October 2009

T N M O E A R L C

rockin’ the boat

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issue in(side) the port(side): campus, national, international news DINING CLOSE-UP An in-depth look into 5C dining policy, from trays to takeout

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CANVASSING TOWNIES Claremont Democrats go grassroots for Obama’s plan volumeVII issue1

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ALCOHOL CULTURE Amid poisonings and poor press, dry campus rumors rage

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When Claremont McKenna College resident assistants emailed their residents to inform them that “things have to changeâ€? with regard to the school’s alcohol culture, students responded by defending the status quo – hoping to preserve the loose enforcement of drinking policies that – among other factors – may have drawn them to this school. CMC is often called the most conservative of the Claremont Colleges, and students’ response to the threat of change provides supporting evidence. The email sent by RAs included “some ways in which we can keep the alcohol polices we have now,â€? but it did not include any mention of how we could adapt to an evolving campus. Students responded in kind, seeking ways to to preserve “the way its always beenâ€? without considering the substantive changes that have taken place. :KLOH WKH UXOHV DQG WKHLU HQIRUFHPHQW KDYHQ¡W FKDQJHG VLJQLĂ€cantly during past decade, the students that they govern have, and new policies might be needed to accommodate those changes.

The school has become more selective, enrolled more international students, and expanded its socio-economic diversity. CMC should not be neutral to the outcomes its policies create, and those outcomes are different today than they were a decade ago.

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The student response was reminiscent of the Washington Consensus on global economic development. In face of evidence indicating that market fundamentalism may not be the answer for the developing world, the status quo was defended and maintained by the IMF, the World Bank, and the U.S. Treasury promoted continued market liberalization at all costs. In a similar

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Ending the Claremont Consensus

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manner, students created the Claremont Consensus – the notion that it couldn’t be our policies that are creating the problem despite data that raised questions about their effectiveness in promoting student safety.

The drinking culture and environment may not need a complete overhaul, but I think it is safe to say we have lost track of the goals that our policies and practice are trying to promote on our campus, and we need to reexamine our situation and decide if the current course of action is the right one. Some claim that a more permissive drinking culture on campus creates a safe social environment and prevents incidents off campus, including DUIs and sexual assault. This may be true, but do we have the data to support such a claim? We must be sure that our policies IXOĂ€OO WKHLU SXUSRVH DQG UHYLHZLQJ WKHP LQVWHDG RI GHIHQGLQJ them blindly is a good place to start.

Dean Jefferson Huang announced that the College would be convening a task force to review alcohol at CMC. This was an LPSRUWDQW ÀUVW VWHS EXW ZH PXVW PDNH VXUH WKDW WKLV LV QRW DQ empty gesture. Students of a wide-range of backgrounds and interests must be represented on the task force, and representatives from all of the campus’s administrative bodies must also be heard. While we all have an interest in keeping students safe, the effects of these policies are felt by community member uniquely. www.claremontportside.com/blog ,QFOXGLQJ DOO RI WKHVH YLHZV LV WKH NH\ WR ÀJKWLQJ WKH &ODUHPRQW Consensus that divorces policies from their results and privileges the status quo above new ideas.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andrew Bluebond PUBLISHER Michelle Lynn Kahn BLOG EDITOR MANAGING EDITORS Nirant Gupta CAMPUS Mark Munro WEB EDITOR NATIONAL Jeremy B. Merrill Jonathan O. Hirsch INTERNATIONAL David Nahmias COPY EDITORS Kayla Benker, Megan MacColl, Alyssa Roberts, Jacinth Sohi ILLUSTRATORS Adam Kaiser, Ashley Scott The Claremont Port Side is dedicated to providing the Claremont Colleges with contextualized, intelligent reports to advance debate among students and citizens. This is a progressive newsmagazine that offers pertinent information and thoughtful analysis on the issues confronting and challenging our world, our country, and our community. Each DUWLFOH LQ WKH &ODUHPRQW 3RUW 6LGH UHĂ HFWV WKH RSLQLRQ RI LWV DXWKRU V DQG GRHV QRW represent the Claremont Port Side, its editors, its staff, or the Claremont Colleges.

Letters, Questions, Comments? curious@claremontportside.com

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Behind the Sneeze Guards An in-depth look into 5C dining policy, from trays to take-out

Following the environmental trend du jour at college dining halls across the nation, the Claremont Colleges abandoned trays in an effort to leap on the green bandwagon. In a meeting among 5C dining hall managers, treasurers, and deans of students, a sustainability initiative to phase out trays emerged. Based on the amount of potential for miscommunication and ideological differences impeding universal 5C policy changes, tightening budgets may have been a pivotal condition WR DOORZ WKH HQWLUH &RQVRUWLXP WR ÀQG FRPPRQ ground on the issue of trays.

While students may not identify strongly with their own campus’s dining hall, Claremont McKenna Vice President and Dean of Students Jefferson +XDQJ DQG RWKHU & DGPLQLVWUDWLYH RIĂ€FLDOV UHPDLQ protective of their dining halls’ autonomy. Distinguishing between the greater dining hall framework and individual dining halls, Huang explained, “I cannot control any aspect of Scripps’s dining service, and nobody at Scripps can control any aspects of ours.â€? Scripps, Harvey Mudd, and Pomona Colleges provide their meals through the food service provider Sodexo. Both CMC and Pitzer College have accounts with Bon AppĂŠtit, a competing food volumeVII issue1

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7KH Ă€QDQFLDO VDYLQJV RI DEDQGRQLQJ WUD\V KDYH yet to be calculated, but there are anecdotal indications of success. Franco estimates “that the food price per plate has already decreased by ten cents per person.â€? She concedes, however, “There are other variables in addition to whether or not customers have no trays‌ there are different habits that are subjective that you can’t always measure.â€?

Franco has noted an increase in the amount of food-related messes around Collins and has assigned staff-members to wipe down tables more frequently during meals to compensate. CMC 7UHDVXUHU 5RELQ $VSLQDOO FRQĂ€UPHG )UDQFR¡V XQcertainty regarding the anticipated savings from eliminating trays: “It is too early to tell and will be hard to measure.â€?

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By Mark Munro Campus Editor, CMC ‘12

Franco professed that the tray policy shift stemmed from a desire “to decrease waste [and] decrease utility costs.â€? Nonetheless, the task of phasing out the trays across consortium lines did not occur overnight. Debra Wood, Vice President and Dean RI 6WXGHQWV DW 6FULSSV UHFRJQL]HG WKH EHQHĂ€WV RI trayless dining after Pitzer held a pilot program as WKH Ă€UVW &ODUHPRQW &ROOHJH WR JR WUD\OHVV %DVHG on Pitzer’s experience, Wood says, “the rest of us knew it was a good idea both from an ecological standpoint and a cost standpoint, and we all decided we wanted to do it.â€? Wood described the implementation process and formation of trayOHVV KDELWV ´6LQFH 3LW]HU KDG JRQH Ă€UVW 3LW]HU VWXdents were already trained in how to be trayless,â€? she said. “When they came over to eat at Scripps, they didn’t pick up trays.â€? The process also included training students from schools whose dining halls had yet to eliminate trays. Wood explained, “When CMC students would come over and eat, they would have to eat trayless, so you’d kind of learn how to do it one meal at a time instead of being forced to do it all at once.â€?

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TRANSITIONING TO TRAYLESS

service provider that stresses the circle of responsibility, local food, and sustainable living. Bon AppĂŠtit, rather than CMC itself, employs Pam Franco, General Manager of Collins Dining Hall.

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As students came back to their campus dining halls this fall, they noticed a lot of changes. Some student bemoaned the absence of trays in the dining hall, while others regretted that takeout boxes were no longer free. While students lamented the changes as unnecessary and frustrating, each is the product of careful deliberation. In an effort to understand the inner-workings and relationships between the dining halls, WKH 3RUW 6LGH FRQWDFWHG DOO ÀYH GLQLQJ KDOO PDQDJHUV IRXU Deans of Students, and two treasurers to gain an appreciation the complexity of our dining hall system at the Claremont Colleges. Both articles relied on interviews with Pam Franco, Debra Wood, Jefferson Huang, Robin Aspinall, and Miriam Feldblum to comprehend how easily concurring opinions can unravel into chaos within the Consortium.

trays have made their voices heard, the tray controversy seems to have fallen by the wayside. (The newly implemented take-out box fee has taken the campus dining spotlight.) As long as the Claremont Colleges’ abandonment of trays remains EHQHÀFLDO IRU WKH GLQLQJ KDOOV¡ ZDVWH OLQH DQG WKH treasurers’ bottom line, do not expect to see pedestrian platters anytime soon. It is just a shame that we could not stash them away to use as makeshift sleds in case that improbable nor’easter ever hits Claremont.

TESTING TAKE-OUT BOXES

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By Jonathan O. Hirsch Web Editor, CM C ‘ 1 2

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Take-out boxes have been wreaking havoc on dining hall budgets in recent years. The cost of compostable boxes, introduced for the fall 2008 semester, was between three and four times that of the Styrofoam boxes they replaced. The introduction of compostable boxes also corresponded with an increase in takeout box use. Pam Franco, General Manager of Collins at Claremont McKenna, estimates that the dining hall distributed over 80,000 take-out kits last year at a net loss of just over 50 cents each.

In addition to the cost of the take-out boxes themselves, administrators were concerned about the environmental and labor impact of distributing so many take-out boxes. Collins keeps three WR ÀYH GD\V ZRUWK RI WDNH RXW ER[HV LQ VWRFN DW D time; there are frequent deliveries, each of which has both a delivery charge and labor costs. There is also a cost to removing each box from campus.

Seeing the sheer volume of take-out boxes in campus trashcans prompted CMC Vice President and Dean of Students Jefferson Huang to “think a little bit about the building attendants who are hauling page 4

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out 80,000 containers of food that’s just nasty.�

Finally, there was the problem of take-out box abuse. Debra Wood, Vice President and Dean of Students at Scripps College, said that students on the eight meal plan, students at Claremont GraduDWH 8QLYHUVLW\ DQG VWDII IURP DOO ÀYH FROOHJHV ZRXOG abuse the all-you-can-eat system. Abusers, who indirectly raised costs for all diners, would come through Scripps’s Mallot Commons, eat a meal in the dining hall, and then load up their take-out boxes with food for later meals. With each of these factors pressuring costs, a change was needed.

Scripps started looking into purchasing reusable take-out boxes over a year ago but found no products on the PDUNHW WKDW VDWLVĂ€HG WKHLU UHquirements. Without any viable reusable options, the deans and treasurers of the 5Cs met and agreed to start charging 50 cents per take-out kit, effective this fall. The 50-cent rate was below cost, but CMC Treasurer Robin Aspinall still targeted approximately $65,000 in savings from the new policy. Franco says that in addition to the added revenue, take-out use is down over 50 percent since the surcharge was added.

The deans and treasurers also agreed that Pitzer would take the lead in researching and gradually implementing a reusable take-out program as suitable products became available. The implementation was supposed to be similar to the staggered conversion to trayless dining. Nonetheless, as Wood noted, “whenever human beings are involved, there are miscommunications.�

While Huang said that he “heard nothing through the whole summer until the very end,� there were a range of back and forth discussions at the other colleges. During the summer, Sodexo, the food service provider at Scripps, Pomona, and Harvey Mudd Colleges, presented each of the schools with a box intended to meet the needs of the colleges’ respective dining halls.

Wood and Sodexo tested the proposed box, soaking it in various acidic foods and putting it through the dishwasher many times. Wood devised a durability test herself, in which she “stood on it and bounced

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According to Wood, “the biggest problem [with integration] would be with 3RPRQD Âľ ZKRVH ER[HV DUH VLJQLĂ€FDQWO\ cheaper than those at other schools. She added that “some schools may be more FRQFHUQHG DERXW KRZ PXFK IRRG FDQ Ă€W in a take-out container and the amount of abuse that may existâ€? than the benHĂ€WV RI KDYLQJ D VLQJOH & V\VWHP :RRG pointed out that the Sodexo box is about twice as expensive as the box at Pomona and slightly more expensive than the box being used by Bon AppĂŠtit. Because of this, she worries that if take-out systems were to be integrated without the use of a common container, some colleges would end up paying a disproportionate share of take-out costs. Huang says that he has spoken with his counterparts about using the Bon AppĂŠtit boxes at other dining halls, but has not yet been able to reach an ag reement.All parties agree that no technical issues prevent integration of the programs; each box can withstand trips through each campus dishwasher without incident. As soon as the deans come together, communicate, and forge an agreement, students will be able to return to the days of free and convenient take-out throughout the Claremont Colleges.

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Meanwhile, the then Food Service Director at Harvey Mudd thought he was authorized to purchase and distribute free take-out boxes to HMC students and was preparing to purchase the Sodexo-recommended box.

Wood also believed that Pitzer We thought we were picking had decided to use the Sodexorecommended box based on the same box as Pitzer, only to learn after conversations between repre- each of us had invested in thousands of sentatives of Pitzer and the food service director at Scripps. With them, that they were close but no cigar. this information, Wood emailed — Debra Wood, Scripps D.O.S. the deans at the other colleges to inform them of Scripps, HMC, While other schools were purchasing difand Pitzer’s desire to use the Sodexo box ferent take-out boxes, Huang was taking with the hope that it could become stanthe wait-and-see approach at CMC. He dard across the 5Cs. Things appeared to had concerns about the durability of the be on the right track, but within 48 hours, reusable boxes and did not want to make Wood said, “it all blew up.� such a large investment until he could see the program in action at other colleges.

An HMC dean emailed Wood saying After seeing the success of the program that HMC’s food service director had at Pitzer and hearing from CMC students been mistaken and that HMC would not who wanted a similar program, Bon be using reusable take-out boxes. PomoAppĂŠtit approached CMC about using na indicated that they might purchase reusable take-out boxes at Collins. Bon the Sodexo box but ultimately decided AppĂŠtit considers itself to be a DJDLQVW LW 3LW]HU FRQĂ€UPHG WKDW WKH\ “socially responsibleâ€? cawere in fact planning to implement a retering service; as part usable box this fall and communicated of its commitment to the food service director at Scripps to sustainability, that it would be the Sodexo box. Wood Bon AppĂŠtit agreed explained, “We thought we were picking to cover the cost of a the same box as Pitzer, only to learn after take-out box for each each of us had invested in thousands of CMC student on the them, that they were close but no cigar.â€? meal plan. At the other 5Cs, it was the school The Port Side requested comment on that footed the bill.

Pitzer’s take-out decisions; however, Pitzer’s chef did not respond to written After examining the Soquestions and Pitzer’s treasurer declined dexo and Pitzer boxes, to make himself available.

CMC and Bon Appetit opted to Meanwhile, Pomona decided to purbuy the model chase a reusable box that was similar in currently in use at design to the compostable boxes they Pitzer. The Bon Aphad been using. Pomona Vice President petit boxes can be and Dean of Students Miriam Feldblum used at both Collins explained the decision to use smaller and McConnell. containers. “This size can reduce the

While the 5Cs now have four different take-out policies, there is hope that one day students will be able to get takeout from each dining hall regardless of their home college. Wood says that goal “would be wonderful... our students do enough cross-dining that they need the Ă H[LELOLW\ Âľ +XDQJ H[SUHVVHG WKH VDPH sentiment: “I think it is in everyone’s interest in the long run if we work towards something together...but we are not ready for that yet.â€?

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amount of food wastage,� she said, and both staff and students “thought that the larger containers could lead to increased food wastage.� Price was also a factor. The reusable boxes used at Pitzer and Scripps cost about $6 each, while the smaller boxes Pomona chose each cost about $3, thereby saving students money if they need replacement boxes.

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up and down.� Based on Sodexo’s testing as well as her own, Wood determined that the proposed box was suitable for use at Scripps.

Swine Flu Hogs Campus Spotlight

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By Jeremy B. Merrill National Editor, CM C ‘ 1 2 and Russell M. Page Staf f Writer, CMC ‘13

“Masks are everywhere,â€? comments Jacob Curnutt, a student at Washington State University, where over 2,000 H1N1 cases were reported in MXVW WKH Ă€UVW WZR ZHHNV RI FODVVHV

An endless loop of talking heads warning of the dangers of an oncoming H1N1 (a.k.a. ´VZLQH à X¾ SDQGHPLF KDV EHHQ SOD\LQJ RQ televisions for months. Meanwhile, looking around Claremont, where the impact of the disease has been minimal to nonexistent so far, one can be pardoned for doubting the apocalyptic-sounding projections.

:68 VHQW VWXGHQWV ZLWK FRQĂ€UPHG FDVHV RI WKH virus home. Others who presented symptoms were encouraged to not attend classes. Hannah Hawkins, another WSU student, claimed many people had symptoms, but few actually had H1N1. This was possibly because nearly everyone who “had a sore throat and went to the Health and Wellness Clinic was told to not JR WR FODVV DQG JLYHQ D PDVN DQG Ă \HU Âľ

At this stage, the virus does not seem to be any more harmful than the normal seasonal Ă X /DVW \HDU ZKHQ LW RULJLQDWHG LQ 0H[LFR DQG started spreading throughout the world, a panic began.

So far, that panic At parties, we just played what seems to ZH FDOOHG œVZLQH SRQJ ¡ :H¡G ÀOO FXSV ZLWK have been water, then drink from our own can of beer, an overreaction. or we’d just pour the beer from the cups into However, the history our own cup to drink it. rogue — Cameron Roberts, student at of strains of Wake Forest University WKH à X similar to the H1N1, suggests that we are far from in the clear. Neither the Spanish Flu of 1918, which killed millions worldwide, nor the Avian Flu, which recently left a large death toll across Asia, started off as deathly viruses. After spreading across large populations of primarily young adults, both viruses mutated into their deadly forms.

On residential college campuses, where students live in close quarters, sharing cups and sleeping with each other, outbreaks can quickly progress from a few isolated cases to a fullblown epidemic in less than a week. Since August, college campuses across the nation have been the sites of some frighteningly large outbreaks of the disease. page 6

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There have been similar stories coming from other colleges and universities such as Cameron Roberts’s at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. “One-third to one-half of the students in my classes didn’t show up on any given day,� he said. Wake Forest suspended all attendance policies for the duration of the outbreak, encouraging students to skip class if they felt even the least bit sick. Roberts acknowledges, however, that some students took advantage of the policy to simply sleep in.

The outbreak did not squelch student spirit at either campus, though. According to Roberts, although students began using hand sanitizer far more conscientiously, life continued more or less normally, “At parties, we just played what we FDOOHG ÂśVZLQH SRQJ ¡ :H¡G Ă€OO FXSV ZLWK ZDWHU WKHQ drink from our own can of beer, or we’d just pour the beer from the cups into our own cup to drink it.â€? At Washington State, students held a “Swine Flu Party,â€? in which students masqueraded in the mask kits given out by the university.

Up to this point, the situation has remained relatively quiet at the Claremont Colleges, and across all colleges and universities in California. Yet, given what other campuses have been experiencing in the last month, it is best to be prepared for the worst. The standard preventative email sent out to CMC students in SeptemEHU VWDWHV WKDW UHJXODU Ă X VKRWV ZLOO EH DYDLODEOH through Student Health Services beginning

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CMC does have a detailed quarantine plan, in the event that doctors recommend self-segregation of infected patients or if the patient UHTXHVWV LW 7KH ÀUVW DQG KRSHIXOO\ RQO\ TXDUantined students would be housed in the Fawcett apartment, while further patients would be housed in currently-vacant houses to the south of campus. Resident assistants, nurses, and other students would visit the quarantined a few times a day, delivering food from Collins.

Rest assured that Claremont McKenna and the Claremont Colleges in general are well prepared for an outbreak – and lucky to have avoided one so far. However, the possibility of an outbreak is real. Stay vigilant, do the “Dracula sneeze,� and stay home if you’re feeling sick.

Should an epidemic indeed break out, the school does have an academic plan: the 5C Deans of Faculty would meet and make a joint recommendation to the Council of Presidents if and when cancellation of classes or the remainder of the semester would become necessary. Students volumeVII issue1

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CMC has made preparations, should an epidemic occur. The school, however, has not stockpiled WKH SRSXODU DQWLYLUDO GUXJ 7DPLà X +XDQJ H[plains that the school does not want to waste tens of thousands of dollars on drugs that would be useless should epidemic fears prove to be overblown and that Claremont-area pharmacies have DQ DGHTXDWH DQG PRUH FRQYHQLHQW 7DPLà X VXSSO\ Nonetheless, the Dean of Students has asked Bon AppÊtit to stockpile Gatorade and has prepared RQH KXQGUHG ´à X NLWV¾ ³ FRQWDLQLQJ WLVVXHV LEXprofen, Purell handwipes, a disposable thermomeWHU DQG LQIRUPDWLRQ VKHHWV ³ WR EH GLVWULEXWHG WR infected students. SHS is also carefully monitoring the vaccine situation; colleges are on the second tier of recipients for the forthcoming nasal spray vaccine, expected to arrive in late October.

7KH UHSRUWHG GXUDWLRQ RI + 1 à X LV DERXW to 14 days. According to Huang, students are typically able to catch up on work after having missed up to two weeks. Though Huang does not fear that students would lose their work for WKH VHPHVWHU GXH WR WKH à X KH VDLG ´, ZRXOG advocate for a tuition refund for any student IRUFHG WR ZLWKGUDZ GXH WR WKH à X ¾

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The Port Side met with Dean of Students Jefferson Huang to discuss the 5Cs’ strategy for comEDWLQJ WKH Ă X LI DQG ZKHQ LW FRPHV WR &ODUHPRQW According to Huang, the school’s strategy is tripartite: informative, preventative, and, if need be, reactive. Regarding prevention, the school has begun encouraging sick community members to use the “Dracula sneeze,â€? sneezing into their elbows to avoid getting germs onto their hands and then onto doorknobs and plumbing Ă€[WXUHV 6WXGHQW +HDOWK 6HUYLFHV LV DOVR QRZ WUDFNLQJ LQĂ XHQ]D OLNH LOOQHVVHV ,/,V LQ WKH Ă€UVW WKUHH ZHHNV RI VFKRRO WKH &V VXIIHUHG Ă€UVW Ă€YH ,/,V WKHQ Ă€YH PRUH DQG Ă€QDOO\ WKUHH ,/,V GXULQJ the third week. It appears clear that no H1N1 epidemic is in progress, but Huang warns, “We should be careful not to get lulled into a false sense of security here in Claremont.â€?

would still get credit for courses taken this sePHVWHU RU WKLV VHPHVWHU¡V FODVVHV ZRXOG EH ÀQished in the spring.

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October 21, with an H1N1 vaccine scheduled to be released by the end of the year.

Canvassing Townies &ODUHPRQW 'HPRFUDWV JR JUDVVURRWV IRU 2EDPD¡V SODQ

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By Alyssa Roberts Cop y Ed itor, CMC ‘13 It’s every Claremont McKenna student’s dream job: working for the president of the United States. Secret Service clearDQFH OXQFK LQ WKH 2YDO 2IĂ€FH Ă \LQJ RQ Air Force One, and walking down Foothill Boulevard on a Saturday morning in 95-degree heat. Some of these perks may RQO\ FRPH ZLWK 6HQDWH FRQĂ€UPHG DGministration posts, but President Obama has placed a “help wantedâ€? ad for posiWLRQV WKDW FDQ EH Ă€OOHG E\ DYHUDJH $PHULFDQV 7KH SUHVLGHQW KDV D Ă€HOG WHDP With anti-health insurance reform groups spending over $1 million a day on advertising and Sarah Palin worrying that “death panelsâ€? will come after her baby, there is no reason to let an army of dedicated campaign volunteers lie dormant.

After the election, many of Obama’s supporters replaced the rally cry “yes we can� with “yes we did.� But was universal health care achieved on inauguration day? No, it wasn’t. So no, we didn’t. As Obama said on election night, “This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change.� Today’s rally cry: now we can!

Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee, has re-mobilized a small percentage of volunteers from Obama’s campaign to help the White House gather support at the grassroots level. Using the same organizing strategies that proved effective during the campaign, the group has gathered the names of over 2.5 million people who support the President’s principles for health care reform. These names, along with names still being collected, will be passed onto members of Congress.

The Democrats of the Claremont ColOHJHV UHFHQWO\ EHFDPH WKH ÀUVW FROOHJH page 8

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team in California to go door to door in support of the president’s plan. “Since OHJLVODWLRQ KDVQ¡W EHHQ VROLGLĂ€HG ZH wanted to drum up support for the idea of universal health care,â€? said DCC Vice President Catie Edmunds, Scripps ‘12.

Over the course of a few hours, the group knocked on the doors of 412 Claremont 'HPRFUDWV DQG XQDIĂ€OLDWHG YRWHUV DQG spoke to 136 people. Armed with “Myth Y 7KH )DFWVÂľ Ă \HUV WKH\ JRW SHRSOH to commit to call Senator Feinstein and refuted rumors for dozens more.

First-year Scripps students Willa OddOHLIVRQ /XF\ 'ULVFROO -XOLD 0DUNKDP and Rachel Hennessey spoke to many people who were unsure about reform and concerned about the cost, paranoid about change, or distrustful of “big government.� Jared Calvert, Pitzer ‘13, heard a different response. “There is a big base of support for the public option, and I have no doubt it will get passed,� he said.

Going door to door may be an effective way to “get out the voteâ€? during a presidential campaign, but why use this strategy to help pass extremely complicated legislation that aims to reform an industry that legislators have been tryLQJ WR Ă€[ IRU RYHU \HDUV" %HFDXVH LW localizes the issue. Hearing a story from a neighbor about why they need health reform is more meaningful than listening to a politician try to sell his policy on a cable news show. In addition, it motivates people who are generally not as involved in the political process to contact their representatives and ask for their support.

In June, Organizing for America called for personal stories about why people need health insurance reform. Thousands of these stories are now hosted on BarackObama.com. A woman named Karen wrote about how she left her job to start

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a small business and was denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. +HU KHDOWK EHQHĂ€WV ZLOO UXQ RXW VRRQ DQG her business cannot yet afford insurance. “This precarious situation leaves our famLO\ RQH GLDJQRVLV VKRUW RI Ă€QDQFLDO DQG personal ruin – we’d abandon our dream of entrepreneurship and go back to our corporate jobs, but in the meantime the world economy has collapsed and they don’t exist any more,â€? she explains.

Eleanor told the story of how she found a way to cheat the system. Unable to afford her $12,000 a year health insurance plan that didn’t even cover a doctor’s visit, she came up with a solution. “I went back to school where I was able to get student health insurance, but only because I lied about the fact that I already had an undergraduate degree,� she said.

The student health plan cost her $1,000 a year and covers almost all of her medical costs. She is 63 years old.

These women and over three-dozen more people who submitted a story have one thing in common: they live in Claremont. The owner of your favorite new fro-yo business might be Karen. /RRN DURXQG \RXU SHUVRQ HFRQRPics class, and you might see Eleanor.

President Obama knows he can’t reform the health insurance industry alone. He knows he needs the help and support of the people who voted for him – and of those who didn’t. He realizes that there is a lot of confusion, misinformation, and fear – as well as some understandable skepticism – not only in the American public but also among some of our lawmakers (“You lie!â€?) So he returns to his roots as a community organizer and asks his supporters to Ă€JKW WKH real lies and share the stories of real people struggling with the health insurance industry.

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Blame it on the Alcohol Amid poisonings and poor press, dry campus rumors rage

By Michelle Lynn Kahn P ublisher, CMC ‘12 'XULQJ RQH RI WKH Ă€UVW SDUWLHV RI WKH \HDU D &ODUHmont McKenna student was suffering from severe alcohol poisoning on the Dark Side of Wohlford +DOO 7KH GRUP¡V 5HVLGHQW $VVLVWDQW $EELH /LQ CMC ‘10, was unable to assist the two sophomore Wohlford residents who were helping the student; she was off-duty and off-campus that night.

Gradually joined by ten or twelve other CMCers, they struggled to contact one of the on-duty RAs, whose names and phone numbers were not posted RQ /LQ¡V GRRU DW WKH WLPH 1HLWKHU ZHUH WKH\ LQFOXGed in the weekend’s “Party Informâ€? email, sent by Dorm Activities Chair Andrew Cosentino. Though the students called both Campus Security and Emergency Services and eventually located an active RA, the confusion and waiting period involved were not only unsafe but also unwarranted.

Rachel Brody ’12 was among the students witQHVVLQJ WKH LQFLGHQW ´, GHĂ€QLWHO\ WKLQN WKH UHsponse was delayed,â€? she says, “But the students who handled the situation did an excellent job.â€?

As highlighted in Brody’s assessment, responsibility for alcohol-related incidents is split three ways: individual students must drink within their known limits, friends and onlookers must help to the best of their abilities in times of crises, and RAs must do everything possible to ensure student safety. $QG LI WKHVH FRPSRQHQWV IDLO WR PHVK à DZOHVVO\ campus safety falls apart.

THE DEATH OF THE WET CAMPUS While CMC has dealt with some severe incidents of alcohol poisoning, the school’s community is fortunate never to have experienced an alcoholrelated death, as have some RWKHU WRS FROOHJHV 7KH death of freshman Massachu-

setts Institute of Technology student Scott Krueger – who was found unconscious with a Blood $OFRKRO /HYHO RI DW KLV IUDWHUQLW\ ² SURYLGHV a useful case study, marking a paradigm shift in the university’s alcohol policy. According to MIT’s campus publication, The Tech, all activities of The overall population of the Phi Gamma CMC is very smart and makes good Delta fraternity were suspended, decisions. We don’t want the small porand all freshmen housing became tion of the college that doesn’t have that limited to camcommon sense to be our public image. pus dormitories. — Dean David “Fidâ€? Castro More applicable to CMC, MIT’s Dormitory Council immediately suspended all social functions involving alcohol, pending extensive review of drinking on the campus, which had previously had an open alcohol policy. In 2004, similar binge drinking deaths plagued both the University of Colorado and the University of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma implemented a dry campus decree immediately, which still remains in effect.

A FOREBODING EMAIL A similar decree could have been the case at CMC, LI WKH VWXGHQWV KDG IDLOHG WR Ă€QG PHGLFDO WUHDWPHQW for their friend. Instead, prompted both by this and other incidents of alcohol poisoning in early 6HSWHPEHU WKH 'HDQ RI 6WXGHQWV 2IĂ€FH DGYLVHG the RAs to initiate a de facto crackdown on violations of CMC’s alcohol policy. Dean of Housing DQG 5HVLGHQWLDO /LIH 'DYLG ´)LGÂľ &DVWUR H[SODLQV “If our students behave, then our job is easy; if students don’t behave, we have to react.â€? In emails sent shortly thereafter, RAs warned their dorms of potential changes to the campus’s drinking culture. “If these things continue, CMC could result in an LQGHĂ€QLWHO\ GU\ FDPSXV RYHU QLJKW Âľ PRVW ZURWH Though the RAs had cited Dean of Students in their email, Castro contends that a transition to a

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dry campus “is not on the tableâ€? at this point. Such denials seem to be the general consensus among the CMC administration. Vice President and Dean of Students Jefferson +XDQJ DIĂ€UPHG KLV colleague’s assessment: “I have never suggested a dry campus, nor have I VXJJHVWHG D VSHFLĂ€F RXWcome through the review process.â€? Any claims to the contrary, he notes, are just rumors.

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Moreover, dismissing the dry campus warning as a scare tactic downplays the severity of the factors – both immediate and ongoing – that necessitated it. At WKDW ÀUVW 71& WKH SRVVLELOLW\ RI D GU\ campus would have become reality had someone died; alcohol-related deaths at other colleges, including that of Scott Kreuger at MIT, were discussed during the RAs’ meeting with Dean of Students later that week. Neither CMC’s fortunate avoidance of a tragedy nor the administration’s staunch denial of any plans for a dry campus should SUHFOXGH VWXGHQWV IURP UHà HFWLQJ upon the culture surrounding alcohol at this school.

THE “LOTS OF BEER� CRACKDOWN

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This inconsistency between the Dean of Students denials and the RAs’ dry campus warning calls into question the motives behind the email. Though all 18 RAs declined to comment for this piece, students were abuzz with speculations. The common interpretation of the email as a scare tactic is fundamentally Ă DZHG LW DVVXPHV WKDW the primary role of CMC’s RAs is to serve as Dean of Students pawns who police parties, enforce policy, and report infractions to the higher administrative echelons. While that is the case at most other colleges and universities, CMC has different goals in mind. “We’re looking out

for people’s safety,� Castro says. “We’re not looking for policy violations.�

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Over the summer, CMC’s public image became a national embarrassment when The Princeton Review’s 2010 guide to The Best 371 Colleges ranked &0& ÀIWK LQ WKH ´/RWV of Beer� category, an increase of eight increments since last year.

Granted, CMC improved in other, more socially desirable categories as well; howHYHU Ă DXQWLQJ RXU number one ranking for “Easiest Campus to Get Aroundâ€? might not compensate for the perception among high school seniors and their parents that we party like the cast

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of Animal House. “The overall population of CMC is very smart and makes good decisions,â€? Castro says. “We don’t want the small portion of the college that doesn’t have that common sense to be our public image.â€? ,Q WKH SDVW WKH $GPLVVLRQV 2IĂ€FH KDV sought to clarify misconceptions about alcohol use at CMC – namely that the school buys kegs for students and condones underage drinking. Admissions Counselor Adam Miller assuages concerned parents by noting that the Dean of Students gives CMCers “a lot of freedom and expects them to act responsibly with that freedom.â€? He tells the Port Side, “My impression of CMC’s approach to alcohol is that we try not to use fear of punishment as a way of coercing students into obeying alcohol policies.â€?

THE INTERNAL: CHANGING OUR CULTURE Though the administration has not explicitly castigated CMCers for perpetuating the party school reputation, it has taken some visible steps to crack down on the alcohol culture. Students returning to campus this fall were alarmed to discover that the much-anticipated end to Dry Week, when CMCers traditionally kick off their partying, had been switched from 6:01 p.m. to 6:01 a.m. According to Castro, in an attempt to better compel students to “adhere to the philosophy of 'U\ :HHN Âľ WKH GHDQV RI WKH Ă€YH FROOHJHV have been “messing with the timeâ€? of the 6:01 party throughout the past few years.

The goal, he says, is to allow freshmen the opportunity to “make friends without the impediment of alcohol.� Some upperclassmen, however, vowed to inebriate themselves at exactly 6:01 a.m., in a blatant assertion of their right to party.

This sense of entitlement may be one of

the targets of future changes to CMC’s alcohol culture. In addition to emphasizing enforcement of existing alcohol policies, the college is looking to reevaluate alcohol consumption on campus in general. Huang, who this fall will head a newly conceived Alcohol Task Force consisting of students, faculty, and staff,

hopes that a comprehensive evaluation of CMC and Consortium-wide alcohol consumption will lead to innovative solutions in future policy. Topics discussed, he says, will include “the role of alcohol within the Consortium, the gradual disappearance of Friday classes, best practices from other Colleges and

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Universities, legal and insurance concerns, ‘dry’ events, and so forth.�

THE EXTERNAL: IMPROVING OUR IMAGE Fundamentally changing the alcohol culture at CMC is not just an internal concern. While campus politics and

500 E. 9th Street, Bauer Center &ODUHPRQW &DOLIRUQLD Tel. (909) 621-8000

ALCOHOL POLICY PRESCRIPTION By “Dr.� Jeremy B. Merrill, National Editor, CMC ‘12 Here are a few thoughts on alcohol policy changes that would achieve the administration’s three goals: to keep students safe, to improve CMC’s image in the higher education community, and to avoid harming CMC’s unique and tolerant atmosphere. These suggestions are not meant as an end to debate, but as an attempt to start it. They are starting points for discussion, not solutions for immediate application.

1. Ban kegs at Thursday night parties. This may sound awful, but students don’t depend on the cheap beer served at TNC for their Thursday night fun. Most students have their own private sources for intoxication, and exchanging that extra cup of Natural /LJKW FRQVXPHG DW WKH SDUW\ IRU VRPH JRRG SXEOLF UHODWLRQV PLJKW be worthwhile. This could go a long way toward reducing the perception that the school (read: ASCMC) buys alcohol for students.

4. Require more alcohol training. /HW¡V QRW OLH $OFRKROWise may have been effective for a few people, but the rest of us ÀOOHG LW RXW ZLWK WKH DLP RI JHWWLQJ LW RYHU ZLWK DV TXLFNO\ DV SRVVLEOH /HW¡V VXSSOHPHQW $OFRKRO:LVH ZLWK D PRUH FRPSUHKHQVLYH talk by the new student sponsors and resident assistants, reminding students that CMCers really do drink responsibly and with cameos by those unlucky souls who had the experience of waking up in a hospital.

2. Enforce the glass policy. Do students need to be carrying around a handle of Captain Morgan? I don’t think so. Students can drink in their rooms and leave the glass bottles there.

5. Ban outdoor drinking games. Moving the daily games of Beirut into dorm lounges and onto balconies would decrease the perception of CMC as a party school, without putting too much of a hurt on those Tuesday night study breaks. As an added bonus, we could reduce that sea of red cups on the ground to a small pond.

3. Encourage (yes, encourage) safe drinking. Drinking at club meetings or the Athenaeum or having a beer while you do your homework is far healthier than getting heavily intoxicated every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. Encouraging students to drink in smaller quantities would reduce the risk of alcohol poisoning, as well as better mirror the drinking situation outside of the campus environment. Getting trashed and vomiting all over your boss at the PricewaterhouseCoopers Christmas Party is not a way to move up in the world. CMC can achieve this goal by reimbursing clubs for beer and liquor they serve with meals or on weeknights.

6. Require hosts to serve food. CMC’s Alcohol Beverages Policy requires that “nonalcoholic beverages and food must be provided at events where alcoholic beverages are served.� Enforcing this already on-the-books policy will provide a way for students to avoid drinking dangerously on an empty stomach. Plus, the Port Side has it from a good source that apples make a great chaser for cheap vodka.

Discussion will continue on the Compass, the Claremont Port Side’s blog.

Check it out at http://www.claremontportside.com/blog/ and add your comments. volumeVII issue1

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policy seek a balance between freedom and safety, huge pressure remains to maintain and promote a favorable public image for the school – especially at a time when CMC is competing with Ivy /HDJXH VFKRROV WR DWWUDFW KLJKO\ TXDOLĂ€HG applicants. Miller notes, “We don’t want drinking at CMC to be covered up, but we also don’t want it to be overemphasized.â€? He says that the increased attention toward alcohol at CMC might deter some students from attending. “Our survey data seems to indicate that when DOFRKRO XVH LV SRUWUD\HG DV D GHĂ€QLQJ DVpect of life at CMC, there is an increased risk of having excellent applicants decide WKDW &0& LVQ¡W D JRRG Ă€W IRU WKHP Âľ Upon telling her friends that CMC is KHU Ă€UVW FKRLFH FROOHJH KLJK VFKRRO VHnior Kim Ngai receives two common responses. “Half the people have never heard of it,â€? she says, “and the other half ask, ‘Isn’t that a party school?’â€?

Though this perception of CMC could have been a deal-breaker, her recent overnight stay assuaged her concerns.

Had Ngai visited the previous weekend instead of that quiet yet eventful WednesGD\ &0& PD\ KDYH ORVW D TXDOLĂ€HG DSSOLcant. In the aftermath of that Saturday night’s Rage in the Cage dodgeball tournament, hundreds of red cups and Natty Ice cans littered the lawn between Green and Boswell Halls. The situation repeats itself almost every Friday and Sunday mornings – North Quad is a perpetual mess. To prospective students, parents on campus tours, or random people walking by, that drunken snapshot may be their only impression of CMC. Both the administration and the student body agree that this perception is detrimental to the college in general. “No college wants to be known as the college where everyone comes to drink,â€? Castro says.

MONEY AS A MOTIVATOR Reputation aside, heightened public p a g e 12

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awareness to our drinking culture bodes EOHDN ÀQDQFLDO LPSOLFDWLRQV IRU WKH school – and if we can learn anything from the prominence of CMC’s economics department, it’s that money is the best incentive. According to Associate Vice President of Admission and Financial Aid, Georgette DeVeres, CMC’s ÀQDQFLDO DLG RIÀFH UHFHLYHV EHWZHHQ million and $3 million in federal funding each year. Since the fall 2008 implemenWDWLRQ RI WKH FROOHJH¡V ´QR ORDQ¾ ÀQDQFLDO aid package policy, these funds have been especially critical. For the 2009-2010 academic year, DeVeres and her colleagues ZLOO DOORFDWH LQ IHGHUDO JUDQWV $200,000 in federal work study dollars, and $1.2 million in student and parent ORDQV 7KHVH ÀJXUHV GR QRW HYHQ FRQsider other federal funding, like faculty research grants, that the college earns.

The external emphasis on this undergraduate institution’s heavy alcohol consumption, therefore, puts millions of federal dollars at stake. The continued receipt of these valued grants and loans is to some extent contingent on the college’s compliance with both federal and state law, particularly pertaining to underage drinking. CMC’s Alcoholic Beverage Policy in the Guide to Student /LIH FLWHV PLVGHPHDQRUV XQGHU &DOLIRUQLD 6WDWH /DZ IRU SHUVRQV XQGHU WKH DJH of 21 purchasing or possessing alcohol. “Furthermore,â€? the policy acknowledges, “California court decisions have held institutions liable for damages ensuing from consumption of alcohol at sponVRUHG HYHQWV Âľ 7KHVH OHJDO DQG Ă€QDQFLDO concerns might not weigh heavily on students’ minds, but they are certainly important for the college as a whole.

REFLECTING ON OUR OWN BEHAVIOR

that determine which schools make it onto our 62 ranking lists.� At least once every three years, the college ranking organization contacts the CMC administration, sends out online surveys to a random sampling group of students, and tallies the results. Our answers to these surveys become a resource of Biblical importance for prospective students. We DUH VROHO\ UHVSRQVLEOH IRU RXU ´/RWV RI Beer� rating, so we are partially responsible for the increase in both external and internal attention to alcohol consumption at CMC. We sealed our own fate – not just by breaking glass, trashing lounges, and making 3 a.m. trips to the hospital – but by self-reporting that all those things were happening en masse.

So when we students criticize administrative reactions, we need to take many things into consideration. No, CMC is not transitioning to a dry campus – at least not in the foreseeable future; neither students nor the administration want that to happen. But we do need to change fundamentally the way we approach drinking at this campus. We are not entitled to custodians sponging dried, sticky beer off our lounge’s à RRUV :H DUH QRW HQWLWOHG WR 5$V KROGLQJ RXU KDLU DV ZH YRPLW ÀYH VKRWV DQG two mixed drinks worth of Smirnoff into recycling bins. And by no means are we entitled to a wet campus. This does not mean that we should hide our booze under our beds or – gasp! – stop playing Beirut altogether. It means that we should HQJDJH LQ VRPH VHULRXV VHOI UHà HFWLRQ RQ how taking full, drunken advantage of RXU DOFRKRO SROLF\ UHà HFWV poorly on our school, our administration, our peers, and ourselves.

Overall, in examining the cause of the perceived crackdown, we need blame not the administration but ourselves. The Princeton Review writes on its website, “[Student surveys] are the sole factors

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Massachusetts Has Got it Wrong

Yet we fear change. As a candidate, Obama spoke of a “new public insurance program.� Now, nine months in, he has failed to nurture this alternative. Irrational talk of our ascent into socialism and the creation of grandma-killing death panels has made Obama weakly apologetic and indecisive. Opponents have seized upon these fears to prevent necessary change.

Republicans, as always, stand stubbornly ÀUP LQ WKHLU EHOLHI WKDW WKH SULYDWH LQVXUance industry can cure all, even though it has increasingly sapped the country’s resources and provided inferior care.

The opponents of the public option couldn’t be more wrong. Reliance on the private system has been tried in Massachusetts and it is a failure. Enacted in $SULO 0DVVDFKXVHWWV EHFDPH WKH ÀUVW VWDWH LQ WKH QDWLRQ WR PDQGDWH KHDOWK insurance coverage for all of its citizens.

7KH ÀUVW VWHS ZDV VLPSOH UHJLVWHU eligible, but currently unenrolled, citizens for Medicare. But the problem was those people not eligible for Medicare and without employer-provided insurance.

The solution was to create the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority. Dubbed “the Connector� by those in the know, this program pools

I will concede that the program appears WR EH D VXFFHVV RQ WKH VXUIDFH ² SHUcent have coverage, the highest of any state. Nationwide, only 85 percent are covered. But problems lurk beneath.

Residents have care, but are not always able to use it. Many can still not afford treatments for sicknesses. This is not limited to the marginally poor; individuals earning $32,000, for example, can easily spend close to $10,000 per year for premiums and other payments. And premiums in Massachusetts are rising at the highest rate in the nation--close to 10 percent annually. Costs of emergency room visits are rising again because of the prohibitive cost of proper preventive care. Public opinion reveals the truth.

Thirty-seven percent call the health reform an explicit failure and 29 percent said health care has gotten worse.

This does not even begin to address cost to the state. Health care spending KDV VKRW XS IURP PLOOLRQ LQ to $1.3 billion in 2009. Soaring health costs amidst the recession helped to crevolumeVII issue1

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ate a $9 billion budget gap, leaving less for education and other essential public services. Per person health care costs in Massachusetts are the highest in the world. So where is all that money going? To private health insurance compaQLHV )URP WR SURÀWV RI WKH country’s ten largest insurers increased 428 percent. These companies have feasted upon guaranteed issue in Massachusetts – after all, their consumer base was expanded by 400,000 under the reform. It’s no wonder that two weeks after the 2008 election, these companies said they would support greater federal regulation if Congress required everyone to hold insurance!

Obama has said that he does not want to drive private insurers from the market. However, it has become more and more clear that private insurers are not the solution to the problem.

Health care costs have risen consistently DW WZLFH WKH UDWH RI LQĂ DWLRQ SUHVHQWLQJ a real danger and imperative for change.

If unsolved, health care costs will surely bankrupt the nation and rob resources from our schools, forever putting future generations at a disadvantage.

Now is not the time for Americans to do their own rendition of Beckett’s play.

We need a public option, and we need it now. The moral imperative to care for everyone not withstanding, we must do so for a simple fact of economics. The public option would compete directly with private insurance companies. Increased competition will force bloated insurance companies to radically restructure to compete, lowering costs for all.

And Obama knows this. If he would just EULQJ GRZQ WKH FXUWDLQ RQ WKLV \HDU performance of Waiting for Godot, he just might get us somewhere.

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national

The health care debate has come to resemble the plot of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. Hopelessly locked in a state of despair and confused about the right course of action, Americans are simply waiting for something to happen.

Yet this enduring debate is not unique to Obama’s administration. Democrats KDYH EHHQ WU\LQJ IRU RYHU \HDUV WR achieve reform. It’s just that now with a Democratic majority and a “progressive� administration, the time is ripe for change – or at least it should be.

uninsured individuals and asks private insurance companies to devise affordable RSWLRQV 8QIRUWXQDWHO\ DVNLQJ D SURÀW GULYHQ FRUSRUDWLRQ WR RIIHU D SURÀW FXWting plan is like asking a kid to hand over a prized PokÊmon card. Additionally, individuals who do not buy health insurDQFH DUH ÀQHG D KHIW\ SHU \HDU

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By Nicholas Rowe C o n t r ib uting Writer, CMC ‘1 3

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Stuck Sick on Study Abroad?

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By David Nahmias I nter na tiona l Editor, CMC ‘10 Fresh off the plane to Buenos Aires to begin her semester abroad, Kenley Turville ’10 quickly found herself sicker than she had ever been. Experiencing severe Ă X OLNH V\PSWRPV VKH FKHFNHG LQWR D medical clinic where an Argentine doctor diagnosed her with either a viral infection she had caught while spending her summer in India or a harsh bodily reaction to the dramatic climate and food transition from New Delhi to Buenos Aires. Contracting an illness while abroad should be a scary prospect because of uncertainty with quality of care, communication, and health insurance reimbursement, but Turville remembers the occasion as painOHVV Âł VKH UHFHLYHG UHODWLYHO\ KLJK FDOLEHU health care. “Being so far from home, it was comforting to walk into the mediFDO FOLQLF DQG Ă€QG WKH FRQGLWLRQV OLNH ,¡YH come to expect in the U.S.,â€? she recalls.

When it came time to pay the bills, she did not have to worry about reimbursement: “My insurance plan did not balk at paying for my medical care while I was abroad.â€? Her and other Claremont McKenna students’ positive experiences with medical care while abroad is a credit to the diligent efforts invested by our 6WXG\ $EURDG 2IĂ€FH Kristen Mallory, the Director of OffCampus Study, says student health care and safety–even over academic rigor–are her top priorities in selecting which study abroad programs to contract. She cannot provide students any advice on which health insurance plan to select, but she can recommend questions each person should ask of their physician and insurance before leaving the country. Mallory says, “My goal is to make students aware of their insurance coverage, not just in case of emergencies but even for mild problems like sinus infections.â€? The ofp a g e 14

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Ă€FH VXSSOLHV VWXGHQWV ZLWK PDQ\ LQIRUPDtive pamphlets on health care abroad, but Mallory fears that many students simply disregard them. The Insurance Authorization Form signed by parents or policyholders details certain programs that provide additional health coverage or require students to buy additional insurance. The form also exhorts students to determine if their policy covers regular medical visits or only emergencies while abroad.

Students must demonstrate insurance coverage before they leave to study in another country. Mallory said she knew of only a few students last semester who purchased additional coverage, but even then, she did not know if this was due to a personal decision or because their particular programs mandated it. Additionally, the Claremont Colleges health plan includes the MEDEX Program, which provides assistance for emergency cash advances, transportation, translation, and legal assistance. And that ISIC card the 6WXG\ $EURDG 2IÀFH UHTXLUHV" ,W SURYLGHV EHQHÀWV OLNH EDVLF WUDYHO LQVXUDQFH HPHUgency evacuation, and, as Mallory grimly notes, repatriation of one’s remains.

Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, CMC may not prohibit a student from studying abroad on account of a pre-existing health condition. Instead, WKH 6WXG\ $EURDG 2IĂ€FH FDQ FRXQVHO impaired students on selecting an appropriate destination. Students themselves must come forward with their health concerns. “The more you tell me up front, the more I can work with study abroad providers,â€? explains Mallory, who knows of no instance wherein a student picked a destination or decided not to study abroad solely because his or her insurance company wasn’t cooperative.

While abroad, CMC students tend to have positive experiences with health

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care. Most study abroad programs go out of their way to ensure the safety and health of their students. One popular program, CIEE Buenos Aires, provides a secondary medical insurance plan and emergency in-home care for students, according to the program’s associate director Carolina Alba Merlo. The staff takes care of students throughout the process, from the moment a person arrives at the KRVSLWDO WR ZKHQ VKH Ă€OHV KHU UHLPEXUVHment claims with her insurance. Merlo remarked, “If the student’s primary insurance plan does not cover all the medical expenditures in Argentina ... it is our policy to pay the medical expenses in case of hospitalization, for example, and WKHQ Ă€OH WKH FODLP ZLWK WKH LQWHUQDWLRQDO insurer.â€? Mallory says proudly that, in her six years working at CMC, she has never had a student whose insurance refused to pay or reimburse a hospital bill.

CMC’s program may be one of the best prepared to deal with health issues during study abroad. Our program is equal to its counterparts at the other 4Cs in terms of detail and consideration of health issues. Mallory herself sits on a nationwide Committee of Health and Safety in Study Abroad, and she holds workshops across the world to train other study DEURDG RIÀFHUV RQ KRZ WR KHOS VWXGHQWV plan for medical emergencies.

For those CMC students who have already studied abroad, think of all the risks you potentially took to your health. We may think we’re invincible, but our bodies are not, and the thrills and stress of being in a foreign country are taxing. Fortunately, the Off-Campus Study Program makes health its priority. Mallory comments, “I’m delighted that students don’t KDYH D VHQVH RI ZKDW RXU RIĂ€FH GRHV behind the scenes,â€? which allows the earnest individuals to focus on planning for academic and general living concerns.

Five, for Now 6LQJDSRUH GURSV RXW RI WKH VL[WK FROOHJH GHDO

SINGAPORE: 7KHUH ZLOO FRQWLQXH WR EH ÀYH Claremont Colleges in the visible future. After a year of negotiations, the Ministry of Education has decided to put off any plans to fund a liberal arts college in Singapore.

Claremont originally planned on submitting a joint proposal for a sixth college to the Ministry with the National University of Singapore. Those efforts fell apart when the two parties could not agree on issues of governance. Claremont wanted the president of the new college to be a member of the Council of Presidents, and for the college to be accredited as a Claremont College. NUS was skeptical of this model.

So in March, the two went their separate ways and Claremont submitted an independent proposal to the Ministry, leaving open the possibility of a future partnership. Numerous factors brought the Ministry to decide against going forward.

But Bob Walton, CEO of the Claremont University Consortium, said the main reason, towering above all, is the economy. “Singapore has experienced a very severe economic downturn DQG IRU WKH Ă€UVW WLPH H[SHULHQFHG D IDLUO\ ODUJH increase in local unemployment,â€? Walton noted. The Ministry had hoped to woo a number of large gifts from Chinese-Singaporeans who had shown interest in the project. Almost all SURVSHFWLYH GRQRUV EDFNHG DZD\ DV WKH Ă€QDQcial crisis worsened.

But President Gann remains keen on introducing Claremont’s presence to Singapore, and says the consortium has not ruled out future action. “The Claremont Colleges, I am sure, will be welcome in Singapore to consider alternative approaches,� said Gann.

In the meantime, the Blaisdell Plan will have to be revisited. Claremont looks to remain at ÀYH IRU QRZ

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national

Singaporeans are very skeptical of the liberal arts college model, questioning the practicality

of such a degree. The Ministry of Education has been afraid the college would not catch on in popularity, and the cost of the campus’ develRSPHQW ZRXOG SURYH D KXJH ÀQDQFLDO ULVN ´:H TXHVWLRQHG WKH IHDVLELOLW\ ¾ VDLG RQH RIÀFLDO

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By Michael Wilner Guest Writer, CMC ‘11

Putting it in Perspective &RPSDULQJ WKH 8 6 -DSDQHVH DQG 6ZLVV VWXGHQW KHDOWK V\VWHPV

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By Veronica Pugin Staf f Writer, CMC ‘ 1 2 Amid the health care debates in the U.S. Congress, the rising costs for health care, and the VZLQH Ă X VFDUH LW LV QDWXUDO WKDW FROOHJH VWXGHQWV across the nation would be increasing their awareness of health issues. Comparatively, U.S. students bear the burden of health costs at a much higher level than students within most advance industrialized countries. Japan maintains a health care system for college students WKDW SURYLGHV D FRPSUHKHQVLYH VHW RI EHQHĂ€WV ranging from prescription drugs to I don’t think the Japa- dental services, at a VLJQLĂ€FDQWO\ ORZHU nese [health care system] is substan- premium than what WLDOO\ VXSHULRU RU HIĂ€FLHQW WKDQ WKDW U.S. public college students pay. Meanof other advanced countries. while, Swiss college — CMC International Relations students participate a system that mixProfessor Myung-Koo Kang in es some government control and private industry, which offers lower premiums while maintaining high quality, according to the WHO and the OECD. The key difference between the systems in the United States, Japan, and Switzerland systems is clearly the roles that public and private forces play. At a glance, it is easy to conclude that Japanese college students have the best deal, with low costs and a variety RI EHQHĂ€WV +RZHYHU ZKHQ RQH FRQVLGHUV WKH long-term effects of the Japanese system, its presumed superiority becomes questionable.

Without a nationwide system of governmentowned medical facilities for the general public and the majority of states, the protocol for U.S. college students is to have the option of either GHPRQVWUDWLQJ FRYHUDJH IURP IDPLO\ SODQV ÀQG an alternative plan on their own, or pursue a health insurance plan provided by their institution, such as the one at the Claremont Colleges.

The plans provided by the colleges tend to provide students with a better deal than most publicly available plans, but they are still costly. p a g e 16

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A prime example of health care options in the public university system is the University of &DOLIRUQLD /RV $QJHOHV¡V 6WXGHQW +HDOWK &DUH Insurance Program (SHIP), a system that does QRW GLUHFWO\ ELOO LQVXUDQFH FRPSDQLHV 8&/$ generally mandates that all students enroll in this health insurance. Students have the option to opt out of SHIP if they prove eligibility.

6+,3 SURJUDP LQFOXGHV EDVLF PHGLFDO EHQHĂ€WV at a cost of $295 per quarter. This cost also covers any co-pays for campus physician visits.

Meanwhile, Japan maintains an egalitarian, statecontrolled system in which insurers all offer the same services. An individual’s level of premiums and costs are based on their income level, and fees are relatively low. The Japanese then have WKH à H[LELOLW\ WR FKRRVH WKHLU SK\VLFLDQV DQG medical treatment providers. Also, as in Switzerland, the Japanese government subsidizes the costs for low-income individuals. Overall, the system is funded by a combination of taxes and income-based premiums. This system has worked with very few minor adjustments.

At the college level, Japanese public and private institutions are quite similar in their students’ health care practices. College students are enrolled in the Japanese National Health Insurance plan. The NHI is part of the universal health care insurance plan and is accepted by most Japanese hospitals.

The public University of Tokyo has on-campus health services for students, faculty, and staff. The University encourages doctor visits and requires that all students visit the Health Service Center IRU DQ DQQXDO FKHFN XS /LNH PRVW XQLYHUVLWLHV the University of Tokyo students are a part of the 1+, SODQ ZKLFK FRYHUV SHUFHQW RI WKHLU PHGLcal and hospital costs. As a college, non-income student, one’s annual insurance fee is $110.

Private university students also use the NHI plan. Sophia University in Tokyo, for example, provides a reimbursement service known as Mutual Union All, which reimburses 80 percent of a student’s medical expenses that were not covered by NHI. Mutual Union All will reimburse students up to $4,391 a year. This re-

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%XW GHVSLWH WKHVH Ă€JXUHV &ODUHPRQW McKenna Professor Myung-Koo Kang is less optimistic about Japan’s health care system. He explains, “I don’t think the Japanese [health care system] is subVWDQWLDOO\ VXSHULRU RU HIĂ€FLHQW WKDQ WKDW of other advanced countries.â€? He highlights the fact that the Japanese system’s structure is unsustainable. “First, Japan is placed in the worst situation in public debt among advanced economies‌ Second, Japan’s aging population if a serious challenge to the health care sys-

In terms of health care for Japanese college students, Kang does express the fact that, “considering the situation here in the U.S., it must be a pretty lower burden to students in general than here in the U.S.â€? This is so because “at least all VWXGHQWV FDQ HTXDOO\ JHW EHQHĂ€WV IURP the National Health Insurance.â€?

The high costs of the U.S. system and the unsustainability of the Japanese system suggest that a middle ground is needed. The Swiss national health care system uses a public-private approach for basic health care with no group insurance plans. All residents, including college students, are required to obtain basic health care E\ HQUROOLQJ ZLWK SULYDWH QRQSURÀW LQVXUHUV 7KHVH ÀUPV DUH SODFHG XQder extensive government regulation.

The Swiss government subsidizes the

H ea l t h Ca r e Br ea k down APPROXIMATE POPULATION (IN MILLIONS) SPENDING ON HEALTH AS % OF TOTAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE TOTAL EXPENDITURE ON HEALTH AS % OF GDP GOVERNMENT SPENDING AS % OF TOTAL HEALTH EXPENDITURES PER CAPITA EXPENDITURE ON HEALTH (IN USD) ADULT MORTALITY RATE (PER 1000)

aging to about $200 per person.

College students are offered an online list to compare different insurance companies, although for basic medical care, all companies have the same basic benHÀWV LW LV MXVW WKH SUHPLXPV WKDW YDU\ An aspect of the Swiss system that is appealing to U.S. reformers is the fact that while Switzerland’s government does take a more active role in the process, it does not provide a national state-run health care system and insurance plan. Given the Swiss government’s high involvement in the country’s health care, it is surprising to note that Switzerland’s government expenditure on health care as a percentage of total public spending is only 0.5 percent more than that of the United States. The adult mortality rate is also much lower in Switzerland than the United States, with 63 deaths per 1000 for Switzerland and 109 deaths per 1000 for the US. Switzerland represents the middle ground between the U.S. and Japanese systems, and it could serve as a more manageable model of health care. Since it balances the competi-

U.S.

Japan

Switzerland

303 19.1 15.3 45.8

109

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The Japanese visit the doctor at an average of 14 times a year, which is far more often than Americans do, yet the JapaQHVH DOVR KDYH VLJQLĂ€FDQWO\ IHZHU VXUJLcal procedures done. The Japanese are almost always provided with a doctor visit on the day that they request and are all in all much healthier than Americans.

An important factor in Japan’s healthier population is the large-scale availability of health services. The total expenditure on health as a percentage of GDP IRU -DSDQ LV RQO\ SHUFHQW ZKLFK LV slightly more than half of the United States’ 15.3 percent.

tain itself, as the government has already accumulated a high rate of public debt and will need to continue to do so to make up for the lacking taxable population. Kang concluded, “Consequently, the tax burden on the shrinking workforce will increase remarkably while social security spending needs to be expanded.�

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imbursement plan is common among other Japanese universities as well.

tem.� The increasing aging population is a great concern for the Japanese government, for, as Kang emphasized, half of the population will be responsible for taking care of the elder half. Ultimately, this system will be hard pressed to sus-

insurance costs for those who cannot afford it, and one-third of the Swiss population receives government-subsidized health care. The insurance covers medical treatment costs yet requires an out-of-pocket annual deductible, avervolumeVII issue1

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tion needed for a system to be successful with the need to cover the entire population, this hybrid approach could provide a model that is agreeDEOH WR GHĂ€FLW KDZNV DQG WKRVH ZKR want to provide health care to all.

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Data from World Health Organization Statistical Information System

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By Ashley Scott I llustra tor, CMC ‘1 1 The objections to giving mandatory H1N1 vaccinations to U.S. military personnel and New York health care ZRUNHUV DUH QRWKLQJ QHZ Âł WKHUH have been disputes regarding mandatory immunizations in the U.S. since WKH 6XSUHPH &RXUW FDVH DIĂ€UPing Massachusetts’s right to require immunization against smallpox. Since then, mandatory vaccinations for children enrolled in public schools have been determined by each state, which tend to follow the Center for Disease Control’s recommendations. Most states grant exceptions for physicianapproved medical and religious reasons. Private schools, colleges, and universities use their discretion; the Claremont Colleges, for example, require the Hepatitis B and MMR immunizations. Nonetheless, while vaccination is one of the main reasons that residents of developed countries live healthier and longer than in the past, ethical concerns merit consideration. “Public health measures like vaccination raise ethical quandaries,â€? explains Alex Rajczi, Ph.D., a Claremont McKenna professor of philosophy and bioethics. “Mandatory vaccination presents a case where the need to protect individual autonomy is in tension with the government’s duty to protect the public.â€? To strike the correct balance between societal well-being and personal freedom, mandatory vaccinations should be limited to only a few, all of which should be carefully and comprehensively considered.

The federal government does not currently require any immunizations for U.S. civilians, but non-U.S. citizens must meet federal vaccination standards. For all vaccinations, the fedp a g e 18

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eral government requires the person receiving the vaccination to be given written information about its risks DQG EHQHĂ€WV EHIRUH DGPLQLVWUDWLRQ as some vaccines have proven harmful and counter-productive. (Cases are documented by the HHS’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System at http://vaers.hhs.gov/). Although the risks are usually minimal, vaccinations sometimes cause accidental infections and trigger adverse immune responses. After all, they contain a dead or impaired form of the disease so that the immune system, which “remembersâ€? pathogens, can quickly and effectively protect against the disease upon subsequent exposures. Additionally, several vaccine components are toxic and have caused adverse reactions in test animals. The H1N1 vaccine component MF-59, for instance, causes a disease similar to multiple sclerosis in rats.

Though most Americans have received several vaccinations without suffering any apparent consequences, many continue to distrust vaccines because of pharmaceutical companies’ successful lobbying efforts. This has resulted in laws such as the 2006 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, which provides immunization manufacturers immunity from tort liability for adverse effects when the Secretary of Health and Human Services declares an epidemic or national emergency, and the 2004 Bioshield Act that “expedite(s) and simplif(ies) the solicitation, review, and award of grants and contracts for the development of critical medical countermeasures.�

The Texas-mandated Gardasil vaccine, ZKLFK KDV SURYHQ RQO\ SHUFHQW HIfective against HPV and cervical cancer IRU ÀYH \HDUV KDV EHHQ WKH REMHFW RI much criticism. Although many infect-

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ed people do not even realize they have HPV, as most never have symptoms, the sexually transmitted disease is widespread. The CDC estimates that at least 50 percent of sexually active men and women have had an HPV infection at some point in their lives. Although the two major categories of HPV, “lowriskâ€? (causing warts) and “high riskâ€? (causing cancer) are very different, 90 percent of the time the immune system naturally clears out both types of infections. Despite this natural recovery, the vaccination is common and has some serious side effects, including chronic fatigue syndrome, blackouts, muscle weakness, numbness, joint pains, Guillain-BarrĂŠ syndrome, paralysis, and even death. If used only for protection against cervical cancer, Gardasil is not worth the risk. Per one million women in the age bracket targeted by Gardasil, 30 to 40 cervical cancer cases are reSRUWHG DQQXDOO\ DQG DERXW SHUFHQW of women who develop cervical cancer die from the disease.

UNICEF and the World Bank estimate that childhood immunizations save 3 million lives annually. Joint Science Department immunology professor Dr. Amy Chow argues, “Parents who refuse to vaccinate their children are putting their communities at risk to a far greater degree than the risk taken on for the child.� She praises vaccination for “allowing life spans to be lengthened and overall quality of life to be enhanced immeasurably.�

Immunizations have eradicated smallpox and keep polio, measles, pertussis, diphtheria, and Hib infections minimal. In addition, a 64 percent decrease in outbreaks of meningitis, which is notorious for suddenly killing college students, was observed following the 2000 introduction of the vaccine. “Almost all of our increased health is

due to public health,� Rajczi adds. “Clean water and sanitation are enormously important, but once measures like those are in place, other important steps are public health measures like vaccination. These are the primary reasons we don’t have mass death from communicable diseases.�

are not effectively eliminated. Flu vaccines are ineffective for babies and the elderly, and are only 33 percent effective in children and 6 percent effective in nonelderly adults. Effectiveness of voluntary vaccination also depends on the disease: illnesses that spread only through close contact, such as smallpox and SARS, are effectively contained through voluntary vaccination.

7KH 6,5 HSLGHPLRORJLFDO PRGHO Âł D VHW RI GLIIHUHQtial equations breaking the population into susceptible, As Rajczi notes, “The right public policy is the one LQIHFWHG DQG UHFRYHUHG JURXSV Âł VKRZV WKH UROH WKDW that strikes the right balance between protecting invaccinations can play in suppressing a disease. dividual autonomy According to the model, the rate of infection of the time, the and protecting thirdand the proportions of the population that immune system parties.â€? Although vacare infected, immune (either due to cines may pose a risk to naturally clears out the HPV one’s health, a susceppast exposure or vaccination), infection within two years and susceptible tible person can endandetermine if the ger society. Hence, the disease will spread. R0, choice to be vaccinated should be carefully considthe number of people ered, and as a matter of public policy, vaccines should who catch the disbe mandated only when their risks are low and the ease from a single infected costs of a susceptible population are high. “To make person before his or her rea comparative assesscovery or death, depends on ment of risks and the infection rate and the proEHQHĂ€WV Âľ 5DMF]L DGGV of all adminisportion of the population that is “one must get the trated HPV vacsusceptible, divided by the removal hard data about the cinations have proven to be rate (by death or recovery) from the risks of the vacineffective for five years infectious group. cine, its costs, the current When R0 is less than one, the number of peoinfection predictions, etc.â€? The impulsive ple infected by the infected person is less than poor decisions that accompany fear one, must always be avoided, and the so the implementation of vaccinations of all sexually disease will is no exception to this rule. active men and die out.

Policies must be deliberawomen have had HPV at some When R0 tive, not reactionary. is greater point in their life than one, the disease will spread. Removing people from the susceptible part of the population by immunization can decrease R0. In addition to protecting those who have been immunized, vaccinations also slow the spread of infection in the entire population so that those ZKR KDYH QRW EHHQ LPPXQL]HG DOVR EHQHĂ€W This is known as herd immunity.

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The effectiveness of a vaccine depends on the type of disease. Although imPXQL]DWLRQV XVXDOO\ SURYLGH VXIÀFLHQW protection against diseases such as smallpox, polio, MMR, diphtheria, DQG +LE à X YDFFLQHV WHQG WR EH LQHIfective due to the disease’s rapid mutation; the new strains are not recognized by the body’s immune system and subsequently

One Class, 80 Students Econ 50’s social science experiment the plank

By Adam Kaiser and Jasjeet Virk S t a f f Writers, CM C ‘13 College applicants are often drawn to Claremont McKenna for its outstanding liberal arts education, the accessibility of its professors, and its small intimate classroom settings. It stands to reason that smaller class sizes increase student involvement and help them gain a better understanding of the subject being taught in the class. Small classes form the backbone of CMC’s academic identity, which is why the students enrolled in Professor Eric Helland’s Principles of Economic Analysis course this semester were surSULVHG WR Ă€QG WKHPVHOYHV VKDULQJ D ´FODVVroomâ€? with more than 80 of their peers.

This semester, the economics department was ill-equipped to satisfy the high demand for Principles (known to most as “Econ 50�) classes this semester. The unexpectedly high interest in introductory economics courses, large freshman class, loss of classroom availability due to construction, and administrative reluctance to hire adjunct professors combined to create the largest class at CMC in recent years.

'HDQ RI )DFXOW\ *UHJRU\ +HVV LV FRQĂ€dent that “Professor Helland will provide his students with a strong curriculum and an enriched learning environment, despite the large class size.â€? He believes that the new structure of this Econ 50 section mirrors its counterparts at other KLJKO\ UHJDUGHG LQVWLWXWLRQV VSHFLĂ€FDOO\ the introductory economics course taught at Harvard. In 2006, enrollment in HarYDUG¡V VROH VHFWLRQ RI WKH FRXUVH Âł WDXJKW

by Gregory Mankiw, author of the PrinFLSOHV WH[WERRN Âł VN\URFNHWHG SHUpage 20

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cent, resulting in a class size of over 900 students each year. Though 900person classes are unrealistic at CMC, administrative arguments in favor of a scaled-down Harvard model tout the standardization of the experiences and grades of budding economics majors, students of the college’s most popular and competitive discipline.

Despite Hellandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best efforts, some of his students consider the classâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overpopulaWLRQ GHWULPHQWDO 5R\ <X &0& Âś Ă&#x20AC;QGV LW GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW WR IRFXV LQ WKH ODUJH FODVVURRP environment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel as if Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m lost in the midst of a crowd,â&#x20AC;? says Yu, who thinks the congested class inhibits his professorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teaching style. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The class is so big that Professor Helland canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t focus in on DQ\ RQH VSHFLĂ&#x20AC;F JURXS RI VWXGHQWV ZKHQ KH H[SODLQV LPSRUWDQW FRQFHSWV Âľ DIĂ&#x20AC;UPV Shalni Pawa, CMC â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;13. Yet students vindicate their professor as eagerly as they rail against their classâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s format. Though Austin Gomez, CMC â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;13, thinks Helland is â&#x20AC;&#x153;a great teacher,â&#x20AC;? he argues it is â&#x20AC;&#x153;impossible to keep 80 students engaged.â&#x20AC;?

Yet such complaints discount the fact that Hellandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 80-person class does not KDYH D PRQRSRO\ RQ (FRQ Âł WKH department offers six other sections of Principles this semester, at an average class size of 20. Students interested in taking Econ 50 this semester could have opted either to enroll in another section RQH D P VHFWLRQ LV QRW Ă&#x20AC;OOHG WR LWV cap) or simply to take the course next spring. Given this degree of competition among Econ 50 sections, students have little ground on which to criticize the class, in which they knowingly enrolled.

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Nevertheless, the experimental class size does merit an examination of its appropriateness for CMC. Class lecWXUHV LQ RYHUĂ RZLQJ DXGLWRULXPV PD\ be a mainstay of large universities, but CMC has tended toward smaller student-teacher ratios. Though CMC has opted to compromise personal attention to accommodate high demand, the decision to implement this class was neither rash nor shallow. The administration tends to agree that large class sizes should be reserved solely for introductory classes. Helland contends, â&#x20AC;&#x153;General classes such as Econ 50 can be much more effectively taught in large classroom settings than courses like econometrics, which require emphasis on critical thinking and a stronger student-relationship bond to be successful.â&#x20AC;? He also cites his DFFHVVLELOLW\ GXULQJ RIĂ&#x20AC;FH KRXUV WKH KLJK quality of student in-class participation, and the availability of â&#x20AC;&#x153;outstanding student tutorsâ&#x20AC;? as compensating for the classâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inherent lack of individualized attention.

Though thoroughly planned and properly executed, this 80-person class may set a precedent for CMC. Hess described Hellandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s class as experimental, but the interesting question arises if the experiment goes well. The administration will have GDWD WR GHWHUPLQH HIĂ&#x20AC;FDF\ RI WKH FRXUVH DIWHU LW LV Ă&#x20AC;QLVKHG DQG VWXGHQWV FRPSOHWH their evaluations. If Econ 50 can successfully be done with 80 students, will the administration follow a similar model for introductory psychology, government, and FDOFXOXV FRXUVHV" /DUJHU FODVVHV PD\ HIfectively reduce costs and allocate scare reVRXUFHV HIĂ&#x20AC;FLHQWO\ EXW WKH\ FKDOOHQJH ERWK CMCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture and brand. Students like Yu, Gomez, and Pawa value that culture, and if their concerns are not isolated, then this experiment may only run once.