Volume XXII Issue 03

1 November, 2018

scrippsvoice.com

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Image courtesy of Lydia Ortiz

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Claremont Colleges Silent about Campus Sexual Violence

By Rena Patel ‘19 Editor-in-Chief

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iven the conclusion of the Kavanaugh hearing earlier this month, I was not surprised to see a wave of support for survivors of sexual assault from all parts of the Claremont Colleges. The EmPower Center, being the first to acknowledge the grief and struggles of survivors, sent out an email detailing their services and ways they could support students in the wake of Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

Scripps’ student government soon followed, however support and action from administration was not only delayed, but also just a reiteration of the EmPower Center’s earlier email.

However, the show of support from administration, not just at Scripps but throughout the Claremont Colleges, was simply just a show. Rather, it’s our student peers who are leading the charge in sexual assault awareness and prevention. The Pomona College Women’s Union (WU) and the Pomona Advocates for Survivors of Sexual Assault hosted a discussion on Community Accountability on Thursday Oct. 25. In an email sent to all club and organization heads, the event’s main focus was to “highlight what student clubs and organizations can do to not only to prevent sexual violence at their

events, but also to hold perpetrators of violence within their communities accountable for their actions.” The email also stressed that attendance of such events throughout the year will be taken into consideration when determining club and organization budgets through ASPC Senate for the 2019-2020 school year. Club leaders from all over the 5Cs attended the event, and while some may have had fiscal motivations for attending at the beginning, everyone left the event with a greater awareness of the climate surrounding sexual assault and violence on our campuses.

The event succeeded in creating a space where individuals felt comfortable sharing their own experiences as survivors of sexual violence as well as fostering a space for discussion and education for those who previously were unaware of rape culture and systemic toxic masculinity.

I witnessed survivors and truly remorseful perpetrators acknowledging each others’ feelings and experiences in a productive and supportive manner

surrounded by people whose aim was to educate and not judge. The fact that this event managed to create such an open environment put me in awe of how we can come together as a community to support one another through our struggles and mistakes. When discussing community, we were asked the question, “What does community accountability look like to you?” In a full group discussion, the responses circled around the idea of consistency in upholding and enforcing the standards set forth by the community, with a focus on the experiences of the survivor. It is clear that the student bodies on all of the 5C campuses are dedicated in creating a community where survivors are heard and supported. However, from our discussions with our peers, it is evident that the same can not be said about any administration at each of the Claremont Colleges. We as

“We as institutions have a problem addressing the incidents sexual assault and violence on our campuses.”

institutions have a problem addressing the incidents sexual assault and violence on our campuses. Ignoring these incidents will not prevent them from occurring. Especially given recent events, it’s important to have a vested interest in sexual assault, accountability, and survivor support.

Administration has shown their support in solidarity, but words are not actions and our peers are looking for action to support what’s been said.

Preventing sexual violence begins at an institutional level. In order to ensure that sexual assault and violence is not to be tolerated at these schools, our administrations need to take a good look at how they’ve handled cases in the past and reevaluate the sexual violence policies on campus, and come to an agreement on what community accountability looks like to them. Our students understand what community accountability means. It is time for our institutions to take action and rise up to meet those expectations.

The Federal Push to Erase the Trans Community And How You Can Help

By Hayley Van Allen ’21 Queer Columnist

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n Oct 24, the Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling on a case concerning Aimee Stephens, a trans woman who was fired from a Detroit funeral home after she informed her employer that she was beginning her gender transition. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects transgender workers and that an employer’s religious beliefs cannot be used to justify discrimination. The Department of Justice has sided with the funeral home, stating that the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, but not gender identity.

“When Title VII was enacted in 1964, ‘sex’ meant biological sex; it referred to the physiological distinction between ‘male and female,’” the brief from the Department of Justice stated. “Title VII thus does not apply to discrimination against an individual based on his or her gender identity.” While this does not yet mean that the Supreme Court will rule in favor of the funeral home, or even hear the case at all, it is seriously concerning that the Department of Justice is pushing such an agenda. The Supreme Court is expected to decide whether or not it will take up the case in the coming months. It’s also notable that, in those months, it will also decide whether or not it will take up cases that determine if sexual orientation is protected from sex discrimination.

This all comes in the midst of other

Image courtesy of The Washington Post

anti-trans initiatives from the Trump Administration. On October 21, news broke that the Trump Administration is working on policies that would define sex as “a person’s status as male or female based on immutable biological traits identifiable by or before birth.” With this definition, both trans and intersex people would no longer exist under the law. A shift like this would be a huge blow to the trans and intersex justice movements. Federal level antidiscrimination laws basically define who is seen as human under the law. By excluding trans and intersex

people from the protections the CRA and Title IX have created, Trump is dehumanizing these communities. An important question to consider is: how can cis individuals support the trans community at a time like this? There are many ways to support, but the most important thing for cis people to do is be a friend to and an advocate for trans people.

The first and most obvious way to do this is vote in the midterms. Spend the time to know that the candidates you vote for will support the rights of trans people. Be an educated voter.

Then call everyone you know. This of

“The first and most obvious way to do this is vote in the midterms. Spend the time to know that the candidates you vote for will support the rights of trans people. Be an educated voter.”

course includes your senator, but also talk to your family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances. Educate them on the importance of trans+ rights because this is a burden that shouldn’t fall solely on the trans community and it’s a message that is more likely to be listened to when coming from a place of cis privilege. Beyond that, you should also make an effort to support trans people in your daily life.

Treat trans women as women; treat trans men as men; treat non-binary people as non-binary people. If you misgender someone, fix your mistake and don’t make a scene, just apologize quickly. The best way to respect and remember pronouns is to restart your sentence with the correct pronoun. Call out mistreatment and transphobic/ cisnormative jokes when you see them. Calling out acts of transphobia can make the people around you uncomfortable, but it’s worth being the kill-joy if it makes a trans person feel safer. When it comes down to it, the safety and wellbeing of trans people is far more important than the feelings of cis people. It’s incredibly easy to show support for your trans+siblings on an individual level. You can donate to kickstarters, offer emotional support to your trans friends, call out your friends on their cisnormativity and transphobia, publicly voice your support for the trans community, etc. Use your privilege to educate others and explain how the trans community is at risk of violence, erasure, suicide. Do your part as an ally and advocate for trans justice.

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

2 • News

BASED ON AN AMERICAN HORROR STORY We’v e a l l h e a r d t h a t p o l i t i c i a n s i n Wa s h i n g t o n h a v e b e i n g t r y i n g t o “d e f u n d ” P l a n n e d P a r e n t h o o d , b u t w h a t d o e s t h a t r e a l l y m e a n ?

W h y a r e p e o p l e s a y i n g # I S t a n d Wi t h P P ?

By Theri Aronson ‘20 Staff Writer

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reaking: “The Trump Administration just took direct aim at birth control coverage for 62.4 million women!” Former Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards tweeted on Oct 7, 2017. Planned Parenthood is a trusted health care provider in the US that delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of people nationwide.

Despite increases in taxpayer funding and donations from celebrity activists, Planned Parenthood facilities are closing down rapidly all over the country. We’ve all heard that politicians in Washington have being trying to “defund” Planned Parenthood, but what does that really mean? Why are people saying #IStandWithPP? And do they need to go to the bathroom? Maybe. (ha!) Just 48 hours after the Women’s March on Washington, the Trump Administration announced the Global Gag rule otherwise known as Donald Trump’s healthcare reform policy. This ‘rule’ makes it so that no U.S. nongovernmental organizations, receiving U.S. “family planning funding,” cannot be funded. In other words, the Senate made it so NGOs like Planned Parenthood do not have enough funds to stay open. “The Senate mandate is known as one of the worst bills for women’s health in a generation,” Richards tweeted.

At the moment, Planned Parenthood is America’s leading reproductive health care provider. Planned Parenthood provides 2.4 million people a year of access to birth control, cancer, screenings, STD tests etc.

In a single year, the organization provides 2 million patients with birth control, 4.2 million STD tests, 360,000 breast exams, and 217,000 Pap tests. “We’re the nation’s largest provider of sex education,” Richards

tweeted. “Sex education that’s evidence based and delivered by trained professions is extremely effective and widely supported.”

In the past year, Planned Parenthood has catered to 2.7 billion women and men including those with low incomes, living in rural communities, people of all different sexual orientations and racial backgrounds.

When Planned Parenthood opened, their mission was to provide healthcare to lowincome communities. This was to ensure

that no matter what, they could receive timely access to healthcare. Philosopher John Locke said in “Natural Law” philosophy that certain rights are inherent by virtue of human nature, endowed by nature.

Although healthcare should be considered a “natural right,” it sadly is not. Just this past Friday, the Trump Administration declared that they plan to cut down on mandates in the Affordable Care Act, starting with narrowing down on the Patient’s Bill of Rights, which is meant to make health care laws more accessible, and easy to understand for the general public. After all, doesn’t the public deserve to know what their rights are? Additional rights and benefits that the health care law would provide includes: “Breastfeeding equipment and support, birth country methods, counseling, mental health and substance abuse services, the right to appeal a health plan decision, and the right to choose and individual Market plan rather than the one your employer offers you.”

Under the Obama Administration, 62.4 million women gained access to birth control coverage. The Trump Administration treats healthcare for men and women as though it was optional, even though nearly 90% of women of reproductive age have used birth control at some point in their lives. That means nearly 100% of women in the United States need access to birth control during their lifetime. However, one-third of those women cannot afford to cover their birth control costs. Birth control matters, or #HandsOffMyBC, is the next best Twitter movement to be a part of if we want to get the ball rolling on birth control coverage.

Covering birth control could make the pill even more affordable.

Never in our nation’s history has birth control been as readily available or affordable as it was in 2016. The Trump Administration’s attack on birth control policy puts all women that rely on birth control directly at risk. No one can predict what will unfold in the future.

You may be asking: Well, what can I do about such a messy political mandate? In her piece, “When It Comes to Gender, Let Confusion Reign”, Holland Cotter responds: “Resistance is good exercise. It helps keep you young. And it can keep you alert. Even when you lose track of what “normal” is, you know you don’t want to be that.”

1 November, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVII • Issue Three

Can We Take the Heat?

By Amanda Morgan Riley ‘19 Guest Contributer

You’ve probably heard of the 2015 Paris Agreement. Since 2015, 181 parties have ratified the Agreement to limit the rise of global warming to under 2°C. Concerned parties include various nations across the globe, the E.U., and initially the U.S. before Trump ducked out. But was 2°C a good target to set?

Since 2015, the U.N. asked 91 scientists to double-check their plan and evaluate what 1.5°C of warming, a half-degree less than the agreed-upon 2°C, would look like. Earlier this month, these scientists reported back to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The news wasn’t terminal, but it wasn’t great either.

Although an average global increase of 1.5°C will be less detrimental than 2°C, it will still bring many consequences the 2°C target sought to avoid, such as rising sea levels, stronger storms, more severe droughts, and greater food insecurity.

The scientists were also highly confident we will reach this 1.5°C increase between

2030 and 2052. We have emitted enough greenhouse gases and given the climate sufficient momentum to continue warming into the foreseeable future. To avoid warming beyond 1.5°C, the international community needs to halt, and frankly, reverse emissions (by pulling the extra carbon out of the atmosphere) with an urgency unprecedented in climate action.

So…how? The report concluded that the most effective global strategy for reducing emissions is carbon taxing. “Taxing” carbon emissions motivates parties to make decisions based on carbon’s cost to society. Monetizing carbon makes the costs of climate change more tangible to countries and institutions, and creates real economic incentive to cut emissions.

Though there are some cons to the pros of carbon taxing, scientists agreed it is our best hope if we want a shot at the 2°C limbo bar.

One variety of carbon taxing is a cap and trade policy. Along with 31 countries, the state of California has already “capped” carbon emissions in certain sectors of its

Politics • 3 economy, leaving companies to “trade” their emission allowances. Players can sell off allowances they do not need so other players may buy the right to emit more, all while the collective emissions from the state remain capped. The government lowers the cap over time, reducing overall emissions and promoting renewable energy development.

Last month, Governor Jerry Brown committed California to sourcing 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2045. California started its cap and trade program in 2013 and continues to expand the players involved. It currently caps electric companies, large industrial facilities, and distributors of gas and fuel.

For California to reach the 2045 goal, continue leading in climate action, and play the 2°C limbo, however, all sectors of the economy will need to reduce their emissions, including education. College campuses help lead society on many fronts…why not in climate action?

Be an informed California Voter!

By Simone Henry ’22 Staff Writer

On Nov 6, California will be voting in a new governor. Here is a quick look at the candidates and then their views on affordability, the environment and energy, education, and immigration. John H. Cox is the Republican candidate and Gavin Newsom is the Democratic candidate.

Cox has little public record in comparison with Newsom, but Cox has run for multiple positions including County Recorder of Deeds, U.S. House and Senate, and briefly for President in 2008, although he did not win elections. Cox has spent most of his life as a real estate investor and businessman in Chicago and California.

Newsom was the mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011. In his second term campaign in 2007, Newsom won 72% of the vote. Since 2011, he has been Lieutenant Governor of California under Jerry Brown.

On affordability, Cox blames taxes for California’s high poverty rate, and vows to lower taxes with focus on lowering, even repealing the gas tax. Newsom plans to protect California consumers from “predatory financial practices” and focus on lifting children and their families out of poverty through financial foundations.

On the environment and energy, Cox believes in prioritizing environmental protection and the ability for California residents to pay for rent and food. He opposes beginning or expanding offshore oil drilling in order to protect the coastline and natural habitats. Newsom plans to put California on the path to 100% renewable energy, have zero diesel pollution by

2030, protect public land, strive for clean air, clean water and secure food, defend the coastline, improve reliability of water supply, counter the threat of wildfires, create an updated energy grid.

On education, Cox says that the U.S. school system is in need of reform.

He supports charter schools and the promotion of choice for parents. Cox also wants to give control over schools more locally and has said, “I don’t believe in a one size fits all model” in regards to the school system. Newsom’s rhetoric leans towards bettering the public higher education system, but he does have plans that focus on the first three years of a child’s life through education.

On immigration, Cox will not make California a sanctuary state. He supports “smart immigration”, citing that it will favor immigrants with specific skills to

fill worker shortages for that they are not competing with Americans for jobs. He also supports a more secure border to restrict illegal guns and human trafficking into the US. Newsom’s campaign website does not have a portion on immigration but he does support California becoming a sanctuary state. Although, as mayor of San Francisco, Newsom supported legislation that enforced the reporting of young undocumented immigrants to ICE he now says, “looking back, there were things we could have done differently. I’m very honest about that.”

Please visit both of their websites and continue your own research before voting! www.johncoxforgovernor.com and www. gavinnewsom.com Check out their twitters, @ TheRealJohnHCox and @GavinNewsom, to learn more about their policy proposals.

1 November, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVII • Issue Three

Photos courtesy of CNN

4 • Opinion

Confronting Fatphobia at the 5C’s

By Sasha Rivera ‘20 Staff Writer

The Claremont Colleges, particularly Scripps College, are known for their contributions to social justice and campus activism cultures. However, one issue is very rarely addressed: fatphobia. Sure, you might see content relating to mainstream body positivity movements on campus, but it is still often framed within specific contexts of health and appearance, and therefore does not address real, systemic issues. Events like chest-casting may be well-intentioned, but they don’t accomplish much in terms of addressing the toxic body and beauty standards that reign supreme on campus.

Usually this issue is one that isn’t really discussed, but a recent incident sparked new conversations regarding the fatphobic ways that the colleges address student health.

Consortium students recently received an email about the CMS Health and Wellness Fair happening on Oct. 26. Attached to the email was a graphic showing different activities that would be held at the fair, one of which was body fat testing.

A student posted about the email in the Scripps College Current Students page, explaining her frustrations with its fatphobic connotations and the toxic diet culture at the colleges. This post started a long conversation in the comment section about 5C fatphobia, and student activists put a lot of time and energy into educating their peers about why body fat testing was problematic.

So why is having body fat testing at a Health and Wellness Fair a bad thing? To simplify a very complex issue, it enforces a toxic and outdated misconception that someone’s health is determined by the percentage of fat in their bodies.

If someone has a very low fat percentage, then they absolutely must be the pinnacle of health, right? Well, not really.

The Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) released a Health at Every Size (HAES) fact sheet detailing different statistics and new approaches to healthcare. One of the main systemic issues larger people encounter is inadequate medical care because many physicians often refuse to fully look into these patients’ health issues because of their weight, simply telling them to diet and exercise more even if the root of the problem is something completely different. HAES seeks to combat this by performing studies and presenting information that benefits the health of people of all sizes without resorting to current fatphobic policies, such as debunking the use of Body Mass Index (BMI).

According to HAES, weight and BMI are bad predictors of health and longevity because the epidemiological evidence has shown that being five pounds underweight is more

dangerous than 75 pounds overweight.

Moreover, in a study comparing the HAES approach to a diet, while the dieters lost weight, they had the same overall fitness improvements as the HAES participants, and while the HAES participants maintained this fitness over the next two years, the dieters did not. After all, 95 percent of people who do restrictive dieting regain the weight in the span of three years. HAES also provided information about the dangers of restrictive dieting as it can lead to a slowed metabolism, reduced muscle tissue, and eating disorders. An NPR article also described BMI’s ineffectiveness; it was created by a 19th century mathematician—not a physician— named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet, who produced a quick formula that squared height and did not account for waist measurements to measure obesity of a general population to help the government allocate resources. Not only is it outdated, it’s inaccurate to boot. BMI and fat levels are not an accurate measure of health; HAES included the results of a government survey which concluded that 51.3 percent of “overweight” adults were metabolically healthy, while 23.5 percent of “normal weight” adults were metabolically unhealthy.

These sources, as well Broadly’s article “51 Ways to Make the World Less Hostile to Fat People,” Caleb Luna’s BGD Blog post “On Being Fat, Brown, Femme, Ugly, and Unloveable,” and Huffington Post’s article “Everything You Know About Obesity is Wrong,” were posted in the comments alongside students’ own analyses in response to inquiries about the fatphobia in offering body fat tests. Despite these ample resources and education, there were student—specifically thin students—who refused to read the material or truly understand what their peers were saying. Instead, they took it upon themselves to tone police those negatively affected by the email and dictate what constitutes as fatphobia.

Some argued that body fat tests could be useful for the many student athletes, especially at Claremont McKenna College. However, this still encourages disordered eating and fitness habits in athletes and gives them inaccurate information that prompts them

to focus on weight loss rather than building strength. Additionally, the email was sent to all students, not just athletes. Some students also misunderstood the argument, thinking that their upset peers wanted to do away with the fair altogether. That is not the case; what they wanted was to speak out against the body fat testing aspect of the fair and fight to make the fair a place where all students could explore health and wellness in a safe environment. While most eventually saw the error in their ways and apologized, others stood by their fatphobic stances, arguing that the test was not offensive and those hurt by it should simply not go. As we all know, simply not attending problematic events and ignoring oppression always solves the problem.

“When the only skinny folks commenting are commenting to disagree with fat people and speak over us, I lose hope,” Elle Biesemeyer ’21 said. “There are simple ways of standing up to manifestations of diet culture, even if it is just to declare a position of solidarity with fat folks who are saying something is fatphobic. But it is a job of skinny folks because fatphobia does not have the same traumatic impact on them,” This isn’t the only incident of fatphobia at Scripps. Diet culture is especially prevalent on campus, with calorie counts and diet plans in the dining halls, student health newsletters and academic materials about the “obesity epidemic,” and even students themselves using “fat” as an insult and discussing weight loss as the sole path to self-love. In an institution filled with classes about breaking down oppressive societal systems, fatphobia is deeply ingrained in students due to the heavy promotion of diet culture.

“To me, it is shameful that administration performs feminism in such a way that larger bodies continue to be marginalized within our institution,” Biesemeyer said. “Diet culture affects everybody at this school, but fat bodies are most impacted. I want Scripps to take a stand within dining halls (firstly, though: DROP SODEXO), Tiernan Field House, and against the other schools to finally make efforts to empower all Scripps students to abandon diet culture and learn to see themselves as valuable and powerful no matter what their bodies look like (AND no matter what their health status is).”

Students who participated in the original post, including Biesemeyer and myself, are currently penning a letter to the 5C’s addressing the fatphobia on the campuses and demanding positive change. Personal experiences with this form of oppression and specific grievances, such as with the Health and Wellness Fair body fat tests and the dining hall calorie counts, will be shared. This letter will be presented in student publications, though the exact date is still to be determined.

Graphic credit courtesy of CMS Athletics and Recreation

1 November, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVII • Issue Three

Opinion • 5

Asexual Awareness Week

By Claire Dwyer ‘20 Guest Contributer

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t’s exhausting never seeing yourself represented in TV or movies, never having ads catering to you, which are important or memorable, like a silly cartoon animal or a seductive woman selling a particular shade of lipstick. I don’t think allosexual people realize what it is like to look at the world and feel like everyone is part of an exclusive club you don’t completely understand. It’s funny how much of our identities, and how we shape our behavior and beliefs, comes either directly or indirectly from the media.

But when you’re asexual, being creative with your identity comes with the territory.

The script isn’t written for us, at all. We the people are creating the narrative of “aceness.”

People in our country aren’t assumed to share very much in this day and age. Our country’s media is trying to catch up to the extraordinary diversity of its viewership; and TV, movies, and advertising still aren’t diverse enough. But sexual attraction? I think our society looks at extremely potent sexual attraction as an element of humanity so basic that it must be common to all people and identities. And that is why we get the Burger King models dressed in bikinis, squeezing sponges over dirty cars.

But this isn’t true for aces. And society, in whatever form that might be, makes it abundantly clear that sexual attraction, romantic relationships, and the act of sex in general are integral to a normal, social, and healthy adult life. No wonder ace folks sometimes grow up believing that their sexual orientation isn’t normal or healthy.

We oftentimes don’t fit the stereotypical version of the “American Dream,” the media version of what a “relationship” should look like, or even the queer community’s vision of the “appropriate” way to be queer. This is at the root of our oppression, that we are seen to be broken and then sometimes rejected by acephobes in the very community that is supposed to protect and love us, in the context of a world which feels like it doesn’t always view us as fully “human.”

I hate that the beginning of my journey with “aceness” stems from this fear of lack of acceptance, and the feelings of shame I like to pretend I never felt. It’s strange to imagine that just a year ago, I never could have handled writing this article, because my journey towards self-acceptance in regards to my queer identity was still very much in its infancy. But I am lucky in that I have always been a little bit different socially. I never quite fit the mold of what I was “supposed” to be for each particular stage of life, being strangely intellectual from a very young age and thus not going through the same exact

developmental stages as my peers.

So when I began the process of coming out, I wasn’t really alienating myself from anything, because I was already looked at as “different.” It was kind of like adding one more thing to the list. Some people’s journey is longer, or more arduous than mine. Some people don’t experience any self-doubt at all.

Aces have a variety of personality types and interests. We aren’t all scholarly introverts like I am. But the most important thing to realize is that every ace’s journey is beautiful. And everyone’s journey is their own.

I am a bi, ace-spectrum woman. I didn’t grow up thinking that I was “gay,” or that I had a sexual orientation which was different from that of everyone I saw in my favorite TV shows, or read about in books. I grew up thinking, in the back of my mind, that something was wrong with me.

Of course, no one ever explained to me the difference between an asexual and allosexual person, or the ace spectrum, upon which I am still not sure exactly where I fall. Even in kids’ cartoons, sex and romantic love are portrayed as the be all and end all of life.

Characters and individuals who fall outside those bounds always have something “wrong” with them. They’re never sociable, well-adjusted scholars with a love for books, language learning, and fine dining. I’m aware that now, there’s some character on Bojack Horseman who is asexual, though I’ve never seen this show myself. But we cannot subsist on Bojack Horseman alone.

There is an immense diversity of asexual people in this world. We range from high to low libido just like anyone else of a different sexual identity. Not all asexuals are sexrepulsed, not all asexuals are aromantic, not all aromantics are asexual. However, if I get into all the peculiarities of ace identity here, that could take up the whole article.

The information on us, though not prodigious, does exist online if you’re curious.

In order to really learn about other aces, I had to join online forums and groups, as

many of us in the queer community are wont to do. When you’re not seeing yourself represented in daily life, searching for online alternatives is a normal and healthy way to build community. I think dealing with people’s assumptions about asexuals is the hardest part of being “out” for me. My sexual orientation doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be a good partner for an allosexual person.

Every asexual is different. Meet us halfway, and just like any other person with whom you might enter a relationship, communication and mutual respect is key.

Each individual ace person at the Claremont Colleges has a different experience of their sexuality. However, a fellow ace student put into eloquent words something I think many of us aces have felt at some point or another.

She was talking about a date which she’d realized might not be right for her: “The day before, I canceled, even though I rarely cancel plans, because I really didn’t want to go anymore. I felt terrible and confused because I was getting along well with him and I eagerly anticipated his responses, but now that he complimented me beyond mere respect and introduced the prospect of an actual date, I realized I didn’t want to go on one anymore.

I realized that I liked the concept of dating, but when I pictured myself in an actual relationship, I didn’t feel comfortable.”

That feeling resonated with me so strongly, and made me think of a lot of us on the ace and aro spectrums here at the Claremont Colleges. No matter how we talk about our asexuality (or aromanticism), where we fall on the ace/aro spectrum, or how we decide to express our identity, knowing that other people feel the same way we do means a great deal. I know that the first time I encountered the ace/aro club at the Claremont Colleges, I felt so extremely relieved. Finally, here was this group of funny, wonderful human beings who made me feel validated, and so much less alone.

We’re here. We’re queer. And we’re claiming the space and respect we deserve in the queer community. That’s what Asexual Awareness Week is all about.

In the words of the same ace student, “If you know an experience/situation will hurt you or cause you to be extremely uncomfortable, you shouldn’t have to force yourself to go through it, especially if it is not mandatory.”

We as aces are done with feeling broken, done with feeling pressured into “normalcy.” Just like anyone else, our sexual orientation does not reflect our attitude toward sex or relationships, and we do not need to be “fixed.” In honor of Asexual Awareness Week, I am therefore imploring the queer groups on campus to recognize us, to respect us, and to welcome us.

Photos courtesy of thesheaf

1 November, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVII • Issue Three

SPOTLIGHT

6

kristi lee '20

safa ashadullah ’20

Major: Biochemistry Why I chose to be an RA: I was inspired by my RAs last year and wanted to get more involved in supporting and serving the student body by being a resource and ensuring that everyone’s voices are being acknowledged.

What I am looking most forward to this year: I am looking forward to hearing the campus become more alive on the weekends! It would be really exciting to see residents utilizing the common spaces more and actively engaging in conversation with people they may not know as well. I hope that the events my hall cluster is planning throughout the year will help facilitate this.

Major: Organizational Studies Why I chose to be an RA: I want to continue getting to know Scripps better at both a personal and structural level.

What I am looking most forward to this year: I’m looking forward to the new and exciting programming and events for the year.

ally (allisen) to ’19 Major: Neuroscience, Minor: Psychology Why I chose to be an RA: This is my second year as an RA, and I live in Toll Hall. I became an RA because I wanted to advocate for and support other students. I love being a resource and getting to know so many people. It makes me happy if I can make someone’s day a little better.

What I am looking most forward to this year: I am looking forward to all the fun senior activities I get to do with my best friends.

7

SCRIPPS, MEET YOUR RAs! Resident Advisors (RAs) are individuals who oversee the residential aspects of the Scripps community, helping students overcome challenging experiences, as well as fostering a community of inclusivity and diversity. If you haven’t met your RAs for this year, let this be your introduction!

By Aditi Garg ’22 Staff writer

mikaela Major: Science Management Why I chose to be an RA: My favorite part of being an RA, and why I chose to apply this year, is the meaningful connections and opportunity to meet students from all backgrounds in the Scripps community.

What I am looking most forward to this year: I am looking forward to creating a vibrant and inclusive environment within the halls I oversee and to being a part of such a powerful and supportive residential community.

giovanna perricone ’19

Major: American Studies, Minor: Africana Studies Why I chose to be an RA: I enjoy helping the Scripps community in any way that I can. I like programming and community building, and this job is a perfect way to combine those two things.

What I am looking most forward to this year: I am looking forward to working in SCORE and researching graduate schools. I am also excited to go into LA more, and I have already made plans with friends to

Major: Psychology Why I chose to be an RA: I wanted to help build community here at Scripps in my last year.

What I am looking most forward to this year: I’m looking most forward to eventually catching up on all the TV shows I like that I can’t currently watch because of thesis.

sabina hills-villalobos ’20

All photos courtesy of the RAs.

1 November, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVII • Issue Three

8 • Features

DISMANTLE:

How Scripps Perpetuates the Idolization of Masculinity in its Architecture

By Anna Mitchell ’22 Staff Writer

T

he other day, I walked into Denison, anticipating that hallowed book-song silence and air-conditioned serenity. Thinking I might plunge into a reading I’d put off, or finish an essay, etc. All those aged leafy pages bound up in hides and string and glue. All those words.

But as I sunk down into the couch — and it rolled back slightly, as it sometimes does — I noticed their faces.

They live in the mantelpiece. There are five of them.

Five figures set between arches. They are grey-blue, stony, raised reliefs, something kids might run their hands over but that you can’t quite etch with waxy crayons on printer paper. They are people, clearly, yet their features are dulled, as if their antiquity is manifest in the ambiguity of their noses and eyes, the everydayness of their rounded ears and cheeks.

Aristotle - Euclid - Socrates - Pythagoras - Homer.

I know these faces. They are the faces of men. They bear the names of men. I have been taught to respect them. Beyond that, to quote them — to reference, relate, study, engage, admire. Here they stand, engraved, pillars of the great canon of human intellectual development.

ask Lue Q A

Are they not magnificent?

A simmering anger blooms in my chest. I realize: in our hallowed spaces, where we worship knowledge as sacred, learning as holy, we worship men as such, too. We immortalize the man’s voice, we transcribe his words, we observe and critique the women and others he sculpts or constructs.

The anger grows and morphs and threatens to boil over into rage. You see, I do not hate these faces. I do not blame them, nor their teachings, their queries, their records. In fact, I feel anchored in the sincere gravity of their contributions. What I wish, rather, to crush in my fist and throw on the ground and stomp on is the unquestioned space we — the western world — allot for them. In the world’s collective memory, he takes up space willingly. He does it on the bus, too. On sidewalks.

In restaurants.

At a historically women’s college, an institution dedicated to empowering marginalized voices, is it not our duty to diversify the canon of revered academic figures? Is it not our responsibility to etch into stone those history has cast aside, belittled, or deemed unworthy? It is not our charge simply to remember them?

Dear Lue, I squirted when I was with my regular hook-up a couple days ago, I’ve heard of squirting before im just not sure what exactly it is.

Thanks, Anonymous

Hey Anonymous!

So squirting is a bit of a controversial subject, there have only a couple studies published in the last ten years, and the results differ. One thing that is certain is that it is completely normal and it really varies from person to person. Some people squirt every time they have sex, and some people have never squirted in their life. Squirting starts in the G-spot – which is less of a spot and more of an area. It is composed of the back of the pubic bone, the apex of the clitoris, the Skene’s gland, and the urethral sponge, it’s also not very well understood but it is basically all over that area, which can be confusing.There is back and forth about what makes up the fluid released when you squirt, and some people believe it’s actually just pee, which is an understandable myth considering female ejaculate is expelled from the urethra and also contains uric acid, which is one of the components of urine.

However female ejaculate is not urine. Trust me, you’re not peeing yourself during sex, squirting is actually a clear fluid that is released from the urethral sponge when a woman has a g-spot orgasm. Bottom line, we don’t fully understand the concept of ejacujaltion or even the g-spot yet, bodies are strange and everyone is different, but this is completely normal and not something to be worried about at all!

Lue

Q

Dear Lue, How do I shave down there for the first time? Without having itchiness or irritation?

And on a budget?

-Anonymous

A

So I observe this mantelpiece. I notice pock marks, flecks of mineral, light, and the quiet hallmarks of age. My anger sits with me. I am not explosive-angry, shouting-angry, bleeding-angry. It’s that undeniable and irrepressible simmer, hissing at me, within me, still on the verge of boiling through my body. Hysteria, is that you?

I give my permission for these men to stay right where they are, though they don’t ask for it and they certainly don’t need it. I give it anyway. One day maybe I’ll know them better and revoke that permission.

But for now, they can stay. They are individuals who indisputably contributed to their respective societies and they embellish a magnificent library that is home to rare and varied collections, including the remarkable Ellen Browning Scripps papers. Let us leave these helpless faces be, and focus instead on what they represent. Let us not dismantle these figures, but rather 1) the othering of women’s voices, 2) the homogeneity of remembrance, 3) the exclusion of “non-traditional” identities from monuments 4) the patriarchy, because we might as well aim high.

Luena Maillard is a junior at Scripps who is passionate about holistic health and education. In high school, she was employed by Planned Parenthood as a Peer Health Educator to teach sex ed classes to high school health classes. She is currently working as a PHE here on campus, and you can find her during her office hours at Tiernan Field House for one-on-one conversations!

Q A

Dear Lue, I’ve been thinking about getting an IUD, but one of my friends mentioned she had one that didn’t have hormones?

Is that better?

Anonymous Dear Anonymous, So there are actually two types of IUDs, non-hormonal (Paragard) and hormonal (Mirena, Skyla, etc.). The hormonal ones work by releasing a hormone similar to progesterone for 3 (Skyla) to 5 (Mirena) years, which can thicken your cervical mucus plug or stop your body from releasing an egg altogether.

The non-hormonal Paragard is wrapped in a copper wiring that is a natural spermicide. Both types also have the added benefit of being physically in the uterus, which adds another layer of protection against pregnancy because it creates a less-than-ideal situation for fetus to develop, and your body knows that. In terms of if one is better than another, birth control is subjective, and what is better for one person could be different than for another. The Paragard can come with the side effects of heavier periods or worse menstrual cramps, which is definitely something to keep in mind. I would definitely talk to a physician about what is best for you personally; they would be able to go into detail with you for how your body might react.

On a personal note, I have an IUD and I think they’re awesome, hope you figure out what will work best for you and your body!

Lue

Hey Anonymous!

I got you. So, start by getting a FRESH razor (the more blades the better) and either some sort of oil (some people swear by coconut oil and others love baby oil) or an unscented gentle cream/gel. You basically want some sort of lubrication (SO IMPORTANT) without disturbing the sensitive skin or getting an allergic reaction, so if your skin is particularly sensitive I would suggest testing a patch first. Once you get in the shower, don’t shave first thing- wait 5-10 min to let the follicles soften. Then, exfoliate the area *gently* with a loofah or something similar, and lather on your lubricant. Wet the razor and make long smooth strokes along the direction of the hair growth, rinsing the razor frequently. If you find that is not getting enough of the hair, you can try shaving in a sideways direction, towards your center, however be gentle as the more times you go over an area the more irritated it could become. Exfoliate gently again, pat dry, and then either apply something unscented like aloe vera or baby oil, or this super amazing budget friendly product called Tendskin (you can find it at any drugstore or on Amazon) which reduces ingrown hairs and bumps. Lue

18 November, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXII • Issue Three

Arts and Entertainment • 9

By Ali Bush ‘19 Music Columnist

P

icture Lady Gaga in a small drag club, belting “La Vie en Rose”, dressed as Edith Piaf, and dancing on tables. Yes, as an ardent Little Monster, I would pay copious amounts of money to see this, but thankfully it’s the opening scene of A Star Is Born.

At first sight, Gaga is a show stopper. The title of the film blatantly screams in your head in the first scene: A Star Is Born, and it’s Lady Gaga.

The film is the third rendition of this familiar story of love, addiction, and music. The first version of the film was made in 1937, and then again in 1976, and as the film’s director, Bradley Cooper updates the film to critique today’s music industry. After a night of heartfelt flirtation and songwriting, a washed up, perpetually drunk rockstar Jack (Bradley Cooper) falls in love with Ally (Lady Gaga), a waitress who still lives with her hilarious father, but has a bellowing voice. The two go on tour, sharing their love through the music they write together, but Jack’s drunk stumbling becomes more frequent and toubling.

That’s just the beginning, though. As Ally belts a beautiful pop ballad “Always Remember Us This Way,” an obvious sense of foreboding is present throughout the rest of the film. Eventually, Ally becomes more famous than Jack, even though he’s the one who gave her her first chance at stardom.

The film touches on so many important themes in regards to the music industry, from sexism to addiction. While Jack encourages Ally to remain true to her own authentic voice, her music becomes increasingly shallow and sexual as she reaches new heights of fame. This points to the sad fact that women in the music industry, not only have to be be talented songwriters, but must also change and sell their own image as more of their worth rests on their appearance than their talents. While Jack still writes his heartbreaking, truthful songs, Ally starts singing songs about flirty texting. The plot perhaps even rings somewhat true for Lady Gaga who had to navigate her own way of obtaining stardom while maintaining her own artistic voice.

The film also touches on a familiar topic to musical biopics: how to live with and love an addict.

Throughout the film, Jack’s slurring and pill-popping becomes troublingly frequent, and Cooper gives an amazingly moving performance of a boy who rose from being a rancher in Arizona to an international star. His character provokes the question of why the most dysfunctional people are always the ones who become immersed in fame, drugs, and yesmen.

It’s probably because, as Jack constantly repeats throughout the movie, they have something to say.

The plot and acting of the movie do a lot to make this film an amazing movie, but of course, it’s the soundtrack, written by Lady Gaga and Lukas Nelson, that elevates the film to another level. Songs like “Shallow” and “I Don’t Know What Love Is” elevate happy moments to ecstasy and transform its saddest moments to unbearable tragedy. The songs follow the trials of this dysfunctional couple and perhaps explain their thoughts and emotions better than they can themselves. More importantly, these songs connect us to these characters and with each other.

Photo courtesy of New York Times

Beautiful Boy Review

By Bianca Torres-Hamlin ‘22 Staff Writer Content Warning: drug usage and addiction

A

drama film without the captivating plot twists of a drama, Beautiful Boy starring Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet, sends the audience on a real and heartbreaking journey of a family’s experience of survival and redemption through drug addiction. At no point is drug use glorified or exaggerated, rather it is shown as a family’s reality.

Beautiful Boy, directed by Felix Van Groeningen, is an attempt from Hollywood to eradicate stigmas around drug addiction and demonstrate the disease from a family’s point of view.

Based on a true story, Beautiful Boy includes the accounts of David and Nic Sheff, and authors of the memoirs Beautiful Boy by David Sheff and Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff, which the film is adapted from. Shot with a montage of flashbacks and real-time scenes, the film depicts a father struggling to come to grips with his son’s disease -- while his son tries to come to terms with it as well. Complete with aesthetically pleasing scenery and emotionally expressive background music, the film makes Nic

Sheff’s (Timothee Chalamet) journey through drug addiction a real life experience.

Instead of depicting Nic as a raging demon as those with addiction are often depicted in film, Nic is instead depicted as a real person, who is struggling with his identity and trying to find a pathway to contentment in life. As David Sheff (Steve Carell) loses touch with who his son becomes, the audience too feels distant from Nic, showing the devastating effects of a drug dependency on not only an addict, but also on those around them.

Whilst the plot of the film seems to plateau at times, I think the unexaggerated aspect of the plot reflects how drug addiction affects everyone, even the most “normal” people.

The movie opens with Carell saying, “There are moments that I look at him, this kid that I raised, who I thought I knew inside and out and I wonder who he is.” This sense of speculation on the reason

Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers

A Star Is Born: Believe the Hype

behind his son’s disease remain at the forefront of the film, as the audience joins David Sheff as he commits his life to finding out what makes drugs more powerful than his son.

The film is the journey of a father losing touch with his son, and trying to discover how he can help him, realizing that drug addiction does not have a simple cure. Though at times agonizing to watch, the journey within the film is worth sticking through until the end. While devastatingly painful and without many light hearted moments, the film reflects the hope and beauty of family and how even if we cannot fix people, we can still love them and give them continuous support.

To learn more about drug addiction and Beautiful Boy visit: https://www.beautifulboyinfo.com.

1 November, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXII • Issue Three

10 • Arts & Entertainment workshops, and craft bits. Besides stand-up, they set their sights on improv and sketches, other forms of comedy writing and, one day, videos.

“I mean, what other ideas do you guys have?” asked Conrad, leaning back in her seat and bringing up a story of her own. Someone told a story about a childhood pet. A group riff erupted over the experiences all Scripps dorm residents would find relatable: “If I don’t see an escort with him and he’s using the bathroom in my dorm, I’m like, get OUT of my HOME!” one member roared.

Another member performed a stand-up piece she had written, moving in front of the grand piano in her pajamas with stage presence to will a spotlight into being. When the bit ended, the group began to workshop.

The very dynamic of WANF is mesmerizing. It’s the feeling you get walking into a really funny friend group. The conversation passes too quickly or too cleverly for you to catch anything right away except the hilarity with which it is said. Every woman sits, snorts, guffaws, and jostles the others with the brashness of someone who figures she has the power to make you laugh.

Could women really be this funny? You reflect after the meeting, your legs now crossed and your laugh politely tuned at indoor-voice, once again among the Men (why are you now among the Men?). You mean I was allowed to laugh at… at that this whole time?

Though some have had previous stand-up or improv experience, all the members are familiar with comedy writing. WANF board members met each other on the 5C satirical magazine The Golden Antlers. Once having established their group, though, the women felt something more needed to be done to create the comedy they wanted.

“There’s not a lot of humor that’s created by and for people of marginalized gender identities - by and for women. And in my opinion - it’s funnier.” Megan Marshall PO ’20, another board member, said.

The founders were inspired to form a space completely dedicated to women and people of marginalized gender identities.

“This was right around the time of Harvey Weinstein,” Maggie Thomspon ’22, a cofounder and board member, said, referring to the sexual assault cases against film producer Harvey Weinstein brought to the public eye in 2017. “And we were like, fuck that.”

Tell Me It Ain’t So Jamie Jiang ‘22 Staff Writer

T

his Saturday afternoon, five women sprawled themselves on the couches of GJW’s living room, their voices high spirited the way voices are among close friends, legs hung easily over the arms of chairs.

This was preparation for their first show, comedy by and for women (and people of marginalized gender identities) only.

When I first walked in, Caitlin Conrad ’20, cofounder of the club, was reading aloud a listicle of tips for stand-up comedians from her laptop. Conrad, lovingly dubbed “Stand-Up Queen” by fellow group members, would begin to read a tip and suddenly wave it off with a “that’s stupid”, or a clear sign that whatever the internet had scraped together to try to offer her was just not cutting it today. Members kidded, commented, and seriously critiqued each other, the humor building in layers.

Maybe you’ve seen fliers for Women Are Not Funny (WANF): a peevish-looking man crouching in a scrappy Peanuts-style booth, the words “Women Aren’t Funny” written on the cardboard. “Women Aren’t Funny. Change his mind!” WANF is a 5C comedy club for women and people of marginalized gender identities, whose goal, according to Julia Foodman ’21, board member of the club, “is to provide a platform for people typically not heard in the comedic world to exercise their abilities”.

Though WANF was founded late in the second semester of the last academic year, the club has blossomed this fall. After a first meeting in late September, WANF meets regularly to brainstorm, hold

Photos courtesy of @5cWANF

Comedy is still an industry unusually exclusive to women. Prominent critics and comedians often express the sentiment that “women are not funny”.

A lineup of “top-paid comedians” written annually by Forbes Magazine rarely lists women, and according to Bitch Media, women consistently get less stage time than men. And the sexual assault allegations recently brought to light against Bill Cosby and Louis C.K., against our best wishes, sours male comedy for many of us.

“There is a deep need for underrepresented voices in comedy right now,” Conrad said. “A lot of comedy, in the past, just takes the social fabric that’s [already] there and makes jokes out of it. We need forward thinking comedians, who will take the social fabric that they see in the future.”

In keeping with their vision, WANF members hope to expand membership in the 5Cs, perform and create more often, and gain a bigger media presence.

“Women having a voice in comedy is such an outlandish thing, you know, that women have never really had a big presence.” Marshall said. “[But women] are making big strides. We have Abbi Jacobson coming to Scripps. We [at WANF] just want to encourage it.”

WANF’s first performance is scheduled for the Motley on November 15th. They can be found at @5cWANF on Facebook, and meet regularly. Contact WANF board members for more information.

Satire: Malott Has Changed a Lot! Hayley Van Allen ‘21 Queer Columnist

S

tudents returned to Scripps this September and recoiled with horror upon seeing changes to their once dependable dining hall, Malott.

Upon walking inside, returning students were immediately disoriented by the layout changes implemented over the summer. As the weeks went on, students realized that the changes to Malott were deeper than just a poor attempt to mix the layout up.

Of all the changes to Malott dining hall, none have been more heinous or cruel than the removal of the warm cookies once available at 6:30 each week night. For years, the highlight of a students’ meal in Malott was the experience of warm cookies placed out at dinner. Now, even finding a regular chocolate chip cookie is a rare experience.

One Scripps student, Keila Fisher ’21, spoke to us about her cookie experience. “There is nothing I love more than a good, warm chocolate chip cookie at the end of my dinner. Splitting that baby in two and watching the melted chocolate chip ooze out is what I’m guessing love feels like,” Fisher said. “Not being able to experience that love for the past month has been the biggest heartbreak of my life since second grade. I need them back man.”

The second most heartbreaking change to the Malott was the removal of the Mongolian stir fry.

Students used to have a guaranteed, delicious customizable stir fry available to them every

Thursday night. Now, the offering continues to show up each Thursday on the menu, but not in the actual dining hall, like some cruel joke.

Arianna Thompson ’21 expressed her grief for the loss of a great menu item, “My heart aches for my Thursday night wok ritual before chem lab. It’s the only thing that got me through those long days.”

In addition to the menu changes, students across the 5C’s were bewildered at the missing information on Malott’s menu in the 5C Friend app. Having lived a life of luxury and convenience for so long, many

“

Of all the changes...none have been more heinous or cruel than the removal of the warm cookies once available at 6:30 each week night.

students have forgotten how to use Google to find the menus online. Convinced that the Malott - and similarly the Hoch Shanahan - menu was gone forever because it didn’t show up on the 5C friend app or the ASPC site, students across the 5C’s have been loitering around the outer perimeter of Malott, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of the food available that night.

It has been hard for many students to keep a brave face with all the changes to the Malott dining hall they once knew and loved. Fortunately, there has been once addition that seems to be

for the better: the new coffee machine.

Finally, students are able to get espresso based drinks from Malott. The general consensus among students seems to be that the new machine is just fine.

“When it works, it’s great!” Maddy Yardumian ’21 said, “The problem is it’s just… always out of order.

Especially when I need it.” With a somber look and a single tear running down her cheek, Yardumian continued to say, “It’s just such a tragedy.”

With so many changes for the worse at Malott, it is understandable that many students are upset and angry. Rumors of a protest have been circling around the 5Cs. One student, who requested to remain anonymous, told us about their commitment to the old ways of the dining halls. “Give me warm cookies or give me death I say! I don’t think Scripps has ever done anything more loathsome than take away the 6:30 cookies in Malott. Nothing will ever or has ever topped this.”

If you, like many other students, feel equally outraged -- or if you just want to make a suggestion or two -- there is an outlet for you to be heard.

Scripps, in their controversial partnership with Sodexo, does have a website to provide feedback.

Under Contact/Feedback on the website for Malott, you are given the ability to leave what is essentially a virtual comment card. With enough student feedback about the menu, change is possible.

1 November, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVII • Issue Three

Graphic Courtesy of kisspng

Creative • 11

Scripps’ Spooky Happenings

By Rena Patel ’19 Editor-in-Chief

T

he Claremont Colleges are no strangers to the paranormal. The Inland Empire is always a strange place when the Santa Ana winds blow.

Even Joan Didion found her way here because of a story. Scripps is no different.

There have been many stories about old dorm hauntings: noises that don’t make sense, whispers without owners, creaks in floorboards without the presence of footsteps. Sure, we can chalk all of that up to the nature of tired buildings slowly settling back into the earth, but in the spirit of Halloween, let’s indulge ourselves a bit.

After asking around, a few brave souls, unafraid of the repercussions that this may cause them (for it is still unknown if ghosts read newspapers-- but if they did, they would read the Scripps Voice), I have compiled a few ghost stories from current students.

The old dorms are haunted. Let’s just get that out of the way. So it’s no surprise that our first story comes from former Dorsey resident, Jiaming Lin ’19.

“I lived in Dorsey my sophomore year in room 204 or something. I don’t think the room exists anymore because of renovations, but it was a forced double so there wasn’t a lot of space. We kept a lot of our stuff in our closet, which was really hard to open and close, but it would open and close on its own.”

Chalk it up to old hinges? I think not!

“One night at 3 a.m., my roommate and I both woke up because we felt weird and closed the closet door,” Lin continued. “The next morning she found a 30 minute recording of our room in the dark and you could see the light of the fan, but she slept with her phone on her shelf so there’s no way she could have recorded it.”

Watch your phones if you live in Dorsey!

It’s not just old dorms though. At the tender age of two, Schow Hall (formerly and currently New Hall for some) also seems to have acquired a supernatural being.

“I want to tell you about the asshole ghost in my suite,” Alyssa Neda ’21 said. “Specifically the bathroom in Suite 100. At first it was just the motion sensor paper towel dispenser going off when no one was even close to it or moving, but now every once in a while, the stall door will start shaking for no apparent reason. It’s super scary, but seems to be harmless.”

Harmless for now! I’d keep a close watch on that bathroom.

Perhaps the most mysterious building on campus is one that was just recently opened to student housing, the Revelle House. Now, it’s no surprise that the house is haunted. But Natasha Vhugen ’21 and her roommates were told that the ghost of Jaqua lives there.

“We’ve noticed his presence through the lights,” Vhugen said. “I have a lamp and it’ll flicker or dim whenever we say certain words! Mostly when we say things that pertain to either joy or death.”

While none of these stories sound particularly frightening, it may serve us well to tread with vigilance. Surviving one night studying with the ghost in the Toll Browsing Room is all well and done, but if these ghosts of years past do come out to play, especially as night grow longer and colder, it is best to remember that even in the early hours of day when the world sleeps and your eyes grow tired over your textbooks, you may not necessarily be alone.

Poetry Column cocoon

Anna Mitchell ’22 I am stretched out horizontal on my bed my heavy body pressing into the forgiving heap of blankets like decaying leaves of October (or November) and the top layer -- the one that knows my skin -presses me back this time, for answers.

How many fingers did I swallow at birth?

How many eyes, when looking upon me, have clenched shut against time wasted?

How many hopes & whims & lusts haunt my crisscrossed veins?

But I have no answers to provide only bound books to circle

a few articles to quote ancient tales to recount.

But my blanket doesn’t care for other people’s thoughts.

My blanket beams azure & emerald & sage in the morning sunlight (it is still early, and they’ll be sleeping, for a while longer) that laps at the room in ribbons through half-drawn blinds.

Why didn’t they teach me to see scarred cheeks and sweat-heavy brows when I see (grin & dismiss) the last citrus fruits that grow?

To detect the scripture in the trunk of the eucalyptus tree (reading: Return to sender) when I borrow

its fallen leaves?

Why didn’t they teach me to paint broken hands when they taught me how to paint?

I remain, nestled in the soft palm looking up, noticing how rough and calloused the cream-colored ceiling is like dead skin caked on heels or my parched winter elbow that knocks you awake in the morning You should put some lotion on that you say, tugging your cocoon around your lulling frame, not even suspecting that the soft swishing sound it makes might be the voices of its ghosts.

1 November, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXII • Issue Three

12 • Creative

By Kendall Lowry ‘22 Staff Writer

Pizza Pizza, Yum Yum?

I

f I were to choose one food as nourishment for the rest of my days on this Earth, it would be pizza. It incorporates all five food groups (oxforddictionaries.com declares that tomatoes are scientifically a fruit; however, the Supreme Court classified tomatoes as vegetables within Nix v. Hedden (1893)- I move that they count for both food groups, but I digress). Additionally, it allows for endlessly delicious varieties, from Nutella berry dessert pizza to the ever-controversial pineapple pizza. Naturally, a comprehensive assessment of the Claremont pizza situation was already of utmost importance to me, and I have decided to continue to spread my food-findings to the greater Claremont community. Disclaimer: As a sauce/crust person, I obviously held a significant bias toward specific slices in this assessmenthowever, I was accompanied by several cheese people, and I incorporated their input into this report. I strictly limited my assessment to cheese pizza from each of the dining halls (no toppings, no flatbreads, etc.)

Graphic courtesy of sweetclipart

Claremont Mckenna

Harvey Mudd

Collins provided a solid slice of laser tag cheese pizza at a 14-yearold’s birthday party. The crust didn’t just serve as a template but rounded out the flavor of the slice and possessed nice texture and height. The sauce worked well to balance the thickness of the crust. However, the lackluster nature of the cheese in comparison to the rest of the slice leaves something to be desired with this pie.

This slice’s crust was fluffy and fresh, yet bland, only serving as a template for its elementary school cafeteria-esque sweet sauce.

Though the cheese had a nice flavor, it was a bit burnt, and broke apart with each bite. Despite this description, Mudd’s pizza was not bad -- it just lacked synthesis.

pitzer

scripps

Once again, the fatal flaw of this slice was its lack of a homogenous blend. It maintained an excellent sauce to cheese ratio, however, its crust may as well have been a pita chip. Though each component was tasty, there was no personality to this pizza.

Malott’s pizza maintained a refreshing variety of cheeses, and the sauce builds up nicely against a flavorful crust. This crust possessed notable height, but fell prey to a bit of flouriness when it wasn’t paired with the cheese and sauce. Though its cheese didn’t complement the crust as well as its sauce, this pizza was tasty and engaging. This is a sauce-lover’s slice.

pomona FRARY

FRANK

This slice mirrors classic summer camp sustenance. Its crust was bordering on flatbread height, and its cheese provided most of its crunch, but this pizza was made to feed the masses, and I can’t fault it for completing its job.

OLDENBORG

This freezer to table pizza is evocative of roller rink microwave fare. I first ran into trouble with the pizza’s stress-inducing storage -- its rotating warmer kept moving as I tried to snatch the slice, and tongs were not provided so I was only left to imagine the countless unwashed hands that had grasped at the pies.

The crust was impressively flat, crunchy, and flimsy, with cafereteria cheese that surpassed it in height.

The ratio of each component of the pizza was promising, but its execution was haphazard.

Say what you will about the lengthy trek to Frank, but its pizza has a good cheese pull.

Then again, there’s not much sauce to compliment this cheese, and its white-bread crust is more of a template than another flavor, but if you’re a cheese person, this is the slice for you.

Top 3 Cheese Pizzas 1. Malott 2. Collins 3. Frank

1 November, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVII • Issue Three