Vol. CXXXIV No. 17

VOL. CXXXIV NO. 17

FRIDAY, March 24, 2023

CLAREMONT, CA

Suzanne Keen CMS brings home two NCAA titles at swim and dive Nationals resigns as Scripps president HANNAH WEAVER After just an eight-month tenure, Scripps College President Suzanne Keen and the Board of Trustees announced she was stepping down, effective immediately, in a statement emailed to the Scripps community this morning.

A follow-up email from the Office of the Board of Trustees was sent minutes later with additional details, including that Amy Marcus-Newhall will take over for the third time as acting president.

Keen was appointed president in November 2021 and began her term on July 1, 2022 after a controversial search for candidates.

Her resignation comes just over a month before her official inauguration, which was set for April 28-29.

In her resignation statement, Keen said she is “very sorry for the disappointment that this news causes” and noted that she and her husband, Francis MacDonnell, “have so much to be grateful for despite [their] short time in Claremont.” She said she plans to return to the East Coast — where she and her husband’s elderly fathers live

— and her role as an English professor, which she “sorely missed.”

No other reasoning was given as to why Keen’s resignation occurred so abruptly.

The Board of Trustees noted in their email that Keen successfully guided Scripps through its reaffirmation of accreditation, a short-term goal she highlighted in a Q&A with TSL in September.

However, the long-term goals she spoke of — improving access and affordability — will not have the chance to be fully realized under her leadership.

“We would like to thank Dr. Keen for her contributions during her time as president. We wish Suzanne and Fran well,” Laura Hockett SC ’85, chair of the Board of Trustees, said.

In recent years, the Scripps community has been faced with uncertainty as administrators have resigned and been reappointed. Keen’s predecessor, Lara Tiedens, resigned in April 2021 after five years as president.

COURTESY: CARLOS MORALES

Augusta Lewis CM ‘23 took first in the 400-yard individual medley, highlighting a big showing by both CMS and P-P at Nationals.

BEN LAUREN & ANSLEY WASHBURN During spring break, Claremont traveled to Greensboro, North Carolina to compete at the NCAA Division III Swim and Dive Nationals from March 15-18.

While qualifying athletes from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) and Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) might be bitter rivals at home, through this competition they quickly found a new solidarity and respect for one another.

Nevertheless, CMS’s individual athletes made the biggest splash at the event. In its history, CMS has had 32 national championship swims at NCAAs. However, this year was the first time that both

COURTESY: SCRIPPS COLLEGE

Suzanne Keen, the 10th president of Scripps College, stepped down from her role on March 20.

CSWA calls for Friday McConnell boycott

Augusta Lewis CM ’23

first place finish in the 400-yard IM. Frank Applebaum CM ’24 finished first at Nationals in the 200 fly with a time of 1:42.96.

JAKE CHANG As of Thursday, March 23, Pomona College and Scripps College students are no longer required to test negative on a COVID-19 antigen test in order to exit isolation, reflecting a shift in Los Angeles County protocol.

On March 20, Student Health Services (SHS) announced that students with COVID-19 can end isolation on the sixth day, given that their symptoms are absent or are mild and improving and they have been fever-free for 24 hours.

However, SHS states that masks are still required for 10 days following the isolation period.

“This shorter isolation period will lead to fewer academic and workplace disruptions and has been anxiously awaited in LA County since CDC updated its isolation guidance,” SHS Director Dr. Prateek Jindal said in the update.

Students that have a persistent fever and more serious COVID-19 symptoms must remain in isolation until the fever or symptoms resolve or until after the 10th day of the isolation period.

Close contacts of positive cases are encouraged to wear masks

MARIANA DURAN

See BOYCOTT on page 2

I had no thought in my mind that I was possibly going to win that race … That’s why I was just so surprised when I looked up at the clock … I genuinely could not believe it.

Head coach Charles Griffiths described how important this was for CMS. “It is a big moment for our program and very exciting for Augusta, Frank and all the swimmers, divers, coaches, parents, support staff and alumni connected with CMS,” Griffiths said.

For Lewis, this victory was years in the making. After finishing in the top five in each of her last four races at NCAAs, Lewis finally broke down the door to claim a national title.

Lewis explained it was a positive shift in confidence that allowed her to take victory.

“When I was … getting recruited … I definitely never thought that

See SWIM on page 9

SHS cuts isolation restrictions and close contact policy, Pomona and Scripps follow suit

Carnegie’s got ‘Curb’ appeal

This week, members of the Claremont Student Worker Alliance (CSWA) escalated actions at Pitzer College in support of three former subcontracted dining workers who were allegedly terminated from their positions in retaliation for their expressed union support.

CSWA has organized a student-led campaign to demand that Pitzer rehire the three workers, Stephanie Smith, Alexis Ongpoy and Kevin Ayala, who were laid off by Pitzer’s subcontracted dining service, Bon Appetit Management Company (BAMCO), last December. As part of their campaign, CSWA is circulating a petition that, according to CSWA member Cameron Quijada SC ’25, already has over 1,000 signatures and has held demonstrations throughout the past week.

In support of the three workers, leaders from CSWA organized delegations to various Pitzer officials

an Athena and a Stag have won in the same year. Augusta Lewis CM ’23 won her first national title with a

See page 3

indoors for 10 days and test for COVID-19 within 3-5 days after their last known exposure.

At Pomona and Scripps, contact tracers will call students on their sixth day of isolation to verify that they haven’t had a fever and their symptoms have improved, according to emails sent to Pomona and Scripps students by administrators.

Cleared students will then be provided with a message from the associated campus staff giving them permission to leave isolation.

Students are not able to return to campus and in-person classes until official clearance is given, according to the Scripps email.

Effective Tuesday, March 20, non-7C guests are now allowed in Pomona residence halls in accordance with updates Housing and Residence Life policy. Non-7C guests have not been allowed in dorms since before the pandemic.

Testing remains optional for 7C students, but students who are symptomatic are required to test for COVID-19 within 24 to 48 hours of symptom onset. Saliva PCR tests are available through 7C-wide vending machines and through SHS.

TSL COVID-19 Tracker covid.tsl.news

+7 cases

at the 5Cs from Mar. 13 - 19

** HMC told TSL Oct. 10 that the school will no longer post case counts on a dashboard and instead will alert students via email when there is a surge in cases.

PO PZ CMC HMC SC

+2

**

Student

+0

Staff

**

Undifferentiated

0

+5 5

** No data reported 10

15

20

25

Data from each of the 5Cs school’s testing dashboards at press time. Visit covid.tsl.news for historical data.

GUS ALBACH • THE STUDENT LIFE

ARTS & CULTURE Benton Art Museum Exhibit “Gilded, Carved, and Embossed: Latin American Art, 1500-1800” opened on on Wednesday March 22. Read more on page 6.

The student newspaper of the Claremont Colleges since 1889

OPINIONS

SPORTS

“As local business owners and city council members rallied together to shut down The Rave Box through legal harassment and dirty tactics alike, an ugly streak of racism, classism and pearl-clutching sexual moralism in Claremont has been exposed,” writes Chelsea Shi-Chao Liu CGU ’23. Read more on page 7.

Traveling just across the pond for the chance to represent your country in the sport you love isn’t too bad innit?

Ryan Long PO ’21 would say so.

After competing on the Sagehen’s baseball team for four years, Long was selected to represent Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic.

Read more on page 8.

INDEX: News 1 | Arts & Culture 4 | Opinions 7 | Sports 8

News

PAGE 2

March 24, 2023

Mindful Mondays are over, Pomona announces

FIONA HERBOLD

After testing out the initiative this past fall semester, Pomona College Dining Services has ended Mindful Mondays. The initiative, which has recently been a large topic of debate among students at the 5Cs, aimed to serve less meat on Mondays in Frank Dining Hall and Frary Dining Hall.

General Manager of Dining Services Jose Martinez announced the change to the student body in an email on March 3.

He also clarified that, despite what many students believed, Frank and Frary have never had entirely meatless menus on Mondays.

“We tried out for a semester serving less meat on Mondays, so it was Mindful Mondays,” Martinez said to TSL via email. “It was never meatless, but we had minimal animal proteins in different stations.”

Martinez described that there was always meat available in the Grab and Go coolers and at the deli station. He added that halal chicken and beef was made available upon request.

However, many students felt that they still did not have enough access to meat options.

Madison Lewis PO ’23, who sparked controversy with a recent TSL op-ed, outlined her concerns with Mindful Mondays, or what many students called “Meatless Mondays.”

“I certainly understand and respect the idea behind Meatless Mondays, but I think that there is a better way to execute it and achieve those goals that don’t incorporate just eliminating the food group for a meal,” Lewis said. “I don’t think that dining halls should ever be assigning moral value to any sort of food

ELLA LEHAVI • THE STUDENT LIFE

or encouraging one diet over another.”

Lewis, who is a senior on the Pomona-Pitzer women’s water polo team, was not the only student-athlete to raise their concerns with the dining hall staff.

“We did get a lot of responses from athletics, from different students, regarding that being an issue for them, because they expect and would like to have lamb, chicken, beef,” Martinez said.

In their bi-weekly meeting

with the ASPC food committee last semester, dining services listened to student feedback and changed Mindful Mondays as a result.

“Before we even ended last semester, we met with the food committee … and what we agreed on was having a mindful station instead of the whole Monday,” said Martinez.

Although some students offered negative feedback, Martinez emphasized it was

Pomona students, serving on the President’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability (PACS), that originally pushed for the initiative.

“This effort came from the ASPC Sustainability Office, the PACS committee, in efforts to reach carbon neutrality by 2030,” said Martinez.

Emma Sar SC ’23, a vegetarian and environmental analysis major, offered a proposal for a daily meatless station in the dining halls as a way of addressing di-

etary and sustainability concerns.

For Sar, the other 5C plantbased stations, such as Veggie Valley at Harvey Mudd College, Plant Forward at Claremont McKenna College and Herbivore at Pitzer College and Scripps College, provide easier access to vegetarian and vegan options.

“I was excited last year when Scripps started the plant-based station … [because] there are people who are vegetarian or vegan every day of the week,” Sar said.

BOYCOTT: Calling Pitzer to hire three former subcontracted dining workers, CSWA increases student activism

The Claremont Student Worker Alliance (CSWA) has led demonstrations throughout the week to demand the hiring of three Bon Apetit employees.

Continued from page 1 Monday and Tuesday, had a rally Thursday and will hold a Friday boycott of Pitzer dining facilities.

Quijada explained that if the school doesn’t respond to the petition’s demands after the weekend, CSWA will consider engaging in more severe efforts in the coming weeks. However, she is optimistic that the Pitzer administration will respond to this week’s student demonstrations.

“I think that we have the chance right now, because this movement is so strong, to set a new precedent for Pitzer and to show that this isn’t okay,” she said. “I think that as students, we have power to hold these schools accountable, and I think this fight is a lot bigger than just the petition.”

Over a hundred 5C students and a few faculty members attended yesterday’s rally at the Pitzer Apron, a precursor to the Friday boycott and picket. During the rally, two of the three fired workers, Stephanie Smith and Kevin Ayala, spoke about negative experiences with dining management that began when they expressed support for Pitzer’s union.

“They promised us two days’ pay for Christmas and New Year’s Eve,” Smith said at the rally. “We didn’t get that. All I got in the mail was a letter that said my position was no longer required … They don’t like me because I’m aggressive. But I’m real, I’m honest, I do my job. I can’t think of anybody on this campus that

I ever saw up in here that said I had a bad attitude.”

Joining Smith and Ayala at the Apron stage, members of Pomona College’s dining hall team encouraged students and workers to stay resilient. They spoke about 17 undocumented dining workers who were fired from the school during

Respect does not come when unjustly firing three members of our community, I think it is completely fucking warranted to be angry.

Quin Mumford PZ ’24

Pomona’s union drive in 2011, and added that some were eventually rehired following worker organizing.

Student organizers and leaders also spoke to the crowd. Pitzer Student Body Vice President Quin Mumford PZ ’24 claimed that after a delegation to the Pitzer College Board of Trustees, he was admonished by a dean for swearing and being disrespectful.

“Respect does not come when unjustly firing three members of our community,” Mumford said.

“I think it is completely fucking warranted to be angry.”

In recent weeks, members of Pitzer’s administration have expressed disapproval over student demonstration methods.

“We value the role civil disobedience has played both on our campus and across the country,” Klein said in a Thursday email to the community. “At the same time we must assure that our community is safe for all and that our campus can continue to operate fully.”

This Monday and Tuesday, CSWA delegations of over 20 students marched to different administrative offices to share copies of the petition letter with BAMCO managers and higher-level members of Pitzer administration.

Students were met with varying degrees of receptivity. On Monday, HR Director Marie Pinedo directed students into the McConnell Founders Room, where she listened to and took notes on their remarks.

Jim Marchant, who said he was in a meeting at the time of the Monday delegation, forcefully shut his door after students insisted on handing him a copy of the petition.

“I respect the rights of students to organize and demonstrate peacefully about issues that are important to them,” Marchant told TSL via email. “Of late, I am concerned of the effect of escalating disruption on offices and staff across campus that have raised issues about not being able to perform their jobs due to disruption.”

Meanwhile, some students, like Chiara de Georgio PZ ’26 have expressed dissatisfaction over the kinds of responses their delegations have gotten from the administration.

“We’ve done so many of these delegations for these three workers and see no action whatsoever,” de Georgio said. “And the best we’ve gotten is someone sitting there with a notepad pretending to take notes … The worst we’ve gotten is being kicked out of rooms, yelled at [and] told to shut up [and] stop talking.”

Dining managers and President Klein avoided interacting with the students on Tuesday, Claremont Undercurrents reported. Klein did not directly respond to TSL’s requests for comment on the delegation to her office, but clarified some of Pitzer’s hiring practices in her Thursday email to the community.

She added that the administration had contacted BAMCO about the three workers, and that BAMCO has reached out to the workers to “offer new employment

As students, we have power to hold these schools accountable, and I think this fight is a lot bigger than just the petition.

Cameron Quijada SC ’25

options.”

Klein also said in her email that “social justice and activism represent a long and cherished element of Pitzer’s culture and

MARIANA DURAN • THE STUDENT LIFE

community.”

But to CSWA organizer Francisco Villaseñor PO ’25, the school’s response to recent student organizing reflects a larger issue with consistency between the school’s professed values and its actions.

“One thing that becomes really clear is that [administrators] are only in favor of advocacy when it lines up with the way that they want to see advocacy happening,” he told students during the rally.

At the rally, Villaseñor encouraged students to continue organizing in support of the fired workers.

“It’s not a one-time action. It’s not easy. And again, the college is hoping that we get tired, hoping that we say, ‘I have other stuff to worry about and that we forget about this fight,’” Villaseñor said. “But organizing is everyday actions that we take, showing up for one another, showing up at something that’s solidarity for each other and having solidarity for the folks that make this place run.”

Ayala said this support from students, faculty and staff has kept him motivated in the three months that have passed since he was fired.

“Back in December, I decided to vote for the union,” Ayala said at the rally. “Shortly after, everything started to go downhill, honestly. But the support that everyone has shown has made up for it. To be honest, it’s, it’s unimaginable. I just want to say thank you.”

Averi Sullivan PO ’23 and Reia Li PO ’24 contributed reporting.

News

March 24, 2023

PAGE 3

‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ films at Pomona, gives behind-the-scenes look at production HANNAH WEAVER

Larry David emerged from a black SUV. He walked towards Pomona College’s Carnegie Hall. A cheering crowd of nearly a hundred extras awaited him. They held signs with messages like “Justice for Larry!” and “I would sell my family for you.”

From March 12-14, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” cast and crew members, including 90 extras, visited Claremont to film an exterior courthouse scene for the show’s upcoming 12th season, which will finish filming this month, according to crew members.

KJ Fagan, Pomona’s senior director of public programming and strategic initiatives, announced the filming in an email to Pomona students on March 10.

“The project was intentionally scheduled during spring break to avoid any conflict with classes and academic programs,” Fagan said in the email.

She also explained the financial incentive of having the show film on campus.

“Film shoots are an exciting part of campus life,” Fagan said. “But more importantly, the revenue that we receive from these projects helps to support faculty research and student financial aid.”

Crew member Walter Wiggins has been running the craft services for the show for the past four years.

He told TSL that the show normally shoots episodes closer to LA. However, this episode needed a courthouse — and Carnegie Hall looked the part.

So, the show packed up their equipment and drove east to set up camp in Claremont.

“It’s like a mobile city,” Wiggins said. “We come in with our own power, bathrooms, our own supplies, everything like that.”

Like Claremont, this mobile city

HANNAH WEAVER • THE STUDENT LIFE

HANNAH WEAVER • THE STUDENT LIFE

also has its own village, where the directors and producers watch what is being filmed on screens.

The rest of the crew was stationed with their equipment along the sidewalk and on the grass in front of Carnegie.

Jack Neely PO ’21 used to take economics classes in Carnegie until COVID-19 sent students home in 2020. Now, three years later, he’s returned to the building — not to take classes — but to work on the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” set as a COVID production assistant (PA). His role entails testing every cast and crew member daily for COVID and setting up air filters in

Ticketing service security breach leads to data leak MAXINE DAVEY Last Wednesday, March 15, AudienceView, a third party ticketing vendor used by colleges nationwide, was overwhelmed by excessive student traffic and completely crashed, marking its second technological collapse in just 30 days.

On March 4, Pomona College in conjunction with Information Technology Services (ITS) released a statement on their website that the third party ticketing vendor for Bridges Auditorium, AudienceView, had experienced a security breach for online ticket purchases between Feb. 17-21.

The breach was caused by malware that leaked consumer credit card information, including card number, expiration date and CVV. AudienceView eventually removed the malware on the afternoon of Feb. 21, but has temporarily suspended its product during further investigation.

The breach impacted higher learning institutions across the country, including Virginia Tech, Colorado State, Cornell University, Middlebury College, UC Santa Cruz, Oswego State University and Auraria Campus, among others.

According to Andrew Crawford, ITS deputy chief information officer, AudienceView reported that 105 people were impacted in the Claremont community. Crawford said these people were notified about the breach by AudienceView, who offered 12 months of credit monitoring and identity protection. The Pomona security team also provided the 105 impacted people with support after the breach.

“The security team let the im-

pacted people know that AudienceView would be sending them information, and provided additional recommendations on what they could do in the near term – monitor credit statements, for example, and report suspicious activity to their credit card company,” Crawford said to TSL via email.

According to KJ Fagan, senior director of public programming and strategic initiatives at Bridges Auditorium, Pomona began utilizing AudienceView services at the beginning of this academic year. Since the breach, Bridges has moved to EventBrite as a temporary ticketing platform.

“EventBrite was selected as an interim measure because it is a free tool that could be implemented quickly,” Fagan told TSL via email.

Pomona last experienced a security breach in 2020, when the personal information of students, parents and alumni was compromised in a malware attack on Blackbaud, the College’s service for alumni and donor management.

Crawford said that a longer-term ITS active risk management program assesses potential technology vendors on security, accessibility and legal components.

“In today’s technology landscape, risk is ever present,” Crawford said. “But that technology solutions review process helps position Pomona College and its community as strongly as possible for understanding and mitigating those risks, and responding to them effectively when cybersecurity events inevitably happen.”

BEN JONES • THE STUDENT LIFE

Bridges Auditorium’s third party ticketing service, AudienceView, experienced a data breach last month.

indoor settings in order to ensure the production operates safely.

Working with “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is Neely’s second ever job in the filmmaking industry. “[I wanted] any on set position that would get me near the creative process, because I want to be a writer, specifically in comedy,” he said. “Here, I get to pester the writers and then see how Jeff Shafer, the director, does his work.”

Neely revealed that it was during his time at Pomona that his passion for writing eventually led him to screenwriting.

“It started with essays,” he

WENDY ZHANG, Photo Editor BELLA PETTENGILL, Creative Director SASHA MATTHEWS, Graphics Editor SARA CAWLEY, News Editor

actly what you’re studying as long as you try and find a passion, and work towards that rather than the diploma,” he said.

The filming at Carnegie drew many spectators hoping to catch a glimpse of a celebrity. But for Wiggins, having worked on film sets for over a decade, seeing the likes of Larry David and Ted Danson doesn’t phase him.

“Funny thing is, a lot of them don’t look like what they would normally look like on screen, you know?” Wiggins said. “That’s why it’s kind of hard to see them in public. They just look at normal people walking around — which they are.”

JUNE HSU & LUCIA STEIN

On Sunday, March. 12 before spring break, Pomona College’s sponsor applications for the fall 2023 semester closed. For the first time in two years, sponsors will live in the same dorm as their first-year “sponsees” under the newly reinstated live-in sponsor policy.

Pomona’s Sponsor Program matches a student sponsor, usually a sophomore, with groups of around 15-20 incoming firstyear sponsees within the same residence hallway. These sponsors work in collaboration with co-sponsors, head sponsors and resident advisors to ease first years in their transition to college life, such as helping students on move-in day and providing guidance class registration.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, sponsors lived in the same hall as their sponsor group.

When students later returned to campus in September 2021, the live-in aspect of Sponsor programs had not resurfaced. Many sponsors and their sponsees were separated by floor levels or dorms.

Students like resident advisor Nick Nguyen PO ’23 felt the continued separation within sponsor groups inhibited interpersonal bonding and would, consequently, be detrimental to the program. In October 2022, Pomona assistant director of residence life and the first year experience Joel Petty invited Nguyen to speak with Pomona’s Board of Trustees and advocate for sponsor policy change, so that live-in sponsors could return.

“I expressed how valuable that was to the Board of Trustees when I spoke to them as an RA but also as someone who has had meaningful sponsors really make a big impact in his first year,” Nguyen said.

Head sponsor Oluyemisi Bolonduro PO ’23 was pleased to hear about this return toward pre-pandemic policy. As a first-

Senior Staff SELINA LU, Sports Designer JULIA VICTOR, Copy Chief DANIA ANABTAWI, Copy Chief CHASE WADE, Photo Editor

said. “And then when I went abroad, a professor was like, ‘Yeah, we’re doing screenplays this week.’ And then I was like, ‘Oh my God. This is phenomenal.’”

Neely explained that working as a PA is not the most glamorous — his work lasted from 4:30 a.m. until around 7 p.m. during the Claremont shoot, alone. But he added that the work gives him valuable experience and an inside look into the industry.

As a former economics major, Neely encouraged 5C students to continue to follow their passions and advised them not to worry too much if that falls outside their major.

“Don’t stress too much about ex-

Live-in sponsors to return to Pomona next fall

THE STUDENT LIFE GRACE SAUERS, Production Editor EMMA CONSTABLE, Production Editor KYLIE MIES, A&C Designer PAUL YAN, Opinions Designer

HANNAH WEAVER • THE STUDENT LIFE

Left: Jack Neely PO ’21 returned to campus to work on set as a Covid-19 PA. Upper Right: The posters were created by the Pomona College art department for extras to hold during the filming of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Lower Right: Pomona College’s Carnegie Hall briefly masqueraded as a courthouse for a filming of the upcoming season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

MAXINE DAVEY, News Editor JAKE CHANG, News Associate INDIA CLAUDY, Arts & Culture Editor TANIA AZHANG, Arts & Culture Editor

BELLA PETTENGILL • THE STUDENT LIFE

year in 2019, Bolonduro recalled her own experience of how much more effectively live-in sponsors could facilitate community on campus more organically.

“One thing that makes the Sponsor Program so special is having that live-in mentor and someone who’s just genuinely invested in your well-being and your sense of belonging on campus,” Bolonduro said. “When sponsors live in close proximity to their sponsees, relationships form more naturally and less formally.”

Some students have speculated that the suspension of live-in sponsors may have been due to the college’s over-enrollment and lack of available housing during the return to campus. Bolonduro explained that while sponsors had been guaranteed singles in the past, many of these rooms were converted into doubles to fit more students on campus. Without the live-in element of the Sponsor program, these singles have not been offered to sponsors for the past two years.

According to sponsor Adam Osman-Krinsky PO ’25, without live-in sponsors, many RAs were obligated to step into more of a

sponsor-like role in the dorms.

“In a lot of ways RAs have acted in the past two years … as pseudo sponsors, in addition to their RA roles, because they’re the only ones in the hall that had that relationship,” he said. “So I think it’ll take a lot of the social flak off the RAs.” Head sponsor David D’attile PO ’23 explained that the removal of live-in sponsors for the Class of 2025 changed students’ relationships with the Sponsor program after transitioning back from online classes.

But with the reinstatement of the live-in sponsor policy, D’attle is confident that the experience will increase community cohesion, and encourage all eligible students to participate.

“I think the people that used to take on that role [were] the people who felt a desire to push forward the community that was provided to them when they got here, and that was a really impactful experience,” said D’attile.

Pomona’s 2023-2024 Sponsor Program will see sponsors and head sponsors participate in Residence Hall Staff Fall training in mid-August before first-years arrive on campus.

Editorial Board HANNAH WEAVER, Editor-in-Chief AVERI SULLIVAN, Managing Editor GERRIT PUNT, Managing Editor EMMA NEWMAN, Arts & Culture Associate ABBY LOISELLE, Opinions Editor ELENA TOWNSEND-LERDO, Opinions Editor BEN LAUREN, Sports Editor

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PAGE 4

Arts & Culture

So You Want to Dress: Emo

March 24, 2023

MOMENTS TO SAVOR

Hitting new milestones with challah EMILY KIM

LUCIA MARQUEZ-UPPMAN • THE STUDENT LIFE

LISA GORELIK Stop the music! Is that My Chemical Romance that I hear? Welcome back to “The Black Parade.”

Are you feeling nostalgic for your middle school days, for shopping at Hot Topic and hanging out at the mall? Do you want to heal the inner child within you that has always wanted an emo fringe and lip piercings that your parents forbid you from getting? Then you have come to the right place. Get ready for a blast from the past with all the emo style tips and tricks from a proud current emo.

I have a confession to make. If my home country of Russia had a Hot Topic when I was in my tweens, I would have saved myself from a lot of embarrassment from being a 20-year-old emo kid in college. Alas, here I am, and I have to make up for the lost time and make the most out of being a late-emobloomer.

A few columns ago, I wrote about the goth subculture and goth fashion. You may be thinking: How is emo different from goth? Mainstream culture often misunderstands the alternative subcultures, and to outsiders, they may seem similar. But to the well-versed eye, they are all very different.

There are three main characteristics that define subcultures: music, fashion and political views/beliefs.

These areas all intersect and inspire each other, with political stances infiltrating the meaning behind music and lyrics and fashion taking their meaning as an inspiration in the form of individual artistic expression.

Just happening to dress in an emo style does not make you emo.

Style is the last –– and perhaps least important –– piece of joining a subculture. You have to share and engage with the ideas that the group represents and uphold emo values.

You have to listen to the music genre that corroborates these ideas.

Fashion then comes after this, and it is definitely not a requirement to be a part of the subculture. The way of dressing is more important for a sense of unity and identification with a particular community, externally signaling to the world that you support and believe in their views, ideas and purpose.

So, what do emos stand for and believe? The emo community was born out of the punk subculture in the early 2000s which embraced a younger audience and a new generation of alternative people.

Although a central belief of the emo subculture is acceptance of all, the emo community is not as focused on political activism as punks are. Being emo is about embracing your differences and not succumbing to conforming.

It is about being in your feels and getting in touch with your more introverted, romantic side. Finally, emo fashion is totally different to goth, punk or scene.

Now that we’ve explored the meaning and motivation behind emo fashion, let’s blast some Pierce the Veil and get ready to show the world our best emo selves.

Lets begin with an emo staple: ripped black skinny jeans.

Although skinny jeans have long been out of fashion, scavenge through your closet to find your old pair that we all had and if they are not ripped, you can always do it yourself! Then, grab your favorite emo band tee like Sleeping with Sirens, Pierce the Veil or Panic! At the Disco and you are ready to move on to accessorizing!

Stick with a monochrome theme that matches the print of your T-shirt for your accessories.

A pair of striped arm warmers always does the trick. Then, throw on a couple of colorful studded belts and bracelets, a pocket chain for your jeans and all black jewelry. If you’re going for that emo princess look, grab a tiara or a

bow to put in your hair.

The most iconic pair of emo shoes that one could come by are the black knee high Converse which have long been out of production. So if you have not saved a pair from the 2010s, some black high top Converse will suffice. To spruce them up, grab a Sharpie and decorate the toe and sole with some of your favorite emo band logos or get your friends to draw something!

You could really go either way with your makeup: all black everything or something colorful that matches your outfit. Whatever you do, focus on the waterline and under eye area and really smudge out that liner.

As for the lips, a pair of faux lip rings are the best option here.

Now the hair is where we can go all out. Emo hair takes volume and length to a whole new level, with the iconic emo side bangs being a classic. Go crazy with the colors! Or if you’re not ready for a commitment, use some clip-ins. Or even better, get a little strand of black and white stripes. No matter what length your hair is, you can find the perfect emo hairstyle for you.

After all, it doesn’t matter how old you are or what stage of life you are in; you should feel free to explore any style that you wish. It took me a lot of time to build my confidence to be able to dress the way that I want and to experiment with emo fashion, especially after discovering emo music. People’s judgment should never stop you from having fun with your look, and I know that 12 year old me would be mesmerized by –– and proud of –– my outfits today.

Just before spring break, I hit a milestone in my college career: I stepped foot into the gym for the first time. I hesitantly joined a couple of friends on a sunny Friday morning at CARW — Pomona College’s Center for Athletics, Recreation and Wellness.

Why is this such a grand milestone, you may ask? Well, if you’ve gotten to know me since I started at Pomona in the fall, I am far from athletic. If you’ve really gotten to know me, you probably know at least tidbits of the reason why — I had a major surgery at the age of four.

Growing up, I had always tried to draw attention away from the way I walk and my struggle to do certain forms of physical activity. So, even after starting college, going to the gym where people would see me exercise was my worst nightmare. I was afraid of the vulnerability I would feel from my physical weaknesses being on full display.

That Friday morning, though, my friends coaxed me to come with them to CARW, promising to teach me how to do exercises with the proper form and make modifications as needed. “We will be there to help you,” they encouraged me. And so with them I went, still nervous, but trusting that they would support me through the whole process.

My friends were lifting weights that day, and I had never lifted a weight in my life.

But like they promised, they helped me find weights that I could handle and showed me the proper form when lifting. They showed me how to use various pieces of equipment I had never once touched, and by the end of the hour, I felt like I had gotten a workout. I had survived at the gym — contrary to my fears, no one was staring at me; no one laughed. And, despite my physical weaknesses, I could do more than I thought I could. My friends were proud of me, too.

Afterwards, we headed to Pomona’s Coop to get challah from the 5C Challah Club, and though

Elizaveta (Lisa) Gorelik CM ‘25 is from Moscow, Russia. She adores raspberry filled donuts, going on evening walks and listening to rock music on full volume.

I had gotten challah many times before, it was especially satisfying that day. As I bit into the swirls of cream cheese — the everything bagel seasoning and cream cheese challah is superior — and fluffy bread, I was reminded of how first-year me often grabbed challah with friends as a study break and how the very thought of doing so after exercising in front of other people would undoubtedly make her shudder.

The fact that I was eating challah with friends, but this time with sore arms and sweatpants, showed me how much I’ve grown from my first year until now. I’ve conquered my fear of the gym and have the sweetest friends here who support me both emotionally and physically.

One reason why I love writing about food is because food is so closely intertwined with memory. I like to think that every time we eat something, a new memory forms and becomes part of your mental representation of that food (cognitive science concepts meet TSL!), almost like a mosaic. I see food as an avenue to see — and taste — the sweetness of just how much we’ve grown, and so in my mosaic-like mental representation of challah, I now see study fuel — memories from first year — and post-gym refuel — memories from spring semester sophomore year.

Food helps us recognize and celebrate our growth. I encourage you all, the next time you eat or drink something familiar, to reflect on how much you’ve changed since you’ve last had that food or beverage; or, if you regularly enjoy a certain delicacy, perhaps reflect on how much you’ve changed since a semester or year ago. What memories of the past and present stick out in its mosaic-like representation in your mind? How do they compare to one another? These questions I will leave you to hungrily ponder.

As for me, I’ve known since the start of my college career that latenight study challah is delicious. But now, post-gym challah may taste even better.

Emily Kim PO ’25 is from Irvine, California. Ever since spring break, she considers the electric bass ukulele to be the most charming little instrument to ever exist.

SASHA MATTHEWS • THE STUDENT LIFE

ABBIE ON AUX

The palpable chemistry behind Daisy Jones & The Six’s ‘Aurora’ ABBIE BOBECK

A bold guitar crescendo rips through the first 15 seconds of “Regret Me,” the first single the cast of “Daisy Jones & The Six” released in anticipation of their album “Aurora.” Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne passionately sing back and forth to each other about regretting their will-they-won’t-they relationship, communicated through their harmonies and hard-hitting lyrics like “you couldn’t handle your liquor and you can’t seem to handle the truth” and “meet me in the corner where you keep me.” The lyrical component of the song, along with its passionate vocals, provide a clear foundation for the album’s theme.

Daisy Jones & The Six is a fictitious 1970s rock ‘n’ roll band imagined by bestselling author Taylor Jenkins-Reid. The book and subsequent Amazon series dictates the rise and fall of the band throughout the ’70s. Specifically, the story documents the making of their best-selling album “Aurora” and the complicated relationship between lead singers Billy Dunne and Daisy Jones.

Lead actors Riley Keough and Sam Claflin were cast as Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne with no singing or musical experience –– a surprising learning curve for Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley. The entire cast participated in a threemonth long intensive band camp before filming and recording for the series to ensure a cohesive band identity and sound.

The show includes 25 original songs, 11 of which are featured on “Aurora.” The series recruited music supervisors and songwriting experts such as Blake Mills, Tony Berg, Frankie Pine and Marcus Mumford.

Despite these talented collaborators, I had doubts about the choice

to cast non-musicians in the show.

As someone who immersed myself in the fictional world of the band, I imagined they would sound a certain way and was worried they would not live up to the book’s depiction of musical legends of the era.

On my first listen to the entire album, I was flat-out disappointed.

The voice of the album didn’t feel authentic of the ’70s rock ‘n’ roll that was apparent in the novel. Jenkins-Reid alluded that the album was heavily inspired by Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours,” and “Aurora”

COURTESY: PESKY LIBRARIANS

Daisy Jones & The Six is a fictitious 1970s rock ‘n’ roll band imagined by bestselling author Taylor Jenkins-Reid.

felt nothing like it. I wasn’t convinced of the chemistry between Keough and Claflin, nor was I receiving the storytelling behind each song that I experienced by reading the story. Then, I watched the show.

The cast’s version of “Aurora” on its own is not groundbreaking, but along with the storytelling and visual components of the show, it gains more value. The record and the series should be digested together in order for listeners to fully connect to the music.

On first listen, Keough’s vulnerable solo “Two Against Three” didn’t initially convey Daisy’s struggles and pain as I hoped it would. However, after watching her character development and how it affected her live performances in the show, I started to hear where the emotion pulls through.

Similarly, “More Fun to Miss” gains more power through the show’s context. In a scene in the recording studio, Billy writes a song about Daisy and makes her belt it over and over until she finally finds the passion in her voice. On the final take, Keough manages a raw and vulnerable sound which provides so much emotion to the song, making it an instant hit and a personal favorite.

Most importantly, watching the show helped me grasp the undeniable chemistry between leads Keough and Clafin, on and off the fictional stage. The connection between the two is evident in their on-screen connection, especially in scenes where they are performing.

For two actors who couldn’t sing a lick of music on key before they were cast, the two brought surreal energy and performance to their roles.

Relistening to the album as I watched scenes of Billy and Daisy fighting over song lyrics or Daisy floating alone in a hotel pool really helps explain the undertones of the lyrics and how the album was created. Just like any body of work, understanding the meaning and devotion that went into making it just makes it much more impactful.

After being disappointed with “Aurora” on my first listen, I can confidently say now that I have it on repeat. With the support of the show, Daisy Jones & The Six has found a way into my heart. Their ability to bring together a group of non-musicians and form a specific persona for the band is special.

Though, that special ability isn’t exactly original. “Look At Us Now (Honeycomb)” samples the iconic guitar riff from Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain,” while songs like “The River” highlight Keough’s impressive sound with its powerful bridge which recalls Stevie Nicks’ powerhouse vocals. In my opinion, the most iconic reference to Fleetwood Mac is the back-and-forth vocals between Billy and Daisy as inspired

by Stevie Nicks’ powerful live performance of “Silver Springs” with ex and bandmate Lindsay Buckingham.

After reimagining my own idea of who and what Daisy Jones & The Six could be as a band, I am impressed by the cast of the series, who have transformed into rock stars and portrayed a complex and imaginary history. I believe that the band would have made serious waves in the ’70s world of rock n roll –– well, maybe if Fleetwood Mac hadn’t already existed.

Abbie Bobeck SC ’26 is from Washington, DC. She loves collecting Jellycats, stickering and sunny beach days.

March 24, 2023

Arts & Culture

PAGE 5

Gym outside the Claremont bubble offers students ‘inclusive fitness’ JADA SHAVERS

Between Claremont McKenna College’s Roberts Pavilion, Pomona College’s Center for Athletics, Recreation, and Wellness (CARW), Scripps College’s Tiernan Field House, the Pitzer College pool and Harvey Mudd College’s Linde Activities Center, choosing a workout space can be overwhelming.

“I sometimes feel intimidated to go to the gyms,” Addison Reddington CM ‘25 said. “Traditional gyms can be kind of uncomfortable, like Roberts or the new Pomona-Pitzer gym that just got built.”

Reddington is a CMS football player and part of an on-campus marketing organization, Claremont Marketing Group (CMG), which supports local and multinational businesses. One of their partners is a local business called Fit Rituals, which provides an environment for anyone looking to escape the college workout atmosphere. “[Fit Rituals] offers genuine, inclusive fitness that’s for all, and they’re dedicated to helping people achieve a healthy lifestyle in a way that’s very constructive and very safe,” Reddington said.

With a short one-mile walk off campus, Fit Rituals has provided 5C students with the opportunity to workout in an environment completely removed from the college atmosphere. This removal has allowed for the studio to form its own community of people that are striving for a similar workout experience of inclusion and safety.

Trinity Gabato CM ‘22 is an avid attendee of Fit Rituals and current graduate student at UCLA. “Being away from campus, outside of the Claremont bubble and also just being able to engage with people in the broader community

ANTI FILM-BRO

was something that I really enjoyed,” Gabato said.

This unique community was formed by Bern LeGrant ten years ago with the intention of creating a space that was affordable, comfortable and secure for anyone who wanted to attend an exercise class.

“The studio that I was going to had some issues with equipment, and there was not enough space … so I thought to myself, I can provide this, I can do this,”

LeGrant said. “That’s how the whole studio — Fit Rituals — happened.”

With these foundations, the gym has evolved to include numerous workout sessions, including yoga, spin, aerial, barre, resistance training and a new bungee workout. These are all led by professionals and are geared toward providing attendees with a safe and fun workout experience.

The teachers are really good

at showing you what to do, especially if it’s your first time,” Gabato said.

LeGrant and other instructors work together to provide attendees with the best experience for people of all levels. To ensure the best environment, the classes are small, with around 7-15 people in the gym at a time. “[Fit Rituals] is a no-judgment zone,” LeGrant said. “You can come in if you’re a beginner … or experienced. It’s for everybody.”

COURTESY: FITRITUALS STUDIO

Fit Rituals provides an environment for anyone looking to escape the college workout atmosphere.

Gabato explained that Fit Rituals provided her an opportunity to escape the fears she had at Roberts.

She was a frequent visitor of the studio and attended a variety of classes that the studio offered.

“I didn’t ever feel judged in classes … especially being low income, first-gen and a person of color, I felt really safe to be myself and not have pressure to look a certain way,” Gabato said. “Especially because there was such a mixed range of people going to classes: different body types, different goals [and] different ideas.

It always felt comfortable.”

Offering a special discount for 5C students, LeGrant hopes to remove any financial burdens having a positive workout experience can come with.

Fit Rituals also joined the 5Cs’ physical education roster as a class for credit that students can take.

The gym is hoping to become close to the 5C community and appeal to students as a welcoming option for fun workouts.

“It’s open for everybody, especially for college kids, [if] they need to release their anxiety or they need a break from studying,” LeGrant said.

She has had the opportunity to form solid relationships with many students on campus throughout the years. Expressing her sadness as students have graduated, LeGrant is hoping to invite more students into her studio. “[LeGrant] is awesome, and what she’s doing is amazing for people,” Reddington said, “this gym is local; it’s about people, connection, strength and community.”

To book an appointment with the gym and explore the session options, check out the Fit Rituals website.

Can Greta Gerwig save Barbie?

ELIZA POWERS Welcome to fourth wave feminism: gone are the days of inherently denouncing breast implants and blonde hair. Alix Earle, University of Miami party girl and TikTok’s newest star, has both; Tiktok has decided that there’s a place for her in feminism. Earle has been lauded as a modern day Barbie, a triumph over the misogynistic vitriol while also a disappointing setback to TikTokers of color making valid criticisms about the commercial, overnight success of white influencers. Tiktok has insisted Earle can be beautiful and kind, fashionable and relatable and sexual and witty. Now — after three waves of feminism and 64 years since Mattel first released its iconic doll — enter “Barbie”: written and directed by Greta Gerwig with a release date this July.

With an 84 second teaser trailer, Gerwig’s “Barbie” has already aligned itself with this kind of “reclamatory” fourth-wave feminism adopted by Alix Earle supporters.

Gerwig, who has solidified herself as a modern-day white feminist filmmaker with “Ladybird” (2017) and “Little Women” (2019), is smart to choose Margot Robbie — known from “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Bombshell” and her role as Harley Quinn as an all-American beauty with some subversive substance.

Let’s not forget: this won’t be our first Barbie movie. Since 2001, Mattel has been producing and releasing animated Barbie movies from ballets like “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker,” to musicals based on surprisingly-chosen novels by Mark Twain like “Princess and the Pauper.” Every variation of a fairy, princess, ballerina, popstar or mermaid plot has been made. In Barbie movies, there are pegasuses, evil stepmothers, dancing puppies, little fairy fluff balls named Bibble, magic rainbows and jewels, prince charmings and happy endings.

The Barbie movies are also surprisingly feminist. Sure, the leading ladies have waists smaller than their heads, but Barbie movies are all about triumphing over some sort of restricting evil: the gendered expectation of a princess with an arranged marriage, the cruel debts imposed on a pauper or an evil stepmother getting in the way of true love. Barbie movies love to challenge class and what it means to be a “proper” lady, and they always root for the underdog.

Yet feminism has had a long and complicated relationship with Barbie. From a Barbie doll sold with a book imploring “Don’t Eat!” Mattel has fumbled over the years: a Barbie with a tramp stamp, a pregnant teen Barbie, a Sports Illustrated Barbie and a Barbie released with a miniature plastic scale permanently locked at 110 pounds have all been called out as bizarre and regressive failures.

The 2018 documentary “Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie” sought to reconcile some of feminism and Mattel’s disagreements.

“Tiny Shoulders” thoughtfully

MAX RANNEY • THE STUDENT LIFE

tracks the company’s history and modern efforts to diversify and expand the brand: from waist sizes and skin color to the physical ability of each doll. Ultimately, the documentary is most successful when it humanizes Mattel’s female employees. After all, the inability to completely sever Barbie from feminism is due to the fact that Barbie is, at the end of the day, also a woman. Like “Tiny Shoulders” demonstrates, Mattel is hardly a male-only company.

To Vogue, Robbie spoke of how the movie will renegotiate Barbie: “People generally hear ‘Barbie’ and think, ‘I know what this movie is going to be,’ and then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and

they’re like, ‘Oh, well, maybe I don’t…’”

Gerwig has also acknowledged the massive undertaking of tackling such a fraught figure. “It felt like vertigo, starting to write it,” she said during a podcast.

“Usually that’s where the best stuff is, where you’re like, ‘I am terrified of that.’ Anything where you’re like, ‘This could be a career-ender’ — then you’re like, ‘I should probably do it.’”

Can Greta Gerwig, a privileged white woman, make Barbie feminist again? Sure, but only because the feminist opportunities of Barbie have never been that inaccessible to white third and fourth wave feminists to begin with. Both Robbie and Gerwig

have always had access to Barbie: she belongs to white women to idolize, play with as girls, challenge as adult feminists and then reclaim during a fourth wave.

It’s no coincidence that Barbie’s biggest critiques have been her unattainable body standards, then her hyper-sexual femininity, then her whiteness. After all, these traits descend in order of accessibility for white women.

Does this mean I think Gerwig’s “Barbie” is a doomed feminist effort? Not at all. She’ll need to reconcile some big questions about Barbie’s limited accessibility, but Gerwig is a filmmaker up for the task, specifically demonstrated by her dazzling work modernizing “Little Women” for

the contemporary feminist. But “Barbie” is still a movie building upon discourse predominantly populated by white feminists; Gerwig is simply adding to the discourse, not recreating it.

In the teaser trailer for Gerwig’s “Barbie,” a parodic voice-over of “2001: A Space Odyssey” confidently states: “Since the beginning of time, there have always been dolls.” And since the beginning of modern-day Western feminism, there has always been Barbie.

Gerwig is simply the next voice attempting to define her.

Eliza Powers PO ’25 is from New Orleans, Louisiana. She loves Gracie Abrams, “The Bachelor” and matching pajama sets.

PAGE 6

Arts & Culture

THE CLAREMONT INDECENT

36 questions to ask on a first date SLEEPLESS ON SIXTH STREET

Hey Claremont crushes, long time no see! After a sad, sexless hiatus, I am absolutely horned up to announce that The Claremont Indecent is back and better than ever. So untwist your knickers, and let’s get to it, because I only have more steamy stories to share with you all.

You may know of the infamous New York Times article, “The 36 Questions That Lead to Love,” but some of us aren’t quite ready to ask, “If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone?” And if we’re ever going to get to that point, we’re probably going to start with a whole lot of first dates.

Let’s be honest: first dates are terrifying. The only thing scarier than a first date is the awkward silence that is likely to ensue. And in this day and age, it’s often the first time you are meeting someone face-to-face.

So maybe it’s the Pomona College overachiever in me, but I’ve learned to come prepared. Without further ado, I bestow upon you a list I sometimes wish I had tattooed on my arm: 36 conversation-starting questions — each one individually tested and proven to start conversation — for fighting the first date fright.

1. How is your day going?

2. What’s been the best/worst part of it so far? a. Consider just asking for their rose, bud, thorn right off the bat.

3. Where do you call home?

4. Who is your best friend?

5. Who makes up your family? a. Instead of the overdone “and how’s your relationship with them” or “do you get along” or whatever, I find that you can glean a lot more information by asking: 6. If you and your family were put into the Hunger Games, in what order would you die, and why do you feel this way?

7. … then to lighten the mood a little: pancakes or waffles?

8. Would you rather have one serving of (insert their answer, pancakes/ waffles) OR a drink roulette curse for the next five years? a. Explain here that drink roulette entails never getting the beverage you order. But hey, sometimes you get a good deal and good golly wouldn’t life just be a tad more spontaneous and exciting?

9. If you were a cocktail, what cocktail would you be? a. While this question seems harmless and lighthearted, know that it is actually a TEST. Can this person distinguish between this and the question, “what is your favorite cocktail?” Many cannot.

Decide how important it is to you that your future potential partner can distinguish between these two things.

10. An alternative: What type of tree do you most identify with?

11. What’s your favorite type of tree? a. CAREFUL! If No. 10 and No. 11 yield the same answer,

you might be dealing with a narcissist. b. If this is too out there for you, consider some more clas sic what’s-your-favorite’s: 12. Color?

13. Movie?

14. Member of One Direction?

15. Food?

16. Book?

17. President? a. (a subtle way to suss out the political views) 18. Musical artist?

19. Animal?

20. Speaking of which, if you could domesticate ANY animal as your pet and lifelong companion, what animal would you choose? a. Some factors to consider: can you ride it, cuddliness, habitat necessities.

21. What are you passionate about?

22. Do you have any secret skills or abilities?

23. Do you have any hunches about who you were in a past life? a. Perhaps this relates to an unexpected skill or ability!

24. What’s your sign?

25. Moon?

26. Rising?

27. Are you religious?

28.Be honest: do you think that if someone tried to indoctrinate you into a cult, you would be able to resist them?

29. What’s your greatest strength and weakness? a. Because when it comes down to it, how different are first dates and job interviews, really?

30. When and how did your last relationship end? a. Intense, but important!

31. Do you read TSL? a. If so, don’t you agree that the sex column is undeniably wise, endlessly witty and downright delightful? i. Uh oh … are you using these questions too?

32. Quick pivot: How do you feel about Daylight Savings?

33. Have any weird dreams recently?

34. If you could create a restaurant anywhere in the world, where would it be, what cuisine would you serve and what would it look like?

35. If you were a button on the microwave, which button would you be? a. Note: Not everyone is pop corn. Feel free to dig deeper here.

36. And last but not least: Should we do this again sometime?

Though I hope I’ve left you with some inspiration, no listicle is going to be the reason a first date leads to lifelong romance or totally flops. Pull these questions out of your back pocket if the going gets rough, but way more importantly: Be yourself. They’d be silly not to want you.

Much love, Sleepless on Sixth Street

BELLA PETTENGILL • THE STUDENT LIFE

March 24, 2023

Post-colonial Latin-American Benton exhibit sparks shared learning experiences

WENDY ZHANG • THE STUDENT LIFE

The exhibit highlights this distinct time period in art through Indigenous visual culture of Central and South America.

JO KEYSER 5C students, staff and faculty and the broader Claremont community recently joined forces for an informal yet focused gallery talk on Pomona College’s Benton Art Museum Exhibit “Gilded, Carved, and Embossed: Latin American Art, 1500-1800” on Wednesday March 22. Through various paintings and sculptures, the showcase reveals the inventive skill and creativity of Indigenous artists produced during the European rule of Latin America, reflecting the dynamics of colonial power within this era.

“Gilded, Carved, and Embossed” highlights this distinct time period in art through Indigenous visual culture of Central and South America, in communication with traditional colonial art-forms such as oil paintings.

“These rich artworks reflect a lot of different histories,” Elizabeth Lootus PO ’25, a student curator for the exhibition, said.

Lootus expressed the importance for the exhibition curators to establish a narrative which characterizes people’s differentiated histories and experiences of this time. The aim of this exhibition is to tell the holistic story of Latin American artistic skill and creativity in this cultural context.

“I find it fascinating to see such a distinct art style that combines European religious symbols and Latin American styles,” Zoe Skigen PO ’26, a gallery talk attendee, said.

“The history is what makes it feel distinct and special.”

The student curators of the showcase worked in close collaboration with the Benton Art Museum Director Victoria Sancho Lobis to collect pieces for this event. In the research process, the curators focused on looking at artworks of a certain dimension to establish a cohesive narrative.

“We tried to focus on the agency of the artists and materiality,” said Lootus.

The exhibition opened its doors to the community on Feb. 22. Since then, Benton has hosted three gallery talks on the showcase, led by the students who helped curate this exhibition. For the particular series on March 22, Lootus guided attendees through the space.

The talk began with Claire Nettleton, academic curator at the Benton, giving a quick overview of the intention of the exhibition and setting the cultural context.

“It’s really rewarding for the public to acquire the knowledge that our student curators have been researching and gathering for this exhibition,” Nettleton said.

For Lootus, the talks function as the exhibition coming to fruition.

“It felt very abstract and far away when we started,” Lootus said, “I’m very proud of where we’ve come together.”

Next, Lootus shared her own favorite pieces within the space and invited the audience opportunities to share their own perspectives on the works. This core element of audience engagement sparks community dialogue.

“It’s also really interesting to gather insight from the audience,” Lootus said.

One piece that Lootus highlights in this gallery tour is “Our Lady of Loreto,” an oil painting completed by a Peruvian artist. The work depicts a royal Black Madonna of a darker complexion.

Community audience members agreed that it’s empowering to see the Black Madonna portrayed with darker skin in a post-colonial context.

“It’s important to learn about the ways Indigenous peoples resisted colonialism, even if they are subtle through art,” Skigen said. “It restores some sense of autonomous power to their culture.”

This portrayal of the Black Madonna in “Our Lady of Loreto” aligned with the local and placebased significance.

“We’ve often come back and incorporated some interpretations from students, faculty and staff to include into our own interpretations of the show,” Nettleton said.

As a result, this has provided a sense of an exchange of knowledge between community members through works of art containing pressing social issues.

One Claremont-based artist shared her understanding of a work within the exhibition. “[The artist] was sharing with students the use of complementary contrast of the colors and how that ultimately implies this sense of tension in the work,” Nettleton said.

Originally, it was something that the students and staff had not considered, yet now it is used in understanding the exhibit.

A crucial aspect of the exhibition for Lootus was to cultivate a culture of inclusivity within the space. For instance, Lootus mentioned that a significant characteristic of the gallery talks is to frame museums as more accessible in nature.

“Museums can be intimidating or daunting for some folks,” Lootus said. “These guided talks are a way of making this space feel casual and comfortable.”

Skigen conceived the dialogue within the talk as a conversation centered around shared interest and passion alike.

“The Benton staff encouraged everyone to voice their opinion which made the whole experience more interactive and welcoming,” Skigen said. “The Benton Museum is a truly wonderful place and I feel is underappreciated by the student population.”

The exhibition continues for community visitation through July 23.

The Benton Museum of Art is open Wednesday through Sunday from 12-6 p.m. Student-led gallery talks on the exhibition are hosted each Wednesday 12:15-12:45 p.m.

Opinions

March 24, 2023

PAGE 7

Rage against The Rave Box — the city of Claremont bullied a POC-owned small business CHELSEA SHI-CHAO LIU

When Janelle Huerta and Steve Morales relocated their popular rave store from Upland to Claremont in January 2023, they didn’t anticipate that their glittering dream would shine a dark light on deep prejudices in Claremont.

The couple envisioned a new start, hoping that the store would attract 7C students and enliven a historic downtown struggling with COVID-19 pandemic related closures.

But as local business owners and city council members united to shut down The Rave Box through legal harassment and dirty tactics alike, they have exposed an ugly streak of racism, classism and pearl-clutching sexual moralism in Claremont.

Huerta, 33, and Morales, 28, initially sold rave fashion out of their home. In February 2020, they opened a successful storefront in Upland. But in late 2022, a drunk driver hit a fire hydrant and flooded their store. The couple then signed the lease at 141 Harvard Ave in Claremont Village — only to have their license revoked and see their property remain empty for months.

Though the store’s business license was initially cleared, the city of Claremont retracted approval after local business owners appealed to the city with concerns that The Rave Box was an “adult business.”

These local businesses include Bert and Rocky’s, Claremont Village Eatery, Studio C Gallery, Bunny Gunner Gallery and Square I Gallery.

Huerta and Morales alleged several owners have also personally threatened the family saying that, should the store open, they would not be allowed to enter the Claremont Helen Renwick Library and would be refused service at restaurants in Claremont Village.

Appeal writers cite the city of Claremont’s municipal code, Section 5.48.040 P, which prohibits any person on the premises of an adult business from exposing the male or female genitals, pubic area or buttocks and/or female breast, specifically the nipple or areola. The appeal inquires, “Who will monitor this to ensure that the customers shopping at the store remain clothed, without exposing their breasts and buttocks

COURTESY: CHELSEA SHI-CHAO LIU

In Jan. 2023, Janelle Huerta and Steve Morales relocated their popular rave wear store from Upland to Claremont.

Then the town shut them down.

to the general public?”

Presuming that ravewear entails public indecency, the writers request that the store’s license be withheld until the city is able to “first determine if The Rave Box is an ‘adult business.’”

Further complaints charged the owners with planning to sell sex toys and provide a platform for sex acts in the back of the shop. The evidence for this claim? That The Rave Box sells revealing, neon-colored clothing and has installed LED lights in the store.

These allegations are patently unsound, as neither raves nor rave wear inherently involve any form of sexual activity. Huerta insists that The Rave Box does not sell any sex toys and never will.

Yet according to some local owners, all women who rave are sex workers and should not show their bodies or walk around town.

Pushing back against the sexualization of her customers, Huerta adds, “[W]omen who rave are not sexual items just because of

Jasper’s Crossword: Rock Climbing

the clothing they wear to festivals!

Stop judging women on how they dress!”

Huerta and Morales’ business was preemptively accused of attracting sex workers from the city of Pomona’s Holt Avenue. Holt Avenue is notorious for human trafficking and prostitution, according

Should The Rave Box open, the writers imply, Claremonters will call upon law enforcement to intimidate the store.

The potential impacts of this policing for people of color are chilling.

Chelsea Shi-Chao Liu

to the Pomona Police Department.

To many Claremont residents, it represents a plague that is spreading to South Claremont at the contamination site of the I-10 freeway and Indian Hill Boulevard. In a

petition from May 2022 that takes on the rhetoric of moral contagion, concerned citizens describe the nexus of prostitution, criminal activity and drug use as “an eyesore” and “a growing cancer that must be eradicated.”

The petition contends that in order to preserve public safety in Claremont, citizens must ward off unwanted activities from Pomona, as it is impure and — not so coincidentally — more racially diverse.

Not only is rave wear a lit target for sexual moralists, but Huerta and Morales are also outsiders to Claremont. As Mexican-Americans in a predominately white town, they believe that they are victims of racial profiling. The threat of the old segregationist tactic to deny them service at local businesses is potent proof.

“We are being told that we don’t belong in their city,” Huerta said in a video posted to The Rave Box’s Instagram.

Complaints have also criticized their wares as being too low-cost

and “flashy” to conform with Claremont’s high-end shops. The Rave Box was not found to “fit in with the Claremont standard.”

There are unmistakable racial implications at play — especially considering that rave aesthetics originated from Black and LGBTQ+ club culture in the ’80s and have been historically subjected to moral panic and heavy policing. Accordingly, it’s no surprise that the appeal against the store holds an implicit threat of retaliation by law enforcement.

“Without clear instructions to the owner, our city staff, police department and code enforcement will spend an inordinate amount of time responding to complaints,” the appeal states. “What is the city’s plan for enforcement of our municipal codes when residents and neighboring businesses call to complain?”

Should The Rave Box open, the writers imply, Claremonters will call upon law enforcement to intimidate the store. The potential impacts of this policing for people of color are chilling.

After months of income loss while raising three children and a private appeal hearing, Huerta and Morales finally had their license reapproved on March 13. Still, the city maintains that rave wear is worn by sex workers.

While the battle for The Rave Box is won, it remains for Claremont to reckon with its culture of bullying and harassment. If the city is truly the inclusive community it claims to be, it needs to pay more than lip service to the anti-racist aspirations in its mission statement — or indict itself as a racist, classist and sexist community.

As of March 23, The Rave Box is now open — and deserves love and support from the 7Cs. Huerta and Morales hope to build a strong relationship with college customers, who can enjoy 20 percent off instore purchases with their student ID. Supporters can also follow the shop @theravebox on TikTok and @ the_ravebox on Instagram.

Long may The Rave Box rave on!

Chelsea Shi-Chao Liu CGU ’23 is a master’s student in History & Archival Studies. Her research interests are Asian American studies, gender and sexuality and visual culture.

How America erased my Persian identity

CROSSWORD

JASPER DAVIDOFF • THE STUDENT LIFE

ACROSS 1. Ride the Metrolink toward San Bernardino, say 7. Baby powder ingredient 11. Parts of a six-pack 14. Account with legit pics 15. Hum, like a fan 16. One might be hard to crack 17. Behind the times 18. “Ruh roh!”

19. Buckeyes sch.

20. Avoid, as a question 22. “This little piggy” appendages 24. Kind of cow or cucumber 25. Un dia tiene 24 27. One might oppose new housing 30. “¿Dónde ___?”

32. Gasket with a letter shape 34. Not looking good, situationally 35. You could blow it off 37. They’re around craters 39. Honest’ prez 40. One ‘A’ in 42-down (abbr.)

43. Chapbook creator 45. UK clock setting 48. “Woo!” 50. Where some phone cameras are 54. Recent Oscar-winner Michelle 56. Have a soak 59. Rocked, as an outfit 60. “___ No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)”

62. Jazz pianist Jamal 64. “___ man / You must be swift as a coursing river...” (Mulan lyrics) 65. Rock singer Amos 67. “You love to see it!”

69. “Bitch, I’m a cow / I go ___” (so raps Doja Cat) 71. Band with a power-ful name?

73. Part of you from the beginning 74. “___ the Walrus” (Beatles tune) 75. Waithe on “The Chi” and “Them” 76. Captivate 77. Org. that wants to see the receipts 78. Close permanently 79. Yelp contributors DOWN 1. Makes, as a film 2. Like sardines, perhaps, among fish 3. Period’s conclusion 4. Tennis legend Arthur 5. Hoard of Halloween candy, say 6. Mark

7. It’s under three of a kind 8. Response to a dentist 9. Some might hide under your bed 10. Sing like Frank Sinatra 11. Possible COVID symptom :( 12. The Silver Streak, for one 13. Name missing from “The Dent Life” 21. Blunder 23. Festival coming up on April 21 26. Take off a lock?

28. “I’m going afk” 29. “___-haw!”

31. Org. that might give you a 44-down 33. Lab-modified acronym 36. It comes before B.C.?

38. Abbr. before Bernie Sanders 41. Bro or sis 42. March Madness org.

44. See 31-down 45. Location for many a 42down game 46. ___ culpa 47. They go over bass drums 49. Above board 51. Culpable 52. Vince Gilligan, vis a vis “Breaking Bad” 53. Section titles 55. “Succession” network 57. “Uhhh....”

58. More achievable 61. Kinds of exams 63. Prima ___ (opera role) 66. Chilly drink option 68. Pest in a swarm 69. Contestant on “Wii Sports Resort,” say 70. It moves the boat 72. Strand in your cells LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

TANIA AZHANG • THE STUDENT LIFE

TANIA AZHANG This past Monday was Nowruz, the Persian New Year in the Solar Hijri calendar. Up to 300 million people of various ethnicities and nationalities celebrate it worldwide, but the celebration isn’t on most people’s radar. As an Iranian-American, I’ve had a complicated relationship with the holiday. I didn’t understand why I celebrated the new year twice. It mostly felt irrelevant to me when those around me didn’t even know it existed.

Nowruz feels especially momentous for many Iranians this year, in light of the Mahsa Amini protests that rocked the country last September.

Farsi for “new day,” Nowruz is celebrated annually on March 21. Iranians often commemorate the new year by decorating their tables with the Haft-Seen. The Haft-seen consists of seven items starting with the letter s, including sirkeh (vinegar), sikkeh (coin), seer (garlic), seeb (apples), sabzeh (wheat), samanu (wheat pudding) and sumac (spice). The table also boasts painted eggs for fertility, a mirror symbolizing reflection on the past year, flowers like tulips for good health and a goldfish for new life.

Another new year celebration is Chahar Shambeh Suri, a festival on the last Wednesday of the year. The festival consists of adding wood to create bonfires, and taking turns jumping over the roaring flames during sunset.

Chahar Shambeh Suri represents purification and vitality. The celebration is thousands of years old and a symbol of Persian na-

tional identity, preserved through the Arab Invasion that threatened to wipe away Persian culture.

I remember going from bazaar to bazaar in Tehran with my grandmother, her nails digging into my wrist so she wouldn’t lose me in the sea of people shopping for the new year. I was always most excited to buy the goldfish.

After I immigrated to the United States, we didn’t set up a HaftSeen for several years, no longer seeing the point as we struggled to assimilate with American culture.

The protests also sparked a revivification of Persian diasporic identity for Iranians abroad. I witnessed this change in my own household, as my father — who stopped speaking Farsi to me after our move on the grounds that it was a “useless” language — began to tell me stories about his childhood and early adulthood in Iran.

He spoke to me about the culture of poetry and literature and the rebellious spark evident in the people against the tyrannical regime. However, the stories that stood out most poignantly to me were about the days he spent in Cafe Shooka, a famous cafe in Tehran where artists, poets and everyday people would congregate. It’s where my parents met, and the idea that my story began in a cafe where Iranian culture flourished against the tyranny of the state moved me beyond words.

The community that formed around Cafe Shooka wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the owner, playwright and poet Yarali Pour Moghadam. He was a father to many of the young boys occupying the cafe, including my own father. Moghadam passed

earlier this March. The cafe is to be sold, and the shopping plaza it resided in to be converted to apartment homes by the government. I’ll never be able to visit.

Although the protests have revived Iranian identity for many of us living abroad, it has also brought to light how little we are recognized by the government and our local communities. The U.S. census has still failed to create a Middle Eastern category, meaning that many Persians are forced to indicate “white” despite our lived experiences not aligning with that of white people.

At the Claremont Colleges, I struggled to find even a modicum of a Persian community, which proved especially difficult as I witnessed the brutality with which the regime was dealing with the protests.

Nowruz this year for me feels heavy with grief for what my countrymen are suffering and with mourning for a life that feels increasingly distant. As the years wane on my immigration from Iran to the United States, any interaction I have with my Iranian past feels more and more fragmented and illusory. Photos of my parents in Iran, childhood home videos and Yarali Pour Moghaddam’s death, all remind me that my past is actively being erased. The fissure in my life will never mend.

What gives me hope is the videos of my people jumping over the fire, as they have done for thousands of years, through invasion and tyranny. Our hearts catch fire, and we fan the flames.

Tania Azhang PZ ’25 is an A&C editor at TSL. An American Studies major at Pitzer, her interests are American history, media, literature and politics.

Sports

March 24, 2023

PP women’s lacrosse team finds silver lining in an early season loss

Ryan Long PO ’21 spreads his wings at the World Baseball Classic

PAGE 8

HAROLD FUSON In 2021, the Baltimore Orioles selected Ryan Long PO ’21 in the 17th round of the MLB Draft.

Almost two years later, he suited up to represent Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic.

While Team Great Britain failed to move on past the group round, Long showcased his talent on the world stage, allowing only one run across four innings pitched in relief while also recording two strikeouts. Before the Classic began, Long sat down with TSL to discuss playing for Great Britain and his professional career with the Orioles organization. To read the full interview, visit tsl.news.

This conversation has been lightly condensed and edited for clarity.

TSL: How did you come to the decision to represent Team Great Britain, and what was the process like becoming a member of this team?

COURTESY: CMS ATHLETICS Caroline Worthington PO ‘23, who had two goals against Wesleyan, attempts a shot during the Sagehens’ 14-6 loss to the Cardinals.

SENA SELBY Following an undefeated 2022 regular season that led to a Sweet 16 loss against Tufts, the PomonaPitzer (P-P) women’s lacrosse team is looking to come back and win it all this season; however, as the highest ranked team west of the Mississippi, the Sagehens will need to go through the East Coast to get there.

P-P lacrosse got a taste of the east’s elite on Monday, suffering defeat for the first time this season. They fell 16-4 against the No. 7 ranked Wesleyan Cardinals on March 13 at the South Athletics Complex.

Five days before their loss, P-P destroyed their Sixth Street rivals, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas, 17-2. Sydney Landauer PZ ’25, who led the Sagehens to the win with four goals, said that while the victory did boost their confidence, the Sagehens went into their game against Wesleyan with a completely different mindset.

“It’s a whole new game when we play a NESCAC team, especially ones [like Wesleyan] that are really good,” Laundauer said. “I think last year, we went into Tufts without a hard game like this one. This game was really helpful because we now know their style of play and have experience playing at a quicker pace than we normally would in the SCIAC.” Wesleyan’s faster playing style was displayed immediately with the Cardinals scoring the first goal in just three minutes. Laundauer was quick to respond with a tying goal halfway through the quarter, but the Cardinals held possession of the ball for the remainder of the period, scoring another goal with four minutes left to make the score 2-1.

In the second quarter, the Cardinals sped up the game even more with four consecutive goals to take full control.

Captain Caroline Worthington PO ’23 attempted to slow down

Wesleyan’s momentum, scoring with four minutes left in the period, but the Cardinals surged on with three more goals to end the half with a seven point difference.

Hannah Gough PO ’25 said that going into the second half, the team’s main focus was to chip away at the score.

“Seven goals, if you break it down, is one goal per minute for only half a quarter,” Gough said.

“We’ve scored more than seven goals in a quarter before, so we knew it was doable. But we knew we would have to come out and give it 110 percent because this team wasn’t going to let us get away with anything.”

Worthington was quick to act on the team’s new aggressive mindset by scoring in the first minute of the half. Landauer and Grace Warner PZ ’23 followed suit with a goal each to bring the score to 9-5. Worthington recalled the team was amped after the shift in momentum. “[Wesleyan] is ranked higher than us, so I think our mentality in the first half was that we are the underdogs,” Worthington said. “But in the second half, we went in knowing that we are going to give it our best shot and that we are really gonna show up. I think in that moment of [scoring those first few goals], I felt so much love and excitement for my teammates — it was truly indescribable and just the best feeling.”

After several saves from both goalies, the Cardinals were able to catch the back of the net twice to end the period leading 11-5.

The final quarter began with strong defense from Wesleyan, keeping the Sagehens from recreating their quick start to the half. After two more goals by Wesleyan, Eloise Cherian PO ’23 was able to add one more goal with six minutes left in the game to bring the score to 13-6. A final goal by the Cardinals at the four minute mark solidified a 14-6 win for the East Coast team.

Despite the loss, the Sagehens remain confident in their ability to take on the top teams in the country. Gough said that the team should be proud of their efforts and energy in this game and will look to build on the positives for the rest of the season.

“We have a lot to learn from this game, but there isn’t, by no means, anyone who should be walking off this field with their head down,” Gough said. “We know exactly what we need to work on — this was a beautiful game team for us, and I’m just super hyped coming out of it.”

Landauer credits the early successes of this season to the competitive nature of their team and practices.

“We always say that we are each other’s greatest competition,” Landauer said.

“We bring what we like to call ‘HEN-ergy’ onto the field, and I think we brought it today and we are going to keep bringing it for the rest of the season.”

Worthington is looking forward to getting closer to her teammates and building on this loss.

“Every game I learn more about what people like to do with the ball and how I can support them in doing that,” Worthington said. “I’m just excited to see how our team is going to grow. We’ve got a lot of really great underclassmen, so I’m really excited to see them gain their confidence and take those drives and plays that they wouldn’t normally take or that they might not be super comfortable with yet.”

Following their loss to the Cardinals, P-P bounced back with dominant wins against Oneonta and Lake Forest to bring their overall record to 8-1. The Sagehens will head to Redlands on Wednesday, March 22 at 7 p.m. to take on the Bulldogs for the second time this season after beating them in February.

Ryan Long: My mom’s side of the family is from England.

My mom’s parents moved over [to the United States] when my mom was young; that’s my UK lineage there. In terms of the team, I ended up talking to my college coach, Frank Pericolosi, and he’s really well connected in a niche area of European baseball.

He actually did know someone very close with the team, Brad Marcelino, the hitting coach for the Great Britain national team.

They told me that I was included in the early roster, [and] it was a no brainer for me to accept. I knew it would be an amazing experience to represent the UK, my mom’s side of the family, [and] my grandmother, who’s still around and a really big influence in my life.

TSL: Earlier this year, we spoke with Jake Lialios PO ’20 along with some current members of the Sagehen baseball squad about the importance of the collegiate summer leagues in player development. Could you speak on your experience with the summer leagues and what kind of role they played in getting you where you are right now?

RL: They’re such an important part of my development as a baseball player. We play in one of the best [Division III] leagues in the country out in the SCIAC, but you don’t get the same competition level that you do in summer league. [Coach Pericolosi] has a lot of good connections across the country for summer leagues, and he helped get me a temporary contract with the Cape Cod league team. That

was really the reason that I was able to get drafted by the Orioles, just getting out there and being able to show myself on a bigger stage.

TSL: The World Baseball Classic gives Minor League players the opportunity to both face off against the premier talent of the Major Leagues, as well as play alongside them. What has been your mindset going into a matchup with a team like the USA that features so many elite MLB players?

RL: It’s very surreal thinking about it. I’ve been trying to make sure that I have [two separate mindsets]: one in the game and one in the experience of the whole. In the experience as a whole, this is an amazing opportunity just to be out here. I’ve been trying to take it all as best as I can. This is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had as a baseball player. When it comes to the game, obviously, I’m going to be facing high level hitters. But it’s the same game. As a pitcher, you generally can dictate the pace of the game, you’re the one throwing the ball. I think it’s important just to remember that. I believe that if I can go out there on the mound and make my pitches, I think I’ll do just fine.

TSL: Looking at both Great Britain’s roster, as well as the Delmarva Shorebirds, there are players hailing from all around the world. What has it been like playing with such a diverse group of guys?

RL: An amazing aspect of baseball that I think sometimes gets overlooked is that it’s really a global game. Being in affiliated baseball with the Orioles and being here in the World Baseball Classic, it just proves to you that this is not just an American game. Back with the Shorebirds, half [of] my teammates speak a different native language than I do. But at the same time, we can relate in our experiences in this game. That’s something that I’ve not hadn’t gotten in my past experiences in baseball, playing in high school and college or even summer ball.

Getting to see these people from different walks of life, different parts of the world, different cultures, all coming together and playing the same game [is] definitely very special to me.

What advice would you have for any current Pomona-Pitzer athletes looking to continue their careers at the next level?

Continue to be the best player you can be. As cliché as that is, as long as you keep advancing your skill set and making yourself a stronger athletes and a stronger competitor, and along with that, trying to get yourself in front of the people that you need to get in front of to advance to that next level, that’s the best thing you can do.

COURTESY: RYAN LONG

Ryan Long PO ‘21 competes for team Great Britain at the 2023 World Baseball Classic

SWIM: P-P and CMS come together at historic swim and dive DIII Nationals Continued from page 1 I was gonna even make NCAAs,” Lewis said. “This year … I had a really tough prelim swim, and I barely made it into [the] final.

So I had no thought in my mind that I was possibly going to win that race … That’s why I was just so surprised when I looked up at the clock … I genuinely could not believe it.”

Lewis specifically named Applebaum as helping give her the confidence needed to win the title. In his race, Applebaum set a new DIII record, beating his own time from last season by five-hundredths of a second. Applebaum credited his success to the support from his teammates and CMS team culture.

“It’s always nice to break your own record,” Applebaum said.

“That was obviously the event that was most on my mind during the season … The competition [and] all my training partners during the season were absolutely crucial for that.”

Despite finishing as runner-ups to CMS at the conference finals, P-P concluded Nationals as the SCIAC’s top scorers with the men’s team in 16th place and the women’s in ninth. CMS finished 20th and 13th for men’s and women’s respectively.

2021 and 2022 SCIAC athlete

of the year Alex Turvey PO ’24 led the way for the Sagehens, following up a dominant performance at SCIACs with a second place finish in the 100-meter fly race and a number of impressive relay runs.

Turvey also took home the NCAA’s Elite 90 award, honoring her as reaching the top of both athletic and academic success among DIII athletes. Turvey is P-P’s first ever recipient of the award. A biology major with a 4.0 GPA, she explained her success in the pool and in school is much a result of her fellow Sagehens.

“The teammates around me have shown me how to balance everything,” Turvey said. “I know I can always ask my teammates about school things … To be able to look up to so many people who can share advice on course registration or aspects of certain classes has made it less challenging to be able to balance the two.”

Turvey was additionally named to the All-Academic First Team. Lewis and Applebaum earned second and third team honors respectively as well.

Much of both teams’ success at Nationals was previewed at this year’s SCIAC championship. To the Sagehens’ dismay, both the Stags and Athenas re-

turned inland as SCIAC Champions.

Claremont has taken home every single women’s title since 2003 with the Athenas winning 16 during that span; however, after the Sagehens claimed the conference 2022, this season’s victory was a reclamation for CMS. For two-time athlete of the year Augusta Lewis CM ’23, who took first in the 200 and 400-yard individual medley (IM) races, the meet was incredibly emotional.

“We do like toasts before the SCIAC meet,” Lewis said.

“Everyone’s always like bawling their eyes out and crying and this year was definitely no different … My favorite part about the team is just that I get to spend time with all of my best friends … It was a great way to cap off my swimming career and just celebrate with all my teammates.”

The Stags, meanwhile, continued their decade and a half of dominance in the SCIAC, winning their 13th championship since 2008. Frank Applebaum CM ’24, who won three individual titles and championed the Stags to victory in the 400-medley relay, emphasized CMS’s team culture.

“There was [a] culture of everybody wanting to work hard

and get faster together when I got here,” Applebaum said. “I’m positive that that is one of the biggest factors that leads to our success at the end of the season.”

CMS head coach Charles Griffiths said that winning the conference was a highlight of the season but did not translate exactly into Nationals, which he said is a very different type of meet.

“Winning both the women’s and men’s SCIAC titles was thrilling for our teams … SCIACs is a full team effort with everyone in our program playing an active role in the moment,” Griffiths said. “Nationals is a different environment with a smaller group representing their teammates in a larger pool of athletes from around the country.”

Despite such a fierce competition at SCIACs, according to Applebaum, the dynamics of the two teams radically changed at Nationals, creating a new sense of community and support among the athletes from Claremont.

“The moment we get to Nationals … we’re not competing in the same sense that we had been the whole year,” Applebaum said. “All of a sudden we’re just these small schools from California, up against all these oth-

er schools from the Midwest and the Northeast … [When] we get to [Nationals] it’s almost as if we’re on the same team.”

Turvey echoed that sentiment, and said that it felt like CMS and P-P were a unified force at Nationals.

“We always talk a lot about the rivalry of CMS and everything, but I think it’s always really special to go to Nationals and have this larger SCIAC identity,” Turvey said. “[It] feels like we’re all rooting for each other … I think it’s sad we don’t get to come together as one team at Nationals.”

No other swimmer was as emphatic in highlighting the accomplishments across both sides of Sixth Street than Lewis. As CMS and P-P athletes have returned to Claremont carrying with them a number of All-American honors, Lewis believes all of them should be acknowledged for their accomplishments.

“Every single time I finish a race I go to a warm down pool and there’s people from P-P and other teams saying, ‘good job’ and congratulating [you, and] I try [to] do that too,” Lewis said. “On the last day [we] do a cheer together with all the SCIAC teams, which is really cute. I was really impressed with everything that they did …

So I [want] all of the teams to be [recognized for] their success.”