Volume XX Issue 3

3 November, 2016

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CLAREMONT INTERVARSITY REACTS TO NATIONAL

By Erin Delany ‘20 Staff Writer

I

ntervarsity National announced a policy change this month that stipulates the involuntary termination of employees who disagree with the Human Sexuality doctrine of the organization.

The Evangelical Christian fellowship organization, which has chapters on over 700 college campuses including the Claremont Colleges, recently published a paper articulating the organization’s views regarding human sexuality.

The paper is Intervarsity’s first formal document detailing their theology regarding human sexuality, outlining everything from adultery to divorce. Notably, however, the paper emphasizes the common conservative Christian belief that relationships that are not straight and cisgender are sinful.

The policy change states that any Intervarsity staff member who disagrees with the beliefs outlined in Intervarsity Human Sexuality paper must come forward by November 11, when they will be given their 2 weeks’ notice and subsequently terminated. Intervarsity has stated that it will not seek out staffers who do not agree with the theology of the paper, relying instead on the integrity of their employees to turn themselves in if they disagree.

The Claremont Intervarsity community has reacted strongly against the policy change. Shortly

after Intervarsity National released their statement, Pomona Pitzer Christian Fellowship decided to disaffiliate from Intervarsity and students from 3CIV, the Intervarsity chapter that consists of students from Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Scripps, created an online petition in protest.

This petition, which “[rebukes] the notion that Intervarsity can be a welcoming space for Queer individuals with the current staffing

policy,” has garnered over 400 signatures from members of Intervarsity chapters across the nation.

The petition included a list of demands, namely that Intervarsity National reverse its involuntary termination policy and that Intervarsity respect and accept individuals of LGBTQIA+ identities, placing them “at the forefront of conversations to develop [...] resources on human sexuality.”

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Rachel Geller (SCR ‘18), one of the creators of the petition, expressed disappointment in the recent actions of Intervarsity.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

RESLIFE SPEAKS OUT ON this semester’s TRANSPORT STATISTICS

By Priya Canzius ‘20 Staff Writer

I

n this first semester of the 20162017 school year, seven Scripps students have been sent to the ER for excessive amounts of alcohol consumption.

“While most of the [transported students] have been Scripps first year students, several of them were upperclass students,” Sam Haynes, Associate Dean for Campus Life, said.

While this increasing trend of trips to the ER is, according to Haynes, “occurring across the seven campuses,” it is significant to Scripps because more first years

Inside This Issue:

this year have been sent to the ER in the past three months than the entirety of last year.

This is notable because it is “significantly more [ER trips] in a short span of time,” Lena Mihret, one of Clark Hall’s RAs said. “But, because this school is so small, a small number [of ER trips] for [others] is a big number for us.

[Additionally,] you usually don’t expect it because there are not many events going on. It seems like even when there aren’t events, [trips to the ER are] happening. And that’s what’s concerning.”

However, Scripps encourages its students to alert an authority figure

Page 5 - Sports

Check out one of the 5C’s most infamous sports!

if they or a friend have consumed too much alcohol.

“The College is, of course, concerned about the increase, but students’ safety is the most important thing to us,” Haynes said.

“The thing is, there is usually a trend every school year with any kind of issue,” Mihret said. “There seems to be a lot of something; the response to this is a lot of programming.

Right now there seems to be a lot of drinking without knowing limits and unhealthy drinking habits. Bringing awareness to it tends to lower the issue. We just want it to be a bit more visible.”

Although there is no straight

Page 6-7 - SPOTLIGHT

Scare yourself silly with tales of Scripps hauntings.

1030 Columbia Avenue | Claremont, CA 91711 | Box 839 email: scrippsvoice@gmail.com | Volume XX | Issue Three

answer as to why there has been an increase in unsafe drinking habits this year, students speculate that it could be stress.

“The campus seems more stressed out than any other year that I’ve been here, Mihret said. “I can’t figure out what it is and how it is different from any other year, but it feels different. “[From a personal example,] a lot of people who don’t usually drink are going really hard,” Clark RA Naomi Shroff-Mehta said.

Scripps has implemented more resources to establish safe drinking habits.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Page 12 - A&E

Showcasing the Claremont Colleges’ special collections

2 • News

FIRST SCRIPPS BEHEARD FORUM:

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

By Emily Diamond Staff Writer

F

or the first BeHeard Forum of the year on Oct. 25, Scripps Associated Students (SAS) and other students came together to discuss international students’ involvement in the Scripps community. Around 20 students of all years attended - primarily international students.

The forum mainly consisted of international students discussing policies, issues and accommodations they would like to address. Conversation spanned from discussing the difficulties of getting a U.S. license, to navigating the social scene, to challenges in the academic realm.

During the first topic of discussion - the cost and difficulty of receiving a U.S. license in order to be able to drive a Scripps van - one student stated that she has an international license but is still not allowed to rent a Scripps van. This sparked a conversation regarding the cost of a ID. In addition to the price of the test, students must also find an alternative way of transporting to the testing facility, which adds up quickly. These cost factors limit some international students from receiving an ID. Next, the conversation shifted to the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). This year, all international students are required to use SHIP, which amounts to $1,890. In the past, students had the opportunity to become exempt from the plan and use a personal insurance plan, but now all international students are mandated to pay for the plan.

Though this is required for all students among the Consortium (so Scripps does not have complete power), students still wanted to address this issue.

One student said she brought up this issue with Dean Charlotte Johnson, who stated that she does not want students to be rejected from hospitals and wants every students to have health insurance. The students said Dean Johnson recognized that the plan is expensive and is currently working on a solution.

Students then started to discuss issues related to the academic policies and atmosphere at Scripps. Some students brought up some concerns with the faculty. They said some professors seem to lack of awareness of international students and their background in academia.

“I had never written in MLA style before last year and had no idea how to do it. A lot of the times I think faculty expects all students to enter the classroom with a base of knowledge. It’s just hard to come in without all of that,” Ramanshi Guptai ‘19 said on the challenge she had as a first year Scripps student.

Guptai and others recommended incorporating awareness around international students and potential limitations into faculty training.

Students also expressed concern around particular General Education requirements, noting that the Race and Ethnic requirement is limited to American topics. Guptai said she is enrolled in a class called South Asian Politics & Society but it doesn’t fulfill the Race and Ethnic requirement.

This American-centric viewpoint and policies extends outside of the classroom into minimal aspects. Students brought up concerns with Malott and the international section. They argued that the food in this area oftentimes greatly contrasts the authentic food from that area.

In addition, Angela Yang ‘20 discussed the challenge she faced when filling out the SOAR form before coming to Scripps. The form required an American address, which Yang didn’t have. “It’s the little things that not everybody notices that make a difference,” Yang said.

Although time was running out of the forum, students briefly discussed difficulties with adjusting to the social scene. They noted that they wish there was a place to talk about cultural differences in terms of social experiences.

Overall, the forum touched on several different topics ranging from academic and social challenges at Scripps. This was a first step in recognizing the issues that may face an international student. It is now necessary to join Scripps community members working to diminish these difficulties in order to create an inclusive community at the college and throughout the Claremont Consortium.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS The next BeHeard forum will be Tuesday, November 8th, 2016 from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. in the Student Union. Topics covered will include the sexual climate at the 5Cs and accessibility to contraceptives on campus!

FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit the SAS website and Facebook page: http://sas.scrippscollege.edu/ Contact SAS Senate Chair: Irene Yi at HYi1959@scrippscollege.edu

CLAREMONT INTERVARSITY REACTS TO NATIONAL STANCE ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE announcement

By Erin Delany ‘20 Staff Writer

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“The Church and Christians and Intervarsity have done things that have been really harmful to the Queer community, and have not acted lovingly at all towards the Queer community and that’s not ok. It absolutely goes against my faith and against the God I believe in,” Rachel said.

In light of the policy changes, 3CIV has been working harder to create a Queer-friendly space in their club.

Ricky Pan (HM 2018), a 3CIV small group leader, stated that “this summer, as we were planning for the semester, we aimed to create multiple opportunities for students to think about the intersection of Queer identity and the Christian faith. Two events we planned, “Beyond Tolerance,” a movie screening to encourage conversation in our community, and an ally training with the Queer Resource Center, are happening this month.”

While 3CIV has not voted to disaffiliate from Intervarsity National, Ricky and Rachel both emphasized that the club is trying to do better in relating to the Queer community.

“The IV staff and students here are really seeking to understand and to

change and to get better so we can better love the people on this campus,” Rachel said. “We are seeking to repent for the ways that our community has hurt the Queer community and to do better.”

Both members of the club also emphasized that students who choose to remain in 3CIV may not be in agreement with the actions of Intervarsity National.

“There is a lot of diversity in our Christian fellowships here both in faith backgrounds and theological beliefs, so someone choosing to stay in an Intervarsity fellowship doesn’t necessarily mean that they agree with the policy or with Intervarsity’s theology,” Rachel explained.

Above all, members of 3CIV asked for redemption and understanding as they navigate Intervarsity National’s policy change.

“I’d like the Claremont community to know that we are deeply sorry for any pain we have directly or indirectly caused and ask for forgiveness,” Ricky stated. “We continue to work to make 3CIV a place where both straight and LGBTQ+ people can grow in faith, and we’re open to ideas for how to do this.”

RESLIFE SPEAKS OUT ON TRANSPORT STATISTICS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“The mandatory hall meetings [two] week[s ago] were to help ensure that students are aware of resources to help them deal with stress, and to encourage healthy behaviors,” Haynes said.

“Students interested in learning more about healthy behaviors and stress reduction can contact the Tiernan Field House.”

Additionally, the RAs held an Alcohol Awareness Carnival on October 27 to ensure student safety on Halloweekend. However, according to Haynes, it is safer to be transported to the ER than to stay on campus.

“If you are a person that’s gotten transported, know that many a student here has gotten transported,” Mihret said. “Know that it’s not some shame you have to carry around; it happens. It happens to the best of us.”

There are, however, ways to avoid getting transported.

By Priya Canzius ‘20 Staff Writer

“Count drinks, be safe, and reach out if you are stressed,” Mihret said. “We are all feeling it; talk to your RAs, talk to your student affair staff... If there’s something going on, there is a lot of support out there.”

Additionally, there is always an option not to drink.

“There are always a lot of alternative events if there is a party,” ShroffMehta said. “But, if you’re going to drink- because we all recognize that that happens- just be safe.”

Because Scripps is a college environment, students’ actions affect the college.

“High risk drinking doesn’t just impact the individual, it impacts the community,” Haynes said. “We look forward to working with students and others in the community on effective solutions.”

3 November, 2016 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Three

Opinion • 3

one president

The Scripps TWO FUTURES Voice Staff Excerpts from the news of March 2017...

By Catalina Biesman-Simons ‘17 Staff Writer

...in the event that Trump becomes POTUS.

Editors-in-Chief Rachel Miller-Haughton Elena Pinsker Advisor Sam Haynes Design Editors Abigail Gilcrest Meghan Joyce Layne Wells Copy Editors Sophie Fahey Anyi Wong-Lifton Business Manager Maureen Cowhey Webmaster Jocelyn Gardner Columnists & Staff Writers Emma Ambler Ali Bush Maureen Cowhey Delaney Dawson Erin Delany Emily Diamond Sophie Fahey Jocelyn Gardner Joelle Leib Erin Matheson Jo Nordhoff-Beard Grace Richey Sasha Rivera Sophia Rosenthal Isobel Whitcomb Photographers Molly Ferguson Jessica Padover Layne Wells

Comments and letters can be submitted by emailing scrippsvoice@gmail.com or by visiting our website at www. thescrippsvoice.com. Please review our guidelines online before submitting feedback.

The Scripps Voice is a student forum and is not responsible for the opinions expressed in it.

T

he Members of Parliament have resumed their debate over whether or not the President should be banned from Britain, and activist leaders are calling the move, “Trexit”.

Canada is pursuing its construction project along the United States’ northern border in spite of severe cold and snow.

When questioned, one contractor said, “Sure the weather is brutal, but we have to build this wall! Have to keep the bad Yanks out of our country.” Prime Minister Trudeau insists that the U.S. will foot the bill for this monumental structure stretching from Washington to Maine. Arrangements have yet to be made concerning the northern lakes and Alaska.

C h i n a a n d J a p a n h ave taken similar stances toward P r e s i d e n t D o n a l d Tr u m p this week as the President continues to rail against them on Twitter. Whenever the U.S. economy suffers, the President takes to Twitter to blame the other nations for out doing his efforts to Make America Richer Than it Already Is. In spite of his inability to correctly pronounce “China,” the President continues to spell it correctly. Most of the time.

Only Russia has escaped joining the 437 things that President Donald Trump has insulted on Twitter (437 at the time this article reached print, check the New York Times website for an up to date count).

Pundits across the country are expressing concern that POTUS appears to spend more of his time on Twitter than in the oval office. Newt Gingrich attempted to defend these habits when he was a guest on Fox News with Megyn Kelly last night.

However, despite Gingrich’s efforts to talk over Kelly, she managed to shut him down when she said, “You know what, Mr. Speaker, I’m not fascinated by the President’s Twitter habits, but I am fascinated by the governing of our country.”

A source from the President’s inner circle, who wished to remain anonymous, tells us that Megyn Kelly is not the only one concerned about the governing of our country.

An aide finally explained to a confused President Trump that the United States is not in fact a dictatorship, and that the phrase “checks and balances,” taught in fifth grade courses across the nation to describe the relationship between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government, was not a reference to his bank accounts. In light of this revelation, our source tells us that President Trump was distressed and angry (explaining the series of furious tweets published by POTUS in the wee hours of Tuesday morning). Earlier this month, the President had rekindled his feud with Macy’s, and now worries that he will spend his entire adult life fighting the department store he once claimed was, “weak on border security & stopping illegal immigration”.

In D.C. Trump has ordered a few renovations of the White House and its gardens. The first thing to go will be Michelle Obama’s vegetable patch. Sources from inside the White House tell us that the President intends to plant something much more American, like burgers, fries, and nuclear missiles instead. First Lady Melania Trump is said to have commissioned a 6-foot tall portrait of the President to display as people enter the White House. Other improvements to the White House include a legion of strategically placed mirrors so that POTUS can admire his tangerine complexion and assure himself that his hair has enough volume.

...in the event that Clinton becomes POTUS.

H

illary Clinton shifted her focus from low-income family support policies briefly yesterday to order a remodel on Capitol Hill. The remodel will renovate the ladies restrooms near where both the Senate and House of Representatives meet. Although the first congresswoman was elected in 1917, nearby bathrooms did not materialize until 1993 for the ladies of the Senate, and as recently as 2011 for the women of the House of Representatives. This restroom expansion is a clear message from the Clinton administration that more women are expected to enter into politics.

Other renovations include a new glass ceiling for the oval office specially designed by famous sculptor Dale Chihuly. This remodel is to address press concerns about transparency, and to remind President Clinton of her shattering election results.

This would certainly reflect the increase in women in t h e P re s i d e n t ’s c a b i n e t and staff. Notable female members include Elizabeth Warren, Sheryl Sandberg (she leaned in to snag a seat this past January), and Alicia Machado. Michelle Obama has also returned to the White House in her new role as Secretary of State, where she is expected to pursue a foreign policy of, “when they go low, we go high”.

Kate McKinnon is rumored to play President Clinton’s double at boring functions that POTUS is uninterested in attending. Alec Baldwin is occasionally employed to heckle McKinnon with calls of a rigged election in his Trump persona, to make the charade more convincing.

A team of White House aides, encouraged by the GOP, has been running e-mail tutorials since President Clinton entered the oval office this past January. The howto sessions include basic computer skills, and explicit instructions about avoiding personal networks. Robby Mook, a rollover staffer from the Clinton campaign, said, “We are still having trouble with our e-mail system. E-mails seem to just spontaneously delete themselves, and for the life of us we just can’t figure out why.” GOP hardliners are pushing for a switch to carrier pigeons to better protect national secrets. “No one can hack a pigeon,” said Colin Powell, the former U.S. Secretary of State.

The Department of Education was relieved to find its position secure under a Clinton Presidency; voters will recall that the Republican candidate Donald Trump threatened to get rid of them altogether. However, teachers and professors across the nation have been complaining of the new grading reform implemented by President Clinton’s administration. Using fact-checkers to grade all student work has lifted the burden of scoring homework from teachers, and created new jobs.

Nonetheless, some complain that such methods are untenable in subjects like foreign language where verb conjugations might not necessarily be “false” but merely “incorrect”.

Our fashion reporter notes that since President Clinton’s election in November, the lady’s pantsuit is riding a wave of popularity in the industry. The trend has even spread to Europe, where the House of Chanel, of course, led the charge. Men’s fashion is gaining serious traction for the first time in America, as males across the nation look to First Gentleman Bill Clinton for trends. Readers can stay on top of Clinton’s news via the First Gentleman’s lifestyle blog and Instagram account, where the First Gentleman often posts snaps of his freshly baked cookies. His vegan chocolate chip cookies have been a major hit with foreign dignitaries.

“An aide finally explained to a confused President Trump that the United States is not in fact a dictatorship, and that the phrase ‘checks and balances’... was not a reference to his bank accounts.”

3 November, 2016 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Three

4 • News

the science of genetic memory

EPIGENETICS: Isobel Whitcomb ‘17 Environmental Columnist

W

hen schools teach kids about evolution, they often begin with a story about two men: Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Charles Darwin. In case you’ve blocked middle and high school out of your memory, here’s a quick refresher. Lamarck and Darwin were both naturalists who studied how species evolve.

However, unlike his contemporary, Darwin, Lamarck did not believe in natural selection or extinction. Instead, Lamarck thought that species acquired characteristics and then passed them onto their offspring. If you think back hard enough, you might recall the ubiquitous giraffe example, in which the shortnecked parent giraffe stretches its neck out to reach the tallest leaves, and subsequently gives birth to a baby giraffe with a slightly longer neck who then stretches its neck out (and so on).

The main point of these lessons was that Lamarck is wrong, and Darwin is right.

However, modern biology is finding that inheritance might not be so simple.

Enter epigenetic inheritance.

Epigenetics is the process by which the expression of genes are affected by our environment. While genetic code is important in determining how organisms look, behave and function, the environment is also crucial in determining characteristics. For example, while identical twins have the same DNA, rarely do you meet a pair of adult identical twins who look exactly alike, at least if you look closely.

What causes two people with the exact same genetic code to look and act differently?

Much of epigenetics is a process that affects our genes on a minute, molecular level but doesn’t actually change the backbone of our

genes - our DNA - in any way. Think of genetics this way: there’s your DNA, but there are also a whole lot of other processes happening around it. For example, in the most commonly studied mode of epigenetics, chemicals called methyl

a real occurrence, and it happens all the time.

For instance, one area of study that has garnered a lot of attention recently in both biology and psychology is the epigenetic inheritance of trauma. Some research in this area is showing that people who experience trauma pass on the effects of trauma to their children. However, other scientists are finding that parents who experience trauma pass on increased resilience. Rachel Yehuda, at James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, found in her study of the survivors of the Nazi Holocaust and their children, that holocaust survivors had 10% higher methylation, which promotes the expression of a gene associated with PTSD and depression. However, their children had 7.7% lower methylation at that site, indicating an increased resilience to stress.

While epigenetics complicates the way we look at evolution, it’s important to note that these changes don’t indicate that Lamarck was correct in any way. The fact is that Lamarck had no idea genes existed, so he could not have predicted the complexity of the interaction between inheritance and environment. Epigenetics is not an alternative to the Darwinian view of evolution. Instead, it provides us with a more nuanced and detailed view of the way genetics and evolution works.

groups bind onto certain portions of a cell’s DNA. These methyl groups have the power to switch the traits encoded in the DNA on or off.

If only there was a way to pass on these epigenetic changes to offspring, things would begin to sound awfully Lamarckian. As it turns out, the most recent studies in epigenetic research show that epigenetic inheritance is

Rachel Yehuda, Nikolaos P. Daskalakis, Linda M. Bierer, Heather N. Bader, Torsten Klengel, Florian Holsboer, Elisabeth B. Binder. Holocaust Exposure Induced Intergenerational Effects on FKBP5 Methylation. Biological Psychiatry, 2016; 80 (5): 372 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.08.005 Drawing courtesy of renecampbellart.deviantart.com

“AIDS PATIENT ZERO” THEORY DEBUNKED BY RESEARCHERS Erin Matheson ‘18 Science Columnist

A

IDS has raised many questions but given very few answers. For years, people thought that a flight attendant named Gaetan Dugas was responsible for spreading AIDS in the United States however, new information from the scientific journal Nature has debunked that urban legend.

Researchers at the University of Arizona genetically sequenced HIV virus from Dugas and eight other men infected with HIV early on in the 1970s. The full-genome ‘snapshot’ provides strong evidence for its emergence from a pre-existing Caribbean epidemic. From analysis of the genetic codes, the scientists estimate HIV came to the U.S. from Haiti in 1970 or 1971.

The viral infection was undetected for years and spread to New York City around 1971 and

to San Francisco around 1976.

The new analysis shows that Mr. Dugas’s blood, sampled in 1983, contained a viral strain already infecting men in New York. He was not, nor ever was intended to be “Patient Zero”.

Dugas participated in an early epidemiological study of cases where he was designated Patient O, for “outside Southern California,” where the study began.

The ambiguous zero or O was interpreted as a zero, and began the false phenomena that the epidemic could be placed on one man.

The idea that one person could have started the epidemic has stigmatized the AIDS disease. Many people do not want to come out and share that they too are HIV positive. Hopefully, after these interesting findings, the public perception and preventive care will improve. It makes you wonder what scientific story they will debunk next.

“The idea that one person could have started the epidemic has stigmatized the AIDS disease.”

Photos courtesy of hivtrg.org and politico.ie

3 November, 2016 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Three

Sports • 5

Alternative Sports: Ultimate Frisbee Edition Emma Wu Shortt ‘20 Staff Writer

A

s an American child, one is often thrust into the world of organized sports from a very young age. Whether it be peewee football or teeball baseball, there’s always a place for youngsters to run amuck and get a taste of sportspersonship. My childhood was not dissimilar. I played on a softball team and then a volleyball team and a basketball. I later went through track and field, cross country and nordic skiing. But none of these sports truly felt like a good fit. Sure, I was a good athlete, sometimes even on the starting line. But I never had the passion or the drive to practice and turn luck into perfection. However, this was all before I had a taste of the wonderful sport and community of ultimate frisbee.

Ultimate is not so much a sport as a way of being. It’s a community of energetic, compassionate individuals with a love for throwing around a flat disc and chasing it down before it hits the ground. When I entered the ultimate world I was welcomed with open arms, and challenged with an extremely athletic sport

that asks for your all and takes nothing less.

Within ultimate there is a concept called “spirit of the game”. Spirit is in essence, good sportspersonship and excitement to be playing the game. One has spirit if they lead cheers, congratulate the other team after a point, and generally let their goofy, free spirit shine through. After games end, teams will form a big spirit circle, alternating team players, and talk through the game that has just been played. If questionable calls were made, heated interactions happen, they will all be discussed and resolved. Ultimate frisbee has no referee so it is up to the players themselves to call defensive and offensive fouls or indicate if they have caught the disc in the end zone or are just outside of it. This element of the game requires quite a bit of trust between players as well as accommodation. Due to this need, I have found that ultimate players tend to be the most patient, caring, and understanding people I have had the honor to encounter.

One can clearly observe the physicality and athleticism of the sport. Players will sprint down the field, huck humongous throws, and literally

run and dive into the endzone in order to catch the disc and score a goal. Frisbee is alike to soccer and football in the amount of conditioning and dedication it requires. However, you really do not notice the amount of cardio when you’re playing a game as dynamic and fun as frisbee is. Because of the extreme athleticism of frisbee, the sport is very exciting and entertaining to be a spectator for.

I know play for the wonderful, dynamic, dinosaur-sporting team, The Claremont Greenshirts, an awesome women’s team who sometimes joins up with The Braineaters for some friendly fun. We travel to tournaments all over california and beyond and are doing pretty well within our D3 bracket. Fingers crossed for what I am certain will be a great season.

So if you have not yet found the team sports of your dreams. If you like to play hard and party hard, often simultaneously. If you love the option of playing mixed or open. I cannot recommend this sport enough. No other team sport is as welcoming, open-minded, improvisatory, and trusting as ultimate frisbee. I wouldn’t change a single element of the beautiful game.

U.S. WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS TEAM SETS BAR HIGH Jo Nordhoff-Beard ‘19 Staff Writer

I

didn’t do much last summer. But while I sat on my butt and mindlessly flipped through TV channels, I remembered that the Olympics were happening. With the arrival of the games on our television came the return of sports that we Americans only think about every four years: fencing, swimming, competitive horseback riding and gymnastics.

I’m fascinated by gymnastics because my life goal is to be more flexible and have more coordination. My cousin is a competitive gymnast, and whenever I went to watch her meets when I was younger I was so envious of her athletic ability and discipline. This year, the US women’s team were the overwhelming favorites to win the gold medal, and they did so by 8.209 points.

This year’s quintet was different than those of previous years. Two members of “The Final Five” as they called themselves, Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas, were a part of “The Fierce Five”, the 2012 gold medal winning team who had not won a gold medal since the 1996 Magnificent Seven but had come so close in previous election cycles. Raisman and Douglas were the first ever previous Olympic gymnastics champions to return to the games for the United States. The other notable member of The Final Five was Simone Biles. While most of America didn’t know her name or face until she took the stage this past summer, Biles has won 3 All-Around World Championships and 4 All-Around National Championships. She was not in the mix for the 2012 team because of age eligibility, but as soon as she became a Senior elite gymnast she took the gymnastics scene by storm with her insane tumbling ability and boundless energy.

Raisman, Douglas, Biles, and their teammates Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian entered the arena with overwhelming chances to win, a predicament the U.S. had not been in during past Olympic games.

Previously, the U.S. women battled Russia and China for medals, but last summer, both these teams had major weaknesses on some of the four apparatuses and major injuries

Simone Biles displaying her 2016 Olympic medals. Photo courtesy of NBC Olympics.

to key gymnasts that prevented them from competing at their full potential.

The Final Five struck the right balance of centralized and individual training with a system that had all gymnasts who were either on or in contention for a spot on the national team come to “The Ranch”, a gymnastics training center owned by USA Gymnastics, for a week each month to show their new skills and abilities. During the rest of the month, the gymnasts trained with their coaches in their home gyms to prepare to show more new skills at the next camp.

This training style greatly impacts the social life and mental well being of gymnasts.

Most elite gymnasts are homeschooled and do not have “normal” adolescent lives, with very few friends outside of gymnastics. This intense and rigorous training style blows through many gymnasts that could have been contenders, losing them to injuries often right before major competitions. Many elite gymnasts also secure scholarships to elite colleges and have trouble adjusting to The five that remained had to see all their friends get sidelined, which put them in an awkward position of having to support their friends yet at the same time also being in a position to

capitalize on their injury and move up in the standings. By the end of this Olympic cycle, Marta Karolyi had the five right people that outlasted everyone else and withstood all the injuries and tough training sessions. She believed this made Raisman, Douglas, Biles, Hernandez, and Kocian the group that could bring home the gold medal.

Obsessed is an understatement to describe how I feel about this team. They performed so well under pressure and always kept their cool. I liked them as a team because they They also seemed like they had genuine camaraderie between them, more so than other teams. All of them commented on each other’s Instagram photos and supported each other by retweeting each other’s tweets and snapchatting behind the scenes antics. I was drawn to this team because they felt like real, genuine people to me, and that if we were in the same place at the same time, that friendship with either of them could be attainable. They were Olympians, but they also seemed like people with which I wish I had been better friends at school, which I believe is part of the reason of their cultural impact and continued inspiration to young girls.

3 November, 2016 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Three

8 • Features

SUSTAINABLE

SCRIPPS:

“a History

and a Future”

Mia Farago-Iwamasa ‘17 Staff Writer

The History of the Olive Oil Harvest

T

he story of the famous Scripps Olive Oil starts at the very beginning of the college’s history. Olive trees have been a central part of Scripps’ campus since its founding in 1926.

In the 1930s, the Olive Grove was planted in the very heart of campus where it stayed untouched for over 30 years. However, in the 1960s, the trees were threatened by a proposal to turn that area of campus into the Bette Cree Edwards Humanities building. The ‘60s were not a good time to propose tearing down trees though, as social and environmental activism was thriving, especially on college campuses. This decision was thus not popular with students or alumni, and in 1968, they “took to the trees” to protest. After a heated standoff between the administration and the students, 60 trees were gingerly scooped up and placed in boxes during construction of the Humanities building. They were then replanted in and around the building, where we see them thriving today.

In 2007, a new Core II class, “The Politics and Culture of Food,” taught by Professor Nancy Neiman Auerach, proposed harvesting the edible plants on campus to make fruit jam and olive oil. This idea led to a campus wide movement to raise money for sustainable initiatives by selling the food we produce right here on campus. However, it was not until 2012, that students, faculty and staff came together for the first ever olive oil harvest.

This inaugural day of community building, conversation and bonding produced over 1,500 pounds of olives from 35 Mission olive trees. These ripe fruits were shipped to an alumni’s family grove in Ojai, where they were pressed into more than 700 8-oz bottles of oil. Each bottle was adorned with a student designed label. However, it was what was the oil inside that became so highly prized.

Scripps’ olive oil won “Best of Show” in its class at the Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition in Pomona that year, receiving extremely high reviews from all 12 expert judges. The revenue produced funded Scripps’ first Sustainability Fellow, a part-time staff member solely committed to advancing sustainable efforts at Scripps, and the social enterprise “Fallen Fruit from Rising Women,” who make local jam.

In 2013, this momentous event became an annual one, as the Scripps community again came together to produce its fabulous olive oil. This oil was again entered into the Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition and received another award, this time a Silver Medal, for its high quality.

Unfortunately, in 2014, the California drought hindered the olive trees’ production and there were not enough olives for a harvest. This year, the Sustainability Fellow position was paid for with the president’s discretionary funds, but the role was in danger of being lost. While Scripps was able to harvest again in 2015, last year’s oil sales barely broken even with the production cost.

1970: Rescued olive trees being craned back into place.

Photo courtesy of Ella Strong Denison Library.

Olive oil bottles from all past years of production.

What Other Sources of Funding Support Sustainability Initiatives on Campus?

I This Year’s Olive Oil

T

his year Scripps has changed its pressing partner to the Temecula Olive Oil Company, a smaller and more local operation. Thom Curry, one of the co-founders, came to campus to help harvest and provide information about the process and olive oil making business. It was the first year a luncheon was held where volunteers could taste the previous year’s olive oil. Scripps is hoping to use the revenue from these sales to again fund the essential Sustainability Fellow position.

If you didn’t get a chance to come join the community and support our sustainable efforts, please contact Mia Farago-Iwamasa.

There may be another chance thread some olives this fall, since our trees were so productive this year.

t is a big misconception that funding for sustainability projects comes from the same money the college uses for student scholarships. In reality, the funding for individual projects comes from a variety of other sources. For example, the LEED Silver features of New Hall were incorporated into the project budget for the whole building, LED lights and Elkay fountains are paid for by the facilities budget and water conservation, and outdoor sustainability is covered by the grounds department and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California rebates.

Donor funds also contribute substantially to specific projects, such as the planned replacement of the Seal Court fountain system with an Elkay refillable station this winter break.

However, there is no set aside money or budget for environmental sustainability efforts, which is one reason it is so hard and takes so long to enact change. The only transformations and funding that has been put toward sustainability is because of the students and staff who work tirelessly and passionately to advocate for these issues.

These amazingly devoted individuals include Lola Trafecanty, Director of grounds, Crystal Weintrub, current Sustainability Fellow, and the members of the Scripps Environmental Club and Sustainability Committee.

To get more involved and help us enact change and spark discussion at Scripps, please email Mia Farago-Iwamasa at mfaragoi7384@ scrippscollege.edu.

Students Caroline Quinn ‘17, Annie Carroll ‘17 and Anne Shalamoff ‘20 threading olives at this year’s harvest.

Photos by Mia Farago-Iwamasa ‘17.

3 November, 2016 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Three

Features • 9

Queen of Katwe proves irresistably uplifting

By Ali Bush ‘19 Film Columnist

A

n illiterate girl living in an impoverished Ugandan community becomes a world-renowned chess player in Mira Nair’s new film “Queen of Katwe” (2016). The Disney motion picture is an adapts the story of real life chess champion Phiona Mutesi, a chess grandmaster and pride of the Uganda.

The film follows Phiona’s rise to fame and the struggles she faces along the way in a nuanced and touching manner. Lupita Nyong’o (Phiona’s resilient single mother) and David Oyelowo (Phiona’s encouraging coach) give enchanting performances. But the film’s success hinges on an astounding performance of newcomer Medina Malwanga, who portrays Phiona with impressive grace and intellectual prowess. Although the film follows the cookie cutter structure of a sports feelgood movie, its subject is authentic and its slew of new, charismatic actors makes the film irresistibly uplifting.

The film introduces us to Phiona, her mother (Nyong’o), and her three siblings living in a hut in the slums of Katwe, where they work selling corn and barely making enough money to get by.

Director Mira Nair neither romanticized nor pities their community. Nair displays it with beauty and color. When Phiona comes across a children’s chess club run by a local Christian ministry, she enters because she is hungry, but stays then later returns because the game of chess captivates her.

Phiona’s coach (Oyelowo) immediately recognizes her talent and encourages her continue practicing despite her economic situation and overwhelming self-doubt. Soon we see Phiona and her rag tag group of chess pals defeat opponents of all nationalities, ages and classes. As one small boy tells Phiona, “in chess, the small one can become the big one,” referring to the actual chess pieces, but soon we see Phiona realize that her extraordinary talent can pull her family from poverty.

The general subject of the film is extremely refreshing, as it is set in Africa and features an all-black cast, yet doesn’t revolve around war or civil unrest. Furthermore, films chronicling the intellectual achievements of a young woman of color are far and few between, and this production truly reflects the success the film industry is finding in representing less visible stories.

Phiona’s portrayal is complex and thoughtful, and provides inspiration for young girls everywhere.

Being a 10-year-old girl in a competitive setting places extreme pressure on Phiona. We see her doubt her right to be competing with extremely intelligent people and even uncertainty about her own talents. Fortunately, Phiona overcomes her insecurities and isolation. Her story teaches her audience not to be ashamed of their talents and accept their victories with pride and gratitude.

Although the film seems somewhat predictable and mushy at times, it is after all, a Disney production, and it contains lessons that can be beneficial for a wide array of audiences. As the credits roll, we see real-life characters meet their actor equivalents, and are reminded that this incredible underdog story is true. “Queen of Katwe” will leave your heart feeling fuzzy and tears in your eyes.

Photos courtsey of The Walt Disney Company

3 November, 2016 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Three

10 • Features

queer resources and community across the 5c campuses Hello there! Before I embark on what I am sure shall be quite an adventure of a queer column, let me introduce myself. My name is Emma Wu Shortt and I am a Scripps student, an Oregonian, a hapa, and a bisexual woman. I am so excited to be a part of the queer community at the 5C’s and to promote inclusion of LGBTQA+ and QPOC voices in our discussions on campus. In addition to covering issues and initiatives of the queer community on campus, I will also be discussing what is going on in the greater LGBTQA+ community.

My intention in writing this column is to create a space where the queer community is advocated for and queer events, happenings and issues are discussed and publicized. I am creating this column as a resource for queer identifying people as well as their allies. To start off this column I shall be discussing my initial thoughts of and experiences with the queer community and resources at the 5Cs.

By Emma Wu Shortt ‘20 Staff Writer As a highly liberal, left-leaning consortium, one would expect the 5Cs to have a thriving queer community across the campuses. However, although this community is beginning to form with the help of Safe Space (a 5C student-run queer organization) and QQAMP (the queer mentoring program on campus), historically there have been divisions between campuses that have hindered the growth of this powerful community. Due to the Queer Resource Center’s location at Pomona, many community members feel as though this is isolating for the rest of the campuses because the trek is sizable. A studentrun club called Safe Space seeks to remedy this issue. A student leader at Safe Space, Sasha Rivera reports that, “Safe Space’s goal is to encompass the entire queer community at the 5Cs and bring them together to weaken these divisions. That’s why our meeting place is in

SCORE at Scripps, which is more central in terms of campuses than the QRC.” Regardless of its location, the QRC provides many resources and spaces such as an LGBTQ+ library for queer students to regroup. In addition to Safe Space, there is collaboration occurring between different queer clubs on the 5Cs. They are banding together to put together a Queer Mixer on Oct. 7 to give queer students a chance to interact and meet one another. This is just the first of many collaborative events in the hopes of building a stronger, and more inclusive queer community.

Despite its liberally inclusive status, the 5C campuses are not without their incidences of transphobic and queerphobic microaggressions.

A student at Pitzer and Safe Space Leader, Elliott Joyce, describes the situation saying, “I’ve heard of microaggressions… Especially to people of color and trans people. There’s just not a lot of understanding among staff and teachers… trans people get misgendered or called the wrong name a lot, especially those who haven’t

medically or legally begun to transition.” Also, the issue of ‘white feminism’ or ‘white liberalism’ has become apparent on campuses. It increasingly becomes clear that discussion spaces need to include more queer community members and people of color. In addition to this, many queer people of color face racial discrimination in addition to queerphobic or transphobic microaggressions. To work to overcome these prejudices we must increase awareness and education about queer issues and activism on campus and form a conscious effort to include queer people in discussions.

However, despite these ongoing issues and concern, there is an opportunity for a close knit and courageous queer community to form assisted by the efforts of Safe Space, QRC, QQAMP, and other singular campus based organizations. Banding together makes us powerful, and as we all know — there is much to accomplish.

Why Are You On Tinder?:

Expectations, Assumptions, & Dating in the Digital Age

By Sophia Rosenthal ‘17 Film Columnist

“May I ask you some personal questions?”

“Oh goodness, here we go,” I thought.

I’d gotten this question on Tinder before, and I was already anticipating what I expected would be a plea for naughty photos, a threesome request, or — because some people are apparently still 12-years-old — the infamous “what’s your bra size.” But being the kind (and curious) person I am, I gave him the go ahead with an invisible eye roll.

A few hours later he replied with his question: “When was your last long term relationship?”

Okay — not what I was expecting.

I told him I’d never really had a “long term” relationship, and, after a few messages back and forth justifying my perpetual singleness, he said, “So you’re just on tinder to get around then? You can’t possibly be looking for a relationship.” I asked him why, in his view, I “can’t possibly be looking for a relationship,” and his answer was “Because you’re a good looking girl, you should be able to find something out in the real world.”

Anyone who has swiped through Tinder or Bumble (or even a friend’s Tinder) has seen the classic “willing to say we met through a friend,” “let’s say we met at WalMart,” or even “we both know why we’re on here” tacked onto the end of a bio. My conversation with this anonymous Tinder fellow (who turned out to be very nice, by the way) got me thinking about the ways in which apps like Tinder are characterized as “hook up apps,” and the assumptions that follow about who uses online dating, why they’re using them, and what it means.

The idea that a “good looking girl” should be able to “find someone” in the “real world,” is both interesting and problematic on several levels. First of all, regardless of the fact that “good-looking” is an enormously subjective descriptor, it is safe to say that dating and everything that goes along with it is difficult for everyone, regardless of physical appearance; these apps’ popularity alone suggests that plenty of people aren’t finding whatever they’re looking for in “the real world.”

But even beyond that, the notion that the “real world” has a higher degree of legitimacy than the

virtual world is one that does not necessarily hold true. It’s a notion that carries over from the stigma attached to non-monogamous/casual encounters (the modern “bar meet up”), and an assumption that any meeting that is deliberately sought out or planned is somehow less valid and desperate (the modern “speed dating”).

This is is not to say that any of these things are or are not true, it is simply to suggest that a connection is a connection — and if a connection is good, why devalue it because of how it happens to manifest? Whether it is casual or long-term, a serendipitous meeting or one that’s been planned for months, whether you meet in a class, on a plane...or on Tinder — if it’s good, why judge it?

And if it feels real, then maybe it is still the “real world.”

3 November, 2016 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Three

Features • 11

WANT TO WORK FOR

THE SCRIPPS VOICE? WHY WOULDN’T YOU? WRITING EXPERIENCE! COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT! A WAY TO PROCRASTINATE WRITING THAT ESSAY!

ALWAYS HIRING!?!?!

WOW!! go to thescrippsvoice.com for more details, or email scrippsvoice@gmail.com 3 November, 2016 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Three

12 • Arts & Entertainment

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Photos courtesy of Abbot Mills and Ed Clark, Claremont Colleges Digital Library

Madeline Sy ‘18

with Maureen Cowhey ‘19, Business Manager & Staff Writer Year: Transfer Junior From: Glendale, California Intended Major: English What’s it like being a transfer student and starting out as a junior at Scripps?

It’s been interesting. People get confused because I’m an upperclassman but also technically a first year so I generally introduce myself as an over-prepared freshman. But overall, it’s a good mix of knowing and not knowing how things work around Scripps. Actually, I find that I appreciate what Scripps has to offer more because I know what it’s like at other colleges.

What’s the best CLORG you’ve joined?

It’s gotta be competing with the Claremont Equestrian Team. I’ve never ridden a horse in my life and I sort of stumbled into it not knowing that there even was a 5C clorg for riding. But honestly, it’s been such an enriching experience. The people are great, the horses are cute and I get reminded every day that a big part of learning is not knowing what the heck you’re doing half the time.

If you had to describe yourself in three images what would they be?

I’ve been avoiding this challenge because it takes so much time to figure out but here it goes: Wednesday from The Addams Family, Boo from Monsters Inc. and Edna Mode from The Incredibles.

What is the hardest thing you ever had to do?

It is deciding to go to community college.

Looking back, it was the best decision I ever made. It taught me how to cut the crap and hyper-focus on my goals. But at that time, I felt like I was letting myself down because I wasn’t going to a fouryear college. But honestly, I wouldn’t even be at Scripps right now if I hadn’t gone to a community college first.

Tell me about something you would happily do again.

This 10K mud run with obstacles called the Rock n’ Run at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. I did it twice while I was in high school. You crawl through mud, under barbed wire and climb through tires and dumpsters. It’s such a mind over body experience. IT’S SO AWESOME. What activity do you do that makes you feel most like yourself?

Writing poetry for sure. There’s something about the weight of words and the way they sit on a page that is endlessly fascinating. I’ve done it for so long that it’s one of the few things that I feel like I don’t have to justify to anyone and that I do for myself.

3 November, 2016 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XX • Issue Three