March 1, 2012

Volume XV, Issue Eight

March 1, 2012

The Scripps Voice Inside...

Psi Chi’s Presence Gaining Momentum

By Liz Lyon ‘12

Senior thesis doesn’t have to be just about writing a long, long research paper. page 6-7

Learn how it feels to have a video go viral! page 10

Early Saturday morning, a time when most of the campus is quiet save for the odd jogger, members of Scripps’ Psi Chi Chapter were busy and awake. By 8 a.m., members were in the Wilbur kitchen, prepping batter for Psi Chi’s all-you-can-eat pancakes. By 9 a.m., students craving banana, chocolate and peanut butter pancakes began trickling in.

“We’ve started pancakes as a fundraiser for Psi Chi and Project Sister, with half the proceeds going to each group,” Psi Chi Co-President Allison Midden (’12) said. “We want to be service-oriented.”

Psi Chi’s first pancake breakfast was held Feb. 4, and it has been gaining momentum since. The pancake breakfasts are part of Psi Chi’s recent efforts to reach out to the campus community and promote cohesion among psychology majors. With over 40 majors graduating this spring, the psychology department is one of the largest on campus. Psi Chi, an honor society, is trying to promote social activities and bonding among students, rather than being just an academic association to put on a resume.

Pancake breakfasts are only one of the ways Psi Chi is trying to reach out to students. On April 21, Psi Chi will host the First Annual Scripps Undergraduate Research Conference, sponsored by the Psychology department.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLISON MIDDEN

Design Editor

For $3 on a Saturday morning, students like Sarah Williams ‘15 and Janine Yim ‘15 are able to eat their favorite homemade breakfast of homemade pancakes— and raise money for a good cause.

The conference will be an opportunity for psychology students across the 5Cs to present their research to their peers; for some students, this will be useful practice as they go on to graduate school and present their own research at larger professional conferences.

Scripps’ psychology and political science departments are cosponsoring the conference’s keynote speaker, Kristen Monroe. Monroe is a political science and philosophy professor from UC Irvine whose research interests includes empathy and altruism. One aspect of her re-

search extends to the moral choices made by Holocaust rescuers.

The conference—held spring semester because the other colleges complete their theses in spring—is made possible in part by a grant from Psi Chi International. The grant funds an undergraduate research conference that has participants from at least three undergraduate colleges.

“We’re excited about it, and we [the co-presidents] have learned a lot by getting the grant and putting the conference together,” Midden said.

“Scripps was the ideal

continued on page 3

Changes Come to Hall Draw Process As the time to choose next year’s rooms approaches, Scripps has commenced with unveiling the big changes to next year’s options, beginning with the theme: “There’s no place like dorm.” While the process of hall draw remains relatively unchanged, students no longer have as many off-campus options.

According to Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residential Life Staci Buchwald, Scripps has decided not to use College Park Apartments (CPA) anymore. In an email correspondence with Buchwald, she wrote that “CPA was deemed to be not cost effective to have only two students share and students did not express any interest in living at CPA with 3-4 people per apartment.” Buchwald explained that Scripps has also reduced the number of Brighton Park apartments available to students. Students still have the option to live on the all-Scripps third floor of Smiley Hall at Pomona, complete with a Scripps RA, in a continuation of this year’s trial period.

The dwindling number of off-campus options—and the accompanying worry that there will not be enough rooms on campus—may exacerbate the already-present worry that many students experience every year around this time: that they will not get good rooms. Buchwald urges students not to stress, however. “There are no bad rooms at Scripps,” she said. “You may not get your first choice, but you will get a good space.” The most popular hall changes year to year, according to Buchwald. “I am always interested to see which hall is most popular

By Vritti Goel & Tori Mirsadjadi ‘12 Editor-in-Chief & Senior Copy Editor

Who are these foreign guys? Read about the three cyclists who stopped at Scripps in their cycling trip around the world. page 4

Yarnbombing takes hold in the 5C community. page 12

on the actual draw nights. I think it changes because the personalities of the students change as well. Different things are important to different people.”

In spite of her reassurances, Buchwald avoided addressing whether or not the planning committee was prepared to deal with the large incoming classes that the previous two years have seen. Wrote Buchwald, “Rooms were re-evaluated over winter break and may have a new occupancy designation in cases of need. So, lots of triples for the first-year students at the moment.” It sounds as if we will continue the past couple years’ trend toward having rooms previously designated as singles or doubles house two or three students. Buchwald said that the last two incoming classes were “larger than anticipated.”

Buchwald wrote, “it was not planned for them to be as big as they are.” She also said that she could not speak to admissions statistics as they relate to hall planning, as those statistics are the jurisdiction of the admissions office.

With Buchwald’s deferral of a discussion of the size of next year’s class as it relates to hall draw planning, it sounds as if housing for Scripps students cannot actually be planned in advance—at least not concretely. There is no way to predict the size of each incoming class until the first day of New Student Orientation.

To keep students’ stress levels about choosing next year’s rooms to a minimum, the Hall Draw Committee—a group of RAs, Hall Directors and other students—is hosting the traditional information sessions to answer any questions students may have.

1030 Columbia Avenue | Claremont CA 91711 | Box 892 email: scrippsvoice@gmail.com | website: voice.scrippscollege.edu

continued on page 2

2 • News The Scripps Voice Editors-in-Chief Vritti Goel Lauren Prince Adviser Sam Haynes Design Editors Nancy Herrera Liz Lyon Charlotte Rosenfield Senior Copy Editor Tori Mirsadjadi Copy Editors Megan Petersen Kate Pluth Section Heads Taylor Healy Michelle Nagler

Scripps Students Teach For America

By Ariel Bloomer Staff Writer

While most of the senior class has yet to secure postgraduation plans, six Scripps seniors already know their plans for the next two years—they’ve been accepted to Teach for America (TFA), a national non-profit that takes exceptional college graduates and places them as teachers in some of America’s highest-need schools.

Regional Recruiter Madeline Robertson-Salt spends time talking with Scripps students as they consider how TFA may fit within their larger career goals. RobertsonSalt stresses that TFA recruiters look for strong leaders who wish to commit themselves to issues of social justice, education and equity. She said that Scripps students are unique because they “are thinking about their positions as role models in their fields.” Especially in traditionally male-dominated areas, like math and science,“young girls having role models, teachers, leaders… is really impactful.”

Scripps’ Core program often influences some Scripps students who join TFA. “I took Professor Thierry Boucquey’s Culture and Language Teaching Core III course, which gave me a good taste of what it feels like to plan lessons and engage with students,” said Maggie Pettit (’08). “It takes a lot of energy!” Pettit taught fourth grade at a Dual Immersion Academy in Denver, Colorado during her two years with TFA. Pettit studied abroad for a full year in Argentina and Mexico. “As a bilingual applicant, I had a lot more options when it came to applying for teaching positions. I used my Spanish skills daily with my students and especially with their families at my placement school.”

Psychology major Seline Paulino (’12) said, “I decided to apply to TFA because I want to help kids that no one seems to be fighting for.” Paulino will be teaching early elementary school in Miami, Fla., an area “known for having really bad public schools.” Politics and international relations major KC Mautner (’12) gave similar reasons for applying: “I truly believe that educational inequity is one of

the most pressing issues facing the U.S. today, and as much as is possible for one individual, I want to be part of the solution to that gross injustice.” Mautner plans to continue teaching beyond the two-year TFA contract, making her placement as a secondary English teacher in New Orleans just the beginning of a career in the classroom.

Maggie Dickman (’12), a Hispanic studies major, also plans to continue teaching after TFA. “I believe that one of the most important parts in closing the achievement gap and creating more education equality is a committed teacher.” Her elementary education placement will bring her back to her hometown of Denver, Colo.

Other future TFA corps members include Jody Goldberg (’12), an anthropology major who will teach special education in Las Vegas, Nev.; LeeAnn Allen (’12), a biochemistry major who will teach math in Memphis, Tenn.; and Antoinette Myers (’12), dual major in politics and international relations and Latin American studies, who will teach special education in Hawaii. “Teaching special education will no doubt be a challenge and accountability to the safety, health, and academic goals of my future students is absolutely key,” said Myers about her assignment.

For juniors who might be thinking about TFA: start researching now. Hannah Peter (’11), currently teaching Pre-Kindergarten in Palo Alto, Calif, advises that a prospective TFA applicant should “talk to as many people as possible who have been corps members. No two TFA experiences are the same.” Robertson-Salt, also a TFA alumna, echoes those sentiments; “It’s a very individual journey.” she said. The application process can be daunting, and the work itself exhausting, but teaching has its rewards. For Peter, it is “watching [the] kids master something new and honestly, just getting to spend time with them.”

Hall draw Continued from pg 1 According to Buchwald, there will be an information session just for first years, to demystify what for them is a completely new process. In addition to holding open hours for first-years in the Dean of Students office, Buchwald will take individual appointments and meet with “anyone who wants to strategize using their number once the lottery numbers have been posted.”

Regarding what’s new to the process this year, Buchwald was reticent. “The housing eligibility policy has been formalized and is very important,” she said.

Resident Advisor Lily Foss (‘12), who is part of the Hall Draw Committee, expanded somewhat on the process. “We’re streamlining the hall draw process to make it as stress-free as possible,” Foss said. “The informational booklet is completely electronic, and unnecessary aspects

Web Assistant Meredith Kertzman Business Manager Ina Herlihy Printer Gardena Valley Press

of the process will be eliminated to curb confusion.”

Both Buchwald and Foss stressed the importance of attending information sessions. Buchwald stressed that students who read the booklet and attend information sessions “tend to do very well” at managing the process.

Buchwald also solved the mystery of the lottery numbers: “They are randomly generated by computer by the Jenzabar CX system which is the database for the College,” she explained.

Buchwald’s main advice for students looking to live in doubles, triples, quads, suites or houses? Don’t worry about those randomly-assigned numbers. “The best living situations happen when you live with people who you enjoy and do not just pick folks based on their lottery number.”

Maulik Pancholy Talk Postponed

By Tori Mirsadjadi ‘12

Comments and letters can be sent to Scripps College The Scripps Voice, 1030 Columbia Ave, Box 892, Claremont, CA, 91711.

You can also email The Scripps Voice at scrippsvoice@gmail.com or visit our website at voice. scrippscollege.edu. If you want to contribute to The Scripps Voice send your articles or photos to editor.scrippsvoice@gmail. com. The Scripps Voice is a student forum and is not responsible for the opinions expressed in it.

Senior Copy Editor

Maulik Pancholy, the IndianAmerican actor who had been scheduled to speak on “Diversity on Screen,” will no longer be available to speak at Garrison tomorrow evening.

According to a Feb. 29 press release concerning the talk, a family illness has prevented Pancholy from being able to make it to Scripps for his March 2 lecture date.

Pancholy’s visit and accompanying talk and question-and-answer session have been postponed rather than canceled. This is good news for the College, which has been hard at work organizing Pancholy’s visit as a highprofile event, emphasizing his roles on 30 Rock and Weeds to get students excited for the famous guest speaker.

Pancholy’s personal perspective on the media’s constantly-evolving attitude toward minorities is bolstered by a strong educational background on the topics on which

he will be speaking at Scripps—albeit on an as-yet-undetermined date—in addition to his extensive screen and stage experience. Pancholy received a Bachelor of Science in Theatre and Musical Theatre from Northwestern University, and got his MFA at the Yale School of Drama. He also trained with The Groundlings, a renowned comedy improv group based in Los Angeles.

Malott Commons Programming Associate Emily Simmons (’14) has worked with the Alexa Fullerton Hampton Voice and Vision Speaker Series, partnering with the Pomona Theater Department to get funding to bring Pancholy to Scripps. The goal of the series, according to Simmons, is to enlighten and inspire the audience as well as expose them to new ideas and perspectives. These goals will hopefully still be met by Pancholy’s talk on “Diversity on Screen,” albeit at a later date.

Bringing Pancholy to Scripps has

March 1, 2012 •The Scripps Voice •Volume XV • Issue Eight

PHOTO COURTESY OF CELEBSLISTS.COM

News • 3 PANCHOLY CONTINUED FROM PG 2 been Simmons’ personal project, a finale to her internship and an opportunity to plan an event from start to finish. She was very excited to secure Pancholy for Scripps.

Said Simmons, “In researching possible speakers I looked for people that would not only spark students’ interests but could add to continuing campus discourses,” said Simmons. “With the issue of race becoming an ever-increasing subject among Scripps students, I thought Maulik Pancholy’s outside perspective on race in mainstream media could bring a valuable addition to our ongoing dialogue. Once I spoke to his agent and heard of his grounded attitude and love of speaking with students, my decision was made.”

Though Pancholy will not be available this week, Malott Commons is already working to reschedule his visit, and will hopefully be able to bring him here later this semester, according to Malott Commons student intern Zooey Jacobs (’15). An unanticipated family illness may have prevented Pancholy from being available this week, but excited students will hopefully still have an opportunity to see this high-profile speaker—and maybe even get the not-unheard-of opportunity to chat with him over pizza—about highly apropos topic of diversity. The only thing uncertain at this point is just when that opportunity will come about.

Psi Chi Continued from pg 1 candidate for this grant since we have five undergraduate colleges right here in Claremont. It was also a natural choice because Scripps theses are empirical.”

The grant’s funding lasts one year, and Scripps can only receive it once. Psi Chi CoPresident Sarah Stringer (’12) hopes for a successful event which will indicate that Psi Chi is a robust society and helps develop community.

Stringer hopes that future events—including a “sock hop” to gather funds and socks to donate to the Sherman Indian School—will also garner enthusiasm and support for the society.

“I’d love for Scripps’ Psi Chi to be a model chapter,” said Stringer. “Psi Chi was started about five years ago by Katherine Frazier (‘09). There was a lot of support for it then, but the society then became less active. We be-

gan work to change that when Allison [Midden] and I knew we were going to be co-presidents.” In order to revitalize and expand the society, last spring Midden and Stringer organized an induction ceremony last spring with official statements. A candlelight ceremony also included. Both of the society’s past presidents attended. If there is enough interest, Psi Chi will hold another ceremony this semester.

As students continued to trickle into the Wilbur kitchen, sitting and chatting or munching on pancakes, Psi Chi’s future looked as good as the pancakes its members were cooking.

Psi Chi serves all-you-can-eat pancakes every Saturday morning from 8-11 a.m. in the Wilbur Kitchen.

For more information, contact Allison Midden at AMidden5280@scrippscollege.edu.

5C Stereotypes and Sexual Assault Discussed at Scripps

By Tori Mirsadjadi ‘12 Senior Copy Editor

Last Friday evening, grab, twist, pull” not being the most useful self Scripps hosted a defense tool.

“Sexual assault discussion on 5C The way administration addresses issues extends stereotypes. The forum, surrounding sexual assault came up in other beyond rape.” held in Vita Nova’s forms, as well. The complexity of handling conference room, had cross-campus assault was brought up, and modest attendance from it was clarified that the policies of the home the other 5Cs, including a couple of male- campus (i.e., where the sexual assault occurs) bodied individuals. It Ends Here partnered determine how the situation will be handled. with Pomona’s Advocates for Survivors of In addition to the key issue of defining Sexual Assault to hold the discussion, which sexual assault, the discussion emphasized the attendee Emily Hamphsire (’15) said used 5C resources available on the 5Cs for victims of stereotypes as “the lens around which to look sexual assault. It Ends Here is one of several at the 5C climate around sexual assault.” resources. Project Sister (which posts its One of several athletic coaches in attendence information in bathroom stalls around the brought up friends’ responsibility to look out dorms) is another. On Scripps, the RAs are for one another and prevent sexual assault. always available to help students, and have The discussion turned to addressing special training to handle tough victim-blaming when it comes to situations like sexual assault. sexual assault, and the need to shift Dean of Students Bekki Lee, who toward a mentality of not raping “[There is a] need was present at the discussion, to shift toward a emphasized the fact that she rather than not getting raped.

The definition of sexual assault mentality of not is also available as a resource was central to Friday’s discussion. raping rather than for Scripps students. Pomona’s Educating people about the Advocates for Survivors of not getting raped.” Sexual Assault, though not definition of sexual assault was agreed to be important. The talk specifically for Scripps students, emphasized that sexual assault is another important resource on extends beyond rape, and involves any the 5Cs. Monsour also hosts a 5C group for unwanted sexual advances, including those survivors of sexual assault, which meets on made by friends and on dance floors.

Fridays. For those who have survived sexual Part of the push toward addressing how assault, seeking help can be hard, but just Scripps students handle sexual assault was the broaching the topic—as last Friday’s forum issue of Scripps’ self defense lesson of “slap, did—is an important first step.

Keep it SASsy, Scripps!

By Francesca Simmons ‘14 SAS Media Realtions Chair

Time for another SAS update, Scripps! As the spring semester gets rolling, SAS is getting busier.

First, and most important: elections. If you are interested in being a member of SAS for the 20122013 academic year, please attend one of the SAS election information sessions. The sessions will happen at 7 p.m. in the Student Union, and will be held on March 5, March 6 and March 7. At least two SAS representatives will be in attendance each night to answer any questions that students might have regarding positions, elections, statements of intent or anything else regarding SAS. Any students interested in the positions of President, CLORGs Chair or Social Activities Chair must have a meeting with the current holders of these positions.

That means those interested in President positions should see Antoinette Myers, those interested in the CLORGs chair position should see KC Mautner and those interested in Social Activities Chari should see Lili Salzberg. If you are interested in a particular position on SAS next year, the representatives at the information sessions will also be able to direct you to the appropriate person to contact. Descriptions of the positions will be available at the information sessions.

On a related note, in order to vote in spring elections, students must opt in online. If you opted in for last semester’s elections, you do not need to opt in again.

If you did not opt in last semester, the opportunity to opt in is still open through the Academic Portal.

Click on the Student tab, and then click on the “Opt In Control” link on the right side of the page. Then select “Yes” and “Update.” That’s it! If you have any general questions regarding elections, please email beheard@scrippscollege.edu.

The SAS Sustainability Chair Julia Howard (whose epic picture is currently being featured on the Scripps College website) is hard at work once again this semester and has updates for students from Malott Commons. Meatless Mondays are returning to specific stations at Malott Commons, with more information regarding where our food is coming from and the health benefits of our dietary choices.

On April 5, Malott will be hosting a Copper Chef Competition. Sign-ups will begin after Spring Break, and the winners of the competition will win various prizes and the opportunity to face-off against the Harvey Mudd Silver Chef Competition winners in the spring.

SAS and the Hall Councils will be hosting a series of Hall Dinners every Thursday in the month of March, and SAS is looking to collaborate with CLORGs to host snack this semester as well. If you have any questions, please email the SAS members Madeline Ripley regarding the Hall Dinners and Katharine Hutchins regarding the snack.

Along with elections and collaboration with Malott, SAS has been working on spring programming events for the Scripps Community to enjoy. SAS was selling tickets for the upcoming Smiley ‘80s party this Wednesday in the Student Union at 10 a.m. Tickets are $5, and SAS has 75 tickets to sell. Students are also welcome to go to Pomona to purchase tickets.

Remember, the number of tickets is limited, so be sure to get them before they sell out!

Finally, SAS plans to collaborate with It Ends Here and SCORE with future programing such as “Take Back the Night” and “Slut Walk” in order to bring awareness to sexual assault at Scripps and the 5Cs as a whole. Stay tuned for more information.

Thanks for reading. And remember, keep it SASsy, Scripps!

March 1, 2012 •The Scripps Voice •Volume XV •Issue Eight

4 • Opinions & Editorials Birth Control: A Solution for Secular and Religious Parties Alike

By Taylor Healy ‘15 Section Head

A short disclaimer before you read this article: as one who uses birth control, the author is naturally biased. But I am going to try to put my personal feelings aside and argue why Obama’s new mandate forcing companies to provide contraception is the best thing for our country. The wording of the mandate states that all private insurance plans are required to cover for women’s preventative services—from contraception to breast exams—without copays or deductibles.

The debate surrounding this issue is mainly about the fact that the mandate includes contraceptive devices in this coverage, and requires religiously-run organizations, like Catholic hospitals, to comply with providing these services.

The first aspect of this debate to tackle is the most basic one: health. The health-couched argument against birth control is that people (i.e., women) may be unaware of the potential side effects and health risks related to birth control. Though there are health risks involved with taking birth control, the health benefits of taking birth control frequently outweigh those risks. Many women and girls take birth control not just for the contraceptive benefits. The hormones in contraceptive medicines can also prevent intense mood swings and abdominal pains associated with the menstrual cycle.

Beyond these basic health reasons, it has been shown that women who take birth control tend to be much healthier if and when they go off the birth control for a planned pregnancy. In fact, the main reasoning behind Obama’s recent mandate is the idea that preventative health measures are more effective than those that respond to problems after they arise. By providing women with these free services, the hope is that more women will use preventive measures and thereby stop health problems before they begin. Women who take birth control are more likely to plan their pregnancies, which means that they are more likely to be prepared for responsibilities like prenatal care.

This aspect of the health benefits also relates directly to insurance costs.

People who plan their pregnancies have healthier pregnancies, which means fewer preterm births, fewer complications and healthier infants in general. For insurance companies, it makes more sense to provide for the small costs associated with birth control rather than risk having to pay for the bigger and more expensive health problems associated with unplanned pregnancies. In general economic terms, unplanned pregnancies often cause a loss of work time and lower productivity. After a poorly-planned pregnancy, mothers and children alike might have health problems that require more time off than a planned pregnancy would. Doctor appointments for more specialized care when a pregnancy results in lasting health problems can also mean lower productivity in the long term.

It seems like birth control provides health benefits, and in terms of insurance, the mandate can be beneficial for the health of women and children as well as for the related costs and general productivity in the workplace. Furthermore, Obama’s mandate will help individual women financially, as birth control is not cheap. The Claremont Health Center sells birth control for around $15 per pack—that’s $180 a year. This relatively low cost is available to Claremont students because Claremont has insurance that covers birth control, and it also provides students with the generic brand. Outside of the Claremont bubble, however, women pay anywhere from $25 (for generic) to $60 per month for birth control pills.

The most controversial aspect of the argument surrounding Obama’s recent mandate is that it violates the first amendment rights of religious organizations. The argument that the mandate violates first amendment rights is simply unfounded. No one is telling people who are religious that they have to take birth control pills if it violates their religious principles. Furthermore, no religious house (e.g., no church, synagogue or mosque) is required to sell birth control. Catholic hospitals and other religiously-run institutions do not have to provide the funds for birth control under the mandate. The insurance companies, not the hospitals, have to pay for the medicine.

The first amendment holds that no law shall prohibit the free exercise of religion, but it also states that no law can be made respecting the establishment of religion. This means that no law can be made respecting a religious establishment. To deny birth control to those who work for religious organizations, even though the individual isn’t religious, would violate these individuals’ first amendment rights. Religious employers, who are not the ones providing or taking the birth control that potentially conflicts with their religious beliefs anyway, do not have the claim to first amendment rights that the individual has.

The arguments surrounding Obama’s birth control mandate involve concerns for public health as well as problems with insurance companies. But, mainly, the debate has gravitated toward a contrived idea that the mandate violates religious rights. The mandate makes sense for the health of women as well as for general public health. Economically, the mandate makes sense in terms of increasing worker productivity and lowering the expenses that insurance companies and individuals have to cover in the long term. Most importantly, however, the mandate violates no constitutional rights. Truly, the mandate is the best thing for the United States.

Cycling to Family Weekend

By Sebastian Graves Guest Conributer

This family weekend, a few international visitors were spotted roaming the campus. After getting busted for couchsurfing in Toll’s living room, the French cyclists offered to share their story of how they came to visit Scripps, and why they were setting up camp in a Scripps dorm.

I glance over my shoulder and change lanes for the last straight line of today’s ride. It’s getting late, and my legs need a proper rest after yet another 60-mile stage. My cousin had told me that her college was “just outside of Los Angeles,” but after a few hours of cycling, I’m starting to wonder whether our little detour to visit her at Scripps will be worth it. The anti-chafing balm I coated my backside with this morning is wearing off, and the saddle is starting to hurt a little. My two French mates, Quentin (who we call Spag) and Guillaume, have been cycling with me for five months now as we make our way around the world, so I don’t need to ask them to know that they’re looking forward to a rest as well.

We’ve been on all kinds of skiing adventures, trips and cycling tours before. Always just us three, old mates who never got enough excitement out of school. We cycled across Scotland on mountain bikes five years ago, then around Europe for two months more recently. Since we came back from that last adventure, we felt like we had to take a year off after our studies and go the whole way around the world.

Our five-month stretch of cycling started when we took a flight from Europe to Brazil for the first chapter of our world tour. The autumn saw us make our way from Rio de Janeiro through to the north of Argentina. We cycled across the Paraguayan desert and up the Andes in Bolivia, heaving our heavy loaded bikes up snowy mountain passes over 4500 meters tall. We then had an easier stretch on the Chilean and Peruvian coasts, cycling up the South Pacific to Lima.

Cycling is a great way of traveling; moving just at the right speed, you can’t leave a place too quickly to go to the next destination like most tourists do, and you’re forced to have a look at places tourists usually don’t visit. Cycling, we’ve discovered lively little towns in Serbia and beautiful villages in Italy, places we probably wouldn’t have seen if we’d been flying in and out of international airports or sticking to main roads.

For our trip around the world, it took us just over a year to plan everything.

First we had to draw a route, which took us at least three months because we had to take into account climates as well as geopolitics. Cycling through Siberia in the wintertime was out of the question, and so was cycling from India to Turkey, with the Middle East being rather unsafe at the moment. Next we planned things with our old school.

Like many kids growing up in France, my mates and I were very bored at school, hating the typical “sit down and shut up” atmosphere they like giving in schools. We thought pupils might like to follow an adventure, an informative yet fun opportunity which could give them a break from the theoretical mass of information they are usually fed. Something where they could interact by sending us e-mails and comments through our website. It’s working

Continued on pg 11

Spag, Guillaume and Seb pose with their bicylces in front of Toll, pausing for a breath on their cycling trip around the world tour.

March 1, 2012 •The Scripps Voice •Volume XV • Issue Eight

Photo Courtesy of Sebastian Graves

Opinions & Editorials • 5

Let’s Get Naked (Or Not) Dear SHE, I just started dating this guy, and I really like him and want us to be exclusive and everything, but I’m feeling guilty because I know I won’t be ready to have sex with him for at least three months. Probably closer to six months, actually. How do I break it to him that if we’re going to be together he’s going to have to go a pretty long time without sex? Is it unfair to ask a guy to commit to a sexless relationship? Should I even bring it up?* -Ms. Blueballs You remember how sexy I find explicit, open communication, right?

Well, Ms. Balls, it may come as something of a surprise that I’m going to caution you against initiating A Talk about your sexual expectations.

This means no doing something silly like saying, “Hey, Mr. Balls, I really want to date your person…but you’re gonna be blue as Paul Bunyan’s ox for another three months. At least. See you on the other side!”

Do me—and your sex life—a favor: don’t put a timeframe on it. Unless you’ve just had surgery and won’t be fully recovered for a certain amount of time, or have taken a three-month vow of celibacy or something, there’s no way you can be certain that you won’t be ready for sex until a set date.

I’m proud of you for knowing yourself well enough to have a timeframe in mind, and my wariness toward the three-to-six-months thing doesn’t come from wanting you to be sluttier. (I want to be perfectly clear here, because I know I might come off as pro-sex all the time with my “let’s get naked!”s and “I LOVE YOU!”s and the slutty pseudonym and everything…) Don’t get sexually active with a partner before you’re both ready. If you don’t want to have sex for three months, don’t have sex for three months. Don’t plan on not having sex for three months, either, though. Putting a timeframe on your sex life—or on any aspect of your life—is a bad idea. I’m just saying: the future is unpredictable.

As well as you may know yourself now, being in a relationship changes people. Maybe your relationship will move faster or slower than you expect it to right now, or maybe being in this relationship will change the way you think about sex. Maybe you’ll be even less comfortable with the thought of getting naked and sweaty with your sweetie. Maybe you’ll be out-of-your-mind-horny, and he won’t be ready. (Contrary to popular opinion, not all male-bodied individuals are sex fiends. And not all female-bodied individuals are of your reluctant-to-have-sex attitude. Granted, women have more reasons to be wary of sex: a greater likelihood of sexually-transmitted infections due to the larger surface area of the genital mucus membrane, potential for vaginal pain and discomfort and the possibility of unwanted pregnancy. Not to mention the social stigma associated with being a “slut.” A stigma that your dear Slutty Health Expert works very hard to counteract.)

The moment you put a hard-and-fast timeframe on the way your relationship will develop, the moment that timeframe becomes a deadline of sorts. A looming source of apprehension or excitement, a goal or a deadline that you’re going to feel bad about. I can practically guarantee that you won’t feel good about giving your partner a sexual timeframe.

You don’t want to set up a countdown to some magical moment when you’ll be “ready.” Passion doesn’t happen on schedule.

I still haven’t addressed your real question, though. How do you tell a person who has presumably had sex, who is presumably used to having sex, and who will presumably want to continue having sex, that

that person will have to stop having sex to have a relationship with you? (First of all, stop presuming. Remember my earlier aside? The one where I said, “not all male-bodied individuals are sex fiends?”)

You don’t want to make it into an ultimatum: sex or me. You don’t want to set a deadline: sex in three months, GET PUMPED, IT’LL BE WORTH THE WAIT (ohgodnowwe’llbothbetoonervous). And you don’t want to give up on the prospect of having a committed relationship: I won’t be ready for sex for a while, so we’ll be in a relationship but you can have as much anonymous sex as you want. (If that last one is the kind of relationship you’re looking for, I must warn you that that sort of relationship is not really “exclusive.” Polyamory carries an inherent risk of jealousy, even if the outside partners are “just” sexual outlets. And if you’re really so reluctant to have sex and your partner is really so eager to have sex, you’re probably not in a place where you should be in an exclusive relationship with one another. More on such sexual compatibility in a couple of paragraphs…)

So: do you tell him? Sure. Don’t just blurt it out as the world’s most awkward non sequitor, though. (“Lovely day, isn’t it?” “I can’t imagine being physically intimate with you for at least a few months, but I still hope you can see our commitment to one another as something to take seriously.”) Don’t make it into a big deal, an issue that frames your relationship, by having “Sex (or the Lack Thereof)” be the opening act of the drama that your relationship will inevitably become.

You’re under no obligation to bring up your sexual expectations until the topic arises naturally in the relationship. There is much more to a romantic relationship than physical intimacy, and you shouldn’t feel like you’re shortchanging your partner by delaying the physical intimacy until you’re ready. And just because neither of you are having partnered sex, doesn’t mean your partner shouldn’t be able to keep himself (or herself) sexually satisfied. (Masturbation FTW!) That said, if and when your reluctance to have sex becomes an issue in your relationship, consider this: sexual compatibility is important.

Sexual compatibility encompasses more than what you enjoy during sex, it also involves your perspective toward the act of sex itself. If you’re interested in pursuing a long-term relationship with someone, and that person finds a stint of abstinence unfathomable whereas you find that period completely necessary…well, then, you don’t seem very compatible to me.

Also (getting back to those presumptions I keep bringing up in my parenthetical asides), I don’t think it’s fair for you to assume that the man you’re interested in a relationship with will—by virtue of his masculinity—be turned off by a relationship with you because it will mean respecting your sexual restraint. Who knows, he may even end up being more willing to wait than you are. (Don’t doubt your Slutty Health Expert on this point. I’ve known it to happen. More than once.)

I hope I’ve been of some help, Ms. Balls. Remember: respect yourself, respect your partner, communicate openly and often, and have fun.

Partnered sex isn’t the only way to have fun, and restraining from having sex with your partner just might make the eventual consummation (as long as you don’t put a timeframe on it and make it into an issue) all the sweeter. Restraint can be sexy.

-SHE *I am paraphrasing here. This question was not actually submitted to me in writing. But it was asked, and I do believe I established in my previous column that I’m going to start giving unsolicited advice.

Questions?

Write SHE: Scripps Box #797 (no stamp required for intercampus mail!) or E-mail SHE : editor.scrippsvoice@gmail.com (Make the subject “SEXXX” or something. SHE promises to ignore the email address from which your sexy emails are sent and assume everyone’s writing on behalf of sexually-awkward friends.)

March 1, 2012 •The Scripps Voice •Volume XV• Issue Eight

6 • Features

inside & out o f a r t

Spotlight

Features • 7

A Highlight of Some of Claremont’s Applied Theses

Senior thesis is a well-known (and feared) aspect of senior year.

You must complete one to graduate, and many participate in a year-long thesis. For most departments, senior thesis involves a paper, maybe a poster and lots of research. However, for Art majors, senior thesis is markedly different.

For starters, according to Professor Rankaitis, art majors must complete ART192— their senior seminar. During fall semester, majors are required to complete a semester-long project, which can be anything in the fine arts category: photographs, paintings, installations, video art, ceramics or even performance art. The only requirement is that the culminating project must be at the “senior art level” in terms of concept, execution of the concept, technical skill and time devoted to the project. While completing this project, seniors must also write a 15 to 20-page research paper directly related to the project.

This aspect is relatively similar to “regular” thesis. It is graded by two readers, one selected by the senior and Professor Rankaitis, who runs the senior art seminar.

However, in order to participate in spring semester thesis, art majors must “try out.” Art seniors must participate in “faculty walkthroughs” which normally ocBy Meredith Kertzman ‘13 cur the week before Thanksgiving. These walkthroughs are presentations of the Web Producer work done in the spring. Most, if not all, of the art faculty walk through the What do an Asian American queer person of color, a giant origami, Assassin’s Creed and Twitter work that has been done by each senior. The seniors present and explain all have in common?

They’re all Scripps media studies theses. The Scripps Voice talked with four media their work, as well as answer any questions the professors have. studies majors to learn more about their senior projects and their experiences with the major.

After this, the faculty meets in private and discusses the show. At that point they vote to decide who will continue on to spring thesis, which culminates in a showing at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery.

The spring seminar involves creating a better or more advanced version of the art that has been done in the fall and also the full planAlissa Fang ‘12 ning on the spring show. About 60 to 100 percent of the seniors A media studies major on the film/video production track, Fang decided to create a video portrait of August are voted through to the spring seminar.

Guang, a self-identified Asian American queer person of color, for her thesis. “I wanted to highlight the comNot all seniors apply for the spring portion of the thesis, plexities of the Asian American queer experience because I felt like this particular identity is not represented well and some even turn down the offer. Some wish to graduate (if at all) in media,” Fang said. “I wanted to create an intimate portrayal of August.” early, others participate in more demanding internships, For Fang, who has completed her thesis, the best part was the post-production editing process. “I love editing, and some others choose to focus their time on creating and I always have a lot of fun editing videos. Also, August is a hilarious person, so as I watched the interview in posta portfolio rather than pieces for the show. production, I found myself laughing to myself constantly in the editing room,” she said. “Being able to put together Certainly the art thesis is different from the typical August’s story in a compelling way... was very rewarding.” theses we see presented on the Scripps campus. In Fang’s advice for media studies majors who are worried about thesis is “Don’t fret! Senior seminar will be of great help!” She also suggested that students’ theses follow their passions, so the projects will be fun to create like hers was. fact, the art thesis is more akin to the experiment or lab aspect required by science majors than Victoire Poumadere ‘12 it is to the extensive research paper done by After taking a couple of introductory film classes for fun, Poumadere realized that she wanted to continue to study video and those in the humanities department. The art media theory. “Each one of my [media studies] classes has been mind-opening in the way I see and interact with my surroundings department stresses that senior art projects and interests,” she said. can be very diverse, and very indicative Poumadere’s thesis is a year-long project in two parts. The first part is an installation that plays with dimensions and time percepof the student who created the thesis. tion. To represent the passage from 2D to 3D, Poumadere built a giant origami (7.4 by 7.4 ft). The fourth dimension is represented by The department works hard to ena projection of a stop-motion video of the origami being folded. sure that each student produces a “This semester, I am expanding on the idea of 4D and how the projection of an image onto a 3D object challenges our perception of piece that is challenging and time, space and our understanding of the virtual,” she explained. “I am working with a video projection mapping software to create an meaningful, but also interactive video puzzle that will take place in 4 dimensional space.”

By Pe successful.

Poumadere advises media studies majors not to limit themselves to one medium or idea. “The digital and video tracks are so open,” said ri T Poumadere, “and the people I know who have been enjoying their theses the most are the ones who expanded really continued on page 8 Gu ene est ba Wr um iter ‘1 3

Commonalities of an uncommon major

The Many Tracks of Music

By Vritti Goel ‘12 Editor-in-Chief

The Scripps music major aims to differentiate itself from others, especially for students’ capstone projects. While the three concentrations available to a music major—ethnomusicology, performance and history/theory/composition—are similar with their requirements, each concentration prepares students for a different type of a thesis.

“A performance concentration in the music major is actually quite rare among liberal arts colleges,” Professor YouYoung Kang said. “The fundamental [characteristic] is in the nature of the senior project.” She explained that music majors in the performance concentration give a senior recital (with 4-5 page program notes) rather than write a lengthy (50-page) thesis.

However, music major Felicia Palmer (’12) said that performance majors still have a lot of writing to do. “During Senior seminar in the fall, we’re researching our recital themes and songs, and we’re interpreting the music. We create a long version of program notes, which then gets cut down to a more standard length of 4-5 pages for audiences to read during the recital,” she said.

Karin Weston (’12), whose concentration is in performance, described the entire process of completing the music major. “During the spring semester of your sophomore year, you ‘audition’ for the major by performing songs from a variety of styles and languages for the entire music department during a student recital. Junior year, you have a 30-minute solo recital, which finally leads up to the hour-long senior recital during the spring semester.”

Is it a lot of work?

Not necessarily, Palmer and Weston contend. Both are double majors—Palmer is also majoring in psychology, Weston in molecular biology—and while the workload is heavy, it has been manageable.

Julia Petraglia (’12), a dual major in psychology and music with a concentration in history, theory and composition, agrees as well. “A lot of the courses are demanding, and the professors are, too, but the community is great within the department, which makes it easier to manage.” Petraglia’s thesis was a research project on the effect of music education on students’ academic self-efficacy, a topic she enjoyed researching. She completed most of her work during the senior seminar in the fall, and appreciated the opportunity to work with other music majors, saying, “Even if our actual thesis topics didn’t cross, we could all share ideas. All of our interests ended up overlapping a bit.”

It does seem like current senior music majors have overlapping themes, at least for those with the performance concentration. Palmer is singing about unsung heroines continued on page 8 PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHANTE CRUSE AND WWW.SCRIPPSCOLLEGE.EDU

Embracing and Celebrating Through Dance: Chante Cruse

By Megan Petersen ‘12 Copy Editor

With graduation quickly approaching, Chante Cruse, a senior dance major, shared some of her experiences, both stressful and rewarding, with The Scripps Voice.

Megan Petersen: What do the dance major and thesis entail?

Chante Cruse: There are different majors for dance. The three tracks are Dance Performance/Choreography, Theoretical Studies and Movement Studies. The dance major thesis entails a 40 page paper and a 10 minute piece for the Spring Show this semester, April 13 and 14 at Scripps College. …In this written thesis, you talk about the influences for your dance (costumes, advertisements, technique choices, the history of the dance you do, the rehearsal process etc.).

MP: What made you decide to major in dance?

CC: My sophomore year, I intended to dual major in Music Composition and Dance Choreography. I was going to self-design a Jazz Studies major. However, due to the lack of classes at Claremont Colleges on Jazz History, Composition and Jazz Music Theory, I was not able to build a strong enough list of classes for a Jazz Studies major. Then I attempted to simply do a “Composition” track major. It was surprising to me that the music department had a “Composition” track and did not have professors within the department that were qualified to supervise independent studies in this track. After many of the music department’s policies were beginning to affect my grades and morale as a student, I decided to drop this major. It was an extremely difficult decision academically and emotionally. I now have two declared minors, Music and Africana Studies, to support my Dance Choreography major.

MP: What are you doing for your thesis?

CC: I will be working on original music for the piece as well as working in concepts from my Africana Studies minor. I do not need a Music or Africana Studies major to incorporate composition and Africana Studies into my thesis with the dance department. This support makes a world of difference for me.

MP: How do you feel about having a thesis that’s not only a research paper? Do you prefer it?

CC: I love having more than a paper. It is nice to have something substantial to show for the four years of experience and knowledge I have gained at Scripps College. I think it’s important that dancers be able to convey their creative concepts with clarity and confidence.

Holding rehearsals, finding funding, thinking about where to put bodies on stage is important. Had I stayed solely with the music department, I would have never had [this experience]. These skills are so important when expanding your career as an artist, especially a dancer.

MP: What have your experiences been with the Scripps Dance Department overall?

CC: The dance department was a refreshing change for me. Immediately I was welcomed in by other dancers. If I did not understand something, I was able to arrange to meet with another dancer and have them explain to me clearly what was going on. My dance professors were excited to hear about my diverse interests when I joined the department. They wanted to make sure I began creating a work immediately. One of the great things about the dance department is that you learn so much about not only varieties of dance techniques but also your own creative process. Most importantly, diversity was visible—through the extra programs offered, the students in the classes and the posters on the wall that other cultures were embraced and celebrated through dance. This was so key to my feeling that I belonged in the physical space of the studio and that I belonged as an African American dancer.

MP: What are your personal goals now that you’re close to graduation?

CC: The dance department has inspired and allowed me to go beyond my thesis work and host an event for my community after the Scripps Spring Concert in April! During my four years at Scripps College, I have never seen an all-African American student dance production. In its own way, my dance is the first of its kind at this time. It will be an open movie screening of the movement material, and we will be discussing concepts I was trying to convey. It will be documentary style and hosted at either Pomona or Scripps College. The Black community especially influences my dance paper and movement, and I want to celebrate and discuss the events that have changed our community in the past year and celebrate all of the people from the community, faculty, staff and students I have to thank for helping me excel. My goal is to one day become a Creative Director for a company. I feel my participation in so many different programs has equipped me to facilitate a rehearsal, to compile an event like the one I have coming in April or to assist others when putting on a show (which is required for our major). I think what the dance department asks of us makes us better artists. We are able to translate the experience we gain here into any creative program.

March 1, 2012 • The Scripps Voice• Volume XV• Issue Eight

March 1, 2012 •The Scripps Voice •Volume XV• Issue Eight

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12. it stinks to stub it 13. what a baby gator might do, to a taunting finger 14. suffix shared by women-haters, pain-lovers and xenophobes?

15. ____ Yagami, character in The King of Fighters 17. code name for someone with an eating disorder 18. type of worm 19. chemical symbol for Copernicium 20. this one has 366 days 22. bivalve mollusc 24. marketing ploy (abbrev.)

26. __-47 27. those with PTSD are shell ______ 29. __ it goes.

30. French “I” 32. CSS song with a music video that shows a fight at a birthday

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By Tori Mirsadjadi ’12 Senior Copy Editor

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party 33. singular, present-tense conjugation of “to be” 35. type of therapy for cancer patients 37. outdated line of laptops from Compaq 38. Mexican empire 39. the opposite of play 40. a name in Irish mythology, a French settlement or a Welsh castle 41. etymological proof that female sheep are gross 42. onomatopoeic internetspeak for masturbation 44. “Get your hands off of me, you damn dirty ___!”

45. city of angels (abbrev.)

46. what a phone makes 48. newspaper style 49. very big (abbrev.)

51. what Santa might do while dancing at a party?

53. __ Colores, Spanish folk song

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55. category for The Hunger Games 56. Brave New World drug 57. surnames common in China 59. man lying behind the curtain?

60. potato 62. Teflon, Neoflon or Dyneon; a copolymer of hexafluoropropylene and tetrafluoroethylene 64. wet and musty, or good for a stoner 66. “bad grammar makes me [___]” 67. place name shared by Germans, Nigerians, and people in the Netherlands 68. plant sperm all around your neck 69. alpha male 70. nerdy type of party 71. it comes in river, sea and demanding pun varieties

DOWN 2. odor 3. number two?

4. creepy 5. puns, over dinner?

6. band abbreviation found on hardcore high schoolers’ T-shirts 7. fill holes in a wall 9. carpe ____ 10. Spanish this (fem.)

11. book of maps 16. they’re found before parenthetical elaborations (abbrev.)

18. like a hatter?

19. feline version of communist icon bedecking many-aT-shirt?

21. “Take On Me” band 23. fallow land 25. French shower 28. a purr over the phone?

30. Grammy-award-winner behind “Foolish Games” 31. derisively-applied label for music frequently enjoyed by middle schoolers 33. suffix used to verb nouns, disgusting in the eyes of many 34. small burden shouldered

by bra-wearers 36. unrefined metal 38. abbreviation shared by anthropological and automotive organizations 42. Mediterranean fried bean patty (Saca’s is green) 43. on the page, in creative writing?

46. Latin “with” 47. your favorite sex columnist (abbrev.)

49. male chromosomes 50. comes before lass B? 51. natural container for peas 52. definitionally nerdy abbreviation 53. follows okie 54. canned cheese (abbrev.)

56. “____ is life,” more placating version of Vonnegut’s 29-Across adage 58. NaCl 61. what a .jpeg represents (abbrev.)

63. federal organization that would like to save at least one variety of 71-across 65. use to catch butterflies, and porn

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UNCOMMON FROM PG 6

far from traditional usage of their medium, and/or brought ideas that they were passionate about.”

Vicky Tiller ‘12 While some people use video games to escape from thesis, Tiller combined the two. Her work began as a project about female fandom of Assassin’s Creed. She is continuing to work with Assassin’s Creed for her thesis, looking at it through the lenses of theorists such as Marx and Foucault. “My goal is to use Assassin’s Creed to help explain these theories to people who are familiar with the game, but not as familiar with the theories,” Tiller said. “If I’m lucky, perhaps I can also convince non-gamer intellectuals to give video games a chance, or at least open up discussions between [gamers and intellectuals.]” Her final project will be a blog combining text and video.

Though she started out as a History major, Tiller switched to Media Studies after deciding that she cared more about the portrayal of history in the media instead of the history itself. “Honestly, I love writing essays about video games, so getting class credit is really just a bonus.”

Currently playing Assassin’s Creed and reading the Communist Manifesto for her thesis, Tiller emphasized the importance of passion when choosing a thesis topic. “Just find something that you’re passionate about and make sure you can sell the idea to the professors,” she said.

TRACKS FROM PG 6

of myth, literature and history, with some pieces commissioned specifically for her. Weston is singing about powerful female figures, including works by female composers.

Both seniors chose to pursue the performance track because of their love of singing. “It’s definitely something I’d like to pursue as a career, so for me this is about learning to become more comfortable in front of a large audience and really expand on my vocal skills,” said Weston.

The music major may seem disjointed, with the various concentrations focusing on entirely different aspects of the subject. However, this structure of the major is deliberate. Professor Charles Kamm, chair of the music department, described the music major best: “The Scripps music department works to provide as much a variety of opportunities as we can, given our faculty size. Scripps is a liberal arts college; thus, the focus of the music major is on the intellectual inquiry into music. But we also recognize that there may be students who will be suited to performance studies as a major—thus the performance tracks. Performance is viewed as an opportunity beyond the intellectual inquiry that is the core of the major.”

Tiffany Yau ‘12 Yau, who is following the digital/electronic track and also majoring in studio art, is combining her interests in design, art and computer science for her thesis. She has been working on a virtual map constructed from live-streamed data from Twitter. “I wanted to map out a sort of collective consciousness present in social media networks,” Yau said. “My project presents a dynamic, evolving model of relationships between individual communities by mapping cities based on the likeness of their salient topics, measured through common hashtags as opposed to their geographic locations.”

Yau’s project sounded daunting even to herself, but, said Yau, “I ended up creating something that I had genuinely thought would be impossible at the beginning of the semester.”

March 1, 2012 •The Scripps Voice •Volume XV • Issue Eight

Arts & Entertainment • 9 Arabic Film Festival Brings New Perspectives to the 5Cs

Humanities Institute Debunks Myths about Native Americans

By Megan Petersen ‘15

By Lauren Prince ‘14 Editor-in-Chief

Copy Editor

Now in its fourth week, the Arabic Film Festival, hosted by the Arabic Club, is bringing diversity and fresh viewpoints to Claremont. Kicking off on Feb. 10 with the Lebanese film Caramel, the festival has since shown Veiled Voices, a documentary about three female Muslim leaders in Egypt, Syria and Lebanon and My Country, My Country, a documentary about Iraq in 2005.

Arabic Club Co-President Sophie Souma (’14) said between 10 and 15 students, faculty and community members have turned out each week for the festival. She said that while many are Arabic or Middle Eastern Studies students, students from Gender and Women’s Studies classes and other groups have also come to watch the films, which are all in Arabic with English subtitles. Souma said she expects more people to come see Paradise Now, this week’s featured film, because it is more wellknown than others on the list.

The festival, aside from showing interesting films, also works to present a different perspective than Americans may be used to. My Country, My Country, last week’s film, presented perspectives of American and Australian soldiers in Iraq as well as perspectives from people and news stations in Iraq leading up to the country’s first elections following its invasion.

Pinar Tremblay, a visiting in-

structor in Government at Claremont McKenna College, led the discussion following My Country, My Country. Tremblay believes that this film’s perspective is important for Claremont students and the wider community to hear.

She noted that America has been involved with Iraq for more than 20 years, making Iraq, and the documentary My Country, My Country, relevant points of interest for Americans. While she said she didn’t agree with everything the documentary had to say, she still felt that it was important that Iraq’s voice is also heard.

Souma and her fellow Arabic Club Co-President, Kelsey Cherland (CMC ’14), also feel that the Arabic Film Festival is a good way to work against prejudice. “The festival is a good way to break down the stereotypes about people of Arab descent,” Souma said.

Cherland agreed. “While the films may be in the Arabic language, the lessons and themes of the films transcend language barriers to confront cultural misconceptions.”

Films are presented each Friday at 7 p.m. in the Humanities Auditorium at Scripps College, followed by a professor-led discussion. Tomorrow, March 2, the Arabic Club will show Paradise Now, a Golden Globe-winning film about two Palestinian friends recruited to be suicide bombers.

Snacks are provided.

Continuing Invasion: Resistance, Resilience, and Re-Invention Among North American Indigenous Peoples. Don’t run away from the long title.

This spring, the Humanities Institute is bringing guest lectures from across nations to Scripps. There are 562 federally recognized Indian tribes in the United States alone, not Photo courtesy of Scripps Humanities Institute including the numerous tribes which are not recognized, or the ones in Canada. There are also tribes recognized by states, but not by the federal government. After the 1830 Indian Removal Act, North America’s tribes of indigenous peoples have considered themselves to be sovereign nations because they follow different rules and regulations and are not on federal U.S. land.

Based on the extremely minimal education we get surrounding the history of the indigenous peoples of the United States, many assumptions and stereotypes exist.

Stereotypes about indigenous peoples paint them as stagnant cultures, with their traditions, customs and artwork in museums next to dinosaur skeletons. These peoples seem rare and exotic to a largely-ignorant U.S. population. But the stereotypes are false. These peoples are still struggling for rights, a voice, an identity, to maintain their culture and to be seen as unique and important. This semester, the Humanities Institute Junior Fellows are learning about North American indigenous peoples, and their research includes opportunities to educate the community and counteract the harmful stereotypes that have grown out of ignorance and misinformation.

Each Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m., a speaker comes to Garrison Theater as part of this series. This week’s event was a documentary film by Gayle Anne Kelley, exploring the role of women leaders in Western civil society and indigenous culture.

According to the Humanities Institute website, Kelley’s documentary “contrasts views of western ideology with indigenous thinking in matters of governance, ecology, spirituality, war and peace.” For those unaware, some indigenous North American tribes are matrilineal, so women play a large role in tribal matters. Kelley will be leading Women, Leadership and Peace seminars on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:30 p.m. starting March 7 and ending April 11. These lectures and discussions will “inspire an essential conversation that invites all women across generations and cultures to emerge with a powerful unified voice.” It is a perfect addition to the discussions of women’s empowerment in which Scripps students already take part.

Please join the Humanities Fellows in learning about the continual struggles still plaguing the indigenous peoples of North America.

The Playful Plateful: Food Rescue Edition

By Kate Pluth ‘12 Copy Editor

According to a recent study, the United States wastes about 40 percent of food produced for consumption. Every day, restaurants, bakeries and mess halls throw away pounds and pounds of perishable food. Meanwhile, one in 10 Americans goes hungry.

This is a travesty, and one would think it would be easy for an organization to swoop in and take all that wasted food to those hungry mouths in a shiny seven-wheeler. But the waste is cumulative, with each establishment discarding food in modest amounts and at different times of each day.

Large-scale charities and caring agencies aren’t able to organize an effective schedule to manage all the wasted food.

The responsibility, then, falls to smaller organizations and individuals. And in the past few years, a number of “Food Rescue” programs have cropped up across the nation, taking food that would be wasted from places like Panera Bread and vanning it over to shelters and feeding ministries.

Brilliant idea, right? Well, what if I told you such brilliance was occurring at our own dining halls in Claremont?

About four years ago, a student at Pomona College received a Strauss Grant to start a food rescue

program at the College. Since then, other students have jumped in to expand a program to the other colleges. Now Scripps, Claremont McKenna and Harvey Mudd collaborate to rescue food, while Pomona maintains the original program, delivering their food to a different shelter.

Every evening, after dinner Monday through Thursday, student volunteers take left over prepared food from the dining halls. How much food each night? “About 10 to 15 trays of food,” said Jen Byrne (’12), Scripps coordinator of Food Rescue. And when she says “trays,” think the large storage containers that are made to fit under beds.

Then, these student volunteers drive the food over to Pomona Valley Christian Feeding Ministry, a church that also serves food to those who can’t afford or find it elsewhere.

“The food that we deliver at night is served the next day for lunch and dinner. The [Food Rescue] program really helps with the financial burden of feeding so many people; the ministry feeds anywhere from 60 to 100 people per day,” Byrne said, “[The program] also helps with [easing] the burden of preparing that much food.”

Another beneficial aspect to Claremont’s food rescue program is the kinds of food it saves. Said Byrne, “It’s healthy stuff; it’s proteins and meat

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and vegetables—nutritional things that wouldn’t always be in these people’s diets.” Food Rescue volunteer Sarah Stringer (’12) agreed, saying “there’s no reason that the food we have left over should go to waste and that we can’t share our fortune to have such vast amounts of high-quality food with the surrounding community.”

Administration, too, has been cooperative and receptive to making the Food Rescue program work. Byrne described how dining hall managers miss the student volunteers when the schools go on break; some even approach her, eager to start the program back up as soon as students return.

Volunteers usually deliver one night per week, about a one-hour commitment. Stringer emphasized that the small time commitment—about 15 minutes to Pomona and 15 minutes back, time during which Stringer “get[s] to chat with another Scripps student”—is highly rewarding. “It’s one of the more significant things with which I’m involved,” Stringer said. Byrne said she would love more people to consider joining, and is actively looking for someone to take over the coordinator position when she graduates. If you are interested in becoming a part of Claremont Food Rescue, contact Jen Byrne at jbyrne2449@ScrippsCollege.edu.

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March 1, 2012 •The Scripps Voice •Volume XV • Issue Eight

10 • Arts & Entertainment Scripps College Problem #141 Earnest Eleanor Staff Satirist

I walked into Malott tired from my tightly scheduled afternoon, not expecting much from the dining hall that had ever-so-carelessly withheld guacamole from me earlier in the year. As I headed toward the soup station, I glanced at the desserts I would be devouring after I polished off my dinner. The crowd in front led me to believe that, at the end of my tiring day, there would be salvation at last. And then I saw a sign that served as my beacon of hope: Chocolate Fondue.

I stepped out of the soup line and decided that it was time to treat myself. That’s right, dessert before dinner. I waited in the long line, peeking my head around the others and crossing my fingers that I hadn’t come too late. As I inched toward the front, I let out a sigh of relief. There was enough chocolate fondue for me.

I conscientiously chose only a modest plateful of bread, wanting to leave enough for everyone. But as I brought my humbly-heaped plate of chocolate-drizzled treats toward myself, I made my fatal mistake. Too much enthusiasm led to a large chocolate splash on my clean, white, handwash-only sweater.

Looking down at the stain spreading on the edge of my sweater, I felt a similarly-dark pain spreading and seeping deeply into my heart. I abandoned my chocolate fondue, grabbed a grilled cheese on my way out (never enough cheese, come on!) and raced back to my dorm.

Using the sink in my room, I gave the sweater a hasty rinse. To no avail.

The chocolate-y stain remained; a brown smudge on the immaculate white

of my beautiful sweater. I exited my room and turned to my only hope left: the larger sinks in the laundry room.

As I headed down the dark, cavernous stairs to the laundry room, I didn’t know what to expect. I had seen the larger sinks next to the washing machines, but they had never left much of an impression. I had practically forgotten that they existed. Now I knew why.

The sinks in the laundry room must be at least as old as the building— antique relics from the late 1920s. As I turned the squeaky knob over that crusty old sink, the faucet spewed a frigid, whitish water, which jetted off the sides and splashed into my face. Lovely.

Hurriedly wrenching the knob back to its tightest “off ” position, I considered that rusting, somewhat terrifying old sink. As the occasional whitish drip splashed onto the single pure-white spot on the basin of the stained old sink, I knew that it would never serve the ends I needed it for.

Those old sinks will never get anything clean. Far from removing a stain, those rusty sinks might even mar unstained clothing with fresh stains, leaving them more soiled than they were to begin with.

I heaved a large sigh and headed back up the stairs, defeated. I would have to walk the treacherous two blocks to Honnold Mudd, find the Connection desk and give up a whole $2.88 to get that precious sweater drycleaned.

It’s a tough life at Scripps, it really is.

For Loyola Marymount University Students, Dramatic Interpretations Bring Viral Popularity Kate Pluth (’12)

Copy Editor

On Feb. 6, five students from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles uploaded a video titled “Dramatic Interpretations of Facebook—Middle Schoolers” to YouTube. The video, its many viewers quickly agreed, is pretty hilarious. The video went from zero views to over 750,000 views in its first week, and was featured on a laundry list of social media websites.

In the video, the characters (played by Michael Lange, Jackson Kendall, Robyn Littleworth and Maddie Dial) sip wine at an elegantly decorated fold-out table and, in the most melodramatic of soap opera of affectations, discuss whether Zach wants to kiss Keala. How did they come up with this dialogue?

They lifted the conversation verbatim from photo and status comments on middle schoolers’ Facebook pages.

The student filmmakers comprise a group called The Navy Seals of Comedy, and are all theater or film production majors at Loyola Marymount. Paul Morgan, the Navy Seal of Comedy who filmed the now-viral video, discussed the group’s rise to internet stardom with me—over Facebook, of course.

Kate Pluth: How did you get the idea to make your video?

Paul Morgan: Mikey [Michael Lange] had shown me the actual conversation weeks before and we had laughed about it. Jackson [Kendall] and Mikey happened to be looking through it one day and said, “This would be a great script for a short.” Then they hired me to shoot it (cause we’re roomies!) and we produced it as quickly as we could.

KP: How long have the Navy Seals of Comedy been together? Do you only make videos, or do you also do live performances?

PM: We actually formed for that video, and we are expanding as we make more. We don’t do live performances, but three of us (Me, Maddie [Dial] and Robyn [Littleworth]) are members of LMU’s Laser Squad Bravo, the improv team on campus.

KP: What went into the video’s production?

How long did it take to make?

PM: So, as far as shooting went, we rangled three lights from our school’s television station and bounced them off things in the right way for some even lighting. Then we got my Canon 60D cued up and put a zoom lens on, so we could get

Photos courtesy of michael lange

Left: Michael Lange’s character Zach does not want to kiss Robin Littleworth’s character Keala.

Right: Michael Lange, Robyn Littleworth and Jackson Kendall enact middle school relationships over wine.

some variable shots. We shot for about four to five hours, and then the cutting took a week and a half (not because it took that long, but because there was a delay. The actual process took about three hours).

KP: Any compelling or funny behind-thescenes stories?

PM: Well, there was this one time........ No, honestly, it was all business on the day of the shoot. Obviously there were a lot of laughs on set, but nothing particularly crazy happened.

KP: When did you first notice your video gaining popularity?

PM: Well, the night we posted it to YouTube, I posted it on Reddit and asked my chapter of Sigma Chi to all make Reddit accounts and upvote the video. Their 70 or so upvotes got it started, and it just took off from there. The next morning, I woke up and it was on the front page of Reddit.

KP: What was it like to have the video go viral?

PM: It was certainly interesting. Jackson and Mikey have gotten recognized around campus, and people who don’t know anything about photography have complimented me on the job I did shooting it.

KP: What websites promoted your video?

PM: [The ones that we know of are] Tosh.0’s blog, Jezebel.com, Failblog.org, Memebase.com, Reddit, The Chive, FunnyorDie.com, CollegeHumor.com, The Huffington Post, The Seattle Post Intelligencer and The New York Post blog.

KP: Has anyone or any company approached you about advertizing or sponsorship as a result of your video?

PM: Well, we have a friend named John in Hollywood who does freelance producing/directing via his company Sandbox Productions. He’s offered to produce our next video, which means higher quality sound/lighting (and maybe cameras). Outside of that, just a lot of offers from people on campus to help with our next videos, which are in pre-production now.

KP: The captions of your video mention you plan to make more videos based on Facebook comments. Are you currently working on any?

What can we expect to see next?

PM: We’re currently working on pre-producing a thread about teen pregnancy that got a little out of hand, and after that we plan to do one or two more Facebook scripts before moving into original material.

March 1, 2012 •The Scripps Voice •Volume XV • Issue Eight

Student Life• 11 CYCLing Continued from pg 4 really well, with quite a few teachers branching out from the way they’ve been teaching for years and taking part in a more humanistic approach to learning. The kids have had Brazilian food at the canteen when we were in Brazil, learnt songs in Spanish when we traveled across South America and have been learning to write summaries by writing about some of our articles.

We took months to meet each class and all the teachers. Then we had to make sure we got the media’s attention before we started contacting businesses scattered around our region of Normandy to secure funding.

Basically, we decided to sell our kilometres to whoever wanted them, each kilometre for two Euros. Our sponsors include businesses, non-profit organisations, a school and many people who just wanted to take part in the adventure. Depending on how much the companies were willing to give, we offered them “packs,” including shooting pictures with their advertisement flags around the world, and putting their logos on our website.

The main reason people helped us financially is because we made the promise of sharing our adventure daily on our blog. We write on our blog every day, sometimes in English, sometimes in French, as we have people from different countries following us.

We love telling stories, taking pictures and making short films.

We’re never out of ideas, and anyway, when you’re traveling by bicycle there’s always a lot to talk about. On average we have 130 readers each day, and it’s amazing to see how different these people are. We have 80-year-old pensioners, 40-year-old businesswomen and young students who read the blog every day.

It was pure coincidence that we were near Claremont just in time for Family Weekend; we got lucky because our ride up Mexico went a bit quicker than expected. I was glad to be able to spend a few days with my cousin, and she was gracious enough to offer us a place to crash in her dorm. Spag was quite nervous at the prospect of finding himself at a women’s college, but I assured him that we’d be welcomed.

When my cousin turned up on Columbia Avenue, I was hoping she had a cold and couldn’t smell my sweaty T-shirt as she welcomed me with a hug. My mates and I parked our bicycles and unloaded our bags, and my cousin gave us a quick tour of the dorm. She gave us a run-down of the rules for guests (which, admittedly, we stretched a bit), and politely pointed us toward the showers. While my mates buried themselves down their sleeping bags, my cousin made tea and we spent the night catching up on what’s been going on this side of the world. Her tea was just right, and she even had a paper for me to read—The Scripps Voice, of course—which were familiar comforts which for a moment made me feel like I was back in the land of our shared ancestors, in a sunny version of Britain.

Making ourselves at home with my cousin wasn’t completely without incident, however. After we unloaded our packs in her room, we found that there was hardly enough floor space for myself, let alone all three of us. Tired and without a back-up plan for somewhere to stay during our last-minute visit to Claremont, we set up camp in the common room. Our host told us that prospective students had been known to set up their sleeping bags there when they visited the campus, so our camping in Toll wouldn’t be completely unprecedented. We were soon told off sleeping on the couches, however, and we retreated, chagrined, to occupy the entire floor space of my cousin’s dorm room. It was cramped and a bit smelly from the body heat of several young Frenchmen, but still a significant improvement from the drafty, bug-invaded tent we often pitched on roadsides.

I hadn’t been used to this level of comfort these last few months.

Although camping in a little tent in the middle of the mountains is good fun, this short pause in lovely Claremont came at a perfect time. Claremont landed right in the middle of our trip, a welcome respite before we move on to Canada’s wet climate, China’s busy cities, Mongolia’s high plateaus and Russia’s mosquito-infested plains.

The next morning, we were shown around campus: the Motley, the library and the field house. The lawns are impeccably groomed, and I enjoyed the soft feeling as I walked over them, my shoes sinking into an inch of quality grass with every footstep.

We were introduced to a weird game called “Ultimate Frisbee,” and learned some Frisbee-throwing techniques. Spag eventually overcame his trepidation about being at a women’s college, and even seemed to be enjoying himself. We were all settling in pretty well, and it’s a shame we couldn’t stay in Claremont beyond Family Weekend. Maybe they should consider having a whole “Family Week” next time…

To read more about the cyclists’ world tour (blog updated in French and in English), visit: www.latresgrandeboucle.com or become a fan on Facebook.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RACHEL HENNESSEY ‘13

Members of the 5C Dance Club show off their energy for dancesport.

For the Love of Dance: A Profile of the 5CDC

By Rachel Hennessey ‘13 Staff Writer

The 15 skilled young ladies who comprise the Five College Dance Company (5CDC) make a team that is truly unique. The team was founded

by Jaclyn D’Arcy (CMC ‘11), and the 15 women on this year’s team work tirelessly at their art in preparation for their seasonal showcases held at Garrison Theater, as well as for their hallmark halftime performances at 5C football and basketball games. Although the ladies make dancing look easy, they are constantly dealing with behind-the-scenes issues, such as organizing and fundraising.

Taryn Ohashi (‘13), one of the group’s co-directors, explains that success has not come easily for the team, but a passion for dance is what motivates the ladies to put in extra effort in order to attain adequate funding.

Ohashi, along with co-directors Maya Horgan (PO ‘13) and Hillary Lundberg (CMC ‘14), put in tremendous effort to keep the team alive. “We hold our own fundraisers but also present our case to the CMC Senate, Scripps Associated Students and The Motley,” Ohashi said. Through these means, the team is able to obtain sufficient funding to cover the expenses of renting practice space and purchasing costumes for halftime performances.

The dancers are extremely thankful for the annually allocated budget that the Associated Students of Pomona College gives the team, but the grant still falls short of covering the cost of renting out Garrison Theater for their semi-annual showcases. To fully cover their showcase costs, dance company members often have to dig into their own pockets or ask for donations.

Luckily, the team has always enjoyed strong leaders who are determined to make it successful, in spite of financial obstacles. Ohashi, Lundberg and Horgan communicate regularly with athletic directors about games and halftime shows, and coordinate all practice spaces and times, all choreography and every detail concerning the showcases, right down to creating the programs. The co-directors also encourage the other

12 dancers to take on projects such as heading fundraising, designing costumes and choreographing small pieces, so any 5CDC performance truly is a team effort.

Anyone who has been to a football or basketball game over the past four years would probably agree that the halftime shows add extra spark to the game-watching experience. The women get to demonstrate their skills while rallying support for Claremont teams and keeping the crowd entertained—what’s not to like?

They dance at Pomona-Pitzer games, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps games, men’s games, women’s games, football games and basketball games.

That’s a lot of games and a lot of practices (6 to 10 hours weekly). This semester, the dance company has already preformed at 10 basketball games, and fans are responding well to their presentations. “I enjoy watching the halftime shows as much as I enjoy watching the games,” said fan Aaron Outland (CMC ’13). “It’s great to see such athletic talent at the Claremont Colleges, on the field, on the court and on stage.”

If you enjoy watching 5CDC’s halftime routines, you should attend their showcase performances, too.

“Many Claremont students only get to see the Hip-Hop/Street Jazz side of us at halftime performances, but put us on a stage and we become ballerinas, Latin divas and contemporary dancers,” Ohashi said. Although the ladies enjoy dancing at athletic events, the showcases are where they really get to shine as individuals, and express their personal artistic styles through dance.

This year, the Spring Showcase will take place on April 22 at 7:00 p.m. in Garrison Theater at Scripps.

Admission is free, and judging from past shows, you are sure to leave in awe of our talented peers.

On one last note, I recommend that attendees wear waterproof mascara to the showcase, because the beautiful performances are often tearjerkers.

March 1, 2012 • The Scripps Voice •Volume XV • Issue Eight

12 •Student Life Yarnbombing: It’s All the Rage

By Vritti Goel ‘12

U

d e t i ne d

Uncensored opinions, straight from the Editors-in-Chief themselves.

Honnold/Mudd Library Hours (Lauren)

As college students, our first lesson is to learn how to balance work and play.

One solution to make this easier? Keep the library open 24 hours. Or at least open at a decent hour, especially on the weekend.

The staff assumes we have lives that allow us to party so hard on Saturday nights that we won’t make it to the library before 11 a.m. on Sunday.

Seriously, Claremont?

The fact that the library opens after the dining halls do is absurd.

While I understand the library will obviously be less full in the wee hours of the morning, overall, it would be extremely beneficial for those of us who want to work in the mornings, those of us who only seem capable of working productively in the library.

Maybe this is the Claremont Colleges’ way of telling us to get some sleep.

Or party harder. Either way, they have no right to determine when we do our homework. The Honnold/Mudd library needs to remain open 24 hours. If this is not in their budget, how about opening at 7 a.m. and close at 2 a.m. Isn’t that reasonable?

SCIAC 2012 (Lauren)

The boys’ swim team was dancing with their shirts off, condoms taped to their wonderfully toned biceps, this weekend. Many Scripps students felt the party was the perfect combination of skeezy and sexy. Congratulations Pomona/ Pitzer Swim and Dive, and thank you for sharing your bodies with the rest of the Claremont community.

Rain, Rain...Shhhhhh (Vritti)

I woke up Monday morning at 5 a.m. to what sounded like hail.

It wasn’t. Thankfully.

After months of no rain, shouldn’t I, a rain-philic, have been happy?

Not really.

I need rainboots, because the campus floods (Hint, hint, 5Cs...Figure out how to keep students from missing classes because the lakes—excuse me, puddles— around campus swallowed them up). And with the rain comes the cold. And I don’t have the requisite free time to enjoy the rain....You know, the time to sit in a windowseat and contemplate my life as I gaze out at the rain, a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows warming my hands and OneRepublic (or Adele) providing the soundtrack.

A few days later: But where’s all the rain gone? (Imagine that in Jack Sparrow’s voice and it sounds much cooler)

PP/CMS Basketball playoffs (Lauren)

Editor-in-Chief This year’s first-year class is stepping up its activism with… yarnbombing?

Yarnbombing, also referred to as yarnstorming, guerrilla knitting, urban knitting, graffiti knitting or yarn graffiti—like regular graffiti— attempts to reclaim a public space for artistic and political expression.

In this spirit, the Armed RevolutioKnits (ARK) “have decided to express discontent with the maltreatment of women worldwide and promote positive social and political change through the art of yarn bombing.” With the motto “We fight with sticks for chicks!” this new group supplements yarn concoctions with social media to specifically advocate for women’s issues and against rights abuses. “We decided that the 5Cs needed a feminist activism group,” said leaders Megan Petersen (’15) and Lizzy Pfeiffer (’15).

Members have enjoyed the opportunity to take part in a movement that blends these two interests. Alex Washburn (’15) agreed. “I love this group because we’re using alternative forms of communication,” Washburn said. “Guerilla art is a way to circumvent the usual system of bringing attention to issues. It says, ‘We need to take a step back and look at the situation outside of the framework in which it’s currently viewed.’”

“It’s student activism,” said Yushuang Sun (’15). “In democracy… students’ grassroots groups are [key] in politics, and making changes we think are right.”

“And knitting is really, really, really fun,”added Sun. A very new group, ARK has already had two rounds of yarn “tags” and posters. For their first endeavor, members created yarn “tags” and posters focusing on sexual and dating violence. Their second and most recent theme was women’s heart health, the tags for which went up Friday.

Together, this team of determined knitters made almost 100 hearts to put up around the 5Cs. While that number is impressive, Petersen and Pfeiffer have run into frustrating challenges—some with which many organizations on campus could relate—with their group.

When it comes to membership, Petersen attributed the low number to the fact that the club was started in the middle of the academic year. “We also have trouble finding members because people think we need only knitters, which isn’t true. We really need blog writers, photographers and taggers, among other things,” she said.

The group has also had posters taken down (some of the yarn is still hanging, though). “It strikes me as odd that a stamp of approval on a piece of paper is more important than the message that piece of paper may be carrying. Especially at a women’s college, why would we take down signs that raise awareness about women’s issues? These issues are there whether you approve them or not,” said Pfeiffer.

The tags and posters have not been approved by SARLO because Pfeiffer and Petersen feel that doing so would defeat the aspect of spontaneity that is characteristic of yarn graffiti. In the same mischievous spirit, the leaders say a huge draw to the group could be the chance to be a “ninja.”

Said Pfeiffer, “We dress in black and look very creepy. We were briefly shadowed by Campus Security once and had several close encounters with foxes. It’s all part of being a ninja.”

Look for this group throughout the year and into next semester, as they seek out more members (experienced in the art of knitting or not) looking to voice their opinions on a number of issues deemed important by the group.

It doesn’t matter if you want to knit, blog or just observe the graffiti that will soon pop up with more frequency around campus. “We don’t need people to agree with us. We just want to get people talking,” said Petersen.

For more information, visit ARK at armedrevolutioknits.wordpress. com or email at stricken4macht@gmail.com.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MEGAN PETERSEN

“Safety School!” The correct response? “Pitzer,” of course.

Win.

In response to the fact that I got to Ducey at 7:15 p.m. and they weren’t letting in CMS fans, but allowed PP fans in full for 10 minutes before they stopped letting anyone in…WTF?!?! I waited until half time, when people started to leave en masse… still no one. I had to resort to live streaming from the CMC Forum (thanks, by the way, CMC Forum!). CMS, get your shit together.

Make a gym that fits everyone, please! (Even if it’s only one game a year, it’s still the most important game ever.)

Rick Santorum & Education (Vritti)

College night at WundaBar Pilates FRI, MARCH 23 7:15pm, 7:45pm, 8:15pm FREE for the Collegiate Crew!

And I quote: “President Obama once said he wants everybody in America to go to college. What a snob. There’re good decent men and woman who go out and work hard everyday and put their skills to test that aren’t taught by some liberal arts professor that’re trying to indoctrinate them.”

(Yes, that was verbatim. Minus a few “there’res” and “they’res.”)

If he’s right, and we’re being indoctrinated, then...please, Mr. Santorum, do us a favor and fire (many folks from) your staff.

To sign up, create a profile @ wundabar.com.

Purchase your INTRO class and we’ll see you then!

The Etiquette Dinner (Vritti)

Yep (I mean, yes), it’s back. Time to learn which fork goes where, how to talk without grossing someone out (with your mouth closed, if that wasn’t obvious), and, most importantly, how to talk to people. I may be a cynic about etiquette, but we could all always use a lesson in good manners. See you there!

March 1, 2012 •The Scripps Voice Volume XV • Issue Eight •