15 April 2022
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“Abolition is Feminism, Feminism is Abolition” Conference Sparks Conversation About the Movement’s Future
Photo Courtesy of Scripps College
By Ellen Hu '24, Kendall Lowery '22, and Aanji Sin '24 Editors-in-Chief
D
espite the weekend’s sweltering heat, organizers, students, and community members gathered on Scripps’ Alumna Field from April 8 to April 10 for a conference centered around exchanging ideas, clarifying policy goals, and building solidarity. The conference, titled “Abolition is Feminism, Feminism is Abolition” was organized by Andrea Ritchie, visiting professor at Scripps and commencement speaker for the class of 2022. Various panels, roundtables, and events took place over the three days. Speakers ranged from organizers with decades of experience under their belt to current students from Scripps and Pitzer who are currently working on abolitionist projects. The conference was available to the public with an option to participate over Zoom for those who were unable to join in person. The event commenced with a keynote conversation between Mariame Kaba and Ritchie, renowned abolitionist and anti-violence organizers. As previous collaborators who are deeply familiar with one another’s work, Kaba and Ritchie animatedly discussed an array of topics including Black feminism, the carceral state, abolition, and ultimately, how advocating for each of these issues is essential for supporting the feminist movement as a whole. “I think overwhelmingly folks in their hearts of hearts, even the reactionaries, or maybe, especially their reactionaries, know that things are not okay,” said
Kaba. “That the current structures that cases are actually actively harmful. That the current systems that we've lived under for many generations, such as capitalism and you know, forms of democracy… are not serving people — particularly, they're not serving people who are at the margins of society.” This conversation provided insight into their upcoming book, No More Police: A Case for Abolition. The work explores the argument for abolishing the police and how violence at every social level has been perpetuated by the carceral state. It will be released on Aug. 30, and attendees were given the opportunity to pre-purchase the work during the event. Following the keynote conversation, a student panel took place that featured Janet Asante ’22, Lily Kraft PZ ’22, Lily Lucas ’22, Uma Nagarajan-Swenson ’22, Callie Radecki PZ ’22, and Kathryn Wangthamkua PZ ’22. In conversation, these seven students provided insight into their own abolitionist work. The students cited a variety of individual reasons for being inspired to pursue abolitionist projects, including their organizing work over the pandemic, the impact of policing on sexual harm, the environmental impacts of the carceral state, and the construction of religious communities. Asante, Nagarajan-Swenson, and Kraft explicitly noted that they grappled with complex emotions throughout the completion of their projects, and the rest of the panel appeared to resonate with this acknowledgment. “My journey to being an abolitionist has been full of
anger,” Asante said. “So you know, ultimately, that's what fueled my thesis — just anger at the status quo and having an imagination of how things could be different.” Additionally, the panelists expressed their struggle with balancing the core demia. “It was really a challenge for me to try to write something that would both be accepted in academic circles and something that was genuinely abolitionist that could be used for something more than academia,” NagarajanSwenson said. “I honestly don’t know if I struck that balance, but I guess the ally done.” The panelists remained dedicated to expanding upon their work post-grad but agreed that major changes needed to be made to ensure that it was usable outside of an academic environment. “It’s challenging to know where you relationships with [abolitionist groups],” said Radecki. “You don’t want to be a burden, you want to be able to work together, but how do you know where to start? I think that’s the hardest thing sometimes.” In the following days, the focus of the conference shifted towards enacting abolition feminism through organizing and policy. Events on April 9 centered on current campaigns against the carceral state, while conversations on April 10 created space to reflect on how to effectively pursue and defend an abolitionist policy agenda. Addressing mental health was a central topic of conversation in the “Domestic Violence and Mental Health Cri-
sis Response, Prevention, Intervention, and Healing” panel. Panelists brought attention to their work and things they believed were important to maintain awareness of while working on policy changes. While discussing a new proposed suicide prevention hotline system, Ritchie revealed that it would still involve police intervention. “It’s one example of the state responding, coopting, absorbing, and serving us back carcerality under a new number — literally,” Ritchie said. “An area to pay attention to when making these policy changes.” In a panel titled “Abolitionist PolicyMaking Principles,” panelists joined the conversation both in-person and virtually over Zoom. The conversation spanned past policy mistakes, navigating negotiations with the state, and defending past wins. Towards the end of the conversation, the longevity of the movement took center stage. Marbre Stahly-Butts, Executive Director of Law For Black Lives, emphasized the importance of truth-telling within the movement. She elaborated on the fact that compromises are inevitable, and “we need to acknowledge compromises that are problematic,” she said. This, combined with deep individual and community reflection were all aspects Stahly-Butts ward. “There’s always this sprint, but we need to take moments to reflect and think about the lessons that we’ve learned,” said Stahly-Butts. “Part of experimenting is messing up so that we can make it right.”
Photo Courtesy of Scripps College
IN THIS ISSUE
The return of SCAMfest: 5C A Cappella Opens Its Doors After Two and a Half Years
One Hundred Years of Scripps: A Centennial Celebration
5C Students Produce Stunning Performances in Scripps Dances
Scissoring: Collaboration Puts This Play A Cut Above
1030 Columbia Avenue | Claremont, CA 91711 | Box 839 | scrippsvoice@gmail.com | Volume XXX | Issue Seven
2 • News
The Results Are In: Meet Your 2022-23 SAS Board
By Belen Yudess ’25 Social Media Manager
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he 2022-23 Scripps Associated Students board has been elected and its members are ready to begin their term! Campaigning began on March 29, followed by the voting period which opened on April 6 and ended on April 8. Although a majority of the races were uncontested, two candidates: SAS president (Kayla Solomon ’23 and Ana Rodriguez ’23), Judicial and Academic Review Chair (Rina Nagashima ’24 and Anabraha Singh ’25), Student Organizations Commissioner (Jane Lovett ’24 and Destiny Rivera-Gomez ’24), Junior class presidents (Katherine Meagor ’24/Madeline Safavi ’24 and Lily Dunkin ’24/Avalon Brice ’24) and Senior class presidents (Hannah Tiedemann ’23/Lily Natasha Wartman ’23 and Elaine Yang ’23/Ishi Gupta ’23). Results were announced on April 9, when Rodriguez was named the next SAS president. Additional results of these races included the elections of Nagashima for judicial and academic review chair, Rivera-Gomez for student organizations commissioner, Dunkin/ Brice for junior class co-presidents, and Yang/Gupta for senior class co-presidents. The elections are a thoroughly established and straightforward process to ensure transparency for the student body. “The elections are done by a popular vote
of the student body,” said current SAS Executive Vice President Emily McElroy ’22. “Candidates need to declare their candidacy, publicize their campaign, follow the campaign process rules, and complete a speech to have their name on the ballot.” Along with voting for the SAS board, the ballot also included several initiatives on which the current SAS team wanted to gauge student opinion. This year, the initiatives ranged from Scripps’ divestment of fossil fuels to changing Scripps’ lege. “It’s been super exciting to see the number of people running for SAS,” said current SAS President Maya Lynch ’22. “I was looking at the numbers from 2017-2018… and we have beaten all of those records for the number of students running for elected positions and for the number of contested elections … I hope that means students see SAS as a place to get involved, build community, and make change.” Lynch’s statement about the incoming enthusiasm and passion embedded within next year’s board rings especially true for Rodriguez. Rodriguez is an environmental analysis and foreign languages dual major from Quito, Ecuador. They have served as the SAS Diversity and Inclusion Chair (DIC) and the Sustainability Chair in past years. Apart from SAS, Rodriguez is the co-head of the Scripps International Community and a resident
coordinator. Although Rodriguez is currently studying abroad in Italy, Lynch has noted that they have been in constant communication with her in order to prepare for this position. According to Rodriguez’s campaign speech, they have several concerns they want to address as president, including communication between students and administration, Core, and course registration. “As president, I will hold administrators accountable for providing us with the level of education that we were promised by starting with simple steps, like providing enough classes for all students,” said Rodriguez. “I also will work alongside faculty who have expressed their concerns about Core and its harmful impact on underrepresented students on campus, whether through restructuring or through an entire reimagination of its curriculum.” Rodriguez also states that their past work and current studies in environmental analysis will also of projects that they would like to focus on throughout their term as president. “I will also work with all of the sustainability and environmental justice clubs at Scripps [and the other] 5Cs to continue to set concrete actions to ensure Scripps divests from fossil fuels and represents its students’ beliefs and activism for environmental and social justice.” Reflecting on their past as a
member of SAS, Rodriguez believes that the lessons they have learned and the experiences they have had have molded them into a better leader. “Serving in these positions has allowed me to advocate for a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive institution,” said Rodriguez. “As well as promote student activism and improve dialogue between administrators, and students regarding sustainability campaigns programs and our commitments.” Ultimately, Rodriguez strives to advocate for students and ensure that the voices of the Scripps community are uplifted. “I am committed to raising your opinions, your needs regarding the well being of all students, and advocating for a campus that reflects students’ values, ideals and activism.” This past year, SAS has been successful in addressing student concerns, supporting CLORGS, and hosting several exciting events in order to keep up morale. They are a group of dedicated students who truly want the best for the Scripps community. Although elected posiapplication-based positions in the fall. As the 2021-2022 SAS seniors prepare to graduate, McElroy reafages others to get involved. “SAS is an amazing organization,” she said. “It’s such a fun thing to join while you’re at Scripps and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s even remotely interested!”
New Changes in COVID-19 Restrictions Leave Students Confused By Lauren Marler ’24 and Alyssa Wend ’24 Staff Writer and Copy Editor
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n April 6, Scripps students received an email from Interim Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Adriana di Bartolo-Beckman informing them of new COVID-19 protocols amidst a recent spike in COVID-19 cases across the 5Cs. Throughout the spring semester, Scripps has consistently required surgical masks or higher to be used indoors, while CMC lifted its mask mandate on March 28. Many students support Scripps’ continued mask mandate, as they believe that wearing a mask respects students’ varying levels of comfortability, especially immunocompromised students. “It’s a considerate thing to do,” said Zoey Lofgren ’24. However, as the masking policies across the consortium became more inconsistent and schools remained opaque about communicating policy details, stulike, ‘Why is everyone else getting rid of theirs but we aren’t?’ and then as the semester has gone on I’ve started to feel better about keeping it,” said Ingrid Bergill ’23. Pre-spike, students expressed their frustration with the changing policies across the 5Cs and the general lack of inter-school
weird that there is lack of consistency across the 5Cs because they that act as one sometimes,” Avalon Brice ’24 said. “As a student, I think it would make sense for us all to follow the same rules and regulations, but administrations know what their students need.” Furthermore, the lack of communication between the colleges was a large issue for students heard about mask policies at other schools changing was someone very off-handedly mentioning that CMC was dropping theirs, and then on social media,” said Bergill. “It was stressful for me to not hear about it directly and just hear rumors and really feel unsure about what was actually going on.” This seemed to create a space where students went to other campuses not knowing or abiding by the different mask mandates. “It seems to make other students feel like the rules apply to them based on their college, not based on what campus they’re actually on,” said Bergill. “It’s creating a hostile environment in that students are policing it when we shouldn’t have to be.” Tension around the varying policies heightened alongside Claremont’s COVID case count. On April 5, 30 Scripps students tested positive, and an additional 25 students
tested positive on April 6. According to the COVID-19 dashboards 428 5C students tested positive from the week of April 4 to April 10. With these new cases, Scripps and the other 5Cs are implementing changes to stop the spread. These changes include pausing cross-campus dining, bringing food trucks to campus, and requiring students to eat outdoors. Additionally, 5C events are being canceled as indoor social gatherings and club meetings are prohibited. However, OSE-approved gatherings outside can occur as long as they host fewer than 10 people. To stop the spread in the classroom and make accommodations for students in isolation housing, some professors have also chosen to move their classes onto Zoom. Prior to the spike in cases, cross-campus dining had recently reopened on Feb. 26. While most students were happy to be able to eat at other schools, inconsistencies in masking policies may have contributed to the increase in cases. In particular, students pointed out that CMC’s removal of their mask mandate created discrepancies in the dining halls. “You’ll have people from CMC not wearing masks at our dining hall, and they probably have a higher COVID rate than we do,” Lofgren said. In the email sent on April 6, Dean
di Bartolo-Beckman wrote, “Our preliminary assessment suggests a number of factors are contributing to the rise in cases amongst students including the presence of the BA.2 variant, which is more transmissible (though generally not more severe in its effects than the earlier Omicron variant), outdoors social events in which masking is not required, and students return from Spring Break.” This new change took some students by surprise. “I feel like nothing has been communicated to me,” said Brice. “All of a sudden yesterday everything kinda shut down all the sudden. I feel like I know so many people right now that have COVID and admin is not providing options for classes besides in person. It’s sad but canceling events and closing dining is a step to protect everyone.” However, Lofgren was not surprised about the spike in cases and new restrictions. “I think that closing cross-campus dining is a good step, but the real thing that would help is if people actually were enforcing mask policies,” said Lofgren. Ultimately, students feel that a new system that updates all students at the consortium of changes is needed. “It would be nice if when there are large policy shifts to just notify the other schools as well,” said Bergill. “Just to know that they want us to be aware.”
15 April 2022 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue Seven
3 • News
The Return of SCAMfest: 5C A Cappella Opens Its Doors After Two and a Half Years event to everyone, strict constraints were inevitable and unable to be worked around. “We had to be very deliberate,” said -
we had to follow. Putting the COVID plan together meant looking at LA County’s guidelines, as well as the Claremont guidelines, and the guidelines from the schools that the other groups were coming from, so we
Photo by Evan Johnson PO ‘22
By Aanji Sin ’24 Editor-in-Chief
O
n Saturday, April 2, 5C students clambered to Pomona’s Bridges Auditorium to attend the Southern California A cappella Music Festival (SCAMfest), the largest annual a cappella event held at the Claremont Colleges. SCAMfest featured performances by almost all of the a cappella groups on campus, as well as four groups from other universities in Southern California. able to return to the 5Cs after being delayed for nearly two and a half years since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The festival usually happens during the fall semester, but because of Los Angeles County’s restrictions, off-campus groups could not attend and Fallcappella was put on in its place. Anticipation for SCAMfest has run high ever since, evident in the sold-out audience and the sudden flurry of students searching for tickets just minutes before doors opened. Planning this year’s SCAMfest around the challenges of COVID-19 proved to be an ambitious effort. The
planning committee was spearheaded by the Claremont Shades presidents, Sammy Shrestha PO ’23 and Kiana Harnish ‘23, who had to tackle these trials to organize an event that would live up to its hype. Shrestha themself hadn’t been involved in a cappella at the 5Cs since they watched the last SCAMfest solely as an audience member, and as a result, they had to make plans without any prior experience. “It was a real bummer for everyone when SCAMfest was canceled last semester, so it was a priority for us to make it happen this semester and do the best we could with it,” said Shrestha. “There was a lot to organize and a lot of things to live up to, but it really felt like we ticked all the boxes that all the SCAMfests before have had.” The biggest setback that the planning committee encountered was the limit on audience capacity in Bridges Auditorium. Los Angeles County restrictions dictated that the auditoriwhich did not support the entire population of the 5Cs that wanted to attend. While Shrestha expressed their desire to have been able to open the
what would work for everyone.” SCAMfest’s program boasted six groups from the 5Cs: the Claremont Shades, Blue and White, Moodswing, One Night Stanza, Ninth Street Hooligans, and Midnight Echo. The seventh 5C group, the After School Specials, was unable to perform due to a high count of COVID-19 cases within the group. The four groups from other California universities included The Spokes from UC Davis, Bruin Harmony and The Scattertones both from UCLA, and USC’s the SoCal Vocals. The Shades kicked off this year’s festival with a powerful rendition of “Road Less Traveled” by Fatai and the smoky, dreamy sounds of “Lavender” by Camille Trust, showing off their outstanding arrangements and tightknit harmonies. “Learning the music and learning the choreo was especially fun this year,” Shrestha recalled. “I really loved our arrangements and the songs we performed. We had a lot of rehearsals leading up to the performance, and it felt really gratifying and I think it went really well.” UC Davis’s group The Spokes came in with pipes blazing, perfectly coordinated in both movement and uniform in their daring black and hot pink ensembles. The all-female-identifying group performed “Kiss My (Uh Oh)” by Anne-Marie and Little Mix, all sass
and unabashed girl power, followed by “Dancing with the Devil” by Demi Lovato, complete with jaw-dropping high notes. program, UCLA’s all-male-identifying a cappella group Bruin Harmony shattered audience expectations with their emotive and potent performance of Madison Ryann Ward’s “Mirror,” followed by the crowd pleaser “Story of my Life” by One Direction. Both of their arrangements featured key changes that left everyone in the audience with goosebumps and earned Bruin Harmony a thundering standing ovation. Rolling into the second half, Claremont’s Ninth Street Hooligans leaped onto the stage and brought with them their cheery, one-of-a-kind presence. They nailed the complex harmonies of fun’s “Some Nights” in their whimsical rendition, then smoothly transitioned into an infectiously playful performance of “Die Young” by Ke$ha. Closing out SCAMfest, USC’s premier a cappella group the SoCal Vocals took the stage and mesmerized the crowd with their expert arrangements. From the groovy R&B sounds of “Mixer” by Amber Mark to the haunting heartfeltness of “Stand” by Yebba, the SoCal Vocals performed an unforgettable conclusion to the festival. “Just watching everything come together, seeing everyone’s performances and all of our hard work pay off was so gratifying,” Shrestha said. the entire thing. I was so happy to hear that everyone had a good time afterwards — I know I did.” Depending on COVID-19 guidelines still in place next semester, SCAMfest is expected to happen during its normal time in the fall.
Photos by Evan Johnson PO ‘22
15 April 2022 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue Seven
Feature • 4
One Hundred Years of Scripps: A Centennial Celebration By Belen Yudess ‘25 Staff Writer
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n 2026, Scripps will be celebrating its 100th birthday. The college, founded in 1926 by esteemed journalist Ellen Browning Scripps, is the second oldest campus in the Claremont consortium. It only trails Pomona, which was established in 1887. To commemorate the occasion, Scripps alumna Suzanne Muchnic ’62 is writing a book that will narrate the college’s past 100 years.
“Scripps is a relatively young college… but it’s remarkable because it’s a survivor and there aren’t really all that many other survivors at this point.” - Suzanne Muchnic Muchnic, who was a long-time art writer for the Los Angeles Times and has written books about many famous names in the art community, has been busy conducting inter views, doing research, and exploring Denison’s archives in preparation for this grand undertaking. Although this is a daunting task, Muchnic’s enthusiasm and experience are sure to make this book a 10 out of cenTENial read! Muchnic had several motivations for this project, including her personal connection with the school, and Scripps’ standing as a historically women’s college. “Within this context of women’s colleges, which is a really fascinating subject in and of itself… Scripps is a relatively young college… but it’s remarkable because it’s a survivor and there aren’t really all that many other survivors at this point,” said Muchnic. “Then, of course, my own experience going to a college like Scripps. I was a scholarship student, I couldn’t have gone without a scholarship and I’ve continued to support the college because I really want other young women to have as productive an experience as I had.”
tuition at that time was less than $2,000.” When Muchnic was a current student, the Claremont Consortium consisted solely of Scripps, Pomona, Claremont McKenna, and the newly built Harvey Mudd. Similar to today, each college had its respective reputation regarding its most popular major. For example, CMC was very business-oriented whereas Mudd was geared towards STEM. Scripps, on the other hand, was based in the humanities. Muchnic noted that this approach, coupled with the confidence she received from attending Scripps, allowed her to pursue an unintended career in journalism. “I think there’s something in Scripps… I mean, women have to be pretty flexible by nature… but I think it helps if you’ve gone to a school where you don’t just have these prescribed career paths,” she said. Following her graduation from Scripps and graduate school, Muchnic worked as an art teacher for public schools in Southern California. Although she was very fond of teaching, Muchnic knew it wasn’t the right fit for her. “I enjoyed it, but I knew that was not going to be my life,” she said.
“I think Scripps gives you that sense that there aren’t any real boundaries if you really dig in and do the work.” - Suzanne Muchnic When the Vietnam War began, Muchnic moved to Utah to join her husband, a Pomona graduate who was an orthopedist for the army. Muchnic decided to return to teaching for the Utah school district, but there was one catch: she was overqualified. “One funny thing is that I applied to be a teacher and they would not hire me because I had a master’s degree,” said Muchnic. “A master’s degree [meant] they would have to pay me an extra hundred dollars. I was also a woman and in Utah at that time… it [was] a very Mormon
Photo courtesy of KCET happened anywhere else, but they needed a college-educated person who could spell. And I was good at spelling and grammar.” The paper focused primarily on community news, but it allowed Muchnic to realize her passion for writing. When she returned to California, Muchnic landed a job working for a small paper called Art Week, which introduced her to the Los Angeles art scene. Her publications also garnered the attention of the Los Angeles Times, which invited her to be a freelancer. From there, her career skyrocketed, and after a year, Muchnic was promoted to a fulltime art writer, a role she held for 32 years. “I think Scripps gives you that sense that there aren’t any real boundaries if you really dig in and do the work,” said Muchnic. “I mean, the opportunities have to come up. I can’t be too gullible about that. I was very fortunate in having these opportunities arise at the right time in my life… I feel like Scripps definitely equips you with that confidence to be like, even though I don’t know how to do this now, I can figure out how to do it later.”
join, a few of which are still present at the 5Cs today. “There was an organization called Orus, which may still exist and it was a dance program,” Muchnic said. “It was pretty serious. There were people who were interested in acting and producing plays and they did that. Then there was also a ski club… and I believe languages had clubs for German, Spanish, and French.” Muchnic has not only been using her own accounts for this book, but has also reached out to past faculty, board members, and alumni to aid her in capturing a full picture of Scripps’ history. This list includes Nancy Beckerback, who is considered the college’s first female president. “She came in in 1990 and she stayed for, I believe 13 years, a good long time,” Muchnic said. “And she’s really important because there was a time when the college needed to make a lot of changes and a lot of them were painful. She’s a really tough person. And she just marched in and did what she thought had to be done, sometimes offending people along the way, but a lot of changes had to be made.”
She is excited about the collaborative element of the piece, and the light it will shine on Scripps’ rich history.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Muchnic is originally from state, and men got a first chance Iowa and moved to California in at everything.” her junior year of high school. As However, Muchnic’s forced she was new to the area, Muchnic d e p a r t u r e f r o m s e c o n d a r y needed guidance about where she education allowed her to pick up a should apply for college. Luckily, new career from a local newspaper she had an uncle whose niece ad. had attended Scripps, which led “It didn’t even say what the job to her application and eventual was, but you had to know how to acceptance into the school. write and take photographs,” she “I walked onto the campus… and said. “I had been in a photography people were friendly, and I got to class, and I thought, I can do meet some of the professors and that. Very soon after that, I ended so on,” she said. “I was just blown up as the editor of three weekly away… and if you can believe it, newspapers. It would never [have]
Muchnic’s research for the centennial book has caused her to shift gears in her writing style and subject matter but has also allowed her to further reflect on several aspects of her Scripps experience, such as dorm culture. “Those days students almost always stayed in the same residence hall the whole time… You really were put into a living situation that became almost like an enlarged family,” said Muchnic. “You would have freshman corridor, sophomore corridor, and so on… We certainly formed long-term friendships with a lot of these people.” Aside from dorm life, there w e re a l s o s e v e r a l c l u b s a n d communities that students could
Photo courtesy of Scripps College Muchnic’s book is scheduled to be released in 2026. Although she still has much work to do, she is excited about the collaborative element of the piece, and the light it will shine on Scripps’ rich history. “I just want all these voices in there,” she said. “People will say things in different and surprising ways that really make it come to life.”
15 April 2022 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue Seven
Feature • 5
5C Students Produce Stunning Performances in Scripps Dances 2022 By Isabel Li ’25 Staff Writer
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or their annual spring dance concer t, Scripps College’s danc e de par t m e nt pre s e nt e d a breathtaking array of eight performances choreographed by 5C professors, students, and guest artists. Featuring many different styles of contemporary dance, three live shows were held on April
David ’25, who prepared to dance in two selections of the concert program. “Unfortunately, some of our dancers were not able to perform on stage with us, and their presence and hard work throughout the semester were greatly missed.” Since the concert was categorized as an academic event, the show was not canceled or postponed from its original dates. Friday evening’s concer t was
stories in 2020 while incarcerated at Norco prison during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the second story upon the conclusion of his sentence in 2021. Professor Branfman has been a resident choreographer at Norco since 2016, and her work paired with previously unseen glimpse into prison life. The show then transitioned to “Arowana - study #1,” choreographed In the dramatic dark blue lighting, dancers in bright red dresses emerged onstage one by one with flowy gestures and dance moves, evoking the image of tropical arowana fish swimming in an aquarium. The next performance, “What Do You Think of This?” choreographed
Photo Courtesy of Kevin Williamson
8 and April 9 at Garrison Theater. The show’s scheduled dates were only two days after the consortium’s decision to halt all 5C events, citing a significant spike in COVID-19 cases. This policy change was made public on
“The dance explored the dynamics of perception using questions and answers, asking each dancer how and when they perceive themselves.” April 6 via an email to the student body from Interim Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Adriana di BartoloBeckman. “The week leading up to the shows was stressful for many of us as there were many close contacts and dancers directly affected by COVID-19,” said Ysabel
involved the dancers speaking directly to the audience. The dance explored the dynamics of perception using questions and answers, asking each dancer how and when they perceive themselves. The use of mirrors, chairs, and microphones as props further expressed the underlying
of strobe lights, particularly for p h o to s e n s i t i ve v i e w e r s . “ T h e in Time,” choreographed by Nadia Singh PZ ’23, began with the dancers dancing to a narration informing viewers about the scientific aspects of time. The dance itself reflected the fluidity of time and its dimensions, as the performers were physically connected with one another. “The goal of this piece is to explore the linearity of time — par ticularly what do ruptures of time look like — what does
“The dance itself reflected the fluidity of time and its dimensions, as the performers were physically connected with one another” movement look like in this fourth dimension,” read the concer t program. display came to end, the audience roared and cheered in applause
also available via a Zoom webinar livestream for those who could not attend in person. As the theater’s lights dimmed and the red curtains drew back, the Hunt for the Well Water,” opened the concer t with the work of choreographer Lindsey Lollie. The dance involved the use of two large fans positioned at stage right, creating a windy billowing effect for The
second
and
sixth
choreographed by Professor Suchi Branfman for “Undanced Dances Through Prison Walls During a Pandemic,” a Scripps Presents event that was held in November 2021. The two dances featured theme of self-consciousness. five performers, dancing to the Because the dance employed the arhythmic introspective narration use of spoken words, the dancers took their masks off to make reflecting his experience in prison. themselves more audible and
Photo Courtesy of Kevin Williamson
After a brief intermission, Cameron Boucher-Khan ’22 presented their choreographed dance, “Nobody’s Looking/Fantasy,” which involved a combination of both contemporary and pole dancing. Their performance was choreographed for the senior thesis requirement in dance at Scripps and mainly focuses on the dynamics of sexual pleasure through the movements and choice of the costumes of the dance. Afterward, Jenna Wu-Cardona ’23 performed her coming-ofage dance, “How You Wish It Would Be All the Time: A Tantrum,” choreographed in collaboration with her fellow dancers. Preceding the final dance was a warning about the use
Photo Courtesy of Scripps College
as the curtains closed. It was a concert that not only highlighted the students’ skill and hard work over the semester but also expressed stories and experiences from a wide range of ar tists. Amidst a time of great uncertainty, especially with many pandemicrelated protocols in place, the annual concert was where both performers and audience members could experience the emotional thrills of storytelling and entertainment. “For many of us dancers, including myself, this was the could really feel the excitement and energy throughout the entire performance weekend,” said David. “I think that shared experience has made this show even more special and I am grateful to be part of such a welcoming and supportive community that the Scripps dance program fosters.”
15 April 2022 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue Seven
SPOTL
Housing How To: A Comprehensive Guide to Living Your Best (Res)Life In a cruel calibration of calendars, it just so happens that the chaos of housing draw, course registration
men snatch up your top choices one by one. Ultimately, you’ll wake up on the morning of room draw in a cold sweat, your fate drawing near. 5. You’ll choose your room and it’ll all be OK.
the truly trying time of late April. To make matters worse, this year, the majority of Scripps students have never chosen their own housing before. So, before I disappear into the mist of post-grad existence, I’ve set out to equip the student body with my top tips for navigating the politics and perils of the Scripps housing draw.
1. Room Draw Google Sheet: This collaborative spreadsheet contains a list of all of the rooms on Scripps’ campus! Input information about your current room to help future Scripps students navigate housing draw, and compare housing draw times so that you can set your expectations around
By Kendall Lowery ‘22 Editor-in-Chief
What resources should I use?
wards Garrison Theater) might be for you. 3. Your fellow Scripps students: In my experience, Scripps students have no shortage of opinions when it comes to housing. Ask around on (social media or in-person) and familiarize yourself with the culture of each dorm. This will give you a feel for the building, as well as your potential neighbors; each dorm has a unique mix of upper and underclassmen, party life (or lack thereof), expectations around quiet hours, and more. If you want a quieter environment, Clark may be for you. Want a front seat to every Friday night pregame? Snag a room next to the Browning balcony.
Any other key advice?
If I’ve learned anything over the past four years, it’s that your residential life is determined by so much more than your actual room. The people who you share your space with, whether that’s a roommate, suitemate, or communalbathroom companion, have a massive effect on your day-to-day life. So, I naturally asked my suitemates for their key ltakeaways from housing draw. know your housing time, preparation is key. The different dorm rooms on cially in some of the older dorms such
plication (which you’ve probably received many emails about). These applications were due on April 14, but you can continue to create roommate groups up until your housing selection time. 2. You’ll wait with bated breath for res life staff to release your housing selection time. It is still a mystery to me how these times are determined — after getting an 8:15 a.m. slot after a freshman year spent squeezing into a forced double, I assumed that there was some sort of equitable system at work, but ultimately I think it just comes down to chance (and potentially a well-placed bribe). 3. You’ll spend hours parsing through room choices, developing your strategy, and performing various rituals to maximize your housing draw luck. 4. In a cruel reenactment of course registration, you’ll watch upperclass-
what rooms are feasibly available for you. 2. Housing Floor Plans: These floor plans are from 2019 and may be slightly outdated, but they contain the layout and the approximate number of people allocated to each room on campus. Check them out to get a feel for the options that are available to you. They include information about sink availability, closet size, proximity to the bathroom, and more. Interested in natural light? The top of each page of the pdf is the side of the building that is closest to Harvey Mudd, and the bottom of the page is the side of the building that is closest to CMC. Rooms with CMC-facing windows are also south-facing, and tend to get more sun throughout the day! Nevertheless, as someone who currently lives in a Mudd-facing room, I can attest that my room has both plenty of light and gorgeous mountain views to boot. If you’re an early riser, you might want to opt for an east-facing window (overlooking Pitzer’s campus). Prefer a sunset view? A view to the west (to-
Room Draw Google Sheet
Housing Floor Plans
How does the process actually go down?
still get to know your housing options. “Don’t be afraid to ask someone what they think of their room or if you can check it out,” said Maya Lynch ’22. “Odds are they’ll be excited to tell you about it!” Social media (and Facebook groups in particular) are your friend when trying to track down the students who live in dorms that you’re interested in. You can access the floor plans for each on-campus housing option earlier in this article, but physically inhabiting a space is often what it takes to get a true sense of a room. want (and don’t want) in a dorm, my suitemates highly recommend making key decisions between rooms before the actual day of housing draw. Their advice: have backups to your backups to your backups. “Dedicate time to creating a room ranking,” said Katja Roberts ’22. Once Roberts learned that she had one of the last draw times for housing her sophomore year, she proceeded to rank all 150 double rooms on campus. On the day of housing draw, this greatly reduced the stress attached to what room choice to make while options dwindled. However, despite all of your preparation, a lot will still be left out of control. Things probably won’t work out the
Photo Courtesy of Scripps College
as Toll, Clark, Browning, and Dorsey. In the years before the pandemic, the different buildings would each hold an “open house” before dorm draw where students were able to go door to door, checking out the various rooms that they were interested in. Though this event hasn’t taken place Student Facebook Group
way you think they will, and that’s OK; there’s so much more to your Scripps life than where you live. Hopefully, that will be even more true as we learn to live alongside the pandemic. “I had a pretty abnormal housing process,” nitely learned to roll with the punches!” Another suitemate emphasized the importance of preparing where you can and accepting what you can’t prepare. “Don’t take anything personally,” said Navya Anne ’22. Though your dorm placement can feel like a makeor-break facet of your life at Scripps, communal study spaces, lawns, and the rest of the consortium campuses provide you with plenty of ways to extend your world outside of your dorm. “Go in with no expectations,” said Jessica Maurice ’22. “Most Scripps dorms can be livable and lovable with the right attitude.”
15 April 2022 • The Scripps Voi
LIGHT
Browsing Room Brawl: Ranking Our Study Spaces
By Alyssa Leong ’23
Design Editor ocated in every residential hall, Scripps’ browsing rooms are part of the campus’ history and an essential portion of the school’s tour. These study rooms are part of what makes Scripps so unique, with
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photos documenting their legacy and word-of-mouth documenting the tales of the hauntings that (allegedly) took place in their hallowed halls. But history aside, what exactly are the vibes of each browsing room? On a sunny (and sweaty) afternoon, I explored every residence hall’s browsing room to answer that very question. As of every single browsing room Scripps College has to offer. 8. Kimberly/ Wilbur Ok, I know this is technically a browsing room ranking (and not a residence hall one), but it’s crucial that I set the scene with my Kimbo/ Wilbur experience to explain why I ranked it last. Having only been to the Wilbur kitchen, I didn’t know what to expect when entering the hall from the back door facing Tiernan. Although it was a sunny day (side note: Southern California
and climate change work in weird, weird ways), upon entering Kimberly, the interior was almost completely dark save for fluorescent hall lights. Empty halls stretched before my eyes. A deep silence permeated the building, and there was an eerie lack of other students in the hall. Time seemed to fade away as I circled the building, trying to locate the
ice • Volume XXX • Issue Seven
browsing room and get out as soon as possible. While the entire hall felt like an old recreation center or the browsing room itself had all the charm of an unused hotel library. The furniture was inexplicably purple, the art deco mirror and
Photo by Ellen Hu
grand enough, the bookshelves scant, the painting of Kimberly herself seemed to be staring into my soul. But the worst factor was the lighting. Unlike any of the other browsing rooms, the windows have a tint placed over them, making the room feel dark and uninviting. The yellow-ish fluorescent lights only make the room feel even more inhospitable. Everyone talks about how the Toll or Browning or Clark browsing rooms are haunted, but the Kimbo/ Wilbur one has an even eerier vibe. “Someone has died in here,” I scrawled in my notes as I hurried out. With its darkened, silent atmosphere, the Kimbo/Wilbur browsing room feels like a liminal space, similar to a gas station at night or an abandoned mall — a place where time doesn’t seem to exist and where dreams perish. 7. Dorsey
Photo by Ellen Hu ‘24
Dorsey’s browsing room was quite the upgrade from Kimbo/Wilbur (although that is an admittedly low bar). Upon entering the “library,” as it’s labeled, the room felt fairly small and unused. The vibrancy of the carpet gives the impression of being un-intruded on (although perhaps this is due to the work of Scripps’ excellent janitorial staff),
oddly enough, has the shape and appearance of a pizza oven. But for the most part, the Dorsey browsing room is cozy and clean. It’s tidy and doesn’t have any odd odors, plus it has a window overlooking the Browning/ Dorsey courtyard and the rose garden. Plus, it has a decent selection of science and economics textbooks (unfortunately nestled alongside some outdated/ unnecessary college prep books).
3. Clark Ok, I’ll have to admit my bias on this one. On looks alone, Clark
small group of friends, but probably not many more than that. 6. Schow S c h o w H a l l ’s a b u n d a n c e o f courtyards, balconies, and overall Schow-ness always captivate me, so I had high hopes for the browsing room — high hopes that were unfortunately dashed. It has a nice view of Tiernan, complete with large windows that keep the room feeling bright and airy. There are also some interesting paintings that match those of the GJW browsing room. While it’s a good study space and I could get work done, it’s unfortunately nothing special. 5. GJW Much like Schow Hall, GJW’s
has some overlooked features. Take the aesthetic appeal of the color-coded books, or the balcony overlooking the tree-lined steps into Clark, or the proximity to the printer. The Clark browsing room, while unassuming, is a place where you can get work done (and look at some rainbow bookshelves while you’re at it!). 2. Browning Definitely an underrated gem in Scripps browsing rooms! With its large windows overlooking courtyard views, paintings,
browsing room is somewhat disappointing considering the residence hall surrounding it. I rank this slightly higher than Schow solely because of the decorative windows, but other than that there is little to distinguish the two browsing rooms. 4. Routt/Frankel Considering the unappealing nature of Routt and Frankel themselves (thanks Mudd!), their browsing rooms (while identical) are… fairly decent. Despite their lack of character, their interiors are clean and simple (without feeling ugly), and large windows keep them light and airy. The furniture seems clean enough, and the long table makes it so that multiple people can study there at once. Their proximity to each of the hall’s laundry rooms also make them convenient places to study while waiting on a load. Plus, the Routt browsing room in particular has some interesting books (including an absolute monster of a dictionary), which warms my inner bookworm heart.
even more cozy and approachable feeling. A small, bright, clean browsing room with all the signature Scripps panache! 1. Toll Who would I be if I didn’t put Toll first on this list? Scripps’ oldest
and Schow — its plain looks and questionable couch are nothing special. But as a first-year Clark resident, I spent many an hour studying, chatting, and watching Netflix here with my friends — through the lenses of post-Zoom
decor, Browning’s browsing room feels like Toll’s sister. Although it’s considerably smaller, it makes for an
Photo by Ellen Hu ‘24
with the perfect Hogwarts common room feeling that everyone looks for in a liberal arts college. Although it’s a quiet space (sorry, no collaborative studying here), it checks out with the room’s regal feeling. This browsing room has everything: bright natural lighting and a lovely view courtesy of the Gothic-style windows, a commanding wood-paneled interior, sofas and chaises are plush and easy to sink into (ESPECIALLY the blue one), a beautiful carpet, a painting of Eleanor Toll herself that actually doesn’t look terrifying, and a book selection with some wacky titles on the shelves (such as Poems in Praise of Practically Nothing — highly recommend the one about the ostrich). A classic Scripps spot complete with a view of the greenery and a haunted past!
8 • Feature
Declaring my Major: Dread and Delight By Ellen Hu ’24 Editor-in-Chief
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Green Bruises By Rebecca Allen ’25 Staff Writer
Image courtesy of Frank McKenna via Unsplash
24 Years and Counting
By Belen Yudess ‘25 Social Media Manager
In response to “Hope” is the thing with feathers (314) By Aviva Maxon ’24 Staff Writer
Opinion • 9
Knock Knock
Who’s There
MAINTENANCE
Satire Columnist
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icture this: I’m naked, in a woman’s bed. The bed isn’t mine. There’s a knock at the door. “Maintenance,” a baritone voice announces. A pause. Another knock. “Maintenance,” the voice repeats. The clock reads 9 a.m. And there I lie: naked, in a woman’s bed. Except, it isn’t just me. This isn’t an extraordinary experience for one living in the residence halls at Scripps College, and the maintenance thing is pretty common too. Last month, my suitemates and I were awoken (in our own beds) by the familiar, yet somehow always jarring knock-and-announcement: “Maintenance.” There I was again: naked and afraid. They were here to do something, and they were here to do it in our rooms. Scripps Voice readers, I apologize for oversharing in this article. I have one foot out the door of this institution and I genuinely cannot be bothered. I have a mental illness, or neurodivergency, or whatever you want to call it. The kind you take pills for. My room is often concerningly messy. I awoke from my four-hour slumber (mental illness: see above) and dressed as quickly as possible, although clearing out a space on the floor large enough for a tarp in a ladder was not a speedy task. I rushed to bulldoze the mountains of god-knows-what to the perimeter of my room as the maintenance staff waited awkwardly and patiently in the hall. I sat with my disoriented roommates as the comedically ambiguous sounds of tools and banging commenced in each of our respective rooms. Afterwards, my suitemates and I had a discussion with the middle-aged men who had been instructed by their employers to come into our bedrooms, virtually unannounced. We apologized for being unready for their arrival and making them wait as a result. One of the men shared in our disappointment for the situation we all found ourselves in. He claimed he even asked The People Who Sent Him (whoever They are) if They could give the residents some kind of warning before his ingress. I can’t use quotes because this conversation wasn’t for an interview, and I’m not a “real journalist,” but I swear to god, he said that They said that if it’s after 9 a.m., THE RESIDENTS CAN’T STOP YOU. What the fuck??? Do not mistake my meaning in this next part. I love to complain. I make no effort to deny this fact. But my fervent love for a good rant was not the causal force for my next
action. I am a woman of action with a moral code that explicitly condemns retribution (including backward-looking expressions of aggravation toward well-meaning individuals whose past actions cannot be changed). So, with progress and hopes for a brighter future in mind, I took to Outlook: “Hello & Good Morning, I hope you’re doing well! My name is Sam, I’m a senior at —” blah blah blah, we all know email etiquette, or at the very least, now we know we should Google it — “My roommates and I (and all of us at Scripps I’m sure) are immensely appreciative that we have the opportunity to live in such nice, wellmaintained dorms, and to have the ability to make maintenance requests that know that the following message does My intent is to advocate for clearer communication between Maintenance and the student body in order to allow for I kindly explained the events of the morning and made sure to clarify that “we would be more than happy to accommodate necessary maintenance,” and simply, “we would have greatly appreciated an email to give us some notice, and to give us the opportunity to
would have been dressed, unafraid, and cleaned off the floors in our room to allow for them to begin work at their intended start time,” because “many of us attend a historically women’s college intentionally and being woken up unexpectedly by the sounds of men with heavy equipment maintenance occurs later in the day, I (and many of my peers) have had Zoom classes interrupted by the sounds of loud banging, tools, and the voices of the people simply So — “please, in the future, would it be possible to send us an email, even just 24 hours in advance of the maintenance?” And — “Thank you for all you do for us, and I hope that, in the future, we can show this appreciation by cooperating and anticipating maintenance, making for for all involved! Best, Scripps College ‘22” Maybe a little dramatic of me to be honest! But I think (or at least I hope) captured something worth expressing. Dearest Voice reader, sincerely, if you any way, find me on Instagram or something and let me know because I would hate to go about my life doing
unintentionally disrespectful shit via email. Call me ou- Call me IN! I received a very prompt and considerate response from maintenance staff who assured me that my concerns were taken to heart. They explained that they jumped on the issue and intended to get a highly soon as possible, which, unfortunately, results in a lack of forewarning to the residents. They also expressed that, in the future, whenever possible, they will provide a minimum 24 hours’ notice. I felt really good about that! There I was, a champion of the people, a weaver of peace! I thought myself to be a modern-day Shakespeare with Microsoft Outlook as my Globe, a vessel through which The Divine Feminine may act, as had been the case for Eirene, daughter of Zeus and Themis, with actions defensible even by the most action-averse neo-lib standards. I had done it! I had communicated clearly and compassionately, and that’s really all it took to solve the issue. John Stuart Mill claims it is “better Later that month, I was speaking with a friend who had spent the night in another woman’s dorm. She recounted a familiar tale. She was naked, in a woman’s bed. There was a knock at the door: “Maintenance.”
15 April 2022 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue Seven
Graphic by Anaga Srinivas
Arts and Entertainment • 10
Turning Red Turns the Narrative
By Ellen Wang ’25 Copy Editor Intern
Editor’s note: contains spoilers for Turning Red h i s o n e ’s f o r t h e C h i n e s e T daughters with the world on their shoulders and an unhealthy
codependent relationship with their mom. Turning Red (2022, dir. Domee Shi) is a Pixar animated film about Meilin, a 13-year-old ChineseCanadian girl living in Toronto in 2002. It’s Shi’s feature directorial debut and draws on her experiences growing up in Toronto. I cried watching this. And not just because I cry pretty easily, because I do (the power of storytelling and whatnot), but also because this story touches on a core pillar of my and many others’ experiences: as Chinese Americans (and Canadians, and on), as young girls going through puberty, as vessels for their mother’s dreams, as daughters of daughters. I can’t begin to imagine the power this film will have on young people everywhere struggling through the awkward stages of puberty. For something that affects such a large chunk of life, I cannot recall a time I’ve seen menstruation portrayed on the big screen. It was heartwarming to see Meilin’s mother Ming’s immediate, pronounced support when she thought Meilin had gotten her period. I cringed along with the audience when Ming pulled out a box of pads in front of the whole school and when Ming found Meilin’s horny art, but it was a sad reminder of learned reactions to common occurrences surrounding normal life events that have been heavily cornered into taboo. Ming’s willingness to face these events head-on is seen as a source of second-hand embarrassment when she’s simply trying to keep her daughter safe. I could go on about the little (big) things. The spotlight on Meilin’s father’s cooking, a common thread in the expression of love in Chinese households, is also featured in Shi’s Oscar-winning short film Bao. Meilin’s playful, loyal, and verymiddle-school friend group. The
Photo Courtesy of Disney Pixar
intergenerational trauma that Ming manifests, which brings me back to the time I realized my mother is a daughter too. I personally noted that Mei-Mei, an endearing nickname Ming has for Meilin, is a homophone for “little sister.” I’m an older sibling, and my mother occasionally still calls me that to indicate my youth and almost alleviate some pressure off me: it’s her way of saying, “I’m here to guide you and you don’t have it all figured out — you shouldn’t.” Moreover, the film incorporated m o re 2 D g r a p h i c s m i m i c k i n g anime that add expressiveness and breathe the kind of life into the film that Pixar has not seen since the switch to computer animation. 2D features like exaggerated body movements, still movement (where only one body part moves), and artistic silhouettes liberate the family comedy to be fun and funny. Turning Red wonderfully utilizes 2D elements to complement the power of 3D animation. Many people have been asking, why the whole red panda
transformation bit? Turning Red’s explicit takeaway is that everyone has messier sides, and the point is to learn to embrace them. The panda can firstly be seen as a physical embodiment of the disheveled chaos of puberty. The title of the film, however, also implies a double meaning of assimilation — whether it be to Western society, family expectations, or other pressures. Turning Red was able to show that Meilin’s mother was in the wrong without depicting outright abuse. With our seemingly good intentions, we can still end up hurting those we love when we have unresolved trauma of our own and don’t respect the unique identity, will, and preferences of a loved one. As much as I’m praising Shi and the team’s work on Turning Red, I’m not going to give Disney too much credit here. I’m happy to see more diverse experiences and cultures reflected in mainstream media by people who can draw upon their own lives, yet the recent films Disney-Pixar have released
seem to indicate a new age of commodifying representation for representation’s sake. This is a part of a larger c o n ve r s a t i o n , b u t i t i s w o r t h noting and always valuable to suspect the intentions of a media megacorporation. The fact that this is the first Pixar film solely directed by a woman and the second to feature an Asian lead character after Up (2009) is still pathetic on Disney and Pixar’s part. Support good work, with money or buzz, but be wary of tokenization as Disney checks off cultures they’ve “represented” to boast their diversity portfolio. Nevertheless, Turning Red was an incredible journey and celebration of Chinese-Canadian tweenhood. It is a solid portrayal of a teenager’s sexual awakening without sexualizing the teenager. It ties generational trauma and cultural roots to the modern struggles that children of diaspora often inhabit. This story is joyful, loving, and rebellious.
advantageous marriages. Though I’m not particularly well-versed in marital obligation, an aspect that I found particularly interesting and reminiscent of my own life was the friendship between Eloise Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington. The loyalty between Eloise and Penelope stands out in a show which does not highlight many female friendships that are not familial. They rely on each other as confidants amidst a society that pressures them to find suitable matches over all else. Eloise and Penelope are likely drawn to each other because they’re both outsiders. Eloise is disconnected from her family and society as she is critical of the traditional role of women. Penelope doesn’t align with the politics of her mother and sisters, and thus rebels against her family with her sensibility and keen observations. Like many young friendships, E l o i s e a n d P e n e l o p e ’s b o n d becomes strained as they grow up, and in their case, come “out” into society. For example, at the end of season one, the audience learns that Penelope is Lady Whistledown; she kept this secret from Eloise, who was desperate to know the columnist’s identity. By the end of
season two, Eloise feels betrayed when she realizes that Penelope is Lady Whistledown and that such a big secret has been kept from her. The pain intensifies as Eloise reflects on the fact that Penelope, as Lady Whisteldown, wrote columns that hurt Eloise and those she cares about. Since Eloise and Penelope are seemingly such good friends, why does Penelope not tell Eloise of her gossip column? Perhaps Penelope thinks that telling even one person would risk the confidentiality of her identity. Or, Penelope may enjoy having her own secret identity, separate from Eloise. Part of Penelope’s desire for separation from Eloise may b e m o t i va t e d by E l o i s e’s b i g personality; her interests and thoughts often overshadow Penelope’s. The gossip column is something that solely belongs to Penelope, and her columns have a significant influence on what society thinks of a given person or event. Conceivably, this power and independence offer Penelope respite from her position in society as somewhat of a wallflower. Besides the Lady Whistledown issue, the girls have kept other secrets from each other which come to a boiling point at the
end of the season. Eloise has her own engagements which she has kept separate from Penelope. In the search for Lady Whistledown, Eloise happens upon a boy named Theo, who works at a print shop. Unlike most, Theo matches Eloise’s wit. He shares his radical political ideas, and she becomes enraptured with both the ideas and Theo himself. Eloise does not share much of this aspect of her life with Penelope. Though she does mention it excitedly once, there are instances where she goes to meet with Theo and hides it from Penelope. This may be an effort to avoid Penelope’s judgment and disapproval, or Eloise might enjoy having a secret. These instances show the girls’ dependence on one another starting to dissolve, as they venture into new experiences without each other, whether it be with a boy or a gossip column. As they explore their identities outside of their friendship, their relationship becomes burdened with secrets, becoming much more complex than a childhood bond. Though much of Bridgerton is frivolous and cliché, Eloise and Penelope’s friendship felt touchingly reminiscent of real life, and the poignancy of growing apart from a childhood best friend.
Eloise and Penelope in Season Two of Bridgerton Put Real Friendships Center Stage
By Lauren Marler ’24 Staff Writer
Editor’s note: includes spoilers for season 2 of Bridgerton he much-awaited second T season of Bridgerton came out on Netflix on March 25. Though
cliché and far from historically accurate, Bridgerton is a bingeworthy TV show where one can be whisked away into a social scene filled with beautiful dresses and balls. The setting is a Regency-era world, in which finding a suitable husband and avoiding becoming the subject of Lady Whistledown’s drama columns are of the utmost importance. For me, season two of Bridgerton has proved to be an adequate escape from my midterms. While the first season focused on the passionate romance between the Duke and Daphne, Bridgerton’s second season highlights the Bridgertons’ relationship with the Sharma family. Viscount Anthony Bridgerton is looking to find his viscountess, and the Sharmas have come from India in search of a husband for the family’s youngest daughter, Edwina. This season was filled with drama over forbidden love and
15 April 2022 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue Seven
11 • Arts and Entertainment
“Scissoring”: Collaboration Puts This Play A Cut Above By Jihae Oh CMC ‘24 Staff Writer
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ver the weekend of April 8, Pomona College’s Seaver Theatre put on “Scissoring”; the work skillfully delivered on its advertised promise: it was not a straight play. “Scissoring” was written by C. Quintana, a queer Cuban-American writer who grew up in New Orleans, and was directed by Taelor Hansen PO ’22 for her senior thesis. The play centers on a young woman, Abby Bauer, who struggles with being a lesbian teacher at a conservative Catholic school. Her employment at the school forces her to forfeit her queer identity, pushing her back into the closet. As a result, her long-term girlfriend, Josie, feels hidden and undervalued. Abby befriends another teacher, Celia, who becomes a close confidant and the only person Abby talks to about her queerness and relationship struggles. Celia, too, struggles with her relationship, being in a passionless marriage to a man since she was 21. Celia and Abby’s friendship grows very quickly, as they find solace in each other away from their partners. Abby finds another advisor in the ghosts of Eleanor Rosevelt and her rumored lesbian lover Lorena Hickock. These two women appear in Abby’s imagination as both guiding and irritating her (in a humor-
ous manner). Throughout the play, Abby battles deep shame, love, and loss. The effect of these emotions could not have been so well received if not for the acting of Naomi Amuzie PO ’22. Amuzie’s timing and body language perfectly reflected the anguish Abby feels through her struggles and allows the audience to empathize with her, even if her character may be in the wrong sometimes. Similarly, Lila Rubin PZ ’23, who played Celia, captured her character’s offbeat yet strong spirit. Rubin and Amuzie had great chemistry on stage, helping make the friendship of Celia and Abby incredibly compelling. The PA system was an unexpected addition to the cast, but Zalia Maya ’24 added perfectly executed moments of comedy that cultivated the play’s balance of lightheartedness and seriousness. Doa Barney PZ ’25 and Grace Tomblin Marca ’22, playing Lorena and Eleanor respectively, were also integral assets to the play’s humor. Jon’nae Sylvester ’24 played Elaine, the principal of the Catholic school, so well that every aspect of the character’s religious essence shined through. Through Sylvester, the audience was exposed to a character that viewed one’s queerness as the determinant of their personality or professional qualifications, a mindset that many reli-
gious people continue to hold. Abdul Ajeigbe PO ’22 played the priest, Father Ray. Ajeigbe performed his lines with a delicacy that enhanced his role as a wise figure. Father Ray represents the personal intersection of religion and homosexuality within the Church by officiating a gay marriage and declaring his support for the community. His character illuminates how religious individuals can possess opinions that may differ from the Church on an institutional level. The sound and lighting in the Seaver Theater only augmented
the superb acting onstage. The theater was an intimate size that made the audience and actors feel connected in one experience. Costumes were both simple but effective in portraying the persona of each character. Lorena and Eleanor’s costumes were especially great, with the characters donning period wear and classically queer hair-dos. It was abundantly clear that care went into every facet of the production, and I’m grateful that we were able to come together to witness the performance despite the pandemic.
Photo Courtesy of Evan Johnson PO ‘22
The Batman: A Mystery Well Worth 176 Minutes of Your Day rarely see Bruce Wayne as Bruce Wayne; for most of the movie, he’s parading around as Batman. Wayne does go to a funeral to gather information and interact with Alfred, but in most of the interactions, he’s motivated by saving Gotham, which he does as Batman. This choice gave The Batman a dark, more cynical look at life — Wayne shirks his responsibilities ure because he’s so caught up in his vengeance-seeking persona. It
Photo Courtesy of HBO
By Anne Friedman ’25 Staff Writer Editor’s note: contains spoilers for The Batman
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veryone loves a good superhero movie, and The Batman didn’t disappoint. Before watching the movie, I didn’t know what to expect. I was curious how they would portray Batman/Bruce Wayne and put their unique mark on a classic superhero story that I’m well acquainted with: I enjoyed Christopher Nolan’s trilogy and watched one and a half seasons of Gotham. I was familiar with Robert Pattinson’s classic work in Twilight. I had also seen the trailers and heard a bit about it from friends, who espoused mostly high praise. Many people had warned me that The Batman was long. When
my dad mentioned its length the day before I went to see it with my brother, I was reminded of Avengers: Endgame, which I had enjoyed but found myself in a lull halfway through the movie. However, The Batman somehow engaged and entertained me for its entire 176-minute runtime. The closest thing you could call a lull in the movie would be the long pannings and shots of the scenery. They were slower moments in the movie, but they still maintained tension and demanded attention, contrasting the intense violence and gore with moments in between for the audience to catch their breath. The amber lighting in the dark alleys of many of the shots set the scene of a twisted city full of uncovered secrets. One secret that monopolizes the
on his identity, as he felt that there was nothing he could do for Gotham besides be a vigilante. Another secret that is still a mystery to me is the movie’s romance plot — if you can call it that — between Batman and Catwoman. In the couple of moments when Catwoman went up to Batman and kissed him, I was thrown off by her actions. It felt out of character. Catwoman had been portrayed as an extremely independent, selfreliant character. Why would she kiss someone? That implies attachment, but it didn’t feel like she trusted or was attached to him. or at least completely uninterested. There was no chemistry or reason for her to kiss him besides furthering the sexualization of the character. The only alternate reason could be that Catwoman was trying to manipulate and persuade Batman. The villains also intrigued me — there were so many that all had different intentions. The main villain, Riddler, was inspired by Batman
to rid Gotham of corruption, and the mobsters, Falcone, Penguin, and Maroni (though he’s only mentioned), were motivated by power The motivations of the corrupt ofand seem to be just as much of a secret to the screenwriters as they are to me. They were most likely corrupted by the desire for money. However, we don’t know what else might have been influencing them to make that decision. Did they need that money to survive? How did they even feel about what they were doing? We don’t know if they agreed with their actions or felt bad for those they were screwing over. as true villains or as villains by circumstance complicates the matter of evilness and whether we should, or are allowed to, feel for them. ting to the rest of the movie. It felt too good to be true. Gotham was While Gotham isn’t shown to be completely healed from the attack at the end, I didn’t enjoy how the movie ended with the city seeming as in good shape as it did. The movie didn’t feel complete. It felt like they just needed to end the plotline and tie everything up, and that was their best idea. Even with the various unresolved The Batman. The next time you encounter a rainy day and have an afternoon to spare, the only “Something in the Way” of this great movie is your attention span.
15 April 2022 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue Seven
Feature • 12
Career in Clothing: An Interview with a Professional Costume Designer TSV: Can you speak about the process of costuming the play “Scissoring?” What are your favorite details in the costumes? MF: While developing the concept with the director, we talked a lot about personal vs. public/ professional presentation and the ways we can protect parts of our identity through dressing highlight this with Abby and Josie, who approached this in different ways: Abby desperately wants/ needs to conceal her personal life at work; therefore she dresses in a way that helps her blend with the conservative religious community at the school. Josie has nothing to hide and dresses in a way that reflects aspects of her lifestyle as an artist and lesbian. I made extensive collections of images that I shared with the director and gauged the
By Maddie Moore ‘22 Fashion Columnist
Photo by Arjun Govind PO ‘25
I
n case you didn’t know, I have a passion for fashion. However, despite being a liberal arts institution, Scripps College does not offer a major in the art of style. So that is why I settled and became a politics major (Just kidding, politics is the best department on campus, I love you Nancy, Tom, and Mark). In all actuality, that is the story of how I ended up in Monica French’s Costume Design Stage & Screen (THEA081 PO-01) class. As the only course at the Claremont Colleges with style on the syllabus, it is my favorite class and features scrolling Pinterest for homework, Professor French’s flair for fashion, and her dog Rudy, who would often make an appearance to howl “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen. Given that French costumed the latest Pomona Theatre Department show “Scissoring” (and given that she is one of my favorite, most fashionable professors ever), I set out to learn about her process, professional life, and personal style: TSV: How would you describe your personal style? MF: Such a great question... I often think that I dress up the way a kindergartener would put together clothes. Which is to say, I got dressed to make me feel happy. I love color. I love mixing patterns together. I don’t really have an overall term for [my aesthetic], but just whatever makes me happy. And I really do feel like I take power from the clothes that I wear... I like to incorporate a lot of vintage pieces for that particular reason, because I feel there’s something magical about vintage clothing and people who have worn them before you. TSV: And what is making you happy right now in terms of what you’ve been wearing recently? MF: The other day I wore several mixed patterns together and it was all different scales of polka dots. [The
scheme, but [with] tiny polka dots and large polka dots... Someone told me, “You look like an essay in polka dots” and I was like, “That’s seriously the nicest thing anyone has ever told me.” So yeah, I think right now I’m really feeling patterns.
I did a lot of shows, [which] led me to working with an opera company and at a theme park. So, I had high art and corporate art as part of my background. And I think both of those things really [informed] the direction my life has taken since then.
personal style, what is your relationship with your personal style? How did it develop?
TSV: How does your personal style
MF: Going back to harnessing power from [my clothes], I feel like as someone who hasn’t always
MF: Yeah, I mean I have to say I feel so personally about clothing that I don’t think they’re totally separate. I think that my sensibility frames a lot of the direction of my work. But of course, the directors that I work
their body, [my style allowed me to] spotlight my creativity. I think that that always made me feel strong in what I was, even if I wasn’t always
Or do you keep the two separate?
each character. Favorite details: A fair amount of time passes over the course of the play, but the lead actor never goes offstage. A fun challenge could work in both work and home settings for Abby as well as approaching the costume changes of the supporting characters from a very realistic angle, which hopefully showed the days and months passing (and wasn’t simply actors!) There is also an element of magical realism in the play and I had a lot of fun imagining how we could embody an anthropomorphic PA system (we made a xylophone dress) as well as introduce some characters from history, but with a twist!
And then I also think that perspective can help me. I see that in other people as well, and in characters that I’m making costumes for. TSV: Shifting gears to your job and your career: how did you get into costuming? MF: Here at the Claremont Colleges, actually! I went to Pitzer, and when I came in, I was very much thinking that I was going to have a “practical career.” I was going to be very serious about my education. But I also wanted to work in the costume shop because sewing is one of the skills that I came [to college] with, and I have a theater background [from] high school. I really wanted to be a very serious, academic student — but I worked in the costume shop for one semester and then declared a theater major! Once I realized that this was a valid course that could end up in a career I thought well, why deny it, if it makes me so happy. It’s exactly what I want to be doing. So, from then on, I just embraced it. I worked in the costume shop for all four years, [and] ended up designing a show for my senior theater project. From there I worked at a Shakespeare festival for the summer and in a costume rental house. And then I went to grad school, where I was able to use the base of knowledge that I got from my liberal arts education and just work a lot.
Photo by Evan Johnson PO ‘22
with have their own sort of sense of style too, that I try to emulate and support. Costume design is always a conversation; It’s not just the costume designer... That all being said, I love using textiles that really have a lot of dimensions to them, so I’m building stuff or shopping. And of course: color. I think that color can be a great storyteller. [For example, you could] have a strict color palette for one character that [would] carry them through a bunch of different costume changes, or [you could introduce] lots of different colors. I think those are two things from my personal life that really do kind of
TSV: What advice would you give to someone who is interested in a career in costuming? MF: There are a lot of different paths within the world, so I would say to explore! Film, theater, dance, ice skating, opera, theme parks, cosplay, something that excites you. Make sure you love it (more than a hobby) and go all in! Also, if you want to be a costume designer, learn how to sew! You don’t have to get especially knowledge of the technical side of garment construction makes it easier to communicate and visualize your ideas!
15 April 2022 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXX • Issue Seven