Vol. CXXXI, No. 18

THE

STUDENT

LIFE

The student newspaper of the Claremont Colleges since 1889

CLAREMONT, CA

FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2019

VOL. CXXI NO. 18

CMS baseball suspended Potential hazing at ‘talent show’ investigated TORREY HART The Claremont-MuddScripps baseball team (13-8-1, 6-6 SCIAC) was not allowed to practice or meet all week, and will miss three games this weekend as the athletic department and its member schools continue to investigate potential hazing and conduct violations that may have occurred at a team talent show last Saturday night.

The actions, which are being reviewed for violations of the hazing policy and student codes of conduct, occurred Saturday evening at Claremont McKenna College, according to an email sent Monday from CMS interim athletic director Mike Sutton and the vice presidents of CMC, Scripps College and Harvey Mudd College.

The incident involved the team’s annual senior-organized “talent show,” in which first-year players typically perform for the rest of the team, a baseball team alumnus told TSL via message.

AMY BEST • THE STUDENT LIFE

Nic Meister CM ‘22 flexes in celebration during the Stags’ 7-2 win over Middlebury March 30.

Unable to pass legislation, ASPC considers withholding absent senators’ paychecks JULIA FRANKEL & BECKY HOVING Half of ASPC’s 15 paid elected senators are generally absent from weekly meetings, according to ASPC President Alejandro Guerrero PO ’19, impeding ASPC’s ability to pass legislation.

The attendance issues have become so severe that leadership is considering withholding their stipends.

ASPC has also not publicly posted its meeting minutes

during the 2018-2019 academic year.

“This year our students are just not actively engaged and are finding ways to not be as present as possible,” Guerrero said.

Unlike each of the other 5C student governments, ASPC’s bylaws and constitution do not require voting members to attend.

In minutes from the March 12 meeting — the only minutes TSL was able obtain from ASPC’s secretary Alfredo Reyes PO

’20 — more senators were absent than present, with 14 senators absent and 11 present. The minutes also stated that Ellie Ash-Bala, ASPC staff advisor, was absent from the March 12 meeting. Ash-Bala’s attendance is not required, though, as she does not vote.

“Attendance by Senate members has been a struggle this year,” Ash-Bala said.

See ASPC on Page 2

Following Officer Redd Dogg’s death, Campus Safety hires Bessie Beagle SIENA SWIFT After its first canine officer, Red Dogg, died in January, Campus Safety welcomed 9-year-old Officer Bessie Beagle to their team last week, according to a press release.

“We will always miss Red,

but all of us at Campus Safety are thrilled to have [Beagle] join the team,” Director of Campus Safety Stan Skipworth said.

Beagle’s first day was March 25, according to her Twitter account.

A certified emotional sup-

port animal, she serves as an in-house greeter, providing comfort and companionship to Campus Safety visitors, according to the press release. Beagle also attends a variety of events such as student orientations, services fairs and athletic events, Skipworth said via email.

She accompanies officers on foot patrol and helps students who need emotional support after a difficult experience, according to Skipworth. Beagle’s radio call sign is “K-9-2.”

Beagle was adopted from Priceless Pets, an animal rescue organization in Claremont. She spent a year at a rescue organization on the East Coast before moving to California to try to find a new home.

“We did a lot of search-

The alumnus, speaking on background because he did not want to represent a team he is no longer a part of, said he heard “no one was hurt or in danger, but it sounds like [security] was nearby and felt obligated to intervene.”

All CMS baseball activities were canceled for the week as the department “gather[ed] facts and details of the incident to determine the appropriate response,” CMS’ email said.

Team captain Zach Clarke CM ‘20 declined to comment on the team’s suspension. Other team members and alumni also declined to confirm details about Saturday’s events.

The team (13-8-1, 6-6 SCIAC) has won six of its past nine games and had to cancel three games against Willamette.

This marks the second team suspension in the past two school years for CMS Athletics. Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams were suspended last February while the department investigated potential conduct violations.

Breaking down 5C student government budgets Ahead of budget hearings, how do student govs spend their money?

JENSEN STEADY Ahead of April budget hearings for 5C clubs, which will give campus organizations the chance to pitch 5C student governments on funding for next year, TSL examined current budgets for each student government and broke down how they’re allocating their money.

ASPC had the biggest budget — $545,000, according to the organization’s website.

Pomona College’s student government spent the largest chunk of its budget, nearly 45%, on programming and operations, which includes big-dollar items like the Pomona Events Committee ($105,000) and a security fund ($30,000).

Additionally, ASPC spent more than $80,000 on 5C organizations and nearly $50,000 on Pomona-only clubs. Top-funded Pomona

organizations were Pomona Mock Trial ($8,500) and the Draper Center ($8,300), a center for fostering community partnerships. The most-funded 5C groups were TSL ($8,000) and KSPC ($6,500).

ASCMC clocked in next, with a budget of $342,004.94, according to the Claremont McKenna College student government’s records. Campus organizations was the single largest allocation for ASCMC, at $121,998.94 — close to 40% of the budget.

The most-funded CMC clubs were The Outdoor Initiative ($11,000), CMC’s outdoor programming group, the Asian Pacific American Mentor Program ($9,995) and CMC’s Mock Trial team ($7,500). Specific 5C club spending details were not disclosed in the official budget.

ASCMC’s student activities fund, which mostly goes to CMC parties like

Wedding Party ($29,800) and Monte Carlo ($21,000), was slightly smaller than the campus organization budget, at $121,766.

ASHMC closely followed ASCMC, with an annual budget of $328,606.60, according to the Harvey Mudd College student government’s records. The most-funded area for it, at nearly 31% of the total budget, was Mudd clubs like Black Lives at Mudd ($7,800), the Asian Pacific Islander Sponsor Program ($4,990) and the Society of Professional Latinx in STEM ($4,581).

ASHMC spent $17,711 on 5C organizations, but did not provide a full breakdown.

Pitzer Student Senate had the next biggest budget at $270,000, according to a senate bill passed in April. The Pitzer College student government allocated the larg-

See MONEY on Page 3

COURTESY OF MOYA CARTER

Campus Safety Director Stan Skipworth cuddles with Officer Bessie Beagle on the floor of the Campus Safety building.

LIFE AND STYLE

See BEAGLE on Page 3

Source: 5C student governments

MEGHAN JOYCE • THE STUDENT LIFE

OPINIONS

SPORTS

Philip Graham, a well-known writer and editor, spoke to students at Pomona College about his writing process.

Astrology is a terrible excuse for one’s bad behavior, according to opinions writer Eamon Morris PZ ’22.

P-P women’s soccer coach Jennifer Scanlon has been named P-P’s interim athletic director.

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TSL PRESENTS ITS ANNUAL APRIL FOOLS’

JOKE ISSUE

PAGES 7-10

NEWS THE STUDENT LIFE

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ASPC: Stipends come from student fees Continued from Page 1 Across the other 5Cs, student government meetings are routinely well-attended. At recent ASCMC and SAS meetings, there was only one absence each, according to the published minutes. The most recent minutes for Pitzer Senate recorded seven absences of a total 39 senators, and all members were present at the last ASHMC meeting.

ASHMC fines senators $25 per meeting if they miss more than one scheduled senate meeting, according to its senate bylaws.

“This year, our students are just not actively engaged and are finding ways to not be as present as possible.”

- ASPC President, Alejandro Guerrero PO ’18

All ASPC Senators receive stipends for their work upwards of $1200, which are composed of student fees. Senators check in quarterly with Guerrero to discuss their ASPC-related activities and receive their checks.

However, Guerrero, ASPC Vice President Johny Ek-Aban PO ’19, and Ash-Bala are considering withholding senators’ checks due to low engagement.

“There were senators that never showed up to meetings ever and still they got their checks in years past […] I see that as a trend,” Guerrero said.

Guerrero said he wants to set a precedent acknowledging that the money senators receive comes out of students’ pockets.

Guerrero said the high absenteeism has been a roadblock to ASPC’s operations. In order for ASPC Senate to invoke their legislative ability, a quorum — or majority of senators — must be present to vote, according to Guerrero.

“There have definitely

been moments in which a quorum would be needed, and we weren’t able to get to certain things,” Guerrero said. “Last semester, [...] we were trying to get agendas voted on, and some people weren’t showing up.”

Low attendance also prevents approval of the minutes recorded at weekly meetings, which also requires a quorum. When high absenteeism occurs, voting on minutes must take place over a Slack channel.

Though minutes may be approved over Slack, they remain unavailable to the public. Since the start of the school year, the ASPC website has stated that a “minutes tracker” is under development. Guerrero said he was unaware of this “minutes tracker,” and accepted responsibility for minute inaccessibility, saying that he wasn’t aware it was a problem.

“It’s definitely about me doing my job as a leader saying what’s going on and how can we address this and move forward,” Guerrero said.

After an interview with TSL, Guerrero said that all minutes from the 20182019 academic year will be posted Sunday.

As ASPC elections approach this Sunday, Sean Volke PO ’21, ASPC elections commissioner, stressed the need for committed candidates.

“I want people running who are invested in showing up and working as hard as they can on ASPC. I think about that as a student who will be impacted by decisions made by the Senate,” Volke said.

Guerrero recommended candidates set realistic schedules for themselves to ensure they can attend the meetings.

“Don’t over-commit,” he said. “If you want to do this, be intentional about that work.”

Guerrero said senators’ responsibilities as “parttime administrators” can result in emotional strain during periods of tension between the administration and students.

“Inconsistent attendance in meetings is not just a reflection of … people not caring, but … a reflection of trauma,” Guerrero said, attributing senatorial absences to personal difficulties and recent tensions on campus between students and administrators.

APRIL 5, 2019

Pomona geology professor helps uncover 518-million-year-old fossil site

COURTESY OF PROFESSOR ROBERT GAINES

Pomona College professor Robert Gaines is part of a team of scientists that made a historic discovery of a 518 million-year-old fossil site in China.

HELENA ONG A Pomona College geology professor recently helped uncover a 518-million-yearold fossil site, opening up a new area to research Cambrian fossils and how this site differs from other deposits of similar age.

Science Magazine characterized the finding as one of the most significant in modern history, because the fossils are in nearly perfect condition and represent a wide diversity of species, some of which were not previously known to scientists, according to a Pomona press release.

The professor, Robert Gaines, is part of the research team in Qingjiang, China, that uncovered the site and has been working at Pomona since 2003, according to Pomona’s website.

His research on Cambrian fossils has focused on the “earliest animal communities and their relationships to their environment,” Gaines told TSL. “This finding enriches our view of the early animal world and offers us really remarkable views of the simplest animals,” Gaines said in the press release. He said he began working in Qingjiang in 2016, joining a

team of Chinese researchers from Northwest University who had been working in the area for about 20 years.

“We’re scratching the surface of this new area,” Gaines told TSL. A colleague approached Gaines at a conference in Australia to invite him to work on the site following the initial findings, according to the press release. Gaines said he was “in disbelief at the magnitude” of the discovery when the colleague showed him a fossil sample from the site.

Gaines made his sixth trip to the Qingjiang fossil site over spring break, and expects there “will be decades of work [there].”

“I think there’s still the boyish enthusiasm of splitting rock and being able to see something that’s completely new to science pop out at you,” Gaines said.

The interests of his students — such as climate change — have shaped his research approach, Gaines said.

“The students are always kind of pushing me to think a little bit outside of my narrow box,” Gaines said.

“Having the opportunity to include them in aspects of my research program and at the same time allowing them to explore their own interests has given me a lot of breadth

and a lot of perspective, which is very exciting.”

Nolan Clark PO ’22 is a geology major and currently taking Gaines’ Earth history class. “[Gaines] seems thrilled about [his research] and honestly is inspiring me to pursue research in geology,” Clark said via message.

Anika Arvanitis PO ’20, who had Gaines as an adviser for a year and took his introductory geology and climate change classes, said via message that those courses

contributed to her decision to minor in geology. “[Gaines] has a way of making even hard things sound simple,” she said. “It’s easy to ask/answer questions in his class.”

In addition to the site in China, Gaines has also worked on fossil sites in British Columbia and Australia.

In the summer, he continues to work at the Burgess Shale fossil site in British Columbia, which has been a hub of research since its discovery in 1909.

COURTESY OF DONGJING FU

Professor Robert Gaines, along with a team of Chinese scientists, pose at the Danshui River, site of the Qingjiang biota.

Experts: Colleges likely unaffected by Trump’s free speech order ELINOR ASPEGREN A recent executive order issued by President Donald Trump directs federal agencies to fund colleges and universities based on how they enforce free speech rights on their campuses — but it’s unlikely to have a practical impact on federal funding for the 5Cs. In March, Trump ordered colleges to ensure protection of free speech in order to receive part of the research and educational grants provided by the executive branch,

which total more than $35 billion per year.

“We will not stand idly by to allow public institutions to violate their students’ constitutional rights,” Trump said at the signing ceremony. “If a college or university doesn’t allow you to speak, we will not give them money. It’s very simple.”

But according to Vox, the executive order simply reiterates the Trump administration’s desire for schools to follow existing laws on free inquiry, and directs federal agencies that fund research

to make sure they are still following those laws — an oversight process that is already required.

And First Amendment expert Clay Calvert, director of the University of Florida’s First Amendment Project, told Newsweek that he views the executive order as a “highly symbolic gesture.”

California colleges and universities are also bound by the Leonard Law, which compels them to comply with the First Amendment in protecting speech.

Free speech on college

LIAM BROOKS • THE STUDENT LIFE

Students from across the 5Cs blockaded the Athenaeum before a scheduled talk by Heather Mac Donald at Claremont McKenna College in April 2017.

campuses — and specifically, claims that colleges have gone too far in promoting political correctness and have effectively censored conservatives — has become a major cause for conservative groups and activists in recent years, according to The New York Times.

The 5Cs haven’t been above these claims.

The protest of conservative speaker and anti-Black Lives Matter advocate Heather Mac Donald in 2017, during which students blocking entrances and exits to Claremont McKenna College’s Athenaeum, led to suspensions and probation for seven CMC students.

The incident has been cited in national news outlets, including The New York Times, as one of the examples of alleged suppression of free speech that prompted the executive order.

The following semester, CMC established a section of its website dedicated to free speech issues.

“Protecting the right to free expression is absolutely vital, yet insufficient, to accomplish our full academic mission,” CMC President Hiram Chodosh wrote in a campus-wide email at the time.

“We must find the best ways to learn from one another in the practice and purpose of

open, engaged, respectful debate and dialogue.”

CMC also implemented a number of reforms to promote free speech last year, ultimately becoming the first liberal arts college to receive a favorable free speech rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

CMC spokesperson Peter Hong said via email that freedom of expression is a fundamental principle and commitment for the school.

“The executive order raises many questions, both practical and legal, which will likely take some time to resolve,” he wrote. “Meanwhile, CMC will continue to focus on free expression, viewpoint diversity and effective dialogue as vital commitments of our academic program and community.”

Last semester, Pomona College’s Task Force on Public Dialogue published an indepth report that said 88% of students of all political identities agreed that the campus climate stifles speech that could be found offensive — a statistic that’s 30% higher than that of college students nationally and 25% higher than that of Pomona faculty.

Pomona spokesperson Patricia Vest said Pomona’s support of free speech, academic freedom and open dialogue is

enduring.

Regarding federal funding that could potentially be tied to this executive order, Vest said Pomona receives “competitive federal research grants primarily from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health,” although the individual awards vary in size and duration from year to year.

Scripps College receives approximately $150,000 annually from federal agencies including the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, according to Scripps spokesperson Rachael Warecki.

“Scripps College encourages students to engage in dialogue about current political, economic and social events that affect their lives and the future of society,” Warecki said via email. “The administration also supports faculty members’ ability to sponsor events as an expression of academic freedom and to encourage students to engage in the critical analysis of ideas and narratives that these speakers provide.”

Pitzer College and Harvey Mudd College did not respond to a request for comment.

NEWS THE STUDENT LIFE

APRIL 5, 2019

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City signs off on new Mudd Pomona shortens orientation, but not Orientation Adventure computer science building BEN REICHER

COURTESY OF HARVEY MUDD OFFICE OF COLLEGE ADVANCEMENT

Harvey Mudd College is building a new computer science building. Construction is expected to begin in 2019 and continue until 2021.

MARIA HEETER Harvey Mudd College’s proposed computer science building is one step closer to becoming a reality after the Claremont Architectural Commission voted last week to approve the project.

Mudd’s McGregor Computer Science Center is slated to be built at the northeast corner of Dartmouth Avenue and Platt Boulevard. The building will be 36,000 square feet and three stories tall, according to a city council presentation by Chris Veirs, the principal planner for the city.

The building will be oriented away from the central walkway through Mudd’s campus, unlike most of the other buildings on its campus, which are inward-facing, according to Veirs.

“The college has noticed that it’s great once you’re in the great mall but it really doesn’t do much to interact

with the surrounding streets,” Veirs said. “They’re trying to fix that, and this feels like an appropriate place to welcome in people into the campus.”

The new science center will replace a 26-space parking lot, Veirs said. But it won’t affect the abundance of parking spots at Mudd, according to the parking report based on current city parking code.

Mudd added 37 new parking spaces to the median on Platt Boulevard in September 2018, which will offset the loss, Veirs said.

At the meeting, the commission approved a provision allowing the building to come within eight to nine feet of the curb on Platt Boulevard — closer than is generally permitted, according to the approval resolution.

The commission will also appoint a subcommittee of one or two commissioners to work with city staff and Mudd to determine tree

placement and landscaping for the new project, according to the resolution.

The project is expected to be completed in early 2021, according to the building brochure on Mudd’s website. The construction itself should take up to 18 months.

Unless any appeals to the Architectural Commission’s decision are filed with the city before 5 p.m. April 8, the overall plan for the computer science center does not require additional approval, Veirs said via email.

The college will next need to develop more specific plans for approval by the city engineer, the building official and city planning staff, as well as gain approval of permits for grading, public works, street trees, landscape and building before it can begin construction, according to Veirs.

Incoming Pomona College students will experience an orientation one day shorter than previous years, as the school seeks to address concerns about the length of its first-year orientation.

Pomona’s class of 2023 will arrive for orientation Sunday, August 25 and leave for their OA trips the next day. Movein day was previously on a Saturday, with a day on campus before the trip.

In shortening orientation, Pomona also canceled one specific OA trip — the kayaking trip to the Channel Islands — because it requires an early morning ferry ride, according to outdoor education director Martin Crawford.

“In essence, new students will have less time with on-campus orientation sessions,” Crawford said via email. “However, no particular location is ever guaranteed anyway since there are many variables at play (available reservations, first-year signups, forest fires, etc.) So, it won’t be any more drastic than past years where trip locations changed one year to the next.”

Some other trips, like those to Yosemite and Sequoia, which previously left earlier in the day, will now leave in the afternoon Aug. 26, in line with other trips that have typically left at that

time.

All trips will now return for dinner Aug. 29, which may require some long-distance trips to leave earlier.

This will free up time for on-campus sessions before OA trips leave Monday and after they return Thursday, Crawford said, although Pomona has not yet decided which sessions will take place during this time.

Pomona’s efforts to shorten orientation began last semester after Pomona Dean of Students Avis Hinkson moved OA to students’ second year but reversed her decision one week later, following backlash from the Pomona community.

The Monday before classes begin will also have no content sessions, and Pomona will move others online, for students to complete prior to orientation.

Some students felt the day between move-in and OA had been useful to incoming firstyears.

“I kind of liked having a day to settle before leaving for OA,” Sammy Little PO ’20 said. “You come, unpack all of your stuff, and then you need some time to repack before you go on OA, so I think that might be a little overwhelming without [the extra day].”

But Dean of Campus Life Christopher Waugh, who also co-chairs the Orientation Implementation Committee, said students frequently say orien-

tation is too long in surveys.

“What was also happening is that students were giving us feedback by not coming to sessions,” Waugh said. “There would be robust participation in the first few days, OA would happen, and participation would drop off steadily after OA. That’s another consequence, we believe, of having such a long [orientation].”

After Hinkson canceled her plan to move OA, Waugh said the OIC looked for a new way to shorten orientation and decided to shift move-in to Sunday.

“We want to be mindful of burnout, for everybody; students, staff and faculty,” Waugh said. “I think that’s something we’re definitely being mindful of; we need to make sure it’s more humane, and healthy and balanced.”

Classics professor Ken Wolf, who sits on the OIC, said that while he welcomed some content being put online, he is not sure orientation’s length is necessarily a problem.

“When I look at orientation, even if you compare it to other schools, it is, from day one to day whatever, pretty long. But that doesn’t really mean anything, if that’s how long it has to be,” Wolf said. “It’s kind of nice to have [students] come on Saturday and have Sunday as a take-a-breath day, before you take off. Arbitrarily deciding to shorten the whole thing, to me, doesn’t make any sense.”

CHRIS NARDI • THE STUDENT LIFE

Pomona College’s Orientation Adventure operates from the school’s Outdoor Education Center, pictured above, in conjunction with other Pomona offices.

BEAGLE: Dog has ‘right temperament’ for job MONEY: SAS has smallest budget

Continued from Page 1

COURTESY OF MOYA CARTER

Officer Bessie Beagle takes a nap after a long shift of patrolling the 5Cs with Campus Safety.

Continued from Page 1 ing to ensure we found a dog with the right temperament, disposition and energy level,” Skipworth said in the press release. “We are certain we made the right choice.

[Beagle] has greatly enjoyed occasional walks around the

campuses and welcoming visitors as she settles into her new role.”

Skipworth originally introduced the idea of employing a Campus Safety dog to connect the 7C community with Campus Safety resources over a year ago.

Beagle lives with Skip-

worth’s family, and he takes her home when she needs a break. According to Skipworth, her schedule varies but she will spend a lot of time at Campus Safety, including evenings, nights and weekends through the remainder of this academic year and when classes resume in

the fall.

Over the summer, Beagle will have a modified work schedule, Skipworth said.

“We have had nothing but positive responses to our animal ambassador program. [Beagle’s] predecessor, Red, developed a significant following among

the campus community and helped Campus Safety to connect with students and employees among the 7Cs,” Skipworth said. “[Beagle] has already picked up where Red left off and is starting to have visitors who want to meet the newest member of our team/ family.”

est part of its budget, 63%, to “line items,” including its budget committee ($45,900) and several hundred dollars to various hall councils.

Additionally, Pitzer Student Senate gave $81,141 to Pitzer-only clubs and $19,409 to 5C organizations.

The Grove House Committee ($9,000), Pitzer Outdoor Activities ($8,000) and Pitzer Advocates ($7,708) received the most money among Pitzer-only clubs. Outside of Pitzer, both KSPC and the Claremont Climbing Team were allocated the biggest sum ($1,200).

SAS reported the smallest budget with $200,000, according to SAS co-treasurer Romanshi Gupta SC ’19. TSL was unable to obtain a more detailed breakdown of Scripps College student government’s budget by press time, but $161,813 of its budget stayed within Scripps this year.

SAS’ top-funded Scripps groups were The Scripps Voice ($11,500), the Scripps yearbook, called La Semeuse ($10,000), and the Scripps mock trial team ($9,100). Outside Scripps, TSL ($2,500), the 5C women’s rugby team ($2,300), KSPC ($1,700) and On the Loose, the outdoor programming group ($1,700), received the most SAS funding.

NEWS THE STUDENT LIFE

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SC ends dorm furniture removal program KIRA MATTHEWS Scripps College will no longer permit students to remove college-issued furniture from on-campus residence halls, houses and apartments starting May 20, according to an email sent to students from Brenda Ice, the director of campus life.

The decision was made to “ensure fire safety, maintain cleanliness and prevent exposure to pests in student rooms,” Ice told students.

In a separate email to TSL, Ice said the new policy requires college-issued furniture to remain in rooms and suites for the entirety of the school year.

“The previous policy did not accurately reflect today’s growing needs in a way that allowed the college to create the most consistent and safe experience for students,” Ice said. The decision was made by the offices of the Dean of Students, Business Affairs, Residential Life and Facilities, she added.

Scripps’ staff has spent hundreds of hours removing and replacing furniture, Ice said. She expects the policy change will result in an expedited move-in process, less cleaning upon moving out and a reduced burden on the college’s limited storage capacity.

At the end of the fall semester, Scripps temporarily suspended its furniture removal program because the college couldn’t process any more furniture removal requests due to a lack of storage space, Ice said. The facilities staff was able to free up space before the start of the spring semester and furniture removal requests resumed in January.

The furniture removal option has been popular among Scripps students, and some expressed irritation over the policy change.

“I am frustrated because I would hope that our adminis-

trators could see that … the furniture removal process was so often utilized, [and] therefore it is a benefit to students and something they take advantage of,” Tyler Benedict SC ’21 said via email.

This year, Benedict lives alone in a room meant for two people, and was able to have the extra furniture removed from her room via a maintenance request.

“I felt so lucky to have so much space in my new room, and [to] create a new organization system that was less cramped,” she said. With the new policy though, Benedict thinks students will simply dump unwanted furniture in common areas.

Rein Irving SC ’20 found herself in a similar situation upon returning from abroad.

She said via email that she was placed in a room with twice as much furniture as she needed and tried to get some of it removed. However, Scripps wouldn’t remove any of it until students “rallied together to push Scripps to provide storage for Scripps furniture,” Irving said.

While the policy makes life easier for Scripps’ maintenance workers, she said, it inconveniences students.

“I’m worried my room will be cramped because Scripps provides pieces of furniture I don’t need,” Irving said.

She thinks students will move excess furniture out of their rooms anyway and pay to put it in private storage — which would violate the new policy.

“They shouldn’t change the policy for students who already own furniture and didn’t anticipate a policy change, and now have to pay to move Scripps [items] into storage,” she said.

ELOISE SHIELDS • THE STUDENT LIFE

Scripps College is eliminating the option for students to request furniture removal from their dorm rooms. Pictured here is the room of Valarie Jackman’s SC ’21, who has removed almost all of the provided furniture for a less cluttered feeling.

PO sponsors feel unequipped to handle sexual assault, mental health problems JASPER DAVIDOFF In fall 2017, a student exhibiting suicidal tendencies came to Scott Pease PO ’20, and Pease knew he had a difficult choice to make. He wanted to get the student the help they needed without disclosing their identity to administrators, for fear of forcing them to go to Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services, which he considered to be a harrowing process.

One further complication: Pease was a Pomona College sponsor, meaning he had the option to either disclose the incident or keep it to himself.

Unlike other student workers, like resident advisors, he wasn’t required to tell administrators.

Pease and his co-sponsor went to their RA, taking care to keep the student anonymous, and together they called the Monsour crisis hotline. The crisis staffer pressured Pease to give up the student’s identity, but he refused. The staffer eventually confirmed that Pease had handled the situation in the best way possible.

Current and former sponsors report facing similar ethical issues throughout their year of mentoring firstyear students, and some say they feel unprepared for the gravity of the decisions they have to make.

The sponsor program places two volunteer sophomores in a sponsor group with approximately 15 firstyears who live together in a residence hall, according to the Pomona new student guide.

Unlike students in paid positions, like head sponsors and RAs, sponsors are not mandated reporters, meaning they are not required to report instances of sexual assault or mental health issues to college administrators.

But they’re also not confidential resources, meaning they can report issues if they want to, according to Pomona Title IX Coordinator Sue McCarthy.

Sponsors said this policy often requires them to use their own discretion in deciding whether to disclose problems.

“When someone comes to you, you’re kind of flailing in the moment,” Pease said. “I think that’s the scariest thing as a sponsor — having that discretion of ‘do I call someone else or do I handle this by myself?’ It’s that decision

CMC revises conduct investigation policies Claremont McKenna College has updated its conduct process and academic dishonesty procedure to comply with recent California court decisions, according to an email Dean of Students Diana Graves sent to students Monday.

The new conduct process will include a live hearing with students accused of misconduct and their accusers in any case where potential punishments could include suspension or expulsion. The accused and accuser will have the chance to cross-examine each other.

The new academic dishonesty procedure will also now include a hearing committee to make findings, at which the student accused of misconduct will have the opportunity to appear.

The changes to these policies follow similar changes to CMC’s Title IX policy in recent weeks, which also introduced live hearings with the accuser and accused.

— Marc Rod

ASCMC launches mental health committee ASCMC is creating a committee for health and wellness, according to a email sent Monday from ASCMC’s mental health advisor Lisa Hao CM ’20 to Claremont McKenna College students.

The committee was formed by the ASCMC executive board and will be led by Hao and Edgar Warnholtz CM ’19. The committee aims to “assess the resources we currently have, the limitations our campus faces and the ways we can improve,” according to the email.

The committee was formed in response to concerns that mental health support is inadequate, a sentiment expressed at the ASCMC executive board meeting March 31. The committee aims to deliver a draft of a plan of action on mental health before the end of the school year.

— Marc Rod

APRIL 5, 2019

that’s hardest to make.”

The sponsor program places two volunteer sophomores in a sponsor group with approximately 15 first-years who live together in a residence hall, according to the Pomona new student guide.

Unlike students in paid positions, like head sponsors and RAs, sponsors are not mandated reporters, meaning they are not required to report instances of sexual assault or mental health issues to college administrators.

But they’re also not confidential resources, meaning they can report issues if they want to, according to Pomona Title IX Coordinator Sue McCarthy.

Sponsors said this policy often requires them to use their own discretion in deciding whether to disclose problems.

“When someone comes to you, you’re kind of flailing in the moment,” Pease said. “I think that’s the scariest thing as a sponsor — having that discretion of ‘do I call someone else or do I handle this by myself?’ It’s that decision that’s hardest to make.”

Many factors complicate this choice.

Sponsors are not adequately prepared to make such decisions because administrators discourage sponsors from involving themselves in such personal situations, former head sponsor Sherwin Shabdar PO ’18 said.

“Typically my experience working with [Director of Residence Life Steven Jubert] tended to avoid these sorts of discussions of sponsors in difficult situations because it was his belief that sponsors should not be involved,” Shabdar said.

However, Jubert said he does believe sponsors have a role in discussing personal issues with their sponsees.

“I think that they do [assume that role] organically,” he said. “Those are some very close-knit relationships, and that’s why we try to provide [sponsors] with the resources on campus to refer folks out.”

But current sponsors echoed Shabdar’s assessment that the administration discourages personal investment in first-year students.

“Repeatedly during the sponsor training, it was made really clear to us that the administration didn’t want us to be too involved in our [sponsees’] lives,” sponsor Bita Tristani-Firouzi PO ’21 said.

Despite what they perceive as administrators’ encour-

AMY BEST • THE STUDENT LIFE

Sponsors are not mandated reporters, and some feel unprepared to deal with disclosures of sexual assault or mental health issues from their sponsees.

agement to remain hands-off, sponsors said the ability to discuss personal issues without the obligation to report to administrators makes them more accessible to first-years than RAs. “There’s less of a barrier to tell us things and less of a fear of repercussions,” Pease said.

“No one’s going to go to their RA with how our system’s set up. No one is. And no one’s going to the deans.”

Tristani-Firouzi agreed that first-years are more likely to confide in sponsors than RAs. “I know of friends who were afraid to talk to their friends who were RAs about what had happened to them … because they knew that they were mandated reporters,” Tristani-Firouzi said.

Sponsors said they were encouraged to pass issues on to staff members, but widespread mistrust of residence life staff made them less likely to do so.

“You just don’t report because you don’t necessarily trust your supervisor to handle the information appropriately,” Shabdar said.

Sponsors also said they might be less likely to refer sponsees to on-campus programs that address sexual assault and mental health because they did not believe those programs were frequently considerate of students’ needs or effective at meeting them.

“I can’t even send people to Advocates at this point,” sponsor Aleja Hertzler-McCain PO ’21 said, referring to the suspension of the Pomona Advocates program earlier this semester. “I know people who have had great experiences with the EmPOWER Center. I’d say Monsour’s worth a shot but it’s something to be aware of that the waitlists

are long. If someone wants to report, I would send them to Title IX but I haven’t heard of anyone having positive interactions with the office.”

Jubert said he was not familiar with sponsors’ concerns regarding the inadequacy of student support programs.

“In my time here, I think that when offered the resources, folks have taken advantage of them,” he said. “So I haven’t had anyone, from what I’ve seen thus far, say ‘I don’t want to utilize the Dean of Students’ Office,’ or ‘I don’t want to go to Monsour.’ I think that there might be nuances in that, but I think for the most part folks are open and willing.”

Sponsors also raised concerns that Res Life fails to adequately support sponsors, who occupy what they describe as an emotionally and mentally taxing role.

“There have definitely been times that I have not been able to take care of myself and the head sponsor didn’t do very much,” Tristani-Firouzi said.

Scripps College RAs went on strike in 2016 to protest similar issues regarding their inability to adequately support students. As a result, Scripps restructured the roles of RAs this school year, shifting some responsibilities to professional staff.

Shabdar said difficult sponsor-supervisor relationships can impact sponsors’ abilities to execute their roles.

“Sponsors who don’t have support systems or who don’t feel that they can trust their supervisors or who aren’t able to be present and caring for their sponsees the way they want to be leads to frustration among sponsors, leads to [sponsors] ghosting [sponsees], leads to poor decisions being made,” Shabdar said.

LIFE & STYLE APRIL 5, 2019

THE STUDENT LIFE

PAGE 5

IN MY BOOK

The lovely fantasyland of bookstagram SAMANTHA RESNICK

Welcome to #bookstagram, population 29.9 million. Here lives square shot after square shot of books with food, books with leaves, books with other books-with-food-and-leaves. It is a world where languid legs drape across ruffled beds, texts perch on woolen-clad feet and coiffed lattes lounge amongst tea candles. Everything is color-coded, every hour is golden hour and everyone owns either a fluffy cat or tortoise-shell glasses.

This Instagram subculture has caused quite a stir amongst the literati. Critics hiss that the trend is vapid, superficial — a pursuit of aesthetics rather than blushing, beating, literary love. Vulture contributor Hillary Kelly wrote: “These people are beautiful literary hermits, dammit, Brontë sisters wandering the wild moors of the inside of your iPhone, seekers of beauty and truth and a shit ton of unearned likes.”

She’s right. They certainly are beautiful seekers of beauty — alchemists that transform books into art. Every bookstagram account glows gorgeous.

But “hermits”? “Unearned” likes? Unlikely. From the closeknit community formed between posters to the hours spent crafting content, these creatives seem more like sedulous socialites than spoiled insolates.

Kelly, however, doesn’t stop there. She accuses bookstagrammers of reducing books to backdrops, calling their posts “devoid ... of any engagement with what books really do.”

This comment implies that there is one correct way of interacting with books — and

it isn’t through bookstagram.

I do believe that books merit a certain amount of respect. Pinterest craft posts that call for the cutting of books — shame, shame on you.

The still-prevalent practice of book-burning: sheer horror. In other words, any form of book engagement that involves breaking or burning is wrong.

But bookstagrammers don’t do that. They interact by posting lovely book photos, and then they go on to like other people’s lovely book photos.

Is it really so awful for a group of mostly female book-lovers to appreciate not just content, but also form?

Besides, I don’t see Kelly, or anyone else for the matter, calling cover designers superficial for expressing themselves through an aesthetic lens. No one bristles at the idea that books need siren call covers to shipwreck readers as they sail down bookstore aisles.

My question, then: What is so different between cover art and bookstagram art?

In fact, in a world where people are reading less on average, we can’t afford to shun any practice that encourages respectful engagement with books. And between bookstagrammers’ millions of followers and daily posts, they are at least causing engagement.

Best case, their posts inspire someone to read. Worst case, they at least remind people that books do, in fact, exist in real life. Instagram is part of the new age, and so associating books with the platform’s aesthetic drive might help combat the view of books as anachronistic, old-fashioned and unnecessary.

The publishing industry itself continues to trip and

tumble its way through our blinking, fresh-lidded digital era. Like it or not, we live in a time where social media is the game. Judgments such as Kelly’s will only further alienate the exact demographic publishers need: readers of the modern age. Readers who grew up interacting over visual platforms like Instagram, and will continue to do so.

These Instagrammers have become a powerful, Hail Mary force when it comes to book marketing.

And they d o n ’t j u s t treat their books like arm-candy (or, in this case, bed and books h e l f candy?).

Often, reviews, quotes and other comments get posted right alongside their professional-looking photos. In my book, that certainly counts as engaging “with what books really do.”

All this being said, for me the world of bookstagram is elusive, divine, out of reach.

My real-life reading experience is ugly in comparison.

Reading happens when it can, where it can — be that in a sticky chair at the train station, under the jaundiced lights of a waiting room, or in the five free minutes I have between classes. Nothing about these environments is glamorous or Instagram-worthy.

I wish this wasn’t the case. I wish reading was an activity in itself, an ideal these Instagrammers sell. One that involves the soft blaze of a fireplace and an overstuffed, Victorian parlor chair.

For now, though, it’s enough for me to feast on the glittery world of bookstagram.

Samantha Resnick PO ’19, TSL’s book columnist, is a linguistics major. She likes reading words, and sometimes, she likes writing them, too.

UGEN YONTEN • THE STUDENT LIFE

UNPACK THE FACTS

Five things you didn’t know about April Fools’ Day MADY COLANTES Mark Twain once said that April Fools’ “is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four.” And finally, that day has arrived.

Whether you are on the giving or receiving end of a prank, make sure to take some time to embrace your inner fool –– or at the very least, learn about this light-hearted holiday.

1

“Whence proceeds the custom?”

April Fools’ Day is a much older tradition than you may think. Some of the earliest recordings, however, question its exact origins: A 1708 letter to the British Apollo magazine asked (in speech appropriate for 18th century Britain), “Whence proceeds the custom of making April Fools?”

One theory is that it comes from a calendar change in 16th-century France. The adoption of the Gregorian calendar moved New Year’s Day from April 1 to January 1, and unaware people who still celebrated the New Year on April 1 were labeled “April Fools.”

2

Worldwide foolishness

In France, April 1 is called “Poisson d’Avril,” or “April Fish.” On theme with the French name, the most common prank involves taping a paper fish to someone’s back.

An old Scottish tradition is a bit more extreme: The holiday used to be called “Hunt the Gowk Day,” with “gowk” being an old Scottish word for “fool.” People would ask a “gowk” to deliver a sealed message, which secretly read, “Dinna laugh, dinna smile.

Hunt the gowk another mile.”

The victim would then be sent from person to person delivering the same message.

Today, the Scottish maintain their enthusiasm by celebrating April Fools’ for two days. In Ireland, on the other hand, pranks are not supposed to continue past noon; those who play pranks after

NATALIE BAUER • THE STUDENT LIFE

are considered fools themselves.

3

“Okay Google … is this a joke?”

Google has proven itself to be a company with a good sense of humor, annually pranking its users with nonsensical product advertisements April 1. A Google team in the Netherlands, for example, unveiled Google Wind in 2017, which was supposedly a series of “machine learning” windmills that could blow away cloudy skies.

A n o t h e r ye a r, G o o g l e Maps released a joke feature

that turned your map into a game of Pac-Man, complete with the pixelated screen, four ghosts and music. (Personally, I wish this function was real.) People have grown so accustomed to Google’s yearly pranks that when Gmail was launched April 1, 2004, many assumed it was a joke.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is choosing to not be as festive: The company has banned its employees from pulling any public-facing April Fool’s pranks, saying that such stunts have “limited positive impact.”

4

April Fools’ Day by the numbers Microsoft is not alone in its disapproval of April Fools’ Day festivities: 68% of advertising and marketing executives consider April Fools’ pranks inappropriate, while only 3% see them as “very appropriate.” Employees, however, are not always aware of their boss’ opinions. Onefifth of people have played a prank in the workplace, 52% of which were played on the boss.

Outside of work, 40% of Americans in a survey say they will definitely play a

joke, with only 5% saying they never participate. The numbers also show that Americans generally enjoy the holiday: 56% of those surveyed said their general attitude April 1 is “mischievous,” while only 11% claim to feel annoyed.

5

Let loose loads of laugh-

ter

Perhaps the benefit of April Fools’ Day is not just the joy of watching a friend fall for a fantastic prank; the holiday can also bring out one’s best sense of humor, a highly significant trait.

According to a psychological study, stressed-out people with a strong sense of humor become less anxious and depressed over time compared to people with a less-developed sense of humor. There are also benefits of laughter from a purely biological perspective: Studies have shown that levels of the antibody immunoglobulin A drops far less during stress for people who score high on a humor scale.

Mady Colantes PO ’22, who makes lists for TSL, is from Seattle. When not in shock over the lack of rain in Claremont, she enjoys reading and getting too excited over small things.

LIFE & STYLE PAGE 6

THE STUDENT LIFE

APRIL 5, 2019

MODERN-DAY CASSETTE TAPE

Fun in the sun: Your ultimate poolside playlist ANNA KOPPELMAN Congratulations, you made it. Mercury is no longer in retrograde, midterms are (hopefully) over and California April is upon us, which means the sun is shining and the temperature is resting happily in the low 70s. Incidentally, the Pitzer College pool seems to be the perfect place for the 5Cs to come together and blast extraordinarily loud music — out of some type of futuristic speaker designed to

make the noise from the pool beam straight into my firstfloor dorm room.

Luckily for the Claremont McKenna College and Pomona College bros, my postspring resolution was to go a little further on my journey of being a cool, chill girl, which was pretty much the only thing that stopped me from leaving my room and asking them to turn it down so I could study. (I mean, I did yoga twice last week ... I’m not planning on blowing that

#selfcare #goodvibes energy on them.)

So, instead of pointing out the dangers of jumping off the Shakedown Cafe roof and into the pool, or specifying that there are official rules surrounding quiet hour, I took the opportunity to analyze the music they were playing and decided to come up with my own short list of poolside song suggestions to meet whatever vibe your particular group is going for.

“Symphony” by Clean Bandit featuring Zara Larsson If you are looking for a song to say “I am FTB (for the boys) but also, like, cool with female artists,” look no further.

“Symphony” has all the great qualities of an upbeat pop song — the singer is blonde, and it’s technically a profession of love, but, like, in a cool way. Try making eye contact with someone you think is cute and mouth the words, “Was solo singing on

my own / Now I can’t find the key without you” while dancing in a slightly endearing yet awkward fashion. Suddenly, you are hot, approachable and “so in touch with your feelings.”

“Come On Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners Can you imagine a better vibe than a pool party full of young adults shouting the words, “You in that dress, my thoughts, I confess / Verge on dirty.” It’s so tame but at the same time also kind of gross.

Oh, the 80s, what a time.

Some songs to pair with this one are “Sweet Caroline”

by Neil Diamond and “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey.

This array of tunes gives you two choices: One, commit to it and dance. You’ll seem so confident jumping and bopping to such “basic” tunes. Two, act ironic about it. You know the words but you also know they aren’t that cool. Use this playlist to practice your best apathetic shoulder shrug.

Any way you play it, everyone will think of you as a fun and kind person. They won’t know why they smile when they see you walking around; they just do.

“Nobody” by Mitski Listen, it’s nice out, you like your friends enough, and

honestly, by every measure you can think of, you are essentially thriving. But a core part of your identity is being sad and understanding sad things. Which is why, while you take in the sun and watch your close friends laugh, you can keep yourself grounded by singing the lines to yourself: “I’ve been big and small and big and small again and still nobody wants me.”

Let the line “still nobody wants me” really ring in your head, because even if it’s not true, you can do a pretty good job of convincing yourself you are Mitski, you get each other, and she feels your pain.

Hopefully, these poolside songs help you actualize your truest selves as you lounge around in the sun. There are only five weeks left in the school year. Play the music you want everyone to think you enjoy listening to, and take solace in the fact that no one is actually paying any attention to you — unless they’re trying to study!

Anna Koppelman PZ ’22, TSL’s music columnist, is just a lone girl trying her hardest to make Nora Ephron proud. If you are looking for her, she’s probably either listening to the newest Vampire Weekend songs or promising one of her friends that she is about to start meditating again “really soon.”

CHLOE FRELINGHUYSEN • THE STUDENT LIFE

SEX COLUMN

Coital convos: Bottom-ist Manifesto CECIL THE SAGEHOE A specter is haunting the 5Cs … the specter of undervalued bottom labor.

That’s right, folks, you heard it here first: When Daddy Marx conceptualized a disenfranchised working class, he intended for our dear neighbors of the South to fall into that category.

Talk about unpaid labor, I mean, come on. There’s no way you can legitimately believe tops and bottoms are making an equal investment — physically, emotionally and socioculturally — in any given sexual encounter.

For our readers who may not be familiar with this terminology, allow me to break it down. If you consider East Coast geography, we might regard Canada as the “top” and the U.S. as the “bottom.”

Now that we’re well-acquainted with our target demographic, let’s unpack this.

Picture this: It’s 5 p.m. and you’re at the mall with your friends. They’re adamant about eating at Chipotle, an establishment to which you are considerably partial, but you, a bottom, had sort-of “hmu” plans with a DL hunk on Grindr set for 9 p.m., and you know Newton’s First Law of Bottoming: What goes in must come out. So you pass on the Chipotle. A sacrifice that stings at the time, but one you know will ultimately be for the greater good.

Do you really think a top is going to make these kinds of sacrifices? The closest comparison I can think of for a top would be not jerking off before an encounter, but good luck finding a guy who can wait a whole four hours.

Then, we come to prepping.

Forgoing Chipotle is a first step, but what comes next? A very invasive cleaning session, filled with regret, suds and maybe a little poop. ’Tis but the price a bottom pays to carry out his craft.

The top? I don’t know, maybe make sure he rinses his dick off (if you know men, you know this is a scant maybe).

Now we come to the heart of it: the consummation. Don’t let LGBT rom-coms (or most gay porn) fool you: anal is painful — at least, for the bottom. The top is on cloud nine, because his biggest concern is “whole thing or just the tip?” while the bottom’s biggest concern is “OH GOD AM I ABOUT TO SHIT ON THIS DICK?” We could get into the technicalities of anal coitus, but let’s just leave it at this: For tops, it doesn’t take much to … erupt.

For bottoms, meeting that same fate entails either assiduously assisting one’s member with another hand (a.k.a. increased uncompensated labor output) or getting pegged in the prostate, which requires a certain degree of coordination most tops do not possess.

Here’s the real kicker: Tops can cum in as little as 45 seconds. You go through all of this preparation, pain and self-doubt only to endure a microwave-reheat-esque action window before the — regret — spurts all over you? And then they have the audacity to ask if you came!

Yeah, I came to the wrong house.

In conclusion, tops need to do more. Slipping the tip in does not constitute compensation in any capacity (unless it’s good, but we all know it usually isn’t).

My suggestion to bottoms would be to get their Venmo usernames tattooed above their buttocks, so that the superordinate specimen might make a charitable donation while in what is arguably his happiest emotional state.

I’m sure the refreshing — albeit long overdue — compensation of bottoms might even spice things up and give the top an additional incentive to not cum in less time than it takes to sing the National Anthem.

Cecil the Sagehoe, TSL’s sex columnist, is a scorned bottom.

Philip Graham discusses the creative writing process with 5C students at Pomona’s Crookshank Hall April 2.

CHRIS NARDI • THE STUDENT LIFE

Author Philip Graham speaks at Pomona English department lunch KYLA WALKER An intimate and informal setting in Crookshank Hall at Pomona College Tuesday allowed students to get to know Philip Graham, a prolific essayist, poet, novelist and editor, as more than just a name or byline.

Instead of a lecture, he encouraged interactive discussion about the different paths, strategies and fears of each attendee, in a conversation and lunch with English professor Jonathan Lethem and 5C students.

“I thought he was just going to lecture us for a bit,” Natalie Huang PO ’22 said. “I didn’t know it was going to be as interactive as it was, which I really enjoyed.”

His event began with an anecdote about moving to Rhode Island and being forced to select a limited set of books from his shelves. He said that he realized

he was most interested in the stories where the reader is the unintended recipient, eavesdropping on drama that unfolds between the artist and the characters.

Afterward, a few students asked Graham about his approach to writing novels in comparison to short stories.

“Graham offered some really helpful advice about expanding your fiction,” Huang said. “I tend to write short fiction, and so I really enjoyed his advice about not being too harsh of an editor on yourself and just let your writing take form as it is and go back later.”

Graham, whose writing has appeared in newspapers and magazines such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Paris Review and The Washington Post, is also the co-founder of the literary journal Ninth Letter, and professor emeritus in the creative

writing program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

He spoke about his experience as an editor, the process of developing a collection of stories and poetry for a literary magazine and the pain and procrastination he endures while writing rejection letters to aspiring writers. While building each issue of Ninth Letter, he told students, every edition takes on a new personality to create a mosaic that captures a specific theme interweaved through each carefully selected piece of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

The advice he gave proved fruitful for attendees. “[The lunch and discussion] definitely inspired me to write more,” Huang said. “I went back and revised my manuscript for class. After listening to Graham talk, I wasn’t as harsh on myself and just let it flow.”

Graham gave advice about tackling all forms of writing, but

his last piece of advice, delivered in the form of a story, was particularly noteworthy.

While washing dishes one evening, he said he heard a voice, his inner self, that suggested ideas for eight short stories and told him to write them all at the same time. For two years, he ignored this advice and focused on just one. It turned out to be his least favorite piece ever written.

In the next two years, Graham decided to try to follow the ominous instructions he had received. He then finished the book with all eight stories completed simultaneously, in the same time it had taken him to write the first one.

Graham said that following one’s instinct can save an abundance of time and headaches, as it always knows what is best for one’s writing. “Don’t ignore your imagination or unconscious,” he said.

OPINIONS

Don’t use astrology as an excuse for personal failures

THE STUDENT LIFE Editorial Board KELLEN BROWNING, Editor-in-Chief MEGHAN BOBROWSKY, Managing Editor

EAMON MORRIS

HANK SNOWDON, Managing Editor

Senior Staff MARC ROD, News Editor LANEY POPE, News Editor JULIA FRANKEL, News Associate NATALIE GOULD, Life & Style Editor MABEL LUI, Life & Style Editor SCHUYLER MITCHELL, Life & Style Associate DONNIE DENOME, Opinions Editor ANIKKA VILLEGAS, Opinions Editor TORREY HART, Sports Editor NOAH SHAPIRO, Sports Editor DELANEY HARTMANN, Sports Associate

CASSIE WANG, Production Editor JAMES KARSTEN, Senior Design Editor ANNE JANG, News Designer HELENA ONG, Life & Style Designer DAPHNE YANG, Opinions Designer JILLIAN BATIUK, Sports Designer OLIVIA TRUESDALE, Copy Chief NINA POTISCHMAN, Graphics Editor TALIA BERNSTEIN, Photo Editor AMY BEST, Photo Editor

The Student Life, the oldest college newspaper in Southern California, is produced and managed by students of the Claremont Colleges and published weekly.

The 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.

E-mail Letters, Questions, and Concerns to editor@tsl.news. Email tips to liaison@tsl.news; email advertising inquiries to ads@tsl.news and print subscription inquiries to subscriptions@tsl.news.

TSL welcomes letters to the editor, which can be submitted by mail, email, or in person at Walker Hall 101 of Pomona College. Letters must be under 400 words (although when an issue is particularly salient, we reserve the right to allow letters to run at a longer length) and submitted by 4 p.m. Wednesday of the week of publication. We reserve the right to decline publication of submitted letters and will not accept anonymous letters, letters containing profanity, factually inaccurate letters, or letters making personal attacks. TSL also reserves the right to edit for spelling, punctuation and grammar. Letters may be signed by a maximum of three people. All letters become the property of TSL and may not be reprinted without prior permission from the Editorial Board.

Singles copies of TSL are free and may be obtained at news stands around campus. Multiple copies may be purchased for $0.47 per copy with prior approval by contacting editor@tsl.news. Newspaper theft is a crime; perpetrators may be subject to disciplinary action as well as civil and/or criminal prosecution.

off the record

PAGE 11

THE STUDENT LIFE

APRIL 5, 2019

It’s the Suite Life Of Sontag and Dialynas

Space Cats Nyan

Room Draw Roulette It’s a high-eat-low numbers world out here

Apparently no space women “Not enough female spacesuits” ... OK, NASA

Wholesome prospies asking where the admissions office is It’s right in front of you, honey

Whole Foods price slash Amazon’s gonna take over the world but at least I get my organic water

Tour groups staring at you Yes, I haven’t showered in a week and yes, you should be worried for your child

The Impossible Whopper Worst crossover event in history

I don’t believe in astrology. I don’t believe in a lot of things, actually, but astrology definitely ranks in my top ten. I don’t like the concept of my life being controlled by anything, and I definitely don’t like the concept of my life being controlled by the positioning of celestial bodies light-years away.

There is no scientific evidence of any kind that supports astrology. This isn’t to say astrology can’t be helpful.

Astrology may provide a placebo effect that provides direction and comfort in difficult times. During periods of high stress, people are most likely to turn to religion or spirituality — which includes astrology.

I don’t have a problem with people who believe in astrology. But astrology can be detrimental when it’s used as an excuse for failure or as a concrete indicator of future relationships.

One of the common ice-breakers is the classic “what’s your sign” question.

Replying gives people a chance to find things in common and to bond over a shared label.

This in itself isn’t harmful.

However, it becomes an issue when the answer closes people off to pursuing relationships with the respondent.

For example, my birthday is Sept. 1, which means I fall under the label of “Virgo.”

If I believed in astrology, it would be wise for me to avoid relationships with people who are Geminis, as we are, apparently, of very different temperaments.

To set expectations for relationships based off the positioning of the stars and planets is harmful and decreases the likelihood of people to learning about and experiencing new people in their lives.

Avoiding someone because of a label intrinsic to their identity is also considered immoral in most other regards — it’s relevant to ask why it is so accepted when attached to the vague spirituality of astrology.

Additionally, astrology becomes toxic when it’s used as an excuse for being a bad person. In the same way it’s ridiculous to claim an absence at a friend’s wedding due to oversleeping as part of “God’s plan,” it’s ridiculous to claim that Mercury retrograde (which is said to cause issues with communication) is to

blame for waiting a week to reply to a barrage of texts sent from a concerned friend.

Furthermore, while people can be prone to streaks of bad luck, it’s also harmful to assign an astrological meaning to that. It perpetuates the “you against the universe” mentality. Sometimes, awful things just happen and reading too far into them causes nothing but anxiety and existential confusion.

Overall, astrology isn’t inherently harmful. It’s like many religions: mostly pure at its center, but sometimes manifesting itself in limiting or toxic ways. However, believers in astrology need to stop using it as an excuse for their own failures or as a determinant of the individuals they should avoid.

People need to take responsibility for their actions and avoid looking deep into streaks of bad luck. Only then can we grow into relationships and move forward into our lives free of belief-imposed restraints.

Eamon Morris PZ ’22 is from Orange, California. It’s not his fault that he’s a bad person because he’s a Slytherin and had no choice.

KYLA WALKER • THE STUDENT LIFE

Pomona should install more security features CHRISTOPHER MURDY Online posts about stolen bikes and skateboards have long been a weekly occurrence in the “5C For Sale/For Free” Facebook group. But recently, people have been alerting our community to even more egregious instances of theft.

In February, multiple students’ electronic devices were stolen from Pomona College’s Harwood Hall. One student reported his camera and lenses stolen, totaling $2,600.

And just last week, Jeremy Snyder PO ’19, who recently won a Watson fellowship to photograph rivers in South America, wrote in a Facebook post that all his camera and equipment he spent the last three years investing in had been taken from his room.

When thefts occur, the administration sometimes emails students, offering advice about locking dorm room doors and not leaving electronics unattended.

However, we shouldn’t have to live in constant fear of people attempting to break into our rooms. As instances of theft continue to persist, at least on Pomona’s campus, the administration and Campus Safety need to re-evaluate their responses — perhaps by installing more security cameras and hotel-style key cards to get into dorm rooms.

When I first arrived at Pomona, I noticed early on that there is a lack of visible security cameras, except near some bike racks and parking garages. In addition to deterring crime, security cameras could offer Campus Safety and local police descriptions of perpetrators.

Cameras could be used to determine whether the perpetrators are members of our college community. If the cameras at the entrances of residence halls do not show somebody entering and leaving with stolen items at the reported time of the incident, it could indicate that the perpetrator lives

in the same residence hall.

People often raise concerns of civil liberties in relation to security cameras, but those concerns have been subsiding in recent years as they become just another part of everyday life. A 2013 poll by The New York Times found that 78% of people said “surveillance cameras were a good idea.”

Pomona has tried to expand its security camera presence in the past.

In 2014, Pomona proposed installing additional security cameras to deter crime.

However, some students and a branch of the American Civil Liberties Union raised objections, arguing that the footage would be used to enforce drug and alcohol policies.

With so much of our world being monitored, not having visible security cameras makes Pomona’s campus an easy target for thieves.

In addition to installing more security cameras, Pomona could also follow in the footsteps of other colleges in giving students hotel-style key cards to access their dorm room. Students would simply tap their card to get into their room, and the door would lock automatically upon being closed.

The sad reality is that instances of theft will continue to persist on our campus until we start taking corrective measures. As students, we need to be locking our doors and not leaving personal items out in the library or in lounges. But the administration also needs to re-evaluate its methods and better advise students on the best safety procedures.

Christopher Murdy PO ’22 is an intended international relations major from Lido Beach, New York. Agree? Disagree?

Different suggestions? Email him at christopher.murdy@ pomona.edu.

Jasper’s Crossword: The Common App

JASPER DAVIDOFF • THE STUDENT LIFE

ACROSS 1. @ @ @ 4. Get in gear: _____ bike 9. Like Kohoutek, for short 13. Flight departure/arrival location 15. Great Plains nation 16. Eight prefix 17. Undertone 18. Zests 19. By word of mouth 20. #10, per a 2018 Mashable list 22. #1 24. Letter exchangers 25. 7, on some phone keypads 26. Spokane airport code 27. Buffoon 30. Vigor 34. #11 37. #5 39. Dorm enforcers 40. San Antonio landmark 42. To and ___ 43. #3 46. #16

49. Film composer Morricone 50. Rep. opposition 52. Apartment stat 53. Drag 55. Low-cost options, informally 59. #7 63. #6 64. The A in “BART” 65. Lake Geneva’s French name 67. Just manages (with out) 68. Rim (as a window) 69. BB-8, for one 70. Cincinnati team 71. Dante’s Inferno setting 72. Channel to watch D1 games 73. Aye opposite DOWN 1. Audibly shocked 2. Greyish-brown (like a controversial Obama suit) 3. _________ ox (brawny) 4. LOL, to an extreme 5. Non-explanation explanation: “Because ______!”

6. Author Brown 7. Custard-like 8. Famous fabler 9. 12’’ sandwich 10. Light beige 11. Impale 12. Something to weave 14. Pop some tabs?

21. “Othello” villain 23. Impulse 28. _____ worse than death 29. Relatives, casually 31. Reserved 32. Bullring bull 33. “I got it! Chill!”

34. British behind 35. Reformer/abolitionist Horace 36. “Don’t think so” 38. Camping bed 41. Whippersnapper 44. Stumbling block 45. ____ Math Games 47. “Yeah, right!”

48. Michael Richards Seinfeld character

51. 1991 Walken thriller 54. Writer Oscar 56. Holi celebrant 57. Brief 2020 presidential candidate Richard 58. Wuss 59. Crosby and Stills partner 60. The E in HOMES 61. Break the news to 62. Gen ____ (those born from the 60s to the 80s) 66. Swab (the deck, perhaps)

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

OPINIONS APRIL 5, 2019

THE STUDENT LIFE

PAGE 12

India needs an autocracy, just not the one we already have ANANYA SALUJA As a country rampant with corruption, poverty, rape and other crimes, India needs an autocracy.

Before discounting the argument, take a look at Singapore, an autocratic country that enjoys a large degree of safety, is healthy and has a booming economy, according to the BBC. Of course, in comparison to Singapore, India is massive, and that would make it all the more difficult to bring reforms to the country as a whole. However, considering the history of prime ministers and governments we have had for a few decades now, it seems as though a democracy is incapable of maintaining order across the subcontinent.

But the current autocracy — run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi — isn’t working.

Since Modi rose to power

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in 2014, campaigning on the slogan “Acche Din Aayenge,” which translates to “good days are coming,” India has undergone a series of drastic changes.

In 2016, Modi announced the demonetization of all 500 and 1000 rupee banknotes in an apparent attempt to tackle the problem of black money — money obtained illegally or not taxed.

Not only was this endeavor unable to flush out black money, but the Indian economy also took a massive blow.

Many people in the middle and lower classes found themselves strapped for money that was unavailable to them.

Modi, who has also previously been accused of having a hand in the 2002 Gujarat riots, which encouraged enormous amounts of violence against Muslims, led the country in a similar direction over the course of his term. His anti-Muslim sentiments continue

to attract those who subscribe to the idea of India as a Hindu-state, or “Hindustan,” in its absolute sense.

To the general Indian population, Modi is the man who will fulfill their dreams of a great India — a Hindu India.

Misinformed of Modi’s actions and his consequences, they wait in hopes that the good days really are coming.

In light of the upcoming elections, it’s important for all of us, whether here in Claremont or back in India, to remember that as tomorrow’s citizens of India, it is our duty to vote wisely. The implementation of a benevolent autocracy may be a distant dream, but doing away with the destructive and disguised dictatorship we currently have can be a reality.

Ananya Saluja PO ’22 is from New Delhi, India. You may have an idea of her political leanings from this article.

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Make the presidential primary more democratic Lesser-known candidates need the chance to shine CHRIS AGARD The 2020 presidential election is more than 18 months away, but the race for the Democratic nomination is in full swing, with many politicians actively campaigning and more looking to join.

The number makes it difficult for voters to be fully informed about every candidate. This can be especially challenging when some candidates receive more attention in media outlets than others.

When this information is so plentiful yet so disproportionately distributed, voters are unable to effectively identify the candidates who best align with their beliefs.

To audiences, attention signals who is credible. Usually, debates give lesser-known candidates opportunities to persuade voters. But this election cycle is unique; it has

picked up very quickly, giving more high-profile figures larger platforms very early in the process.

Media will be and has been incredibly abundant and influential in this process, which is both empowering and overwhelming to American voters. More people have access to a greater wealth of information regarding candidates because of increased connectedness and access to technology, which creates the potential for a more informed electorate.

Voters thus rely on media outlets to provide them with information they expect to be most important, but this can lead voters to know significantly more about a few candidates and very little about others.

For example, on March 28, CNN presented a town hall for Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., giving him the opportunity to

promote himself on his terms.

Through this nationally televised event, the already popular lawmaker was not only able to refine the message of his campaign, but also present himself as a charismatic leader.

With the event fully focusing on him, his personality and his ideas, he was in full control of the narrative that defines his candidacy.

The chance to discuss policy and campaign goals frankly should be available to all candidates if we aspire to live in an effective democracy.

The vast inequality in opportunities for publicity can determine the results of the p r i m a r y. Wi d e s p r e a d e x posure should not only be available to candidates with pre-existing followings or hefty amounts of money behind them.

It is the role of media outlets, especially those with the

largest audiences, to serve as a forum for those who aspire to lead the nation. Obviously, proper vetting is necessary to verify the legitimacy of a candidate as well. Once this process is complete, there needs to be equity in the coverage they receive.

While Booker did address issues such as gun violence, crime and reparations during the town hall, the questions also focused on largely non-policy concerns such as Jussie Smollett’s staged hate crime and Booker’s relationship with actress Rosario Dawson.

Booker ’s town hall was more concerned with pop culture events than his plans to support the American public, probably because it adds an element of relatability to his persona.

This is the opportunity that exposure can give candidates. Extensive media

attention allows the American public to have a robust understanding of the candidate and their many facets.

The more we learn about them, especially when they are in charge of the narrative, the more likely we are to envision ourselves voting for them.

This coverage is largely influenced by the resources to which the campaign has access. Candidates rely on the money they receive from their fundraising to increase their exposure, while media outlets rely on views, clicks and reads to generate revenue.

I understand the purpose of for-profit news sources is to generate revenue, but the pursuit of profit should not be prioritized over the protection of democratic processes.

A candidate’s attractiveness or likability does not warrant greater attention than others.

Rising politicians such as

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and the increasingly popular presidential candidacy of South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg have proven that, when their language is accessible, emphasis on policy rather than appearance can garner views and generate the viral content that makes CNN and MSNBC profitable.

We should embrace the large pool of candidates vying for the Democratic nomination. However, the disparities in attention that candidates receive is undeniable and unacceptable.

To ensure the sanctity of the democratic process, media outlets must work to mitigate the role they play in the unequal exposure of candidates.

Chris Agard CM ’21 is studying philosophy, politics and economics.

JAMES KARSTEN & DAPHNE YANG • THE STUDENT LIFE

APRIL 5, 2019

ADVERTISEMENT THE STUDENT LIFE

PAGE 13

CMS MEN’S TENNIS

Stag tennis upsets No. 1 UChicago, defending NCAA champs No. 2 Middlebury

UMA NAGARAJANSWENSON After picking up its first loss of the season over spring break, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men’s tennis team bounced back in a big way last weekend — defeating the top two teams in the country.

On consecutive days, the No. 4 Stags (17-1, 0-0 SCIAC) took down No. 1 UChicago (11-1) 6-3, and then completed a 7-2 victory over No. 2 Middlebury (8-3), the defending national champions.

The Stags, who won the NCAA championship in 2015, have long dominated the SCIAC, securing every conference title since 2006. Because of this, early season competition against the nation’s top teams, largely from outside Southern California, is crucial to the team’s national ranking and larger goal of competing for an NCAA title.

Although it’s no stranger to stiff competition, CMS faced some adversity on its spring break road trip to chilly New England. The Stags had two nailbiter 5-4 wins against MIT and No. 8 Wesleyan, and then

lost to No. 7 Amherst, falling 5-4.

“We played in conditions that we weren’t accustomed to, and we struggled,” head coach Paul Settles said of the trip. “We had a hard time.”

In the end, though, the Stags came back stronger. “[Settles] really wanted to make sure that we got right back on track when we were home, so we had a good couple days of practice and really focused in,” team captain Julian Gordy CM ’19 said.

The Stags came into the season with well-established team chemistry and experience, Settles said, as only two first-years joined the team, and every other player from last year returned.

After playing together for multiple years the team is very tightknit, according to Gordy.

“We basically have the same team as last year,” Gordy said.

“It helps a lot that we’ve been able to grow together, both on the court and off the court especially. … In most cases, we’re each other’s best friends.”

Gordy also praised the team’s depth.

“We have 14 guys that could realistically start for us, and only six or seven starting positions,”

Gordy said. “It’s a lot of healthy competition; it keeps everyone working hard.”

Settles said the two firstyears on the team, Nic Meister CM ’22 and Ethan Carroll HM ’22, have also contributed strong performances.

“It’s a great combination of veterans and new players who don’t really know what they don’t know, but they’re rising up and stepping up to the challenge,” Settles said.

Despite being new to collegiate tennis, Meister picked up two big victories over UChicago and Middlebury, putting the team’s depth on display. “[Meister] hadn’t been in the starting line-up; he played at No. 6 singles and stepped up in a huge way for us,” Settles said.

The weekend’s games also held sentimental value for the team and coaches, as there were both alumni and prospective recruits watching on.

“To have CMS tennis future, present and past all in one venue was really exciting,” Settles said.

The Stags will look to build off these huge victories as they enter SCIAC play Friday, beginning the quest for a 14th consecutive conference championship.

AMY BEST • THE STUDENT LIFE

Above: Nikolai Parodi CM ‘20 celebrates after winning his No. 1 singles match in the Stags’ 7-2 win over Middlebury March 30.

Left: Robert Liu CM ‘21 backhands a tough shot in his match against Middlebury.

MEN’S CLUB LACROSSE

Up-and-coming 5C men’s lacrosse aiming for playoff spot EMILY PIETTE Lacrosse is of the most popular rising sports in the U.S. over the last decade, and has become a mainstay in many NCAA athletic departments. Yet, with no men’s lacrosse teams at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps or Pomona-Pitzer, 5C lacrosse players compete for a different team — the Claremont Cougars.

The team is a member of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association, the NCAA’s club equivalent. The Cougars compete in the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference, facing teams from larger schools such as UCLA, UNLV and UC Santa Barbara.

Joining the men’s lacrosse team involves no tryout or recruiting process, and players of any skill level are welcome to join. Due to the no-cut policy, the team has a wide range of ability levels between players.

Some turned down recruitment offers from NCAA programs at other schools before coming to the 5Cs, while others had never picked up a lacrosse stick until the beginning of their first 5C club lacrosse practice.

According to Ryan Stein PZ ’20, a team captain, the range of skill level on the team is not regarded as a detriment, but rather as an asset — he said it allows them to establish a uniform work ethic and an expectation that skill development is an integral part of the team’s culture.

“We want anybody that has even thought about playing, or wants to know more about it, to come out,” Stein said. “I, for one, have extra gear, and we love to teach people.”

Ethan Kruteck CM ’21 feels similarly.

“We have a lot of depth on the team, along with some guys who have just picked up a lacrosse stick this season,

so it’s fun to see everyone progressing, coaching each other and helping each other be better,” he said.

Stein said the team’s rela t i ve l y l o w c o m m i t m e n t , compared to NCAA sports, allows him to play lacrosse at a collegiate level, but not to a degree of intensity where his involvement in the sport would impact his academic pursuits or define his college career.

Both Kruteck and Stein both also said that club la-

crosse is a great way to meet people across the 5Cs. “Playing in college is very much a social entity because you’re living together. Sports in high school were less social to me,” Stein said. “Maybe you hung out with your teammates, but it was not as integral to a sports team. It’s fun to expand your horizons, and sports are the greatest way to do that.”

The Cougars have had an up-and-down year, but recently gained some traction.

The team beat San Diego State 9-8 March 9, an upset win considering its 20-4 loss last year.

“The win was a big step in the right direction, because we have a new coach this year, and we want to try to change the culture, which is obviously a cliche saying, but is very necessary for our team,” Stein said. “This upset sent a few waves through the league, and we just want to keep building on that momentum if we can.”

Alex Malmlund CM ‘19 weaves through defenders in the Claremont Cougars game against USC April 3.

The Cougars fell to USC 13-6 Wednesday, bringing their record to 4-6 with three games remaining. Kruteck said the last few regular season games will provide the team with the opportunity to end their regular season with a winning record; a positive outcome in the short-term that could lead to putting the program on the right trajectory in the long-term.

Stein thinks the Cougars have a chance to run the table in the SLC. The team

will likely need victories over Concordia University Irvine and Chapman to even have a chance to secure a spot in postseason play.

“We could be a great team, we could be national champions, but some days we don’t chose to be, and that’s the part that makes it hard,” he said. “If we applied ourselves, we could take that next step, and I think we’re going try to do that ... in future games, because we do not like the feeling of defeat.”

IAN POVEDA • THE STUDENT LIFE

PAGE 14

SPORTS THE STUDENT LIFE

APRIL 5, 2019

WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Pomona - Pitzer

Athlete of the Week

P-P baseball drops 3 straight against Redlands The Pomona-Pitzer baseball team (14-9, 4-8 SCIAC) struggled in a three-game set against Redlands (12-15-1, 6-6 SCIAC) last week. After losing 11-9 to the Bulldogs at home Friday, the Sagehens dropped both ends of a doubleheader Saturday, 8-5 and 4-3.

P-P built a 7-2 lead through four innings in the first game, but gave up seven runs over the next two innings to surrender the lead for good. In the third game, the Sagehens came back from a 3-1 deficit by putting up two runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game, but lost in the bottom of the inning.

Sagehen women’s tennis breezes by Gustavus Adolphus It was a light week for the No. 4 Sagehen women’s tennis team (9-3, 2-0 SCIAC), which won its sole match 9-0 Monday against Gustavus Adolphus (11-10).

P-P dominated the match, with the only drama coming at No. 3 doubles, where Lucy Jiang PO ’19 and Jacinta Chen PO ’21 won 8-7, winning the tiebreaker 10-3.

The Sagehens won every other match in two sets.

P-P track teams split dual meet against Redlands, La Verne, other runners shine at UCLA The P-P men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in a SCIAC dual meet last weekend, going up against Redlands and La Verne, while the men’s team also sent multiple athletes to UCLA and to the Bay Area to run distance races.

The men’s team beat La Verne 81-80, but fell to Redlands 11845. The women’s team came away with the same results, beating La Verne 87-72 but losing to Redlands 107-52. Vicky-Marie Addo-Ashong PO ’20 had a very successful day, matching a personal best of 1.6 meters in the high jump, good for second place, and setting a new personal

Women’s Lacrosse Liz Rodarte PZ ‘19 Ontario, California Rodarte pitched her way to three wins for the Sagehens last week, tallying 20 strikeouts to earn her second SCIAC Pitcher of the Week award. In her first game of the weekend against Cal Lutheran, Rodarte threw five shutout innings, only allowing a single hit. In her second game against Whittier, she allowed just a single run. Rodarte’s strong play led the team to a 4-0 week overall.

COURTESY OF P-P ATHLETICS

Danny Rosen PO ’20 won the 3,000-meter steeplechase and set a nation-leading time in the process at the Bob Larsen Distance Carnival at UCLA March 29.

best in the javelin with a throw of 28.61 meters, putting her fourth overall.

Danny Rosen PO ’20 finished first in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at UCLA, putting up the fastest Division III time this season with a 9:04.54.

3-way tie propels Sagehen women’s golf to third place at UCSD The Sagehen women’s golf team finished second out of seven teams at the UC San Diego Invitational last weekend with a score of 620.

The team showed off its depth at the top of the roster, as Sophia Hui PO ’19, Andi Chaloult PO ’20 and Annabelle Huether PO ’22 all tied for sixth overall, shooting 154 over two days. Huether was first overall after shooting a 71 in the opening round, the lowest score by any competitor in any round, but fell back into sixth after shooting an 83 on day two.

Sagehen women’s water polo remains undefeated in SCIAC

with double-overtime win at Redlands The Sagehen women’s water polo team (13-11, 8-0 SCIAC) picked up two big wins against SCIAC competition last week, beating Occidental (7-13, 1-9 SCIAC) 17-2 at home Saturday, then outlasting Redlands (11-15 4-6 SCIAC) 10-8 in double overtime on the road Wednesday.

P-P’s perfect SCIAC season was put to the test at Redlands.

After the Bulldogs scored three straight in under three minutes in the fourth to come back and tie the game, the two teams traded goals in the final two minutes and entered overtime knotted at eight. After a scoreless first overtime period, Natalie Hill PO ’19 scored to give the Sagehens the lead, then assisted on Yu’s goal with one minute left to put the game away.

P-P softball goes 4-0 against SCIAC opponents with strong play from Rodarte, Otsuka The P-P softball team (20-71, 12-4 SCIAC) had a dominant week against SCIAC opponents,

going 4-0 against Cal Lutheran (8-19, 2-13 SCIAC) and Whittier (10-14-1, 7-9 SCIAC). After handling Cal Lu in a road doubleheader March 29, winning 8-0 and 14-5, the Sagehens came home to beat Whittier 8-7 and 5-1 the next day.

Liz Rodarte PZ ’19 threw a gem in the first matchup against Cal Lu, picking up nine strikeouts and allowing just one run in a five-inning shutout victory.

Megan Otsuka PZ ’22 led the Sagehens offensively in the doubleheader, going 6-8 with four RBIs and four runs.

Sagehen lacrosse team falls to undefeated Colorado College The Sagehen lacrosse team (9-3, 4-1 SCIAC) fell to No. 22 Colorado College (11-0) 14-7 on Sunday. P-P put up a fight against the out-of-conference opponent, trailing 5-4 at halftime.

CC came out with more intensity in the second, however, opening up with five straight goals to take control. Kate Immergluck PO ’21 and Lily Thomey PO ’19 led the Sagehens with two goals each.

Weekly Calendar Friday, April 5

Occidental

Baseball at Occidental

Women’s Water Polo Whittier La Verne

Women’s Tennis Whittier Point Loma Saturday, April 6 Track and Field P-P Invitational Men’s and Women’s Golf SCIAC #2 Men’s Tennis Trinity (Tex) Chapman Women’s Tennis at Chapman Baseball

Softball at Occidental Women’s Lacrosse Redlands Sunday, April 7 Men’s and Womens Golf SICAC #2 Wednesday, April 10 Women’s Water Polo Cal Lutheran Women’s Lacrosse at Occidental

Claremont - Mudd - Scripps Athlete of the Week Men’s Track and Field Ken Kong CM ‘21 Arcadia, California Kong led the Stags to victory in the West Cup over 16 teams, and also won the tournament individually, finishing seven strokes ahead of the second-place finisher.

Kong’s tournament finish was especially crucial given that CMS was in sixth place through the first round; he shot -4 on the final six holes to help move the team into first. The Stags won the tournament by nine strokes, and Kong was awarded SCIAC Athlete of the Week for his performance.

Weekly Calendar Friday, April 5 Women’s Tennis Chapman Men’s Tennis Chapman Saturday, April 6 Track and Field at P-P Invitational Men’s and Women’s Golf SCIAC #2 Men’s Tennis Gustavus Adolphus Whittier Women’s Water Polo at Caltech Softball Cal Lutheran

Women’s Lacrosse Whittier Women’s Tennis Whittier Sunday, April 7 Men’s and Women’s Golf SCIAC #2 Monday, April 8 Women’s Water Polo Chapman Wednesday, April 10 Women’s Water Polo at Whittier Women’s Lacrosse at Redlands

TSL welcomes nominations for Athlete of the Week at sportseditor@tsl.news

CMS women’s water polo defeats Chapman, falls to Cal Lu in final minute Amelia Ayala CM ’21 scored five goals, including four in the final quarter, to lead the Athena water polo team (6-12, 4-4 SCIAC) to a 10-9 comeback victory over Chapman last Saturday. The team then fell to Cal Lutheran 7-6 Wednesday.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps trailed by three going into the fourth quarter of the Chapman game, but scored five unanswered to go up 10-8 with 1:08 to go. Against Cal Lutheran, CMS led by one with five minutes to go, but the Regals scored twice in the final 70 seconds to steal the win.

Athena softball extends SCIAC win streak to 16 Sixteen games into the softball season, the CMS softball team (22-5, 16-0 SCIAC) has yet to lose to a SCIAC opponent. The team took two games against Redlands and two against Chapman, including a 5-0 shutout of the Bulldogs.

Starter Chloe Amarilla CM ’19 notched a complete game victory in the effort.

Amarilla gave up five runs early in the first win against the Panthers, but Megan Perron’s CM ’21 four RBIs led the Athenas’ offense to a comeback win.

CMS track sweeps multi-duals against Whittier and Caltech Athena distance runners put on a show last weekend in a four-team SCIAC multi-dual, going one-two-three in the 1,500 and taking the No. 1 through No. 6 spots in the 5,000. CMS women also won the 100-meter hurdles, steeplechase, pole vault, triple jump and javelin throw.

Reese Peterson HM ’20 won hammer, shot put and discus as

the Stags downed Whittier and Caltech. The Stags also picked up first-place finishes in javelin and both relay events while going one-two-three-four in the 1,500 and sweeping the top five spots in the 3,000.

Stag baseball picks up series win against Whittier Ryan Motter CM ’19 tallied two home runs in CMS baseball’s three-game set against Whittier last weekend as the Stags (13-8-1, 6-6 SCIAC) scored 21 runs in the series overall. He went 3-for-3 with a double and home run Friday, then 2-for-4 with a homer in the loss Sunday afternoon.

The team had racked up 58 hits and won four of its last five games prior to being suspended Monday.

Athena tennis keeps hot streak rolling

After dropping the first doubles match of the day to No. 9 Chicago, No. 2 CMS women’s tennis (16-1, 2-0 SCIAC) rallied to win Friday’s matchup 8-1, then defeated No. 5 Middlebury 8-1 Saturday. The Athenas have now won nine in a row since losing to Emory in early March.

Catherine Allen SC ’20, Caroline Cox CM ’21, Sarah Bahsoun CM ’22 and Rebecca Berger CM ’21 each picked up two points in doubles and singles play over the two days of competition.

Stag tennis upsets No. 1 Chicago and No. 2 Middlebury Despite falling to Chicago in two of three doubles matches, CMS men’s tennis (17-1, 0-0 SCIAC) rattled off wins in five of six singles matchups to take down No. 1 Chicago 6-3 Friday at home. The Stags followed that up with a 9-0 shutout over UC Santa Cruz, then a 7-2 win

against No. 2 Middlebury — the defending national champions.

On an upperclassman-heavy CMS squad, it was Nic Meister CM ’22 who clinched the Stags’ victory over Middlebury in the No. 6 singles spot, winning 6-2, 6-3.

CMS lacrosse bounces back big-time after heartbreaker After a heartbreaking onegoal loss to Williams last week, Athena lacrosse (9-2, 5-0 SCIAC) came back strong against Oberlin, winning 20-3.

Eight different players put up multi-goal performances, led by Corie Hack CM ’19, who scored three times. Emily Cohen CM ’20, Alex Futterman CM ’22, Julia Mueller SC ’21, Sammie Cohen CM ’22, Sally Abel CM ’21 and Zoe Ryan HM ’20 each added a pair. CMS used three different goalies, who tallied 17 saves combined in the effort.

AMY BEST • THE STUDENT LIFE

Krystal Sung CM ‘19 overcomes a defender in the Athenas’ 7-6 loss to Cal Lutheran April 3.

SPORTS

PAGE 15

THE STUDENT LIFE

APRIL 5, 2019 P-P ATHLETICS

Women’s soccer coach appointed interim Pomona-Pitzer athletic director

DELANEY HARTMANN

Pomona-Pitzer women’s soccer coach Jennifer Scanlon was named P-P’s interim athletic director last week to facilitate the department’s transition as it searches for a full-time replacement for outgoing AD Lesley Irvine.

Scanlon has been a coach and physical education professor since 2003, and took on additional responsibilities as the physical education coordinator over the last three years.

The presidents and deans of faculty at Pomona College and Pitzer College consulted with Irvine and faculty across the joint athletic department in order to determine who would be successful as the interim director, Irvine said.

Irvine had initially planned to remain in Claremont through the school year, but will now leave May 1. She will work alongside Scanlon through the month-long transition and help her learn the ropes.

“We are being thorough about our planning,” Irvine said. “I’m sharing anything I can to help her out and tie up loose ends to continue the momentum here.”

Irvine is not the only key member of the P-P athletic department to announce their departure this semester.

Her No. 2, senior associate athletic director and senior women’s administrator Angel Mason, also recently announced she is leaving for Berry College, where she will serve as athletic director. Even with those losses, Scanlon is confident that she can work with faculty to support the program’s continued success.

“We will be able to absorb the losses of [Irvine and Mason] because we have a strong infrastructure within the department, which is partially because of what [they] have both really developed [in the] department during their time here,” Scanlon said.

Irvine believes she is leaving the department in capable hands. “[Scanlon] has a natural ability as an administrator,” she said. “She will keep the ship pointed in the right direction.”

Scanlon will continue to serve as head coach of the women’s soccer team, and her new position will also place her in charge of varsity sports teams, club teams, intramurals, health and wellness, recreation and physical education.

“I’m quickly finding out how many things [Irvine] is involved with on campus, and even beyond campus, in terms of alumni relations and community engagement, so it’s a lot of pieces,” Scanlon said.

Throughout the search for a permanent director, Scanlon plans to lean on the rest of the athletic department for support. “We have people in place to step up and figure out the puzzle pieces of this transition time well,” she said.

Part of Scanlon’s challenge will be to balance her work with the soccer team and with the department at large; she said changes to soccer coaching personnel make her confident that the team will receive the attention it needs.

Associate head coach David Nolan was given more hours and responsibilities to support Scanlon as she takes on her new role.

Head women’s soccer coach Jennifer Scanlon has been named Pomona-Pitzer’s interim athletic director.

Following her stint as interim director, Scanlon sees herself going back to coaching full-time.

“I’ve been the coach since the day I graduated from college, and have played soccer

since I was 5. It’s been part of my life for 40 years, and it’s the sport that I love,” she said. “Coaching the program here is something I’m really proud of.”

The timetable for putting to-

gether a search committee and hiring a candidate, as Mason told TSL back in January, is yet to be established.

The Claremont-Mudd -Scripps athletics department is also still without a perma-

COURTESY OF P-P ATHLETICS

nent director. Terry Tumey left last summer, and former director Mike Sutton has been filling the role in the interim. Last month, the program announced its search was narrowed to three candidates.

CMS BASEBALL

CMS’ baseball statkeeper brings ‘Moneyball’ to 5Cs HARPER RUBIN Gabe Fisher CM ’21 wants to go to the MLB — just not in the way you might think.

Since the start of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps baseball season in early February, Fisher has spent the majority of his weekends at Bill Arce Field tracking statistics for the Stags.

Fisher is practicing the art of sabermetrics, an approach to baseball based on statistical analysis. The concept was pioneered by statistician Bill James in his 1977 book “Baseball Abstract,” and allows teams to find underrated players who perform well mathematically.

Sabermetrics were later adopted by the Oakland Athletics’ general manager Billy Beane in 2002, whose record-breaking season that year inspired the book “Moneyball” by Michael Lewis. The book, in turn, was made into a movie starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.

For CMS, Fisher tracks four advanced metrics.

“I keep weighted on-base average, batting average on balls in play, home versus away batting average and home versus away [earned run average],” he explained.

The last two stats are standard. The first two, however, tell a slightly more detailed story. WOBA determines how valuable a player’s hits are, and BABIP, as Fisher puts it, shows “how lucky they are getting” when they put the ball in play.

So far, Fisher is fairly confident that his stats are an accurate portrayal of how the season has gone for the Stags, who were 13-8-1 overall and 6-6 in conference play before being suspended this week. He has noticed some team-wide statistical trends.

“I would say that players at home definitely perform better from the plate than they do on the road,” Fisher said. This assertion lines up well with the Stags’ record; they’re 11-3-1 at home but only 2-5 on the road.

The metrics also point to value in individual players.

Zach Clarke CM ’20, for instance, the Stags’ most prolific hitter this year, has a weighted on-base percentage of over .500 and a batting average of .405.

AMY BEST • THE STUDENT LIFE

Gabe Fisher CM ‘21 keeps both simple and advanced statistics for the CMS baseball team.

Both are incredible numbers for a hitter; most players would be happy with hitting over .300.

Clarke also has a few teammates who aren’t too far behind.

“The [WOBA] and the BABIP for these players are both really high,” said Fisher, who explained that these types of stats offer insight into the parts of the game less obvious to the naked eye. “I think that’s telling that the Stags are, not getting lucky, but hitting the ball hard and putting it in play and finding holes and getting on base.”

This might explain the Stags’ offensive prowess this season; they’re averaging 6.27 runs per game.

Still, while sabermetrics have taken over the game at its highest level, it’s unclear whether advanced metrics can have a significant impact on Division III baseball.

Fisher said there’s definitely potential, especially in certain categories like weighted on-base average. But as of yet, he hasn’t noticed any hidden value in the Stags’ roster.

“I think the coach has a really good understanding of his players and he might create the batting order based on his intuition or based on what he wants to do on a specific day,” he said.

In short, there’s still room for good, old-fashioned baseball knowledge.

“There’s so much more to baseball besides just the numbers,” Fisher said.

And in DIII, where fewer stats are available and fewer people are there to review them than in the pros, it’s possible that intuition plays a bigger role than anywhere else.

Fisher also said his metrics

have limited reach.

“I don’t think what I keep track of tells the whole picture of everything that’s going on,” he said.

Mostly, Fisher said, he can determine how valuable a player is to his team at the plate.

But beyond that, there are too many variables for one person to keep track of to realistically implement any more advanced metrics in DIII. The SCIAC is no stranger to the upside of statistics. The Caltech men’s basketball coach, Oliver Eslinger, made headlines a few years ago in 2015 when he began to use metrics among a few other alternative strategies, to try to end an infamous losing streak; Sports Illustrated published a story about him called “Revenge of the nerds” after these new strategies began to work.

Caltech ended the 2018-19 season 10-15 overall, with four wins in the SCIAC — no small feat for a school whose conference losing streak once stretched to 310 games.

But Fisher isn’t concerned with the headlines; he just wants to be around the game for as long as possible.

“I played golf all four years [of high school] and I still play a lot when I’m home,” he said.

“But I love baseball, and in a perfect world, I would land a career in it once I’m done with college.”

He wasn’t sure what that career looked like at first, but hopes that keeping stats for CMS will give him some valuable experience in the meantime.

“Ideally, I’ll be helping to manage a baseball team one day,” he said.

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