Vol. CXXXIII No. 9

VOL. CXXXIII NO. 9

FRIDAY, November 19, 2021

CLAREMONT, CA

Scripps appoints Suzanne Keen as 10th president ANUSHE ENGINEER

NANAKO NODA • THE STUDENT LIFE

Summer Ellis CM ’23 goes for the ball in a game against Chapman at home Oct. 8.

Athena volleyball heading to NCAA semis ALEX CHUN Backs against the wall and trailing two sets to nothing in the NCAA Division III regional final, the Cla-

remont-Mudd-Scripps women’s volleyball team looked hopeless against Wartburg’s roaring crowd.

But after staging a 5-0 scoring run in the middle of the third set

The art of solidarity 5C groups take a hands-on approach to community building

ELINA LINGAPPA & ABBY PORTER This piece is the fourth in a series on mutual aid groups at the 5Cs. Kali Tindell-Griffin PO ’23 and Mei Ge PO ’23 wanted to take action during summer 2020 — politically and artistically.

They both wanted to expand and experiment with their art, as well as foster connection in place of the art community they were used to in Claremont.

“We started thinking about ways that we could build more community digitally since social media was kind of the only way to connect with friends at the time,” Tindell-Griffin said.

The two soon created 5C Art for Liberation as a platform for 5C artists to sell their artwork.

The Instagram page doesn’t have a central fund, functioning more like an e-commerce site. Artists can choose if they want to keep the funds they receive for artistic endeavors or redirect them to an

organization or community member.

Ge said that they want the platform to support “artists themselves and also the organizations that they hold close to home or just that matter to their communities.”

The two emphasized that they don’t want to be widely recognized as the faces of 5C Art for Liberation because they would rather showcase the artists that they support.

One group that saw a resurgence during the pandemic also takes a different approach than most mutual aid organizations: supporting the staff that keep campus running. According to Indira Grief PZ ’23, Claremont Student Worker Alliance focuses on bridging the gap between students and workers at the 5Cs, aiming to support workers’ needs without centering themselves.

CSWA has been around for

See AID on page 2

CLARE MARTIN • THE STUDENT LIFE

to make it 19-15 in favor of CMS, the Athenas climbed back into the game. Riding the momentum, the

See VBALL on page 9

An eight-month search to fill the top job at Scripps College concluded as Suzanne Keen was appointed the school’s 10th president, Board of Trustees Chair Lynne Thompson SC ’72 announced in an email to the Scripps community Thursday afternoon.

Keen will take up her position as the W. M. Keck Foundation Presidential Chair beginning July 1, 2022. She currently serves as vice president of academic affairs, dean of faculty and a professor of English literature at Hamilton College in New York. Keen previously served as dean of the college and chair of the English department at Washington and Lee University.

During her time at Hamilton, Keen led initiatives for faculty development and retention as well as integrated advising and student support. She also focused on implementing experiential learning programs, such as off-campus study, internships and vocational exploration and collaborative research opportunities.

“The Board believes that Dr. Keen’s proven track record of academic and administrative leadership, strategic planning, and fundraising, as well as her commitment to inclusivity, ac-

cess, and affordability, will establish the framework for her success at Scripps,” Thompson said.

Keen’s academic expertise lies in narrative empathy and feminist rhetorical narrative theory. She received her bachelor of arts in English literature and studio art from Brown University, where she later received a master of arts in creative writing. She then earned her master’s and Ph.D. in English language from Harvard University.

She is the recipient of several awards and honors, including the Academy of American Poets prize, the Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Keen was unanimously selected from a pool of 64 applicants and 14 semi-finalists, Thompson said.

The board thanked the members of the Presidential Search Committee and the Scripps College community for their input.

Hamilton President David Wippman told the college’s community in an email on Thursday that the pick is “a well-deserved honor for Suzanne and a great loss for Hamilton.”

“Scripps saw in Suzanne what we have witnessed since July 2018 at Hamilton: a highly effective scholar, teacher, and administrator with great integrity, character, and

See PRES on page 3

Palestinian poet articulates liberation: SJP hosts activist Mohammed El-Kurd SAMSON ZHANG & JENNA MCMURTRY On Thursday night, Palestinian writer and activist Mohammed El-Kurd read poems from his debut book “Rifqa” and answered questions from a packed Rose Hills Theater in an event hosted by Claremont Students for Justice in Palestine.

In 2009, 11-year-old El-Kurd had part of his family home in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem taken over by Israeli settlers. Even at such a young age, he didn’t let the injustice happen silently. With his twin sister Muna, El-Kurd recorded videos documenting Israeli settlers’ impact on the neighborhood, which The Guardian published in 2011.

After attending college in t he Un ited States, El-Kurd returned to Palestine in 2021 to protest ongoing attempts to evict residents of Sheikh Jarrah. He rose to prominence speaking out against Israeli occupation of Palestine on major news outlets and social media, and in 2021 Time Magazine recognized him as one of the 100 most influential people of the year for “helping to prompt an international shift in rhetoric in regard to Israel and Palestine.”

El-Kurd’s visit to the 5Cs this week wasn’t his first. In 2018, he performed at a poetry reading at Scripps. This time, El-Kurd’s visit came during his press tour for Rifqa. Having known a former SJP chair, El-Kurd reached out to the club about visiting two weeks before the event, according to SJP co-chair Carrie Zaremba PO ’23. The details were only finalized and announced the Monday before the event.

ANNA CHOI • THE STUDENT LIFE

Rose Hills Theater overflowed with attendees eager to hear Palestinian poet and activist Mohammed El-Kurd speak on his new book Rifqa.

The poetry El-Kurd read on Thursday night centered around the impact of the violence of Israeli occupation on his life and community.

His opening poem, “In Jerusalem,” describes the experience of growing numb to violence in the area until the question “fireworks or bombs” triggers laughter — “the most tragic of disasters / are those that cause laughter,” the poem concludes.

“Born on Nakba day” centered around the fact that ElKurd was born on the fiftieth anniversary of the forced displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians in 1948. “Outside the hospital room / protests, burnt rubber...stones thrown onto tanks / tanks imprinted with US flags...the liberation chants outside the hospital room / told my mother / to push,” ElKurd read.

In a third poem, “Three Women,” El-Kurd drew parallels between a homeless woman giving

birth under a bridge in Atlanta to a Palestinian woman prevented from giving birth in a hospital by an Israeli military checkpoint.

“The soldier tells her a chance at an ambulance / is nonexistent, passage requires permit. / The women, fury-filled and shaking, / tell her to push. / She pushes out a security threat; / its first sight is a bullet hole.”

The gravity of El-Kurd’s poetry contrasted with the bursts of jokes and laughter that filled the space between readings. “Did you like it?” he asked after one poem. “I got it published in this book for some reason … it’s honestly overpriced for a poetry book, it’s only 80 pages. I wouldn’t buy it.”

A resonating theme of Thursday’s event was the power of poetry to be a tool for Palestinian resistance and self-determination.

In particular, El-Kurd noted that Palestinian poets “push the envelope of what is socially acceptable

See POET on page 3

SAMSON ZHANG • THE STUDENT LIFE

ARTS & CULTURE The on-campus performance of “Undanced Dances Through Prison Walls During a Pandemic” united formerly and currently incarcerated choreographers, professional dancers and about 200 Claremont community members on Saturday.

Read more on page 5.

The student newspaper of the Claremont Colleges since 1889

OPINIONS

SPORTS

Pomona College must not only divest its endowment from fossil fuels, but ethically reinvest it through a transparent process that listens to student input, argues Nicholas Black PO ‘24. Read more on page 8.

Having only played two full collegiate seasons, libero specialist Lauren Asato PO ‘23 recently surpasses the impressive mark of 1000 career digs, earning herself Defensive Player of the Year and NCAA All-West Regional Honors.

Read more on page 9.

INDEX: News 1 | Arts & Culture 4 | Opinions 6 | Sports 9

News

PAGE 2

CMC dean Vince Greer to serve as Pitzer’s next dean of students WALLY BARGERON After a national search, Pitzer College found its new dean of students just across the street from its campus.

Claremont McKenna College’s Associate Dean of Students for Diversity & Inclusion and Residential Life Vince Greer will be leaving CMC to fill the Pitzer position on Dec. 1 after a tenure of over five years, Sharon Basso, CMC vice president for student affairs, announced to the CMC community on Oct. 29.

In the email, Basso called Greer “a linchpin of our team” at the CMC Dean of Students Office.

“Vince’s steady, thoughtful, compassionate, and insightful style has been a magnet for our students and staff,” Basso said.

Greer told TSL that his deep connection with the CMC community made it difficult to apply for the Pitzer job.

“I’ve enjoyed my time so much here at CMC and it was a really difficult decision to put myself in the running,” Greer said. “I’ve always said whenever my time wrapped up at CMC, the one thing I can assure is that I would not go to any of the other colleges … I’m learning more and more because I’m having more of these moments in my life to never say never.”

But Greer said he’s glad that his new job will keep him in Claremont.

“I could not see myself walking away from … the larger Claremont community,” Greer said.

Greer added that he never predicted that he would be taking the job at Pitzer. Aside from not planning to take on a job at another member of the 5Cs, Greer didn’t expect the hiring process for the Pitzer job to be so fast.

“When we started this academic year, I didn’t even know there was an opening,” Greer said. When he found out about the job and applied, he said, “I honestly didn’t think that I had much of a shot.”

Greer’s new position became available after former Pitzer Dean of Students Sandra Vasquez was promoted to the position of vice president of student affairs. The former vice president of student affairs, Mike Segawa, left Pitzer in May. In the span of just a few months, Greer threw his hat in the ring, went through three rounds of interviews and accepted the job.

“All of this has happened [over] the fall semester, so when I say it’s been an aggressive timeline, that’s exactly what it’s been,” Greer said.

While at Pitzer, Greer hopes to take a “learn-first” mentality. He won’t be looking to make big changes until he understands how the community works, he said.

That philosophy extends to

November 19, 2021

Attempting parody t-shirts, The Golden Antlers learns that copyright infringement is no joke JENNA MCMURTRY

COURTESY: PITZER COLLEGE

Vince Greer is set to be Pitzer College’s new dean of students starting Dec. 1.

COVID-19 policies as well.

“I want to learn the methods of Pitzer first,” Greer said. “[The college’s policies have] obviously worked up to this point. So I don’t want to come in and reinvent the wheel when things have been working.”

Greer plans to continue to use his strong connections at CMC during his time at Pitzer. In fact, he thinks his background at another 5C is one of the reasons Pitzer chose to hire him for his new role.

“We’re in a consortium for a reason,” Greer said. “And while we all operate autonomously in terms of the respective colleges, we work close enough with each other that it makes sense to have synergy there.”

Greer joined CMC in July 2016 as the inaugural dean for diversity and inclusion and director of the CARE Center, which has grown exponentially under Greer’s advising. Greer cites it as one of his biggest accomplishments at CMC. After his first year at CMC, Greer was quickly promoted to his current role in 2017. Greer held 7C leadership positions as co-chair of the 7C Committee on Inclusive Excellence in the 2017-18 and 201920 academic years.

Since the beginning of his time at CMC, Greer said, the college has put much more of an emphasis on diversity and inclusion.

“We’ve made a significant amount of progress” since 2016, Greer said. “And this is not to say that it wasn’t a priority of the college [in 2016], but I think it wasn’t

[at the] level that it is now.”

Greer used the Presidential Initiative on Anti-Racism and the Black Experience in America as an example of a positive step that the CMC administration has taken in addressing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) during his tenure.

But Greer also acknowledged the more significant emphasis that Pitzer puts on DEI, which made him excited to take the job.

“I’ve done a great deal of work as it relates to DEI and so being able to shift to a campus where, you know, that’s a major institutional pillar really called out to me,” Greer said.

Accepting the position at Pitzer also fulfills one of Greer’s career goals.

“When I started my work in student affairs, what felt like the mountaintop was actually a dean of students position,” Greer said.

Down the line, Greer said he hopes to make the transition to a community college, where students don’t have the same resources as those at the Claremont Colleges.

“I’ve learned so much and grown so much from working with incredible students throughout the Claremont Colleges. But the thing about it is, I know that if I left today, you all are still going to thrive,” Greer said. “If I can find a way to be influential to a community and folks [with less] access to education … that would be the most fulfilling way to sort of close out my career.”

This semester, The Golden Antlers has poked fun at Claremont McKenna College’s billionaire trustees, the “first lady” of Pitzer College and Student Health Services. But the 5C satire publication met its match when it took aim at college spiritwear.

On Oct. 26, The Golden Antlers announced it was selling t-shirts featuring the text “Claremont McKenna virgin,” “Harvey Mudd College baby,” “Pomona College stepbrother,” “Pitzer divorcee” and “Scripps interim dean.”

The t-shirts referencing Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd and Pomona contained the colleges’ logos, while Pitzer and Scripps were set in varsity fonts.

On Nov. 9, however, the publication announced on Instagram that orders for the former three shirts had been refunded, “because these school’s [sic] legal teams can’t take a joke!”

“Some call it copyright law, we call it big endowments (this is why Scripps and Pitzer shirts did arrive),” the post joked.

A member of The Golden Antlers leadership told TSL that the company facilitating the custom shirt sale, Bonfire, sent an email alerting them that the shirts had been externally

flagged for copyright infringement. The GA could redesign the shirts or refund the orders, the member said.

The member added that they “explained that it wasn’t copyright infringement” to the company.

“It’s clearly satire,” they said.

“It might not appear like that to someone who’s not familiar with the 5Cs. It’s clear we’re just subverting brands that [each of the 5Cs] set up.”

It’s not clear if any of the schools were actually involved in a copyright complaint. When asked for comment, CMC spokesperson Gilien Silsby directed TSL to The Claremont Colleges Services, while TCCS spokesperson Laura Muna-Landa directed TSL to the individual colleges, who each maintain their brand identities.

Pomona and Harvey Mudd didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Bonfire does say that “only the copyright owner or an authorized representative may submit a Trademark Takedown Request.”

Still, the GA isn’t giving up on their satirical pursuit. They’re now collecting orders for the CMC, Pomona and Mudd shirts on a Google Form.

“Okay so here’s the plan: we’re pulling a fast one on Custom Ink,” the form reads, explaining that the shirts “will be ordered and shipped before the colleges’ legal teams have time to shut it down.”

“Pretty sure that’s called a loophole,” the form added.

MARIANA DURAN • THE STUDENT LIFE

AID: Groups using coalitions and social media to build support Continued from page 1 at least a decade, Grief said, raising awareness of the systemic inequalities between wealthy students at the colleges and the conditions of staff members.

“I think you have to build relationships and see what tangible ways students can support workers,” she said. “Like our mutual aid this year.”

CSWA has been fundraising to help with workers’ expenses like rent and healthcare throughout the pandemic, Grief said. The group raised nearly $60,000 for over 100 workers based on financial requests submitted through a Google form or word of mouth. Despite the group’s success in fundraising, it did not fill all the need.

“I do know that this [Scripps] worker, who there was a post about on our Instagram, has cancer and

the school’s health insurance doesn’t cover her treatment,” Grief said. “And so there was a specific mutual aid drive for her that was actually started by her friend who is a worker and then students spread the word.”

Greif emphasized that while mutual aid fundraising has been a way for students to support workers with immediate need, CSWA ultimately looks to create lasting systemic change for workers at the 5Cs. Part of their mission is “recognizing that the mutual-aid stuff isn’t a long term thing,” she said, and “differentiating mutual aid from charity.”

“It’s not just like, ‘Oh there’s this person that needs our help.’

No, we all work together and we’re in a relationship with this.

[Mutual aid] is not enough to really change the structural issues,

even though it is so important,” she said.

A significant moment was the unionization of dining hall workers at Pomona i n 2013.

According to Grief, although this effort was worker-led, students backed workers during the fight. In the spring, the workers’ union contract will be up for renegotiation and CSWA plans to support workers in renewing their contract.

5C Art for Liberation aims to support artists, start conversations about liberation and provide a platform to students who need it. Their Instagram often reposts informational resources as well as individual mutual aid fundraisers.

Grief said that CSWA also utilizes its social media platform to share fundraisers and information about events.

OLIVIA SHRAGER • THE STUDENT LIFE

Artist Carrie Young SC ‘22 at 5C Art for Liberation’s kickoff in-person event Thursday at the Benton Museum.

On Thursday morning, Grief and other members of CSWA joined a picket line at the Ontario DoubleTree hotel to protest for fairer wages and better working conditions for the hotel staff.

Grief said that attendance at the protest was partially supported by information they circulated on Instagram.

5C Art for Liberation maintains contact with other student mut ual aid organizations — for instance, Nobody Fails At Scripps directly contacted them to donate art pieces. The group often participates in raffles, reposts infographics and shares knowledge and resources with other student groups.

CSWA is part of a leftist coalition of groups across the 5Cs that all share information and support, Grief said. For example, an event CSWA hosted last week featuring organizer JR Herdandez was promoted by the 5C Prison Abolition group.

Like other mutual aid groups on campus, 5C Art for Liberation is experiencing some difficulty transitioning to in-person organizing. Ge and Tindell-Griffin said they both have significantly less free time than they did during remote instruction, and artists who normally donate work have less time to create art now as well. Additionally, the group is finding themselves unsure what the community needs most from in-person action.

To kick off its in-person work, 5C Art for Liberation hosted an event at Pomona College’s Benton Museum of Art on Thursday night. The event had more than 10 booths for 5C artists to sell their art. It also cultivated a space for students to meet each other, with more than 50 attendees at one point. Ge and Tindell-Griffin said they were hoping for in-person events like this one since the beginning of summer 2020 and said the Benton staff helped immensely.

Moving forward, 5C Art for Liberation wants to both continue its current work and expand into new areas. They are considering hosting another

art show in the spring, one that would hopefully have the space to accommodate more artists. The two organizers also expressed interest in tackling the issue of accessibility to art at some point, especially concerning the cost of materials. All the while, they will continue to build and support their community.

In the future, Grief said, CSWA wants to continue to support the existing union at Pomona and educate the college community about labor rights.

“This Pomona fight is a really big deal. We want to meet with Pomona unionizers first and see how we can demonstrate student support and maybe get familiar with their contract,” she said. “I think that’s also a tangible way to train students.”

Greif said that CSWA plans to continue to fight for labor rights in the surrounding community as well.

“Some of our st udents are working with the leads of Unite Here Local 11, which is the union that represents [the DoubleTree hotel staff], to try and plan some student actions at the hotel,” she said.

Ge and Tindell-Griffin believe 5C Art for Liberation demonstrates that mutual aid and community-based work can be for everyone, regardless of their interests and passions. The role of art as an avenue for passion, empowerment and healing is often understated or forgotten in liberation movements, they said. They invite any students interested in helping to reach out to them on Instagram.

Art can be daunting for some people, Ge said, and the group hopes to reframe the way students view art.

“It’s really just a practice for skill building and healing and community knowledge just being passed around,” she said.

Tindell-Griffin added that a person’s passion for art and community don’t need to be mutually exclusive.

“W hat ’s bet ter t ha n doi ng something you really, really love while also supporting your community?” she said.

News

November 19, 2021

PAGE 3

POET: El-Kurd writes for liberation ‘within Erica Moorer our lifetime and not after we are long gone’ to serve as PO Title IX coordinator

Continued from page 1

to defend our people’s right to resist, to feel anything they want.”

“In poetry you can say a lot that you couldn’t say on CNN,” ElKurd said. “I don’t think I’m going to read a poem in front of a checkpoint and watch it collapse … [but] I do think poetry, especially in the Palestinian tradition has contributed historically to narrating your own self determination.”

El-Kurd added that he draws inspiration from Rashid Hussein, a Palestinian poet whose works in the 1940s-60s helped define the Palestinian tradition of protest poetry that El-Kurd continues.

With his poetry, El-Kurd hopes to “affect public opinion and thus public policy, and affect the way that we are impacted as oppressed people and not just Palestinians.”

El-Kurd gives the example of fighting the “fabricated nuance” of Israeli occupation. To the narrative of evictions being real estate issues, El-Kurd rebukes, “when you t h i n k about a real- estate dispute … your mind does not go to a hyper-militarized force collaborating with a settler organization that is based largely in the United States that is backed by billionaires. That is not what an eviction looks like. That is forced ethnic displacement.”

El-Kurd’s neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah has been the focus of media attention not because its residents’ struggles are unique — “all of us in Jerusalem, have been facing very similar threats of expulsion,” El-Kurd said — but because “we were able to articulate [our experiences] in a way that matches reality and articulation was able to penetrate the mainstream news cycle ... we were talking about this in the framework of settler colonialism because there is no other way to expand a settler from Long Island squatting in my house.”

But con sta nt ly put t i ng h is experiences in the spotlight has taken a toll on El-Kurd, he said.

“More hard than the prospect of forced displacement was that I have to tweet about it, I have to tell people about the tragedy,” ElKurd said. “I called out of work for a few days. I called out of school and I decided to rest for a few days because...[it’s a] huge burden to have to put yourself front and center.”

SJP commit tee c hair Sara h Burch PO ’22 said she appreciated El-Kurd for bringing a perspective intimately affected by the violence of Israeli occupation to campus. “[El-Kurd’s] most intimate life has been invaded by this system of settler colonialism and ethnic cleansing,” she said. “It ’s not something that you can learn about from reading an article, or even reading a book, you really have to hear direct testimony.”

On his part, El-Kurd applauded SJP for its persistence in the face of backlash. “What is carrying the Palestinian movement in the dias-

PRES: Keen to take office in July

ANURADHA KRISHNAN

ANNA CHOI • THE STUDENT LIFE

“I get most inspired by [my family] because they are faced with such detrimental challenges to say the least and they are able to face those challenges with satire, with laughter,” El-Kurd told students Thursday evening.

“Laughter is the thing that has most often inspired me these past few years.”

pora, particularly in the United States, is student organization,” El-Kurd said. “SJP organizations are the backbone of our movement.”

El-Kurd’s visit comes at a time when the Claremont SJP chapter has seen a significant increase in student participation, corresponding to a general increase in awareness of the Palestine liberation movement, according to Burch and Zaremba.

In particular, Burch reflects that younger students are more politically engaged.

“The growing international consensus around Israeli state practices as ethnic cleansing and as apartheid, and the growing amount of media attention in conjunction … has really shifted people’s understanding of, ‘what is the baseline that you come into college knowing and thinking?’” she said.

Zaremba added that other movement s’ sol ida r it y w it h Palestine liberation is a factor.

“Especially because it’s so well connected to other issues like queer liberation, Indigenous justice, land back and divest … you have a lot of people who

JASPER DAVIDOFF

vision who works tirelessly and creatively to advance academic priorities and the primacy of the liberal arts,” Wippman said.

“She advocates strongly for the faculty, always mindful of what’s best for our students.”

Scripps’ search didn’t unfold without controversy. The 7Cs’ chapter of the American Association of University Professors objected to the terms of the process in June, arguing it lacked faculty input.

Interim President Amy Marcus-Newhall will return to her previous position as vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty on July 1. She has served as interim president since April 16, when former president Lara Tiedens left Scripps to serve as executive director of the Schwarzman Scholars international study program.

The 5Cs have begun releasing a third round of federal aid in response to the pandemic to students who qualified.

The American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion stimulus package passed through budget reconciliation and signed by President Joe Biden on March 11, included $39.6 billion in aid to institutions of higher education. At least half of that cash was to be targeted directly toward students.

Enrolled students were previously eligible for grants from the CARES Act, which passed early in the pandemic, and the CRRSAA, another pandemic-related funding bill that Congress passed last December. But unlike those plans, which were passed under former President Donald Trump, the American Rescue Plan expanded eligibility to “any individual who is or was enrolled ... at an eligible institution,” regardless of having filled out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or holding eligibility for Title IV federal aid. The Department of Education also ruled that undocumented students and international students could now be included in aid payments.

Students who received funds were told the money should be spent on “any component of a student’s cost of attendance including tuition, fees, room, board, books, supplies, personal living expenses, and transportation,” in addition to “emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, healthcare (including mental healthcare) and childcare expenses.”

Pomona College Dean of

Suzanne Keen will serve as Scripps College’s president beginning on July 1, 2022.

seek the passage of similar resolutions at the other 5C schools, according to Birch.

Though academic institut ions appear engaged wit h liberation, decolonization, and resistance movements, they often do so only in theoretical ways, “[not thinking] for once that we are act ually living through liberation movements for people who are oppressed in this country,” El-Kurd said.

It’s easy to look at past atrocities with a sense of moral clarity, but there was no such clarity in the moment, El-Kurd pointed out, citing slavery and the holocaust as examples.

El-Kurd concluded the event by calling on academic communities to break out of their abstractions.

“My call for universities in this country is to take a moral stance, to lead the country into this moral clarity that is so lacking from our community a nd in academia,” he said.

“Because I believe we as Palestinians deserve to see our homeland liberated within our lifetime and not after we are long gone.”

5Cs release third round of pandemic relief funds

Continued from page 1

COURTESY: JANELLE RODRIGUEZ VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

come to this work through other issues,” she said. Burch also cited specific catalysts like the Black Lives Matters protests of 2020 and the escalation in violence between Palestine and Israel in May and June 2021 as contributors to student political engagement.

J​​ ordan Bollag PZ ‘23 has been a member of SJP for more than a year and said he was moved by El-Kurd’s mention early on in the event on the importance of student mobilization.

“It’s really good to hear him talk about how SJP clubs are important in the Palestinian struggle … in political clubs, it can be hard [to feel like] you’re really having an impact,” he said.

Claremont SJP’s current priority is the implementation of “Boycott, Divest, Sanctions” at the Claremont schools, according to Birch. In April 2021, the Associated Students of Pomona Col lege passed a resolut ion co-aut hored by SJP ba n n i ng internal spending on companies contributing to Israeli occupation. SJP is now working to ensure the implementation of this policy at Pomona, as well as

Erica Moorer will join Pomona College as Title IX coordinator and Clery officer beginning Dec. 13, Dean of Students Avis Hinkson said in an email Monday.

Moorer will replace Associate Dean Mike Manalo-Pedro, the director of the Asian American Resource Center, who had stepped in as interim Title IX coordinator.

Sue McCarthy, who had previously occupied the role for four years, left to oversee Title IX at the California State University system in September.

“I am thrilled to join the Pomona College community in my new role as new associate dean, Title IX coordinator & Clery officer,” Moorer said in a statement.

“I look forward to opportunities to meet all of you, learn from and with you, and brainstorm creative ways to engage in Title IX work in meaningful ways for the Pomona community. I can’t wait to be on campus next month.”

According to Hinkson, Moorer previously worked in residential life for Syracuse University and San Diego State University and, most recently, served as the director of equity and Title IX coordinator for the University of Redlands.

Moorer holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Oakland University, a master’s in student affairs counseling from Syracuse University, and is currently working towards a doctoral degree in leadership for educational justice at the University of Redlands.

“Erica will bring to Pomona an exceptional ability to make Title IX policy and related legal content accessible to all. She knows how to effectively cultivate an institutional and community commitment to sexual assault advocacy and prevention education,” Hinkson said. “She is committed to working collaboratively with faculty, staff and students to appropriately balance Title IX education with compliance. I look forward to seeing the impact Erica will have at Pomona and across The Claremont Colleges.”

Moorer will be tasked with helping Pomona respond to a changing landscape on Title IX. Six of the Claremont Colleges rolled out revisions to a new, consortial policy in January in response to Trump-era guidance at the U.S. Department of Education. The process also resulted in the creation of a 7C-wide coalition for survivor advocacy.

The Biden administration, widely expected to roll back previous Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ changes to the code, has yet to announce significant changes.

JASPER DAVIDOFF • THE STUDENT LIFE

Students Avis Hinkson said in a community update that students enrolled as of Sept. 13 and receiving need-based financial aid would receive payments of either $1,500 or $2,250, depending on need. “​​Higher grant funds were directed to students with exceptional financial need,” she said.

The third-round funds are significantly higher than those which were authorized last year, which topped off at $1,004, according to the college’s disclosures.

Unlike Pomona, Claremont McKenna College allotted emergency grants to all students who were eligible under the ARP, a much broader pool. According to the school, 310 students are eligible for Pell Grants while 1,108 aren’t.

Pell-eligible students received $1,579.44, while those ineligible for Pell received a third of that, $526.48.

“Consistent with U.S. Department of Education funding allocation, Pell-eligible students will receive the majority of emergency grant funding,” CMC’s disclosure said.

Scripps College also determined that all students studying on campus or abroad were “potentially eligible” for funding. It allocated students between $150 and $2,150, depending on demonstrated financial need and if students had filed a FAFSA or CSS Profile while enrolled at Scripps.

The $2,150 payments were reserved for Pell recipients and those with the highest need, the college said.

According to federal data, Pitzer College received $1,628,310 under the American Rescue Plan, of which at least $814,156 was to be dedicated to student aid. Harvey Mudd College was allocated $1,309,998, including at least $655,000 for direct student aid.

Pitzer published a quarterly report on pandemic student aid on Oct. 6 but didn’t report any expenditures. Harvey Mudd has yet to post a third-quarter funding disclosure. The schools didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The three rounds of COVID-19 students relief funds are not considered taxable income, according to the Department of Education, nor should they be considered part of a student’s expected family contribution.

Arts & Culture

PAGE 4

November 19, 2021

STRIKE A CHORD

Amelia Huchley SC ’23 hopes CCO Red ‘(Taylor’s Version)’ Concerto Competition win is first step highlights Taylor to making it in the world of opera Swift’s evolution AVA HINZ

COURTESY: ANNE HARLEY

Amelia Huchley SC ’23 performs at her junior recital on Nov. 12.

GABRIEL SHERMAN & MENA BOVA Vocalist Amelia Huchley SC ’23 made history this past Saturday when she and pianist Catherine Wu HM ’22 won the annual Claremont Concert Orchestra (CCO) Concerto Competition.

While students have participated in the competition for years, this is the first time in over a decade a vocalist has won. With Huchley’s historic win, that status quo has been broken, opening up new possibilities for future competitors.

“It’s really wonderful that now we have … a kind of precedent-setting award to a vocalist,” Anne Harley, Scripps College Associate Professor of Music, said.

“It makes it possible for other vocalists to imagine that they might someday also apply and compete and win.”

Huchley performed Mozart’s “Exsultate, jubilate K.165” during the competition, which occurs annually and draws musicians from the 4C Joint Music Program. The winner of the competition has historically been a pianist or, occasionally, a violinist, according to Harley. The competition’s prize is the chance to perform as a soloist with the backing of an orchestra, a crucial yet rare opportunity, especially for singers. For vocalists, there are multiple music genres that require singing with an orchestra, such as oratorio and opera.

“If you don’t know how to sing with [an] orchestra, it’s very, very difficult to start a career in voice,” Harley said.

However, the reality is that not many music students who concentrate on voice in school go on to pursue a professional career.

Harley said she has had only two students do so since 2009. Despite this, Huchley says that in

an ideal world, she would like to sing professionally, and that is her plan. Unlike most music majors, she isn’t double-majoring. This commitment to music and her competition win represent a positive step forward in her future aspirations. But she’s not naive about her future prospects, either.

“My voice isn’t old enough for me to sing opera,” she said.

“It would be, like, another five years at the absolute minimum before I’d be considered the right age to be breaking into opera … It’s not a case of being cynical. It’s just a fact that I need to be capable of doing something else to earn a living.

Because even if I do make it — become a professional opera singer — there are going to be a lot of years in the middle where I’m not breaking even on that.”

Huchley understands that the path she’s headed down won’t be a simple one, but she’s going with resolution and confidence; the knowledge of the odds she’s up against hasn’t dissuaded her from trying.

“At a lot of turns, I do get a lot of people saying to me, ‘You know how hard it is to make this work, right?’ And I do,” she said. “But on the other hand, I feel like I’m learning, and I’m making progress with my voice, and obviously some people do become professional opera singers. It’s not like it’s never going to happen … I know it’s going to be really difficult. I do feel like I owe it to myself to try it and see if I can do it.”

Many artists can’t identify exactly why they love their chosen art form — it just speaks to them. However, Huchley is clear about why singing is so significant to her.

“I think that there’s a lot of

pressure in the world right now for us to be productive and to produce things and to contribute to the GDP and things like that, and as a result, fine arts are given this reputation of not being serious or not being a good investment of your time,” she said. “I think that, ironically, is what helped me get so serious about them because I feel like when I’m working just to work, it gets boring.

It feels pointless … But when I’m working to produce art … it’s a completely different feeling.”

For Huchley, this feeling is most vibrant when she’s performing live in front of an audience.

“Live performance is creating something that’s never going to happen again,” she said. “Even if you get up and do the exact same performance the next day, even if the performance that you did was recorded, it’s never going to happen exactly that way again, and that is really freeing.”

Ultimately, while Huchley has clear hopes and dreams for the future, she greatly appreciates how performing allows her to remain rooted in the present.

“You kind of have to be in the moment if you’re going to make it work,” Huchley said.

“That’s a mindset that I really want to have. I want to enjoy the life that I’m in right now instead of constantly being stuck in the past or in the future.”

For those also interested in pursuing singing, voice lesson auditions for the spring 2022 semester are now open. Visit the Voice at Scripps website page to learn more.

Taylor Swift practically broke the internet with the announcement that she would be including a ten minute version, which includes two new verses, an extended chorus and a fresh outro, of “All Too Well” on her “Red” album re-recording. The new and improved album would also feature Phoebe Bridgers, the internet’s current poster child for sad girl music. While the release of “Taylor’s Version” of “Red” brings forth discourses around Swift’s legal challenges, the album serves as a marker of her development and unbreakable confidence.

“Red” is the second album Swift is re-recording, following the release of “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” earlier in 2021. Swift is taking on the challenge of rerecording her first six albums in order to have full ownership over her music, following disputes with her old record label over the holdings on her original master recordings.

While the re-recorded versions have few differences from the original, Swift created a whole new musical world with the re-releases. For the new versions of both “Red” and “Fearless,” she included “From the Vault” songs — eight and six tracks on each album, respectively — which were written during the recording of the original album but not included in the final version.

Swift even created a short film to go along with the ten minute version of “All Too Well,” starring Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink, expertly portraying the storyline of the song.

Swift effortlessly captures the uncomfortableness of outsiders looking into a relationship with a large age gap, as Swift’s nine year age gap with Jake Gyllenhaal during their relationship was the supposed inspiration for this song. This film easily allows viewers to visualize the storyline of the song and for Swift to fill in the missing pieces of the narrative through additional dialogue in the video.

Moveover, the added songs allow Swift to express even more aspects of her life during the recording of the original “Red,” granting the listener an opportunity to develop a stronger sense of her state at the time. “Nothing New” grapples with Swift’s unavoidable fate of “losing my novelty,” and she escapes civilization with her partner on “Run.” These new changes bring much excitement to the re-recording; the other main difference between the recordings is Swift’s voice quality.

When I initially listened to “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” I hated it. The naivety and airiness of Swift’s high-school-age voice were replaced with the deeper and more grounded vocals of an older Swift. The youthful nature of the album was one of the main reasons why it became my favorite, and without that quality, it seemed pointless to listen to it. I thought that I was analyzing and processing the music at a deeper level than all my friends who were dancing to

“Love Story (Taylor’s Version).”

But as I thought about it more, I realized that the re-recordings represent more than Swift being able to have authority over her music. Swift is able to show her growth and change throughout these new records, and by choosing to prefer the original song over “Taylor’s Version,” I felt as if I was ignoring the major developments she has gone through the last 15 years while in the spotlight.

The re-recordings not only allow Swift to reconceptualize her work but also function as a catalyst for introspection for Swift and her listeners. You are able to starkly see how everything that Swift has gone through has allowed her to develop a stronger sense of self and a confidence no one can shatter.

Swift’s singing throughout “Begin Again (Taylor’s Version)” is sung with a consciousness signaling that she knows she deserves someone who thinks she is funny and arrives early to dates. By contrast, the original recording has a sense of surprise throughout the song, as if Swift is questioning the type of partner she deserves.

Furthermore, Swift reflects in a way that doesn’t belittle her younger self but instead acknowledges the woman she used to be with a sense of nostalgia and appreciation, something often mirrored in her listeners. When I listened to “Red” as a 9-year-old, I loved to dance around my room to “Stay Stay Stay,” but now I fully understand the genius in the lyricism of “All Too Well” after I bawled my eyes out to it after my first breakup.

Women in pop music are expected to follow a set of stringent rules, but Swift shatters those by asserting her dominance through the re-recordings, allowing her to rewrite the norms for future female pop stars. She challenges the common notion in the music industry that women should remain stagnant individuals who occupy only one niche for their whole career. Swift prides herself on her evolution and therefore encourages other women to welcome maturation rather than shying away from it.

Even though the original recordings will always hold a special place in my heart, “Taylor’s Version” ushers in a new generation of women, unafraid to walk through life with mindfulness and poise.

Ava Hinz SC ’25 is TSL’s music columnist and is from Los Altos, California. She is a hardcore Swiftie and believes “Reputation” is a criminally underrated album. Her life peak was when she went to the 1989 World Tour.

ZOEY LOFGREN• THE STUDENT LIFE

FRONT OF HOUSE

‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’ is a spellbinding love letter to many mediums CAELAN REEVES It’s difficult to review Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Tick, Tick… Boom!” as just a film adaptation of a musical. To understand what makes “Tick, Tick… Boom!” (2021) such an impressive feat, it’s important to understand what, exactly, it is.

In the most technical sense, the film is an adaptation of the off-Broadway musical “Tick, Tick…

Boom!” — but the full journey of its narrative is a bit more complicated. “Tick, Tick… Boom!” is not one piece of media so much as a patchwork of adaptation and re-representation, the marks of several different formats and narrators littering its retelling like dog-eared pages. Increasing layers of complexity and retelling get folded in with every proliferation of the story, layers that Miranda’s perceptive directing expertly nods to throughout the film.

The original “Tick, Tick…

Boom!” was a rock monologue written by Pulitzer prize-winning playwright and songwriter Jonathan Larson. He wrote the show following his inability to secure an off-Broadway run for “Superbia,” an adaptation of George Orwell’s “1984.” The monologue depicts the days leading up to a workshop performance of “Superbia” for potential producers. With Larson play-

ing all of the show’s 11 parts, the monologue conveys the desperate scrambling of an artist who feels himself running out of time.

After Larson’s death in 1996, playwright David Auburn adapted the original monologue into a musical that broke Larson’s monologue up into three parts. This musical received huge success off-Broadway.

An adaptation of Auburn’s musical, the 2021 film depicts the events of the days leading up to the “Superbia” workshop, with intermittent cuts to Larson (Andrew Garfield) on a stage in front of an audience performing the original rock monologue alongside two other actors (Joshua Henry and Vanessa Hudgens).

This is a daunting amount of material to bring to a format as static as film, especially considering the weight of its subject. Jonathan Larson is one of theater’s most revered figures and passed away before ever seeing his musical “Rent” become the cornerstone of modern theater it is today. Larson’s story is not one to mess up.

Because of its heavy, complicated context, the film’s willingness to play with the format — and its skill in doing so — is a breath of fresh air.

Andrew Garfield’s urgent per-

formance and the film’s eclectic visuals draw the audience into the cyclical neuroticism of the struggling artist’s life. Larson is caught in a constant cycle of experiencing the world and reproducing it at lightning speed without coming up for a breath. It’s the flashy, hyper-speed counterpart to the hypnotic snowy sludge of “Inside Llewyn Davis.” We see Larson slammed with immense tragedy while a future version of himself relays the event to an audience.

One gets the sense that Larson is perpetually in front of a band and under a spotlight, trapped in a loop of re-representation. And, in watching a film adaptation of that re-telling, the audience is present for yet another iteration of that loop.

Miranda’s directing is uniquely expressive in its noncommittal yet affectionate nods to different mediums. Parts of the film are conveyed through narration, song, and at one notable point, an early

SELENA LOPEZ • THE STUDENT LIFE

90s-style rap video. Equal parts gritty realism and whimsical shine, the film’s production design embraces the ambiguity of what constitutes performance. The shots of an older Larson’s relaying of events take place in a warmly lit theater, with the packed audience being filmed from the front and back. At one point, the front of a diner collapses so that its interior momentarily becomes a stage.

This imaginative storytelling flirts with cheesiness at times, straddling a line between deliberate and unintentional excess in the CGIgloss of its musical sequences. But ultimately, the experimentation with medium embraces the lack of a linear adaptation sequence in Larson’s story. It’s a patchwork of retelling that transcends medium, the story colored heavily by who is telling it, and for whom, when and why.

These questions are inherent in the framing of every sequence of the film.

The film avoids ironing out the details of Larson’s head-spinning journey to represent himself in a way that matters, leaving the audience reeling right along with him.

Caelan Reeves ’24 is a literature and history dual major from Chicago, IL. They love everything to do with music, movies and books.

November 19, 2021

Arts & Culture

PAGE 5

Formerly incarcerated choreographers recreate virtual performances on Scripps’ campus KATIE HANSON “We must insist that we are all breathing the same air,” Scripps College dance professor Suchi Branfman declared to a crowd of around 200 last Saturday — a line she couldn’t have said last year, when the performance she planned was forced online.

“Undanced Dances Through Prison Walls During a Pandemic,” the performance Branfman and her students organized, brought together formerly and currently incarcerated choreographers, professional dancers and the Claremont community. As the dancers interpreted the choreographers’ routines, some choreographers read a corresponding narrative. Others still in the carceral system had other choreographers read their narratives.

In response to COVID-19 restrictions, last year’s performance by Branfman’s students was pushed online. This year, the dance professor was thrilled to have the performance on Scripps’ campus.

To consciously involve the audience, Branfman and her students staged each dance around campus, from the Margaret Fowler Garden to the Edwards Humanities Building courtyard. After dividing the audience in two because of its large size, students from the Claremont Colleges Prison Abolition Collective led the two groups around the campus to watch performers in different locations. Branfman said this pushed audience members to see the dance in a more personal way.

“I made this choice because I am interested in the fact that these locations echo the fact that prisons and mass incarceration are hidden all around in plain sight,” Branfman said. “Rather than having it located in one place, I love the metaphor of these dances written inside being performed in six different locations.”

Aside from being in-person, the performance is also monumental in that it marks five years of Bran-

fman’s dance residency working with students in the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) in Norco. There, Branfman gave students open-ended prompts to spark creative choreography.

While she originally planned for the residency to end after five years, Branfman said she will return in January to teach in-person.

When the CRC went into lockdown, Branfman couldn’t teach inside the prison. Instead, she communicated with her students via mail, sending written explanations of their choreography and ideas. Every Friday, Branfman would drive to the gate of the prison to pick up written choreographies and exchange her own letters to the students.

Terry Sakamoto, one of Branfman’s students, wrote several dances while inside. A few of his dances, including one he narrated himself called “The Mountain,” appeared in the in-person performance. Sakamoto said writing dances was a powerful outlet for him.

“Obviously, when [you’re] incarcerated, you look for outlets that are able to escape the environment that you’re in,” Sakamoto said. “Writing for me has always been an escape.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Branfman, her team and her students translated their work into a short film last semester. This was a detour from their original plan; an in-person performance was always Branfman’s end goal.

“Being able to see three dimensions, being able to actually hear or not hear someone’s voice, all the dynamics of live performances — it’s just so deeply different,” Branfman said. “There’s no distance between the people who wrote the work, who are dancing the work, who are watching the work, which is something I’m really interested in and committed to the idea — that in terms of incarceration, those of us on the outside

often distance ourselves from this institution.”

Mohktar Ferbrache, another one of Branfman’s students, found that writing dances during his time at CRC sparked his creativity.

While none of his dances appeared in this Saturday’s performance, he said writing choreography comforted him, especially when CRC was in lockdown.

Ferbrache said lockdown was a challenging time for many of the CRC residents, himself included.

With constant testing and several outbreaks, Ferbrache spent a lot of time isolated and consumed by worry. However, creating choreography connected him to others and helped him find purpose.

“I don’t think I can fully explain just how much it really meant to have that sort of community when there was a situation like that,” Ferbrache said. “The dances themselves were fueled by a lot of that worried feeling.”

The performance also showcased some of Ferbrache’s paintings. A video of Ferbrache creating the works appeared alongside his colorful pieces, with “Easier” by CamelPhat featuring LOWES — which inspired the collection of paintings — playing in the background. He said his movement while creating the pieces was intentional, and the process of creating the piece is as much a deliberate work of art as the final piece.

“For me, abstract art was a way of getting away from the strict confines of incarceration,” Ferbrache said. “Out here, it’s still a way to release a lot of the things that I feel. It’s a way to say a lot of emotions that I don’t want to actually use words for.”

Attendees from both on and off campus were quick to praise the dancers and choreographers when the performance concluded.

Anna Huff SC ’25 heard about the event through one of her dance classes. She said she was taken aback by how moving the perfor-

MOMENTS TO SAVOR

CORINA SILVERSTEIN • THE STUDENT LIFE

Jay Carlon dances at Saturday’s performance on Scripps College’s campus.

mances were.

“It’s always meaningful when you get to experience other people’s perspectives and stories through different mediums,” Huff said. “It was really cool to get to see the variety and creativity within the different pieces.”

Before concluding the event, Branfman challenged audience members to understand their connection to the carceral system.

“I’m asking folks to take a look at their own proximity to and their own engagement with the carceral system, even if it’s as a student at the 5C colleges,” Branfman said.

“Who made your dorm furniture?

Was it made in prisons? And were

the people getting paid?”

Sakamoto said he’s continuously awed by the opportunities he received as one of Branfman’s students. After his performance, he FaceTimed his wife, beaming with joy and appreciation, then stayed to graciously thank attendees for coming.

“Being able to sit there in prison writing from these prompts, in my own head, for it to come out to become this, this beautiful art that’s actually bringing everybody together — it’s so beautiful,” Sakamoto said.

“At every corner, every angle, every turn, I’m just like, it’s my hands raised on this roller coaster that to me emotionally is all highs.”

SCENE IT

Why 100 percent dark chocolate is The bestial plot of ‘Lamb’: an oddly sweet source of energy so bad ewe can’t look away EMILY KIM

I’m not going to lie — I’m tired.

We are almost at Thanksgiving break, and though I’m amazed at how fast the weeks have gone by, now I wish that time would move slower. How can I push through to Thanksgiving break, which will give us just enough time to recharge before finishing off the semester? This question ran through my mind as I sluggishly emerged from my desk this week, making my way to my snack shelf for an afternoon pick-me-up and study break.

I was just about to grab a cookie when I noticed something clad in a simple black wrapper, a far cry from my other colorfully-packaged snacks. “What is this again?” I thought to myself as I flipped over this mystery item.

“Montezuma’s 100% Dark Chocolate Absolute Black,” the packaging read. I chuckled to myself, getting flashbacks to fall break when I brought this from home.

This dark chocolate was exactly what I needed to get me through to Thanksgiving break.

I know this might sound weird, so let me just clarify a few things: Yes, 100 percent dark chocolate is essentially pure cacao. Yes, it’s bitter. And yes, I still love it.

“But why?” you may be asking yourself. I understand you may be confused and perhaps disgusted, but I assure you, I will explain.

Just bear with me, because I’m about to add another crucial — albeit confusing — part to my explanation: Animal Crossing New Horizons.

My love for this gloriously bitter dark chocolate emerged when I started playing Animal Crossing at the beginning of the pandemic. I was intrigued at the obsession around this little game.

I saw my friends rave about their islands and newest villagers via social media and wanted to join in, thinking that it would be a leisurely way to pass the time at home.

Well, let me just say that I grew obsessed. I unlocked all of the terraforming tools in a matter of days and soon, the only goal in my mind was to make my island look spectacular.

It was around this time when my dad came home from the store with some 100 percent dark chocolate. I was scrolling through Animal Crossing Instagram accounts when my dad handed me this bar, joking that he bought it for me because he wanted to see just how far my love for dark chocolate went. He knew that I had always preferred dark chocolate over milk chocolate, preferring sweets that were not too sweet, but he wondered whether I would like

a bar that, to him, “probably tastes like dirt.”

I remember breaking off a square and tentatively taking a bite, immediately being overcome with bitterness. Though I expected it to some degree, actually experiencing it on my taste buds was shocking. But then I took another bite. And another.

I grew used to the bitterness as I continued eating, and soon I began to appreciate the unadulterated cacao flavor. “I like it!”

I told my dad. He gaped at me for a few moments before laughing in disbelief. “Well, enjoy,” he said between chuckles. He left the room shortly after, and then I was alone again with my phone and Switch, but now, this dark chocolate, too.

I returned to the couch to resume my inspiration searching, nibbling on the chocolate throughout. Soon, I realized that I had eaten half of the big bar, and I was feeling oddly energetic. Not thinking too much about this sudden spurt of energy, I put the rest of the bar away, and as I walked back to the couch, suddenly inspiration hit: I would make an art history corner next to my virtual house, using the custom design tool to recreate my favorite paintings.

I got to work quickly. My dad came back downstairs a few hours later and saw me attentively trying to recreate Fragonard’s “The Swing” into a 32x32 pixel square, but he didn’t say anything. Looking back, I suppose he simply wasn’t surprised. If his daughter would willingly eat a block of cacao, the fact that she was trying to recreate a famous painting to decorate her virtual island wasn’t weird at all. And I didn’t recreate just one. After finishing “The Swing,” I continued into the night painting miniature versions of Thomas Cole’s

“The Oxbow” and then “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt.

By the time the morning came, I had six Animal Crossing-esque versions of my favorite paintings displayed in a little corner of my island. I was over the moon, and though I was now feeling the effects of not sleeping, it was totally worth it.

I took a nap that day and, upon waking up, went to retrieve the half-eaten chocolate bar from the day before from the pantry. As I grabbed it, my eyes fell on the nutrition label, and, more specifically, the high caffeine content.

“Ahh,” I thought to myself.

“Now that’s why I was able to stay up last night.”

So while as college students, we are not necessarily playing Animal Crossing deep into the night, perhaps dark chocolate can energize us in our studies, too. Perhaps it can serve as an alternative option in our caffeine-fueled lifestyles, allowing us to venture into the bitter unknown but also to rest in the pureness of its flavor. In contrast to our usual sugar-laden beverages of choice, 100 percent dark chocolate can provide a healthy boost of energy to power through whatever assignments we have left.

As we sprint towards Thanksgiving break and the end of the semester, I encourage you to set down your usual cup of coffee and maybe opt for some 100 percent dark chocolate instead. It may be bitter, but just like I experienced with Animal Crossing, the reward will surely be sweet.

Emily Kim PO ’25 is from Irvine, California. She loves baggy sweaters, YouTube karaoke and banana bread.

BELLA PETTENGILL • THE STUDENT LIFE

RORYE JONES This article contains spoilers for “Lamb” (2021) CW: Mentions of incest and bestiality So, you’re in the mood for a horror movie. You check the most recent films and stumble upon “Lamb” (2021) as a solid contender for your needs. Rural Iceland, lambs, children — surely, these idyllic components would be ripe for corruption by a deliciously sinister plot.

I’ve never laughed so hard watching a movie by myself.

Though I was never scared, do not mistake me: I was highly entertained.

A couple with obvious marital troubles lives a monotonous life fleecing sheep and sowing seeds in the middle of nowhere, Iceland. The story’s setting is a stunning landscape of snow-crested mountains and gently swaying grasses studded with yellow flowers, evoking major “The Sound of Music” imagery. But here, the hills are alive with the sound of bestiality, murder and a jealous case of “the other woman” being an actual sheep — and the plot keeps rolling downhill from there.

The plot is utterly absurd; this is undeniable. Watching this movie requires a heavy suspension of disbelief, and then some. Without giving too much away, perhaps the most ridiculous emblem of the movie is its protagonist: Ada, the farm couple’s “kid,” is a lamb-hybrid child born in the barn and raised in the house, with laughably sparse open dialogue addressing how these circumstances came to be.

That is, how, exactly, the half-human, half-lamb child came into existence, and why the wife accepts Ada into her house, both of which are never explicitly dealt with. Far from amplifying the drama, shying away from the significant details of the story created a humorous effect: Honey, I did a sheep, and I’m not gonna bring it up over breakfast.

Instead, these emotionally disturbing events are left simmering under the surface, adding to the web of household tensions. This, at least, stands as proof of the director’s excellent capability in perfecting the art of dramatic buildup; one promise of the movie successfully delivered, where horror fails.

Cut to Ada as a toddler, and we see the most inane rendition

of a hybrid child to ever grace the big screen. The effect of the realistic sheep animation is that of a puppet head glued onto a toddler’s body. However, the silliness of this image is magnified by the decision to dress Ada’s character in human clothes — now, we have a sheep puppet wearing skinny jeans and a puffer jacket. Ridiculous.

The Frankenstein lamb child concept could have been executed so much better. To me, deciding to keep Ada as an eternal baby-lamb for the duration of the movie would have been an acceptable alternative, leaving her body swathed in blankets and thus saving the director from having to seriously portray an admissible hybrid creation. In fact, Ada’s appearance made the film downright comical as opposed to horrific.

Perhaps even more tickling than Ada’s appearance are the actions of María, the farm wife who is forced to deal with not only the fact that her husband has a thing for sheep, but also, the living, half-human product of his animal abuse. Though the circumstances are already strange, the writing surpasses strange as we are led to believe María grows jealous of the female sheep that her husband forced himself on — yes, I repeat, jealous of an abused animal. I had no choice but to laugh at this ludicrous implication as it played out across the storyline.

Though the movie in general is objectively bad, the only major bone I have to pick involves the categorization of “Lamb” as a horror film. When movies are labeled as such, I, as a viewer, demand to be scared. If anything, “Lamb” approaches the category of slow-burning psychological thriller, not anything remotely resembling horror.

Please do not leave me hanging with such a seductive description of a film as a horror movie. It was such a sinister trailer, only to turn around and disappoint me waiting through the whole thing just for the flash of a furry something that is nowhere near as disturbing as the concept of a man screwing a ewe and the ewe then giving birth to a half-ewe.

Regardless of its miscategorization as a horror film — truly, romcom would almost be more fitting — “Lamb” is an hour and 46 minutes of pure amusement that could definitely fill the void of boredom.

If you seek a serious film, or one that is genuinely scary, search elsewhere. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy the train wreck.

Rorye Jones PO ’23 is TSL’s TV and film columnist. If you see her on campus, please feel free to assail her with unsolicited TV and film recommendations (actually).

PAGE 6

Don’t knock ASMR until you’ve tried it

COURTESY: ELLE TAIWAN VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Everyone should look beyond their pre-conceived notions and give ASMR a try, writes Mishaal Ijaz SC ’24.

MISHAAL IJAZ If you have ever been so stressed that you needed something to help calm you down, wanted relaxing and non-distracting background noise while doing homework or just wanted to feel some “tingles,” listening to ASMR videos might be for you.

ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response, essentially describes a sedative sensation that moves from the scalp to the rest of the body. This sensation is triggered by sounds such as whispers and crackles, which ASMR YouTubers (ASMRtists) try to create in their videos.

While the idea of listening to whispers and other sounds can seem odd, it is worth trying out.

ASMR videos can be a great tool for relaxation, and since the videos are highly accessible, they work well for people who need to soothe themselves on the go. ASMR videos have been stigmatized as weird or even creepy, but remember that just because a relaxation method doesn’t work for you, doesn’t mean it can’t work for others.

Detailed studies are still in progress on the effects of ASMR. However, one rigorous study found that a group of people who listened to ASMR had significant reductions in heart rate compared to the control group. Moreover, a different study examined brain scans and found that listening to ASMR lit up the same parts of the brain as when we are grooming ourselves, being affectionately cared for or interacting with a romantic partner.

ASMR is a great tool for relaxation because there are a variety of videos you can choose from to fit your needs. If you despise the sound of nails tapping on a table, but love the sound of paper being crumpled, you can avoid some videos and choose the ones with your favorite “triggers.” If you are in the mood for a laugh or entertainment, there are some humorous ASMR videos such as “Rude Flight Attendant ASMR.” ASMRtists are also some of the most comforting and self-esteem building creators I have seen on YouTube. There are entire videos

of ASMRtists relaying self-affirming statements to their audience. Words are very powerful, and listening to positive messages actually can make people think more positively about themselves. Even in videos not completely dedicated to self-affirmation, ASMRtists will usually include a supportive statement at the end of their videos to remind you of your self-worth.

There are many people who express anger and frustration when they listen to ASMR. In some cases, this may be a result of misophonia. Misophonia is a strong reaction (usually hatred) to specific sounds. Another reason people may have an aversion to ASMR is because it can create a sensation that resembles feeling nurtured as a child.

If someone has had a difficult childhood, experiencing sensations from that time may be extremely uncomfortable.

The point is, if you don’t have misophonia, you should try listening to ASMR before passing judgements on it. If you end up hating it, that is a perfectly reasonable response.

However, those who claim ASMR is strange without giving it a fair chance are not only blocking out a potentially helpful tool for themselves, but they are also disrespecting those who find it very important for their well-being.

With W Magazine’s YouTube channel featuring celebrities such as Margot Robbie trying to give ASMR, it is my hope that it becomes more mainstream and socially acceptable. Since ASMR videos can be so helpful, they should get the most exposure possible. I remember when I tried listening to ASMR videos as a joke after seeing one of those celebrity videos, but now I find it to be extremely soothing. In whatever way you come into contact with ASMR videos, don’t be afraid to give them a listen.

Opinions November 19, 2021 APIDA face unique mental health issues KENNY LE My core childhood memories all revolve around me poorly navigating my mental health. I was the weird, introverted social outcast that chronically sat alone during lunch because of my social anxiety. I coped by reading an unhealthy number of books and egotistically working. But throughout all my childhood mental health struggles — the crying fits, the anger, the abuse and the feelings of hopelessness — no one in my life offered me the support I needed.

Only years later did I understand that my situation was not unique — for decades, America’s white-centered mental health care system has ignored the mental health problems faced by Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDA).

Culturally, mental health stigmas are prevalent in APIDA communities. Sometimes I forget that the only environment I’ve ever felt comfortable speaking about my mental health in has been at Pitzer College. In 2019, only 4.9 percent of APIDA used mental health services, the lowest rate among all racial groups. To many APIDA parents, professional help is the antithesis to their toxic mindsets of success.

A part of the framework of “success” that APIDA parents seek means that a flaw in one’s mental health is an embarrassing failure. Parental pressure to succeed, while well-intentioned, can inversely manifest as stress and anxiety when parents’ expectations are not met.

APIDA homogeneously face mental stressors in the form of racism. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. The model minority myth (the false idea where APIDA have been universally stereotyped as smarter, more successful and richer) causes real psychological

harm when others have wrong perceptions of APIDA solely because of our race. In fact, psychologists from the University of Hartford showed how deeply this stereotype is ingrained in society. White college students perceived APIDA students as having better mental health functioning simply because of their race. This microaggression, along with racial attacks APIDA experience daily (like being called Chinese regardless of your background, being told to go back where you came from or simply the anguish of watching violent hate crimes against APIDA), play a part in adolescent bicultural stress.

Part of bicultural stress results from the pressure APIDA youth face to adapt to both white American and minority cultures at the same time. This pressure is manifested in a myriad of forms.

Personally, I felt a constant feeling of displacement during my childhood. I understood I could never conform to white American cultural standards whenever I translated for my parents, explained what Lunar New Year was or got asked what food I was eating. The displacement has only been amplified by coming to a predominately white institution. Research by the University of Arizona concluded that while such bicultural stressors affect all genders, they particularly cause a dearth of optimism and depressive symptoms for females.

The fact that APIDA face racial stressors should not be surprising. I feel safest when I’m with other Vietnamese Americans, where I can openly converse and enjoy a sense of unique belonging. However, if those bonds break, ethno-cultural betrayal follows. Ethno-cultural betrayal happens when someone from an ethnic group abuses someone (physically, sexually or psychologically) of the same ethnicity. This substantially worsens post-traumatic stress disorder, hallucinations, dissoci-

Mishaal Ijaz SC ’24 is from San Diego, California. She listened to ASMR while writing this article.

ation and hypervigilance in ways not seen with interracial trauma.

When traumatic events happen within APIDA, that breaking of trust significantly harms us.

Historically, the United States has always looked past APIDA mental health struggles, treating APIDA the same as white Americans when conducting research.

Decades of empirically based practices and treatments fail to remedy the disparities in care between culturally diverse APIDA populations. Assuming that treatments for white Americans will transfer neatly to any person of color disregards inherent differences. United States Surgeon General David Satcher showed this in 1999 when he wrote a report demonstrating how Asian American/Pacific Islanders have worse mental health outcomes than white Americans.

Some of those inherent differences are cultural, but for my family, they are also historical.

The Vietnam War devastated my family’s homeland. Undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder probably exists from my grandparents down the entire family tree. The deaths of close friends and family members scar the minds of my family, and traditional psychological practices have not accounted for Vietnamese refugees’ and their children’s inherited intergenerational traumas.

It’s unfortunate that, in 2018, the National Institute of Health only directed 0.38 percent of funding toward APIDA research.

Considering the important role that research plays in health, the United States must dedicate more resources toward combating and explaining APIDA mental health issues. APIDA have waited long enough for culturally cognizant mental health policies to materialize.

Kenny Le PZ ’25 is from Anaheim, California. He’s a stressed freshman looking to work in public policy, who works for the Center for Asian Pacific American Students (CAPAS).

SELENA LOPEZ • THE STUDENT LIFE

Martin Scorsese is right—the film industry is dying SHAY SURESH When COVID-19 first hit Hollywood, there was a major concern that the forced closure of movie theaters would hamper its commercial success. And it did.

According to Forbes, the total revenue of the global theatrical and home/mobile entertainment market was $80.8 billion, which was the lowest figure since 2016 and a decline of 18 percent from the previous year. Not surprisingly, theaters’ revenue suffered the sharpest decline, which dropped to $12 billion in 2020 from $42.3 billion This context itself may be sufficient to explain why the film industry has become increasingly obsessed with commercial success — where filmmakers are reluctant to risk creating original stories that have no guarantee they will sell well. To some extent, such a trend is understandable given that the rise of online streaming services such as Netflix has broadened entertainment options for audiences and heightened competition within the industry. The pandemic hit the industry even harder, and filmmakers are even more concerned about making their productions as economically viable as possible.

But the reality is that the film industry had been on the decline even before the pandemic.

Two years ago, during an interview with Empire Magazine, renowned film director Martin Scorsese compared the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies to theme parks, blatantly declaring that they are not real cinema.

Later, in response to overwhelming criticism from Marvel fans, Scorsese explained his initial remarks in a New York Times op-ed: “When the Hollywood studio system was still alive and well, the tension between the artists and the people who ran

(COURTESY: TOM MAC VIA FLICKR)

Hollywood is losing the ability to produce truly unique movies, writes Sae Furukawa PO ‘25.

the business was constant and intense, but it was a productive tension that gave us some of the greatest films ever made …

Today, that tension is gone.” In other words, Scorsese’s “insulting” comment is not necessarily against the Marvel franchise itself, but rather lamenting today’s Hollywood where business-oriented people have come to dominate those for

whom films are a form of art.

He writes, “It was about confronting the unexpected on the screen and in the life it dramatized and interpreted, and enlarging the sense of what was possible in the art form.” In other words, “good” films involve elements of unexpectedness — something that strikes viewers in a way that challenges their pre-assumptions or

pre-existing worldviews. The audience’s reaction to such a twist is also unexpected; that’s why it’s risky to pursue creativity or originality in filmmaking, yet it’s precisely through this practice that truly great films are created.

For instance, in an era when many films centered around the creation of noble characters, Scorsese’s 1976 film “Taxi Driver” successfully drew attention to broader societal issues such as corruption and hypocrisy through a portrayal of one delusional, lonely, misguided protagonist who resorts to violence to confront his helpless anger toward society.

His alienation from the rest of the society largely echoes with the public disillusionment and declining confidence in ‘American-ness’ following the catastrophic failure of the Vietnam War. In some ways, “Taxi Driver” is a disturbing film that exposes us to the darkest part of ourselves, but such originality is what makes the film a work of art.

On the other hand, many franchises today, ranging from Marvel to Jurassic Park to Spider-Man, employ copy-andpaste plots that filmmakers are convinced the audience will love and always come back to watch as a source of comfort.

For instance, every version of “Jurassic Park” repeats the same narrative — dinosaurs escape the park and try to destroy humankind, but a group of protagonists successfully restores the chaos to order.

There is nothing complicated or surprising about such a plot, but more often than not, the movie sells well because it touches on the audience’s sense of adventure and curiosity on a superficial level without necessarily having real substance.

As a result, such a big brand

name entices the audience with the sufficient assurance that, to some extent, the movie is going to be pleasurable or comforting, no matter how cliche it sounds.

I am not here to criticize the moviegoers who love watching franchises and enjoy some level of comfort from copy-and-paste narratives that are in no way original or creative. But Martin Scorsese is right: Contemporary films are slowly losing their creative thought and have become more homogeneous in nature.

Some people may argue that this is just a new phenomenon and that it’s inevitable that people’s taste in films changes over time.

However, as someone who loves the old Hollywood films that connect with the audience at an individual level, I would argue that the film industry is dying rather than changing.

Hollywood needs to bring more diversity to its films. Instead of fixating on securing the stable revenue stream by relying on an established success formula, Hollywood must further invest in ensuring that filmmakers have a certain level of freedom to explore the originality and creativity in their productions.

Of course, franchises like Marvel have their own appeals to the audience, and they will continue to exist in their own genres, maintaining widespread popularity and ardent fan bases. Yet this must not equate to eliminating other genres that take a different approach to film production.

As Scorsese said, finding a balance between “the artists and the people who ran the business” may be the first step to reviving the Hollywood film industry — a tension that once gave rise to some of the greatest films ever made.

Sae Furukawa PO ’25 is from Tokyo, Japan. She loves nonfiction, documentaries and Coppola’s films.

Opinions

November 19, 2021

PAGE 7

Our progress on newsroom diversity & inclusion ANUSHE ENGINEER & CAELAN REEVES As The Student Life works to serve the 7C community with integrity, the process of fostering accessibility needs to start within our own newsroom. That’s why we’re serving as TSL’s first-ever diversity & inclusion editors. Here, we’d like to introduce the work we’ve been doing and hope to continue, as well as model some transparency by showing where we are with our staff’s composition and the direction we’d like to go in.

This semester marks the first time TSL has conducted a demographic survey of its staff members. The collection of this data, as well as the creation of the diversity & inclusion desk, are the beginning of TSL’s commitment to creating a more diverse and accessible organizational culture.

Journalism is a field with egregious barriers to entry, ranging from racial to socioeconomic, which are often mirrored within student journalism organizations. TSL is committed to creating a workspace that is inclusive and accessible in all aspects, including the hiring process, which pieces are selected for publication and opportunities for growth within the organization. Collecting and publishing this data is a means of accountability, as well as a way to ensure transparency in the process.

Of TSL’s 111 staff members, 59 responded to a voluntary survey on demographics. Respondents’ racial composition was 46 percent white, 42 percent Asian, five percent Black, three percent Hispanic or Latino, three percent Middle Eastern and 1 percent American Indian or Alaskan Native. The racial composition of TSL’s senior staff shares largely the same statistics, with a slightly higher percentage of Black and Latino/Non-white Hispanic students. We also asked for details on staff members’ gender and sexual identities and economic background and experiences within the organization to get a better sense of how best we can build community within the newsroom.

The racial diversity at TSL is somewhat similar to that of the 5C student population, with white students comprising the majority. However, the proportion of Asian students at TSL is significantly higher than the number at each of the five undergraduate colleges, which stands at around or less than 20 percent.

The whiteness of TSL’s leadership and historical issues of workspace culture, as well as pieces published without sensitivity to students’ experiences, are barriers that have discouraged students from engaging with TSL. Our goal is to provide a platform for 7C students of all backgrounds to amplify their voices in the community. In order to remedy previous harms and more closely align our organizational culture with our values, over the past semester TSL has begun implementing the following measures: • The creation of a Diversity & Inclusion desk with two editorial positions • Editorial and writing training for D&I editors to ensure pathways to leadership positions within the organization • Role in editorial process to help writers and editors contextualize sensitive topics • Workshops before and during application season to increase accessibility in hiring • Altered and clarified recruitment practices and descriptions to increase accessibility in hiring • Curating lists of journalism opportunities and resources for BIPOC and low-income students • Biannual publication of staff demographic data to provide greater transparency and help us target areas for improvement • Streamlining the guest piece submission process to open space for marginalized voices We are excited and grateful to continue strengthening what makes TSL accessible, and doing away with what doesn’t. One of our goals as D&I editors is to initiate conversations and increase transparency about our process of growing into a more inclusive organization, and we welcome input from the community in the process.

Anushe Engineer SC ’22 and Caelan Reeves CM ’24 are TSL’s diversity and inclusion editors. For a fuller report, visit tsl.news.

CAELAN REEVES • THE STUDENT LIFE

Don’t lose yourself by saying ‘yes’ SERENA MAO It’s indisputably good to be nice. Whether it’s helping a friend with biology homework, watching their favorite shows even if they’re not your thing or driving them to an event to save Uber costs, giving up a little time and energy to do something for a friend is a commendable decision. Or, one might be the bigger person and agree to take the short end of the stick in a dispute, all to placate others and avoid further conflict.

Still, we need to regulate our niceness; despite its merits, it’s definitely not without downsides.

To be clear, I’m not advocating for selfishness. In fact, I’d encourage everyone to do small favors for the people they care about. As the cliché goes, humans are social creatures, and helping others makes us happy. It also gives us a greater sense of purpose and belonging, as we feel more connected to those we do favors for. The same goes for sacrificing a little on our end to ease a conflict, which might feel uncomfortable in the short term, but is ultimately for the greater good.

Yet, we need to be careful about where our niceness is rooted. When our desire to help others comes from a need to be perceived as a good or friendly person, our motivations become increasingly dangerous. For instance, we might want others to relate to us, so we say that we like their favorite songs when we don’t. Similar logic applies to situations of politics or other preferences, where we might skew what we say to make others like us.

Though these situations seem trivial, most would agree that dishonesty already feels slightly

unethical. Ethics aside, being agreeable all the time diminishes our individuality, as we become a product of the people around us instead of having our own unique personality. Additionally, when extended to more impactful scenarios, avoiding unreasonable agreeability becomes even more important.

For example, offering to do too many favors can be overwhelming, as our desire to be seen as selfless and kind outweighs our concern for our own well-being. For example, if you constantly support others emotionally, or help them with academics, that habit might become part of your self-perception. In other words, you see yourself as someone willing to lend a hand to others when they are in need.

Though this characteristic is typically beneficial, the human desire to remain consistent with what we believe is often so strong that we refuse to violate our habits even when necessary.

Even if we’re exhausted from personal issues, for instance, we might still feel the obligation to comfort a friend; if we’re low on money, we might still feel the urge to buy a loved one an expensive present. Both of these desires stem from our insistence on remaining consistent in preserving our image: we’ve painted ourselves as caring people, and we’re afraid of damaging that self-perception.

Those who succumb to those urges may feel accomplished, thinking that if they are still doing favors despite their own problems, they are extra selfless or caring. However, doing so is rarely worth it: helping others should not excessively

damage our own physical and mental health. Not only does it prevent us from continuing our selfless habits in the long term, but it also hurts others’ perceptions of us. People lose respect for those who show little assertiveness or respect for their own time or health, and may respond by further overstretching our boundaries.

Though agreeability spans the experiences of all kinds of people, it can be especially true within communities where selflessness is an established priority. For instance, from my experience at Harvey Mudd College, students are known for caring for others, constantly offering to help their peers with academics or other endeavors.

This automatic perception of people’s willingness to help can put pressure on Mudders to sacrifice their energy, even if they may lack the capability to do so. Instead, they should remind themselves of their priorities, then realistically calculate if they have the ability to lend a hand. If they do, they should go for it — but if doing so risks overstretching their mental, physical, or financial boundaries, they should think twice before saying yes.

Ultimately, making kindness a habit is an honorable goal. But as with all things, moderation is key, and sometimes, sacrificing a little too much can cause more harm than good.

Serena Mao HM ’25 is from Fremont, California. She swears her articles aren’t rooted in her own experiences — if you know her, no you don’t.

JUSTIN SLEPPY • THE STUDENT LIFE

Set limits to your ‘niceness’ so you don’t diminish your individuality or overextend yourself, argues Serena Mao HM ’25.

‘Did I peak in high school?’ Let’s talk about impostor syndrome SHAY SURESH The confidence following my college acceptance and prior to my first step on campus was a fugitive feeling. It left me high and dry as soon as I settled in, the rosy image of college suddenly a stark reality. The ease of being great at something in high school was trumped by the many students who matched or exceeded my strengths in college. For the first time, I had to stop and ask myself: Do I deserve to be at this college and among these students?

Self-doubt, though an intangible part of human nature, sits so heavy in our hearts and minds. What’s worse is that we can’t shove that doubt under the mattress and call it a day.

It’s a feeling that sticks, try as we might to get it off.

There are moments where I feel as if I’m a fraud. Cue my acquaintance with impostor syndrome, defined as “the idea that you’ve only succeeded due to luck, and not because of your talent or qualifications.” We’ve all been there, whether it’s the class of peers who seem to know all the answers that you don’t, the insecurity of being recruited for factors other than academics or being sidelined in competitive atmospheres.

The advertisement of success on college campuses suggests that everyone is succeeding in some way or another.

One would think that being surrounded by achievement would encourage motivation, but it seems to have the opposite effect. We’re under the impression that universally, accomplishments far exceed setbacks, further emphasizing our inadequacies. On top of this, we’re overwhelmed by our own papers, projects, club activities and sports commitments. It’s easy to feel as if our concept of a full plate doesn’t amount to someone else’s. Burdened by impostor syndrome, we feel as if we are not meeting some predetermined standard.

It is important to note that impostor syndrome breeds serious mental health consequences. Impostor syndrome and its roots in self-doubt can cause a decline in job performance and an increase in burnout. There’s also a connection between impostor syndrome and anxiety and depression. From another

MARIANA DURAN • THE STUDENT LIFE

perspective, impostor syndrome can affect how you interact — or don’t — with the people in your life, causing you to be withdrawn and reticent.

Frankly, impostor syndrome is awful, and as students we should arm ourselves with the tools necessary to counter its effects. One solution is to consult with our innermost fears and turn them around. Something that could help is keeping little notes around your workspace. I myself write encouraging affirmations on my whiteboard and take a peek every once in a while to keep my spirits up.

Another option is to engage in open conversation with the people around you, particularly individuals who have witnessed your academic and personal growth and can attest to your worthiness. Having people to bring out the best in you, to inspire self-assurance, can bring you out of a slump of selfdoubt.

Another solution that alleviates the anxiety brought on by impostor syndrome is mapping out your life so far — the highs and lows, the obstacles you overcame and the resulting victories. Everyone is here for a reason, and it can help to write and visualize the journey that brought you to where you are.

At the end of the day, we will continue to question the spaces we occupy and whether or not we deserve to occupy them. But you’re wanted for every part of you, even the parts you deem insignificant.

At the heart of it all, who you are beneath the layers of scores and extracurriculars and resumes is the most worthy version of yourself. It’s the version that deserves to be here, at this college, among your peers.

Shay Suresh CM ’24 is from San Jose, California. She loves literary fiction, folk-rock music and making Pinterest boards.

Opinions November 19, 2021 Pomona College must divest from fossil fuels, but that’s not enough

PAGE 8

In case you haven’t seen the stickers plastered on students’ laptops, Pomona College invests in fossil fuels.

It should be obvious that Pomona’s investments in fossil fuels are wildly irresponsible given the dire nature of the climate crisis and enormous greed of fossil fuel companies putting profit over human lives. As many students and faculty have voiced over the years, it’s past time that Pomona divested all of its endowment money from these corporations, but this alone would not go far enough. To echo the calls of Divest Claremont Colleges and other campus groups, Pomona must not only divest from fossil fuels but reinvest this money as ethically as possible and after taking into account student input.

Calls for Pomona to divest from fossil fuels are not new — campaigns have been launched since 2014 to achieve this very goal.

Whereas previous campaigns for divestment have been unsuccessful, the circumstances of the movement have changed, suggesting that we may be closer than ever to seeing Pomona finally divest.

All across higher education, colleges and universities are abandoning their fossil fuel investments. In the past year alone, highly-ranked institutions like Harvard University, Dartmouth College and Boston University have divested from fossil fuels. This isn’t only due to ethical concerns of fossil fuel investments — several administrations, like those of the University of Cal-

ifornia system, which divested in 2020, cited financial concerns as the principal motivator for their decision. Fossil fuels, being limited resources that are also causing material damage to our planet, no longer yield the profits they once did for investors.

The prospects of fossil fuel investments, both in terms of profit and morality, are clearly declining, hence why we see divestment campaigns ramping up across the country and more and more colleges and universities following through. However, as we move closer to extracting an agreement from Pomona to divest, we must be clear in saying the following: Divestment by itself is not enough.

The dangers of achieving divestment from fossil fuels without any other remedies have been clearly observed here at the Claremont Colleges. Pitzer College, which divested from fossil fuels in 2014, is a client of BlackRock, an investment management firm which holds numerous investments about which students have expressed ethical concerns.

Principal of these concerns are the firm’s investments in fossil fuel companies as well as GEO Group, one of the largest American operators of private prisons.

Had transparency been enacted and student input integrated in Pitzer’s reinvestment process, students would have undoubtedly objected to contracting with an

COURTESY: GERRY MACHEN VIA FLICKR

Pomona College must not only divest its endowment from fossil fuels, but ethically reinvest it through a transparent process that listens to student input, argues Nicholas Black PO ’24.

The issues with excluding straight-passing queer people and allies from queggers PORTER REYES “Are you queer?!” a belligerently drunk person asked one of my peers, to which they answered “No.” Soon after another person asked the same question, several of my straight-identifying friends decided it would be best for them to leave. This was the first queer party I’d ever been to at college, and I did not want to leave so early. When I tried to convince them to stay, one of them said they didn’t want to intrude. This decision made me sad, but I understood where they were coming from — if I were in their shoes, I would also be inclined to leave.

For many LGBTQ people, parties specifically for queer people are an exciting departure from the predominantly heteronormative party culture at the 5Cs. These parties, often referred to by students as “queggers,” are meant to provide a space for socialization occupied mostly by queer people.

These spaces are necessary because they allow LGBT students to mingle with people who share their identity and lived experiences. It also enables queer students to more easily find romantic and sexual partners, which can prove challenging at parties comprised mostly of straight people.

However, trying to cultivate a safe space for LGBTQ-identifying people by advertising and policing these parties to be queer-only spaces may exclude straight-identifying, closeted and questioning students, and also complicate the experience at queer parties for some LGBTQ individuals.

Coming out is a highly personal decision, the timing of which can be affected by numerous factors, including one’s family, friends, environment, religion and much more. Personally, I lived in a liberal city, attended a progressive school and have a loving and hardly religious family, all of which probably made coming out during high school easier for me than most. However, to think that just because I came out in high school, every college freshman should also be comfortable in their identity would be a privileged and ignorant assumption to make. For the same reason, it is problematic for queer students to tell our straight-identifying peers not to come to queer parties and question the identities of people who attend.

When closeted, many queer

people — including myself — have experienced what it’s like to feel isolated and unsettled by others’ recognition of the straight identity they purport.

Queer people — including myself — also know how terrifying it feels to be interrogated about an identity they’ve yet to make public or come to terms with. How, then, can we as queer students potentially do the same in good conscience to our straight-identifying and closeted or questioning peers?

Queer parties provide spaces for LGBTQ people to explore their sexuality, and the same opportunity should be extended to people who have not come to terms with, or are even aware of, their queerness.

Another consideration is that some queer people have many straight friends and want to bring them to these parties. Speaking personally, my straight friends at Pomona are accepting of me and I feel I can be myself around them. I feel most comfortable at parties when I’m with my close friends, many of whom are straight, and it’s unfortunate that I am forced to choose between going out with them and going to queer parties.

Lastly, if queer party culture discourages non-queer people from attending, it could make straight- and cisgender-passing queer people uncomfortable.

For example, transgender couples with a man and a woman may face judgment because they pass as cisgender and straight, which creates a barrier for them to attend. In the same way that queer people shouldn’t need to conform to heteronormative

conventions to fit in at parties, queer people shouldn’t have to try to “look” queerer to fit in at queer parties.

It is paramount to ensure that queer people have parties they feel safe at; it is equally important not to exclude other queer people in the process of fostering those spaces by discouraging straight and cisgender people from attending.

Perhaps there can be parties that are explicitly queer affinity spaces, but considering the people who these types of parties exclude, not every queer party should be an affinity space. I am not arguing that we should encourage straight people who have nefarious intentions to attend, such as straight men who fetishize queer women; they undermine the purpose of queer parties by making people feel unsafe.

However, it’s unfair to assume that every straight person will make the space uncomfortable solely because they are straight. Therefore, we should encourage both queer people and allies to come to queggers that are not affinity spaces and deal with those who attend for the wrong reasons on a caseby-case basis. Doing so will broaden the appeal of queer parties to allies, questioning people and straight- and cisgender-passing queer individuals, and thus make them more inclusive.

Porter Reyes PO ’25 is from Manhattan, New York. He is a political junkie and New York Times Spelling Bee “Genius” who enjoys internet drama.

JADYN LEE • THE STUDENT LIFE

THE STUDENT LIFE

Editorial Board

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

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

investment manager which supports such unethical practices.

This should serve not only as a warning to the Pomona community, but also as a lesson as to how we can approach divestment differently.

When Pomona College finally divests its endowment money from fossil fuel corporations, it must do so in an open and collaborative process. First, this means disclosing all investments that the College is legally allowed to disclose and making this information easily accessible to students, faculty and staff.

Moreover, a collaborative divestment process would entail the incorporation of student perspectives throughout the process

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

TSL’s Editorial Board consists of the editor-in-chief and two managing editors. Aside from the editorial, the views expressed in the opinions section do not necessarily reflect the views of The Student Life.

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

of reinvestment. Pomona College is more than capable of collecting the input of students, as they have done before in various ways, and this is what must be done when it comes to reinvesting the funds that are taken out of fossil fuel companies.

Pomona students deserve a voice in deciding what our college will support financially. As a matter of principle, our input should be important to the College in terms of reinvestment. Going even further, the inclusion of student feedback in the divestment process, coupled with disclosure, could prevent the College from taking on more problematic investments or refusing to examine what other investments may be ethically problematic.

These solutions are the agenda of Divest Claremont Colleges, an on-campus group which we can support in order to advocate for this vision of divestment. One way we can all show our support is by attending Divest Day of Action, an event beginning at the steps of Pomona’s Frary Dining Hall on Dec. 3 at 3 p.m., which will include speakers from students and faculty, marching and a banner drop.

While Pomona may never be fully ethical with their endowment, we still must advocate for the College to, at the very least, avoid doing active harm with their investments.

Nicholas Black PO ’24 is from Rochester, New York. He wants you to come to Divest Claremont Colleges meetings and tell everyone you know that Pomona is invested in fossil fuels.

Jasper’s Crossword: Done Deals

JASPER DAVIDOFF • THE STUDENT LIFE

ACROSS 1. Kind of letter for a college app 4. Duchamp’s movement 8. Hawaiian “thanks” 14. “Dude” 15. Captain in Moby-Dick 16. Profile picture 17. *Place for things people are done with 19. Inside Out and Sense8 main characters 20. Trudge 21. Kind of flip or shot 23. Generic dog’s name 24. *What certain people who are done for might hear 28. Let borrow 30. “Clear _______” (police instruction) 31. Briefs or boxers 34. Gang-backed politician?

35. *Attitude towards people you’re done with 38. Danica who’s the first transgender state legislator 42. Complaining about 47. Iannucci who created Veep 50. Canadian dollar coin 51. *Commentator who’s famously done with the Republican Party 54. Go backpacking 55. Get into a shoving match 56. Dorothy’s dog 57. Steak whose name has two body parts 60. List of people who are done for ... or a characteristic of each theme answer?

63. Season’s first game 64. Like an overcast sky 65. Roadside help org.

66. “She ______ even go here!”

67. Law school starter 68. Sass

8. Carey who sings “Make my wish come true” 9. Fly 10. School locker location 11. Chowed down 12. Set down 13. Some docs’ spots 18. Lorna _____ (cookies) 22. Cut again, as a hedge 23. H1N1, e.g.

24. Juvenile genius Artemis 25. This American Life’s Glass 26. Dancing With The Stars’ Goodman 27. Video game speed issue 29. State or city prefix 32. Parts to keep off the table 33. Shock partner 36. Recline 37. Language related to Thai 38. Kitchen spill sopper-upper 39. Mine product 40. Fall Out Boy genre 41. Doc ______ (boots) 43. What some add to “no way” 44. Beginning 45. Composer Rimsky- Korsakov 46. “Whoa!”

48. Acclaimed novelist Viet Thanh 49. Death Valley biome 52. “How Far _____” (Moana tune) 53. Pick up, as a skill 56. Bye 4 now 57. Dowel 58. Corp. debut of sorts 59. Honey producer 61. Observe 62. Place to request things from Santa LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

DOWN 1. Late SCOTUS heavyweight 2. Crumbling of rock or trust 3. Mom won’t take us to Disneyland, but this guy will 4. “Sup, ____?”

5. Yellowfin tuna 6. _____ Lama 7. More competent

OFF THE RECORD

NICHOLAS BLACK

McConnell’s Thanksgiving dinner!

James is happy :) No 5C dining...

You mean I can’t eat 5 Thanksgivng dinners in a row???

Sports

November 19, 2021

PAGE 9

VBALL: Regional champion Athena volleyball stages comeback of the year, making their way to NCAA semis

NANAKO NODA • THE STUDENT LIFE

The Athenas, pictured here at Roberts Pavilion on Oct. 8, are heading to the Division III semifinals.

Continued from page 1 scoring wave carried them through the rest of the match, recording three consecutive set wins and completing the improbable comeback.

“If this wasn’t the best volleyball match of the game, I don’t know what could be,” head coach Kurt Vlasich said in a press conference following the win. “We knew from the get-go that this was going to be a tough environment with their home crowd; all credit to the players for bringing home this gutsy victory.”

Considering the pivotal nature of the match, multiple Athenas recorded career-high stats.

Most notably, right side Brenna Bell CM ’25 had an 18-kill standout performance to lead the Athenas, while outside hitter Jenna Holmes CM ’24 matched that total and earned a career-high 30 digs.

Other impressive showings included libero Dede Carranza’s CM ’25 career-high 38 digs and double-digit kill contributions from outside hitter Jackie Jones CM ’22 and right side Melanie Williams CM ’22, recording 16

and 15 respectively.

Knocking off the fourth-best team in the country in Wartburg, the Athenas handed the Knights their first and most crucial loss of the season. But considering the first two sets of the match, this outcome initially seemed unimaginable.

The regional championship match began with the Athenas and Knights trading blow for blow, featuring mini scoring runs from each side. Neither side was able to separate themselves from the other by more than four points during the opening set.

Mainly featuring kills from Jones, Williams and Holmes, the Athenas remained in striking distance of the Knights and stretched out the first frame to multiple set points. CMS ultimately folded the set point after a 4-1 run from Wartburg following a 25-25 deuce.

The second frame proved drastically different, as the Knights came out after the break with strong determination to take a dominant 2-0 lead.

Wartburg began the set with a 8-3 scoring run, capitalizing on

multiple attack errors from Athena hitters and producing their own strong kills that left the CMS defense stunned.

Despite faltering early, the Athenas climbed back into the set by staging an 8-4 scoring run of their own behind three key kills from Bell, bringing the deficit to within a single point.

Immediately after this momentum change, Wartburg responded with another big 7-3 run, eventually holding on to win the set by five points.

Similar to the first set, the third frame featured a similar back-and-forth affair with the teams trading scores with one another. Especially in this set, the teams traded fierce rallies driven by top-notch defensive plays, each side demonstrating numerous tough digs.

“I’ve just never seen anything like [this defensive performance] before,” Vlasich said.

“Tonight was just a great performance where both teams fed off each other; it was just fun to be a part of, whether they were digging us or whether we were digging them because that energy really translated.”

Toward the latter half of the set, CMS built momentum through key blocks and kills to stay within striking distance of Wartburg, maintaining a close score. After building a rhythm featuring pairs of key kills from Jones and middle blocker Audrey Sawyer CM ’25, the Athenas executed a 5-0 run to close out the third frame and earn their first set point.

With this drastic shift in momentum, CMS dominated the fourth set with an overwhelming offensive barrage. The Athenas pounced on the Knights and opened a lead that grew to 11 points, closing out the frame by a margin of seven.

In the final dramatic set, the Athenas maintained a threepoint lead throughout, featuring the efforts of Jones and Williams. After going ahead 13-9 on a clutch Williams kill and two points away from becoming the champions, Wartburg stormed back to knot up the game at 13 apiece.

Following this stalemate, CMS and Wartburg proceeded to exchange four kills in backto-back fashion, with two kills

from Holmes followed by two from her Knight counterpart. Bell spiked the two most important kills of her career thus far, pushing the Athenas over the hump and allowing them to win the final set 18-16.

In the postgame press conference, Williams expressed her thoughts about the cohesion of the team, a key factor that allowed them to become victorious.

“Every person trusted everyone, we got energy from people on the court and off the court, everyone contributed to the win,” the outside hitter said. “I’ve never been a part of a team [where] everyone loves each other and is so great at volleyball; it’s awesome to be a part of this team in that way.”

After being declared regional champions, the Athenas faced the Berry Vikings in the Sweet 16.

Featuring a balanced offense led

by Sawyer with 13 kills and another stellar 26 dig performance

by Carranza, CMS comfortably edged out Berry 3-1.

The Athenas, moving onto the semifinals, will either play Trinity or Calvin, two teams they have seen already this season.

Lauren Asato PO ’23 reaches 1000 digs, awarded conference and regional honors ANNE FRIEDMAN As the opposing outside hitter rises up for a grand spike, the Pomona-Pitzer volleyball defense remains static. Once the ball is struck, Lauren Asato PO ’23 flies across the court in a full stretch and saves the possession, allowing her offense to produce a counterattack.

Having a season for the record books, the veteran libero specialist reached the 1000 career dig mark within two seasons, earning herself SCIAC defensive player of the year and AVCA DIII All-West Region Honors.

“I didn’t expect [to receive the awards] but it really was a team effort,” Asato said. “I can’t dig the ball if the blockers weren’t there or if everyone was split apart. But it is nice to have the recognition especially since so many other players deserved the award; other people serving my position on different teams even congratulated me.”

Before becoming a standout star for P-P, Asato began her career at seven years old at sports clinics and later joined club volleyball at the age of 11. While developing her skills, she explained how progressing to more advanced levels of play was regarded as a norm around her community in Hawaii.

“Each transition up to the next level felt natural,” she said. “It was like what everyone was doing, going from club to high school volleyball. Then naturally, when you’re playing club at these tournaments, there’s college coaches there watching you.”

As she moved from level to level, the primary reason behind her continued engagement in the sport was rooted in the team aspect of the game. “[Volleyball] has taught me a lot about making friends, and so I think I really would have missed that if I hadn’t gone to this next lev-

ABBEY LIAO • THE STUDENT LIFE

Defensive player of the year Lauren Asato PO ‘23 has her eye on the ball.

el in college,” Asato said.

After feeling a sense of this tight-knit community in the P-P program during Admitted Students Day, she knew she would choose this collegiate program over her other options.

“Even now, we’ve only been here for less than three months and it feels like we’ve known each other for so long,” she said.

“It’s crazy how much you have in common but you also don’t, but volleyball unifies us in some way.

It works out every year because we just get great girls who are also great players.”

Although she doesn’t tend to focus on numbers and stats, Asato said making the feat of 1000 digs “reflected her efforts in an impressive year for P-P,” especially coming off missing a season.

Moreover, this achievement reflects the passion she has about playing defense.

“It is very rewarding to dig a ball that people might have thought was supposed to go down, or like a really hard hit,” she said. “It feels just as good as how a blocker must feel blocking the ball.”

Moreover, Asato expressed her enthusiasm for studying the nuances of the defensive side of the floor.

“You have to read the defense specifically and always know where the blockers are, moving based on how they’re situated,” she said. “Then you have to locate which direction the hitter is facing and read their tendencies.

I think that’s one thing that people obviously can’t see [liberos] doing, but it’s definitely very important.”

Looking towards her senior season in 2022, Asato is looking

to replicate the success she has had thus far in her career.

“I’m not necessarily thinking about where I’m going with [volleyball] after [college] and I don’t know if I will,” Asato said. “I’m content with where the sport has taken me thus far and I want to just contribute as much as I can next season.”

The Sagehens had one of their best seasons in years, finishing second behind CMS in SCIAC with a record of 13-3 in conference and 17-10 overall. Their season ended following a 3-0 loss to Chapman in the SCIAC postseason semifinal.

Sports

PAGE 10

November 19, 2021

P-P women’s basketball has a rough preseason start, but still optimistic and energized for the future

ABBEY LIAO • THE STUDENT LIFE

Madison Quan PZ ‘22 brings up the ball against Pacific, setting up an offensive play.

JUSTIN GUO Although they earned a decisive first win over Pacific Lutheran, beating out the Lutes by 22 points, the Pomona-Pitzer women’s basketball team proceeded to lose its next two games against Puget Sound and Pacific.

Team captain and starting point guard Madison Quan PZ ’22 said P-P’s defeat against Puget Sound felt like a wake-up call.

“It wasn’t that [Puget Sound] was better than us or that we didn’t play well,” Quan said. “A lot of factors went into it, and I think it needed to happen early on in the season to set us straight.

I think it was a learning lesson for us because we’re never gonna let that happen again.”

Budding star forward Kayla Hankins PO ’24 had a more positive outlook on the results of the exhibition matches.

“Being our first debuts, I think that we showed a lot of good things, of course, but we have aspects of our game to improve on,” she said. “I feel like it’s [showing] that there’s only better things to come.”

One potential factor behind the Sagehens’ slow start is their rough practice situation. In addi-

tion to hosting team workouts via Zoom over the summer, the women can only practice outdoors due to the construction of Pomona College’s new center for athletics and recreation throughout this fall semester.

Hankins, who is in her first collegiate season, faced additional challenges while adjusting to the transition from high school.

“In college, I feel like you already have certain expectations in terms of maturity level [because you’ve been] playing for so long,” she said. “It’s just time to be accountable for yourself for your actions while working hard to be able to help the team.”

Head coach Alaina Woo also said the readjustment to collegiate play hasn’t been easy.

“Our greatest challenge is just relearning how to play at full speed and playing with each other,” Woo said. “We must be committed to working through that since every program in the country is probably facing that in some capacity this year.”

Despite these setbacks, the Sagehens are amped up to return playing at full throttle this season.

“We’re looking forward because last year was incredibly hurtful to all of us,” Quan said.

“The adjustments we’ve taken [in returning to campus] have been really good, and I think all of us are really fired up for the season.”

This renewed energy, according to the senior point guard, has taken shape in the form of leadership from more veteran players.

“I’m not always the loudest person in the room but I love to communicate with people in effective ways,” Quan said. “So whether that’s active listening or using ‘I’ statements, I want to make sure everyone is heard and teach how to communicate on the court.”

Additional duties for the captain include integrating the firstand second-year players on the Sagehen roster.

“As a senior I’m trying my hardest to help them adapt to how the program is and what it’s about, teaching them our team goals, values and principles to get them on the same page,” Quan said. “My job as captain is to relay the information from the coaches to the players and solidify our good team camara-

Athletes of the Week Pomona-Pitzer Matthew Eberle PO ’22 Los Altos, CA Men’s Basketball

Coming into his second season with the Sagehens, Matthew Eberle has so far gotten off to an impressive start to his 2021 campaign, becoming one of P-P’s leading scorers by averaging 16.5 points per game. His most standout performance occurred in a tight 81-76 win against Life Pacific in which he knocked down seven 3-pointers while shooting 68 percent from the field overall. Against UC Santa Cruz, although not as efficient, Eberle still served as an important contribution by chipping in 15 points, in addition to snatching five rebounds and two assists. Off to a decent 2-1 start in preseason play, the Sagehens will next travel to UChicago to face off against Denison on Saturday, Nov. 20.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Austyn Masuno CM ’23 Long Beach, CA Women’s Basketball

While the Athenas split their first two preseason games, star forward Austyn Masuno CM ’23 had impressive showings in both matches for CMS, notching multiple double-doubles and serving as one of CMS’ leading rebounders and scorers. In the Athenas’ 95-38 blowout against SAGU American Indian College, Masuno snagged a stellar 16 rebounds and also tallied 12 points in a balanced scoring attack for CMS. In a 70-51 loss against Pacific, the skilled forward topped her previous season-high mark for rebounds by grabbing 18, and also earning 15 points. Heading into their next match with a 1-1 record, the Athenas will next face Bridgewater State at New York University on Nov. 20.

derie.”

Hankins said the Sagehens are looking to improve on cohesion while playing with each other on the floor.

“Even though I think we have great chemistry, we need to continue to learn how to play with each other,” she said. “I think implementing our good chemistry through action is something we need to work towards, because it’s always an aspect of the game that can get better [as the year progresses].”

But the team is already showing signs of making these adjustments, Quan added.

“If someone does something wrong, we always call each other out, and I think the best thing about our team is we never take things personal,” Quan said. “ We always emphasize how ‘what is said on the court stays on the court.’”

Considering the team’s strengths on the court, the Sagehens prioritize dialing in on the defensive side of the ball, which includes being unselfish and having each player know their role well.

“We have a bunch of players on our roster that are defensive players first, but also none of us

are selfish,” Quan said. “I’d also say that no one steps on each other’s toes, and as that system is put together and everyone is doing the right thing, then our whole team comes together.”

On the other side of the floor, Hankins mentioned the wide range of the team’s offensive potential.

“We have anything you could think of: shooters, slashers, bigs and smalls,” Hankins said. “We have a wide variety of different skill sets that mesh all together.

We have so many threats on the floor that could be very hard to guard when we can pull anything out of the hat.”

Looking forward to making deep runs in the SCIAC and NCAA postseasons similar to seasons past, Woo said her players will need to stay patient and disciplined throughout the season.

“Our mentality is to get better everyday, one possession at a time,” Woo said. “Our players are ready to communicate with each other and have a commitment to improving every single day that they step on the floor.”

Seeking to bounce back from their two consecutive losses, the Sagehens will next face George Fox on Sunday, Nov. 21.

Weekend Calendar P-P

CMS

Friday, Nov. 19 Men’s Water Polo vs. Whittier

Friday, Nov. 19 Men’s Water Polo @ Cal Lutheran SCIAC Semifinals

Saturday, Nov. 20 Men’s & Women’s Cross Country NCAA Championships @ Louisville, KY (Sawyer State Park) Men’s Basketball vs. Denison @ U of Chicago Midway Classic Sunday, Nov. 21 Men’s Basketball @ Midway Classic Women’s Basketball vs. George Fox

Women’s Volleyball vs. Calvin @ St. Louis, MO (WashU) NCAA Division III Semifinals Men’s Basketball @ Puget Sound McArthur Classic Nov 20, 2021 Men’s & Women’s Cross Country NCAA Championships @ Louisville, KY (Sawyer State Park) Women’s Basketball vs. Bridgewater St. @ New York U. NYU Tip-Off Classic Men’s Basketball vs. Pacific Lutheran Pacific Lutheran @ Puget Sound McArthur Classic Women’s Volleyball vs. NCAA Championship Match (if CMS advances)

Sunday, Nov. 21 Women’s Basketball @ New York U. NYU Tip-Off Classic