Vol. CXXXIII No. 7

VOL. CXXXIII NO. 7

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2021

CLAREMONT, CA

CMC responds to attempted ransomware attack LUCIA STEIN Claremont McKenna College was hit with the first stage of a ransomware attack on Oct. 30. According to CMC spokesperson Gilien Silsby, the college became aware of the intrusion early Saturday afternoon. The attack progressed to the first stage of the cyberattack life cycle, out of seven potential stages, before students were warned. The attack consisted of “a known ransomware command and control server … scanning CMC’s network,” Silsby said in an email to TSL. “Saturday’s event did not go past the first stage of reconnaissance because CMC’s firewall blocked the scan,” she said. In response to the suspicious scan, the CMC IT team embarked on discovery processes as well as defensive activities as a precautionary measure. “The discovery process involved review of SOC [security operations center] data and analysis of targeted systems,” Silsby said, adding that this defense included temporarily disconnecting those targeted systems from the CMC network. After about two hours, the IT team found that all efforts at connection by the ransomware had

been blocked. “At no time was CMC’s network, systems or student computers in danger of being infected with ransomware,” Silsby said. C MC st ude nt s r e c eived emails around 2:00 p.m. Saturday alerting them to the attack, which at that time was still underway. “Please be very careful about the links, websites, emails, etc. that you click and visit,” an email to students sent by the resident tech assistants of Crown Hall advised. Another email sent later in the hour provided a little more detail. The RTAs advised students to store any critical data they did not want to lose from their computers onto Box, the storage platform used by the 5Cs, and instructed students to unplug any Ethernet cables. The email additionally reminded students to be wary of links received through social media. By 3:55 p.m., Crown Hall residents received a third email which alerted them that the attack was over. “There is no risk to your machines and you can now reconnect to the network,” students were told.

JUSTIN SLEPPY • THE STUDENT LIFE

Diwali brings light to the 7Cs The Claremont Colleges Hindu Society rang in Diwali Thursday night with an outdoor celebration on Tenth Street, featuring dancing, rangoli and a performance by Claremont Tamasha.

Broken Silence and Nobody Fails at CMC expand on efforts

SCAMFest postponed to spring Finances, health rules complicate an already challenging semester for 5C a cappella groups MARIANA DURAN While students grew accustomed to coronavirus-related cancellations after a year of remote learning, few were expecting this fall’s Southern California A Cappella Music Festival to become one of the pandemic’s victims. But event cancellations, testing requirements and other public health guidelines in flux have posed significant issues for 5C a cappella groups in recent weeks. Each fall semester, the Claremont Shades host SCAMFest, where a cappella groups from the 5Cs and other universities from around Southern California participate in a concert at Pomona College’s Bridges Auditorium. The Shades had planned to bring the event back for the first

time since the onset of the pandemic, with SCAMFest originally set to happen on Nov. 6. Three off-campus groups had confirmed their attendance and the seven 5C a cappella groups were hard at work developing their set lists during practice. But on Oct. 24, two weeks before the event was set to take place, the Shades informed participating groups that SCAMFest would be pushed to the spring. The decision, according to Jay Scott PO ’22, the Claremont Shades’ president, was not taken lightly. “I care a lot about organizing SCAMFest and us doing SCAMFest,” Scott said. “It’s definitely really important to members of the group.” On Oct. 21, Scott met with

Smith Campus Center assistant director John Lopes and with Bridges manager Sharon Ku h n , who r e c om me nde d postponing SCAMFest to the spring semester. According to Scott, Lopes and Kuhn told them that the Shades would have more support from the administration in the spring when pandemic condit ions might be better. “They just very strongly encouraged us to do it in the spring, and doing an event without their support would have been fairly diffic ult,” Scott said. Lopes told TSL that he “had very little to do with the decision” and that it was “entirely

CLARE MARTIN • THE STUDENT LIFE

See SCAMFEST on page 3 ELINA LINGAPPA & ABBY PORTER

ANNA CHOI • THE STUDENT LIFE

Rinny Williamson SC ‘23 practices a solo at a Ninth Street Hooligans rehearsal Thursday night. The Hooligans will perform with other 5C a cappella groups at Saturday’s FallCappella event.

This piece is the third in a series on mutual aid groups at the 5Cs. What does it mean to pledge that nobody fails at Claremont McKenna College? For Brooklyn Montgomery CM ’22, t hat quest ion first came up when Nobody Fails at CMC began petitioning for pass/fail grading at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. It wasn’t just about grades, the group discovered. “T h roug hout t he whole campaign, we got 60 to 100 student testimonies of how terrible their situations were, essentially. A lot of them were struggling financially because a family member had lost their job,” Montgomery said. T he goa l of s upp or t i ng students beyond academics continued throughout the pandemic and after the transition to campus, focused on filling t he gap bet ween st udents’ needs and the lack of resources

provided by their institutions. Montgomery attributes much of NFACMC’s success to the way it makes aid accessible. “Something we’ve really tried to embody is not having too many requirements. When students apply, we have a form that they fill out with generally what they need it for,” she said. “But we kind of have an honor code where if you need that money, you need it.” The group set up a form where students could request aid and ended up fulfilling all 30 student requests they received, raising more than $45,000 through GoFundMe and Venmo during the spring 2021 semester. Montgomery said that NFACMC also reached out to alumni and created an ongoing social media campaign to solicit donations. “It’s really about just targeting any population that’s relevant and asking them to help in any way they can,” she said. But as last semester progressed, subsequent events called for further student organizing.

See AID on page 2

SAMSON ZHANG • THE STUDENT LIFE

ARTS & CULTURE How far would you go in the name of love? The student-produced play “Alice Won’t Die” explored this question, following the story of two assassins with an intricate, passion-filled past. Read more on page 4.

The student newspaper of the Claremont Colleges since 1889

OPINIONS

SPORTS

Fighting climate change requires reckoning with how our colleges are invested in fossil fuel projects that threaten Indigenous land rights, argues guest columnist Ethan Vitaz PZ ‘22. Read more on page 8.

After only being limited to practices at home over the summer, the Claremont Ultimate Frisbee teams are looking forward to participating in tournaments following the loosening of restrictions. Read more on page 10.

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

News

PAGE 2

AID: Broken Silence expands support efforts beyond the campus Continued from page 1 In response to the death of George Floyd and the following protests, Kamara Anyanwu CM ’22 a nd Aishat Jimoh CM ’23 worked on a joint fellowship project to create an art expression website for Black students at the 5Cs. They called the fellowship Broken Silence 5Cs, which blossomed into its own mutual aid group. Students would directly message the organization over Instagram with their personal stories and needs for financial support, and Broken Silence would direct a social media campaign to mobilize around the student’s personal experience. According to Anyanwu, Broken Silence 5Cs filled a unique gap between elected student bodies and mutual aid organizations. “As student requests for aid are often relayed to Broken Silence 5Cs by the student body, the organization steps up to fill the mutual aid amount by fundraising on social media,” she said. Anyanwu added that the different organizations have group chats where they communicate on different projects, and they often share money and resources amongst themselves. “A lot of the resources we got [in summer 2020] as far as [education on] outreach or how to create teams, or how to diversify labor so people don’t get burnt out, actually came from Occupy Pomona and Nobody Fails at Scripps,” she said. Anyanwu and Jimoh, like Occupy Pomona, also expanded their outreach beyond the scope of just the 5Cs, focusing on the houseless community in Los Angeles County. The two began creating what t hey ca l led “necessit y bags,” which contained food, hygiene products, toiletries and more, that they delivered to those in need. The two lived in off-campus CMC housing for the entire remote academic year, allowing them to conduct much of the work

with necessity bags in person. They put out a volunteer form and, together with other 5C students, handed out the necessity bags. The fall 2021 semester revealed a different landscape of student mutual aid needs. As students arrived back on campus, not every mutual aid organization sustained membership levels and some failed to carry through to the new semester. Some groups, like Broken Silence 5Cs, have also diversified their goals. Broken Silence 5Cs continues to host mutual aid fundraisers, but it ’s also beg un extending its work internationally. The team is beginning to partner with local vendors in Ghana, an initiative driven by Jimoh’s semester abroad. Anyanwu also expressed interest in possibly formalizing the organization through a charter at the Draper Center to ensure leadership and longevity, as both herself and Jimoh are closing in on graduation. To Anyanwu, the existence of mutual aid speaks to a larger problem in institutions of higher education. “The fact that students must support each other is proof of the failure of these institutions,” she said. “When students decide to attend these institutions, the institution is agreeing to take care of the student, not only by providing them with an education but a conducive, safe and nurturing place in which they can flourish academically and experience growth that will impact their lives after this point,” Anayanwu said. “As our institutions are failing we have a responsibility to take care of, love and support one another. And using our voices to support mutual aid fundraisers is one way that we can do that.”

NOvEMbER 5, 2021

Pomona announces domestic ‘abroad’ programs for next year

MEGHAN JOYCE • THE STUDENT LIFE

Pomona’s study abroad office said students will be able to spend semesters elsewhere in the United States, beginning next fall.

SIENA SWIFT Pomona Col lege’s st udy abroad office announced that it will offer domestic programs beginning fall 2022, according to an Oct. 22 email to students from Lindsey Sasaki Kogasaka, the assistant director of international programs. Pomona previously only had approved international programs, although some students did utilize Claremont McKenna College’s domestic programs in both Washington, D.C. and Silicon Valley. The office was renamed the International and Domestic Programs Office and hired a new domestic program advisor, Maria Rivera, according to the email. Remote global partnership courses will again be offered in the spring semester, Sasaki Kogasaka added. She cited that 17 out of 18 students enrolled in such courses last spring said they would recommend their course to their peers, while 72 percent said their course helped them develop their ability to understand global perspective. “Even as programs abroad re-

sume, we understand that some of you are still reluctant or unable to travel. We hope these courses give you an opportunity to engage with people, ideas, and perspectives around the world without leaving Claremont this spring,” she said. The application deadline for spring 2022 global partnership courses is Nov. 19. With most fall 2022 study abroad deadlines in February, the office has officially begun advising and information sessions and has opened the application, which now includes four approved domestic programs plus the two CMC programs. The domestic exchanges are partnerships with Spelman College, Swarthmore College or Colby College. There is also a “Semester in Environmental Science” at the Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, which can take up to five Pomona students in a semester. Moving forward with study abroad is ultimately contingent on decisions made by the Travel Risk Advisory Committee and the International and Domestic Programs Committee, Sasaki Ko-

gasaka said. The FAQ on Pomona’s website says that the final determination for the fall will come in summer 2022. Pomona does not sponsor travel to countries with a U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at Level 4 (Do Not Travel) and is “unlikely” to approve travel to countries at Level 3 (Reconsider Travel). However, the Travel Risk Advisory Committee will “assess and consider” these Level 3 countries on a case-by-case basis, according to the FAQ. Any students approved to participate in a program in a country with a Level 3 advisory will be required, along with their parent or guardian, to sign a waiver accepting the risk involved. The FAQ said that Pomona will also not support study abroad in any countries with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Warning Level 3 (Avoid Nonessential Travel) and/or COVID-19 Travel Health Notice Level 4 (Very High). Pitzer College is once again offering its international programs in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Italy, Nepal and southern Africa for the spring semester, according to its study abroad office.

CMC reports data on ’24 legacy/donor preferences Pitzer drops preferential treatment disclosure, citing change in interpretation

JULIAN CHAPIN • THE STUDENT LIFE

A report on California private colleges and universities lists Claremont McKenna College as one of four member schools that provides preferential treatment to applicants related to donors or alumni.

AVA FRANCIS-HALL Seven percent of the students in Claremont McKenna College’s class of 2024 are related to alumni or donors, according to a report from the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities. And in a shift from the 2018-19 admissions cycle, Pitzer College says it did not provide any manner of preferential treatment to legacy or donor-related students for those entering the class of 2024. CMC admitted 708 students for the 2020-21 school year, 35 of which were donor or legacy-related. Ultimately, 23 of these students enrolled in a class of 315. The class of 2024’s percentage of legacy students at CMC mirrored that of the previous class, which was also seven percent. The annual report discloses information on the role of legacy and donor relations in private

colleges’ admissions processes after the passage of California’s 2019 law AB 697, which aims to create more transparency in this process by mandating schools disclose these statistics publicly. In a survey sent to the AICCU’s 85 member institutions, colleges were asked to indicate whether they “provided any manner of preferential treatment in admissions on the basis of the applicant relationships to donors or alumni.” Other than CMC, Pepperdine University, Santa Clara University and Vanguard University also reported offering admission to at least one applicant using these criteria. Pitzer’s class of 2023 was 16.3 percent legacy or donor students. In last year’s report, the college indicated that it provided some manner of preferential treatment. But for the 2019-20 admissions cycle, the college

reversed course and stated it did not show preferential treatment. “Relationships to others affiliated with the College may be part of this profile, although academic performance and co-curricular involvement are the most important factors that are considered in the admission process at Pitzer,” a spokesperson said in a statement to TSL. The differences between the 2019-20 admissions report and 2020-21 admissions report are a result of new interpretation of the law, the statement said. “We have not changed how we evaluate candidates for admission to the College. What has changed recently is the way Pitzer, and many other colleges, now interpret the legacy questions from AICCU,” the statement said. In fact, Pitzer is the only AICCU institution that reported providing preferential treatment in

last year’s report but no longer did so this year. Pepperdine did not report such treatment last year but did in this year’s report. Pitzer, CMC, Harvey Mudd College and Scripps College all reported considering alumni relations in admissions in their Common Data Sets, an annual report compiled by each college reflecting the school’s admissions data. Despite this, CMC was the only college that reported preferential treatment in this year’s AICCU report. This discrepancy could be traced back to the ambigu ous language of AB 697. Only schools that admit to showing “preferential treatment” must disclose the number of legacy students admitted in the report. On its website, Pomona College states that “while the application asks if you have any relatives who have attended and/ or worked for Pomona College,

we do not use this information for evaluative purposes or give any preferential treatment to applicants based on this information.” Proponents of tighter college admissions regulations argue that the bill’s language must be made more clear. When California State Assemblymember Phil Ting first introduced AB 697 in 2019, the bill included a policy that would bar higher institutions from accessing Cal Grant funds if they showed preference to legacy students. Cal Grants are essential funds for most colleges, meaning that many, if not all, California institutions of higher education would likely have halted legacy preferences. But this language was not included in the final legislation. Claremont Graduate University and Keck Graduate Institute are not covered by Education Code Section 66018.5, according to the AICCU report, and therefore were not included in the findings.

News

NOvEMbER 5, 2021

PAGE 3

Diversity takes a dip in Pomona’s class of 2025

SAMSON ZHANG • THE STUDENT LIFE

SAMSON ZHANG While the class of 2025 is Pomona College’s largest class to date, by the numbers, it also represents one of the less diverse class profiles in several years. At a faculty meeting in September, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Seth Allen reported statistics for Pomona’s first-year class, showing that the number of first-generation and low-income students saw a significant decrease from 21.3 percent in the class of 2024 to 13 percent in the class of 2025.

Of the record-high 83 gap year students to enter the first-year class, none were first-generation students, Allen said. “The year of interacting with Pomona virtually rather than in-person appears to have negatively impacted the college’s yield on students, specifically first-generation and some underrepresented student populations, which makes sense because we were not able to run in-person flyin programs in the fall or spring, not able to schedule in-person visits, and not able to fully show the opportunities, faculty and

resources of the college and the consortium, all of which we know have a positive impact on students choosing Pomona,” Allen said in an email to TSL. The return to in-person operations is expected to help normalize the admissions office’s outreach efforts, Allen said. “For example, the admissions office has hosted Access Weekend events this month, inviting underrepresented students to campus to learn more about Pomona,” he added. “We are planning for in-person events in the spring and fully expect to return

to a more balanced yield among all of our admitted students.” The shift in Pomona’s first-year class mirrored trends across the state and nation as the COVID-19 pandemic dampened the number of low-income students who applied for college. California saw a 10 percent drop in high school seniors filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. “Distance learning during the pandemic has forced student advising and college counseling services online—making it more

difficult for students to receive essential guidance when navigating the complex college application process,” PPIC education researcher Kevin Cook said in a March article. “This is particularly concerning for low-income students who are less likely to have internet access at home.” “I hope to not repeat the impact of this year on the class of 2026,” Allen added in the faculty meeting. “The staff has been hard at work recruiting the new group for the last few months. We fully expect to return to the strong student diversity in the class of 2026.”

SCAMFEST: Groups had struggled to get clarity on testing requirements Continued from page 1 [the] Shades’ decision,” although he said he did recom mend it would be better to wait until the spring. “We think SCAMFest is a great event and are looking forward to supporting it in the spring,” Lopes said via email, adding that there would have been an added cost for COVID-19 related security and ticketing protocols this fall. To Scott, organizing SCAMFest this semester had already felt like an uphill battle. Due to the high cost of hosting events at Bridges Auditorium, coupled with pandemic related limitations on seating capacity, the event would sell significantly fewer tickets than in normal years. As a result, Scott said the Shades faced losing upwards of $2,000 to $3,000, which risked putting the a capella group in debt. In the

end, the Shades decided it would be better to postpone the event until the spring. Adding f urther complications, while the Shades were considering SCAMFest’s cancellation, Scott and the other 5C a cappella group leaders were trying to make sense of Pomona’s new testing guidelines for a cappella singers. On Oct. 8, Dean of Students Avis Hinkson said in an email to the Pomona community that choral students, wind instrument players and a cappella singers would need to be tested t h ree t imes a week. Shortly after, a cappella leaders were asked to submit their groups’ rosters. Wor r ie d t h at ge t t i ng a l l group members to successfully meet t he dema nds of t he increased testing requirement would prove difficult, several a

capella group presidents withheld their rosters. According to Maddie Yardumian SC ’21, who leads Mood Swing, the group presidents wanted more information on what the COVID-19 policies would entail. “We’re just trying to make sure that our group members are safe a nd t hat t he whole community is safe,” Yardumian said. “But that safety includes well-being and also just the ability to not be suspended.” After two weeks of back and forth with the administration, according to Scott, the a cappella groups were told that there was no official 5C policy in place at the time, meaning that since a cappella groups practice outside and masked, per Los Angeles County guidelines, they only need to test once a week. This differs from the Pomona College Choir, as they practice

indoors and thus are required by count y guidelines to test three times a week. T he dec ision to post pone SCAMFest so close to its original date disappointed some a cappella singers, according to Thea Barovick PO ’23, co-president of the Ninth Street Hooligans. But Barovick said that considering how complicated it would be to host the event during a pandemic, she understood the Shades’ decision. “I’m totally fine wit h t he decision [to move SCAMFest] at the end of the day, because it’s what’s going to be the safest and the easiest for everyone,” Barovick said. To replace SCAMFest, the Shades are organizing FallCapella, an outside showcase in Pomona’s Sontag Greek Theater on Nov. 6, the same day SCAMFest would originally have taken

place. The showcase, which begins at 8:30 p.m., will feature all seven 5C a cappella groups, who will be performing the songs they had originally prepared for the Bridges event. Unlike SCAMFest, the event will be held outside and will be free to attend. Leaders said the new event is being positively received by the other a cappella groups. Yardumian was initially disappointed because, as a senior graduating this semester, they won’t be able to sing in SCAMFest again, but they ultimately feel grateful for the showcase. “What I care about is being able to perform and having that avenue, and I genuinely didn’t t h i n k I would ever have t hat again, like just in terms of COVID safety,” Yardumian said. “I think it’s a miracle that we’re all able to do this. And I’m so happy that we are.”

THE STUDENT LIFE Editorial Board

Corrections

KAYLA ALCORCHA, Editor-in-Chief JASPER DAVIDOFF, Managing Editor CLAIRE DUMONT, Managing Editor

Senior Staff JAMES KARSTEN, Production Editor SELENA LOPEZ, Production Editor GRACE SAUERS, News Designer STELLA CHENG, Opinions Designer CHARIS KIM, Sports Designer ANNA HARTMAN, Copy Chief SIMONE NIKITINA, Copy Chief ANNA CHOI, Photo Editor NANAKO NODA, Photo Editor MARIANA DURAN, Graphics Editor

ANURADHA KRISHNAN, News Editor JENNA MCMURTRY, News Editor SIENA SWIFT, News Associate LARKIN BARNARD-BAHN, Arts & Culture Editor MENA BOVA, Arts & Culture Editor HANNAH WEAVER, Arts & Culture Associate AVIKA JINDEL, Opinions Editor BEN REICHER, Opinions Editor ALEX CHUN, Sports Editor

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

An article about Climate Change Theatre Action misspelled the names of CCTA founder Chantal Bilodeau and Vicente Valdes HM ’25. An article about vehicle restrictions erroneously included mention of a new sign at Harvey Mudd College’s Shanahan Center. The sign is not new. TSL regrets these errors.

PAGE 4

Arts & Culture

Campy, queer dark comedy ‘Alice Won’t Die’ centers the complexity of love

NovEmbEr 5, 2021

SCENE IT

‘Dune’ adds ‘spice’ to the big screen RORYE JONES

NANAKo NoDA • THE STUDENT LIFE

Alice Won’t Die tells the story of two hitwomen with a complicated history.

MIRABELLA MILLER Grace Tomblin Marca SC ’22 once heard someone casually mention that they had never seen a car chase on stage, so she made it her mission to include one when writing her play “Alice Won’t Die.” “For a long time, I was like, ‘I want to write this story but I can’t think of how to end it,’” she said. “And then I had someone say, as a playwriting tip, to think of things that you’ve never seen on stage.” An animated car chase, fight scenes, fourth wall breaks, “Tik Tok” by Kesha: “Alice Won’t Die” is a raucous and dark homoerotic action thriller that kept 5C audiences entertained all Halloweekend. It was performed four times in the Seaver Theater large studio at Pomona College. The show was put on by The Green Room, a student-run theater group. “Alice Won’t Die” was a completely student-created production, from the writing to the directing to the acting. “What’s most special about The Green Room is that we produce primarily student-written and student-crafted work,” said Taelor Hansen PO ’22, who directed “Alice Won’t Die.” “It’s really special to go into a space that’s so focused on what we create in college and stories that come from our college experiences. It feels very, very current.” Zalia Maya SC ’24 and Lila Rubin PZ ’23 play hitwomen (Alice and Ramona, respectively) navigating a sexual tension-filled friendship. When Alice messes up a job and compromises their safety, Ramona must kill her. However, she does not quite succeed, and as the title of the play indicates, Alice won’t die. Instead, she disappears for eight years before returning with revenge on her mind. The play examines different types of love — romantic, sexual, platonic, familial — in all their messy and destructive glory. “Ramona experiences love for each of the characters in a very, very different way,” Rubin said. “There’s something interesting about how we love one another and what different kinds of love there are.” Tomblin Marca began working

on “Alice Won’t Die” in March 2021 while studying for a semester at the National Theater Institute. “I’m a huge fan of ‘Killing Eve’ and ‘In Bruges’ and crime comedy and dark comedy, and so a lot of that was swirling around, and I really liked the idea of women in this sphere,” she said. “So I was like, ‘What if I write a story that’s just kind of like a fun little thing about some female assassins?’” The sexual tension between the two women was coded and subtextual in early drafts, but it surfaced more overtly during revisions. “One of the reasons I was hesitant to make it less subtext and more context was [wondering] ‘do I really want representation of queer women to be in a play about murder, where they are very morally gray?’” she said. “I really didn’t want it to be like, ‘here’s this representation, but they’re like awful people.’ I feel so morally weird about that, but it was more interesting to have explicitly queer women and having this kind of complex relationship.” The play’s relevance to Rubin’s life piqued her interest in auditioning and drew her to the role of Ramona. “I’ve always wanted to play some sort of bounty hunter or badass character who does stage combat so when I saw that there was stage combat in the show, I was like, ‘I want to do that,’” Rubin said. “But I also really appreciate the inclusivity of the show. This is the first role that I’ve played that actually fits my sexuality. I’ve always had to play straight characters.” Maya was excited to work with a student-written play because it provides a unique flexibility for actors in developing their characters. “I love working with studentwritten plays because they’re so malleable and they’re so creative,” she said. Hansen elaborated on the malleability of the script, highlighting the unique opportunity of dynamically incorporating the playwright.

“With modern plays, the scripts are still alive,” she said. “We’re still adapting. The actors have some freedom to really craft the characters and be in conversation with the playwright about it, which is really special.” Audience members appreciated the use of certain theatrical elements that contributed to the play’s darkly comedic nature. “This play had all of the elements and more that I love to see in theater and that I love to do in theater, including but not limited to fourth wall breaks and stage fighting,” McKenna Blinman SC ’24 said. “The animation was something that I’ve never seen done before in theater. It was so well done.” According to Maya, that was one of the intended takeaways of “Alice Won’t Die”. “I hope that the audience leaves the theater with a sense of excitement about what’s to come with theater,” she said. “We’re using a lot of new elements that aren’t showcased in theater a lot.” “Alice Won’t Die” had no shortage of humor, with sound effects, song clips and snarky one-liners breaking the tension at just the right moments as Alice and Ramona repeatedly tried to kill each other. But the play ends on a dark note: Alice finally snaps and kills Ramona. After so many failed attempts, and moments they could have killed each other but didn’t, you don’t quite expect it. Alice turns to the audience and begs to start over, to rewind the tape. “It’s so funny, I was so close to not doing it,” she muses before rushing offstage. This is the crux of the play: taking the will-they-or-won’tthey romantic dynamic to its destructive extreme. It’s about being on the brink of something, whether it’s kissing someone or killing them. Obviously, the consequences of those things are different. But, as Alice reminds us in the final moments, sometimes once you make a decision there’s no going back.

“Dune” emerges victorious from the overwhelming history of book-to-film adaptation failures. Stunning visuals, an awe-inspiring soundtrack and a star-studded cast with tangible acting skills all converged to create a film I envision becoming a classic. At the risk of sounding overenthusiastic, I would still say the visual capacity of “Dune” quite frankly floored me with its quality. Director Denis Villeneuve nailed the creative vision of contemporary science fiction. When I saw the opening scenes, it made me feel how someone watching “Star Wars” at the time of its release would feel. The concepts executed were so cutting-edge that I completely bought into the idea: This is what the future will look like. Perhaps in 30 or 40 years, people watching “Dune” will find its optics outdated, much as one feels when watching “Star Wars” today, but I anticipate this movie staying relevant long enough for us to find out. The notion of a water planet, Caladan, and a desert planet, Arrakis, was realized perfectly. Caladan was a palette of grays, blues and gentle droplet sounds; Arrakis was its burnt orange desert counterpart filled with sparkling particles of the sought-after “spice” drug, but somehow, neither planet came off as “tacky.” Typically, I find sci-fi movies have a crude, cheap quality to their backgrounds — in my mind, the backdrop of films like “The Avengers” and “Wonder Woman,” though both excellent movies, were always linked with a foreboding, perpetually cloudy gray sky broken up by fiery explosions. “Dune” diverged from this trend with its expansive collection of modern backgrounds. The film employed several pieces of impressively angular architecture with broad, sweeping ceilings, incorporating “natural” light to illuminate the smooth swaths of concrete, wood, metal and water comprising each structure. In fact, the “Dune” imagery strongly evoked that of “Game of Thrones,” yet more advanced (the highest of compliments). The film’s portrayal — or lack thereof — of the bloodthirsty “sandworms” that haunt the deserts of Arrakis proved to be another one of its merits. Conceptually, it is extremely difficult to make a worm scary — they’re squishy, amorphous and about as far from threatening as an animal can get. Rather than try to make a noodle with teeth elicit terror, the director made a wise move in ap-

plying the “don’t show the monster” rule of horror movies, in which only flashes of the monster are revealed, leaving the imagination to fill in the gaps with a much scarier mental image. Overlaying the pleasing visual landscape of “Dune” is a soundtrack by none other than the legendary composer Hans Zimmer — if you’ve ever watched a decent movie, chances are you’ve heard his work (think “The Lion King,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Inception,” among many others). Drums, bagpipes and even a recurring electric guitar weave in and out of the story, elevating it to the status of an epic. Truly, when watching this movie, neither your eyes nor ears will be bored. The cast of “Dune” carried some weighty names with it, including Timothée Chalamet — Hollywood’s latest obsession, star of “Call Me By Your Name,” you know who he is — Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin, to name a few. Indeed, the names are weighty for a reason, as these actors can act. One slight disappointment was the extremely brief screen time featuring Zendaya, despite her (flawless) face gracing every piece of the nearly overwhelming amount of promotional material. That said, I understand the appeal of such an easy marketing tactic — it worked on me — and her role in the second film is purported to be much larger, thankfully. To balance out the experience of watching “Dune,” I must comment on one more point of contention. It is hard to ignore yet another depiction of a white male character (Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet) destined to save what one Vulture writer describes as a planet of “generic ‘people of color.’” It appears to be up for debate whether the 1963 book version of “Dune” is an anti-imperialist critique, but criticism does surround this recent movie. In particular, some assert that the movie diluted the book’s original references to Islam down to a vague, appropriative cultural “aesthetic.” Having not read the book, I cannot form an opinion on this, but the question of whether it was a good decision to obscure specific cultural attributes included in the book is worth turning over while viewing the film. All things considered, I found “Dune” quite entertaining. Whenever I can escape the outside world, immerse myself in a story and feel connected to the characters, I consider a movie to have fulfilled its purpose; “Dune” accomplished just that. Give it a watch — come for Timothée Chalamet and stay for the plot, like I did. Rorye Jones PO ’23 is TSL’s TV and film columnist. If you see her on campus, please feel free to assail her with unsolicited TV and film recommendations (actually).

CoUrTESY: CHIAbELLA JAmES

Although book-to-film adaptations often fall short, Rorye Jones PO ’23 asserts that “Dune” excels in almost every regard.

FroNT oF HoUSE

Dave Chappelle’s downfall is a crash course in cancel culture CAELAN REEVES “If this is what being canceled feels like, I love it.” There are a couple of questions implied in Dave Chappelle’s statement to his audience at the Hollywood Bowl. What does being canceled actually mean? What does it look like? The truth is, as Chappelle’s statement reveals, none of us really know. The term has come to be used most commonly by people lamenting the supposed infringement on the free speech of their favorite creators. Can people not enjoy things anymore? Is ev-

eryone just that sensitive these days? Even so, it’s important to push through the knee-jerk assumptions that come with the term and consider its meaning, even if only for the sake of mutual intelligibility. The first and most widespread working definition of cancel culture can be roughly summarized as “intense negative reaction to a ‘politically incorrect’ comment.” This is the definition with which Chappelle was working in the Netflix special that first sparked his recent controversy. Chappelle was likely referring to the criticism

CoUrTESY: JoHN bAULD/FLICKr

The aftermath of Dave Chappelle’s Netflix special “The Closer” exemplifies the nuances of the buzzword “canceled,” Caelan Reeves CM ’24 writes.

he received for transphobic comments made in his Netflix special “The Closer.” This definition is perhaps the most riddled with contradictions. Being “canceled” in this way is a popular talking point among centrist and right-wing content creators. Commentators like Kaitlin Bennett and Katie Hopkins frequently bemoan being “silenced” by liberal media. It is the digital age manifestation of the decades-old “free speech” rhetoric used by conservative commentators to scaffold their right to make incendiary and insensitive comments. The contradiction, however, lies in appearing on a major television program to complain about your voice being silenced. These commentators haven’t been deplatformed — they’ve just been met with negative criticism. It is this situation in which Chappelle found himself when pronouncing his supposed love for being canceled. Chappelle had certainly become unpopular in some groups, but he had not been deplatformed or met with any material consequences. He was by no means silenced. Netflix painted a clear picture of what that would actually look like — a Black trans employee was fired for speaking out against Chappelle’s comments and transphobia at the company.

The second, more nuanced definition of cancel culture can generally be summarized as “the deliberate deplatforming of someone exhibiting problematic behavior.” This can be either to prevent that behavior’s proliferation or as a symbolic indicator of one’s values. The most distilled instance of this definition of cancelation, both its causes and effects, is arguably that of R. Kelly. Following confirmation of the singer’s repeated sexual abuse of young girls he worked with, masses of people swore off his music, largely because they were personally disgusted with his actions. However, the consequences of this operated on a much larger scale. The widespread contempt and rapid decrease in royalties for R. Kelly culminated in his inability to secure proper legal representation for his trial. He was faced with significant legal consequences as a result and was disenfranchised from harming more people. It was the Platonic ideal of what cancel culture seeks to accomplish. This sentiment can be found distilled in smaller “cancellations” of artists that have said and done problematic things. People don’t want their money, time and digital streams supporting artists whose politics they disagree with. This drop in

popularity often leads to companies dropping sponsorships and removing other means of fiscal support from artists. A recent example is the swift removal of DaBaby from many music festival lineups following his homophobic comments at Rolling Loud. Optimistically, it’s because those corporate entities are truly structured on a platform of equality (unlikely). Realistically? When people get canceled, they become unpopular. That could severely impact those companies’ bottom lines. The digital age has provided a means for coordinated manipulation of the free market, and cancel culture is the product of that. It is this second definition of cancel culture that Dave Chappelle is now grappling with. Following backlash to his transphobic remarks, film festivals are now pulling support for his upcoming documentary. Chappelle complained about this treatment in a standup video addressing the Netflix controversy. “Not a film company, not a movie studio, not a film festival,” he complained. “No one will touch this film.” Of course they won’t. That’s what being canceled is like. Caelan Reeves CM ’24 is a literature and history dual major from Chicago, Illinois. They love everything to do with music, movies and books.

NovEmbEr 5, 2021

Arts & Culture

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Halloweekend at the 5Cs offers sweets and spooks DIYA MEHTA The 29th through 31st of October is a weekend of candy, costumes and carving pumpkins — also known as Halloweekend. This year, Halloween took on an added dimension of importance for 5C students, as it was the first weekend when many COVID restrictions surrounding events and parties were lifted. This gave the student body a unique opportunity to celebrate both the recommencement of 4C-wide events — due to the fact that Harvey Mudd College hosted separate Halloween events — and the ever-popular holiday of Halloween. The itinerary of events did not disappoint. Celebrations started on Friday, with a costume making session at the Hive. Whether you wanted to make those final costume alterations or to whip up something from scratch at the last minute, you could find all the materials and inspiration you needed at this workshop. It was a life-saver for all those creative enough to put together their costumes first-hand. Jacinda Lee PO ’24 was grateful for all the materials available. “I thought it was fun and nice to have all the stuff there instead of having to get it myself at the last minute,” she said. Friday held even more spooky surprises. A masquerade performance and open dance workshop put on by the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company (CCBDC) delighted audience members and dancers alike. The night began with social dancing at 8 p.m., offering participants a great way to socialize and practice samba at the same time. This was followed by a performance from the CCBDC, in which all got to witness the company’s skill and performance ability.

Iris Ducker SC ’25, who attended the event, thoroughly enjoyed the experience. “It was really fun,” she said. “I loved the variety in dances and costumes and I think all of the dancers did an amazing job.” For those looking for something more cinematic, the Gold Student Center was hosting Pitzer’s “Haunted Halloween Movie Night,” where the 2012 horror film “Sinister” was showing. This was also an opportunity for free drinks and snacks to munch on while being frightened. More traditional Halloween fare included Pomona’s Haunted House, hosted by the Pomona Events Committee. The tour began at the entrance to the Rose Hills Theatre, and featured rooms inspired by “Scream,” “Us,” “Stranger Things” and “The Purge.” “Even though the line was extremely long, it was worth the wait,” said Lilly Haave PO ’23, who attended the haunted house. “The actors were all very talented and prepared.” The haunted house even included student volunteers who donned their best Halloween costumes and makeup to frighten all those that dared to enter. “I really enjoyed doing the haunted house,” said Taylor Tsiamas SC ‘24, a student actor at the haunted house. “I had never acted in one before, and I had a lot of fun. My favorite part was definitely interacting with the guests. I really loved seeing the different reactions, whether they were cowering or laughing or playing along with us.” On Saturday, Halloween eve arrived. The night’s biggest event was the Halloween Party at Pitzer,

momENTS To SAvor

Dumplings that warm the Seoul

CLArE mArTIN • THE STUDENT LIFE

EMILY KIM “Wow! Do you speak Korean?” This is usually the response I get when I tell people that I spent a gap year in Seoul, South Korea, before I came to Pomona. My answer? “A little bit … now.” Before my gap year, though, none at all. Though I’m ethnically Korean, I never spoke the language growing up, and while I visited the country with my family before, we never stayed for longer than 10 days. In contrast, I spent nine months in Korea during my gap year — and I flew there all alone. I decided to take a gap year fairly late in July 2020. I had just gotten an internship offer at an English-speaking animation company in Seoul, and from the moment the email came in, everything after happened like a blur. I submitted my gap year proposal, got my working visa and tried to work through all the logistics involved in my upcoming international adventure. I was nervous but incredibly excited to begin my gap year in Seoul. My heart fluttered at the prospect of living in a foreign country, working in a creative field and having the opportunity to do all these things at the ripe age of 18. I honestly thought that only good things lay ahead. Needless to say, I was brighteyed but also a little naive. After completing the mandatory quarantine in late September, the high that I felt from being a new resident of Seoul lasted maybe a month. In November, the homesickness that I had pushed aside from being too enamored by the sights of the city started to bear its unwelcome face. I was frustrated at my blatant inability to communicate: when someone asked for my phone number and I couldn’t recite it back to them, when an elderly man asked me for directions and I couldn’t help him, when I couldn’t even take out the trash correctly (Korea has a very efficient trash collection system that is different from that in the U.S. but is quite confusing to learn at first). Ultimately, I longed for a piece of familiarity in such an unfamiliar place. I also knew, however, that I had to be proactive about creating that sense of familiarity for myself. Simply sitting in a puddle of homesickness without trying to change my outlook on the situation would do me no good. Thankfully, my old art teacher from elementary school was living in Seoul too, so through her recommendation, I visited a little dumpling stand one evening after work. When I stood under the fluorescent

orange awning, I was immediately greeted by ajummas scooping plump dumplings into to-go boxes and the savory fragrance of kimchi-meat dumpling filling. The stand was a cozy escape from the bustling city life located just outside the flimsy plastic walls, and I felt at ease ordering my dumplings in broken Korean, thanks to the ajummas kindly encouraging my every utterance. From that evening on, the dumpling stand became my one “safe spot” in the unfamiliar landscape of Seoul. I frequented the stand a lot, especially during the winter when the temperatures dropped and shocked my Californian self. After work, I would look forward to greeting the ajummas and ordering some steaming dumplings to-go, treating the box as a warm, precious gift to myself for getting through yet another week. Over time, I started to feel better about living in Korea. The dumpling stand was my primary source of familiarity, but as time passed and I grew more confident in my Korean abilities, other things started to bear semblances of familiarity as well. The nearby GS25 convenience store was my one-stop shop for snacks, condiments and designated trash bags (so that I could actually take out the trash correctly), and I even befriended a barista at a coffee shop who always gave me freebies with my drinks. Gradually, the daunting abyss of Seoul grew a little less intimidating, and eventually, I was thoroughly enjoying life in the city. I didn’t change — I was still very much a Korean American — but I was able to create some familiarity out of the unfamiliar. By designating the humble dumpling stand as my “safe spot,” I proactively refused to succumb to the feeling that I simply did not belong in Seoul. And, as it turns out, I did belong — it just took a little time to get there. It’s a common sensation, feeling out-of-place. It applies to situations far beyond navigating a foreign country, and it is something that I, even after returning from Korea, consistently have to combat. But the comforting thing is that, just as I found familiarity in an unassuming dumpling stand, you oftentimes don’t have to look very far to find something for yourself. So if you ever feel discouraged or believe that you don’t belong, I challenge you to find just one thing that you can hold on to as you push through whatever unfamiliarity you are facing. Just like my experience in Korea, I firmly believe that, with time, you will be surprised by the ways in which your situation has changed around you — or, rather, just how much you’ve grown. Emily Kim PO ’25 is from Irvine, California. She loves baggy sweaters, YouTube karaoke and banana bread.

CoUrTESY: rIKI ImAI/CCbDC

From haunted houses to dance performances, a wide variety of events celebrating Halloween were hosted across the 5Cs. rachel Lau Po ‘22 and Hector rodriguez dance in a Halloween masquerade performance and dance workshop.

the first 4C event since students have returned to campus. The party included a live DJ and lots of candy, and was a great way for students to celebrate the evening together. For many, the party was a welcome event after lockdown. “I think the party was a great success, because so many people were talking about it, and so many people showed up,” Nina Mizrahi SC ’25 said. “There were so many really creative, funny, interesting costumes that I saw. I think because everyone has been kept inside for so long with COVID, especially for Halloween, people really went all out this year.” Then came the day itself: Halloween. The Gold Student Cen-

tre at Pitzer hosted a Halloween pumpkin carving event, providing participants with pumpkins to carve and apple cider to drink. Such events were welcome, especially for those who had not yet had spent Halloween at the Claremont Colleges, like Kaitlin Elisabeth Kiesel PZ ’24. “We all really enjoyed the event,” she said. “I personally had a great time watching everyone carve pumpkins and make new friends. There was a great turnout, there was so much positive energy and everyone seemed happy to be there. This was my first Halloween on campus and I have to say, given that we are still dealing with COVID, it was much

better than expected.” The Halloween festivities even included an archery event. This was hosted by the 5C Archery club, where archers of all skill levels, fully dressed for Halloween, demonstrated their skills at Arce Field, from 3-5pm. Thus ended 2021’s Halloweekend. However, for all those that love to get in the Halloween spirit, the fun still continues. Without a Box is hosting an improv event entitled Halloween Hangover on Nov. 5 for all those who are in the mood for some post-spooky-season laughs. Visit @withoutaboximprov on Instagram for more details and to continue the Halloween spirit well into November.

Yerb your enthusiasm: 5C students run on Yerba Mate LUISA FERNANDA ECHEVERRIA BEDOYA Every Tuesday, a jolly yellow van can be found parked behind the Smith Campus Center at Pomona College. Inside, crates of a subtle cornerstone of 5C student culture await: Guayakí Yerba Mate. The Coop Store, the crates’ final destination, has been buying the drink directly from Guayakí since around 2000-2001, according to Brenda Schmit, manager of retail services at the Coop. “The company has been really good at coming to do samplings to encourage sales of Yerba Mate,” Schmit said. “It’s difficult to get it if I don’t get it directly from the company.” The drink is by far the most popular item they offer — and has been since the Coop began selling it. As of Oct. 27, the Coop has sold 1,962 Guayakí products this semester. “I think it’s a campus staple at this point, like a cultural thing at this school,” Coop Store assistant manager Molly Wu PO ’23 said. “I think it’s cool that, at least at Pomona, the Coop Store plays a role in supplying that.” During the first few weeks of the fall 2021 semester, restocks lagged behind demand. “We had some supply issues, and they weren’t coming as often as they should have been,” Wu said. “And we would get asked about it every single shift, every single day. ‘Where’s the Yerba Mate? Where’s the Yerba Mate?’ And when we finally got it, people were just buying it by the fours and fives.” Although Guayakí started selling yerba mate in 1996 in Southern California, the traditional version has been drunk for hundreds of years. Popular in Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Southern Brazil, yerba mate is an infusion drink from the

Ilex Paraguariensis plant native to Paraguay, according to Claremont McKenna College professor Julio Garín, who is from Uruguay, the country with the highest per-capita consumption of mate. “Yerba mate on campus is very different from traditional yerba. For me, it’s another beverage — it doesn’t have the same components,” Garín said about the campus favorite. “That drink, you don’t share, and the taste is very different.” It is traditionally prepared in a hollowed out gourd called mate, which is filled at least halfway with the dried yerba mate herb and drunk with the help of a special metal filtering straw (bombilla). It is usually prepared with hot water carried in a thermos, which is used to refill the gourd after drinking. It can also be made with cold water, as is popular in Paraguay; in this case it is called tereré. “The culture of mate is very interesting, because you share the mate. You drink from the straw and share it among friends,” Garín said. “And it’s not only that — if you go to a new place and get introduced to new people, it’s not uncommon at all to share mate with folks you have never met before.” Parents introduce children to drinking mate early on, although in moderation. “Parents give the first sip of mate to the kids, and they record their expressions because it’s a very particular taste,” said Garín. “The kids like it. It makes them feel like adults; it’s like a rite of passage.” Uruguayans drink so much mate that they are playfully mocked for it by people from other mate-drinking cultures — namely Argentinians, he said. “It’s a stereotype [of Uruguay] that you see people walking with mate under their arm — people sometimes even drive while drinking mate,” Garín said.

However, in the United States, people do not drive with a mate in one hand, or share a drink with strangers from the same bombilla. “I don’t drink [yerba mate] as often in the U.S., only once or twice per week, on days that I don’t teach,” Garín said. “I do miss drinking [yerba mate] with other folks. That’s a big part of it — sharing the mate. So that’s also why I don’t drink as much here.” Other than the cultural tradition, an appeal of the drink is its high caffeine content. This seems to be the draw for 5C students to the Guayakí infusions: a more pleasant alternative to coffee. “I’m a fan of Yerba Mate,” Wu said. “I don’t drink coffee, but I feel like the tea is a good substitute when I’m tired.” She recounted being excited whenever she found dented bottles that couldn’t be sold at the Coop Store, as she could have those for free. The Coop Store isn’t the only 5C store that has sold Yerba Mate. The Pit Stop at Pitzer College does, too, and The Motley at Scripps College used to sell Yerba Mate as well. “When it was [sold] at the Motley, I’d get it maybe once a month, mostly during midterms and finals … but it would be a LOT [of Yerba Mate]. I don’t drink it regularly.” Kate de Lafourcade SC ’23 said. “I think coffee is really disgusting, and I hate the way it tastes. I like how light [Yerba Mate] is, and it doesn’t affect my digestion as much as coffee does.” Amelia Carttar PO ’22 first tasted mate from her grandfather’s bombilla, but didn’t like the bitterness. Her first year at Claremont, she rediscovered the appeal of yerba mate. “I was buying a bunch of bottles at the beginning of the semester, so I ended up buying the leaves because I was spending a lot of money on bottles,” Carttar said. “I drink it when I need some caffeine that won’t make me so anxious. It helps me focus more [than other caffeinated drinks].”

LAUrA JArAmILLo • THE STUDENT LIFE

Arts & Culture

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NovEmbEr 5, 2021

Author Zadie Smith speaks on delight of world building and exploration

XIAo JIANG • THE STUDENT LIFE

Author Zadie Smith spoke at the Athenaeum on Wednesday night.

GABRIEL SHERMAN The Athenaeum was prepared, armed with extra folding chairs for those who showed up after dinner was over, just to see writer Zadie Smith speak. You know you’re important when the folding chairs come out. Her interviewer on this Nov. 3 night was Claremont McKenna College professor Chloe Martinez, who seemed giddy to be speaking with such a titanic writing figure. The audience also seemed a little awestruck — when it came time for the Q&A portion of the talk, hardly a single student could contain themselves to just

one question, and understandably so. Smith is a captivating speaker with a deep, meditative voice. She talks in winding, eloquent sentences not dissimilar from her writing. The night began with a discussion of “Intimations,” a collection of essays Smith wrote and published in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when she was “comatose with depression.” Nothing, she said, felt more inessential than writing. Then she began doing just that, spurred on by a meme she had seen of Mel Gibson talking to a blood-covered Jesus “like

STrIKE A CHorD

Remi Wolf perfectly exhibits controlled chaos in her new debut album “Juno.” You are forced to step into her psychedelic world where every song is sung with the utmost energy and mismatched patterns are the norm. All of her visuals are collage-like and overflowing with stimulation as she seamlessly shifts from singing about having “boobies on my booty” to being defensive about the most benign things amongst endless harmonies. On Oct. 15 Wolf released “Juno” after garnering attention with her EPs “You’re a Dog!” and “I’m Allergic to Dogs!” Her most well known song “Photo ID,” a groovy, high energy dance anthem, became popular on TikTok and amassed over 200,000 videos, which led her to create a new version with a feature from Dominic Fike. “Photo ID” foreshadowed “Juno,” which serves as an honest, unapologetic and introspective diary for Wolf to express feelings of loneliness, fear and anger. While this album’s lyrics point to heavy emotions, each track almost never ceases to slow down as they are filled to the brim with chanted choruses and soulful guitar riffs. “Liquor Store,” the lead single and most streamed song from the album, is one of the stand out songs from the LP. The song explores Wolf’s fear of abandonment paralleled with her relationship with alcohol — which she recently went to rehab for — amidst a fiery electric guitar. Wolf perfectly mixes contemplative lyrics among humorous ones as she sings “I’m a thrift store baddie with my booty on the sink / I’m a shitty ex-nanny with my marbles on the brink” and “We got short legs, long legs, everybody big legs / Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate? / You, motherfucker, you, you, motherfucker,” the latter being purely for fun according to the Genius lyrics page for this song. The sharp and intense guitar helps to convey Wolf’s tenseness and emotional instability, along with her singing that eventually turns into a drawn out cry, expressing her sense of longing. Wolf’s emotional state is easily communicated, yet it does not drag the song

she might be done writing essays. She’s in her mid-40s now and has been in the writing world spotlight for over two decades. During lockdown, she said, she found a great silence breeding inside her, something she feels has grown with age. “I really love that Hannah Arendt line, she said something like: ‘Sometimes, it’s good not to speak.’” Later, she added: “I think if you watch novelists as they get older, a simplification occurs.” She said now, she could never write a book as frenetic and jampacked as her first novel “White Teeth.” “I thought I knew so much … I know nothing now. A silence opens up inside you, that’s the best way I can put it,” she said. “It’s really important to me that when you’re young, you should know everything. I always think that young people should be trusted in politics, but older people should be trusted in matters of the heart, because you learn. It’s a long and painful humbling, and it really is a kind of knowledge, but it’s much quieter.” Smith isn’t tackling ideas no human has ever endeavored to understand before. What makes her so captivating is that she doesn’t shy away from her humanness, doesn’t try to maintain any sort of mystique; she listens to brown noise to focus, her two big life changes post-lockdown have been that she no longer smokes or buys plastic water bottles. She’s never reaching for profundity. Instead, she seems to see the world in front of her, take it in, and try to understand it, just like the rest of us.

rEGULArLY SCHEDULED ProGrAmmING

Remi Wolf’s technicolor world of chaos in ‘Juno’ AVA HINZ

he’s the one with the problem.” She retreated to a room in her home and wrote a piece which she sent to a friend, who wrote back calling it “helpful.” “No one had ever said that to me before in that direct way, and I thought: There is something that I can do … I can write and I can make money,” Smith said. She donated all the royalties from “Intimations” to the Equal Justice Initiative and the New York City COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. Smith also spoke about other creative endeavors of hers, past, present and future. These works included her books “White

Teeth,” “NW” and a half-completed novel she’s working on, set in the 1800s in England and Jamaica. The talk was most riveting, though, when Smith discussed writing as a portal to the world more broadly. When asked about writing in unconventional forms, Smith responded: “It’s all about time … When we talk about the straight film or the straight book, time passes in a certain way that you’ve decided is real and natural. But time isn’t anything like that, you don’t fall in love with a few scenes and then you get an ice cream and then you’re married … What they’re doing to your conception of human life and time is demented.” “When you talk about Virginia Woolf or experimental writers, to me, all they’re trying to do is get closer to what time actually feels like, what it actually feels like to be alive … it’s realism to me,” she said. Later, she discussed why she often withholds important information about characters in her books. Once again, it’s all about writing to reflect the real world. “There’s a great mystery inside of people. It’s very, very hard to know other people, it’s almost impossible in fact. I find sometimes in conventional fiction, what’s happening is a lie, really — we know each other very well, we completely understand each other, we know our children, they know us — I don’t think that’s how people actually experience their lives, I think there’s always an uncanny moment when you think ‘Who are you?’” Smith also mentioned that

down or leave you feeling sad afterwards. Similarly, “Grumpy Old Man” is anchored by a groovy and smooth bassline accented by a tambourine that creates a perfect ambiance to make you want to get up and dance. Wolf describes a grumpy old man, as the song title suggests, by singing “I got long hair, long beard, turtleneck sweater / Got that long hair, long beard, turtleneck sweater” while also talking about her defensiveness: “I’m so defensive I’ve got eggshells around me.” The opposition between these two themes adds an element of fun while also allowing Wolf to stand out from her other introspective songs. By contrast, songs like “Street You Live On” and “Buttermilk” add more depth to the album with melancholy. “Buttermilk” has percussive guitars and a light and airy chorus that soars among speedy and syncopated verses. It describes the instability that Wolf experienced within a relationship as she was constantly shifting between peace and being thrown “into the lava,” adding variation into the piece of work as a whole. This trend continues with “Street You Live On,” the song that most clearly mirrors a ballad. She oscillates between obsession and a need to distance herself, singing “I’m a fеral cat I’m licking up the milk at your door” and “I avoid the street that you live on / You’re a magnet pulling my feet and my head off.” Wolf’s distortion in her voice adds color to the sparse production relative to the rest of the album. Only Wolf can create sonically uplifting songs that hit upon heavy themes without dragging the album down. Her witty and humorous lyrics along with her sharp and gritty voice captivate the listener throughout the album. Ava Hinz SC ’25 is TSL’s music columnist, and she’s from Los Altos, California. When she is not nerding out about music podcasts, she is most likely finding a coffee shop to try their iced chai or talking about the time she met Jojo Siwa.

JADYN LEE • THE STUDENT LIFE

How Shiv on ‘Succession’ redefines the antihero trope

CoUrTESY: mACALL b. PoLAY/Hbo

Claire DuMont SC ‘23 explains how “Succession” helps expand the roles of female characters.

CLAIRE DUMONT This column contains spoilers for “Succession.” In the season one finale of “Succession,” it is Shiv Roy’s wedding day. Typical of a finale, multiple climactic plot points occur in the episode as everything built up in the previous episodes comes to a head. Potentially one of the most shocking events in the episode happens when Shiv (Sarah Snook) asks her new husband, Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen), if he wants an open marriage in the middle of their reception. “Succession,” now on its third season on HBO, follows the Roy family led by patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and his four children, Connor (Alan Ruck), Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Shiv. Logan is the CEO of Waystar Royco, a huge media conglomerate, and the driving force of most of the plot is who will take his place — who will succeed him. From the moment I started “Succession” almost two years ago, I have always felt drawn to Shiv’s character. As the only daughter in the Roy family, she is meant to stand out. Because of this, when I first started the show, I tried to look for traits that made her different from her openly greedy, power hungry and vicious brothers and dad. What makes Shiv interesting, however, is that she is just as cruel and eager for power as they are, and that she subverts female character stereotypes. The scene in the season one finale set the tone for Shiv and

Tom’s relationship throughout the rest of the show so far. Their interactions often do not seem like those of a couple and are usually painfully awkward to watch. At the end of the second season, Tom tells Shiv directly, “I wonder if the sad I’d be without you would be less than the sad I get from being with you.” In the second episode of season three, Shiv ends a phone call with Tom with “I love you,” to which Tom replies, “Thank you.” Shiv asks if he loves her too and he responds asking “Why? Why do you wanna know?” These moments of dialogue make up only some of their strained relationship, and I am often left wondering whether or not they actually love each other. I have also always been struck by how Shiv and Tom reverse the roles of an unhappy marriage on TV. The early 2000s marked the beginning of TV’s second golden age with shows like “The Sopranos,” “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad.” These shows had many aspects in common, as all were critically acclaimed prestige dramas and some of the first shows to center a complex male antihero. Tony Soprano, Don Draper and Walter White were some of the first main characters that made the audience question whether or not they should side with the main character, which had previously been the norm. The popular TV of today also frequently utilizes the trope of the antihero, in shows like “Ozark,” “Better Call Saul,” “Bojack Horseman” and “Succession.” Shiv is representative of how the antihero trope has evolved to include the female antihero, often as a counterpart to a male

character. Instead of the male main character feeling unhappy with his wife, Shiv is unhappy with her life with husband Tom, proposing they have an open relationship. Rather than reusing the cheating husband trope that typically came with these antihero shows, “Succession” changes the narrative through the relationship between Shiv and Tom. Outside of her relationship with Tom, Shiv embodies the personal traits reminscient in Tony, Walter and Don. Shiv sometimes seems as though she is doing things for others or the greater good, but at the core of most everything she does is her own self interest, just like her siblings and the other characters in the show. She embodies the figure of the antihero as it exists in today’s popular culture, making her one of the most interesting characters on “Succession.” Shiv’s position with the other characters as an antihero and a compelling character does not excuse her often selfish and morally ambiguous actions. In past antihero dramas, especially “Breaking Bad,” the wives of the male characters received sexist backlash because of their role as an obstacle to their husband’s success. Her character shows that women are not confined to a role of wife and mother characters among prominent stories driven by the male characters. Shiv is emblematic in a step towards change in how female characters are portrayed in stories. Claire DuMont SC ’23 is one of TSL’s managing editors. She was almost named Siobhan and anxiously awaits the new “Succession” episodes every Sunday. Although she is a big Shiv fan, she connects the most with Cousin Greg.

OpiniOns PAGe 7 Fighting for the climate means upholding Indigenous sovereignty

November 5, 2021

ETHAN VITAZ Indigenous Wet’suwet’en water defenders are currently occupying their sovereign territory in British Columbia, Canada to resist construction of the illegal Coastal Gaslink Pipeline. Despite many attempts at invasion by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Wet’suwet’en have continued to protect their land. Last year, the RCMP made a military-style raid on the unceded territory, arresting matriarchs while they performed a ceremony to honor missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Most recently, the RCMP made an assault on the Gidimt’en Checkpoint where they violently removed a protester attached to a blockade to protect the sacred headwaters of the Wet’suwet’en. Simultaneously, Indigeous Yaquì people in the town of Loma de Bàcum in Sonora, Mexico face wrongful imprisonment, kidnapping and murder. This violence is directly tied to the construction of the Sonoran Pipeline, a liquid natural gas pipeline being pushed through Loma de Bàcum without prior, free or informed consent of the communities. Despite both these communities having title to their land, states and corporations are conspiring to exploit their land for short-term profit. These stories are not unique. Indigenous communities all over the world are experiencing violence related to the extraction and transportation of natural resources. These two examples, however, are specifically projects sponsored by members of the Claremont Colleges community. Henry Kravis and George Roberts sit on the board of Claremont McKenna College and also own Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), the third largest private equity firm in the world. KKR has invested billions into these pipelines and similar fossil fuel projects that violate Indigenous sovereignty. The Claremont Colleges each have

CoUrTeSY: eTHAN vITAZ

many colleges are invested in fossil fuel projects that threaten Indigenous sovereignty, argues guest columnist ethan vitaz PZ ‘22

an endowment, a sum of money meant to support the colleges in perpetuity. To accumulate wealth the endowments are invested in all sorts of assets; however exact details are unknown since the colleges refuse to disclose where their investments lie. People on the frontlines face the brunt of the violence associated with resource extraction, but these projects impact us all. Climate change is global in scale and has already begun to affect every aspect of life on Earth. We must halt the development of all new fossil fuel projects to avoid the most catastrophic climate scenarios. These projects have other implications that are just as far-reaching. The institutions that profit from fossil fuel megaprojects also support systems that destroy our capacity to build healthy communities capable of adapting to the climate crisis. The same financial institutions that fund the climate crisis prioritize profit over the health and safety

Jasper’s Crossword: Degrees of separation

of communities in which they operate. These investment practices support industries that harm all of us, including militarization of police forces, expansion of the for-profit prison system and corporatization of residential real estate. Institutions that seek profit at the expense of human life and well-being have no place in our society, especially when we are attempting to address catastrophic climate collapse. Our colleges’ endowments are actively funding the assault against systems of life. The only hope for transitioning to a world that can deal with the disastrous implications of global climate change is to address the values that underlie our actions. To address these issues in our communities, we must parse out the ways the colleges are implicated in the history and perpetuation of settler colonialism, resource extractivism, white supremacy and other ideologies that subjugate human and non-human life. The Claremont Colleges, spe-

DOWN 1. Military disposal unit? 2. Crave longingly 3. Ribbing 4. LA mayor Garcetti 5. Louisiana music genre 6. Half of coin tosses

7. Kind of show at a convention center 8. Universal donor blood type, for short 9. Flea’s strings 10. Giorgio’s fashion line 11. “Are we proceeding?” 12. Toto’s slippered companion 13. Loosens, as tied ropes 21. Twin Cities sch. 27. “That’s pretty rough” 28. Legendary Bears coach Mike 29. Fairy tale’s beginning 30. Hairstyle product 31. Tallahassee sch. 33. Trumpeter and bandleader Jones 36. Supposed smarts scores, for short 37. Cellist Tina 38. Type of song to have on repeat 39. Admits 40. Target of the 13th Amendment 41. “Try wearing this” 44. Be too scared to 45. Multivitamin dosage 46. Child’s cloth toy 48. Grin and ______ 49. Clears off the board 50. Bro/sis 52. “Hello” singer 55. Partner of Crosby & Stills 56. Singers Smith and Cooke 57. Orchestra-tuning instrument 58. Fissure

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

Convincing healthy people that they are sick seems ridiculous, but it just may work. “Knock,” a 1923 satirical French play written by Jules Romains, tells the story of a small village with a perfectly healthy population that transforms into a hub of medical tourism. The protagonist, Knock, who comes to the village as a new doctor, convinces the population that they are sicker than they believe and successfully establishes a money-making scheme through deception and manipulation. “Knock” is a reflection of the larger phenomenon in contemporary society where the general public is indoctrinated or institutionalized by a particular belief and ideology that dominates current establishments and social norms. As today’s generations put utter trust in so-called “science,” medical research institutions and pharmaceutical companies are granted the absolute authority to determine what’s right and wrong. They manipulate the public into believing their rhetoric in a way that ensures corporate interests without accountability. Many underlying issues of the pharmaceutical industry may be attributed to its economic structure. As pharmaceutical companies claim intellectual rights to drugs and exclude competitors from entering the market, the industry is largely monopolized. Big Pharma is able to set prices freely in a way that prioritizes corporate benefits over patients. The high prices also create the illusion among consumers that drugs are meant to be, or deserve to be, expensive. In reality, drugs’ intrinsic values are far less than their market prices. Moreover, the monopolization of the pharmaceutical industry has further exacerbated public health inequality around the world, with developing countries still struggling to access essential drugs. According to the Guardian, manufacturing companies, especially in India, have been attempting to provide generic drugs to patients in developing countries, yet their endeavors have been continuously hindered by Big Pharma, who use

OFF THE RECORD

ACROSS 1. Like holiday cards that arrive in January 5. Oscar-nominated director Chloé 9. The “Chinese Google” 14. Chromebook and PC manufacturer 15. Oscar-nominated actor Steven 16. Activity that stokes a burning passion? 17. Cuisine of pad see ew 18. Go steady 19. Smile with an edge 20. *Pick from a pound? 22. Used as a chair 23. “__ Were a Rich Man” 24. Some DJs 25. Org. for which F is for Foxtrot 26. “Please, don’t! I’m begging you!” 28.*Snoopy-vs-Red Baron altercation 32. Thus 33. Fork’s prongs 34. Yiddish exclamations 35. *Group whose first priority is not being discussed? 39. Egyptian snake 42. Shake (as a person, or the ground) 43. Smell 47. *Stain-removal aid 49. Spain, in Spain 51. Actress Blanchett 52. Singer-songwriter Lennox 53. Gas pump opt. 54. Bottled water with mountains on the label 56. *Yeastless loaf 59. Jordanian city with beautiful cut rock 60. Lincoln and Simpson 61. ____-European 62. Un plus deux 63. Double agent 64. Mare’s newborn 65. Inst. in the “Take On Me” lick 66. Regards 67. “G2G!”

Guest columnist Ethan Vitaz PZ ’22 is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is a member of Divest Claremont Colleges and believes that climate organizing is more important than doing your homework.

Stop brushing aside Big Pharma’s corporate greed and corruption SAE FURUKAWA

JASPer DAvIDoFF • THe STUDeNT LIFe

cifically, were founded on the removal and erasure of Indigenous Tongva communities. The colleges have largely failed to take meaningful steps to rectify this history. The colleges’ endowments collectively exceed $4 billion in assets, much of which is likely invested in the systems most aggressively destroying life on Earth. On top of this, the colleges are a cesspool for the corporate elite looking to clear their names by becoming trustees of ‘socially responsible’ liberal arts colleges. Billionaires like Kravis and Roberts use their positions as trustees to greenwash their reputations, which allows them to be perceived as responsible leaders, despite investing billions of dollars in climate destruction and human rights violations. Our community, especially students, have a responsibility to expose the contradictions within our schools and hold them accountable for perpetuating and preserving systems of violence and destruction. Supporting the

people experiencing the worst of this violence is not only an act of solidarity, but also an act of self-preservation and an attempt to strengthen community resilience. Divesting from institutions that destroy our capacity to support life is not another accolade. Rather, it is just the first of many necessary steps the colleges must take if they are to permanently sustain themselves. Transitioning to a just and ecological society requires participation from everyone. Personal consumption habits play a small role in decreasing our collective impact on our environment. Changing society materially requires that we democratize the institutions that for centuries have concentrated wealth and power in the hands of the few. We need to directly confront these systems in our own communities if we want to see progressive change. Restoring and honoring Indigenous sovereignty is the most effective way to address the climate crisis, and there isn’t much time. The stakes are as high as they can get. This is not just some social issue that you should support because it is right. This is a war in defense of the forces that produce and sustain life on Earth. It is not a question of whether or not you want to get involved. You are already involved. It is a matter of taking action to stop the destruction of life before it is too late. Organizing our communities to expose and address the contradictions that exist in our lives is the most effective way to liberate all of us. Tons of organizations are already doing this work, like KKRKills, Divest Claremont Colleges, 5C Student & Worker Alliance, 5C Prison Abolition Collective and Claremont SJP.

patent rights to restrain their operations to the disadvantage of the poor. While it seems inevitable that corporations prioritize profits over customers, a series of instances have demonstrated that the monopolization of the pharmaceutical industry is especially problematic due to its immense power over what constitutes “public knowledge.” Gerald Posner, an investigative journalist and author of the book “Pharma,” recounts how medical marketing has contributed to the overprescription of drugs like painkillers and antidepressants, resulting in “untold health harms.” As a part of their marketing strategies, pharmaceutical companies have promoted highly addictive drugs to regulators as a safe product, only to later cause severe withdrawal symptoms among patients. In addition to price setting and manipulative medical marketing, the conflicts of interest among medical researchers has contributed to Big Pharma’s consolidation of power. A 2017 Cochrane Review found that results and conclusions of a medical trial funded by a pharmaceutical company tended to be in the company’s favor far more than an independent trial. By influencing the results of clinical trials, industry funding further accelerates the power centralization of Big Pharma, who would then have an easier time convincing

patients of the effectiveness and usability of drugs in the name of “science.” But if medical research is susceptible to bias depending on who funds it, then it seems absurd to argue that medical science is objective or universal — undermining the reliability and objectivity of “science” altogether. But let’s make one thing clear: I am not arguing that “science” as a discipline is necessarily unreliable. Instead, my focus here is a concern toward the general trend in society where people don’t think critically of or challenge the institutions whose rhetoric of manipulation invades every bit of their lives. Just like how any criticism toward Catholic churches was demoralized back in medieval Europe, questioning medical institutions is nowadays prone to receiving public backlash. Those who claim that “public health shouldn’t be politicized” must acknowledge that medical science itself may be ruled or fabricated by stakeholders competing for corporate interests — which, for pharmaceutical companies, are probably far more important than public health at all. If individuals remain unable to challenge Big Pharma, either out of ignorance or fear of repercussions, there will be no real progress made in terms of the industry’s transparency and exploitation of medical science. Sae Furukawa PO ’25 is from Tokyo, Japan. She loves nonfiction, documentaries and Coppola’s films.

CoUrTeSY: CHrIS PoTTer vIA FLICKr

our culture around science allows pharmaceutical companies to exploit us unquestioned, argues Sae Furukawa Po ’25.

Course catalog has dropped! So many cool classes to take :)

Kim K + Pete Davidson A new power could on the scene!

I have a 4:15 reg time... “Hi! I’m majoring in [bLANK], and I would love the opportunity to take your class next semester!” Kanye must be sad... He’s about to enter his reputation era.

OpiniOns

PAGe 8

Don’t be fooled, your ‘baggage’ isn’t a burden

beLLA PeTTeNGILL • THe STUDeNT LIFe

SHAY SURESH As someone who’s wrestled with the tumultuous rollercoaster of mental health, I can confidently state that most of what I want to say ultimately goes unsaid. The stigma behind mental health makes it difficult to be candid when you live with an invisible hand stifling your unvoiced thoughts. Self-doubt wins out over self-assurance, suppressing the feelings that may be a little too intense for casual conversation. So I accept that hand, allow it to sit in its designated place, and let it fulfill its purpose of turning my ringing sentiments to a hush. In conversation, many feel the need to self-censor, filter or make light of their concerns in order to avoid making other people feel uncomfortable. In this context, I’m going to refer to the conception of sharing as an “indulgence.” When meeting new people and finding our way around fresh relationships, it feels easiest to keep conversation to the basics. If we venture too far into personal territory, are we at risk of scaring someone off? When we consider the most intimate parts of ourselves a burden on others, our conversations become more calculated. Sharing our most intimate feelings becomes this “indulgence,” something we enjoy despite its supposed impropriety. In such a bind, we’re plagued with the sinking feeling that we cannot make ourselves heard without emotionally unloading on our peers. So we project an image of ourselves that’s easiest for others to digest, molding our words to be more palatable. Think about a conversation you’ve had, one where you’d been itching to share your innermost thoughts. Let’s say you were healing from an onerous experience, and the words were bubbling up inside of you, dying to be blurted out. But you ultimately brushed it off with a joke, or swallowed the words be-

fore they surfaced. Maybe the environment didn’t call for it or your peers seemed dispassionate about the sway in conversation. But your “baggage” — those real, vulnerable, honest feelings — aren’t a burden. We don’t need to compartmentalize our feelings and store them away, never to be seen again. Your most vulnerable thoughts matter as much as your ordinary ones, and they deserve a place in conversation. It’s possible that some people don’t have the bandwidth to take on someone else’s issues, in which case I would strongly recommend two things: for the speaker to ask their friend if they’re in the right mindset to hear them out, and for the friend to actively engage in boundary-setting. As the listener, we can practice radical empathy without internalizing someone else’s pain. I advise anyone who feels anxious about sharing their truest feelings to have faith in their peers’ good intentions. If your peers don’t have good intentions, that’s a reflection on them, not you. But trust me; as someone who’s been on the other side, we want to hear you out. I believe I can speak for the majority when I say that, although we’re not healers in any capacity, we want to make space for you and validate your feelings to the best of our ability. Regardless of who you try it with, destigmatizing the idea of “baggage” starts with acknowledging the validity of those raw, unpleasant feelings. And I hope we can strive towards embracing and sharing those feelings, free of hesitation and with trust. Shay Suresh CM ’24 is from San Jose, California. She loves literary fiction, folk-rock music and making Pinterest boards.

November 5, 2021

Mudders, take charge of your honor code SERENA MAO In-search-of, or ISO, emails aren’t unusual at Harvey Mudd College. But in the last week, the number of students hoping to get their stolen skateboards back has been startling. Similarly, during the recent Northern Lights party, AirPods and other personal property were stolen out of rooms that students had offered as bathrooms for partygoers, prompting the locking of doors and balconies at the next social gathering. Though these thefts might seem insignificant out of context, they carry special implications at HMC, which prides itself on its honor code — a trust-based system where students and faculty rely on one another to have integrity, care for one another and respect the rules. Theoretically, students should feel comfortable leaving their valuables unattended, not out of carelessness, but because they trust other Mudders to act with good intentions. In the same vein, faculty are comfortable giving take-home tests with no proctoring because they have faith in the honor code and students’ genuine desire to learn, as opposed to gaining a couple extra points. In general, students are less physically barred from dishonest or immoral actions at HMC because of the honor code’s indirect enforcement of the rules. Instead, they are offered more opportunities — like 24/7 access to certain classrooms and labs — in return for maintaining integrity without supervi-

sion. The honor code relies on a stable environment of trust, where students first experience its benefits and then feel more inclined to abide by its rules. For example, by watching others taking unsupervised tests, which allows for test-taking flexibility and comfortability, or leaving one’s laptop in a classroom and then coming back to it untouched, Mudders gain confidence in the honor code and are more likely to continue fostering its effectiveness. On the other hand, a noticeable increase in honor code violations puts this confidence in danger, threatening to unravel the basis of the contract. If Mudders become increasingly afraid that the honor code isn’t being followed, they are less likely to reap its benefits, setting off a vicious cycle where the honor code becomes increasingly ineffectual. In order to understand how to stabilize trust in the honor code, it’s important to understand the nature of such contracts. It’s easy to wonder why HMC is unique in its usage of an honor code, and as a result, some may hypothesize that Mudders must be more trustworthy than the average student. Yet, the success of the honor code has little to do with individual character; rather, the social norm and established expectations actually shape individual behavior instead of the other way around. Studies have corroborated this claim; for example, in comparisons of schools with and without an honor code policy, students’

Serena Mao HM ’25 is from Fremont, California. She’s holding onto her skateboard for dear life.

oLIvIA SHrAGer • THe STUDeNT LIFe

The Harvey mudd honor code is under threat, and infractions may have a bigger impact than we realize, argues Serena mao Hm ’25.

California’s juvenile justice system needs a complete overhaul

Missing people you’ve never met is a valid experience

KENNY LE

MISHAAL IJAZ

California Senate Bill 889, proposed by State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, would raise the state’s juvenile detention age from 18 to 20. However, we should go further by raising the age to 25 and ensuring no one under that age is tried as an adult. The juvenile justice system is far more rehabilitative than the adult justice system. Prisoners in juvie are provided some form of education, conditions in juvie facilities are less harsh than adult jails and sentencing is often more lenient. Statistics show this unfortunate reality: for minors tried in adult criminal courts, recidivism (rearrest and reconviction) rates are estimated to be nearly 30 percent higher than for those tried as juveniles, and minors are 36 times more likely to commit suicide in an adult jail than in a juvenile detention facility. Sadly, California’s judicial code doesn’t allow enough people to garner the benefits of being tried as a juvenile. Juvenile justice must revolve around core principles in line with the psychological understandings we have regarding adolescent behavior. Professor Emily Buss at the University of Chicago Law School — also a Pitzer College parent — has extensively described the risk-prone and malleable nature of youth. Because brains don’t fully develop until the mid-20s, adolescent behaviors are not as emotionally stable. Buss also demonstrates that socialization in harsh environments directly affects juveniles’ futures. With this understanding, California must overhaul its code to rehabilitate individuals that can’t scientifically be considered fully culpable for their actions and whose futures rest on the socialization that the justice system affords them. The issues with California’s juvenile justice system, however, reach further than age limits: The entire system is broken. By 2023, California’s inhumane state-run youth prisons will finally be shut down under Senate Bill 823. Unsettling reports have indicated that standard regulation and oversight cannot improve these prisons where single-digit

Many years before I was born, my maternal grandmother passed away. While I never had the chance to meet her, I find myself longing for her. I always tried to brush off my feelings by saying that missing someone I have never met is certainly not as devastating as missing someone who had been physically present in my life. However, I have found that these feelings are more complex. While missing people who have been a major part of your daily life is truly sad and tragic, missing people you never met can also be extremely painful. When you lose a person you got to know very well, you can be comforted by the memories you shared. However, when you have never gotten the chance to meet a person, you are only left with a vague imagination of what they could have been like in your life. It is the lack of memories that makes the grieving process uniquely painful. While it is widely accepted that grief can look different depending on how people express emotion, there is little discussion of what grief can look like with people you have never met. In my experience, grieving over someone I have never met is disorienting. It is hard to wrap your head around the idea that you can miss someone when you have no clue what their voice sounds like, what they really look like or what their sense of humor is. Missing the unknown is what makes the grieving process so complex. On days where you miss that person, it can be hard to find something to comfort yourself with. Discussing their death with someone who actually knew them feels disrespectful and almost intrusive. It is easy to question if you have the right to feel sad when other people’s lives were physically changed when that person passed away. We can long for people’s presence in our lives because of the amazing stories we hear about them. My mother would tell me about how my grandmother took low-income girls to school and paid their fees instead of hiring them for domestic work like oth-

mArIANA DUrAN • THe STUDeNT LIFe

educational proficiency, sexual assault, physical abuse and suicide were the norms. Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration deemed these problems systemically built into these prisons and irreversible. But while Newsom applauds this bill, proposed alternatives to these jails are band-aid fixes to a system that needs a complete overhaul. California’s juvenile justice system will continue to devastate children’s livelihoods unless massive changes are made to focus juvenile justice on rehabilitation and not punishment. With state-run youth prisons shutting down, SB 823 wants counties to designate detention facilities to replace the jails, hopefully creating the “least restrictive appropriate environment” for minors. However, existing county detention facilities are also rife with problems. In Los Angeles County, for instance, the U.S. Department of Justice found that the same problems of poor educational fulfillment and excessive force found in state-run prisons were also common in Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall. In Camp Kilpatrick, a detention center meant to embrace a culture of care, a probation commissioner unsurprisingly found that staff severely

self-reported academic dishonesty and cheating show no changes. To explain this, other analyses have found that social factors like norms and expectations are more influential in explaining dishonesty than the characteristics of an individual. This makes sense — I’m sure we can all agree that others’ behavior influences our own, especially when it comes to following the rules. Watching our peers abide by regulations makes it awkward for us to break them, and vice versa. This might already be obvious, but its implications for the honor code’s stability are more important; its survival depends largely on each individual’s efforts to maintain it. In turn, this means that when the honor code might appear to be in danger, a collective effort to reaffirm its principles contributes significantly to restoring it. Mudders and HMC faculty need to keep the honor code’s nature in mind, recognizing that any small infraction isn’t a clever trick used to leverage the contract’s leniency, but rather a dangerous action that, when repeated enough times, may threaten its existence. In the same vein, if they witness any unravelings of the contract, they should have faith in its values, consciously reaffirming them through their actions and taking charge of the honor code. Then, maybe the ISOs will return to normal levels and hopefully, the skateboards will be returned to their rightful owners.

deprived special education youth of educational opportunities and overly prescribed psychotropic medications. California must move away from detention centers altogether and instead increase funding for multidisciplinary community-based prevention programs. The underlying principles of California’s justice system need reexamination. Individualistic attitudes toward responsibility have ultimately turned state criminal justice systems into ones fueled by retaliatory hatred. Retributive systems that seek to punish through arbitrary degrees of harm don’t help anyone: not society, not criminals and not their victims. This has led to 74.2 percent of California juvenile criminals being rearrested within only three years of release. That is a remarkable failure. The only way we should improve the juvenile justice system is through implementing sweeping legislative changes that radically change our perspectives on what the role of criminal justice systems is. Kenny Le PZ ’25 is from Anaheim, California. He is a stressed freshman looking to work in public policy.

ers would do. Stories like these make me feel close to my grandmother and miss her more than anything. Missing a celebrity who passed away is an experience most of us can relate to. For example, when Kobe Bryant tragically passed away, many people shared how he was a great inspiration and how much they will miss his presence. While most people who expressed sadness over Bryant’s death never knew him on a personal level, they still grieved him and miss him even today. Do not let other people or your own thoughts convince you that missing people you have never met is an invalid experience. Do not be your own worst enemy. Allow yourself to feel sad without questioning if you have the right to do so. If you can, try to listen to as many stories as you can about the person you miss. While you will never completely understand what they were like, stories can provide insight into their lives, which can make you feel more connected to them. Because you never experienced the end of that person’s life, you may never be able to fully come to terms with the person’s death. Part of the unique grieving process is learning how to be okay without having closure. The person may always feel alive in your head and your imagined realities, and that is just part of life. If you are really struggling to cope with someone’s death, it may be helpful to visit a grief counselor. Just because you never met the person you miss, it doesn’t mean you are not worthy of seeking help. We all deal with difficult experiences differently, and sometimes you may need someone to help you process your feelings. Mishaal Ijaz SC ’24 is from San Diego, California. She enjoys spending time with her family.

SeLeNA LoPeZ • THe STUDeNT LIFe

SportS

November 5, 2021

Meredith Bloss HM ’23 is striving for the Athenas in her first season

PAGe 9

5C archery club takes aim at skillbuilding in a collaborative space

CoUrTeSY: 5C ArCHerY CLUb

members of 5C Archery work on their shooting skills.

JUSTIN GUO

HANNAH WeAver • THe STUDeNT LIFe

meredith bloss Hm ’23 runs ahead of the pack at the SCIAC Team Championships meet.

MICHELE TANG Taking home the individual SCIAC title and breaking Claremont-Mudd-Scripps’s 6K program record earlier this year, Meredith Bloss HM ’23 has blossomed into a cross country star for the Athenas, leading them to their 11th straight SCIAC team championship. But her collegiate running career didn’t begin in Claremont. Originally from Guilford, Connecticut, Bloss was recruited as an Ivy League Division I athlete at Cornell University. “The engineering program was really strong. I wanted to stay closer to home than I ended up being and I really liked the team there,” Bloss said. “It was just a really beautiful place with really good academics. It was just a very prestigious program too, so it was very appealing.” Despite not competing much during her freshman year, Bloss said there were some benefits in being part of Cornell’s XC team. “It was definitely not a negative experience because there’s a lot of funding and resources available,” Bloss said. “It was really exciting to compete with some really phenomenal runners who [eventually] went on to compete in the Olympics.” Chilly Ithaca weather and otherwise, Cornell ultimately wasn’t the best fit for Bloss. She began the college transfer process just two weeks before the deadline in mid-March of this year. “I was going to ride it out for the rest of the semester and see what happened,” Bloss said. “If I got into a place I wanted to go and was sure [of] leaving Cornell, I would decide then. But it was really more of just [going] with the

flow.” Bloss had heard about Harvey Mudd College before and, while considering her possible transfer options, the school came back on her radar. “I was interested in a small liberal arts college and Mudd was a really good fit because it’s STEM heavy and I wanted to keep running, so I reached out to the team and eventually ended up [here],” Bloss said. In addition to permitting her to pursue both her academic and athletic interests, Mudd offered Bloss a way to connect with her teammates on a deeper level.

We have a really special team this year with really a lot of depth. I want to see how high we can place. Meredith Bloss HM ’23

“I think running, for me, a lot of my social life revolves around the team, which I think is true for a lot of people — that’s something that’s really strong about CMS culture,” Bloss said. “So for me, it was definitely a nonzero factor because I wanted to have that social network. I wanted a place that had a really strong team culture.” Within her newfound social sphere, Bloss said the 5Cs offer a unique blend of athletic and academic possibility. “The consortium is really

unique in that you have a lot of people who are competing at a very high level, and also getting a really good education,” Bloss said. “I think that’s something that’s really special at the Claremont Colleges.” Contrary to horror stories revealing how Mudd is “ridiculously hard” academically, the cross-country star was surprised when her classes were more collective-oriented. “I didn’t realize that there are lots of resources and a strong collaborative attitude with Mudd, which I think really helps prepare people for working in the real world after graduation,” Bloss said. “Personally, it’s really hard to find a school that has a multidisciplinary engineering degree, while also allowing me to take interesting courses in theater.” In terms of athletics, Bloss says that there are “more parallels” when comparing her experiences in Cornell’s Division I and CMS’ Division III programs. “At both levels, however you choose to break it down, you have a bunch of people working really hard, all for the same goal,” Bloss said. “Just because they’re different conferences doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s any different.” In the near future, Bloss looks forward to helping CMS bolster its cross-country resume. “We have a lot of big team goals for this year in terms of the Nationals Meet,” Bloss said. “We have a really special team this year with really a lot of depth. I want to see how high we can place and how far we can take that.”

Athletes of the Week Pomona-Pitzer Kyle Lau PO ’25 Hong Kong Men’s Soccer Earning SCIAC Newcomer of the Year Honors this week, first-year striker Kyle Lau found the back of the net six times and assisted teammates twice for the Sagehens, serving as one of the bright spots in an otherwise unremarkable season for P-P. His most notable performance came earlier in the year on Oct. 16 versus CalTech, when he scored a goal and produced an assist en route to a 5-0 rout of the Beavers. Ending the season with a 6-5-1 conference record, the Sagehens narrowly missed out on the SCIAC postseason by placing fifth overall.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Justin Edwards CM ’25 East Hampton, CT Football Having a breakout first collegiate season, running back Justin Edwards again turned in an impressive performance against La Verne on Halloween Eve, rushing for three touchdowns and 174 yards overall. With this standout showing, Edwards bumped up his averages to approximately 110 yards per game with 13 touchdowns overall, closing in on CMS program records. He serves as the primary factor behind the majority of the dominant Stags’ running attack this year, which averages 210 yards per game on the ground as a team. Following this win against La Verne, CMS is now 6-2 overall and will hit the road to face Chapman on Saturday.

Packing a quiver of arrows, buckling a chest guard and carrying a giant bow, each member pulls back and takes aim. The sound of arrows piercing targets is heard every Sunday afternoon on Arce Field, home to the 5C archery club. For member Gillian Bell SC ’23, the organization offers a space to embrace the sport. “It’s a very laid back environment,” Bell said. “If you know nothing about archery, we will teach you, and you don’t have to stay the whole time — you can just hang out and watch us.” Between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., the club offers collaborative opportunities where any student can learn about the nuances of archery. Club president Trevor Christensen CM ’22 emphasized the group’s open nature. “We have the philosophy that people of any skill level can show up and participate,” he said. “We have people who’ve done archery for years and people who haven’t shot before at all; the overall purpose is to provide a welcoming space to shoot archery and get better at the sport.” A typical Sunday meeting involves rolling out archery targets, borrowing Claremont-Mudd-Scripps’ archery equipment and letting members freely shoot. For Bell, this environment was essential to her choice of college. After arriving in Claremont, she began shooting with the archery club her freshman year, and has not been able to participate since due to the pandemic. “After first participating in eighth grade and all throughout high school, I knew [archery was] a sport that I will possibly do for the rest of my life,” she said. “I was really looking for any college that had some sort of a team, so having a club here was definitely a major bonus point [in choosing Scripps].” Despite being a difficult sport to pick up initially for Bell, improving her archery skills allowed her to develop perseverance and a never-giveup mindset. “The biggest thing [back then] was that I was absolutely horrible at it — like I couldn’t

even hit the target,” Bell said. “I think that me being so awful at it made me kind of want to keep pursuing it. If you mess up, you can see the immediate result — I really like the black and white nature of archery in that sense.” Bell mentioned how she enjoys sharing these stories while building relationships with other archers who have unique backgrounds. “It’s been really fun and interesting to see other people’s relationships with archery,” Bell said. “They’re used to different kinds of equipment, coming from different coaches or different teams — we’re also coming from different geographical areas, so everyone brings their own level and perspective of experience.” Considering improvements in the club, Bell expressed how sending members to archery competitions could potentially attract more interest to 5C Archery. Although there are “many regulations” and “time conflicts” to work through, the club has thought about sending students to personal tournaments in the past, or even hosting their own informal tournaments, Bell said. “It’s difficult because there’s a variety of experience levels, but it’s something I’m definitely interested in,” Bell said. “I think it might be interesting to place students in group competitions after driving them out a few hours and having two-day trips to central California.” While practicing is “all well and fun”, Christensen said, tournaments add a new level of challenge and are a cool way for archers to test their skills in competitive environments. “Sometimes [competitions] come down to a one arrow shoot off, and those are some of the craziest moments; you’ve gotten so far in the tournament, and everything’s riding on this one arrow,” he said. “Looking back, half the fun I’ve had in archery is going through [those moments].” Currently, the club has around half a dozen consistent members, although attendance varies from week to week. Looking ahead, Bell hopes the club garners more attention all across the 5Cs. “[Archery club] is very much an open environment and I would really like to get other people to be involved in that space,” Bell said. “For me, archery is very much a meditative sport, so being able to share that experience with other people is really fun.”

Sports Calendar P-P

CMS

Friday, Nov. 5

Saturday, Nov. 6

men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving Chicago Classic @ Chicago, IL

men’s & Women’s Swimming and Diving @ occidental

Saturday, Nov. 6 men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving Whittier & Chapman @ Chapman men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving Chicago Classic @ Chicago, IL

Women’s volleyball against Chapman SCIAC Final men’s Soccer vs. redlands SCIAC Final men’s Water Polo vs. redlands Football @ Chapman

Women’s Soccer Against Cal Lutheran SCIAC Final

Wednesday, Nov. 10

Football @ La verne

men’s Water Polo @ Whittier

Women’s basketball @ Pacific Lutheran

Friday, Nov. 12

Sunday, Nov. 7 Women’s basketball @ Puget Sound Wednesday, Nov. 10 men’s Water Polo vs. Concordia (Cal.) vs. occidental @ roberts Pavilion men’s basketball @ UC Santa Cruz men’s Water Polo vs. Whittier

Women’s basketball vs. Southwestern Assembly of God (Ariz.) Saturday, Nov. 13 men’s & Women’s Swimming and Diving @ Chapman (with CalTech) men’s & Women’s Cross Country @ Pomona-Pitzer NCAA regionals Football vs. Pomona-Pitzer

SportS

PAGe 10

November 5, 2021

With travel restrictions lifted, Claremont’s Ultimate Frisbee teams are getting back into gear ANNE FRIEDMAN Until recently, COVID-19 restrictions meant Claremont’s Ultimate Frisbee teams were confined to practices at home. But with new guidelines allowing limited travel to tournaments, the clubs are gearing up to get back on the field this fall. Tournaments and success are important, but the Greenshirts prioritize building a welcoming community Having completed their first match on Oct. 24, the 5Cs women’s ultimate frisbee team, the Greenshirts, are striving to replicate previous successes at Nationals. The Greens are one of two teams playing in the Division III Southwest SoCal DI conference of USA Ultimate, with the other program being Occidental. Team captain Natasha Vhugen SC ’22 said the Greenshirts have been very competitive over the past decade. “We had a seven-year streak of going to Nationals,” she said. “We were actually tied for the longest-running Nationals streak in the country, but unfortunately, that was broken in my sophomore year when we didn’t make it [in 2019].” To punch their ticket to Nationals, Claremont must have a better overall record over Oxy at the end of the season. “[The Greens] are a part of the only league in the country that has two teams in a league, which [makes it] difficult,” Vhugen said. “So every single point of every single game counts; [the committee] also factors in aggregate points.” Despite Nationals usually being hosted in May, preparations for this competition begin in the fall. “We welcome everyone regardless of experience and skill level; there are plenty of people who come in having never touched a frisbee in their entire lives,” Vhugen said. “Normally in the fall, we attend one or two tournaments that we sort of jokingly refer to as learnaments because they’re just mostly for learning and for development while not counting for anything.” While participating in these early competitions, the team typically has practices consisting of long warm-up routines and lots of “active throwing drills.” These consist of intense running and tossing exercises geared to train members for more complex schemes in the sport. “The captains then typically teach a concept, which [might be] a zone or specific type of defense and positioning that we want to have on the field,” Vhugen said. “After we teach that verbally, we run a couple drills for [the concept] and then we scrimmage at the end of practice, usually for at least 45 minutes while incorporating the [scheme] we just taught. Following this preparatory stage, the Greens attend more official tournaments in the spring and play a minimum of 10 games

XIAo JIANG • THe STUDeNT LIFe

members of the Greenshirts, the women’s 5C ultimate frisbee club, run through a drill at practice.

within them. They also engage in the Northwest Challenge, considered one of the biggest collegiate ultimate frisbee tournaments. “Tons of teams come, and we get to play teams from across the country that we never ordinarily get to play,” Vhugen said. “We’ve played Brown a couple times when they flew out for the tournament.” Along with these outside competitions, this year features Nationals in both the fall and spring semester. Typically only held in the spring, the fall championship series was made to give an extra opportunity to athletes who missed out on the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to the pandemic. But the Greens are still sorting out health guidelines that govern how to participate in these competitions. “We are allowed to stay in hotel rooms as a team, but everyone has to be vaccinated,” Vhugen said. “If you are not vaccinated, you have to have a negative test result within 72 hours of play and play with a mask on under USA ultimate rules. But, at times, the messaging has been confusing about what set of guidelines we’re even expected to follow.” Additional struggles have arised when considering the funding aspects of ultimate. Not officially regarded as a collegiate sport, the Greenshirts face more out-of-pocket costs than other

athletes. “We often have to fund our own travel; it’s not at all fair for every person on the team to shell out, what can add up to be $400 over the course of the whole year to play,” Vhugen said. “At times it feels like [the Greens] are not being prioritized or taken very seriously because it’s not a varsity sport.” Despite these obstacles, Vhugen said the Greens have continued to foster a wholesome community. In addition to attending collective team meals, they have also maintained camaraderie through “assigning nicknames and writing small booklets for one another.” This inclusive, heartwarming cultural aspect of the team is also reflected in the nature of the sport itself. “I think what makes frisbee so special is because it’s a self-refereed sport,” Vhugen said. “When we’re playing, there’s a team that wins in terms of points but there’s also a team that wins in terms of spirit. A spirit award is given out at every tournament for the team who plays the most respectfully and with the best sportsmanship.” Ultimately, as one of the Greens’ co-captains, Vhugen hopes to provide a safe space for team members to find mental and emotional catharsis. “I think the team for me is a break from school, from my job,” she said. “It’s a break and release from all of the potential-

ly more stressful things that are happening throughout the day.” With a new coach, the Brains look to make their mark On the men’s side, the Braineaters play in the D3 Southwest Men’s league with two other SCIAC conference teams: Occidental and CalTech. Similar to the Greens’ weekly practices, Griffin Campion PO ’24 said the Brains also participate in elongated, detailed warm-up exercises and “focused throwing” drills. “Everybody has a partner and practices different kinds of throws; trying to dial those in both as a warm up and get general practice,” Campion said. “We then do different drills that the captains set up, depending on what they’re trying to have us work on at the time. After going through certain styles of offense or defense, we oftentimes will play a scrimmage to review.” With the loosening of restrictions, Campion said recent approval for the team to travel to tournaments is something “exciting to look forward to.” “Up until now, we’ve been practicing for two and a half months and haven’t been able to play a single game,” he said. “Not being able to play a single game can become discouraging after a while … you don’t get to use what you’re practicing in a competitive context.”

Despite recent challenges, Campion said the club provides spaces to learn about the nuances of the sport through the lens of other experienced veterans on the team. “Throwing with some people is really satisfying because you kind of learn how others operate in the sport,” he said. “We had a more social event recently where we got put into teams and did different kinds of fun challenges and things like that.” In addition to learning from peers, the Brains have gained a coach this year, who will come to practices and mostly help out during game-time situations. With team captains usually taking control of how the team operates, Campion said this change was a pleasant surprise. “I think [the coach] will be able to look at the bigger picture when the captains are playing,” he said. “That’s going to help with cohesion, especially during games; it’s just nice to have somebody with so much experience on the field as well.” Along with this new addition to the team, the Brains look to strengthen their athletes physically to be prepared for tournaments in the near future. “I feel like the Brains have had more intensified practices that have really improved our play,” Campion said. “We do some pretty consistent conditioning every time and I think that’s allowed us to play a lot better with each other.”

P-P and CMS cross country programs bring home SCIAC chips ALEX CHUN Boasting extensive histories of success, the Pomona-Pitzer men’s and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women’s cross country teams hit SCIAC’s peak by outperforming league competition in the championships over this past weekend. With this win, the Sagehens have now earned the SCIAC team title for three out of the last four years of competition. Meanwhile, the Athenas extended their

decade-long streak of being crowned SCIAC champions to 11 years. The men’s competition featured a tight one-two battle between P-P and CMS, with the Sagehens narrowly edging out the Stags by a slim margin of eight points. Overall, P-P athletes comprised 13 out of the first 25 runners to cross the finish line. To achieve this feat, the Sagehens jumped out to a blistering

pace early and maintained a front pack throughout the majority of the meet. Notable performances included Ethan Widlansky’s PO ’22 second-place finish, closely followed by Colin Kirkpatrick PO ’24, Lucas Florsheim PO ’24, and Jack Rosencrans PO ’23 who finished sixth, seventh and eighth respectively. CMS women’s cross country trounced runner-up competition by a margin of 33 points, scoring a near-perfect mark of 18. Their

total was historic, becoming the lowest score by a program in the history of the SCIAC women’s cross country championships. The record was made possible by five Athenas who were in the first six athletes to cross the line. Led by a first-place finish by Meredith Bloss HM ’23 and a second-place finish by Riley Harmon SC ’22, Natalie Bitetti CM ’24, Emily Clarke SC ’22 and Sophie Gitlin CM ’22 rounded out CMS’ top five, concluding

the race at fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. As a result of these performances, each program featured ten athletes who achieved first and second team all-SCIAC honor recognitions for their performances in this meet. Both teams will look forward to competing in the NCAA West Regionals Championship on Nov. 13, in an attempt to qualify for a spot in the Division III National Championship.

CoUrTeSY: LAUrA ZImmer

The Athenas pose following their eleventh consecutive SCIAC team title championship.