Barr is facing and the threat of gerrymandering during the redistricting process in 2021. He also offered, for what appears to be the first time, his endorsement of a proposal to term-limit Supreme Court justices. He also advocated for allowing each president to appoint two justices each per term. “I don’t think someone should have that much power in an unelected position for that long,” he said. “I think that three senatorial terms, 18 years, would be enough for a justice.” Holder has also previously supported expanding the number of justices on the Supreme Court. After introductions by Pomona President G. Gabrielle Starr and Gay McDougall, a civil rights activist and Payton’s widow, Holder addressed the audience from the podium. He first gave tribute to Payton, his friend and the former head of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “He was really more than a great lawyer — he was a warrior for justice,” Holder said.

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8-for-8: CMS diver finishes perfect SCIAC career

ANNA HORNE • THE STUDENT LIFE

Kendall Hollimon CM ’20 pikes as he dives into the Axelrood Pool at the SCIAC Diving Championships last weekend.

MATTHeW KIM For many NCAA athletes, winning one conference championship is a tremendous feat. But for Kendall Hollimon CM ’20, taking home SCIAC titles has become routine. This past weekend, the senior Claremont-Mudd-Scripps diver claimed the one- and three-meter SCIAC Championships, completing a perfect eight-for-eight sweep of conference championships throughout his decorated four-year career. Hollimon finished the one-meter dive with a score of 484, edging out Ben Willett PZ ’22 by more than 30 points. In the

OPINIONS

three-meter dive, he earned a score of 532.40, nearly 30 points ahead of the second-place Jem Stern PO ’22. His nonchalant reaction to his remarkable string of victories demonstrated his easygoing personality. “Dive practice is during lunch, which means a lot of the times I’m not able to eat meals with my friends, and I’m always rushing to go to the Hub in between practice and my classes,” Hollimon said. “It’s just really, really tiring and takes up a lot of time. Being able to win SCIACs, at least it’s good to see that I wasn’t missing lunch for no reason.” While Hollimon has owned the SCIAC over the last four years, he

See DIVe on page 7 SPORTS

By incorporating a symbol of neurodiversity into their logo, Autism Speaks attempts to cover for their history of ignoring autistic people, argues Donnie TC Denome PZ ’20. Read more on page 6.

Fresh off of heartbreaking defeats in their respective national championship games, both CMS tennis teams are eyeing national titles in 2020. Read more on page 8.

INDEX: News 1 | Life & Style 3 | Opinions 5 | Sports 7

NewS

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FEBRUARY 21, 2020

LAwSUIT: Horowitz has AG: William Barr puts DoJ’s clashed with PZ before independence ‘at risk,’ Holder says Continued from page 1 lawsuit. “As a proud Jewish student, I have not felt targeted or offended by any recent speakers or events,” said Danny DeBare PO ’22, the president of JStreet U at the Claremont Colleges, a chapter of a national Jewish college organization. “I believe the David Horowitz Freedom Center’s threatened lawsuit against Pitzer and Pomona has no grounds and is simply a platform to advance its Islamophobic and bigoted agenda.”

Horowitz did not comment when asked about DeBare’s comments. This isn’t the Horowitz Center’s first clash with 5C administrations. Horowitz Center fliers were distributed around campus at the end of the fall semester alleging that Pitzer promoted “Jew Hatred” and accusing the college of being intolerant of Jewish people and Israel, leading to a heated exchange of statements between Oliver and the center.

Scripps, Mudd announce speakers for 2020 graduation Artificial intelligence expert coming to Harvey Mudd AARON GONZALeS When Stanford professor FeiFei Li received an invitation from Harvey Mudd College to address the graduating class of 2020 as the commencement speaker, she said the request was “a pleasant surprise” and “a true honor.” Li will deliver HMC’s commencement keynote address May 17, the college announced in a December 2019 news release. “I was very, very surprised, and then humbled,” Li said via email. “Harvey Mudd College has a tremendous reputation for its STEM education in the nation. And I’ve been in awe of [Mudd President] Maria Klawe’s leadership in the past decade in terms of increasing diversity and inclusion among the students.” Li’s research focuses on machine learning, AI and healthcare, computer vision and cognitive computational neuroscience. She began working at Stanford in 2009, and currently serves as co-director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, an initiative by Stanford to make computer science research more interdisciplinary and applicable to other fields. Li also served as director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab, a center devoted to AI research, teaching, theory and practice, as stated on the center’s website, from 2013-2018. She was Google Cloud’s vice president and chief scientist of artificial intelligence and machine learning while on sabbatical from 2017 to 2018, working on finding ways to make AI products more accessible for businesses and developers. Li also co-founded AI4ALL, a nonprofit devoted to supporting women and people of color in computer science and AI research, and chief creator of the ImageNet project, a database of images designed for research into visual object recognition software that contributed to advancements in deep learning, first revealed to the public in 2009. HMC’s class of 2020 selected Li as this year’s commencement speaker through popular vote, HMC Senior Class Presidents Priyanka Agarwal HM ’20 and Tiffany Madruga HM ’20 said via email. “We chose to pursue Li as a candidate to be the commencement speaker for the class of 2020 because we believe she exemplifies the leadership, impact and depth of experience and knowledge our class wishes to see in our commencement speaker,” Agarwal said. “We believe that her work in increasing diversity and inclusion in AI education aligns well with the Harvey Mudd mission statement,” Agarwal added. In her statement, Li said she’d worked with Harvey Mudd graduates at Stanford, and praised their preparedness for graduate work.

COURTESY: USER BQUAST OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Computer science professor and AI trailblazer Fei-Fei Li will give the 2020 commencement speech at Harvey Mudd College.

eMILY’s List president to take stage at Scripps LILLIAN bReIeR Stephanie Schriock, the president of a political action committee that works to elect pro-choice women to office, will deliver Scripps’ 2020 commencement address May 16. Schriock, the president of EMILY’s List, was chosen by student volunteers to be the class of 2020’s keynote speaker, the college announced Feb. 11 in a press release. Schriock was named one of the “10 Most Powerful Women in Washington” by ELLE magazine in 2015 and was listed as one of Time Magazine’s “40 under 40” in 2010. She became the president of EMILY’s List in 2010. EMILY’s List’s mission is “to elect pro-choice, Democratic women,” Schriock told New York Magazine. EMILY’s List, whose name stands for “Early Money is Like Yeast,” is a national political action committee that says that it has raised $600 million and helped elect over 1,200 women in its 35-year history. Maddie Warman SC ’20, the senior class co-president, who led the selection process, stressed the importance of the organization’s “current political relevance and importance,” according to an email sent from college President Lara Tiedens to the student body Feb. 18. “[EMILY’s List is] not helping to elect only a certain kind of candidate,” Warman, according to Tiedens’ email. “They’re casting a wide net to bring as much diversity as possible into politics, and that was really important to the committee.” The Commencement Speaker Committee, comprised of student volunteers, chose Schriock after evaluating potential speakers from surveys and polls, according to Tiedens’ email. Schriock was “one of the most highly rated candidates by the class of 2020,” Warman said in an interview with TSL. Her leadership of EMILY’s List has helped make the organization a political powerhouse. Schriock has “quintupled the organization’s membership and helped elect more than 100 congresswomen, 19 senators … , 10 governors and hundreds of state and local officials,” and has “helped raise more than [$250 million] for the organization,” according to The Guardian. SAS President Niyati Narang SC ’20 connected the college with Schriock following an internship with EMILY’s List in Washington, D.C. in spring 2019. Narang sought out this connection not only because of Schriock’s leadership of EMILY’s List, but also “because of her ethos of innovation to increase accessibility to politics.” “I think that mission is something Scripps students would resonate with immensely,” Narang said in an interview with TSL.

COURTESY: JOHN SHINKLE OF POLITICO

EMILY’s List founder Stephanie Schriock will speak at Scripps’s 2020 commencement.

Continued from page 1 Holder, who was considered a potential candidate to enter the 2020 Democratic presidential primary before ruling out a run last March, then sat down with Pomona politics professor Amanda Hollis-Brusky, an expert on constitutional law and the Supreme Court, for a discussion and Q&A. Holder described the current state of the Justice Department as a “disaster” after all four members of the team prosecuting lobbyist Roger Stone resigned after the department said it planned to reduce Stone’s recommended sentence. Over 2,000 former Justice Department officials called this week for Barr to resign as a result in a public letter. Although Holder isn’t one of them, he blasted Barr for what he saw as partisan behavior and caving to pressure from President Donald Trump — although Barr denied in an ABC News interview last week that Trump’s preferences played a role in his decision to reduce the sentencing recommendation. “Your job is to protect the Constitution and the interests of the American people. We don’t serve the president of the United States; the president is not your client,” Holder said. Holder emphasized the dan-

ger in eroding the Justice Department’s independence. “[Barr] has put at risk that which we hold dear when I think about the Justice Department as an institution,” he said. Holder also joked about his early days as a judge in the D.C. Superior Court, where he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. “Republicans’ heads explode when they hear that,” he said, to widespread laughter. “Holder? That guy’s got horns and a tail — he was appointed by Saint Ronny?” Holder concluded his talk by talking about his current work combatting gerrymandering as the chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. He said the combination of partisan and often racial gerrymandering that the Supreme Court ruled nonjusticiable last year under Rucho v. Common Cause, as well as the unlimited amount of money allowed in political donations under Citizens United v. FEC, shows that “the court has fully turned its back on that which I think it has a primary responsibility to protect, and that’s our electoral system.” Holder said the NDRC will be working to ensure a fair census in 2020 and a fair redistricting process in 2021 to avoid gerrymandering. Many students were im-

pressed with the relatability and openness Holder showed. “Holder was a thoughtful speaker with a sense of humor that helped hold my attention and presumably the attention of other students in the audience,” Rowan Macy PO ’22 said via message. “I appreciated his conviction and found his perspective on the justice system and the presidency interesting and well-informed.” Holder ended the talk expressing optimism that younger generations will be able to effect change in the public sphere. “I hope that we will all leave tonight committed to being engaged in the fight to save our democracy,” he said.

MEGHAN JOYCE • THE STUDENT LIFE

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder speaks at Bridges Auditorium on Feb. 15.

COOP: Workers feel excluded from discussions

HANK SNOWDON • THE STUDENT LIFE

Continued from page 1 break even. However, in the last 11 years, combined Coop Fountain and Store financials have only been in the black twice. “The Coop Fountain [losses have] grown and the Coop Store income has not grown to keep up,” Ash-Bala said. “While [the] exact cause is not known, I attribute this to rising labor costs and food costs, while trying to keep our sale prices down for the campus.” The financial responsibility of getting the Coop back to even falls solely on ASPC, Kachru said. The body pays for the deficit directly out of its budget, which is almost entirely funded through student activity fees. In 2017-18, the ASPC budget was $516,500, while the Coop deficit was $90,947.18 — 17.6 percent the size of the budget. That loss of funds has eaten into ASPC’s ability to allocate funds for clubs and activities. “To have [nearly] 20 percent of the money that we get from student activity fees to be lost to students … is really concerning,” Kachru said. “I don’t know how future senates will feel about losing money that could have gone to funding more clubs, more activities, more social events.” ‘It was happening behind our backs’ These financial concerns, and a lack of potential solutions, led to the proposal to give Dining Services control of the Fountain. However, student workers said they’ve been kept out of the loop on the proposal and fear it could result in changes to the number of student staff — currently about 40 students — as well as to the Fountain’s tight-knit community and student-driven culture. Several of the Coop Fountain’s employees said they were not consulted by ASPC about the prospective transfer until its president, Miguel Delgado PO ’20, and Kachru informed them of the proposal in a meeting Feb. 12. “It was a very heated conversation,” Delgado said at a Feb. 13 ASPC Senate meeting. “It wasn’t a fun conversation.” Kachru said workers were not informed until recently because Dining Services only submitted a formal proposal — which she characterized as “barebones” and lacking key information — last month. But the ASPC Senate has been discussing transferring the Fountain to Dining Services since September, initially as a way to

add a meal replacement option for Pomona students. “It was happening behind our backs, which was a little frustrating and confusing because we’re the ones that work there,” said Justė Simanauskaitė PO ’21, a manager at the Fountain. Although ASPC operates the Coop Fountain, its officials have not been very involved in the eatery’s management in recent years, Kachru admitted. “It’s definitely fallen through the cracks,” she said. “I can see why, because [executive] positions are so huge. … I just didn’t have enough time for the Coop.” The disconnect is forcing both sides to play catch-up, and that’s left Fountain workers unsure what changes might be on the table. Devin Mercier PO ’20, also a Coop Fountain manager, said he worries that under Dining Services management, student employment could resemble something similar to how Claremont McKenna College’s Hub Grill operates, with a few students on each shift rather than a majority-student staff. Much of the Coop Fountain’s student staff, from Pomona and other 5Cs, are first-generation, low-income students, Mercier said. “Coopsters” rely on the jobs as a significant source of income, employees said. “Even working for an hour, getting that minimum wage of $13, that means a lot,” Simanauskaitė said. “That’s the only way I make money for myself.” Kachru and Lin committed to keeping the Fountain’s student staff intact. “Student jobs need to be preserved,” Kachru said. “Having that guaranteed is honestly our biggest priority.” Jose Martinez, the general manager of Dining Services, also said he wants to maintain or increase student employment levels. “If the union [representing dining workers] says ‘I’m sorry, but only union workers can cook and do these tasks,’ then maybe it’s a deal breaker for us because we really want to keep the program that we have,” Martinez said. International students could be hurt most if student employment drops, Simanauskaitė said, because the Fountain does not consider work-study eligibility as a factor when hiring student employees, a major advantage for visa-holding students who are not eligible for federal work-study. “I know a lot of people even sending money back home — that’s what their family depends on,” she said. But job losses aren’t students’ only concern. Mercier and Simanauskaitė said the strong com-

munity among Coop Fountain workers could be at risk. For instance, Simanauskaitė’s boss, Chris Lucero, taught her how to drive, she said. “I know that’s not a part of the job description. But that, I think, is a part of what Pomona community should be,” she said. Outcome uncertain ASPC leaders expect Dining Services to send them a revised proposal in the next few weeks. At the Feb. 13 meeting, Delgado said the Coop Committee would likely not present a recommendation to the Senate until after spring break. But Coop Fountain managers say that Dining Services employees have been acting like the acquisition is already a done deal. According to both Mercier and Simanauskaitė, members of Dining Services have visited the Fountain multiple times in recent weeks to map out changes they could potentially make. “They were just walking around and pointing, saying ‘Oh, we could change this and we can push this.’ It’s just so rude and so incompetent and so inhumane,” Simanauskaitė said. Martinez acknowledged his staff’s presence created tension, but said they needed to examine the eatery to formulate their proposal. “We had to know what’s in the Coop, what’s in the Sagehen [Cafe] because I honestly have never been there,” he said. “In my two years here, I’ve been there just in the front of the house.” Martinez said he envisions renovations, an expanded menu and longer late-night hours at the Fountain as part of a potential Dining Services takeover. This is not the first time Dining Services has considered acquiring the Coop Fountain. According to Ash-Bala, a similar proposal was raised “two or three years ago.” “No concrete plans or proposals were ever introduced,” she said. “There were then some changes in Dining Services management and the idea was put on hold while they hired a new general manager and worked on fully staffing the dining halls.” ASPC’s Coop Committee will now be co-chaired by one of the Fountain’s student managers, Kachru said, in an effort to improve communication between the two groups. For its part, the Fountain has been working hard to lower its deficit by piloting new revenue strategies, cutting staffing and reducing costs, employees said, and they feel they deserve a chance to continue trying before losing student ownership altogether. “We are ready, we want to help this place if we really need to,” Simanauskaitė said. “But you’ve got to tell us what to do.”

February 21, 2020

Life & StyLe

PaGe 3

XOXO, drag show: Motley hosts first Valentine’s Day Drag Show RINA NAGASHIMA It was a full house at Scripps College’s Motley Coffeehouse, with the sound of chatter diffusing into Seal Court. Furniture was moved to the side and rose petals sprinkled the ground, as students and parents sat knee-to-knee on the floor and on the couches. For many in the audience, this was their first drag show. The Motley’s Valentine’s Day Drag Show was a lively event held Feb. 14 that hosted student performers and gave audience members a chance to unwind with sing-along bops. The show featured two drag queens affiliated with the 5Cs: Violeta Luvvv and Tired Old Queen. The night kicked off with an opening number by Luvvv, who danced and lip-synced to “Criminal” by Britney Spears. The crowd roared in applause as Luvvv strutted out in pink across the stage. Her performance was confident and cheeky, prompting the audience to react in laughter as she tossed her golden hoops and skirt into the crowd. The next number was Tired Old Queen’s animated rendition of Aqua’s “Barbie Girl.” True to character, she sluggishly walked onto stage. As soon as the music started, however, her bright presence lit the stage as she switched between portraying Barbie and Ken. She also intermittently reached into her Hello Kitty purse and took breathers to cough into a tissue. Throughout the show, audience members could purchase dollar bills with Venmo to tip the performers, facilitating direct interaction between the drag queens and audience members. After the intermission, Luvvv performed “Your Type” by Carly Rae Jepsen. The number started off with a portrayal of someone getting ready for a date. Luvvv sat on the stage, wrapped in a towel and furry pink slippers. As the song rose to a crescendo, her performance also took a turn as Luvvv performed an on-stage costume change from her towel to a sat-

in party dress. The audience loved it, with students and even parents reaching for Luvvv with their dollar bills as she strutted around the floor. The final number was Tired Old Queen’s “El Beso” by Mon Laferte, which set a completely different tone from the other numbers in the show. Tired Old Queen adapted to the upbeat style of the song, lip-syncing to the quick Spanish lyrics while nimbly performing ballroom dance steps. Attendee Gabby Osifo SC ’23 and Tsion Mamo SC ’23 said their favorite number was Luvvv’s “Your Type.” “It was feisty, I loved it,” Mamo said. “It was a whole storyline. Everyone was like, ‘Take my money.’” Elaney Ortiz SC ’21, the Motley’s community engagement manager, organized the event. Behind the scenes, Ortiz had been hard at work reaching out to various contacts, especially after organizing the Motley’s opening night only a week prior. Reaching out to drag performers was an especially important part of the process, since Ortiz wanted to find performers who were a part of the 5C community. “A lot went into planning this,” Ortiz said. “[Both performers] ended up being 5C affiliates. That’s what I was looking for [because] if I have institution funding through Scripps through the Motley, ... who better to give this to [than] students or former students … who need the money? We were specifically looking for [first-generation, low income] students and [people of color].” The Valentine’s Drag Show was the Motley’s first drag show, and Ortiz said the turnout more than exceeded expectations. “We did end up having a problem [with] the space,” she said. “It was absolutely packed. There was no room left.” With the help of other people, Ortiz created a welcoming envi-

aMy beST • THe STuDeNT LIFe

Tired Old Queen strikes a pose at the end of their performance of “el beso” by Mon Laferte at the Valentine’s Day Drag Show Feb 14.

ronment for the event to ensure that performers and audience members had the opportunity to express themselves in a way that is not available through many other outlets. “These are marginalized communities that tend to have their voices diminished, hidden,” Ortiz said. “[These are] drag performers. It’s a craft, it’s an art, it’s a performance. A lot goes in on their end and into crafting this experience for everyone. And I think having a safe supportive space for that is really important at the 5Cs.” Mamo also noted that events like this provide a space for students to learn about what can be seen as a new or misunderstood cultural tradition. “It feels as though many people, when they don’t understand

things, they just assume things instead of trying them out,” Mamo said. “So I think it’s nice that you have an event like this for students to go and experience it for yourself.” Osifo agreed that events like this can allow the 5C community to embrace drag as part of their culture. “I … think [with] a lot of things, if they’re just done in a common place where a bunch of people can go, then it’s normalized and not some weird taboo [or] strange thing,” Osifo said. “It’s just a normal thing that people can go to.” Ortiz hopes that events like this can lead to more of a drag community in the future. “Hopefully [with] events like this, we can … get more people interested [to say], ‘What is drag?

This is cool. Let me show up. Maybe I want to get involved,’” she said. “[We also hope to] inspire some people and hopefully … other campuses [will] start throwing drag shows and it becomes more of a culture, more accepted and safer for everyone.” After the hectic process of reaching out to performers, preparing the space and getting the word out, Ortiz said the best part of the event was the performance itself. “Not only to watch the performance, but to watch everyone’s faces and see how much they were enjoying it, and how much fun they’re having — it was beyond what I expected,” she said. “I think my favorite part was hosting the event, throwing it, being here. But most of all, seeing the audience react. It made it so worth it.”

THIrST CaSe SCeNarIO

What I learned from going out with 7 guys in 7 days

yaSMIN eLQuTaMI • THe STuDeNT LIFe

CECIL THE SAGEHOE

The man at the bar Shortly after winter break, a man invited me to meet him at The Press. He was sweet, but when I got there he was already three beers in, and I had to catch up — surely enough, two drinks later, I was feeling cozy and ready to violate Leviticus 18:22. We headed to my dorm, and from there things were … alright. We kissed, but drunk me wanted more — although nothing more happened. He left for bed while I silently sought an outlet for my lechery. CECIL’S TAKEAWAY: If you want to enjoy an actual date, and not just a hookup, don’t get trashed! Stay sober, or at least know your limits!

The rebound To save face, I will assert that this was definitely NOT the same night. Anyway, after Guy #1 left, I wasted no time messaging someone I knew only wanted sex. He came (then came again) in 20 minutes. It was fine. I can’t finish around other people, and so while I didn’t cum, he embarked on a

vague rant about his friends “falling in love with him.” I listened, therapizing (as I do), until he left and never contacted me again. CECIL’S TAKEAWAY: Be patient. Even a shameless hookup can double as a psychology practicum!

An old friend The next evening I was eating sushi and watching Netflix when a quasi-friend hit me up. This was somebody I’d chatted with online senior year of high school, and at the time talking to a Real-Life Gay carried an excitement that bordered on romantic. Despite a messy one-night affair two years ago, nothing ever came to fruition. Regardless, he came over, we watched Netflix and made out. All I could think about was how convinced I’d been that he and I would eventually have a relationship; yet there I was, feeling nothing much. CECIL’S TAKEAWAY: Desires are temporary; the things that feel right can change with time.

The fake British boy Two days later, a past hookup messaged me, an absolute sweet-

heart despite having lived in the U.K. with no accent to show for it. He came with Raising Cane’s, we ridiculed “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” and, ultimately, we fucked. Surprisingly, I topped, soon feeling guilty that all I could think was, “Aw, he’s enjoying it; how cute,” as if anal were a petting zoo. It was technically perfect, yet my feeling dwindled. Were my inability to accept good things, my unfortunate habit of developing feelings for emotionally unavailable/straight men and my occasional self-hatred getting in the way of something great? Probably. But since therapy is expensive, I’ll reach for a takeaway. CECIL’S TAKEAWAY: Just because something is perfect doesn’t mean it’s perfect for you.

The tall cutie I really liked I saw my crush (not Guy #5) on Grindr, and we arranged to hook up. I then chatted with someone I’d seen around (Guy #5) and he invited me to his dorm. I went in without a care. The promise of visiting my crush (see Guy #6) in 24 hours dispelled any unease, and it was one of the most pleasant hookups I’ve had in a while. One outstanding memory is me telling a dead baby joke to kill

his erection, so he could go to the bathroom. I’m sure it wouldn’t have gone as well had I put up a false front and presented myself as more “desirable.” It was refreshing and showed me that I’m enough. Thanks, Guy #5. CECIL’S TAKEAWAY: You don’t have to try so hard! Sometimes things fall into place when least expected.

My (former) crush Sophomore year, I saw him and died. He is HOT, “the kind of boy literary fags write sonnets to” (William S. Burroughs’ words). I never thought I had a chance, until last semester when we matched on Tinder. Nothing remarkable happened then, but at last the Eve of the Hookup was upon us. Things went fine, but certainly not everything I’d built up in my imagination. I assumed that this encounter would be perfect, that he would sweep me off my feet. And despite it not being everything I’d hoped, I still wanted more! The mind is cruel. CECIL’S TAKEAWAY: Pretty people do NOT have it all! Also, know what you want out of a situation, and recognize when you might be aspiring for the unattainable.

It’s a cruel world I decided to give things one last shot, to end the week with a figurative bang (RE: I can’t cum). So I messaged someone I’d had a genuine connection with the previous semester. Our last encounter had been cut short, and so this time we picked up where we left off. It was … honestly, not great. It was enjoyable until things became sexual, and I don’t think it’s just because he gave me a dismal blowjob. I realized, finally, that I had gotten everything wrong. I enjoyed intimacy, not sex. It just took one last shitty encounter for that to finally sink in. CECIL’S TAKEAWAY: Sometimes you want more than sex, and that’s okay! Concluding remarks: My path to self-discovery involved roundabouts, shitty lube and tons of introspection, but I came out with a better understanding of what I want from my interactions with men. And so, on the Seventh Day, I ended my work and gave men a rest. Hello everyone, my name’s Cecil the Sagehoe and I’m a mess. Although this article may not reflect it, I am trying to get my shit together. My feathers are blue.

Life & StyLe

PaGe 4

February 21, 2020

Pomona Mock Trial lays down the law at Regionals, headed to National Championship SHREYA KAMRA Hidden among the 5Cs’ dozens of extracurricular teams and clubs is Pomona College’s Mock Trial team, a growing program that recently qualified for the opening round of the 2020 American Mock Trial Association National Championship. They will compete at Loyola University Chicago from April 17-19. Originally founded in 2007 as a joint Pomona and Scripps College program, Pomona College Mock Trial has evolved over the past 13 years into a nationally competitive program, Rachel Oda PO ’20, team president, said via email. The team now only consists of Pomona students while Scripps has their own team. Mya Fraley PO ’20 serves as an executive board member and treasurer for the group. The mock trial journey, for her, has been a long one, filled with memorable experiences and challenges. “I auditioned my [first] year. I was horrified to perform a speech for complete strangers but was so excited when I was accepted,” she said via email. The Mock Trial team competes year-round in invitationals at other colleges like UCLA and UC Berkeley. The abundance of time spent together, Fraley said, relieves the burden of competition stress often felt by team members. “It is both a very competitive and very social activity,” Fraley said. “The team spends lots of time together, and we became a very tight-knit group of friends by the end of the year.” Though rewarding, the preparation for the collegiate-level com-

petitions had been taxing on the group. Fraley described the amount of time and diligence team members put in to ensure a smooth competition. “There is a lot of preparation, writing and memorization that goes into attorney statements, direct and cross examinations, objections and witness performances,” she said. “But when the trial comes, you have to be on your toes to respond to the other teams’ strategies.” The Mock Trial competitions introduce students to many intriguing — and even bewildering — cases. Fraley said one of the more interesting cases she’s seen involved a lawsuit between a television studio and an animal trainer, who brought a performance chimpanzee to a talk show — where the chimp became agitated, attacked the writer and killed him. “The show gets canceled, and there is considerable disagreement on what went wrong on set,” she said of the mock catastrophe. PCMT has traveled to a considerable number of competitions, where they have continued to raise their own standard of success. “During the fall semester, our team traveled to San Diego, Santa Barbara, Arizona, Los Angeles and Irvine to compete in practice tournaments,” Oda said. “This semester, our A and C teams competed at the Claremont Regional two weeks ago … Our B team is competing at the Tempe Regional [in Arizona] this weekend.” Despite the pressure of competition, the team members have

achieved well-deserved success. “At the Claremont Regional, three members of our A team won all-regional awards, meaning that they were the best witnesses and attorneys throughout the entire tournament across all the competing teams,” Oda said. The three winners were Hannah State PO ’20, Daniel Holtzer PO ’20 and Clay Hamilton PO ’21. Additionally, newcomer David Ruiz PO ’23 on the C team won an all-regional award for his performance of the witness role. Oda said the team’s success has become a point of pride. “We ranked third, so we received a bid out to the opening round of Nationals, and our scores indicated we won by the most points out of any other team,” she explained. “This was a great success! We have had a very strong season.” Fraley said the team is focused on investing in its members and providing a nurturing learning environment. “[PCMT] has been especially rewarding because we take on a lot of responsibility coaching and teaching the new members, organizing practice and team logistics and making sure we are prepared to travel to competitions.” Holtzer echoed Fraley, and explained how his role on the team has changed as he’s gotten older. “I can’t really try anything new [as a senior], because I have to make space for the people who are going to inherit the club,” he said via email. “The people above me gave me that chance when I was new, and now it’s my job to do the same.” Mock trial has been an integral

COurTeSy: POMONa COLLeGe MOCK TrIaL

Pomona College’s Mock Trial team qualified for the opening round of the National Championship, which takes place april 17-19.

part of Holtzer’s experience at Pomona, a piece that will influence his plans after college. “I’ve never watched ‘Law and Order.’ Mock trial got me to think about the law as a potential career path — which I had never done before,” he said. “My team connected me with a lot of prelaw students, which was really helpful in answering very basic questions about law school and a career in the law.” While the intriguing cases, intellectual stimulation and creativity are valuable, for Fraley, the best part of mock trial is the people. “I feel so lucky to get to meet people who are extremely talented, smart and hardworking that I otherwise may not have met,” she said. “It is also nice to compete and represent Pomona in some

capacity.” She added that PCMT takes pride in its student-run nature, which allows students to take initiative. “Most schools we compete against have paid coaches running their programs, and ours is unique in having students do all of the training and organizing of an activity with lots of moving pieces,” Fraley said. Though it requires more effort and planning, the team has reaped the benefits of their hard work. “While the workload that our team takes on is disproportional to other schools, it makes it so rewarding when we do well in competition,” Fraley said. “Our successes truly belong to us. We carry out every single step that leads us to that win, and we do it all on our own.”

reGuLarLy SCHeDuLeD PrOGraMMING

Musician Gaby Moreno creates to all the tV couples i’ve loved before community through language ANNA SOLOMON

GreTa LONG • THe STuDeNT LIFe

CLAIRE DUMONT For as long as I have watched TV, I have been invested in the couples that make storylines interesting. So when Valentine’s Day rolled around last week, I started thinking about all of my favorite TV couples over the years. Compiled into a list for easy consumption, here are all of the couples I’ve loved, based on character chemistry, writing, overall storyline and wholesome factor (in no particular order).

1

Jim and Pam: “The Office”

At the top of the list, we have my all-time favorites, Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly. These two check all the boxes for what should make a successful TV couple: a great storyline, chemistry and plenty of cute moments. From the show’s start, their relationship arc is central to the plot. Jim and Pam are perfect for each other, but are not without their own problems and faults that the show works through in a realistic way.

2

Fleabag and the Hot Priest: “Fleabag”

Pawnee, Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt. I’ve told countless people questioning “Parks and Recreation” to stick it out until Ben enters the show. Ben and Leslie are soulmates, and their story is always heartwarming to watch.

4

Jake and Amy: “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”

Schur really does know how to write couples; he could have a future in television, I think. Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago are an amazing example of a TV “odd couple” that changes each other for the better. Also, not to brag, but I’m pretty sure I predicted the season five Halloween Heist surprise.

5

Rory and Logan: “Gilmore Girls”

This entry has the possibility to cause the most controversy. “Gilmore Girls” is one of my favorite shows, so I’ve used a lot of mental red string thinking about Dean, Jess and Logan as boyfriends. In the end, despite the bad boy energy, I have to conclude that Logan was the best for Rory and treated her better than Dean and Jess.

I request that “This Feeling” by Alabama Shakes is played while reading this entry. Phoebe WallerBridge is one of the greatest writers right now and this storyline is no exception. Every time I think about the last scene in the second season, I have to take a moment to admire how beautiful it is. The mutual understanding between the two characters that they have to let each other go always makes me tear up. Plus, as Waller-Bridge mentioned in her Golden Globes speech, Andrew Scott (the Hot Priest) could have chemistry with a pebble.

6

3

7

Leslie and Ben: “Parks and Recreation”

My first Michael Schur pick is going out to the nerdiest couple in

Veronica and Logan: “Veronica Mars”

The first (but not the last) Kristen Bell character on the list must go to Veronica Mars, coupled with Logan Echolls. I’m not sure how Logan and Veronica couldn’t make the list, with what Logan calls their “epic” story, “spanning years and continents.” They have so much chemistry I had to stop and remind myself that they are not actually real people. David and Patrick: “Schitt’s Creek”

One of the most wholesome couples on one of the most heart-

warming shows, I have to mention David and Patrick from “Schitt’s Creek.” They have insane chemistry and are a great TV example of two people genuinely in love. Plus, the “Simply the Best” scenes in season four are some of my all time favorites in TV history.

8

Eleanor and Chidi: “The Good Place”

Kristen Bell no. 2 and Schur no. 4 is Eleanor and Chidi from “The Good Place.” The coupling of Eleanor and Chidi are the perfect example of an incredibly written storyline with countless beautiful, philosophical moments in which the two find each other in the most impossible circumstances, again and again.

9

Tom and Shiv: “Succession”

Tom Wambsgans and Siobhan Roy from “Succession” might not be the most heartwarming couple on this list, but they are by far the most entertaining. The power struggle between the two is always interesting to watch, as is Shiv’s wedding speech, which seems devoid of affection. Regardless of whether there is a lot of love in their relationship, their dynamic is always compelling and earns them a spot on this list. All of the TV couples on this list reflect realistic, loving couples who show that genuine care between characters is absolutely possible in the world of TV. They all have excellent and believable chemistry, and their storylines make them my favorite couples. Claire DuMont SC ’23 is one of TSL’s TV columnists. She is from Manhattan Beach, California and loves her dogs, cats and talking about TV (obviously). Her current favorite show is “Succession.”

As people filled Scripps College’s Garrison Theater last Thursday, sounds of Spanish and English wove together, filling the theater with a quiet commotion. Guatemalan singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno walked on stage, and as if by magic, the audience went silent. Moreno picked up her guitar, adjusted her microphone and began singing. Held Feb. 13, the Scripps Presents concert commemorated the 50th anniversary of the founding of the 7Cs’ Chicano Latino Student Affairs, a celebration organized in partnership with Claremont Graduate University’s LatinX Graduate Student Union. Marissa Hicks-Alcaraz CGU ’22, a member of the student union, said the programming, with its large crowds, serves as a vehicle for community building. “These programs give us an opportunity to all get together and celebrate the Latinx voices in the community,” she said. In her ten-song set, Moreno played music spanning the genres of blues, folk, soul and jazz. At her invitation, the audience enthusiastically sang along during the chorus of the most famous song she performed, “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás.” Spanish speakers and English speakers — fans of blues, soul, folk and jazz alike — could all find something that speaks to them in her music. Her ability to reach out to a variety of people influenced the LatinX Graduate Student Union’s decision to bring Moreno to campus, Hicks-Alcaraz said. “I was really drawn to that aspect as a way to try to challenge this idea that Latinos are just one-dimensional,” she said. After the concert, Moreno sat with Hicks-Alcaraz and Scripps associate professor of Chicanx-Latinx studies Martha Gonzalez to answer questions from audience members. During the Q&A, she expressed the immediate pressure she felt to define the music she would create after moving to Los Angeles in 2001. “It wasn’t that easy to figure out what kind of artist I wanted to be, because I really wanted to just sing in English, and I loved blues

and jazz and soul so much, but [singing in English] had a more conservative, authentic image.” Moreno reconnected with her love for Spanish and Latin American music when her move to the United States eventually forced a reckoning of language. “It wasn’t until five years after I moved here that I started appreciating the music from Latin America,” she said. “I said, ‘Oh my god, what am I doing? How can I deny my roots and where I come from?’ And so, I started finding myself in Spanish.” Audience members asked Moreno to describe her music in its current form, to which Moreno answered pensively, “I think it boils down to folk-soul … Spanglish folk-soul.” Moreno said that many of her songs speak to both Latin American culture and the immigrant experience, citing works like “Ave Que Emigra,” which describes her journey from Guatemala to America. Moreno explained the ability of strong student communities to empower and inspire Latinx students. “I think these spaces are always important to have, so we can always celebrate our Latin culture, empower other Latin people and inspire each other,” she said. After the show, a crowd of students and community members waited in the theater lobby for Moreno to sign albums and take photos. Many resonated with Moreno’s work and her sprawling life story, eager to cite specific favorites. “There was a song that specifically talked about her journey from Guatemala here, and me being born in Guatemala and coming here, I very much related to that,” Sara Reyes Noriega PO ’21 said of “Ave Que Emigra.” Several students noted Moreno’s political relevance as an artist and ability to speak — and sing — on behalf of a movement. “I was really drawn to her newest album, ‘¡Spangled!’” Hicks-Alcaraz said. “That is really … what I see as a protest album [resisting] the rise of xenophobia, anti-immigrant and anti-refugee sentiment.” Kenia Garcia-Ramos PO ’23 is eager to know what’s next for the artist. “I know some of her recent music is more politically motivated, and she’s really big on immigrant rights. I want to know what she’s planning on doing, especially surrounding the recent election and all of that rhetoric that’s going [on].”

ZOe COWaN • THe STuDeNT LIFe

Guatemalan singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno performed at Scripps College Feb. 13.

OpiniOns

February 21, 2020

PaGe 5

Meat is not killing the planet HMC removal of SAT Subject Test equalizes admissions MICHELLE LUM

yaSMIN eLQuTaMI • THe STuDeNT LIFe

JOHN GIBSON Meat is not killing the planet. My lunch habits are not destroying the planet, people. However, meat is still being blamed for a host of environmental issues ranging from climate change to famine. What this means is that when the good students at the 5Cs go to the dining halls every day, if they eat a delicious meal with meat, as is often the case, then they are actually destroying the planet and causing the deaths of millions, if not billions, of people. I resent my fellow students’ good characters being impugned in such a way. This would be fine, of course, if eating meat really was horrible, but once again these anti-meat arguments are faulty. Take the “meat causes climate change” argument, one that has been backed by media sources citing a United Nations climate change report calling for reductions in meat in diets. According to such sources, dramatic reductions in eating meat are needed to prevent the average global temperature from rising more than the infamous two degrees Celsius limit. Stop eating meat, these media outlets warn, or face cataclysmic consequences. However, if one takes a look at the actual research that inspired these dire articles, one sees a fuller picture. According to research, livestock contributes approximately 14.5 percent of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, fossil fuel emissions (from automobiles, electrical power and other modern needs) contribute to about three-quarters of total U.S. anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. I fear that focusing on meat detracts from the main issue. The use of fossil fuels, which is encouraged by government subsidies that make clean energy less competitive, is a much greater problem that needs all of our attention. Telling people to change their diets, to change something so integral to people’s daily lives and culture, will instead discourage or even antagonize people against climate reform, as they may come to see it as being too intrusive in daily life.

In other words, while we should make changes to our diets if possible (eat more salad, less beef), replacing fossil fuels with clean, sustainable energy will go furthest in mediating the climate crisis. But climate change is not the only thing that meat is being blamed for. Enter philanthropist Philip Wollen, who believes that meat consumption is not only cruel, but also greatly harmful to human lives as well.

Telling people ... to change something so integral to people’s daily lives and culture, will instead discourage or even antagonize people against climate reform. At a debate, he made this now well-known claim, “I see poor countries who sell their grain to the West while their own children starve in their arms. And the West feeds it to livestock. So we can eat a steak? Am I the only one who sees this as a crime? Believe me, every morsel of meat we eat is slapping the tear-stained face of a hungry child.” Now, this is a powerful argument that tugs at the heartstrings, making the listener feel terrible about glutting themselves at the expense of the lives of children. The problem is that world hunger is not the result of there being not enough food in the world, but because of other factors such as war and poverty. According to the Global Hunger Index, the hungriest country in the world is the Central African Republic, a country that is in the thralls of a vicious genocidal civil war. It seems that, according to Wollen, the children of the CAR are hungry because agribusiness

THE STUDENT LIFE

is carting off most of their grain to feed the cattle of the global North. It is much more likely, however, that war has destroyed many Central Africans’ homes and crops, thus causing mass starvation while making it unsafe for humanitarian workers to provide aid. War is the cause of Central Africans’ despair, not meat. But perhaps I’m being disingenuous; maybe Wollen is not referring to an extreme example such as the CAR. He may be thinking of India, which is (mostly) not at war. Leaving places like Kashmir aside, India is relatively peaceful. Yet according to its GHI score, it is one of the hungriest countries in the world (ranked 102nd out of 117 qualifying countries), causing the situation there to be declared as “serious.” Now, the factors causing this are diverse and varied, but key ones include rampant poverty, limited government services and in some regions, drought. Let’s focus on the government for a moment. State failures such as a scandal in which the Indian government neglected 67,000 tonnes of grain, badly storing it and allowing it to rot, are examples of root causes of the hunger crisis. In other words, it’s not that there isn’t enough food in India — it’s that it is being poorly managed. As such, the death of the meat industry, while in theory would free up a lot of farmland that used to produce grain for livestock, would not solve the hunger crisis in places like India. Until government institutions are improved and poverty is crushed, hunger will still remain a large issue — even in places like America, where poverty is responsible for the hunger of millions of children, not meat. To make true, lasting change, we must pursue solutions that get at the heart of issue, not chase after simple fixes that only ameliorate things a little bit.

Harvey Mudd College just took a step forward in equalizing the college admissions process for applicants. On Feb. 6, HMC announced that it will no longer require SAT Subject Tests for applicants from the high school class of 2021, or in other words, students who would graduate from Mudd in the class of 2025. “We are excited to make this policy change and hope that it will remove a barrier to applying to the College for many students,” Thyra Briggs, HMC vice president for admission and financial aid, said in a press release. “The mission of Harvey Mudd states that we are looking for students who want to study broadly, become leaders in their field and who understand the impact of their work on society. Our alumni have been transformative leaders since our founding. In order to continue this tradition, it is essential that we make a Harvey Mudd education as accessible as possible.” SAT Subject Tests are expensive — it costs $26 just to register for one test date, and each subject test costs an additional $22, with the language tests with listening priced even higher at $26 per test. Such fees pose a great financial burden for low-income students who may not be able to afford them. It’s unfair that students coming from a wealthy family might be able to retake the same SAT subject test multiple times until they receive scores that they are happy with, while students from lower-income families may only be able to take a test once. Although it is possible for low-income students to receive fee waivers from the College Board, which administers the SAT Subject Tests, that still doesn’t level the playing field. Affluent families are able to afford pricey test preparation services that can boost SAT scores. Many children from more privileged families also don’t need to worry about spending time taking care of younger siblings instead of studying, since their families can afford to hire nannies or send their children to daycare. It’s unsurprising, therefore, that researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, the City University of New York and the University of Southern California found that wealth correlates to

John Gibson PO ’22 is a history major from Kayenta, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation. He should probably think about eating a salad in the near future.

Jasper’s crossword: We’re working on it

HANK SNOWDON, Editor-in-Chief MABEL LUI, Managing Editor MARC ROD, Managing Editor

Senior Staff JASPER DAVIDOFF, News Editor MARIA HEETER, News Editor ERIKA SCHWERDFEGER, News Associate AMBER CHONG, Life & Style Editor YASMIN ELQUTAMI, Life & Style Editor DONNIE DENOME, Opinions Editor EAMON MORRIS, Opinions Editor MARISA MESTICHELLA, Sports Editor MATTHEW KIM, Sports Associate MADY COLANTES, Copy Chief

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.

OFF THE RECORD Another Democratic debate in the books Only three left!

We still have presidential debates... Can’t wait for Gramps to email me what he thinks

The newsroom is full of delicious snacks! I will never stop eating these cheese puffs.

The newsroom is also full of ants. There are too many to name.

Michelle Lum HM ’23 is upset that students in incoming classes at HMC no longer need to take the SAT Subject Tests. She believes that scoring a 600-something on the SAT U.S. History exam is a formative experience that everyone should have. Just kidding.

WaVerLy WaNG • THe STuDeNT LIFe

Editorial Board

JAMES KARSTEN, Production Editor HELENA ONG, Production Editor SAM BOVARD, News Designer ANNIKA RAGNARTZ, Life & Style Designer GRACE SAUERS, Opinions Designer MARCELLA CANNATTI, Sports Designer AMY BEST, Photo Editor HUXLEYANN HUEFNER, Photo Editor ANNIE WU, Graphics Editor KELLEN BROWNING, Editor-at-Large

higher SAT scores. Such a fact alone should be enough for colleges to consider placing less weight on SAT Subject Tests. “[SAT Subject Tests are] not an equalizer,” Katheryn Wang HM ’23 said. “Everyone goes into the test with different levels of preparation, whether it’s how often we were read to as kids, or how much [our parents] could afford to pay for tutoring. Everyone has different circumstances.” Although there may be concerns that removing the SAT subject test requirement will make it harder for the HMC Office of Admissions to tell whether an applicant is well-prepared for the rigor of the school, SAT Subject Tests don’t provide useful information that admissions officers can’t already determine from other aspects of candidates’ applications. The grades recorded on transcripts can demonstrate whether students are hard-working or have put significant effort into their studies during their time in high school. Advanced Placement exams are a more fair form of specialized standardized testing because they can only be taken once per year. And HMC is still requiring applicants to take either the general SAT or ACT, which provide enough of a standard comparison for students coming from different high schools. Furthermore, tests aren’t everything — a student can score a perfect 800 on their SAT Subject Tests and still not get into Mudd. When making decisions, admissions officers consider much more beyond standardized testing scores, including grades, extracurriculars, leadership and background. At the other 5Cs, Pitzer College has been test-optional since 2003, and it’s optional to take SAT Subject Tests to apply to Pomona College, Scripps College and Claremont McKenna College. Institutions like the University of Chicago, Bowdoin College and Brandeis University are also test-optional. As more colleges shift away from the strict standardized testing requirements of the past and de-emphasize the importance of standardized tests in the admissions process, equal opportunity is slowly being paved for low-income students. Props to HMC for joining the movement.

JaSPer DaVIDOFF • THe STuDeNT LIFe

ACROSS 1. Empty spaces 5. Density symbol 8. Sea froth 12. “Thought I’d _____ with Sean/but he wasn’t a match” 14. You could put them in a hoagie, potentially 16. City known for its Heat 17. Shocked 18. Like the Times’ Monday puzzle 20. Trendy topping 4 toast 21. You could use one to get into a music festival, probably 25. Area reqs. 26. Kinda 27. Place for a canvas 30. Hearts or War 31. Cautionary sound, from a snake 34. You could pass or shoot them, if you felt like it 38. Keanu of The Matrix 39. Instead 42. Rushed 44. As a precaution

46. The Blue Jays, on scoreboards 47. You could do this for political gain, conceivably 50. Thurman of Pulp Fiction 51. Get rid of 53. Place for logical thinking 55. Like a throwback 60. You could find safety information in them, plausibly 61. Kind of planner 62. Puts on a show 63. “My country, ‘tis of ____” 64. Fume DOWN 1. Real beauty 2. Singer DiFranco 3. Kiss outside a classroom, for short 4. Add it all up 5. Amber, e.g. 6. Loathed 7. Plains tribe 8. Substitute for A/C in some dorms 9. Later years 10. UK exam

11. Early PC platform 13. Michelangelo masterpiece 14. Latin American flour 15. “That said...” 19. Endure (as in Shakespeare) 21. Top secret? 22. Genetic info carrier 23. One of five in “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” 24. Vows 27. Google Maps stat 28. Everything 29. Choose 31. “Vroom vroom” verb 32. Gobbled up 33. Conan’s network 35. Musician’s list for a gig 36. Enter or return, e.g. 37. The Rosetta Stone, e.g. 40. Agcy. that sends checks each month 41. Brain test, for short 42. Cooking class at some schs. 43. Nobel-winning Palestinian president 44. Computers’ addresses, for short 45. India’s first prime minister 46. Oklahoma city 47. Give instruction to 48. Similar 49. Post-shampoo step 51. Three quarters of ABBA? 52. Stuck-up kid 54. Computer-voice tech. 56. Slip up 57. We’ll figure out this clue later 58. Sleazy newspaper 59. How many of the 5Cs offer an art conservation major LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

OpiniOns

PaGe 6

February 21, 2020

Autism Speaks’ rebranding Grammar upholds an oppressive system co-opts neurodiversity DONNIE TC DENOME Autism Speaks is rebranding. The organization celebrates its 15th birthday this year and its wish, apparently, is for a “kinder, more inclusive world.” To that end, Autism Speaks is changing its well-known blue puzzle piece logo to include a range of colors reminiscent of a sunset across the bottom of the logo. Meanwhile, many actually autistic people, myself included, wish that Autism Speaks would shut the hell up for once. This sunset splash across their logo is clearly supposed to remind people of the neurodiversity pride symbol: a rainbow infinity sign. The neurodiversity paradigm and movement are founded on the ideas that there are an infinite range of brains and minds and that all minds — regardless of neurology, disability or illness — are good and valuable, according to Nick Walker at Neurocosmopolitanism. But no matter how much Autism Speaks tries to rebrand as being neurodiversity-friendly, there’s no evidence they actually are. In the past, they’ve supported anti-autistic anti-vaccination scaremongering. They spend over 20 times as much on “awareness” and lobbying as they do on “family services” — the actual programs and work that helps autistic people and our loved ones and caregivers, according to calculations by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. They’ve allowed the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, a school whose practices of electric shocks as punishments for even the slightest infractions have led to “the imminent possibility of [people with disabilities] facing harm of irreparable nature,” as described by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, to table at their events. John Elder Robison, at the time one of very few, if not the only, autistic people involved in major decisions with Autism Speaks, resigned his position from their science and treatment boards in 2013, saying “Autism Speaks is the only major medical or mental health nonprofit whose legitimacy is constantly challenged by a large percentage of the people affected by the condition they target.” In 2016, Autism Speaks announced that they would be dropping the word “cure” from their mission statement. Not because many actually autistic people have

been saying for years that we don’t need or want a cure — but because “science” tells Autism Speaks that there won’t be a single “cure.” Yet this shift to “solutions,” not cures, writes Maxfield Sparrow at Unstrange Mind, is no better than if they had kept the cure language altogether.

Autism Speaks, but so do autistic people, and we’re pretty pissed off. Are you listening? Absolutely none of this is indicative of a commitment to neurodiversity or, in the words of Autism Speaks, a “deepened commitment to inclusivity” of “the diversity of perspectives and experiences with autism spectrum disorder.” And while many of these issues happened years ago, there’s been no fundamental change in the group. So forgive me if I don’t accept Autism Speaks’ platitudes around (neuro)diversity as genuine. Or don’t forgive me — I’m not looking for non-autistic people’s approval of my opinions on Autism Speaks, because non-autistic people aren’t the ones affected by Autism Speaks’ bullshit rebranding. This is, to quote autistic activist and employment consultant John Marble, “like putting lipstick on a damn pig.” Autism Speaks must really be naive if they think autistic people will just stay quiet and accept their poor excuse at integrating themselves into a new world where neurod i ve r s i t y

is the name of the game. It’s not that I want Autism Speaks to get with the program. It’s that I don’t trust Autism Speaks, or organizations like them that treat disabled people like suffering burdens on our family members, to change in any meaningful way or to value neurodiversity without distorting the concept beyond all recognition. I have no time or energy for groups that view me as a parasite or infected appendage on the body of my neurotypical loved ones. I’m a human, too: autistic, neuroweird, neuroqueer, disabled, brain damaged and all. I don’t appreciate being told I should be thankful for an organization that has literally stood by groups that torture people like me rebranding to be more hip to people like me. If Autism Speaks wants to go forward into a bold new era heralded by the kind of radical acceptance and disability justice the neurodiversity movement has worked so hard for, fine. It’s a good goal to work for. Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised at how they fix the problems endemic in their organization from the very beginning. But I’m not holding my breath. All I’ve seen so far is a logo I could have made in ten minutes in Adobe Illustrator and some generic platitudes about love and acceptance. Those are fine cuddly feelings for Valentine’s Day but they’re not enough to sustain a movement on. I’m asking for — demanding — autonomy, self-determination and leadership by autistic people. We deserve better than an organization built on our subjugation and silence co-opting our movements and achievements to further its goals. Autism Speaks, but so do autistic people, and we’re pretty pissed off. Are you listening? Donnie TC Denome PZ ’20 is a public health major from Sunnyvale, California. Anyone interested in supporting actual autistic people and advocacy should consider donating to the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network or the Association for Autistic Community.

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MARGOT ROSENBLATT Watching friends go on Tinder “adventures” is very entertaining. Most of them don’t even involve leaving the couch — they mostly consist of tales of ridiculous people who had the gall to believe they had a chance. I’ve noticed that a common reason for rejection, right out of the gate, is bad grammar. When someone starts a conversation with “how was you’re day,” they’re bound to get unmatched and laughed at behind their backs. But because most people who use “bad grammar” do so because they don’t have a choice, judging them based on grammar upholds systems of oppression such as classism, racism, xenophobia and ableism. Most people who use bad grammar do so because they didn’t have the privilege of an education that stressed “good grammar.” Very few people, if any, use “bad grammar” on purpose. To assume that someone is dumb or unworthy based on an assessment of their grammar is to assume that because someone did not have access to a certain type of education, they are stupid. Someone with bad grammar is potentially just as smart, if not smarter, than someone who uses good grammar. The effects of judgments on the basis of grammar go far beyond the baseless rejections of potentially great Tinder dates. In job interviews, people are turned away for bad grammar. Because of this, people who did not have access to education — usually those from poorer backgrounds — are kept poor because they can’t land high-paying jobs that require good grammar. In reality, unless it’s in the communication sector, most jobs don’t require good grammar. You can be an excellent quantitative analyst without “good grammar,” for example. Perfectly qualified college applicants are also rejected because of bad grammar. This is yet another way of keeping poorer people from receiving the education necessary for social mobility, thus perpetuating a classist system. Besides, the idea that “good grammar” should be expected of everyone relies on a standardized kind of English that does not include language varieties such as African American Vernacular English, for example. The idea that AAVE is not “correct” upholds a racist system and shows a deep lack of understanding. Scholars are divided on the origins of AAVE, but the general consensus is that it originated from a mixture of West African languages brought over by enslaved people and the English of slaveholders, born out of a need to communicate. West African languages of-

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ten lack “th” sounds and final consonant clusters, which AAVE often reflects. Some linguists draw parallels between AAVE and Caribbean Creole English varieties. For example, both frequently drop “is” and “are,” and both permit dropping word-initial d, b and g in tense-aspect markers. The school board in Oakland, California explicitly calls AAVE a distinct language from Standard American English, and recognizes it as the native language of around 30,000 African American students within the school district. Just like how you shouldn’t think that someone is stupid because they speak primarily in French, you shouldn’t think someone is stupid because they speak primarily in AAVE. “Good grammar” is also a means of perpetuating xenophobia. Those who learned English as an additional language sometimes struggle with grammar. English is hard, and treating those who don’t get it exactly right differently because they hail from different cultures with different languages is another way of oppressing those people. It’s also worth noting that some people are unable to speak with “proper grammar” because they have various disabilities. Dyslexia and dysgraphia can make it hard to write with “good grammar” and spelling. Autism, cerebral palsy, certain brain injuries, stuttering and Tourette syndrome are all examples of circumstances in which speaking or writing with “good grammar” can be incredibly difficult. For the visually impaired, it’s very hard to pick up on typos in writing. To dismiss these people because their grammar and spelling isn’t perfect is a form of ableism. I have my own biases against grammatically challenged people. When I catch myself being prejudiced, I try to stop, take a step back and reconsider my assumptions. It’s in everyone’s best interests to do this. If we don’t, we miss out on brilliant workers, friends and lovers. And worse, we uphold a classist, racist, xenophobic and ableist system of oppression. Margot Rosenblatt SC ’23 is from New York, New York. She’s trying to stop being such a stickler about grammar, but sometimes can’t help showing off her understanding of the “who-whom” rule. You can pry the Oxford comma from her cold, dead, and lifeless hands (and the copy editors do).

Pomona should ‘shadow grade’ the first semester MEMBERS OF ASPC ACADEMIC AFFAIRS The first year of Pomona College is a jarring experience that exacerbates inequalities in academic preparation and social capital. Depending on their backgrounds, students might spend their first year reeling from geographic upheaval, unprecedented academic challenges and new social norms. Although our current institutions — orientation, academic advising, mentor programs, etc. — are great, we can and should do more to ease the transition. We propose “shadow grading” Pomona students’ first semester: Specifically, first-semester, non-transfer students should be graded normally, but their transcript should only display whether they passed or received no credit in their classes. Shadow grading would promote equity in the transition to college, ease new students’ anxiety and advance the College’s commitment to the liberal arts. Shadow grading would smooth the transition to college-level academics. College classes can catch students off guard and they might not know how to cope with the added rigor. A semester of shadow grading allows students to develop study skills without being punished for having difficulty adjusting, which might be more due to structural inequalities in educational resources and social capital than to individual merit. Moreover, entering college is almost universally an anxiety-inducing experience. Such anxiety exacerbates the current mental health crisis. Students need time to find community and establish support structures if they are to thrive; lowering the pressure of their academic obligations for one semester can help.

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Shadow grading would also promote the mission of the liberal arts because it reframes students’ mindsets in their first semester. At Wellesley College in Massachusetts, 92 percent of students stated that they were more likely to stay in difficult courses under shadow grading. Wellesley students were also more likely to say that they took classes out of interest and to explore different majors, rather than simply taking classes they thought they would do well in. Shadow grading frees students to take the intellectual leap of faith — to explore based on passion and interest rather than concern for grades. Additionally, shadow grading reframes the relationship between students and faculty. As a Wellesley dean explained to one of us, students there were more likely to approach faculty to ask for feed-

back about how to improve instead of trying to figure out how to “get the A” — a conversation that neither students nor faculty enjoy. To be sure, shadow grading is not without its criticisms. First, students might be less motivated to put as many hours into their classes. Disciplines that require students to build on first-semester material (e.g., STEM, foreign languages and other “cumulative disciplines”) might be particularly affected. Second, shadow grading might delay the development of study skills, which means the stress of being graded will still set in — just in the second semester, not the first. These were among the main justifications relied on by Johns Hopkins University when it repealed its shadow-grading policy. These criticisms are important but not dispositive. Students might work less on their academ-

ics under shadow grading, but that’s not necessarily bad. Given our restrictive admissions rate, our incoming student bodies are filled with high-strung students whose noses have been on the grindstone for the last four years. It’s also important to note that shadow grading’s effect on decreasing students’ commitment to academics is debatable. While summarizing Swarthmore College’s experiences with shadow grading, Sarah Willie-LeBreton, a professor of sociology, told the Philadelphia Inquirer: “Is [shadow grading] a program where young people are not encouraged to take their courses seriously their first semester? We have discovered that’s not the case at all.” A “reset” semester can ease new students into finding worklife balance. Moreover, receiving lower grades can foster comfort

with lower GPAs, which might provide a pathway to combatting grade inflation. (Recall that under shadow grading, students still receive letter grades — those grades just don’t show up on their transcripts.) Finally, even if students delay developing study skills until the second semester, that might be preferable to piling academic adjustment on top of all the things students must learn when they first get on campus. On Feb. 13, we brought a resolution to the ASPC Senate proposing a student referendum on shadow grading. The Senate authorized a student-wide referendum; voting will open at 7 p.m. on March 1, and end at 12:47 p.m. on March 3. The referendum is students’ chance to make their voices heard; we hope all students take this opportunity to participate, even if they oppose shadow grading. This process may seem convoluted. It is. But it is so because such a fundamental change to our first-semester experience ought to require a broad, transparent and coordinated effort among students, faculty and administrators. That it is a big change, however, should not distract from its imperative. Shadow grading is an opportunity for our campus to double down on our commitments to equity and intellectual exploration. It’s time to take the leap of faith and try shadow grading students’ first semester. Isaac Cui PO ’20, Peter Heckendorn PO ’21, Patrick Liu PO ’22, Glen Skahill PO ’22, Natalie Raver-Goldsby PO ’22, Lauren Rodriguez PO ’22, Max Ober PO ’22 and Jake Hauser PO ’20 sit on the ASPC Academic Affairs Committee. If you have any feedback or comments on this proposal, you can email Cui at vpacademic@aspc.pomona. edu.

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February 21, 2020

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Hen baseball plays with Stag baseball hoping for a ‘a chip on our shoulder’ breakout 2020 in the SCIAC HUGO WARD Unimpressed with last year’s finish, the Sagehens are fired up for another SCIAC season. Last year they finished eighth out of nine teams, but were picked to finish sixth this year in the SCIAC preseason poll. “We finished way below where we wanted to in the standings last year, so we are playing with a chip on our shoulder coming into this season,” Connor Woods PO ’20 said via email. The Sagehens opened up their season with two wins (Whitworth 5-3 and Willamette 6-5) and two losses (Whitworth 3-1, 12-1). Following the 2-2 start, the team now has lofty goals — securing a SCIAC title and a subsequent bid for the NCAA DIII College World Series. “We hope to be the team celebrating on the field with a SCIAC championship, headed to the NCAA Tournament,” Woods said. If the Sagehens are to be successful in the SCIAC, the team will need to rely on their depth. According to Woods, the squad’s 11 incoming first-years are “great additions to the team.” “They work hard, love baseball and most importantly, they’re good people,” Woods added. As for returning talent, Woods pointed to a few key returners for

the Hens. “Jeremy Jess [PZ ’20] and Nolan McCafferty [PO ’20] are both four-year starters that will help lead our team in the field. On the mound, Ryan Long [PO ’21] and Tyler Yoshihara [PO ’20] are two talented starters, and Trevor ‘Lil Tex’ Walker [PZ ’20] locks it down out of the bullpen.” Off the field, Woods said he believes the team’s philosophy will help bring the Sagehens success this year. “[We have] a lot of hardworking people who are the perfect amount of weird,” he said. “We’re a very close-knit group, making it a great team to be a part of.” Woods favorite team tradition is what he refers to as the “Halloween Game.” “The Friday of Halloween weekend, we all dress up in costume and play Pomona vs. Pitzer, before having team dinner that night. It’s a little ridiculous, but it’s a great time,” he added. The Sagehens’ first SCIAC competition will come against Caltech this weekend — one game at home Feb. 21, before a doubleheader in Pasadena Feb. 22.

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Jack Damelio PO ‘22 watches Kevin Lo PZ ‘22 catch a fly ball in P-P’s 5-3 win over CMS April 20, 2019.

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Left: Nico Mannucci CM ‘21 was one of five pitchers used over nine innings in CMS’ 5-3 loss to P-P April 20, 2019. Right: Sean Emery CM ‘21 prepares for action on the first-base line in the Sagehen-Stag doubleheader April 20, 2019.

HUGO WARD After finishing last season in the middle of the conference pack, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps baseball team has set its sights on the upcoming season — hoping to have a breakout year and take home a SCIAC title. However, with competition from the likes of Cal Lutheran — which won the Division III NCAA Tournament in 2017 — and Chapman — the reigning SCIAC and DIII champs — climbing to the top of the conference will be no easy task. “The SCIAC is one of the best baseball leagues in the country,” right-handed pitcher Diego Avila CM ’22 said. Despite the competition, the Stags are not deterred. “The team’s goal this year is to win a SCIAC championship. … [We] won’t be satisfied with our performance until we raise a SCIAC championship banner,” Avila said. They’ll have to exceed expectations to do so — the Stags

were voted to finish in fifth in a preseason poll, the same position they finished in 2019, when they logged a 19-14-1 overall record (12-12 SCIAC). CMS will take the first steps toward potential SCIAC glory this weekend — facing off in a threegame set with Cal Lu to open conference play. The Stags will play Feb. 21 at Arce Field, before heading to Thousand Oaks for a doubleheader Saturday. The team is captained by right-handed pitcher Justin Hull CM ’20, SS Zach Clarke CM ’20, right-handed pitcher Brandon Mitchell CM ’21 and C Truman Miller CM ’20. In their first four games, all non-conference affairs, Hull and Mitchell posted a staggering combined ERA of 1.32. Mitchell was also named SCIAC Pitcher of the Week for his performance Feb. 8. Mitchell tossed 7.0 innings against Lewis & Clark, and allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits with a walk en route to a 4-3 victory. He also struck out a whopping 14 batters

in the win. Avila also lauded Miller’s performances in the non-conference matchups. “[Miller] anchors our defense as a wall behind the plate,” he said. Although winning the SCIAC is one of the Stags’ main goals, enjoying baseball is certainly the other. Avila said his favorite team tradition is the Stags’ daily joke: The team’s pitching coach tells each player to come to practice with their best joke. “If the joke is unsatisfactory, the player is utterly embarrassed by the lack of laughs, and must come back the next day with a joke that will lift the team’s spirits,” Avila said. The Stags are also looking to put last season’s hazing incident behind them. The incident centered around events that occured on CMC’s campus at the team’s annual senior-organized “talent show,” in which first-year players performed for the rest of the team. The team was left on probation from the beginning of April until the end of the academic year, but will move forward in this season with high spirits.

DIVE: Hollimon has ‘one final mission as a Stag diver’ Continued from page 1 wasn’t always a dominant diver — he got his aquatic start in swimming instead. At the age of 9, the Southern California native started taking lessons at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena. “My parents wouldn’t let me not do something after school,” Hollimon explained, “so I had to pick up an instrument or do art or do a sport, and so I thought I wanted to do swimming.” However, he quickly grew bored. “I show up, and the people are going back and forth, and they’re breathing. And then they’re going back and forth. And then they’re going back and forth,” he said. After watching the divers at the Rose Bowl, he knew he wanted to get on the diving board. “Wait a sec, that dude over there literally just did a bunch of flips — I gotta sign up for that,” he recounted. Despite the fact that Hollimon has dominated the SCIAC for four straight years, he has still seen a measurable amount of growth in his time as a CMS diver. “I came in, and I had dives that are a lot easier than the ones that I’m doing now,” he said. “Over the course of my four years here, it’s been great because I’ve had coaches that push me to continue to grow and improve, and I’ve had competitors who were doing way harder dives than me.” “I’m like, ‘Oh wait, bet. Oh word, I can do that. Let’s try that.’ Really, trying to catch the people ahead of

me and stay[ing] ahead of the people behind me has been the main reason why I’ve been developing and learning new dives.” Hollimon is also motivated by the joy he gets from performing a dive well. “It’s really exhilarating to get in the water and come up knowing that you did your dive well,” he said. “That’s one of my favorite experiences ever. That’s what I’m constantly chasing. Every time I do a subpar dive, I’m chasing the satisfaction of knowing that I did my dive well, which is what drives me to keep on going.”

He gets so excited when he puts a good dive in. He dances a little bit, he sings a little bit. Ivan Bondarenko, CMS Coach

After nailing a dive, Hollimon’s joy shows, according to CMS diving coach Ivan Bondarenko. “He gets so excited when he puts a good dive in. He dances a little bit, he sings a little bit,” Bondarenko said. Teammate Abai Houser CM ’22 praised Hollimon’s work ethic. “Kendall really is [represen-

tative] of our dive team — hardworking, comes into practice every day, ego isn’t big. He’s extremely coachable — a coach’s dream. I’ve never heard him complain about anything. Always working hard at lift, even when he’s going through injuries,” Houser said. Bondarenko echoed this sentiment. “His work ethic is just phenomenal. He’s respectful. He’s coachable, which is really important. He’s just a great human being,” he said. Though he has been so dominant on the boards, some of Hollimon’s favorite moments as a CMS diver have come outside of the pool, including the team’s ritual choreographed dance before every meet. “It’s so goofy, and we’re so corny for this, but I’m really, really proud to be the team that has the most fun,” he said. “We just have such a good team culture and such good camaraderie — everyone is always supporting each other. I’m proud whenever I do well, but I’m more proud to be part of an accepting team.” As “the backbone of the team,” Hollimon is a big part of the team’s tight-knit culture and is “probably the reason why I came here,” Houser said. Outside of diving, Hollimon enjoys writing for The Golden Antlers, which is “my favorite activity I’ve ever done.” Unsurprisingly, he also loves singing and dancing. After graduation, Hollimon

ALYSSA LEONG • THE STUDENT LIFE

Kendall Hollimon CM ‘20 has won eight SCIAC titles over his four years, and has the second-best scores in CMS history for both diving events.

plans on pursuing a career either in public office or as a social justice lawyer. But for now, Hollimon will have one final mission as a Stag diver — taking home a national championship. He finished third in the country last season in the three-meter, and will certainly have a shot to finish his CMS career with a national title.

“This time, [NCAAs] is a culmination of all I’ve been working for. It’s crazy ‘cause in diving, one wrong step and you can’t really come back,” Hollimon said. “It’s crazy knowing that it’s partially up to chance. But that’s why we practice. Of course I could mess up, but I don’t plan on it. All I can do is keep performing like I have.”

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February 21, 2020

CMS tennis teams hunting for pair of NCAA titles ‘Nobody’s taking this away from us’: Athenas seeking 2nd Stag seniors hungry in final campaign championship in 3 years KELLEN BROWNING Senior Stag tennis players have enjoyed a lot of winning over their four years at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. But they haven’t claimed the country’s biggest prize — yet. Head coach Paul Settles thinks this could be the year for his crew, which last won an NCAA title in 2015 despite making the championship match in five of the last seven seasons. “It’s been a fantastic run,” Settles said. “Almost everyone would say we’re kind of the best program over the last decade nationally. We’re certainly proud of that, but we’re striving for just a little more.” The 2020 season is off to an auspicious start, and Settles has a good feeling about these Stags (70, 0-0 SCIAC). “When we won in 2015, we had I think three seniors starting for us who took an attitude like ‘Nobody’s taking this away from us,’” he recalled. “And I think we’ve got a similar makeup to this year’s team, so I feel like some of the ingredients are in place.” Winning just one national championship is no small feat, but Settles has claimed 23 U.S. Tennis

Association national titles as a player himself. “I think for the guys on our team, they look at that, and they say, ‘Wow, maybe I can do that when I am an old man like Coach Settles,’” he said. Back to lead the Stags this year is the one-two punch of Nikolai Parodi CM ’20 and Jack Katzman CM ’21, who placed at No. 3 and No. 4 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Division III national individual rankings last fall. Parodi is a three-time SCIAC Athlete of the Year, while Katzman has made First-Team All-SCIAC both of his seasons. “The top of our lineup is I think as strong as any in the country ... in terms of what they’ve achieved,” Settles said. “I think we all feel very comfortable with having this incredible anchor at the top of our lineup.” Settles said the team will focus on doubles play this season, as that’s the part of college tennis matches that is conducive to upsets and surprises, and has been a vulnerable area for the Stags in prior years. Also new this year is an emphasis on avoiding the tendency “to circle dates on the calendar” in preparation for future match-

es against highly ranked foes at the expense of more immediate competitions. For instance, with the Stags preparing to jet off to the ITA Team Indoor Championship in St. Peter, Minnesota, Settles said the team has been “very focused on not thinking about that tournament before it was appropriate to do so.” CMS has won a staggering 14 straight SCIAC championships, including all 13 tournaments since postseason conference play began in 2007. Still, Settles said his team always looks forward to matching up with its Sixth Street opponents. “The rivalry with Pomona-Pitzer has been a fantastic one because their level is very high as well,” he said. One of the most anticipated moments of the season will occur on April 17, when the two Claremont teams will meet at CMS’ Biszantz Family Tennis Center for an evening showdown. “It’s a real festival,” Settles said. “We tend to get a ton of fans. They tend to get a little raucous and rowdy, but in a positive way.”

KELLEN BROWNING Catherine Allen SC ’20 knows what it’s like to be a national champion. The tennis star was part of the 2018 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps team that toppled Emory, a miraculous 5-4 comeback that earned the first NCAA championship in program history. She also knows what it’s like to lose in heartbreaking fashion. Last year, the Athenas were on the other end of a 5-4 decision, falling in the national championship match to Wesleyan. With both dramatic endings in mind, Allen and the rest of the Athenas (6-0, 2-0 SCIAC) are gearing up for a season that they hope will end with another national title. Last year, “we definitely took a step back, it wasn’t the result that we wanted, but we accomplished a lot that season and I was very proud of how our entire team contributed and played for one another,” Allen said. “So [we’re] just recognizing that from the start and kind of looking at what we can fix from last year and what we can still uphold as a team.” Allen said the team is still figuring out optimal partnerships for doubles and fine-tuning its play, though opponents wouldn’t know that based on CMS’ impressive start. Allen and Caroline Cox CM ’21, the dynamic doubles duo who told TSL last year that they “know each other’s moves,” are back after winning the 2019 NCAA doubles championship

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Jack Katzman CM ‘21, No. 4 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Division III national individual rankings, jumps as he swings mid-match in the Stags’ 7-0 win against Quinnipiac March 10, 2019.

Athletes of the Week

— a separate competition from the team title. The duo defeated teammates Nicole Tan CM ’20 and Sarah Bahsoun CM ’22 for the prize last spring, meaning CMS returns the two top doubles teams in the country. The Athenas also have a new weapon in rookie Justine Leong CM ’23, a star on the Hong Kong tennis circuit before coming to CMS. Leong impressed in fall ITA competition and will be a key piece in the Athenas’ championship bid. “She’s such a talented player and will contribute a lot to this team,” Allen said. “At the same time, we really focus on the team dynamic and we’re playing for one another. We’re really emphasizing that although you’re on the court by yourself, it’s no longer an individual sport, it’s a team sport.” Allen said that team mentality is what drives her and her fellow players. Before college, she said, the sport’s emphasis is much more individual. “I never was passionate about tennis until I got to college,” she said. “I play better when I’m playing for the team, and I know a lot of other players feel that way too.” The Athenas have won the last eight SCIAC championships, including all five since head coach David Schwarz took over the program. Allen said Schwarz is both a “positive role model” as a coach and a “mentor off the court.” “A big thing about him is his belief in our abilities and talents,” she said. “Not necessarily changing our game, but developing it and allowing us to play within our own framework.”

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Catherine Allen SC ‘20 smiles while her team watches the remaining matches of the Athenas’ 9-0 win over Whittier April 6, 2019.

Weekly Calendar P-P

CMS

Saturday, Feb. 22 Men’s & Women’s Swim & Dive SCIAC Championships

Saturday, Feb. 22 Men’s & Women’s Swim & Dive SCIAC Championships

Trabuco Canyon, CA Women’s Track & Field

Women’s Golf SCIaC 1 @ Via Verde Country Club

Women’s Golf SCIaC 1 @ San Dimas

Guo ran an impressive 10:11.60 in the women’s 3,000-meter run last weekend at the Pomona-Pitzer Collegiate All Comers meet at Pomona College’s Strehle Track, putting her in second overall and first among Division III runners. The senior cross-country and track runner has left her fingerprints all over the Sagehen record books. Heading into her final season on the track, she sits at third all-time in the 1,500-meter, sixth in the 3,000, second in the 5,000, fourth in the 3,000 steeplechase and second in the outdoor mile. For cross-country, she has the second fastest time in the 5,000-meter run and fifth fastest in the 6,000-meter run. This past fall, she was named an All-American for cross-country and hopes to repeat this spring on the track.

Men’s & Women’s Track and Field @ CMS Rossi Relays

Pomona-Pitzer Helen Guo PO ’20

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Miles President HM ’20 Chino Hills, CA Men’s Basketball President, who helped the Stags hold their opponents to the fewest points per game in the nation last year, just became the 20th Stag to reach 1,000 points in his CMS career. He is only the second Harvey Mudd student to ever accomplish this — the last being Dick Barton HM ’67, over 50 years ago. Additionally, a day after reaching this milestone, the senior guard was honored for his academic achievements, earning a spot on the Academic All-District 8 team from the College Sports Information Directors of America. Carrying a 3.94 grade point average as a computer science major at Mudd, he is now eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, which will be announced in March.

Men’s & Women’s Track and Field @ CMS Rossi Relays

Men’s Tennis @ SMU and Texas-Dallas

Men’s Tennis ITA National Team Indoors @ St. Peter’s, MN

Women’s Tennis @ Occidental

Men’s Baseball @ Cal Lutheran

Women’s Lacrosse vs. Whittier

Women’s Softball vs. Linfield

Men’s Baseball @ Caltech

Men’s & Women’s Basketball @ La Verne

Men’s & Women’s Basketball vs. Occidental

Women’s Tennis vs. Southwestern

Sunday, Feb. 23 Men’s & Women’s Swim & Dive SCIAC Championships

Sunday, Feb. 16 Men’s & Women’s Swim & Dive SCIAC Championships

Women’s Golf SCIaC 1 @ Via Verde Country Club

Women’s Golf SCIaC 1 @ San Dimas

Men’s Tennis @ Trinity Women’s Softball @ Vanguard Wednesday, Feb. 26 Women’s Lacrosse vs. CMS

Men’s Tennis ITA National Team Indoors @ St. Peter’s, MN Tuesday, Feb. 25 Men’s Basketball @ Chapman Wednesday, Feb. 26 Women’s Water Polo vs. Occidental Women’s Lacrosse @ P-P