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THE UNITED COLLEGES OF CLAREMONT All for one, or one for all? Pg. 12-13

SEX,

POLITICS,

& THE 5Cs Pg. 3

CLAREMONT MCKENNA

INVADES INDIA Pg. 8-9

Perhaps Claremont McKenna should add a new GE: “HIST 54 - Bread and Circuses: The Politics of Roman Private Life.� The Hunger Games – so I’m told – and Brave New World both expand on second century satirist Juvenal’s account of how Romans were gradually stripped of their political power: “Now that no one buys our votes, the public has long since cast off its cares; the people that once bestowed commands, consulships, legions and all else, now meddles no more and longs eagerly for just two things – Bread and Circuses!�

So when it comes to governing our college, what are CMC students concerned about? When I arrived on campus in fall 2009, upperclassmen were abuzz about two things: the cancellation of Sunday night snack and the possibility that new Dean of Students Mary Spellman threatened our lenient drinking policy. We fought to keep the circuses.

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And while we should enjoy the luxuries Camp Claremont offers, there are moreimportant things we could care about. Like many colleges, our tuition increases each \HDU %XW ZLWK JHQHURXV Ă€QDQFLDO DLG DQG parents paying many of our bills, this imClaremont McKenna lacks neither bread pacts only a few of us. It’s the circuses that nor circuses – nor beer and Jell-O wres- affect our daily lives, so it’s the circuses that tling, mozzarella sticks and mechanical we rally to save. That’s why we are more bulls, food trucks and Pirate Party. We’re concerned when CMC attempts to cancel frequently named the happiest college in TNC than when it spends an undoubtWKH FRXQWU\ 7KDW¡V Ă€QH ² EXW LW¡V QRW Ă€QH edly enormous amount on a partisan Ath when these perks distract us from the more speaker. important issues within our community. :KDW VKRXOG WKH DGPLVVLRQV RIĂ€FH SULRUL- If students ever had a substantive voice in tize? Do we want our college to expand to governing our college, we lost it. But we still its maximum enrollment of 1,400 students? feel entitled to one. So the administration Should a new athletic complex really be our VDWLVĂ€HV WKDW HQWLWOHPHQW E\ JLYLQJ VWXGHQWV president’s “number one projectâ€?? Both be- a few token positions – ASCMC-appointed fore and after the SAT scandal, very few, if students serve on trustee and faculty comany, students discussed these issues. mittees, we were invited to a daylong work-

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=<ALGJ%AF%;@A=> 9dqkkY JgZ]jlk HM:DAK@=JK ;`]dk]Y ;Yjdkgf$ BYqY OaddaYek =<ALGJ =E=JALMK E9F9?AF? =<ALGJK 9d]p @]af]q ;9EHMK KYe CY`j O=: =<ALGJ F9LAGF9D CYl`jqf QYg Jmkk]dd E& HY_] AFL=JF9LAGF9D KYeYfl`Y Egjk] ;GHQ =<ALGJK CYqdY :]fc]j$ 9dq EafYea\] ADDMKLJ9LGJK 9f_]dY R`gm$ ;Yaldaf C]ff]q$ BYqY OaddaYek 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 article in the Claremont Port Side UHĂ HFWV WKH RSLQLRQ RI LWV DXWKRU V DQG GRHV QRW UHSUHVHQW the Claremont Port Side, its editors, its staff, or the Claremont Colleges. Letters, Questions, Comments? editor@claremontportside.com

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shop to comment on the plan for CMC’s physical expansion, students participate in the faculty search process. In a potential nod WR VWXGHQWV¡ GLVHQJDJHPHQW IURP RIĂ€FLDO GHcision-making, the new ASCMC leadership KDV LQYLWHG DQ DGPLQLVWUDWLRQ RIĂ€FLDO WR HDFK Senate meeting since spring break. Students may play token roles in governing our college, but we do not lead. If we were WR LQĂ XHQFH WKH DGPLQLVWUDWLRQ LW ZRXOG EH through our student government. But when RXU FRPPXQLW\ IDFHG D FULVLV RI FRQĂ€GHQFH – the SAT scandal – ASCMC responded by issuing a Vice Presidential statement assuring national media that Vos’s actions do QRW UHĂ HFW RQ WKH ODUJHU &0& FRPPXQLW\ What about pushing for transparency from the administration? President Gann didn’t speak to Senate until two months after the scandal. Why didn’t Senate demand she address students earlier? Because ASCMC neglects the most important discussions. Either our “representativesâ€? just don’t care, or they don’t think they have the power to do anything other than plan circuses. CMC is a private college; students aren’t legally entitled to a voice and the administration is not required to listen to us. But the purpose of a college’s administration is to serve the faculty and students, not to protect themselves. We must demand they listen to us. We’re leaders in training, but why don’t we lead on our own campus?

Campus Progress works to help young people — advocates, activists, journalists, artists — make their voices heard on issues that matter. Learn more at CampusProgress.org.

Single copies ar e fr ee, to pur chase additional copies please contact us. editor@claremontportside.com

As threatening legislation emerges nationwide, complacency is out By Emma Brillhart Contributing Writer, SC ‘14

would have a negative effect on many within our community.

Those who have been paying attention to recent political news may have noticed a trend in state legislatures across the country: the restriction of women’s reproductive rights and contraceptive access through legislation, generally sponsored by Republicans.

Beyond cost and access issues, many students think that the vitriol surrounding the contraceptive debates is dangerous and damaging. In another informal survey of 5C students, many respondents who identified as Republicans or conservatives said that even they found the implications of this Republican speech and legislation disturbing and that they did not support the undertones of sexism that these bills bring to light. As Holly Underhill SC ’13 points out, “Women have been fighting for their rights for decades. Taking away women’s reproductive rights would be a huge step backwards not only for women but for our society as a whole.”

Many of these bills come in the wake of a mandate by the Obama administration requiring all health insurance programs to cover women’s contraception without co-pays. Many on the right felt that an included exemption for houses of worship, and an added accomodation for other religously affiliated organizations, did not go far enough. They accused the president of violating religious freedoms, sparking a political and media firestorm across the country. From Rush Limbaugh calling Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke a “prostitute”, to a Virginia bill that would have required women seeking abortions to undergo an involuntary transvaginal ultrasound to an Arizona proposal to allow employers to fire employees who use birth control for contraceptive purposes, reproductive issues are in the spotlight. So how does all of this affect the lives of Claremont students? As Summer Dowd-Lukesh SC ’14 showed in an online Port Side article, “Contraceptives in Claremont,” 80% of respondents to an informal survey of 5C women about contraceptive use reported using some form of birth control. Students use birth control for more than contraception; ovarian cysts are only one example of a medical condition that can be treated with a birth control pill. Insurance plans providing full coverage of contraception would save Claremont students quite a bit of money, and restrictions on contraceptive access

Luckily for Claremont, California’s legislature has remained fairly free of these anti-reproductive rights bills. The lack of an immediate threat, however, does not mean that those who care about this issue should be complacent. Dowd-Lukesh explains, “If anything, the women’s health care restrictions that are occurring all over the country and being discussed practically everywhere make me grateful for the care that I can receive where I live, and reinforce the importance of vigilance in our communities. Activism should not be out of style just because it’s not the 60s.” Partially in response to the current political atmosphere surrounding women’s issues, a chapter of Choice USA has been established at Scripps College – full disclosure, I am one of the oncampus awareness organizers for the club. One of the club’s presidents, Savannah Fitz SC ’13, sees the goal of the club as “promoting a pro-choice agenda by mobilizing… both on-campus and in the greater Southern California

region to fight for reproductive health freedom.” While the club is in its early stages, it recently established a presence on campus by hosting an egg hunt, which featured plastic eggs filled with candy, condoms, and facts about reproductive rights around the country and around the world. Fitz says future plans

include working towards awareness on campus through speakers, discussions, and film screenings, providing political outreach through petition signing and letter-writing campaigns, and forming relationships with local branches of Planned Parenthood to facilitate volunteer efforts in the greater community. The political climate is always crazy during election years, and 2012 has definitely not been an exception to this rule. As voters form their opinions about the candidates and issues that matter to them, it will be interesting to see if this recent slew of reproductive legislation will have any effect on voters’ decisions, especially among female voters. Hopefully, both political parties will realize that women deserve equal health care and control over their own bodies; until then, women around the country should stand up for their rights and for what they believe is important. In the words of Dowd-Lukesh, “Talking about and working to protect a woman’s right to comprehensive and judgment-free health care is vital!”

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9\eallaf_ 9l`d]l]k How Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps build sports teams By Lauren Sampson Contributing Writer, PZ ‘14 Strong academics are simply not enough to make a strong candidate for admission to a highly selective college, especially one of the 5Cs. With many qualiĂ€HG DSSOLFDQWV WR FRPSHWH ZLWK VWXGHQWV need to distinguish themselves beyond the realm of test scores and GPA. Athletics set many applicants apart. With the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens and the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas and Stags, sports play an integral role in the consortium, and student-athletes are embraced at all schools. Claremont McKenna is particularly forward with their athletic prowess, as approximately 35 to 40 percent of its student body participates in a varsity sport at some point during their college careers.

doing is we are looking for those people with the kind of character and passion for their sport that will stick with us, and thrive in this environment and get the best of both worlds.â€? As a consortium with shared sports teams, the 5Cs have a recruitment program that functions a bit differently in comparison to the average school. A PP coach has one team to build from two applicant pools, a CMS coach from three WZR IRU WKH PHQ¡V WHDPV DV 6FULSSV LV D ZRPHQ¡V FROOHJH

CMC encourages athletics for the sense of community that sports bring to students’ lives, but the college does not necessarily search for students who will add to CMS athletics. A 2008 Presidential White Paper said that the college is “recruiting student-athletes who are qualiĂ€HG WR VXFFHHG DQG H[FHO DW &0& Âľ 7KH paper also pointed out that in general “there is no major grade point average disparity between athletes and non-athletesâ€? at CMC.

“cultural differences,� and that their respective admissions teams look for very different qualities in their applicants. What it comes down to is student happiness; therefore, applying to more than one school solely to increase the odds of making the team is a less than ideal strateg y. Various admissions offices view CMS coaches as valuable resources and they are encouraged to submit written recommendations when they find strong athletic candidates. PP coaches play a smaller role, simply providing a list of athletes to both Pitzer and Pomona admission offices. At none of the schools do coaches sit on admission committees, nor do they have any power in deciding the admissions fates of student athletes. The most a coach can do is unofficially guarantee a spot on their team, conditional upon a student’s acceptance.

Further more, when students must choose between academics and athletics, most coaches support the for mer. “If somehow someone was Sutton, as well as Pitzer Admissions Di- getting bad grades, I think the coach rector Angel Perez, both stated that it is would be more concerned about the QRW WKH WHDP WKDW FRPHV Ă€UVW 1HLWKHU student’s life than the fact that their PP nor CMS coaches are in the habit of GPA would make them ineligible to encouraging athletes to apply to more play,â€? said Emmett Choy PZ ’14, “From the admissions perspective, we than one of the Claremont Colleges in who plays for the PP soccer team. value the sport mostly from the extra- order to increase their odds of getting FXUULFXODU EHQHĂ€W DQG IURP WKH SHUVRQDO on the team. For a qualified student, athletic qualities and leadership skills that a stuability is one of the many traits that dent develops from athletics,â€? explained “[A potential student athlete is] could tip the scales in his or her Adam Miller, CMC Associate Dean of looking for three components here: favor to be admitted into college. Admission. a school that’s going to open doors However, an academically unqualito you when you’re done, a team fied student is not going to be adCMS Athletic Director Michael Sut- that you can compete on and be mitted based upon his or her talent ton added, “[CMS] really believes in the somebody, and friends,â€? Sutton as- on the field. According to Perez, “I value of athletics in training leadership serted. think the misconception out there and giving opportunities. A student who is that athletes are looked at in a couldn’t be admitted just on their own, According to Perez, the PP coaches different pile, that they’re separatthat’s not our world. What we’re really understand Pitzer and Pomona’s ed. At Pitzer that is not the case.â€? h Y _ ] , t e Y q ) * t [ d Y j ] e g f l h g j l k a \ ] & [ g e t n g d m e ] A P a k k m ] -

Technological leaders anticipate the future By Andrew Willis Staff Writer, CMC ‘14 When Ray Kurzweil speaks, smart people listen. One of the leading inventors of our time, Forbes described him as the “rightful heir to Thomas Edison.” In 1999, he received the National Medal of Technology. This February, Kurzweil visited CMC’s Athenaeum to give a talk entitled “The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology.” With the new Silicon Valley program and speakers like Kurzweil, CMC is embracing the tech sector.

These machines will then integrate with humanity and expand our intelligence an incredible degree. Everybody wins.

“

Silicon Valley Program comes from a number of alumni who work in Silicon Valley, and who wanted to see more Claremont Colleges students actually making things; providing society with products and services that can change lives.”

On this point of AI, Oxford Professor Nick Bostrom, another Ath speaker this semester, begs to differ with Kurz- Many Claremont McKenna “These alumni,” Sieweil’s optimism. students are interested in becoming gel continued, “unBostrom agrees that entrepreneurs and the technology derstand that there is AI will reach a point sector is seen as having the poten- a distinct culture of of godlike intel- tial for plenty of growth... innovation and proligence, but argues ductivity in Silicon that humanity will Ankit Sud, CMC ‘14 Valley that makes it, Silicon Valley Program participant Kurzweil began his argument with a sim- not integrate with as a region, conduple claim that technological change is ex- machines. Bostrom, cive to the thoughtponential, which is evident from the rapid a well-accredited ful application of a expansion of technology in the past 100 philosopher, is thus focused on develop- liberal arts education to societal challengyears as opposed to the generally slower ing laws that would govern AI sentience es.” To place D.C. and Silicon Valley on pace of change over the past 10,000 years. in order to prevent it from ending hu- SDULW\ UHÁHFWV QRW RQO\ LQFUHDVHG VWXGHQW Kurzweil told us that fundamental chang- manity. He believes AI is a threat to our interest but a shift in societal interest. es in the approach occur once an existing existence because a machine that can method exhausts its potential. achieve superior intelligence will make Students would like to leave their mark KXPDQLW\ LQVLJQLÀFDQW &RQVLGHU KRZ WKH on the world and are increasingly seeing If we agree with that claim, a Pandora’s typical North Quad resident might deal technological social innovation as a means box of implications for the near future with ants and you begin to understand to accomplish this. Fall 2012 Silicon Valemerges. The three areas in which Kurz- some of Bostrom’s concern. ley Program participant Ankit Sud CMC weil sees the most potential growth are ‘14 observes that “Many Claremont McKnanotechnology, biotechnology, and arti- Ultimately, whether we end up in Kurz- enna students are interested in becoming ÀFLDO LQWHOOLJHQFH $, ,PPRUWDOLW\ ZLOO EH weil’s paradise or Bostrom’s nightmare entrepreneurs and the technology sector a byproduct of our ability to manipulate will likely be determined by factors out- is seen as having the potential for plenty biology and DNA sequences, he argues. side of our control. Fortunately, when of growth especially given the success of We will be able to supplement our bio- Kurzweil spoke, an eminently practical startups.” The program represents not logical functions with nanobots the size CMC questioner arose and asked, “Given only a shift in attitude, but also an investof red blood cells. the increase in machine intelligence and ment in the future of entrepreneurship. its capacity to solve our problems, what Marcelo De Rada CMC ‘14 described VKRXOG , GR"µ 7KH TXHVWLRQ UHÁHFWV D This being said, predicting the future is the Ath’s atmosphere when Kurzweil un- deeper, distinctly Claremont desire to be fraught with uncertainty. For example, veiled these ideas of the future: “Kurz- relevant and pragmatic – to generate com- despite being widely anticipated, hover weill commanded rapt attention and I felt mercio for our civitas as it were. cars are yet to be seen. What we can be personally blown away by the scope of certain of is that the logic of Ecclesiashis thought.” The impact and implications of technol- tes – “all is futile under the sun” – no ogy are not something dear old CMC longer applies to our future. We will in.XU]ZHLO·V ÀQDO ELJ LGHD LV WKDW QRQ- has ignored. The recent formulation of deed see new things “under the sun” in biological mediums will be able emulate the Silicon Valley Program, which will be our time. With this knowledge in hand, the richness and depth of human intel- modeled after the existing Washington we can observe with little surprise and ligence. Once this is achieved, machines D.C. Program, displays this rather clearly. prepare for when this generation’s sciwill achieve a intelligence that dwarfs the Program Director Stephen Siegel CMC HQFH ÀFWLRQ EHFRPHV WKH QH[W JHQHUDaverage human’s – this is the Singularity. ‘87 commented that, “the genesis of the tion’s science fact.

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L`] Mf\]jhYa\ Hjg^]kkgj Visiting professors’ contributions are underappreciated By Jean Larsen Contributing Writer, SC ‘14

that Scripps’ highest-paid professor makes a base salary of $142,939.

This is Professor Dionne Bensonsmith’s last semester teaching “Race, Gender and Welfare Politics� at Scripps College. Without her presence on campus next year, privileged students will not likely learn the shocking history of the welfare system, which they have never needed.

Claremont students have shown an interest in the pay rate and working conditions of dining hall workers. However, students are mostly unaware of the realities of life for visiting professors. At bigger institutions like NYU, this issue is far more visible as adjunct and part time faculty have unionized. Bensonsmith can tell that students fail But Bensonsmith’s absence next fall raises to understand the difference between tema more fundamental question about reli- porary and permanent professors in evance on temporary professors at the Cla- eryday interactions, when students assume remont Colleges. On a national scale there that people like Bensomsmith are just like has been a decrease in the proportion of any other faculty member. She gives the full-time, tenure track faculty positions, as example of the number of students who VFKRROV Ă€QG LW PRUH HFRQRPLFDO WR HPSOR\ ask her questions about aspects of college visiting professors whom they can pay life she knows or cares little about, such as class by class. Today, three-quarters of all the registrar’s deadlines. faculty appointments at colleges and universities are non-tenure track positions. “California has the freeway professor – picking up classes at a lot of different Bensonsmith will be unemployed when this semester ends. “I have a Ph.D. but‌I make the same amount of money as a friend with a high school diploma. We have reached a very perverted point in the system. I don’t know if having people visit [non-tenure track professors] is the problem. The problem is that the pay is very low,â€? she explains. “Nobody talks about being economically insecure.â€? A single mother of two, Bensonsmith makes $7,000 per class, plus a little extra for being a thesis reader, coming in at around $30,000 per year, a large portion of which goes to paying her health insurance. For non-tenure track professors who teach part time – less than four courses – KHDOWK EHQHĂ€WV DUH QRW JXDUDQWHHG by Scripps. In comparison, an article in the February 2012 issue of the Port Side found

schools. When I had a tenure track position [at a previous institution] of course I knew the registrar’s deadline and who to call for suicide prevention, etc‌all the things I’m supposed to know as part of the institution. But here‌I’m just hired to come teach your class; I’m not paid to be intertwined in the institution. I’m not being rude – I’d really like to tell [students] all RI WKHVH WKLQJV EXW , KDYH WR Ă€QG DQRWKHU job,â€?says Bensonsmith. And it is not only the details that she does not have time to assist students with. Bensonsmith explains that students lose out in other ways when professors know they will only be at an institution for one to three years. Full-time faculty, she says, will be more willing to write grants for students to do research with them, invite students to conferences, mentor them and introGXFH WKHP WR SURIHVVLRQDOV LQ WKHLU Ă€HOG of study. “You’re going to suffer for it. I’m going to leave and you’re going to want a recommendation, you’re going to want to keep ties,â€? Bensonsmith says of her students.

Bensonsmith outside of Scripps. Photo by Alyssa Roberts.

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,Q RWKHU ZRUGV VWXGHQWV EHQHÀW from secure faculty who no longer have to spend time job-hunting, who put down roots in the community and who can afford to invest extra time in students. Temporary and visiting professors often have the same level of education as tenuretrack professors. Bensonsmith was previously a tenure-track professor at Grinnell College, in Iowa. But she left that job because she didn’t like the institutional environment. Bensonsmith then took what became a string of jobs being a visiting professor at various colleges. She has moved several times with her two children and lives several states away from her partner, both of which are common downsides to her profession.

campus

Bensonsmith contradicts this dismal picture herself, even in giving up an hour and a half of her time for this interview while her mother watched her children at home, her four courses await preparation, and a job remains to be found. When asked about the next step for her career, Bensonsmith revealed, “I don’t have the ability to do this for much longer. It’s demoralizing. I love teaching, I am remarkably dedicated to the craft, but not to the detriment of my children’s future and not to the detriment to my own health‌I don’t have a problem leaving academic teaching for something else.â€? Katherine Norwood SC ‘13 took Bensonsmith’s “Gender Politics and Public Policyâ€? class last semester. “Her class offered something to me – it could have been better in a lot of ways but I was interested in the material and her background‌I always thought it was so cool that she played basketball at Notre Dame. I remember writing a paper for her class DERXW &KHU\O 6ZRRSV WKH Ă€UVW :1%$ player to come out‌it’s hard for me to Ă€QG KXPDQLWLHV FODVVHV WKDW KDYH WRSLFV that I’m interested in writing about.â€? Emma Brillhart SC ‘14, who has taken two classes with Bensonsmith, said that she believes the temporary nature of her professor’s position had a negative impact in the classroom: “I think Bensonsmith tread very carefully with a lot of the stuff she said because she wasn’t in a tenure-track position‌ I think she felt like a bit of an outsider in the community‌it was not the best for her. The fact that she didn’t feel as secure in her position meant that she didn’t give us her very best teaching performance which was too bad because she has a lot of interesting stuff to say.â€?

Many blame the college ranking system for providing incentives for institutions that do not necessarily serve the students. The 2012 U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Collegesâ€? rankings considered the proportion of faculty who are full time to be worth just 0.8 percent of a liberal arts college’s total value. If it is true that administrators are making decisions based upon national rankings, however, then perhaps it is time for a different ranking system. Bensonsmith agrees, and adds that she believes factors like student body diversity and faculty of color are also notably missing from the current methods used to judge schools. Norwood says she would not worry about the number of visiting professors a school hires, “unless the majority of professors are visiting professors. Then that might be a little iffy‌you’d think there isn’t much stability there. That might not be the best learning environment.â€? Referring to the nationwide increases in the proportion of visiting professors employed at colleges and universities compared to tenure-track faculty, Brillhart comments, “I’d like to think that schools aren’t just [hiring more visiting professors] based on the rankings. The economy probably has much more to do with it. There are upsides and downsides – I mean at least [visiting professors] are getting a salDU\ HYHQ LI LW¡V QRW RQH ZLWK EHQHĂ€WV Âľ Pomona was the only college to respond to the Port Side’s inquiry into how many visiting professors each college employs DQG ZKDW VRUWV RI EHQHĂ€WV DUH DYDLODEOH WR WKHP 3RPRQD HPSOR\HG VHYHQW\ Ă€YH YLViting professors this year. Professors who had at least half time status were eligible WR SDUWLFLSDWH LQ WKH FROOHJH¡V EHQHĂ€W SODQ Students should demand transparency from the administrators about how many visiting professors the schools hire from year to year, because if the proportion is increasing, we are ultimately the ones who

will lose out if our professors have less time for us. And if we do not like the colleges’ answers, we must voice our concerns. “The one thing that administrations and boards respond to is consumer preference,� Bensonsmith suggests.

“

I have a Ph.D. but‌I make the same amount of money as a friend with a high school diploma. We have reached a very perverted point in the system. Dionne Bensonsmith

Visiting Professor at Scripps

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Bensonsmith says, “It’s a two-tiered system.â€? Once a professor is labeled a “visLWLQJ SURIHVVRU Âľ WKH\ RIWHQ FDQ¡W Ă€QG D tenure-track position: “When you take a tenure-track position, you take what you can get because you’re not going to get another one.â€?

Professor Bensonsmith emphasized how much she loves teaching at Scripps several times during our interview. It is clear that she is disappointed to be leaving. But she wasn’t misled by the administration when she was hired–she was fully aware that her appointment was temporary and that it would not lead to a permanent position. Brillhart wants the schools to make a greater effort to include student input when it comes to hiring visiting professors: “If the professor has a knowledge base that students are really excited about the school should PDNH D JUHDWHU HIIRUW WR HLWKHU D KLUH WKDW SHUVRQ RU E KLUH D SURIHVVRU ZLWK a similar knowledge base, because it’s unfair for students to receive the kind of knowledge they deem valuable for only two years.� When asked if she thought Scripps should hire Bensonsmith, Brillhart said, “She has a lot of expertise professors at Scripps and even across the 5Cs don’t have. It comes down to the resources the school has. I’m not really sure what’s going on with that right now, but if they have a position available, she certainly has a lot of really valuable knowledge to provide.�

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L`] Kmf F]n]j K]lk gf l`] ;E; =ehaj] From recruiting to socializing, South Asia is the new frontier By Sridhar Poddar & Stephanie Braziel Contributing Writers, CMC ‘15

mission is to enroll the most diverse and talented people who are leaders. India has a strong educational system, values, and a lot Weeks ago, students gathered at Walker RI YHU\ TXDOLÀHG DSSOLFDQWV :H KDYH EHHQ Beach to throw colored powder and water pretty aggressive in making sure we’re out DW HDFK RWKHU 6RRQ DIWHU à LHUV IRU D 6DQVNULWL there.� Miller referenced President Gann’s trip performance appeared all over campus. And to India in December 2011 as an instance of now the 5Cs have a Brown Brotherhood? This CMC continuing to build relationships and semester has seen a mass increase in South opportunities in the country. Asian culture at the Claremont Colleges.

5C South Asian Culture and Unity

As a cultural melting pot, home to 1.17 billion people, and the largest democracy in the world, India is emblematic of the recent social and economic development in South Asia. Not surprisingly, the U.S. has fostered a stronger political, economic, and cultural relationship with India since the nation liberalized its economy two decades ago. This relationship between India and USA has trickled down to the 5Cs. As Claremont McKenna President Pamela Gann recently wrote in the “President’s Message� in CMC Magazine, “We are ready to widen our relationships within India.�

Recruiting Indian Students

The growing population of Indian students at CMC has resulted in greater participation in cultural and social events related to South Asia. The 5C club Ekta, a Sanskrit word meaning unity, was revived in 2011. The ninety active members work to unify Claremont’s South Asian community by organizing cultural events. As the club’s co-head Jessica Kaushal PO ’14 explained, “coming to Pomona was strange for me because there was not much of a presence or voice from the South Asian community.�

Ekta is now a thriving club that has produced successful events. More recently, the Sanskriti With increased globalization, Indians want to 5C performance produced by Ekta showcased UHDS WKH EHQHĂ€WV RI D OLEHUDO DUWV HGXFDWLRQ mainly Bollywood dance in addition to 7KLV GHVLUH LV UHĂ HFWHG LQ WKH JURZLQJ ,QGLDQ traditional South Asian music and dance. community at CMC. In 2007, the college The show also featured an African music had four Indian citizens enroll. That number performance and a fusion of hip-hop and GRXEOHG WR HLJKW LQ GURSSHG WR Ă€YH LQ Bollywood dance performed by the 5C hip2009, increased to sixteen in 2010 and reached KRS WHDP 6DQVNULWL Ă€OOHG *DUULVRQ 7KHDWUH a record nineteen in 2011. Indian students are which seats 700. the largest cohort of international students at CMC. The cultural show provided a glimpse of South Asian culture and encouraged participation by Adam Miller, Associate Dean of Admissions all ethnic groups. Almost half of the forty DW &0& VDLG WKDW LW LV GLIĂ€FXOW WR LJQRUH D members of the Bollywood Dance team are country with such a large population. “[CMC’s] not of South Asian origin.

One group that supported the Sanskriti event was the Brown Brotherhood, a quasi-fraternity for South Asians at the 5Cs. Jasjeet Virk CMC ’13, head of the Brown Brotherhood, said, “The brotherhood’s main objectives are to create a community and network for the previously fragmented South Asian community and to add to the social life of CMC.� The Brotherhood had eight brothers in 2009, its founding year, and twenty-three in 2010. It currently has thirty-four members who pay dues of $60 per semester. Another group that supported Sanskriti is the 5C Hindu Society. The society is responsible for organizing two religious festivals every year: Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights and the celebration of Ram’s return to his kingdom, and Holi, the Hindu festival of color and the celebration of spring and harvest. Both events enjoyed high attendance.

CMC Internships in India For students interested in International 5HODWLRQV DQG 5HOLJLRQ LW LV GLIÀFXOW WR QHJOHFW South Asia, with its rich culture and history. 7KLV VXPPHU ÀYH VWXGHQWV IURP &0& ZLOO

intern in India. Andy Willis CMC ‘14, a Government and Religious Studies major, will work at the Akshakta Patra Foundation, which he says “provides mid-day meals to students in order to increase school attendance and avoid student hunger.â€? “The internship is funded through President Gann’s India Fund,â€? Willis added. Last winter, he also received funding from ASCMC Senate, the Center for Human Rights Leadership, and the Kravis Leadership Institute to study a sustainably developed “modelâ€? village in India. Julia Starr CMC ’12, an International Relations major with a focus on religion, chose to study abroad in Pune during spring semester 2011. In Pune, Starr worked at a non-governmental organization where she created a model ZKHUHE\ PLFURĂ€QDQFH Ă€UPV FRXOG FROODERUDWH with HIV patients. Starr explained that, “India has a rich history and as a young democracy it provides a perspective on how normalized concepts in USA operate in infancy and a different context. I was interested to see tons of grassroots activism by people my age and wondered why my peers weren’t as involved in social movements.â€?

South Asia and Academics In addition to study abroad and internship opportunities, CMC is also focusing on bringing Indian education to Claremont. In 2005, CMC hired history professor Nita

Kumar to develop a South Asia program at the college. Before she was hired, the only course related to South Asia studied Mao and Gandhi. Now there are four professors dedicated to South Asian studies. “The days where Americans learn just about themselves are gone,â€? Kumar said. Since 2005, she has organized credit and non-credit trips for students from the 5Cs to explore India’s art, education and culture. Currently Kumar teaches a Freshman Humanities Seminar on South Asia and a class on Gandhi. Every year she selects one to two CMC students to work with her at Nirman, D QRQ SURĂ€W 1*2 IRU HGXFDWLRQ DQG DUWV LQ Varanasi.

speaker is Narayana Murthy, founder of the India-based multinational software company Infosys and father of CMC Trustee Akshata 0XUW\ œ &0& KDV DOUHDG\ FRQÀUPHG D lecture by Dr. Vinay Lal, an India expert, on Gandhi’s birthday, October 2, 2012. CMC’s plans to foster academic ties with India are not restricted to Claremont. The college is also working to develop for-credit faculty-led trips to India over summer and winter breaks.

CMC has even joined a larger national network to establish its India connection. Aleta Wenger, Executive Director for International Programs at CMC, told the Port Side that “recently CMC became a member of the American Institute of ,QGLDQ 6WXGLHV $,,6 ZKLFK LV KHDGTXDUWHUHG CMC hired Religious Studies Professor Daniel at the University of Chicago. AIIS is dedicated 0LFKRQ Ă€YH \HDUV DJR WR LQFUHDVH 6RXWK $VLDQ to the advancement of knowledge about India course offerings. He teaches the Introduction and the promotion of intellectual engagement to South Asian Religion class, which was so with India in American institutions of higher popular during registration that an extra section education. CMC’s institutional membership in had to be added. AIIS will strengthen and expand opportunities for students and faculty in India.â€? Michon also teaches an independent study language class in Sanskrit that will eventually Though the increasing attention on India has become a yearlong full credit Sanskrit course. been met with positive feedback, Kumar and In an interview with the Port Side, Michon Michon stress that countries like Bangladesh, explained that “not just Indian students show Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan which interest in my class, but also students who study surround India should not be neglected when classical languages such as Greek and Latin.â€? studying South Asia. Michon also said that “cultural events such as Sanskriti and Holi help the South Asian program because they initiate student curiosity.â€? He would like to see these contemporary celebrations of South Asian culture grow alongside more interest in South Asian arts and academic study of the region. The academic interest Michon spoke of is being fueled outside the classroom as well. This semester the Athenaeum hosted four scholars – Ameena Mirza Qazi, CMC Government Professor Aseema Sinha, Sheldon Pollock, and Naval Krishna – who spoke about South Asia. Additionally, this year’s CMC commencement

CMC’s relationship with South Asia is in its early stages. Hopefully this relationship will continue to grow so that the Claremont Colleges can increase their academic and cultural offerings LQ GLYHUVH DQG LPSRUWDQW ÀHOGV

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Global interest in classics is fading, but not in China By Alan Hu Contributing Writer, CMC ‘13 Last month at the Athenaeum, Sheldon Pollock, a Columbia University professor of Sanskrit, spoke of the fading interest in the classical heritage of cultures across the globe. There is, however, one exception: Chinese classics – referred to in Mandarin as guoxue – has been experiencing a reawakening of not only scholarly study but also public interest. In a world increasingly alienated from its classical past, what explains China’s sudden fascination with its volumes of ancient texts? Confucius, China’s 2,500 year old sage has come a long way in the past 100 years. As a symbol of China’s imperial past, Confucius has been the target of China’s reformers and revolutionaries since the end of the Qing dynasty. Mao attacked China’s “old customs, old culture, old habits, and old ideas� during the Cultural Revolution and Confucius was singled out in the “Criticize Lin, Criticize Confucius� campaign of 1976. Yet today, Confucius and guoxue are more popular than ever. Signs of this classical comeback are everywhere: Yu Dan, associate professor at the Beijing Normal University, sold 1.5 million copies of her book on Confucianism within 40 days in 2007, and 322 Confucius Institutes – organizations aligned with the Communist party of China that promote Chinese language and

culture – have opened since 2004. Once criticized as the cause of China’s stagnation in the nineteenth and preceding centuries, guoxue is back for good.

CMC History Professor Arthur Rosenbaum agrees. “Confucianism always has been a useful doctrine in governing a stable society and promoting order,� he explains. Government encouragement, however, cannot explain the public fascination with guoxue. According to Rosenbaum, the revival of Confucian ideas “has roots in society quite apart from the government.� Even Yu Dan cannot claim to be the source of interest in guoxue; rather, her success is a symptom of a deeper cause. The public is the true driver of the guoxue revival.

There are clear reasons behind the Communist party’s support of guoxue. The authoritarian government can strengthen its rule by relying on the nationalistic tendencies of the public. The Confucian system is also arguably suppressive. This analysis is supported by a CMC junior from Nanjing, who asked to remain anonymous. The student commented, “The conformity and rigid hierarchy imposed by Confucianism suppresses individual expression, which is what the party wants.�

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The short explanation of the public fascination with guoxue is that as China’s population grows increasLQJO\ DIĂ XHQW LW IDFHV GLIIHUent challenges than it did 30 years ago. While starvation was a legitimate concern for the average citizen prior to former leader Deng Xiaoping’s reforms, the explosion of wealth in China has created rampant consumerism. 7KLV LVVXH LV SHUVRQLĂ€HG by a candidate on China’s popular matchmaking show “Feicheng Wuraoâ€? who declared that she would rather be “weeping in the back of a BMW than be happy on the backseat of a bicycle.â€? In the face of such rampant materialism, one reaction has been to paint a rosy picture of the days before Deng’s 1978 economic reforms, depicting a climate in which wealth was more equal and society less shallow. This dream of a poorer but more egalitarian society is further strengthened by China’s rising income gap.

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Are politicians acknowledging the research?

By Kevin O’Neill Contributing Writer, HMC ‘13 Many of the major challenges facing our nation today revolve around science. To achieve energy independence, we must develop new or existing domestic energy sources. It will take great technological advances and an educated workforce to compete in a global economy. It appears voters may have picked up on the importance of science, with a recent JZ Analytics poll claiming that 85 percent of Americans agree that “presidential candidates should participate in a debate to discuss key science-based challenges.â€? While the poll was conducted online and may not be the best representation of the American public, this percentage remained as high as 87 percent for Catholics and 83 perFHQW IRU 3URWHVWDQWV VKRZLQJ VLJQLĂ€FDQW VXSport from those perhaps viewed as least likely to “believeâ€? in science.

that politicians have neglected science, saying that the current state of science in policy “is a lot worse than it used to beâ€? and that “there’s a lack RI XQGHUVWDQGLQJ RI WKH VFLHQWLĂ€F SURFHVV Âľ In fact, he placed some of the blame on Gingrich. During Gingrich’s time as Speaker of the House, Steinberg says, “The Republicans came LQ DQG GLVPDQWOHG ZKDW ZDV WKH VFLHQWLĂ€F DVVHVVment arm of Congress. [It] routinely cranked out analytic reports, articulated the state-of-theDUW LQ D YDULHW\ RI VFLHQWLĂ€FDOO\ LQWHQVLYH SROLF\ relevant areas and they killed it.â€? What Steinberg is referring to was the ConJUHVVLRQDO 2IĂ€FH RI 7HFKQRORJ\ $VVHVVPHQW 27$ FUHDWHG LQ \HW GH IXQGHG LQ 1995 when Republicans gained a majority in the House. The OTA was governed by a bipartisan twelve member board of House and Senate members and advised Congress on issues ranging from global warming to ballistic missile defense systems. Its rebirth has been advocated by recent presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Ralph Nader, yet the idea has gained little traction.

der both Republican and Democratic administrations.� He also cautions that “you have to be careful about making sweeping statements about being pro-science or anti-science; a lot of this will depend on the individual issue.� Steinberg, on the other hand, does place some blame for the declining role of science on rightwing “anti-intellectualism,� which he attributes to historical anti-elitist sentiment in the United States. “That sort of populism plays out on the left in the Occupy Wall Street protests and so forth. On the right, it plays out in a sort of anti-intellectualism,� which Steinberg says is how politicians get away with neglecting science.

Whatever the role of science is today, it seems we can all agree on one thing: science should be an important factor in political decision-making whenever possible. As Steinberg says, “politicians have no excuse IRU QRW XQGHUVWDQGLQJ >WKH VFLHQWLĂ€F SURFHVV@ because they can convene scientists from However, there is certainly evidence that polititheir respective districts.â€? How we interpret cians have denied science its rightful role in polithe science – when a zygote becomes a hucy. Rick Santorum was one of many Republican man or what exactly we should do to reduce presidential candidates to openly advocate intelgreenhouse gas emissions – should be left ligent design and once proposed an amendment Since then, and perhaps earlier, Americans to policy makers. But we cannot ignore the to the No Child Left Behind Act that would have shown some signs of doubting the sci- IDFWV DQG OLYH LQ DQ LOOXVLRQ GHĂ€QHG E\ promote its teaching. Even the Obama admin- HQWLĂ€F FRPPXQLW\ $PHULFDQ 6RFLRORJLFDO politics. istration, widely viewed as pro-science, has re- Review recently published a study claiming ceived criticism for overruling an FDA decision WKDW FRQĂ€GHQFH LQ WKH VFLHQWLĂ€F FRPPXto increase accessibility of the morning-after pill. nity, as measured by the General Social However, CMC Professor of American Politics Survey, has declined John Pitney says, “candidates actually have taken from 1974 to 2010. YHU\ VWURQJ VWDQFHV LQ IDYRU RI VFLHQWLĂ€F UHVHDUFK Âľ Moreover, it claims citing Newt Gingrich’s focus on neuroscience and that this decline is 0LWW 5RPQH\¡V GLVFXVVLRQ RI VFLHQWLĂ€F UHVHDUFK LQ mostly attributable to his book No Apology: Believe in America. conservatives, though this explanation is inAs to why some issues receive less coverage dependent of political than others, Pitney claims that both parties “will party. IRFXV RQ WKH VFLHQWLĂ€F LVVXHV WKDW WHQG WR IDYRU their side and downplay the issues where the sci- On the topic of politience may point in the other direction.â€? cal divide on science, Pitney says, “you’ve Paul Steinberg, HMC Associate Professor of Po- KDG VFLHQWLĂ€F DGYDQFHV litical Science and Environmental Policy, thinks and science policy unn g d m e ] A P a k k m ] - t [ d Y j ] e g f l h g j l k a \ ] & [ g e t e Y q ) * t h Y _ ] ) )

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L`] Mfal]\ ;gdd]_]k g^ ;dYj]egfl How each college sells its image to prospective students By Jon Rice, Staff Writer, PZ ‘13 & Richard Ahne, Contributing Writer, CMC ‘15 At the Claremont Colleges, our schools work hard to cultivate specific images of themselves, from their web presence to the campus visit. However, it is revealing to see just how divergent a college’s public relations efforts are in comparison to our actual campus experiences. To see how each of the 5Cs sell the consortium to prospective students, the Port Side shadowed tours at four of the five colleges. One finds that while student tour guides portray a poignant experience made whole by the consortium, the individual schools downplay the consortium as a major factor in campus life and culture. The history of the Claremont Consortium suggests that the colleges inherently rely on each other: they were originally developed as continuations of Pomona College. However, on more than one occasion, Robert Walton, CEO of the Claremont University Consortium – the consortium’s coordinating body – has suggested that instead of increasing cooperation, the 5Cs should increase competition, for further competition will create stronger individual schools and eventually a stronger consortium.

Messaging Matters The way each of the colleges have balanced cooperation and competition varies, both in general spirit and in message. From developments in online presence, print publications, and campus visits, the level of importance that each campus puts on the consortium depends on the medium. The colleges have worked hard in recent years to emphasize the unique

culture of each individual institution. From Claremont McKenna’s focus on leadership to Pitzer’s on social justice, the efforts of each school to cast themselves in a particular spotlight make it seem like they are worlds apart rather than right next door. When prospective students and their parents visit, it is surprising to see how often they are not aware that the five schools are located on one square mile of contiguous land. This mindset may come from the Claremont Colleges unique layout; few, if any, consortia in the country offer such proximity between member schools. But it is more likely this view comes from the colleges’ specific deemphasizing of the consortium.

admitted students across the country.” Once students commit, Pomona

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Courting Prospectives Image plays a critical role between April 1 and May 1 when admitted students have to make a decision on which college to attend. Although a low acceptance rate can look fantastic, the number that admission officials bite their nails over is the yield, or the number of admitted students who actually enroll. At small liberal arts colleges, particularly those whose operating costs are fed by tuition revenue, under-enrolling can land a severe blow. Therefore, to keep up appearances and entice students, the colleges use a variety of approaches for keeping in touch. According to Pomona’s admission office, students who are accepted are invited to a number of “informal alumni hosted get-togethers for

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Pomona College

sends t-shirts and bumper stickers to ramp up the excitement of being a part of the Pomona community. Mudd, arguably the most unique col-

campus

lege in the consortium due to its specific focus on engineering and the sciences, works especially hard to recruit students and maintain pride.

casionally other groups will as well. [For example], a couple of years ago a group of alumnae wrote to all the female admitted students.�

This personal letterwriting builds the image of a college that is focused on the individual. One could argue, however, that a letter could come from the consortium itself; if students received a letter touting the resources of the entire consortium, prospective students might be more likely to commit to one of the member colleges over a comparable small liberal arts institution.

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“We do send them lots of letters,� said Colleen Smith, HMC Assistant Director of Admission. “The various academic departments and President Klawe usually write letters and oc-

may be conveyed from websites and other sources that advertise the colleges individually, campus tours celebrate each particular institution’s place within a larger consortium identity. In examining how student tour guides from the colleges mold their own experiences into presentations for prospective students, it becomes clear how much of a role the consortium plays in students’ daily lives.

Pitzer’s tour had the most VLJQLÀFDQW HPSKDVLV RQ integration within the 5C community. At the beginning of the tour, the student guide launched into recounting the history of the Claremont Colleges, highlighting the unique areas of focus for each college before focus-

ing on Pitzer itself. Throughout the rest of the tour, the spotlight was on the consortium as a whole. From the guide’s mention of Honnold-Mudd Library to the highlighting of specialties of the various cafes and dining halls of the 5Cs, the Pitzer tour experience presented the Claremont Colleges as a “consortium in every wayâ€? that “overlaps in a number of ways.â€? The unique aspects of Pitzer – its murals and focus on environmental impact, for example – were shown to exemplify its role within the 5Cs. Tours at Pomona and Harvey Mudd, also pointed out the advantages of the consortium, though noticeably less than Pitzer’s. Pomona touted the art and music programs found on both the Pomona and Scripps campuses, as well as the ease of registering for classes at the other colleges, as indicators of the shared resources. Even the Mudd tour experience, which focused least on inter-5C relationships LQ IDYRU RI VSHFLĂ€F GHWDLOV UHJDUGLQJ 0XGG academics and culture, noted how the smaller schools within the consortium made it “easier to mixâ€? among each other, whether that be in social life, academics, or sports. These tour experiences paint a clear portrait of how the students of the consortium interact within the sphere of the entire 5C community; they are inevitably students from unique colleges, but they thrive within the environment of the larger consortium. This is quite a contrast from the more distanced LPDJH GHSLFWHG LQ WKH VFKRROV¡ RIĂ€FLDO DGYHUtisements. It is no surprise that each school’s admissions RIĂ€FH ZRXOG SRUWUD\ LWVHOI RQ LWV RZQ DV D wholeheartedly unique and independent institution of high regard. While there may be obvious truth in those portrayals – there is no denying that each of the 5Cs are among the best liberal arts colleges in the country on their own accord – there is something vitally important to be said of the consortium upon which these colleges were founded. Ultimately, the consortium that drives student activities, culture, and interactions here, should be emphasized to prospective students, rather than masked over or ignored.

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Our own dining halls have become a battleground By Logan Galansky Staff Writer, PO ‘14 What did you eat today? Chances are, it contained sugar. At the time you may have enjoyed the sweet taste, but that sensation quickly turns bitter with new research that has surfaced on the connections between sugar consumption and some of the leading causes of death in the United States, namely heart disease. A recent report by the United Nations found that non-communicable diseases are causing more deaths worldwide than infectious diseases. The announcement identiĂ€HG WREDFFR DOFRKRO DQG XQKHDOWK\ GLHWV as the primary risk factors. Even more daunting, the UN found that there are now 30 percent more obese people in the world than those who are undernourished. Although consumption of tobacco and alcohol has been targeted as detrimental to health, diet had not entered the arena until a contingent of doctors, led by California pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig, began what he deemed a “war on sugar.â€?

tion. Such efforts would include taxes on processed goods, restricting sales during school hours and placing age limits on the purchase of sugary products.

schools in beginning concerted initiatives to improve the quality of food offered to students as well as access to nutritional information. She says that the plan has been to “implement all-around better choices, Pomona College nutrition guidance coun- like more whole-grains, more lean proteins, VHORU /L] 5\DQ UHDIĂ€UPHG 'U /XVWLJ¡V FDOOV use ethical and sustainable food sources for a reform in the food industry. “Chil- and to make students aware of what they dren are bombarded with commercials should be eating everyday.â€? from sugar products,â€? she declared. “I think it is very important to start looking This emphasis is aligned with many organat this. You can’t argue with science, and ic efforts at the Claremont Colleges, such clearly people are being affected by mas- as the organic farm, which Ryan calls, “a sive amounts of sugar.â€? wonderful step in the right direction.â€? However, these measures also pose a serious threat to personal freedoms, and such regulations may not sit so well with consumers. Deirdre Lee PO ‘14 is enrolled in “The Political Economy of Foodâ€? course at Scripps College and feels that a tax would “infringe too much on personal rights. Also, if you try to regulate consumption with a tax, people will only look at the higher price and make decisions for the wrong reasons.â€?

Lee echoed Ryan’s sentiments: “I love the efforts that the farm is making, like the farm stand to give people better eating options. I hope the school gives them more funding to expand because I IHHO OLNH WKHUH LV D ORW RI EHQHĂ€FLDO SRWHQtial for what they can do.â€?

Overall, this is not a simple case of too much of a good thing. Sugar is posing a serious threat to our future health and our consumption practices need to change. In Lauren Vazquez PO ‘14, another student the short term, Ryan suggests that under taking the course, weighed in on the issue, WKH LPSHQGLQJ VWUHVV RI Ă€QDOV VWXGHQWV In an attempt to reduce heart disease, a stating, “I think it would be incredibly dif- should “avoid the late night greasy food. 1970s government commission man- Ă€FXOW WR LPSOHPHQW D WD[ DQG WKHUH DUH Stick with the whole foods; fruits and nuts dated that United States food producers EHWWHU DQG PRUH HIĂ€FLHQW ZD\V WR FKDQJH are great snacks.â€? lower the amount of fat in their products. the way people eat, like grassroots moveWhile well intended, the order generated ments and making companies change the OLWWOH VLJQLĂ€FDQW LPSDFW VLQFH WKH IRRG way they sell their foods and have more industry replaced the missing fat with transparency.â€? sugar. As a result, the average American now consumes 130 pounds of sugar per Both students have found “The Politiyear, and cases of heart disease, hyperten- cal Economy of Foodâ€? to be incredibly sion and diabetes have skyrocketed. Some valuable; as Vazquez highlighted, “We’ve research has even found links between learned how separated most people are sugar consumption and cancer. from the food that they eat. There needs to be more questioning of what labels say Dr. Lustig believes the problem boils down and we need to learn how to critically anato the fact that “sugar is cheap, sugar tastes lyze the foods we purchase.â€? good and sugar sells, so companies have little incentive to change,â€? and he suggests According to Ryan, Pomona College, afinstituting regulations to limit the avail- ter separating from food provider Sodexo ability of sugar and discourage consump- last January, joined the other Claremont h Y _ ] ) , t e Y q ) * t [ d Y j ] e g f l h g j l k a \ ] & [ g e t n g d m e ] A P a k k m ] -

A new Israel-Palestine club aims to foster dialogue

While the Israel-Palestine conflict may seem physically distant from Claremont, many students at the 5Cs have personal connections to the issue and share a desire to engage in discussions about the topic with likeminded individuals. A number of clubs, primarily Claremont Students for Israel and Students for Justice in Palestine, offer a platform for students to connect with one another, share personal anecdotes, and discuss current events in the region. However, Gavriella Wolf SC ’15 and Perri Fagin PZ ’15 felt that there was not an option available for students who wished to take a more neutral stance on the issue. After reading an article on Israel-Palestine campus activism in the December 2011 issue of the Port Side, Wolf and Fagin decided to start a new club: J-Street U. J-Street U stands for J-Street University, a student-run branch of J-Street, which is an American advocacy group that aims to find a diplomatic and sustainable solution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict. While J-Street takes a definitive pro-Israel stance, it emphasizes a two-state solution, proposing that a Palestinian state be created alongside the state of Israel, roughly based on the borders of 1967, and that the city of Jerusalem be shared between the two states. Ultimately, J-Street supports a new approach to cooperation and security in the region, and aims to gain recognition for the state of Israel by all its neighboring states in the Middle East. “There are many groups that already exist at the Claremont Colleges, but none of them provide an option for

students who are not completely polarized about the issue,” Fagin says. “I think that the Claremont Colleges need a floor for conversation to openly discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without having to commit to one side.” J-Street tries to moderate the American conversation about this issue, and change the status quo so that it becomes socially acceptable to be pro-Israel without necessarily being anti-Palestine.

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7KH &ODUHPRQW &ROOHJHV QHHG D ÁRRU for conversation to openly discuss the ,VUDHOL 3DOHVWLQHDQ FRQÁLFW ZLWKRXW having to commit to one side. Per ri Fa gin Pitz er ‘ 1 5

members attending, Wolf and Fagin plan to expand the club in the fall and hold regular meetings with a number of students from all five colleges in attendance. Fagin notes, “The only requirement to join J-Street U is that you are open to a two-state solution to the conflict. This is because often when people don’t support a twostate solution, they are very strong willed. We want to create a club for people whose opinions have been lost between the two sides.” Wolf adds, “We don’t know what the answer is and we do not want to lecture people on their beliefs. Instead, we want to bring in as many different perspectives as possible and promote dialogue between the members.”

“

By Jenna Hussein Contributing Writer, CMC ‘15

The number of college students involved in J-Street U has doubled nationwide since last year, and it is expected that this rapid growth will continue as more students become aware of the organization and its ideals. While J-Street is a Jewish-based organization, it is not exclusively Jewish by any means. Wolf explains that, “certain people are drawn to the organization because they are Jewish and it ties in with their Jewish identity, but there are many other people who feel a connection with J-Street even though they may not be religiously affiliated.” Fagin adds, “we hope to bring a non-denominational and diverse group of people to this club who decide to join for a number of different reasons.” While the 5C club has had only one informal meeting thus far with six

Wolf and Fagin have already begun to raise awareness about their club by bringing in their first speaker: Daniel May, Pomona alumnus and Director of J-Street U. Scheduled to speak at the Claremont Colleges on April 26th, May will discuss his personal history and experiences with the organization. May has always dreamed of a Claremont Colleges chapter of J-Street U, and he is very pleased that Wolf and Fagin have decided to bring this club to Claremont. While Israeli-Palestinian affairs are very intricate and can spark emotional responses in certain individuals, it is imperative that college students educate themselves on the topic and engage in conversations about the conflict. As the leaders of tomorrow, we as students must learn to remain open to various perspectives in international affairs, and exemplify the virtue of tolerance in order to promote peace and positive social change.

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Restructuring Claremont’s body image By Summer Dowd-Lukesh Staff Writer, SC ‘14 The collective Claremont political correctness radar is a volatile creature, going off at the slightest mention of a word, phrase, idea, or event that could offend anyone in a 100-mile radius. While this environment has been critiqued for restricting honest communication, political correctness helps to make Claremont a safer space for a diverse group of students with a variety of backgrounds. But it is time for Claremont to expand their conception of the politically correct to include size, weight, and the body image issues that affect everyone in our college community. 5C students who stick to politically conscious rhetoric often forget to check their opinions when discussing the “obesity epidemic” occurring around the United States. Fat shaming is a socially acceptable form of discrimination. Many people feel comfortable publicly making jokes at the expense of fat bodies or consider fatness universally wrong. “If you want to hurt someone these days, the worst thing you can do is call them fat,” says Julia Pashall PZ ‘12, a self-proclaimed fat activist. The main organizer of Queer Burlesque in 2010 and 2011, Pashall first considered fat activism after attending burlesque shows in Amsterdam when she studied abroad. “It was my first time seeing fat bodies sexualized,” she remembers. Pashall adds that it was one of the first times in her life where she realized that her own body could be portrayed as desirable.

America’s hatred of fat people is systemic and deadly. Fat has become more than a body type; it has become an often false indication of lifestyle choices and character traits. In 2001, Alexandra Brewis, Arizona State University’s Director for Global Health, told Science Daily, “Fat is understood culturally to represent profound personal failing and the attendant moral messages attached to it include laziness, lack of self-control, and being undesirable or even repulsive.” In November 2011, CMC’s online student paper The Forum published an article called “All The Girls Get Fat in South America.” The controversial piece was divisive, with those who thought the overall message about savoring your food when abroad was reasonable, and those who noticed its strong fat-phobic messages. While the author’s ultimate conclusion – “If you put on some weight, it’s not the end of the world” – was heartening, the article LV ULGGOHG ZLWK TXDOLÀHUV OLNH ´7KHUH·V always Jessica Mao’s killer kick boxing class in the spring to get you back into shape,” and a reassurance that weight can always be lost. The article garnered upwards of forty comments, including many fat-phobic comments such as, “um. everyone should be worried about getting fat, fat girls suck. stay conscious, and stay hot.” The obvious problem with this rhetoric, beyond the blatant body shaming, is the implication that once weight is gained, the person should plan on losing it at WKH ÀUVW SRVVLEOH RSSRUWXQLW\ 0HVVDJH gaining weight is okay, as long as it is only temporary. Predictably, many Americans react to

consistent messages that their body is repulsive and immoral by trying to change it. In pursuit of the health and beauty that American culture dictates is so important to attain, many Americans of all sizes resort to unhealthy diets or develop eating disorders that leave them miserable, sick, and too often dead. An estimated eight million Americans have some sort of eating disorder, and out of all mental illnesses, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate. One of ÀYH SHRSOH VXIIHULQJ IURP DQRUH[LD GLHV prematurely from complications related to their eating disorder. But, as Pashall notes, “There’s not a skinny person hiding inside every fat person just waiting to come out. Most fat people can’t get skinny.” A damaging aspect of fat-phobia is that a majority of the sensitive discussions about obesity and weight focus on the idea that more weight equals less health. However, body mass index is not the best way to determine how healthy a body is, and many college students engage in behaviors much more destructive than eating a cheeseburger – binge drinking, anyone? – without the hatred and shaming that comes as part of the heavier package. Heavy people can absolutely be healthy people, just as thin people can be unhealthy. Our culture needs a serious change, not only to stop the spread of life-threatening eating disorders from dominating millions of American lives, but also to promote the belief that happy bodies are the best bodies. Pashall reminds us, “People are people and everyone deserves to be treated like a human being, regardless of their size. Whatever is right or healthy according to the science is just irrelevant.”

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